Therian Shifters

Chapter 12: Captured:

Somewhere deep in the woods, two men sat at a table in a log cabin. The interior was warm, as the fireplace crackled with a smoky aroma. The two men were looking in a book. It had tattered pages and a ribbon bookmark attached. On each page was a fact file. They showed an anatomy sketch of creatures. The men flicked through until they stopped at a page that read "Wolf-Lion Hybrid: Tar-Black" One of the men slapped his hand on the page to stop it from turning and laughed in triumph.

"Here we are," He said with a gruff and ominous voice. "that's the one I'm looking for. I heard there's one around here in the city. We must find it."

"But sir, what if it's a Therian Shifter? We'll never find it in its human form, there are millions of us-"

"Silence!" The man commanded, the other keeping himself to himself. "This creature needs to be found. I want it for my collection. Gather the hounds!"

The other man nodded, as he retrieved 9 leashes and rushed out of the room.

Meanwhile, Akira had woken up, still shaken from the night where the Blood Moon had made her lash out at Chase and tear part of his ear. She shook off the cobwebs of the past and went to wake up Chase.

As they both got to school, the group gathered. They sat around the trees and talked about their visions. Breaktime and lunchtime came around, and they feasted on some meat that Akira's parents had bought for them. But as the school day ended, and Akira's parents were at work still on late-going shifts, she decided to walk home through the forest.

She enjoyed the sound of the grass as she made it through, but she then stopped. She listened. She looked around. The distant sound of barking had made her alert. But when she heard the sound of a horse's hooves, she panicked. She started to run faster towards home, as she picked up her pace and sped quickly, the sound of her footsteps sounded like someone using auto-click on a computer mouse, as the sound was fast, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Don't look back, just run home. Akira thought as she followed the forest path that led back into the city. But before she could reach the end of the forest, a dark-brown stallion stood before her, neighing and clopping its hooves on the gravel path, as the dogs tried to sniff her, she felt restrained. She knew this was a hunter, so she kept her animalistic traits to herself as the hunter came close.

"Now, what's a little girl like you doing in the woods all alone?" He spoke close as he whispered, making Akira tremble. "Why were you running from me? Is there something you're hiding, perhaps?"

Akira shook her head, as when she tried to run again, the dogs blocked her path. She then backed away into a tree, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth, hyperventilating and crying out.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted as Akira blocked her ears. "What is wrong is y-"

But before he could finish speaking, Akira's tail has popped out unexpectedly. The hunter smiled as he watched Akira change into her Tar-Black Wolf-Lion Hybrid form. In a second, Akira realised what she had done, as the hunter pulled out a muzzle, a collar and a leash, as he forcefully put them on her. Muffled, Akira roared out and whined in distress, as the hunter put her in a cage that was attached to the horse.

Later on, when Akira's parents had arrived home, they saw Akira wasn't there. But it was then Chase noticed a hunter's horse and a cage, as he saw Akira inside. "Oh no no no!" He panicked.

"What is it, Chase? Do you know where Akira is?" Akira's father asked.

Chase nodded, pointing to the hunter's horse and cage going into the distance, as Akira's parents saw her inside.

Meanwhile, Akira was put into a cage, but before she could get angry and try to rattle the bars, the hunter shot a tranquillizer in her neck, as she thudded to the floor with the tranquillizer dart's feather tuft sticking out as Akira had her tongue out as she slept. As Akira woke up the next morning, turned back to normal, she peered around the bars to see two guards stood at each end, asleep in their chairs.

Akira tried to fit through a gap between the bars, but she was just a bit too big. But it was then she remembered how powerful her roar was. As she positioned herself to the wall, she took a deep breath. But before she could roar, the hunter stood by the bars.

"I see you've turned back, hmm?" He put his hand through the bars, as Akira bit him. Little did the hunter know was that Akira had snatched the key from his hand as she bit him.

"OW! Nasty creature!" He exclaimed, as he sucked his thumb like a baby and walked off.

Akira realised she had the key in her hand and unlocked the door as the guards had gone for their break. She tiptoed quickly and quietly over to the door, as she jumped out of the low window, running across the grass. But before she left, she threw the key at one of the guards' heads, as he looked around, shrugging his shoulders and going back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Akira ran through the forest, panting as her paws tapped on the forest floor swiftly, her mane blowing backwards as she increased her speed.

She then ran towards home, noticing the kitchen window was open. She jumped through, her paws making an audible, yet quiet thump on the kitchen tiles. She then turned back, walking into the living room to see her mother sat on the sofa reading. As soon as she saw Akira, a worried expression displayed on her face.

"My goodness, Akira, where have you been?!" She approached Akira with a slightly tight embrace, portraying her worry. "Your father, I, and Chase have been worried sick about you."

Akira and her mother sat down on the sofa next to each other, as Akira's father and Chase came into the room, very pleased that Akira had returned home. What more could happen to Akira and her friends as others emerge from the darkness, taking advantage of their species and rarity. But as this happens, Akira and her friends discover that their friendship bonds are more important than they think.