The silence was killing him. He didn't know what to do, nor what to say, so he sat quietly on the ground thinking back to everything that had just transpired. Other than the tight grasp on his heart making it hard to breathe, he felt empty. It was torture knowing he had done something wrong, and didn't know how to fix it.
His paws flexed in irritation. Sullen, he looked down to his white paws and stretched them once more.
He blinked. In that instant, the sharp claws he normally kept hidden became unsheathed and coated with blood.
"No!" He shrieked, paralyzed with fear as blood trailed down normally white fur. "It wasn't me! I would never do such a thing!"
Nova shuddered, shaking his head in denial. Horrified, the bear squeezed his eyes shut looking for an escape. When he opened his eyes, the grotesque vision had vanished, and everything went back to normal. On trembling legs he stood, but his gaze never left the white paws. Gathering nerves of steel, the panda took the pass William left for him and exited the treehouse.
He wasn't in the mood for another round with the ladder; another one of William's tricks he assumed, but Nova didn't want to find out. Since the ladder method of escape was out, there had to be another option... Something he dreaded, but was definitely more willing to do than fall for another prank. He pressed the big black paw pad in the middle of his hands and unsheathed his true claws knowing he didn't have much strength in his legs. Small actions like running and jumping were impossible for him to perform; even the smallest jump would drain him.
On the other hand, his paws were extremely strong and dangerous which is why he preferred to keep them hidden. Moreover, they carried bad memories.
Before he could question himself anymore, he jumped down the treehouse head first. One moment before his head hit the ground he extended his arms, ending up in a slightly wobbly handstand. It would have been a perfect landing if not for him forgetting how to flip back up, resulting in him flopping to the ground, slightly hurting his legs on what was supposed to be the easiest part.
"My reaction time's decreased a lot," Nova mumbled, looking at the treehouse to check how high he'd fallen from.
Though he used to do bigger jumps, he felt happier knowing he was forgetting how to do it.
"At first, I didn't believe him."
Startled, Nova's ears perked up as someone started speaking behind him.
"But after seeing you, I'm sure that he wasn't lying."
The panda turned around and saw Yvonne, a bag strapped to her shoulder, next to a young female skunk. She was tapping on a laptop but the look in her eyes gave away that she also saw his acrobatic feat.
"Please don't ask..." He pleaded, hiding his claws.
"I don't need to," she remarked. "Thanks to Cody and your interview I've learned enough on my own."
"Ah, I see," Nova answered. "I figured the interview was live. "
"For someone who holds his past dear and tries to keep it a secret, you shrug it off pretty fast," the skunk hummed, closing her screen. "Name's Melissa. I'm a second year and Guardian of 1-C, formerly known as Hacker. I've been accepted as a programmer. Nice to meet you, celebrity."
His eyes narrowed, body growing tense. "That's not it..."
"Don't worry big boy. Yvonne would never do anything to hurt you." She smiled. "Actually, she went out of her way to learn more about you firsthand! Isn't she the sweetest?"
The lioness coughed reminding her to be professional. The skunk rolled her eyes.
"Alright, jeez. I'm just being nice."
YOU ARE READING
Jungle Madness
Teen FictionThis is a story about Nova, a 15 years old panda, son of a panda and a polar bear. He's a mixed species that inherited both his parents traits, mostly from his father, leaving only his paws and feet white. He lived his entire childhood in a small ci...
