Inez, Farid, and Ava are resting in the student lounge, savoring being the first ones to finish their field assignment.

As they're chatting, Inez suddenly straightens in her chair.

She has a strange look on her face, as if hearing a far off voice, calling to her from another realm.

Ava cocks her head and asks, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Jake," Inez blurts out. "He's hurt!" She jumps to her feet and then runs out of the room.

Ava and Farid look at each other, confused, and then follow her out to the courtyard.

***

Gaping, Ava, Farid, and Inez watch as Patrick lumbers through the big iron gates of the school with Jake clinging, precariously, to his back.

Farid and Inez stand there, frozen and in awe, never having seen Patrick in bear form before.

But Ava immediately rushes up to him. She rests a hand on Jake's back and winces when she sees his wounds.

She lets her hand slip to Patrick's side and asks him directly, as if he were in human form, "What happened? How badly is he hurt?"

Patrick lifts his head and huffs. He grunts and bays as if relaying the story in great detail. But Ava understands him completely, nodding the entire time.

At one point, Ava's eyes go wide, and she turns to Inez and Farid. "Go get the Masters, quick!" she cries. "Jake's been attacked by a demon!"

***

The students are all gathered in the school's common room, waiting to hear the latest news about Jake's condition.

Master Liu is with them, trying to provide whatever comfort she can.

Headmaster Pierce and Master Achebe suddenly enter, having just come from the infirmary.

Ava and Patrick immediately stand, and the rest of the students look up eagerly.

Before he's bombarded with questions, Headmaster Pierce raises his hands and says, "I want you to know that Jake's doing okay. Although he's pretty beaten up, with enough rest and once his regenerative powers kick in, he should be fine," he informs the room.

Ava lays a hand on her chest and closes her eyes in relief, expelling a long, slow breath. When she opens her eyes again, she asks, "But some of his wounds looked really deep. Since they come from a demon, shouldn't we be more concerned?"

Headmaster Pierce looks at her and purses his lips. He turns to Master Achebe, silently inviting him to step in, since as a Panther Shifter, he's much more familiar with Jake's overall condition and prospects for recovery.

"He's healing, but slowly... a bit too slowly in my opinion," Master Achebe admits. "But given the extent of his injuries and the source, that's to be expected." He clears his throat, and then treading carefully adds, " We are concerned about one thing, though. There seems to be something in the demon's bite--something we've never encountered before--that overwhelms a Shifter's ability to regenerate and heal."

Ava gasps softly as Patrick's lips dip into a frown.

"It doesn't entirely suppress our abilities," Master Achebe assures them. "But it does slow them down."

The rest of the students look at each other, not quite understanding the gravity of the situation.

Any diminishment of a Shifter's power to regenerate and heal could put them in grave danger.

First, the demons, when they take a Shifter's form, seem to evolve into something similar to the Shifter they've attacked, but they evolve into a much bigger and stronger version of their victim--a situation no Shifter has encountered before.

And second, not all Shifters are fighters. In a fight between a beaver and a demon beaver, well, most would put their money down on the demon beaver every time.

"We've requested that a Healer come to the school to see if he can help," Master Achebe adds in a comforting voice that manages to rise above the din of the students' murmurs filling the room.

"Who is it?" Patrick asks. "Who did you reach out to? The Healer Mistwalker or Deerfoot?"

"Deerfoot only specializes in wounds from physical combat," Master Achebe replies. "Mistwalker has experience with more..." he arches a brow as he hesitates, "...well, more esoteric injuries," he concludes.

Patrick's eyes go wide at the implication. After a beat, he nods in both relief and understanding. "Good, good," he murmurs to himself. Then, he asks, "So what happens next?"

"Well," Headmaster Pierce stands, and clasping his hands behind his back, paces the room. "We've contacted all of your parents and guardians to update them on the situation." Pierce purses his lips. "Many of them have requested to meet here at the Academy in order to discuss whether or not the school, and this initiative, should continue."

"What!?" Sebastian practically screeches "That's ridiculous! Our mission is far too important to close the program down!"

Farid slides his brother an incredulous look. When did he get so wholeheartedly on board with the Academy's mission?

Additional protests bubble up from the kids, so Headmaster Pierce holds his hands up again to quiet them down. "Now, now..." he says. "It's an entirely reasonable request. Even though your parents had been briefed on the risks of this endeavor before you started, they're still concerned for your safety. And honestly, I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't hear them out and address their concerns." He takes a deep breath and continues, "Plus, some of the parents were quite insistent on meeting in person rather than talking on the phone. Well," he tilts his head. "One in particular was adamant that we--"

"That would be my father, wouldn't it?" Patrick interrupts, anticipating Headmaster Pierce's next words.

Headmaster Pierce looks at him and smiles weakly, sympathetic to the difficulties Patrick must endure having as an intimidating and domineering father as Chief Meska.

"Figures," Patrick mutters underneath his breath.

"Can we see him?" Ava asks, eager to be by Jake's side.

"Yes," Inez pipes up. "Can we visit him? Or is there anything we can do to help?" she asks earnestly.

"Dr. Fielding said that he could indeed see visitors," Headmaster Pierce replies, "but only a few at a time. Ava and Patrick," he points at them, "you two can go in now. The rest of you can have brief, scheduled visits, starting tomorrow."

Ava looks over at Inez, registering the look of disappointment on her face. Having picked up on the little crush Inez seems to be developing for Jake, she gives her a sympathetic smile.

Inez smiles back, then sucks in a deep breath, acknowledging the truth of the matter.

Of course, Ava and Patrick should be the first to see Jake. They're from his tribe and also his best friends. Their support has to take priority.

But still, she knows she won't get a wink of sleep, worrying about Jake, until she can see him again face-to-face, tomorrow.

***

In the infirmary, Ava and Patrick carefully push the door to Jake's room open and slip in.

They find him lying in his hospital bed, extensive bandages wrapped around his abdomen, his arm, and his head. He's got bruises all over his body and the very faintest hint of a black eye.

Jake sees them enter and cracks a slow, painful smile.

"Hey..." he croaks.

"Hey, killer. How you doin'?" Patrick asks, chuckling softly, doing his best to suppress the sheer shock of seeing his friend so banged up.

Jake groans and forces himself to smile a bit wider in the hopes of allaying any fears about his condition.

Ava sits in the chair next to the bed and rests a gentle hand on his arm. "Jake, please don't try to be brave. Just tell us the truth so we can help you. How are you really feeling?" she asks.

"Well..." Jake clears his throat. "Honestly? I feel like a Mack truck ran me over, and then backed up and ran me over again," he mumbles with an audible groan.

Patrick and Ava laugh softly, grateful that at least he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

Jake tries to join them, but rather than managing a laugh, he ends up coughing violently instead. And when he tries to sit up, he winces in pain.

Ava lays a soothing hand on his shoulder and eases him back into the bed. "Take it easy," she orders gently. "We just wanted to stop by and let you know that we're thinking of you, and we're here for you. Anything you need, just ask. But the doctor says the most important thing for you to do now is rest, so we'll be back tomorrow when we can stay longer."

"Sure," Jake nods in concession as he lays back in his bed, pulling the blanket up underneath his chin, not because he's cold--but because he's feeling embarrassed by his wounds and the overall state he's in.

"I'm sorry, guys," he says. "I don't want you to worry. I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks." He tries to laugh but only ends up coughing again. "But the weird thing is," he says weakly, "for some reason, it's taking forever for me to heal. So unfortunately, I look--and feel--just as bad as I did when you brought me in. I mean, I should be seeing at least a little improvement by now. shouldn't I?" He looks at them, concerned.

Ava and Patrick exchange worried, knowing glances. Clearly, neither Headmaster Pierce nor Master Achebe have talked to him about the detrimental effects of the demon bite. Nor did they give him a heads up about the shaman.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Ava comforts him through an awkwardly forced smile. "Master Achebe said you're healing, just a little bit slower than expected. You'll be okay. Trust me. You just need some rest."

"Yeah, don't worry, man." Patrick lays a soft hand on Jake's leg and forces an awkward smile as well. "There's no need to rush it, dude. You're probably still in shock. Just let your body heal in its own time, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Jake nods and begins to fidget, trying to stay focused on his guests. But as his body slumps, it's clear he's succumbing to exhaustion.

Both Patrick and Ava notice.

"Hey, listen," Patrick says brightly, "Crick is hovering around the infirmary, worried out of his mind, looking for something 'butlerly' to do to help. And Mrs. Clarkson said she's prepared to cook you any meal you want, no matter how indulgent, whenever your appetite returns. So get ready to be well and properly spoiled, my man." He cracks and even wider smile.

Jake chuckles at this. "Yeah, we'll see if she refrains from giving me her classic look of disapproval when I ask for pizza, barbecue, ice cream and cake," he chuckles again, but coughs as his eyes begin to flutter shut.

Ava and Patrick see this and take a last woeful look at their friend before backing silently out of the room.

The minute the door closes behind them, Ava bursts into tears.

"Oh, hey there now!" Patrick says as he takes her into his arms. "It's okay, kiddo." He rubs her back softly as she continues to sob. "Like Jake said, it's probably better than it looks, and I believe him."

Ava looks up, dubiously. "But he looks terrible, Patrick!" her voice cracks." I mean, he looks... he looks broken," she chokes out, then draws in a ragged breath. "I've never seen him hurt so badly before."

"I know. I know..." Patrick whispers, as he continues to rub her back, but at a loss as to what else to say.

Ava--still taking comfort in Patrick's arms--buries her face in his chest and lets the tears fall.

After a long moment of silence, Patrick finally says, "C'mon, Ava. Jake's tough. You know that," he reassures her.

When Ava doesn't respond, Patrick leans back and tips her chin up so she has to look him in the eyes. "Listen to me," he says in the most confident tone he can muster, "Jake's the strongest person we know. He's been through a lot, and yet he always finds a way to bounce back. Always." Patrick takes a beat then continues. "But to do that, he needs for us to be as strong and resilient as he is, okay?

He cradles Ava's chin as she pouts. Then suddenly, she sucks in a deep breath and nods. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right," she says. "We need to do that for him in order to support him. That makes a lot of sense."

But after a moment, she takes a step back, and using the sleeve of her pink and purple flannel shirt, she wipes away her tears. "But Patrick, I just can't shake the thought that something's changed," she says. "Everything has gotten so real all of a sudden, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Patrick agrees, gently resting his hands on Ava's shoulders. "I think our training has just come to a very abrupt and surprising end, and we need to be ready to deal with that fact, ultimately accepting the risk and responsibilities we've volunteered to take on."

Ava smiles. "Agreed," she whispers. "But..." her smile slowly fades. "Although I was fully aware of the danger coming here, I hate to admit it, but I'm still really scared. It's been fun and games up until now--to some degree. But I don't think any of us really understood what we were signing up for."

Patrick bites his lip and stares out the window next to where they're standing. As the sun rapidly sinks beneath the horizon, it casts a soft but mournful shadow throughout the hallway.

"Honestly," he says quietly. "I was about to say that it's all gonna be okay, despite our fears, so we just have to have faith. But to tell you the truth, Ava..." he lets out a long, slow breath, "I'm scared too. In fact," he finishes even more quietly, "I'm terrified."

********

A/N - I hate doing this to Jake, so much! He's such a great guy!

😢😢😢

But fiction calls for sacrifice and suffering. ☹️

~ Paula 💝