The full moon (2)

[A/N: Please read creators thoughts below.]

The classroom was silent with anticipation, as miss Harris walked into the class. Written down on the board facing the class was the topic for the day. 'Predators and their bloodlust: The instinct of the hunt.' promising to be both thrilling and enlightening.

Miss Harris was one of the most popular teachers in SM high for two major reasons, the first being her high intelligence and superb teaching skills for those who were more serious in their academics, the second being her good looks combined with her charismatic and friendly demeanor which enhanced her beauty further attracting admirers students and teachers alike.

"Good morning, everyone." Miss Harris greeted with a smile that caused the hearts of some of the students skip a beat.

"Today, we're delving into a primal and fascinating aspect of the animal kingdom: the predatory instincts driven by what some call 'bloodlust'. We'll explore how predators perceive their prey and what fuels their relentless pursuit." Her sweet sounding voice echoed in the room as she spoke.

'Focus man, just focus.'

As the class went on, Xavier who was seated at the last row in the class was busy fighting a vicious war with his demons and apparently, he was losing.

'It's not even close to the full moon yet, so why?' he questioned for the umpteenth time as his heartbeat quickened, the whole class oblivious to the ticking time bomb in their midst.

The lights dimmed as miss Harris started a slide show displaying images of multiple apex predators found in the wild.

"Predators are wired for the hunt. Their senses are highly attuned to detect, chase, and capture their prey. Let's start with the most iconic predator of the savanna: the lion." The slide changed to a close-up of a lions eyes.

 "A lion's vision is adapted to detect movement over long distances. They have a higher density of rod cells in their retinas, which enhance their night vision. This is crucial for hunting during dusk or dawn when many prey animals are less vigilant."

Xavier, who could see perfectly in the dimly lit room, glanced from person to person observing 'the less vigilant preys' that were seated in the same class as him.

"Notice how they move silently, their eyes fixed on their target." Miss Harris pointed out before explaining.

"This unwavering focus is a hallmark of predatory behavior."

Xavier quietly observed the various exposed parts of the other students ranging from wrist, necks to thighs or legs his eyes unintentionally glowing as a result to this, to which nobody noticed as they were all paying attention at Miss Harris's teaching.

"Other predators like eagles also possess exceptional eyesight, as it allows them to track and capture fast moving prey with remarkable accuracy."

Xavier gulped.

Some predators are equipped with a highly developed sense of smell, allowing to detect and identify prey from several miles away." She explained before stopping the slide show to continue.

Xavier breathing had gone haggard, his eyes glow with intensity as he grabbed on tightly to the sides of his desk causing cracks to appear on it.

"But what drives this bloodlust? Predatory behavior is not just about survival, it's also about the instinctual drive to dominate and assert control. This is why predators often exhibit a relentless pursuit of their prey, fueled by both hunger and a deeper, instinctual aggression.

Xavier's senses were all over the place at this point, he could hear the stable and progressive heart beats all around him sometimes, it was the flow of blood passing through their veins and blood vessels.

The delectable smell of the humans gathered wafted the air around him invading his sense sending him on the verge of driving him insane.

'K…keep you a…act together man.' He thought trying to fight his violent urges.

The class went on for a few more hours as miss Harris taught the class.

"In conclusion, as night falls and shadows creep, remember: The bloodlust of predators is ever vigilant. In the wild, losing your guard for even a heartbeat can mean the difference between life and death…" Miss Harris stated ominously with a serious expression which immediately transitioned to a light giggle which sounded angelic to her admirers.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it'll be really cool to conclude with quote considering the theme of today's class, but saying it out loud made me realize how lame it was." She revealed to which the class responded with genuine laughter of their own.

With that, the bell rang and the students gathered their belongings ready to leave for their next class.

"Make sure to read from pages 12-16 before our next class!" she voiced to the already departing students.

Xavier being the first to exit the classroom ran straight to the school's rooftop as he breathe in the fresh air there in an attempt to calm himself down which seemed to be working.

"Just a few more hours to go." 

*****

[6hours: 26minutes: 44seconds- Till the full moon]

It was currently 3pm noon, the closing bell rung as Xavier fled the learning environment.

[You: school just ended, are you at the studio?]

[Jayden: nah I'm still trying to find a chance to sneak out and my mom isn't making it easy.]

"Sigh…"

He released a sigh after reading Jayden's reply. His heart seemed to have slowed down , beating in slow intervals and his senses back to their heightened but bearable state.

'It seems this is going to keep happening till after the full moon.' He thought, walking down the street.

"Mom, your home early?" Xavier voiced surprised seeing his mother busy working in the kitchen.

"Yeah, today's job ended surprisingly quickly." Hayley replied with a smile before giving Xavier a tight hug.

*Badum*

*Badum*

"Kuh…" he released a small groan from his heartbeat threatening to beat faster due to the close proximity with his mother.

"Are you okay Xav?" Hayley asked her son releasing him from her embrace.

"I'm fine mom, just a little hungry I'll be in my room." Xavier quickly lied before running upstairs.

"Well in that case, I'm making meat loaf for dinner!" she yelled to Xavier's departing figure.

*Slam!*

Xavier slammed the door behind him, leaning his back on it before taking deep breaths.

'I can't keep this up.' Xavier said inwardly with gritted teeth. The young teenager felt powerless and frustrated at his situation.

'Is this my life now? Every full moon I have to worry about hurting the ones I care about?' memories of that dreadful night, the night he gained great power in exchange for his humanity flooded in.

"why!" 

*Bam!*

He yelled before punching at the wall close to him, as a result creating multiple cracks on the wall as a fist sized dent was left on it.

"Is everything okay?" Hayley asked from downstairs after hearing the sudden loud bang.

"N-nothing mom, just stubbed my toe!" he lied again.

'These lies has to stop, I feel like every time I lie to her, a part of me is taken away.'

"The werewolf that bit me, I'm going to find you no matter what." He mumbled with a malice filled voice, his eyes glowing red in response as he remembered

the one responsible for most of his current problems.