It took a while for Adrian to be able to move, let alone stand without resembling a newborn calf. He struggled to stand for a moment before choosing to sit, deciding against trying to remain on his two feet. It wasn't worth injuring himself over.

Plus, he really didn't like the way it made him feel like an infant to struggle to remain on his limbs. The way his legs trembled and threatened to slide to the sides reminded him too much of when Adrian was a hatchling.

Weak, incapable of defending himself and trembling on his gangly legs until he figured out how to use them.

His head spun, making him feel as if he was going to fall flat on his back, as if the world around him was moving in dizzying waves.

And even with the sedative slowly leaving his system, his muscles twitched and trembled. Quivering with the amounts of stress that had been forced on him.

He huffed and panted, feeling his limbs tingle as sensation started to return to them. It costed him a great deal of effort, but he managed to maintain his balance as he sat up, blinking in a haze as he did his best to draw some moisture in his dried mouth.

Whatever they had used to tranquilize him with, it managed to only give him minor discomfort and a hint of nausea that was quickly disappearing.

But it left Adrian trembling and salivating awkwardly until he managed to swallow it back several times.

Murmurs and chatter sounded behind him and Adrian stilled before looking over his shoulder. Several curious faces were staring back at him, fingers clutching the chain-link fence that separated the enclosures.

Shifters. Youngsters like him both predator and prey alike.

The boys and girls on the other side of the fence were fully clothed, all smiles and looks of curiosity and awe. Adrian huffed, shaking himself off before pushing on his feet. His muscles trembled but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain strong.

He couldn't look weak in front of so many predators... even though they seemed rather friendly with the prey just inches away.

"I didn't know we had a new arrival..." One of the boys murmured as more started coming out of the building behind them, curious at the small gathering of teens and young adults.

Adrian even spied a few children holding hands with the adults. Youngsters that relied mostly on their instincts or whatever they picked up from their parental figures.

"He's kinda cute..." One of the girls, a lioness, spoke as she tilted her head and purred. The male lion beside her instantly shot a glare at Adrian and bared his fangs on a venomous snarl.

A few growls and grumbles started up, the predators among the teens sizing up the new arrival and posturing, as was natural. They needed to see how the rankings had changed but they weren't all that worried over a scrawny kid.

The prey on the other hand were wary of the new arrival, wondering exactly what kind of predator he was, and what did he prey on?

Plus, the males weren't all that happy with a new contender who was already stealing away the females' attention. They wanted to make sure Adrian knew he wasn't welcomed by any means. Their instincts provoked them to defend their turf, breeding partners and food sources.

It made Adrian scoff as memories of his more volatile sibling came to mind. Always posturing and snarling at Adrian to show he was Alpha in their food chain but he had proven to Adrian that baring your teeth and flashing your muscle wasn't the way to become Alpha.

An Alpha needed to earn their spot. And none of these pesky brats stood above Adrian. Yet Adrian wasn't a fool; if he were to posture against this gang of teens, they would team up on him to show him his place. One on one, Adrian could potentially beat them but if they all worked together, he would be in for quite a fight.

With the amount of predators on the opposite side of the fence, Adrian would get injured without a doubt. Injuries that he wouldn't risk, as an injured predator would be a starving one.

Ignoring the group was best for now and that was exactly what Adrian did, even if they were trying to get his attention. He looked around the enclosure and realized that, though it was fully walled up and chain nets spanned over the complex as a ceiling, he was truly outdoors.

A little breeze kicked up, making Adrian inhale before he sighed, looking around the pen. It wasn't all that big and connected to the building behind him while the teens on the other side were permitted to roam freely.

"What kind of shifter do you think he is?" A boy asked demurely, giving a wide berth to the predators grouped together. One of said predators looked at the boy with a slight sneer, shaking his reddish hair out of his eyes.

"Use your sniffer, Joey." The red-head barked, making the other boy hop in fright before puffing himself up with indignation. "My name isn't Joey." He added with a stomp to the floor, catching the full interest of the predator.

Adrian eyed the pair curiously, scenting the air before smirking to himself in understanding. Both boys were natural prey and predator, so it wasn't that surprising to see them having a fight. But Adrian wasn't a fool; he could literally see the muscles in the prey's legs flex and knew that a mere kick would mean a world of pain.

The predator must've caught onto that too, growling to himself before backing off with a grumble. "Fucking Dingo..." The prey muttered with a huff, relaxing slowly as he shook himself out before glancing back at Adrian.

Adrian's nostrils flared, taking in the scents around him. Most of them he didn't know but his instincts easily divided predator from prey. The scents that were the strongest were of those creatures living in groups; lions, wolves, horses, even a few zebras blended into the mix. They thrived on group scent and would scent-mark their territory continuously.

Casting a lazy glance over the onlookers, he spotted quite a few more prey than predator in the background, taking a more cautious approach at the newcomer, while all the predators where at the fence, baring their teeth in a show of dominance.

He ignored their inquisitive looks, realizing that the predators would soon grow bored if nothing happened. Sure they'd keep their eyes on him but they wouldn't be ganging up against the fence to watch his every move.

A shadow flew over before the chain-link fence rattled, forcing Adrian to look up at the eagle that landed on the fenced ceiling. It squawked at him and flapped its wings, ruffling them before proceeding to clean its feathers. He scoffed, dismissing the predator before pausing as his eyes landed on a platform.

Since digging his way to safety didn't work last time... If Adrian was higher up, the adults would have a harder time reaching him, even if they managed to sedate him up there. Eying the platform, he guessed it was twelve feet off of the ground.

Good enough...and well within range too.

"Think he's gonna jump?" One of the girls breathed before earning herself a scoff from one of the boys, a wolf this time. "To that height? Not without shifting and especially not with those-"

The banter stopped as Adrian didn't even take a running start. He merely crouched down before jumping, landing on top of the platform with little effort.

"...wounds." The wolf finished as more whispers echoed from the crowd below. Such a simple action had already given them more information than Adrian had wanted to, but he wasn't going to stay on the floor where the adults could reach him.

The platform was wide enough to allow Adrian to lie down comfortably, if he wished. He rested against the fence, enjoying the breeze and the gentle caress of the sunlight on his cheek. The teens below struck up a soft conversation, eyes still fixed on the newbie though Adrian could tell they were slowly losing interest.

His side was smarting but if he played his cards right, he could make those observing him believe he was weak. And use that carelessness to escape.

Adrian stretched out, letting out a content rumble in the back of his throat as sore muscles finally relaxed, especially after the sedation and stress he had been under. Already he could see several of the adults wandering the premises, keeping a close eye on him and the nearby teens.

Flicking his eyes towards the small group of adults in front of the building, he felt a hint of curiosity. The building was quite large, as was the terrain that the teenagers were roaming freely on. Adrian could spy large and solid walls in the distance, presumably to make it more difficult to attempt an escape.

His stomach grumbled, a grimace pulling at Adrian's features as he rested a hand on his stomach. He hadn't been able to eat due to the hog goring him and now he was starving. It had been several days since his last meal and currently his stomach was burning a hole in his gut.

His eyes flickered to the prey safely behind the chain-link fence. Even they started to look tempting to his inner beast. Some of them must've sensed the direction his thoughts took, as they slowly backed away from the fence.

A small sound caught his attention as muted footsteps approached. The bear from before held a plate in his hands, looking around before spotting Adrian on top of the platform. Pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, Willem opened up a hatch, allowing him to place the plate inside the enclosure without entering it.

Without second thought, Adrian rolled off of the platform and landed in a smooth crouch, the flinch of pain barely noticeable. Keeping a close eye on the bear, he moved forwards while scenting the air, nearly drooling at the leg of venison that laid there.

A few of the prey shifters turned a little bit green while the other predators were gazing intently at Adrian's intended meal. He quickly pounced on the meal, a barely audible growl rumbling through his body.

It certainly got the predators' attentions, as well as Willem's. The bear was eying him curiously as Adrian bit down in the barely cooked flesh. He ate with fervor, tearing flesh from bone while keeping an eye on the polar bear as it snorted and slowly crouched down. There was a hint of satisfaction in Willem's eyes.

That is, until Adrian spat out the little pill that was hidden in the flesh and hit Willem right in the forehead with it. Within the few seconds that Willem shifted into a furious bear, Adrian had bit into the meat and held on tight as he ran and jumped back on top of his little perch.

Adrian scoffed to himself while he fed; he had smelled the bitter tang of the pill and had ripped away the chunks of flesh tainted with whatever medicine it was. The few tiny morsels that laid on the floor were a fair price to pay for the hunk of flesh in his lap.

The teens on the outside of the fence had all scrambled to get away from the polar bear, some running to get more teachers, presumably to calm Willem down. He could even tell that some of the predators were wisely backing off from Adrian.

The fact that Adrian was willing to face off with an angry male polar bear already showed that he was outranking the teenagers on the other side of the fence, and then knew it.

Soon his stomach was bulging, the juices having dripped from his cheeks and staining his hands. The boy licked his lips, placing the remains of the haunch beside him as he started to clean up as best as he could.

He wasn't going to shift, especially not in the full glare of everyone. Adrian guessed that was what the bear had hoped for, that the instinct to feed would've lured his animal out in the process. Adrian was smarter than that though.

The boy kept his eyes on the bear as he licked his fingers clean, knowing he was unintentionally goading on the powerful predator. On the other end, he couldn't avert his eyes from Willem, as he needed to know where the attack was coming from.

He lapped at the blood that had managed to trickle down to his elbow before averting his gaze from the fuming bear. Hearing its annoyed grunts was enough to send a small shiver of fear down his spine, feeling the hairs in his neck prickle in warning.

The fencing and gate separated him from the bear, keeping him safe but locked up. If he was able to trigger the bear enough for it to charge inside...

He mentally shook the idea off. An angered polar bear was way more than he'd dare to handle. Even if he had a small window of opportunity, there were countless of undefined risks there. If he didn't get caught by the Polar bear, there were always the predators outside, even the prey that might try and stop him.

Not to mention the multitude of adults that were fast approaching to calm Willem down.

Adrian preened and cleaned until he deemed himself spotless and sighed; his belly was full and warm, his wounds were slowly mending and the sun was casting a nice glow over his body. Adrian yawned, unintentionally showcasing his shifted, sharp serrated teeth that gleamed in the sunlight, still stained with blood from his meal.

He curled on his side, smirking slightly with satisfaction at the delicate scent of fear that drifted up in the wind. He hadn't intended to posture but Adrian suspected his instincts and inner animal had felt threatened enough to defend itself...And warn off any possible attacks.