Feral High, Ch. 4 (Patreon)

Anon sagged onto the gymnasium bleachers, completely wiped out.  Feral High Phys. Ed was much more intensive than his old Human schools had been.  Alongside the normal run, stretch, warm-up exercises, Anthro students also had to partake in basic lifting, pull-ups, yoga, and a form of hand-to-hand grappling.  Being Human, he had been exempt for the most part from the last one except with the smaller Breeds.  Even those had easily overpowered him, but almost all of them had immediately helped him up.  The teacher, the same Rhino who had escorted him before, kept a close eye on every single student in case of flare-ups of Aggression.  It wasn't just the Predator species who suffered from it either, every single kind of Anthro apparently had issues with it.

That being said, there were various reactions characteristic of certain species.  Predators became more on edge or aggressive,  Prey became flighty or defensive.  For his part, Anon had learned to just give whoever was having a hard time their space.  Everyone around had eventually grown used to a Human being around and stopped treating him like such an oddity.  However, as he noticed was happening even now, a lanky Canine beside him as the culprit, he was still sniffed on a regular basis.

Turning his gaze forward, having gotten mostly used to the scent-taking, he observed a volleyball game currently in session.  When the basic workouts were complete, class had become a bit more normal, with games and group sports being partaken in.  Anthros approached all physical activity with general optimism and excitement, as opposed to the dread and lacklustre boredom of Human schools.  Not to mention, when they did compete, Anthros took everything seriously.  They wore much different kinds of protective equipment than Humans did, even for lightweight or low contact sports.  Their elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, and padded helmets looked more akin to combat-grade armor, and for good reason.

The ball arced up over the net, colored black and yellow, sailing towards an unoccupied section of field.  "Mine!" snarled a Bovine, hefty around the middle but with arms like tree trunks, who slid forward on his knees and bounced it back up.

"Nice save!" cried his nearest teammate, hopping back several steps on her hooves.  The Cervine set the ball back and up over her head towards the next player in line.  "Prydel!"

Right on queue, the Lioness beside her, nearly tall enough to not even to jump to reach over the net, took a step back and then leapt into the air like a rocket.  Her ferocious face was contorted in a snarl of concentration as she slammed her padded and gloved paw right into the ball.  The resulting slap actually echoed around the room.  The spiked ball did not so much sail as it did shoot as if fired from a cannon, straight past the awaiting receiver on the other side of the net, and smacked into the floor.  Anon winced, half-expecting to see a crater from the point of impact.

"Point, Red team," announced the Coach.  "That's game."

The resulting chorus of howls and cheers from the winning team set the entire gym to ringing.  Both teams then crossed to the net and shook paws.  Everyone was smiling, strangely.

'Maybe Anthros like sports so much because it lets them vent their Aggression more naturally,' speculated Anon, currently reading up in a coursebook for his Astrology class.  Anthros had different names for the constellations, and while his teacher, a glasses-wearing Owl, had been overly excited to hear all about Human versions, it was still important to learn theirs as well.  Religion, culture, mythology, all of it varied drastically from Human versions but all of it was utterly fascinating.

The bench creaked as the Canine from before got up to join the waiting queue for the next activity and the others helped take down the net and put away the balls for the previous.  Anon saw that the next game was to be basketball, once again on his list of activities, he could be exempt from due to size.  It wasn't a problem to him, he still participated in plenty of activities, even if he wasn't anywhere near as physically fit as even the smaller breeds of Anthros.

Busying himself with studying the differences between Orion the Great Hunter and Styrion the Tower, Anon flinched when he felt someone else sitting down beside him.  The presence felt noticeably larger than the Canine had, as well as the lingering scent of active Aggression.  He glanced up.  The same Lioness from earlier sat there, holding a water bottle in one now ungloved paw and a towel draped over her brawny shoulders.  Her hair had been cut close to her head, ears notched from currently missing earrings, and already a noticeable amount of scars in her tawny fur.  Her nose was buried in her phone currently and she looked a little upset about something.

He averted his eyes quickly.  No need to be caught staring.

"Oh, hi!" came her voice suddenly, making him jump.  Despite being a Predator, she had a rather lyrical voice.  "I totally did not notice anyone else was sitting here."  He looked up at her again.  She had put down her phone and was giving him a friendly if intense smile.  "At least I didn't sit on you, right?" she laughed.  Maybe it was just him, but she showed a lot of teeth when she did so.

"Hello," he responded, feeling it was only polite.  "You did really good in the game earlier."  Internally he flinched and tried not to hate himself for saying something so awkward and random.  Wasn't that more of a comment than a segue?

Somehow, the Lioness just smiled more at that.  "Thanks!" she beamed.  "I've always loved volleyball.  Maybe it's the jumping and everything."  She shrugged, then winked at him cheekily.  "Or maybe it's how amazing my ass looks in shorts."

Face flushing, Anon just tried to laugh that last part off.  "Well, whatever you get out of it, you certainly put just as much in."  That felt more natural.

She cocked her head to the side.  "That's a really nice way to put that."  She extended a paw, palm up and wrist exposed, the natural Anthro way to introduce themselves.  Primarily based on scent-taking, the concept of shaking hands was nearly foreign to them.  In Human History and Integration Class, somehow NOT his best subject, there were always tons of questions as to specific, mundane human rituals and traditions that to Anthros made very little sense.  "My name's Ashleigh Leora Prydel; my Pride calls me Ash."

He stuck out his hand as well, mirroring the gesture, and then leaned down to sniff at her wrist, despite that his nose wasn't nearly strong enough to pick up her unique scent, something particular to every single Anthro apparently.  She did the same, nostrils flaring several times, and then their palms met and gripped.  Her paw pads were rough but squishy.  Unlike some Anthros who felt the need to squeeze, Ash simply traded grips with him and then took her paw back.  Her phone gave an automated growling sound and she glanced down at it.  Her frown returned and she said something in Anthra, the universal language of Anthros.

"Something wrong?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too intrusive.

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling.  "Just my Pride.  They're...always trying to tell me how we need to be spending my time when I'm not busy with classes, homework, or stuff at home.  Only reason I'm not officially on the volleyball team yet is because they don't think it's important."

"What's a Pride?" he asked.

"My personal group of fellow Lions, obviously," she explained with a huff.  She blinked then, looking down at him.  "Oh, you wouldn't know that, sorry!"  Her ears folded down momentarily and her fur bunched up before returning to its sleek yet fluffy norm.  "Lions are a bit reclusive socially from other Breeds.  We get along with everyone but we prefer to stick to our own kind for the most part.  We've known each other since Cubhood, grow up in the same neighborhoods, that kind of thing."

Anon nodded along.  The sounds of the other students droned on around them as well as the hammering drumbeat of the basketball on the polished floor.

"Lately though," she continued, sighing again.  Her tail swished behind them both.  "They're getting more and more controlling.  Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I'm starting to not enjoy the closeness they keep insisting we keep up with.  It's my turn to date Wade but there just isn't any attraction on my end."

Anon blinked.  "Turn?" he asked, incredulous.  "Your Pride takes turns dating the same person?"

She fluffed up again, an oddly endearing motion.  "It...doesn't sound great when other people talk about it," she admitted.  "I'll just try and postpone it again."  She rolled her greenish eyes, then looked down at the water bottle in her paws.  "I don't mean to talk your ear off about my problems."

He shook his head, closing his book for now.  "I don't mind at all!" he said hurriedly, even if he felt useless in this kind of conversation.  He could have spent a lifetime trying to learn about each Species' unique cultural differences and traditions but probably never be able to keep track of them all.  "If I could make just one observation?"  She nodded.  "These people, your Pride?  They don't really sound like...friends."

She blinked.  Her eyes were noticeably huge and deep.  She said nothing, simply kept staring down at him.

He looked away, face flushing.  "Friends should be people you enjoy hanging out with, who encourage your interests and make you happy.  You like being with them, not because you have to, but because you choose to.  The instant they start becoming a nuisance or an obligation, maybe you need to take some time away from them and...learn who you are without them?"  His face heated as he talked.  He wasn't exactly the best to give advice, having no real friends thus far anyway.  He had stayed in contact with Kenzi, Shazi, and Zenza, but their bizarre interest in him still had not waned.  Kenzi especially kept sending him more and more confusing things.  It might have just been a suspicion, but it felt like most Anthros avoided him out of knowing he associated with them.  Still, maybe that was a good thing?

Ash looked away from him, possibly thinking over what he had said.  She crossed her muscular arms over her impressive chest, looking up at the ceiling.  Just then, a call of "Heads up!" came and Anon looked up in time to see the basketball sailing towards his face.  He flinched in shock and lifted his book, hoping to deflect the worst of the impact.  Instead, there was a smack right in front of him.  He opened his eyes warily, then gaped.  Ash had, without looking, caught the ball in one paw.  She returned it with a casual toss, growling at the Wolf who had accidentally sent it flying their way.  "My bad!" he called, ears folded down and tail tucked between his legs.

Turning her gaze back towards him, she actually smiled.  "You know...that's some of the best advice I've ever gotten.  Maybe you're right.  Thanks, Anon!" she beamed at him again, once again a mouthful of sharp fangs flashing.  It didn't feel as threatening as it might have before.  "Friends should be someone you want to be with, not who you're obligated to.  Love, not Honus"  She pondered that again, then in a flash flicked her phone towards him.  "Do you want to be my friend then?"

He gingerly took the phone.  It felt huge in his hands compared to her large paw.  "S-sure!" he exclaimed, face flushing again.  No girl had ever just up and asked him to do such a thing.  He punched in his information and then handed over his own phone for her to do the same.  Much like the stark contrast of size between her phone and his hand, his own device looked absolutely tiny in her paw.  He watched her very carefully type in her information before she returned it.  His phone took that opportunity to buzz.  A message preview flitted across the screen.

"#1 Bitch," it read.  "Wassup Anon!  Going riding today with the girls!  Come with.  Pick you up at 3."

Ash's ears twitched several times and her tail went a bit stiff in surprise.  "Who's #1 Bitch?" she asked, glancing at him.  "Not a name I'm aware of from around here."  She snickered.

Anon grunted, trying to laugh with her despite his rising nervousness.  This wasn't the first time that Kenzi had announced he was going out with her.  Still, he never minded really.  They always went out to really interesting places in the woodlands or down to the lake, or anywhere else.  The Districts were endlessly interesting to explore the further you got away from the city center.  "Oh that's...Kenzi Heen," he admitted sheepishly.

Ash's eyes went wide again and her tail went stiff for a second.  "Her?  Really?  You two?  I guess everyone was right about you, in a way."

"What about?" he asked, surprised.  "People talk about me?"

"Well, obviously," she snickered.  "The first Human ever to come to school in the Districts and you immediately get roped in with the Misfits.  It's nothing bad, they're just a group of girls who tend to scare off most people.  Mackenzie Heen was a troublemaker even in Cub School.  I never had to get along with her, probably a good thing."  She winked at him.  "Still, if you hang out with her, she must not be so bad.  You seem like a very nice person, Mr. Ymous."  She inclined her head.  Her phone went off again and she frowned at it.  "As for me, maybe I should take your advice and take some time for myself."  She looked back at him.  "You're...not in the same boat as me are you?" she asked, sounding worried.  "Do they make you hang out with them?  I could help, if you wanted."

Anon raised his hands immediately.  "No, no, they don't force me or anything!  I like being with them!  They're all so lively and have such wonderful personalities.  I think people just don't give them a chance beyond their rough exteriors.  Most of them actually used to be pretty popular but had fallings out with their social circles and left behind."  He smiled, looking away from Ash.  "In a way, they make me feel not so lonely.  I'm sure someone like you is super popular, being as talented as you are.  Even outside your Pride, is what I mean.  But the girls, they don't make me feel like the only Human around.  Maybe that's why I don't mind it when Kenzi gets...forceful or 'abducts' me to hang out."

The Lioness mulled over what he said then nodded.  "Whatever works for you," she growled, smiling again.  She looked up as the class bell rung and everyone started heading for the locker room.  "Well, time to head off.  I need to hit the showers and scrub the sweat out of my fur.  Hit me up if you ever need help with homework!"  She stood and walked away, waving with a big paw.  She caught up with several other girls she had played with earlier and they all began chatting happily enough.

Anon smiled and looked down at his phone.  Friends...it was weird to have them for the first time in his life.  Even as odd as they were, he found that every day that passed here just made him feel more and more like home.  He pulled up the screen and opened the messaging app.  He sent Kenzi back a " :-) " in response and blushed a tiny bit, wondering if that had been okay.

A second later, the phone went off again.  "Got movie tickets.  Shazi scored them from her dad.  Be outside or I'll come hunting for ya."  A second later, Kenzi sent an emoji of a nondescript Anthro hauling off a bound figure in rope over its shoulder.

He blushed but smiled to himself as he headed off to get changed.  The Coach looked up at him, leaning against the wall when he exited the locker room.  "You need an escort today?" he asked, heavy voice grunting and sounding tired.  He had been looking at a picture of his daughter again on his phone.

He bowed his head to the Rhino.  "No thank you, Coach Horn," he replied happily.  "Tell your daughter Happy Birthday for me tomorrow!"

The Rhino looked surprised.  "You knew that?" he asked.

Anon nodded.  "One of the other teachers mentioned it in my previous class since you were going to be out for it and they were going to sub in for you.  I hope she has a wonderful party."

Coach Horn blinked, and then, like a cliff face splitting from built-up pressure, he smiled.  It wasn't a big one but it was real.  "Thanks, kid," he grunted.  "You Humans really aren't that bad at all.  Her name's Bianca.  I'll be sure to say hey for you."  He waved as Anon walked off down the hall.

Anon checked into his next class and sat down, pulling out the appropriate textbook.  He checked the clock.  Only an hour till his apparent movie date with the girls.  He blushed and smiled.  This place truly was starting to seem near perfect, even if he could never predict what his next meeting with the Anthros around him would be like.

*Well it's back y'all!  This chapter's important for several reasons, so please enjoy!  Who is y'all's favorite character so far?  Let me know!*