Instinct: The Sequel - Episode 1

Rare sunshine bathed the entire forest, its harsh reflection shining across the sandy ground. It was morning, and to every waking moments, training had become imperative to my routine. 

"You need to exercise.. It eases your mind; feeds your instinct." Those were Noah's words.

And as I jogged across the vast stretch of the woods, my heart was pounding hard, my breathing coming in ragged bursts, whilst my legs, on the other hand, wouldn't stop pacing along likewise.  

"Faster Lulu. Faster." I could hear his breathy voice from a few distance ahead. And although, my muscle cried in protest, I'd mustered every single bit of energy I had left, jogging farther and farther, until I was stood directly in front of him. "That's the spirit," He whispered encouragingly, with a clap.  

It was all over at least, I mentally thought. And despite myself, I managed a weak smile.. 

By then, my body was sticky with layers of perspiration, my breathing was far from steady, while my legs ached so badly, I'd immediately settled on the nearest tree bark I could find. However, Noah looked like he was fresh from bed, I'd noticed. He looked absolutely normal, like he hadn't already spent the past few hours jogging across with me. 

"And why aren't you sweating?" I asked, bemused. 

But he was smirking in return

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/instinct-the-sequel

. "It comes with the territory of being a supernatural."

I merely rolled my eyes playfully. "Well, I'm a supernatural too, you know. I'm your banshee, the strength of the pack, remember?" I teased. 

And he was grinning along too..  

The Zonke Forest was peaceful, nothing compared to the terror that'd been portrayed to us back at the village. And although, the serenity could sometimes become somewhat eerie whenever the twilight looms, the past few weeks I'd spent on its threshold had gotten me sort of used it. 

"Thato and Milo aren't here," I suddenly blurted, noticing how abnormally quiet the vast stretch of greenery was: Really, quiet was an unattainable feat whenever those pair were anywhere around. 

But Noah seemed very much unbothered. "They probably went hunting," He returned easily. 

"Oh.." I murmured, cringing inwardly. 
That aspect of their lives was something I hadn't, and didn't think I'd ever get used to. I'd witnessed it once, it really wasn't something I could un-witness, and I was sure to witness it over and over again so long as I shared the same habitation with them. 

The mere sight had been nothing short of jaw-dropping. I'd seen the intense craving in their shiny eyes, the lethal hunger for raw flesh. In those moments, they weren't the Noah, Milo and Thato that I could relate with. They were strictly predators.

And perhaps, that was the reason behind my sleepless nights. Sometimes I just got overwhelmed with a pang of paranoia, that they could possibly tear me to bit while I was vulnerably asleep. But who could blame me? 

"Calm your nerves Lulu. We can't hurt you. We dare not," Noah's husky voice had interrupted my train of thought. And at this, I'd let out a deep sigh. How could I have forgotten he could read minds? 

That also came with the territory of being a shape-shifter: It gifted them with special abilities. Apparently, Noah was a mind reader; Thato could see little scenes from the future, he was the one who preordained my arrival into the forest; whilst Milo, on the other hand, had an heightened sense of smell, which was pretty intense: He could smell a prey from miles away.

"You really can't blame me for getting scared every once in a while." I said, letting out a low breath. "This kind of life..

Read " Preordained " by the same author ( Ishola Ubaydah )

. the whole thing is just new to me," I confessed. 

It was true. Back at the village, my life had been different. I used to wake up to the lemon fragrance of the hut, heading straight to the river a few dozen times, and heading right back to the aroma of Mama's sumptuous meal. During my bored moments, I'd head over to Nathi's, listening half-heartedly to the history of biology that I'd never really understood. And from the late afternoon onward, I'd always wait patiently for the sunset, awaiting the moment I'd have to trek to Mama Yahimba's hut, to listen to another tale by moonlight. 

But here.. Here, it was different. Every morning, I woke up to the stares of three shape-shifters who couldn't sleep by nature. I awakened to the smell of fresh leaves, and some, partially rotten. I rouse from sleep to a gruelling training session, - supposedly to build my instinct,- under the watchful eyes of an alpha. 

Both situations were incomparable.

"It's just the first hurdle. All you need is time, and soon, I'm sure you'll come to accept this place, as your new home," Noah whispered. 

New home. 

If only that felt like a relief.