The next few days, weeks even, Adrian paid a close eye to the people around him. Studying their interactions intently, not caring that his focus as a predator made the prey around him wary.

He wanted to learn more, know more. He could easily find his information in books, but Adrian was a creature that learned from observation, learned the behavioral patterns of his prey from watching it closely before he struck.

But this wasn't a matter on how to take down tantalizing prey nor a search for a quick and easy meal.

Instead, Adrian was trying to figure out why some Ferals would release pheromones around him, what made them tick. Why they'd openly declare their attraction to others and how the other party responded to the silent invitation.

Currently Adrian was in the dining hall, absentmindedly eating while his eyes roamed over the hyena clan on the opposite side of the hall.

He quickly realized the complexity behind social groups. Every interaction, be it a small gesture or a subtle release of scent in response to someone's agitation, had a deep, underlying meaning.

It was complicated, confusing at times but in part was due to his very own nature. Dakota raptors might be social creatures to an extend but that was limited to family groups and hunting parties, which usually involved said family.

However, there wasn't anything within his species like the strict and everchanging hierarchical structure found within the hyena clan he observed.

There were hierarchies within hierarchies, Adrian noted, eyes flitting to the males at the table. While the males were subservient to any of the females, no matter how low ranking she was, they held a different rank among their own gender.

"What's the matter, sweet cheeks?"

Adrian blinked, looking up at the smiling Zuri as she had silently approached his table. There was a slight cackle that thrummed through her throat as her smile deepened further, eyes fixed upon Adrian.

A warning.

"We're here to eat, not to be eaten." Zuri stated politely, though the low whoop that rumbled through her chest and was reflected within several of the clan, showed her underlining meaning.

Adrian's tongue flicked mindlessly over his teeth before his nostrils widened.

Fear. Anger. Suspicion. Wariness.

The raptor inclined his head, letting his own scent mellow somewhat. "Was not...hunting. Trying to learn more about..." Adrian was unable to find the correct word, gesturing to the clan who was watching him in return.

"Hyenas?" Zuri's scent mellowed out, flooding with curiosity as Adrian shook his head before her eyes brightened. "Ah. I see. Word of advice? Try not to stare at others for too long darling. Remember, you are a powerful predator and it freaks people out when you seem to be contemplating whether or not we're worthy of a hunt."

Adrian smirked at that, a slight unease settling within the clan before he thrilled, shaking himself out. "Apologies. And don't worry. Carnivores are not my particular taste."

Zuri hummed at that, tense posture relaxing as she understood. Adrian may have killed and consumed that wild cougar on instinct but if given a choice, his shift would've gone after a more supple, tastier meal.

A herbivore. Something that wasn't inclined to fight back and injure him during the hunt.

It wasn't unheard of that powerful predators would kill and sometimes eat another, weaker predator in order to survive. Many predators would actively hunt down and kill their competition, go after their offspring to ensure the survival of their own.

But if an available herbivore was presented alongside the carnivore, most predators would abide by their natural preference.

Hell, from what Adrian had learned during biology, there were reported cases of primates hunting down and eating smaller primates.

Adrian returned his focus to his meal, allowing the hyena clan to finish their own with some peace of mind.

His short conversation with Zuri gave him food for thought. It made him want to try and get out of his isolation, simply to interact and observe other Ferals.

There was a jostle to the bench he was seated on before Adrian glanced down, raising his brows at a familiar black fox kit.

And he was quite certain that the small, fluffy owlet between its teeth was not a wild animal. The godawful screeching that pierced through the air showed clearly that the owlet was not pleased.

Quick as a flash, Adrian latched onto the kit's scruff before it could flee, ignoring the approaching footsteps and voices of the adults.

Instead, he lifted the kit, owlet and all, in front of his face and released a deep, resonating , snarled command.

"Drop. it. now."

Distressed cackling sounded in the background, as a few of the clan obviously got intimidated by his mere presence. They cowered at the venomous command that whipped through the air, demanding absolute obedience.

The little fox kit in his grasp definitely was not immune either.

The owlet flopped in Adrian's lap as the kit whined, tail curling against its creamy belly, panting and shivering in distress. It whimpered pitifully, baring its throat and flattening its ears in an attempt to appease Adrian.

Rolling his eyes, he plopped both kit and owlet on the table before plucking tiny morsels off of his plate and held it out to them both.

The tiny owlet was hesitant to accept, shaken up by the sudden ambush and the presence of multiple predators but the fox kit's demeanor changed instantly.

It fully accepted any offered morsel and when Adrian huffed with amusement and offered one of the smaller bones from his plate, the kit happily started gnawing on the peace offering.

"...why isn't he attacking them?"

Adrian locked eyes on the teacher who spoke, a female owl before he scoffed. Instead, he grabbed the owlet, ignoring the screech of protest from both of the present owls and inspected it for injuries as he responded.

"Is baby. You don't harm little ones." He licked over his lips, noticing that while the chick was missing some fluff, there weren't any lasting injuries. "I'm stronger than my... instinct."

One of the teachers scoffed and Adrian recognized the voice of one of the honey badgers as Omar snarked "Tell that to the lion pride."

Surprisingly, Adrian joined in on the laughter, letting out an equally amused and satisfied thrum. "That was not instincts but lion stupidity."

At that, the entire hall erupted with cackles from the hyenas, some even choking on their food before they slapped themselves on the chest and each other's backs.

Yet, Adrian hadn't lied. It was an unspoken rule, a fact really, that messing with another's food would most likely result in a fight.

Messing with the food of someone who outmatched you in every single way, was borderline suicidal.

Adrian didn't pay them any mind. Instead he allowed his hand to partially transform, letting the sharp claws cut easily through the meat before offering the morsels once again to the owlet.

This time its feeding instincts, and grumbling stomach, overcame the fear and stress. It snapped the meat up, jerking its head as the little owlet tossed it down its throat before letting out a demanding screech.

It brought back a distant memory in Adrian's mind, on when they had been just abandoned by their parents. How one of his female nestmates had stayed near the nest, scent announcing her fear.

Even if she was hungry, she was far too timid, too wary to leave the safety of their den. Perhaps their parents would return soon, were on an extended hunt?

When the siblings first hunt had been successful, his brother and sister had eaten their fill while Adrian had taken the time to coax his younger sister to the carcass.

And when she had fallen back to chick-like tendencies, opening her mouth to beg for food, Adrian had complied. They were all scared but in times like that, they needed to stick close, to bond with one another.

But a few weeks later, she went missing and never returned.

Adrian sighed, mindlessly feeding the owlet until it no longer begged for food. The female owl approached, holding her hands out with a little frustrated click of her tongue.

"Now, can I please have my son back?" Her tone wasn't exactly friendly but nobody blamed her. After all, a powerful predator was holding her offspring.

Offspring that Adrian's shift would swallow whole, if it desired to do so.

Adrian huffed with amusement before handing the owlet back to his concerned mother, whom instantly double checked the fluffy chick for injuries.

"What kind of owl are you?" Adrian wondered out loud as the woman nodded in satisfaction when she too found only shallow scrapes where the fox kit had grabbed her young.

She turned her face towards him, very much alike her owl would and smiled. Her fingers drifted through the downy feathers of her son before pointing out the few tiny golden feathers with silver flecks that started to sprout through.

"My mate and I are barn owls. Both of us assist in classes that involve birds of prey, seeing how most teachers here can't really catch up to a flying Feral." She shook her hair, the long blonde strands revealing silver flecks as they moved, showing just how stressed and on the verge of shifting she was.

Adrian hummed in agreement, noticing how happy the owlet reacted to the soft touches from his mother. Her fingers were methodically preening through the tiny ruffled feathers while she tried her best not to glare at the fox kit.

"My husband was taking care of our clutch but it seems that someone snuck in our quarters while he opened the door to let some fresh air in." She let out another sharp clicking sound, one that portrayed her shifts' irritation.

The young raptor huffed at that, knowing that invading someone's den was already considered to be rude. Invading it while they were young inside, weak and vulnerable young, was asking for a death sentence.

Any parent would react with lethal force to protect their young, though Adrian knew some prey would merely abandon their young and flee themselves.

And it didn't help that foxes predated on small owls and owlets. Nor that owls wouldn't second guess the opportunity if a small fox kit presented itself as a possible meal.

To be fair, he was surprised at the teachers' restraint; a mother owl with owlets was known to claw first and ask questions later.

Omar let out a rattling sigh before plucking the sated fox kit from the table, ignoring its weak growls. "I'm sorry for the stress, Sophia. Maddox and his siblings are real escape artist and often tag-team their guardians so one of them can slip out."

Sophia huffed at that, clearly not trusting the little kit anywhere near her son. "I know it's the boy's instincts to go after easy...prey," she sneered, eyes flaring much darker as she added, "Perhaps there should be one caretaker per kit so things like this doesn't happen. Considering the situation, things could've ended up much worse."

Nobody needed to speak out loud what could've happened. If the kit had been spotted before it snatched the owlet, or had been captured by either one of the parents.

Well... the owlets would've been fed fresh meat one way or another.

But if the kit had managed to sneak somewhere the adults couldn't reach, it wasn't unimaginable to think that the owlet would've been killed.

"No excuse me while I take care of my son and make sure my mate isn't having a mental breakdown." Sophia added, giving an appreciative nod to Adrian and one last glare at Maddox before she turned on her heels and left the room.

Adrian's nostrils flared as he caught a whiff of pheromones before he glanced at the source. Zuri grinned, sending him a wink before she shook her head.

"Think nothing of it sweet cheeks. You're attractive and powerful but I don't see you submitting to your partner." Her grin widened, head tilting as her curls slowly fell to the side. Observing the young raptor curiously.

Intently.

Adrian didn't have to think about it as he let out a sound of agreement. He was too free-willed, too strong to submit to the whims of anyone he could eat.

Just the mere thought of acting like the male hyenas, lowering their heads at the slightest bark from the females was enough to make him huff.

"A shame, really." Zuri purred, giving Adrian a slow once over before sighing wistfully. "Those would've been some strong pups."

Finishing off the last of his meal, Adrian merely inclined his head to acknowledge her words before straightening the loose clothes he had on.

Now that he was full, he wanted to explore the compound. See how far it reached and what kind of creatures it contained.

To see if there was a spark of attraction, just waiting to be uncovered.

But the young man was smart enough to know that attraction wasn't an instant bond, made the second you met one's eyes.

Sure, there was empty lust, a desire that had been aimed at Adrian by several of the Ferals. Women who had approached him coyly, had tried to draw his attention by deliberately releasing pheromones.

Men that had tried to prove their worth by exercising in Adrian' vicinity. Attempting to prove that they were virile, worthy of being considered as a potential mate.

Or rather, worthy to find themselves laying underneath Adrian. To breed or be bred.

Adrian wasn't interesting in spending precious energy in pointless flings. Even with the potent pheromones in the air that all but spelled out a message that his shift received... neither of them were interested.

Prey were out of the question to begin with, as he very much doubted that they would get over their instinctual fear. Plus, Adrian didn't want to risk mating with a herbivore and have his shift see them as a potential meal instead of a mate.

So, only a few options remained. Remain single until he left the compound in search for stronger shifters, or find a strong shifter in the compound to mate with.

But, there was still the point that Zuri had made earlier. If he found a strong, potential mate... someone who was equally as strong, if not stronger...

Wouldn't they demand submission?

He shook himself as if to remove the thought and stretched, groaning in delight as a few joints popped satisfyingly.

Zuri had given him food for thought but that was for a later time. Now, Adrian wanted to learn everything there was to know about every single member of the compound.