Woohoo, I wrote another bit just for you :)
I hope you like it :D x
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Everyone in the class lined up, side by side, as he instructed. We looked like a zoo's complete collection all together at once, the formation spreading across the length of the hall.
The smaller animals in the group were making nervous noises and, against my will, I wanted to protect them. It was silly; most of these people wouldn’t even give me the time of day, but I couldn’t help it. The Alpha instinct I had inherited was there no matter what had happened to dad. I had to push the feeling down and focus on Mr. Ward, who was creeping me out. I didn’t like the way his eyes glinted as he surveyed the line of shifters.
He slowly made his way along the line, taking names and notes as he did. I was shocked that this man – this strange man – was being allowed to know such personal information about all of us. He eventually made his way to me and asked “Name?”
I froze, not sure whether I should reply. He raised an eyebrow at me, then his eyes traveled across me with that same sense of awe and my stomach twisted. I wanted him away from me. ‘Matthews. Alexis Matthews,’ I replied.
A strange kind of knowing sparkled in his eyes. He scribbled something else down with a smile. “Age?”
‘17.’
“Good. Good,” he murmured, moving to question Rose who stood beside me. However this time he added, "Martin, you don't need to worry, I have been informed of your problem. There’s no need for you to take part." Her face fell with utter shame at his harsh words, but her eyes betrayed her with a flicker of relief. She backed out of the line, moved to the wall and slumped to the floor with a thump, tail twitching from side to side.
‘Are you ok?’ I asked, watching her from the corner of my eye.
‘Yeah,’ she replied.
‘The shifting teachers aren’t like this usually,’ I tried to reassure her.
‘It’s fine.’ Her voice sounded choked with unshed tears. She laid her head on her paws and followed Mr. Ward with glistening eyes as he traveled down the line.
Not wanting to push her any further, I withdrew from her mind. There were some things she was willing to share with me, but she didn’t really know me that well. I didn’t expect her spill her every secret already. I turned my eyes away and let her sit quietly.
A moment later Mr. Ward had finished. He paced to the centre of the hall, before spinning on his heel to face us. After studying us all once again, he spoke. "Right,” he called, taking his clipboard under his arm, “Today I've been called to be assess your shifting ability. I'll say the name of an animal and you shift into it. If you can't form that animal, step away from the line. If you're too tired, also leave the line. I'll be marking each of your ability as we go along. Got it?" A ripple of nods traveled the line. “Good.”
Before I could even stretch he was ready. "Horse," Mr. Ward barked. The form flashed in my mind. I pushed out my legs, feeling the bones grow and shrink and rearrange themselves, as I grew taller. My claws tingled as they merged in hooves, my skull lengthened and grew, my skin rippled as it stretched over new bones.
Mr. Ward’s eyes flickered across us as similar noises emanated from around the room. He smiled and scribbled on his clipboard. "Cat," he called a second later. Once again I focused on the animal and squeezed in my body, forcing myself into its form. Once again his pen scratched across the page.
As we became familiar with the routine he increased the tempo, his pen never stopping its motion. "Wolf," a moment later, "Mouse, snake, eagle, elephant, crocodile.” All these forms were simple and relatively easy, so everyone remained in line and we continued on.
Ten minutes later no one was tired, but the forms became more bizarre and complex, some names even in Latin. "Thorny Devil, black widow spider, Hystricomorph Hystricidae, sun bear, aye aye, Equidae Burcheli." I was lucky to have seen these animals in my books and the Latin names were of simple forms. However, chunks of the class were leaving the line with furrowed brows.
The animals continued to become more and more bizarre, and more and more of line fell away. Eventually only myself and five others remained. The tempo was so quick that there wasn’t a pause for breath between each shift. From the corner of my eye I saw an alpaca stumble from the line, out of breath and shaky. But we powered on.
***
To the annoyance of the rest of the class, I was eventually the last animal standing. My heart was racing, my muscles burned every time I shifted on Mr. Ward’s command and my bones felt brittle and over stretched. I must have taken the form of at least 60 animals already.
'Lexy,' Rose whispered in my mind. So in the zone, hearing her made me stumble slightly out of tempo. Her worry only increased. 'Please don't hurt yourself. I’m sure that Mr. Ward can see you’re the best of the group.’
I nodded in reply and, as if on cue, Mr. Ward ticked one final thing on his clipboard and stepped over. The way he was looking at me was like he was eying up a prized cow and I didn't like it, not one bit. Nor did I like the way his scent stung my nose.
In my current fragile state as a pygmy marmoset I felt uncomfortable. I pushed myself one last time, back into the familiar form of a white tiger. The shift was slower than usual. It felt as if I’d run seven marathons in a row.
He nodded approvingly. "Congratulations, Miss Matthews, you completed every animal on the list,” he praised, before addressing the whole class, “A level of knowledge and stamina you should all aim for. I’m finished and you’re dismissed." Despite my fear, I couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit of pride.
As the class tiredly rose and filed out of the hall, I received an onslaught of cruel comments. 'Don't forget your place.' ‘You’re just an Omega, don’t forget it.’ ‘Don’t let it go to your head, loner.’ Too tired to respond, I ignored their words and carried on walking, my legs shaky.
Rose padded up beside me. ‘Are you ok?’ she asked worriedly.
'I'm fine, thank you. I just need to get my breath back.' Her jaguar head nodded but she didn't look convinced. ‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ I asked.
‘No,’ she chuckled, ‘but I have to trust that you know your body well enough.’
‘I really am fine. Look,’ I said, bringing us to a stop and holding up my steady paw, ‘I’m not even shaking anymore.’ I grinned and she shook her head, a catty smile tugging at her lips, and we carried on walking.
As we passed through the double doors, I couldn’t help but risk one more glance back at Mr. Ward. Adjusting his crisp shirtsleeves with a satisfied smile, his cold blue eyes flickered over the clipboard once again. Studying his form, the same primitive need to be away from him tugged at me. I couldn’t place his scent, or his face, and it frightened the animal within me.
‘You were amazing, you know?’ Rose whispered into my mind, startling me from my thoughts.
‘Uh, thanks,’ I murmured, whipping my head away from Mr. Ward.
‘I’ve always dreamed of being able to do what you do,’ she continued, her tone almost dreamy itself, ‘I should be able to, but I can’t, no matter how hard I try. Just seeing all of you become whatever you want makes me so jealous and ashamed. I don’t even know why I wanted to come to Markwood.’ Her words ended in grumbled sadness as we pushed our way into the girls changing room.
‘Hey,’ I said, bumping my furry shoulder against hers, ‘There’s no need to be ashamed of yourself; it’s not your fault. You’re as much a part of this pack as I am. Anyone who tells you any different is wrong.’
She nodded sadly, before her glistening brown eyes met mine. ‘Will I see you tomorrow? I mean, in assembly it felt like I’d ruined my life, but you actually made today bearable.’
I smiled. ‘And you mine. If you still come, I’ll be here too.’
‘Great,’ she nodded, ‘I’ll see you then, Lexy.’ I watched her quietly retreat into her cubicle and press the door closed behind her, before padding into my own.
As I locked the door I shifted into human form. My bones and muscles still ached, but my heartbeat and breathing had returned to normal. I wiped my hands over my sharply angled cheeks, the slightest glisten of sweat on my skin. No matter the reason, that had been a huge workout. The teachers would never usually push us that far. This had been something important.
Hoping that the pack elders were intelligent enough to keep any danger away, I shook off my worried thoughts. I shortened the strap on my satchel and then shifted into my tiger, slipping the bag around my neck. Both the bag and I thunked heavily down, and I slipped out of my cubicle. ‘Bye,’ I called to Rose, as I left the changing rooms, heading out into the cold air outside.
The wind was sharp and unusually icy for autumn as I made my way into the woods behind the hall. I began to traverse through the undergrowth, heading for my home near the borders of the town. The bite to wind told me that the feeble warmth of autumn was quickly being chased away, and that the town would soon be covered in the thick blankets of snow I loved.
***
I was almost home as I passed through an unusually mossy part of the forest. Everything was covered with moss: the trees, the rocks beneath my paws, the ground. Even the air felt thick and moist. However I didn’t recognise any of it. Something within me told me that I was heading home, but never had I ventured into this part of the forest before. It was magical. I’d have to show it to mum; she’d like it too.
I continued on, lost in the beautiful surroundings, when a crunch sounded behind me. My ears pricked and my hackles rose. Caution swept over my body and I began to spin.
Two heavy paws, and the sharp claws attached, thumped into my back.
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