Therian Shifters

Chapter 16: The Aftermath:

As a few minutes went by after both Kody and Akira had collapsed, they both awoke with heavy heads of exhaustion.

"Akira..." Tyler gasped as he saw her and Kody covered in wounds from their savage brawl of corruption versus corruption. "...Are you ok?"

Akira nodded, but as she did, her eyes rolled back and she passed out once again. Kody jolted awake to see Akira on the floor, as he covered his mouth. "Is Aki ok?"

Mr Ruddle nodded as he turned back to normal. "Yes, Kody, she is. Just have a rest for a bit. It's only 2nd period."

Kody nodded as he led on the artificial, grassy floor.

As break time came around, Akira and Kody had awoken and the corruption was gone. They headed outside to the forest area and sat in their usual spot. Akira took out the big meat lump her mother packed and shared it with her friends, the smell of the meat inviting warm, delicious scents into their nostrils as they tucked in.

After they ate and their food had gone down, the group started running around the forest area chasing each other and playing. But when it came to Akira and Chase having fun, Chase froze, still shaken from Akira's past corruption.

"Are you ok, Chase?" Akira leaned her arm on his shoulder for support as she panted in exhaustion.

He looked away slightly, flinching a bit when Akira put her arm on his shoulder. "I'm... still weary. I don't want you to get corrupted again..."

Akira sat on a tree stump beside Chase and sighed. "It's gone now. There's nothing to worry about. Really."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. Chase then turned to his lion form and started chasing Akira around playfully, as Akira joined in, turning to her liolf form as they laughed. After a few minutes, the group became tired and sat down on their jackets on the ground. But it was then a group of students came over to them. They gave Akira flashbacks from when the 2 boys and 2 girls tied her again the tree and hurt her, one of them stabbing her in the side at her weakest moment. But as she went to shake off the cobwebs of the past, it was already too late. They kicked Akira down as she led helplessly on the floor in fear. She then got up at ran after the boy that kicked her down. Because she was a therian shifter, she caught up to him particularly quickly. But then as she stopped to catch her breath, the 2 girls held her back. She felt.. exhausted, weak.

"Let her go!" Chase yelled.

They mocked him as the girls tightly grappled onto Akira's arms and restrained her. Instead of breaking free and chasing them down, it was like Akira gave up. She just let them restrain her. The girls held her arms so tightly the skin had gone from her natural peachy-pale to a reddish-purple as she started shaking. It was then the boy got a bottle out of his bag.

"Hope you like apricots, freak!" He cried, pouring the whole bottle onto her head, her friends watching in horror as the milkshake dripped down her clothes, soaking her to the skin as the 4 students laughed at her. As Akira squirmed over to the tree where she normally sat, she couldn't see. There was milkshake all in her eyes, her hair. Tyler then noticed Akira's face looked pale. He knew the 'faint' look and rushed to her. In Akira's point of view, she panicked. Her heart was beating fast, Tyler's voice was muffled, his words inaudible as all she felt was her body collapse, as Tyler caught her.

"AKIRA!" Tyler screamed, his words echoing in her head as they faded to nothing.

In her mind, she was in a dark room of black. Every sound she heard echoed like in a deep cavern. All she heard was her heartbeat. Buboom, buboom, buboom. Then she saw bright circles and inaudible, muffled voices. But as she finally awoke, she was in her own bed. She gasped for air as she jolted awake. Her pillow had a towel on, her hair smelt clean, and she was changed into her pyjamas, a bottle of water beside her with many Get Well Soon cards on her bedside table. As she sat up, her head felt like she whacked it into a wall. It was like a migraine as she held her head with one hand, letting out a groan.