Shapeshifter

Chapter Two: The Shadow Trio

I waited for everyone to leave the classroom before I walked out. Being caught up in the rush to get out of class for break was like being caught in the middle of a stampeding herd of elephants. You got trampled, no matter how hard you tried to keep up. I kept my head down and walked down the hall. A familiar, but much hated, voice ruined my day the second the fool who owned that voice opened his mouth. "Well, isn't it our lovely little leader of The Shadow Trio? The outcasts of this school." He teased.

"Piss off, Zac." I said through gritted teeth, continuing to walk away.

"Well, it is true, isn't it? The three of you left your families and hooked up. Now you're all loners." I halted at his words.

'Walk away Cj. Don't take the bait. Please, just walk away.' My horse pleaded in my head.

"Speaking of the three of you, where are your two morons?"

'Just leave. Don't turn around. Just leave.' She pleaded again. I turned around and glared at Zac. His two friends, Sam and Ben, stood behind him. Ben smirked and Sam... Sam was looking straight at me with sorrow and regret in his eyes, which was slowly turning to anger. Anger at me? Or his two buffoon friends? "You're such an asshole!" I said, turning and walking away. Zac jogged after me.

"Oh, why so sensitive?" He asked in a baby voice. I wanted to slap that annoying face of his. Hard. Hard enough to leave a red mark.

"Leave me alone!" I growled. Sam and Ben caught up as Zac grabbed my arm, spinning me around.

"You can order me around!" He growled back. A growl and a snarl came from behind me, as well as a growl from Sam. I looked back to find Leo and Sebastian standing there, looking pissed.

"Leave her alone!" Leo growled.

"You want to challenge me, mutt?" Zac spat out. He let go of me and I stepped back.

"I'm serious. Piss off!" I growled.

"Dude, just leave her alone!" Sam growled too and Zac snapped his head towards Sam, snarling at him.

"You can't order me around either!" Zac growled. He looked back at me and something overtook me, a surge of anger at what he had said to Sam, and how. Without thinking, or even instructing my body, I raised my hand and slapped Zac across the face. His head snapped to the side with a satisfying sound and my eyes widened. I looked at Leo and Sebastian.

"Run!" I shouted and we sprinted off, the three of us laughing.

"You little bitch!" Zac shouted.

"I believe I'm a mare! Not a bitch!" I shot back.

"Mr Smith." The three of us put on the brakes and we looked at one of Leo's teachers.

"What did you do this time, Leo?" I asked, looking at him with a smirk. Unlike me, these two didn't care that much about school. I wasn't one of those people who were obsessed with getting good grades, I just found school to be my get away from my other life. At least Sebastian attempted the work but lazy bones here didn't do much attempting the work and did more annoying the teachers. He was a real smart ass at times.

"Leo, you have a lunch date with me. Only, it's detention. Now. Get to my classroom."

"Oh, what joy? A lunch date with the lovely Mrs Greene." Leo said sarcastically, walking off. I snorted and pulled out my phone, writing 'Going for a run. Have fun in detention' and sending the message. I waited and watched him read it. He turned around and glared at me. I waved my fingers and smirked.

"Come on, Sebastian. We're going for a quick run, or walk." I said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out to the back of the school, where it ran alongside the woods. We ran straight into the woods and stopped far enough in so that no one could see us. We hid our backpacks in the bushes and stood next to each other. I pictured my horse form and I felt the tingles explode over my body. It was like having pins and needles, but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, It felt great.

I opened my eyes and looked at my hooves and I shook my head, shaking my mane. My coat was black and I had a white blaze running from just under my forelock to my muzzle and my eyes were grey. I was a horse shifter and my horse's name was Dawn. I nickered and looked at Sebastian. He was a panther, a black panther. He was completely black - as the name states - no white what so ever except for the whites on his eyes, which were a hazel colour. And lastly, Leo. He was a wolf, a werewolf. He was the wolf version of Sebastian, but had green eyes.

This was why we were called The Shadow Trio. The three of us had animals with black coats, and humans didn't pay attention to us – except maybe Mandy – so we were basically shadows. Shifters knew us, they had given us the label as The Shadow Trio. I preferred that we were shadows, I hated being noticed. Being known by everyone only caused me trouble, especially if they were other shifters. Most knew about what happened to me but didn't know the whole story. All they knew was that I ran away from home, that my family betrayed me, and that I couldn't go back.

I started walking away from the school, Sebastian following closely behind before moving next to me. I slowed down a bit and put my head down. "How are you handling today?" Sebastian asked.

I sputtered my sigh and dragged my hooves along in a slow, plodding pace. "I'm doing okay." I said.

"Do you want to do something for your birthday?" Sebastian asked, looking up at me from my left.

"I don't really know. I miss Cal and Amelia." I said sadly.

"Oh. Have you spoken to them since?" He asked. I stayed silent for a little bit, listening to the sounds of us both walking in the snow.

"No." I answered. Silence fell between us yet again, which was weird. I always had something to say and talk about with Sebastian and Leo. But I guess today was different. We walked in silence, my mind blank. I felt numb. I was in another world, one where it was completely silent and nothing was happening.

"Would you call them?" Sebastian asked, bringing me back to reality. "I mean, if I were you, I'd want to call them. See how everything is. I'm not saying you should, I don't want to force you. But maybe calling them would be good."

I nickered softly and kept my head lowered. "Maybe." I thought back to before, wanting to change the subject. Sebastian walked up a fallen tree, looking around. "Sebastian, I know you and Leo want to make Zac pay-"

"We don't just want to make him pay, we want to rip his throat out!" Sebastian cut me off with a snarl.

"I know. Please don't. You'll all shift and expose us." I said. 'Mate!' Dawn neighed in my head. "Mate?" I asked aloud.

"Mate?" Sebastian asked, looking at me. We stopped and looked around.

"Um. Well, this is awkward. There's no one around. It's only us two." I said, still not taking my eyes off the surrounding area, but I eventually snorted. "Maybe Dawn just got it wrong. Come on," I started walking again, listening to the crunch-crunch-crunch of my hooves in the snow.

"No, Cj. I smell someone. A wolf." Sebastian said, putting his cute panther nose in the air.

"Definitely isn't Leo then." I said. I started laughing but it sounded like I was choking or dying. Or choking then dying.

"No. It's not Leo." I stopped my hideous attempt at laughing in my horse form and pinned my ears back.

"Who is it then?" I asked, swishing my tail, getting antsy.

Edited 01/12/2017