Feral High, Ch. 6 (Patreon)

Now that  Anon and Kenzi were 'dating', things had gotten somehow more chaotic than ever before, and yet also more peaceful at the same time.  She was still antisocial and gruff towards everyone, and in public rarely spoke a word, but she was also always close to Anon.  He started to really appreciate that she wasn't in fact trying to be scary, she herself was scared of everyone.  He never left her side as much as he could help it, and as a result, she actually started to seem like she was doing better.

It all started when he found out that she was apparently older than him but had been held back twice for not attending classes, despite that she did indeed turn in her assignments.  How did he find this out?  He walked in on her in their private hangout spot during their free period, doing her homework.  The sight of it stunned him, as well as Shazi and Zenza who arrived with him.  Kenzi had never so much as cracked a book around them.

She quickly noticed that someone had entered the room and, after a long bout of staring harshly at the three of them, just snapped out with, "What?  It's called homework.  Ever seen a girl doing it?"

None of them said a word, just entered the unused classroom and closed the door behind them.  They all took their usual spots, with Anon sitting beside her, Shazi on the computer chair, and Zenza perched on the windowsill.  They could not keep their eyes off of the hunched over Hyena as she scribbled at her notes, looking from the paper to her textbook.  Anon snuck a look and grinned.

Her eye flicked towards him at that moment and she growled.  He looked up at her as well, just smiling, and tapped a line on the page.  "Don't you need to use this equation?" he offered.

She looked down at where he was pointing, then snorted.  She tapped another line below it.  "Not if I'm solving for this differential," she retorted.  Anon took a second look and blinked.  She was right!  He looked up at her and she just gave him a rolling of her lip.  "I'm not dumb, you know."

He leaned against her arm.  "I'd never call you dumb."

The other two girls gave out adoring "Aww..." noises, but quickly bit them off, giggling to themselves, when Kenzi fixed them with her famous death glare.  Shazi played around on her phone, footpaws kicked up onto the desk in front of her, while Zenza had pulled out her laptop and was typing furiously.

Kenzi looked back down at him then.  Her eye twinkled and her scent subtly shifted tones.  Her arm bumped him off of her.  "I can't write with you hanging onto me," she snapped but without sounding angry.  She looked back at the textbook.  "I can't be a high school failure forever...I'm 18.  Gotta get my shit together eventually."

Anon started.  "You're 18?"

She glanced back at him.  "Almost.  It'll be Spring before then."  She furrowed her studded eyebrow down at him.  "How old did you think I was?"

He nervously chuckled, scratching at the back of his head.  "Well...aren't you a sophomore?  I assumed 16."

She wiggled, looking pleased with herself.  "Guess you owe me two for that then."

"Owe you two?" he asked, confused.

She bared her teeth down at him.  "Kisses or punches."  She laughed then.  Everyone stared.  It wasn't her usual snicker or Species cackle.  Kenzi was actually laughing.  It didn't last long but it transformed her whole face utterly.  Anon gazed up at her in fascination.  She had never looked so beautiful.  Her laugh ended quickly enough and she returned to writing, humming softly to herself and a small grin plastered on her face.

Anon couldn't help himself.  He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around as much of her bulk as he could reach, burying his face in her currently sleeveless furry arm.  Her leather jacket was currently hanging off a chair in front of her.

She started, shifting against him.  A low growl built in her burly chest and she tapped him with her pencil on the top of his head.  "What's the matter with you?" she demanded, sounding flustered.  Behind her, her tail had begun to thump rapidly against the couch cushions.  He looked up at her, removing his face from her fur.  Her eyes were wide down at him, ears folded back, and her lips curled up at just the front.  She looked as flustered as he had ever seen her.

Tears brimmed his eyes for some reason and he just shook his head and hugged her harder.  "Charge it to me," he sniffed, voice muffled again.

Her arm relaxed against him and he felt her lean a bit heavier against him.  From in front of the couch, he heard Zenza give out an adoring, "Oh Spirits...that is so adorable..."  A second later, another furry presence rushed the couch and Kenzi started yet again.  Anon glanced up to see the Canine girl had come over and was hugging Kenzi's other arm.

Shazi joined in as well, chuckling hoarsely and curling into the Hyena's front.  "You just a big softie now, Kenzi babe," she commented.  Her purring filled all three of their ears.

Kenzi twitched against Anon and her rumbling growl deepened.  "Okay, off, all of you," she barked after several moments of the group hug.  They obeyed but they couldn't keep the smiles off their faces.  She glared at them all, especially Anon.  She buried herself back in her notes, scribbling furiously.  Her Aggression had spiked and her tail had begun to thump behind her so rapidly that it was like the beat of a metal song's drum.

Anon wiped at his eyes and smiled at her happily.  The girls did as well.  She ignored them all.  Sighing happily, Anon stood from the couch and walked over to the window.  He looked out of it, down towards the football and track field a little ways away.  The cheerleaders were practicing.  A furry weight bumped into him and he glanced down to see Shazi was now leaning up against the sill as well.  Her tail waved slowly behind her and her chin was leaning on her paw.  She looked happy, but it slowly faded to a sigh.

He arched an eyebrow.  She caught his look and her ears folded down sheepishly.  "It ain't nothing, little homie," she joked, but she didn't sound like she meant it.  She looked forward again.  A second later, her fiery-tattooed brow furrowed and she leaned her chin down onto her folded wrists.

Anon followed her eyes.  She was staring at the crowd of frilly-skirted cheerleaders as they went through their various poses and cheers.  He caught on right away.  "You miss it," he said softly.  A soft chatter behind him told him that Zenza was helping Kenzi with the more complicated homework problems.  He returned his attention to the despondent Cheetah.

She didn't even try and deny it.  Her tail drooped and she looked away, nestling her cheek against her folded arms.

He put an arm softly around her and she immediately nuzzled into him.  Her tail curled around his ankle gently before letting go.  He nudged her and she glanced up at him out of one of her bright, green-yellow eyes.  "Why don't you just try and make up with them?" he asked.

She scoffed.  "They don't want none of me, Nonny," she murrled at him.  "Besides...I don't miss it that bad."  She looked forward again.  A Bunny girl had just done a very complicated flip and tumble.  "I do miss being pretty though..." she relented.  "The outfits were fun...Not all the girls were drunks..."  She seemed to wilt again.

Anon sighed.  "Would you...want help?" he offered.

She blinked and looked up at him.  "Huh?"

He gestured at the cheerleaders.  "Would it help if I went with you?"

Her eyes went wide and she bit her lower lip, wiggling her piercing slowly out of indecision.  "I don't know..."

He grinned.  "Oh come on, where's that fearless Cheetah that takes on the world with a growl and a smirk?" he teased.  "I know how flexible you still are.  Why don't we just try?"

Shazi met his eyes again.  Her smile was curious, soft, and hesitant, but she seemed to gain confidence the longer she looked at him.  Her teeth flashed and her eyes took a long, slow blink.  She nuzzled her head against his shoulder.  "If you come with me," she purred.

"We all will," said a voice behind them.  Both turned around to see Zenza was beaming at the pair of them.  The Canine girl gave her Cheetah friend a big nod.  "We will all be there."  She looked back at Kenzi who was tucking her finished work into a protective sleeve inside the book.

The Hyena looked up at them all.  She looked between Zenza, then a warily hopeful Shazi, and then finally to Anon.  She narrowed her eyes a bit to see him hugging her, but he smiled at her in the way that only she ever got to see.  She softened and she sighed.  "Fine," she grumbled, faking being horribly put-upon.  "But only because I'm caught up for now."

Shazi looked at all three of her friends, eyes big, wide, and disbelieving.  Her tail had gone stiff and bushy and she shuddered a bit.  She pulled away from Anon and took a few steps toward Zenza.  The Canine opened her arms without a word and they hugged one another.  Kenzi rolled her eyes and joined in with just one of her huge arms.  Anon had never felt so proud to be part of a group of friends in his life.

"Thanks...y'all..." sniffed Shazi.  She pulled away from the hug and wiped at her cheeks, where her thick makeup had started to run.  Zenza puffed and fixed it for her.

The four of them left the classroom and made their way outside towards the field and the glistening metal bleachers that stood on both sides.  By the time they arrived, Anon saw that they weren't the only group of students present.  A small collection of well-dressed girls and guys were consulting what looked like scripts on the stands, and they didn't so much as look up once.  A distant crowd of jocks was jogging around the track at the far end as well.

Zenza kept glancing at the huddled crowd on the bleachers over and over.  Anon met her eyes and she leaned over to whisper at him, "That's my old Drama club... I didn't know they'd be here."

He beamed at her.  "Then after Shazi, let's go talk to them too!  I know how much you miss being in them."

The Wild Dog girl met his eyes and she smiled a doggy smile.  Her tail wagged.  She looked over at a lumbering and pretending-to-be-sullen Kenzi.  "Kenzi, you keep a firm hold of this boy," she teased, sniffling only a slight bit.

The Hyena snagged him with a paw and pulled him in close to her.  "I intend to," she growled softly down into his ear.  He leaned against her.  All four of them lingered in the shadows of the bleachers for now as Shazi mustered up the nerve.

The Cheetah gave them all one last look, searching for support and finding it in droves.  She took a deep breath, took off her leather jacket, and handed it to Zenza.  She hopped up and down on her paws to psyche herself up, then broke from cover and crossed towards the group of uniformed girls who were all stretching and talking idly.  They looked up as one as she came into eyeshot.  Their tails and ears unanimously went stiff.

Anon watched with Zenza and Kenzi close by as Shazi stopped a few paces away from them.  It looked awkward, to say the least.  The Cheetah's confidence was rapidly failing for a second.  None of them could hear what was being said.  The Cheer Captain didn't look excited to see her there, but more and more of the girls began to smile as Shazi kept herself stoic and calm, even though her tail kept curling agitatedly behind her.  She even looked like she was prepared to turn and go at one point.  All at once, the Rabbit girl from before rushed forward and hugged onto the Feline.  Anon beamed in joy.  The entire squad was converging on Shazi, hugging and laughing together.  Even the Cheer Captain finally broke and smiled.

Shazi hugged them all back, even gave the Rabbit girl a shy kiss on the cheek which set the entire field of girls to giggling like mad.  Then the few boys that were part of the squad stepped up and got their hugs in as well.  There were only three of them, a burly Bear, a Panther, and Reptile, and all of them embraced the Cheetah like a little sister, the Panther lingering longest of all.  She turned at last and loped back over to the three of them.  Her eyes were bright, wide, and glistening at the edges.  She stopped in front of them, paws skidding on the grass.  She mouthed words, waving her paws as if words were failing her.

Anon stepped forward and wordlessly just hugged her.  Her clawed paws wound around him, curling her head into his chest and shuddering.  It had, in the end, been that easy.  She sniffled gently as he petted her head in between her ears.  Zenza was the next to receive the embrace and she joyfully did so.  Kenzi even took her turn, although she looked embarrassed.

Finally, after having hugged all of them at least once, Shazi got her words back.  "I-I start back up tomorrow," she hiccuped and stammered.  "They...missed me too.  They wanted to talk to me after I broke it off with them, but I was dumb and kept ignoring their calls.  I even...have a date."  Her ears folded down in embarrassment and her tail lashed.

Anon gave a laugh and, of course, gave her one last hug.  "I am so proud of you," he told her, petting her back while she purred against him.

"I am too," commented Zenza.  They all turned to see her eyeing the group of Drama kids.  Her jaw was set, her ears folded back, and her tail rigid.  She gave Shazi a look.  "And if you were brave enough to try again, then so am I."

She started to set off but Shazi caught her paw.  "I'll go with you, girlfriend," she purred.  Zenza smiled and together they walked towards the small group sitting on the stands.

Anon watched them go, smiling proudly to himself.  He glanced around the field then and spotted another group of students, clad in track gear, racing around the field.  Out in front was a familiar, Amazonian Lioness.  He caught her eyes and she his.  She beamed, waving happily to see him and he waved back.  Ashleigh then put on a fresh burst of speed and left her fellow track mates even further behind.

From behind him, a burly arm pulled him back into a crushing hug.  Kenzi's warm breath brushed past his ear and she tugged him back behind the bleachers.  He looked up at her in confusion only to see that softened expression she only ever showed him.  She stroked his cheek.  "You're a whole lot of trouble," she growled down at him.

He smiled back up at her.  "Am I at least worth it?"  He reached up and clasped her paws against his face with his hands, stroking her fur in equal timing and fondness.

Her eyes sparkled and her chest rumbled.  "In all the best ways," she grunted.  "You've changed a lot of things about us, Anon."  They peered together through the stands to see that Zenza was still talking to her former Club mates.  They all looked horribly guilty but when she said something, they all went very stiff and stared up at her.  They all smiled and, just like with Shazi, they got up to hug their friend, welcoming her back with open arms.

They looked back at one another, hidden from the world for the most part and staring into each other's eyes.  "You've all changed me, more than I can ever say," he murmured up at his biker girlfriend.  "I want to stay here.  I want to be with all of you for as long as I can."

Her eyebrow lifted and she growled a little dangerously.  "All of us huh?  Careful.  I'm a jealous bitch and I don't intend to share you more than is socially acceptable.  When it comes to stuff like this, you're all mine."

He shook his head, making her ears wiggle.  "You're not a jealous bitch," he commented and she rolled her eyes, ready to correct him.  "You have no reason to be.  You're the #1 Bitch."  His eyes sparkled adoringly.  "You're my #1 Bitch."

Kenzi smiled.  Her teeth showed but it was gentle, calm, and happy.  "And don't you forget it..." she growled softly and leaned her forehead down against his.  Their arms wound around one another and they sank down onto the ground underneath the back row of the bleachers.  She pulled him into her lap and they cuddled silently.

A pair of voices came from where they had entered the stands.  They stiffened and stayed quiet.  "Where'd they go?" asked Kenzi.

Zenza giggled, sounding like she had been crying.  "Oh...they probably snuck off to be alone."

"Lovebirds," cackled the Cheetah.  They heard their two best friends walking off, chatting.

Anon looked back up into Kenzi's eyes, noticing that they had become slightly more hooded as she looked down at him.  He smiled and she did too.  "I'll...pay my tab now," he offered shyly.

She beamed, even more, pulling off her jacket to lay it flat on the ground at their side and relaxing against one of the metal legs of the solid bleachers, pulling him even more firmly into her arms.  "Punches or kisses?" she teased.  He started to answer with the obvious when she cut him off.  "Nevermind, I'll pick."  She suddenly rolled onto her side, taking him with her.  He felt the jacket underneath them as she curled her bulk around his smaller frame.

His lips met her muzzle and he sank into her embrace.  He felt so naughty making out here in the shadows of the bleachers.  One of them creaked over their heads and it just made the experience even better.  Kenzi always tasted so good...

*TBC.*