Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Before I begin, I want to give a quick heads-up about accessibility and spoilers. This fanfiction starts at about the end of Season 1 of Beastars. There will be mild spoilers for Season 2 and beyond, but major mystery elements like the identity of Tem’s killer will not be spoiled. Nothing past Chapter 118 of the manga will be spoiled.

William sat at the dinner table, re-reading the same line in his book over and over. He couldn’t help that he was distracted. The radio’s music sounded tinny and far away, and the young goat’s ear kept flicking. A distant rumble of thunder barely registered. He glanced at the wall clock. “Wasn’t the report supposed to come on by now?”

His mother looked up from her work - she had boxes of rifle parts, and was assembling them as best she could. Her fingers moved with clicks as hooves pressed wood and metal. She looked at the clock as well. “Might be running late,” her voice was calm and pleasant. “After all, they got a lot of their own reports to put together before they can tell us anything.”

“Is something wrong?”

“They would let us know if something is wrong, honey.” She pulled back on a finished rifle to cock it. Held it up. Pulled trigger. A hollow click. Another distant rumble. Then she twisted to set it on the pile behind her. A knock at the door got her attention though. “Billy, get that for me would you?”

Billy hesitated. Then slowly he rose from his seat, stepped to the door. Please don’t be him, please don’t be him, please don’t be him… he opened it.

In the evening sunlight, an eagle offered a large bottle of milk. His eyes smiled, but Billy could tell it was a veneer for the grim times they lived in. “Here you go buddy,” he handed off the bottle, before nodding and stepping away. Billy watched him until he left the yard. Two flashes of light on the horizon, and more thunder. Then he wandered back to his mother. 

“Thank you honey,” she accepted the bottle, rising from her seat. Billy watched as she picked up their mugs from the counter.

“Mom, why do we still have an eagle milkman?”

This prompted a pause. “Is he making you uncomfortable?”

“I mean, kinda. He doesn’t really do anything, but his beak is scary.”

She seemed to relax a bit. “I know, it’s a little strange. This is strange for a lot of people right now.”

“Didn’t you say carnivores were dangerous? And that’s why Dad left to fight them?”

Another long pause. More thunder from outside. “...things have been changing very quickly Billy. I know it’s confusing. But sometimes things happen like that in life. Things change so quickly that you don’t know what’s going on. And sometimes, people you thought wanted to hurt you… well, you simply didn’t understand things well enough—”

Suddenly a small fanfare of trumpets came from the radio. Her eyes shot up, and she leaped across the room to crank the volume as high as it’d go. Quick fingers snatched a map from the drawer, as Billy listened with peak attention. An excited voice began to bark:

“Our latest news updates from the frontlines! The 4th Carnivore Division made strong gains today into the Hominid Union, having met up with the 16th Herbivore Division from the south. That effectively cuts the country into two, marking a crippling blow against their war effort!” Billy could see his mother gnawing at her fingers. “We’ve also seen remarkable gains from the 2nd Integrated Battalion. They are currently pressing into the center of Cherryton, a provincial capital and the location of a prominent military academy.” The dusty speaker kept barking. 

In the distance, a few more blasts rumbled through the air. 

“The human advance against the city of Rokuma has been slowed to a stalemate, with no further gains or losses reported!” Billy noticed his mother close her eyes, let out a breath, pressing a hand to her chest. Another few cracks of thunder, louder this time. “Today, the Prime Minister introduced a bill meant to offer amnesty to any so-called ‘domesticated’ species currently fighting alongside humans, in another show of interspecies solidarity. She would also like to remind us all of the reason we fight our enemy, a brutal and terrifying one that has no qualms about the most horrific of war crimes. She issued a special order to explicitly overturn broadcasting code, so that full details may be read.” The radio cleared its voice. “Today in the southern suburbs of Rokuma, it was confirmed that humans deployed a deadly nerve agent explicitly forbidden as a weapon of war. Not only has it maimed and killed dozens of our own troops, but they also unleashed it, unmasked, on their own species. The self-destructive mode left eyes burning, noses frayed-”

“Oh please turn it off,” William’s mother shook her head. “I can’t bear to think of it much more now.”

He stood up to obey. The young goat was just reaching for the dial, when he paused. The radio announcer went quiet.

In his place, a wailing sounded around them. 

It was the tornado sirens… William looked out the window. Then at his mother. She got from her seat, staring outside. The thundering was getting louder, nearer…

“An urgent update: all citizens of Rokuma take cover immediately! I repeat, all citizens take cover immediately!” There was the sound of scuffling on the radio. “Take shelter all citizens of the greater Rokuma metro area! Find an underground—”

That was the last William heard of him. His mother grabbed his wrist and yanked him toward the back door. He was vaguely aware of her yelling for him to come. With numb senses he followed. She threw open the door and grabbed under his arms to pick him up, carry him down the stairs. In that moment he could look over her back.

Not three blocks away, a plume of black curled towards the crimson sunset. And against the backdrop of red, planes flew low and steady. William heard a long chain of bombs explode to the right. He couldn’t see around his mother’s head, but it lit up the side of their house. The sirens shrieked their warning. One bomber flew so close that he could read the letters on it: HUAF-17803. The engines made the ground rumble. “MOM!” he screamed.

That image burned into his head forever.

 Up above the deadly wings dropped their load. From the cockpits they could make out animals scrambling like insects into shelters, storm drains, anything that would hide them. Every payload scarred the urban landscape with flame that lingered far after the planes passed. 

All William could do was cling to his mother as she slammed the door shut behind them and took the last few steps down to the bunker. For a long while she knelt there, holding onto him. The darkness, her fingers in his fur, feeling him, feeling the heat of his body and the breath in his lungs. He couldn’t tell if he was shivering, or if she was. Later in life, he’d realize it was probably both.

“Why are they doing this Mom?” he finally croaked.

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know, honey… I don’t know…”

Sixty-five years later, William the mountain goat was dead.

Gon, head of Cherryton Academy, attended the funeral of course. It was a beautiful service. He had his three children, seven grandchildren, and even a great-grandson in attendance. Old business partners had come out to pay their respects, as well as his fellow Cherryton trustees. He had been a giant among animals; if he’d been to an academy, he would have surely been a Beastar.

All of this made Gon’s awkward position even worse as he stood in front of the trustees, and cleared his throat. The room was arranged with him standing at a lecture desk, and the board arranged in arching seats before him. Walls swooped up to the ceiling, and made him feel like he was stuck in a pit. The tiger straightened his tie, and then his glasses. “Thank you all for making the meeting today. I know that all hearts are heavy after William’s passing. But for the good of the school, we must continue with our mission. The first order of business is to fill the role of head of the curriculum committee. Tanya, the pygmy hippopotamus, has been recommended to me by several of you. So I’d like to formally nominate her for the position. Can I have a second on that?” A hand went up. “Thank you, and if we’re happy to vote without objections, all in favor?”

Hands went up into the air. It was unanimous. Gon closed his eyes. He’d hoped that’d take longer. “Alright, motion carried, congratulations Tanya.” There were nods all around, and sharp eyes. The dreaded moment was drawing nearer. The tiger swallowed before speaking again.

“Next order of business… another letter from the local Ardi community.” No reaction so far. “Their patriarch again expresses his desire to have a young student of theirs enroll in our academy as a show of-”

“Objection,” June, a red panda, raised her hand. 

Here it goes, Gon thought to himself. “Please, let me at least finish my point. A show of goodwill between our divided species, and I would like to bring to the floor-”

“Objection!” the red panda squeaked louder this time. Gon sighed, and motioned for her to continue. “I feel like we would all do well to remember that William was always insistent that we not endanger our charges by bringing human students into our educational environment.”

“I realize that, June, but unfortunately he’s not here-”

“Which is why you’re bringing this up now?” her eyes darted to the others sitting around her. “I’d like the record to reflect that I find it highly inappropriate that you wait for enough opposing trustees to die off so that you can have your passion projects get school funding-”

“It’s not a passion project,” Gon pinched the top of his snout between his fingers. “The Zeika and Dorpal schools have had success with their integration campaigns over the past couple years. Look,” he stood, tapping his fingers on his desk for emphasis, “we missed out on being the first of the top academies to integrate humans into our student population. We missed being that historic prideful first. Now my goal is to make sure, that we’re not the shameful last.” His sharp eyes glanced around. “Now look, we have humans in our school-”

“Old men. As staff,” June appended. 

“Yes, I know, and I believe that if we can be comfortable offering them employment, we can be comfortable offering them education. Please, I implore you…”

Gon’s eyes glanced around, before alighting on Tanya. He nodded in a silent beg. The hippo gave a snort, before turning to face everyone. “I know that tensions at the moment are simmering a little stronger now, with restorationist insurgents getting bolder this year.”

“Thank you,” a crane picked up from that, “which is exactly why we cannot afford to rock the boat with humans right now!”

“Which is exactly why,” Tonya replied with an edge in her voice, “we should. Things are on edge right now - and when things are on edge, they can fall either way. I know the timing might seem distasteful, but it’s the way that cards are being played right now, and we need to choose based on what’s in front of us.” She pressed her hands together. “I’d like to motion to accept this enrollment from the Ardi human community this year.”

Gon swallowed, thankful for that. He didn’t expect her words had changed any minds - if anything, he hoped that they’d kept minds from changing. So he kept his pleading short. “Thank you Tonya, and I would like to remind everyone to please vote for the right thing here. I’d like to second?” June’s words kept worming under his skin though, even as the voting happened. 

It passed by exactly one vote. Just as Gon knew it would.

Chapter Text

Legosi squatted in the west stairway on the third floor. His tail swished behind him as he focused on Haru, who was reclining on the steps. “-so then I had to go all the way across campus, to catch the guy before he left. Thank god,” she rolled her eyes. “But then I had to spend two hours hauling the bags to the garden. I wish they’d install an elevator or something.”

The wolf perked his ears. “Two hours? Oh, you should have called me, I would’ve helped you…”

“Ah, there was a lot of people,” she shook her head. “Didn’t want to set everyone chattering again.”

Legosi felt a pang in his heart. People had been awkward around him, but no one yet had directly confronted him about the rumors. After all, he was a six foot wolf, nobody was especially keen to confront him about anything. But Haru, small as she was… “Are you sure you don’t want to say anything about it? I mean, sure we… slept... together…” His nails nervously scratched the back of his neck. “But we didn’t sleep together. And I don’t think it’s fair that everyone-”

“It’s fine.” That’s what she always said, and Legosi hated it. He hated it because he knew it was a lie. “Seriously, it’s fine. It’s high school, they’ll talk themselves out until the next scandal comes along. It’s not worth our energy, we’ll just make it worse if we try.” Legosi could feel his ears droop, and his eyes fixed on her. Clearly she noticed. “I promise, I’ll be okay!” A smile crossed her face. “I’ve had people say bad stuff about me before, I just let it roll off.”

“Mmmmmm…” Legosi finally looked away, his hum of discontent rumbling in his chest. A small group of sheep passed by, and spying the two of them, quickened their pace. He let himself fall backwards onto his rear, clasping the top of his knee with his hand and resting his chin on top of his furred knuckles. “I wish I were a rabbit…”

“Huh? Why d’you wish that?”

“Because… if I was, then…” he sighed, “then people wouldn’t look at us like that,” he motioned after where the sheep had just passed the corner. “Then we could get the same-species benefits, then we just… would have less to worry about.”

The wolf looked away, feeling despondent. Then a warm touch on his fingers. His heart quickened. Ears perked up and his snout snapped to fixate on the little white hand grasping at his own.

“I wasn’t saved by Legosi the Rabbit, was I?” 

This time her smile seemed real. 

Legosi felt his tail thwap against the wall as she got on her feet. “I promised I’d call home tonight, so I better go. Promise me you’ll have a good evening, okay? Do something that’ll make you smile. I like it when you smile.” With a happy wave, she went up the stairs to her dorm. 

The wolf watched after her for several seconds. He rose to his full height, staring at the top of the stairs. He took a deep breath again. Then he turned to head back to Room 701.

The summer break was ending soon. Many students had simply stayed at school for the few weeks. Others were filtering back in, either having spent time with families or being first-years. But there seemed to be a few more parents than normal this year. Understandable, given not only that Louis had still not reappeared, but also…

“Lego!” A familiar and friendly voice snapped him from his brooding. Jack came skipping up to him, face lit up. “Oh I got great news! Y’wanna hear?”

“Course,” Legosi gave a soft smirk. 

 “Okay okay, so it was Principal Gon who wanted to see me, and because I’m the top student in the school…” he shook his fists from the excitement, ‘he wants me to guide the human!”

Legosi’s brow lifted. “Really?”

“Yes! I’m so excited!” Jack’s smile was so wide that he couldn’t open his eyes. “He said that he trusted me more than anyone else to make a good first impression! He said that, Legosi! About me! Oh I’m so excited, I’ve never actually met a human before!”

The wolf tilted his head. “...our janitor’s a human, and another one works in the cafeteria.”

“Oh you know what I mean, to meet-meet a human! Plus those two are from the city center, this guy’s gonna be from one of the outside communities! The ones that put on those crazy shows?”

“Hmmmm, yeah…” Legosi thought back a couple years ago, when his grandpa had taken him and Jack to see a traveling human performance. They’d been breathtaking to behold - their skin, bare and furless, shimmering under the lights. Then it’d gone dark, and they gleamed with skulls and bones lighting the shadow. They had swallowed fire, leapt across trapezes, defied death a dozen times over. Choirs had chilled him to the bone, lone singers lifting his soul. On that stage, they seemed almost unreal. 

“Do you think Vigil will be all crazy  like that?”

“Hm? That their name?”

“Yeah, Vigil of Ardi. You think he’ll know tricks and everything?”

“I don’t know. But it might be rude to ask him that first thing.”

“Well duh!” Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna go up to our first human student and say ‘Hey, know any tricks?’ But like, I’ve seen some humans wear their stage outfits out and about. You think he’ll be like that?”

“I think he's going to wear the academy uniform.”

“Oh yeah…” the dog shrugged. 

Something kept picking at the back of Legosi’s mind though. They proceeded in silence a couple seconds, “Gon sure it’s a good idea? You know, a dog and a human? Given the whole…” he trailed off awkwardly. The so-called ‘artificial’ species had initially evolved to fit cohabitation with humans over generations. When the Hominid Union had declared war on carnivores and herbivores alike, dogs in particular found themselves in an awkward position. Eventually, as the war turned south, dogs defected to the Alliance. It was taught in history from an early age, and emphasized that they were a crucial part in victory...

“Aw, I’m sure it’ll be fine! That stuff happened, what, seven decades ago? The only people who make a fuss about that are old kooks. If Vigil’s coming here, I’m sure he must be fine with it.” 

Legosi nodded, that was probably a safe assumption. They turned a corner, and saw the custodian, Ward. He was forty-something, had silver hair and light freckled skin. His eyes glanced up to see them coming, and moved his mop bucket to the other side of the hallway. His body was covered in blue overalls, a grey shirt beneath that. Sure he was from a different community… but the wolf felt comfortable extrapolating.

“I think Vigil will just be like the others here,” he gave a gentle smile. “Just normal.”

Vigil kept his eyes closed as he felt the rector’s thumb against his forehead. The warm smudge of blood stayed behind. “And therefore we mark fellow flesh with fellow blood, to seal him from all troubles that may befall him, to signal our solidarity against those who seek to do us harm beyond our hallowed walls.” 

Vigil opened his eyes again. The rectory was low and long. Wood benches lined wood tables, the front tenth of the seats taken, all facing him. Everyone wore the same thing he did: a black tuxedo suit, with a loose white bowtie. Overlaid was an ornate ceremonial collar, fabric meeting in a V across the chest, with golden thread inscribing runes and exotic lettering along the material. Everyone wore a brass charm, shaped like a four-pronged corn tassel. 

Around the benches were stone pillars, each carved to portray a skeleton supporting the wooden roof above. Between the pillars, real skeletons slouched in thrones, blanketed in red robes and crusted with glass and crystal. High skylights provided the illumination, focusing it on the center of the floor and leaving the edges in shadow. Banners hung from the ceiling beams, scarlet with a golden X inscribed within a circle. The same symbol was on everyone’s collar, as well as on the rector’s robes as he stepped back and continued from the yellowed book in his hands.

“Look, all, upon he who ventures forth from our gates, not in disgrace but in dignity, for the sake of our long pilgrimage. Look with favor and hope that he may gather our allies, scatter our enemies, and in his individual mission come into greater communion with the concord of humankind.

“For we are bound by our history, our many triumphs and our Great Loss. May the Elder Word bring you wisdom in the face of uncertainty, may our brothers and sisters also on the long journey bring you aid in the face of adversity, and may your hands bring light to darkness in a world overcome by strife, that our people may shine forth as one, united, and strong.

“Remember our kin who have been taken from us, and set all hope that we may see their memory immortalized, at the end of our long pilgrimage, when we stand together upon soil we call our own, in perfect harmony, the names of the dead on the lips of the living, in union, as a single humanity.”

With that, the patriarch of the community, Father Reed, stepped forward from behind Vigil. He held charcoal in a small brass dish. Two fingers dipped into it as Vigil held out his hands. Reed spoke proudly as he marked the boy’s left palm, “Scatter and divide evil.”

“I shall,” Vigil spoke with a slight crack in his voice.

The right palm. “Lift up your brothers and sisters.”

“I shall.”

His lips, “Speak of the past, that none shall forget.”

“I shall.”

And now his forehead, arching over the bloodstain. “Remember the future, that all shall share.”

“I shall.” Vigil blinked, then looked up at the patriarch’s solemn face, hiding behind glasses. “Thanks Dad,” he added with a whisper. 

A smile back at him

“Vigil,” the rector stepped aside and gestured him down the aisle of the building, raising a hand, “when we see you again.”

“When we see you again!” repeated everyone present, also raising their hand to head height. Vigil returned the gesture, and proceeded down to the opposite end of the building. He passed the others. Their eyes were heavy on him. Then he passed the empty tables, eyed the skeletons carved and otherwise on either side, as the double doors beckoned him outside.

Father Reed, and then the rest of the congregation, followed him along the dirt path through the town square, past homes and shops and offices scattered haphazardly, planned and built only as they were needed. 

The sturdiest structure in the village wasn’t even really in the village - a fifteen foot concrete wall surrounded Vigil’s home, and had ever since he was born. On the other side was a world he’d heard horror stories about, a world where monsters devoured each other, and had nearly devoured them all. Sure the reality was more complex than that, everyone learned that growing up. But, when the first memories he and his friends had were their mothers warning them about wolves that stalked outside the gate and waited to eat bad children, or that the deer and goats and lambs that frequented the farmer’s market would snatch them away, that gut sensation tended to linger.

Even now as he spotted the open gate, Vigil felt a tinge of fear that he had to suppress. His dad must have sensed it. “It’s a thrill, isn’t it?”

Vigil just nodded. His eyes had only briefly caught the outside world in the past. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I just need to…” he struggled with his words. “I need to get used to it, is all.”

“That’s the spirit!” His dad clapped on his shoulder. “And it’ll be safe at the school, and if you make any friends, they can show you around town. Stay smart, and you’ll be just fine.” Closer now. “I’m proud of you, Vigil. Taking this on, you’re going to pave the way for our entire species.”

“Thank you,” Vigil took a deep breath. That’s right, so many eyes were on him now. On the one hand, the smallest mistake would be exposed to everyone. On the other, it’d be harder for any malicious actors to get to him now. But he would also be a bigger target as the son of the patriarch, but that might mean he’d be afforded more protection by the animal authorities, but they might be more keen on actually acting against him, so many conflicting thoughts and scenarios in his mind as he approached the threshold of the Ardi community, the threshold of the world he’d known, and now he was stepping across...

Vigil stopped. Just outside the gate was a paved road, and empty cars lined up on either side of the doorway. Around him, fields of corn towered, and wheat and soybeans and all manner of vegetables. In the distance across the rolling fields, the glittering skyline of Cherryton faded against the atmosphere. One low black sedan idled on the grass by the pavement, and one human leaned out the window expectedly. 

“Good luck,” Reed gestured for him. Vigil stepped to the car, took a last look at everyone who had seen him off. They all lifted a hand, and once again he returned it.

Then he opened the car door.

Chapter Text

Louis felt he was about to vomit.

His back against the door, doubled-over and clutching his stomach, the deer retched. Tonight dinner had been some chicken that had gotten caught stealing merchandise from the Shishigumi, and ended up on the table. And he’d had to eat it.

It’d been a tumultuous path to this point, and in retrospect it seemed like a fit of insanity. Legosi had left to save Haru from the lions… and Louis, for whatever reason, couldn’t bear the thought of the wolf just marching to his death. He had followed a path of carnage, planted his pistol in the maw of a crime boss who outweighed him, what, three times? And pulled the trigger.

That was where the remainders of the Shishigumi found him. He said something then, he couldn’t remember what, he had been delirious. All Louis remembered was feeling ecstatic at his impending death.

But they didn’t eat him.

One of the lions, an older one with glasses named Ibuki, had calmed down everyone. They recognized him as Louis, son of Oguma the red deer. Louis, heir to the Horns Conglomerate. Louis, prime candidate for Cherryton’s next Beastar. 

“Let’s make him the new boss…”

It was all so genius. Selling herbivore meat wasn’t so bad when it was an herbivore running the operation, right? Especially such a distinguished young herbivore like this. It soothed the savage yet shameful soul. Vendors felt better about working with them, especially after the lions’ reputation had tanked under their perverted former boss. Already the gang was seeing a turnaround in their fortunes. All Louis had to do was not screw it up. 

He clutched his stomach, letting himself sink down onto his rear. His legs didn’t have the strength to stand. Every part of him wanted to turn to jelly - or at least, get rid of the meat he’d forced down at the table. He had to put on an air of strength. He had to sit down and eat with his… his underlings. Lions. His underlings. God it wasn’t just the meat curdling his stomach…

Louis heard motion on the other side of the door. Floorboards creaking “Boss, everything alright in there? We need you real quick.”

He took a deep, but silent breath. Stood as quietly as he could. “Yes, I’m quite alright. Just remembered something I needed to write down so I wouldn’t forget it…” The deer squared his shoulders and straightened his shirt collar. Then he pivoted, and opened the door.

Ibuki stood before him in the common area. His eyes narrowed as he looked Louis over. Agata, a darker lion with lighter spots on his cheeks, peered over his shoulder.

“Well?” Louis broke Ibuki’s concentration. “You wanted me so bad, what’s the problem?”

“Got a special shipment out front,” the lion gestured with his head. “Wanna introduce you…”

Louis nodded, and made to follow them. All ten of them grabbed their jackets. The deer looked down at the sharp black edges as he straightened it over his body. For a moment he was reminded of his green jacket that he’d worn at school.

That was a lifetime ago, a world away. A world he didn’t belong to. It was foolish that he ever thought he could. 

Louis had just finished tweaking his golden cufflinks when he stepped out the door into the dark evening. A grungy green truck idled in front of their hideout facing their entrance. The driver stepped out - she wore denim overalls atop a pink shirt, and a green hat that matched the truck.

And she was a human. 

He could pick up a spike of tension in the lions around him, shifting their weight at the realization. The deer narrowed his eyes as he watched the human step in front of the headlights, silhouetted in the nighttime. “You heard the chef’s news?”

“They’re out of ricecakes,” Ibuki spoke up before Louis could ask what that meant.

“So what’d he say to the diner?”

“They’re having dinner rolls instead.”

With that the woman nodded and strode to the back of the truck, her keys jangling as they were pulled from her pocket. The lions began to walk around to view what was inside, and Louis followed. He stood in front of the group as the woman unlocked the back door and slid it up. 

Inside were two generators, several freezers on either side of the cargo box. They still had the colorful ice cream branding on the side. For a moment Louis focused on the human though. Her body was slight, much like himself honestly. She was a couple inches shorter than he was sans antlers. And next to the lions, well… they certainly weren’t built like the carnivore species. She turned, and thumbed inside. “Good to go?”

Louis glanced to Ibuki. Got a nod back. He gripped the handle on one side of the truck, and pulled himself up inside. In each refrigerator was a corpse. He snapped his fingers, “Sabu?”

A lion with a mohawk climbed up inside after him. “Yeah boss?”

“Mind checking this one for me?”

Louis rapped his knuckles on one of the freezers. Sabu bowed his head and slid it open, before hooking his hands under the corpse’s arms and pulling it up and out. This one was an anteater. For a moment Louis was reminded of Kibi back at school. He shoved it from his mind and looked over the nude body. The front seemed fine, no bloating and no marks. “Nothing on this side,” Sabu muttered. 

“Good,” the deer motioned for the body to be returned.  He stepped to the edge of the truck, crouching before getting back down to the pavement. “Pay her.” 

The human’s eyes searched over the lions standing in a semicircle around her, not expressing fear but rather distrust. She spared not even a second to watch Louis and Sabu get down. At the deer’s command, Ibuki stepped forward with the black briefcase. Two strides forward. That got the driver’s attention. She watched him stoop. Set it on the ground. Step back. She waited until he was in line with the others, before she approached. Her eyes stayed up as she stooped and gripped the handle.

Louis pulled a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. “You know where to take them right?”

“Yeah.”

The lighter flared, making his eyes spark. Embers pulsed on the end of the cigarette butt as Louis lowered it, exhaled the smoke. “Business is appreciated.”

She didn’t answer as she walked back to the truck cab, turned over the engine, and pulled away. A ripple of audible relief rolled through the cats as the truck circled around and left. “Didn’t realize they had fucking human couriers now, you’d think they’d warn us!”

Louis stared after the truck, then at the lions. Lions that towered over him now acted like they’d just spent an hour at the business end of a shotgun. “Let me guess, bad blood?”

“Could say that,” Dolph growled. He had a pair of scars crossing in an X across his face, and they scrunched as his muzzle wrinkled in disgust. “Always makes my mane twitch when I’m around them…” 

“Hmph,” he smirked, “with how much you seem to hate them, surprises me we haven’t seen any of their meat come through yet.”

At that a dead silence fell over the group as they turned to stare. Louis kept his face stony, but inside he could tell he’d crossed a line. Ibuki’s hand rested on his shoulder, “You don’t want to joke about that, boss.”

“I’m not touching any of that shit,” Sabu shook his head. 

“It’s cursed,” Agata chimed in behind him, eyes wide and sincere. There was an intense defiance, and yet behind it, the slightest essence of fear. 

Louis narrowed his eyes. “Human meat, cursed?”

“There was a vendor years ago, decided to try and start offering it? Lasted one day, and then that night he hung himself. He was driven mad by their magic.”

The deer had to blink twice, fighting the urge to laugh or even bite his lip to prevent a laugh. “Magic?” His voice betrayed his incredulity. 

“Don’t laugh, boss.” Sabu spoke again. He was the oldest of the group, a lion in his early forties. “Just two years ago, the Dokugumi,” one of the rival gangs Louis remembered, filled with Komodo dragons, “they tried running some human. Sourced it from the enclave, so it’d be safe? Then they got one body from the Habil community…” He shook his head. “Their hideout burned down. They got roaches in their houses, worms under their scales. And everyone who actually bought the meat, heart attacks by the end of the day. It’s not. Safe. That’s why you never cross a human.”

Great. Louis knew that felines were superstitious, but now they were buying into conspiracy theories peddled on the Internet. But, if this was where he had to meet them, “That makes sense,” he lied. “Though, the guy you get your silvervine from—”

“That’s different.” Dolph sniffed, looking away. “Doesn’t piss them off when we buy their silvervine, only if we’re buying their bodies. But still, we pay him his asking price and no lower. You haggle him too much,” he drew a claw under his neck. 

“Got it, be careful dealing with the humans, and do whatever they want.”

A blip of wounded offense crosses over the lions. In the distance, there were shouts, the usual clamor of being near the back alley market. “I mean, you put it like that…”

“No no, I didn’t really mean anything by it,” Louis took a long drag on his cigarette. The smoke escaped his lips as he struggled not to retch. “Just wanna make sure we’re not being taken advantage of. After all, there’s gotta be a limit to their magic, or else they wouldn’t have lost so bad,” he scoffed.

The lions all looked at one another, seeming to take his words in stride. Louis looked over at Ibuki especially, whom had spoken very little during all of this. The lion gave a gentle nod. 

“Come on, let’s break for the night,” the deer motioned with his antlers. Just as they were turning though, the shouting down the street grew louder - and two gunshots cracked the night.

“Get inside,” Ibuki shoved Louis behind him. No less than five revolvers clicked as they aimed down the road. Louis felt an instinctive anger rise inside him. Get inside. Like he was some fragile preything. With a silent huff, he instead edged around them, peering just past Jinma’s shoulder.

Three people were running in their direction. One of them was a human, coat billowing behind them, out in front. Two were animals, a cheetah and a gorilla, chasing him. They were mostly silhouetted, the road to the Shishigumi hideout intentionally kept unlit, with only the city lights behind them to reveal their shape. The two animals had bright LED flashlights though. They cast dancing circles across the ground, especially as the cheetah broke into a sprint.

The cheetah tackled their quarry.

“Ow, fuck, get off, get off!” The bluish light showed the human, dirty blond curls on his head, wearing an expensive jacket. Meanwhile, the cheetah gripped the flashlight in her teeth as she pulled something from her belt. With the light there it revealed her torso.

She was a cop.

“Hey!” Ibuki shouted. “What are you doing around here?”

The cheetah didn’t answer, too busy cuffing her quarry.

“What are you doing in market territory?! Do we need to make a complaint?”

“No, no…” the gorilla came lumbering up, breathing heavily, “We’re sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you cats. But we had a restorationist cell here, and we needed to act tonight, didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

All guns remained steady.

“He’s not under your protection, is he?!” The gorilla’s voice was tinged with more confrontation this time.

Ibuki gave a soft growl… but let his gun lower. The others followed suit. “Take ‘em and get outta here.”

“All we intended to do sir,” the gorilla tipped his hat, before beginning to follow the cheetah back away. His flashlight illuminated the human’s back, a young man struggling, before tilting his head and screaming:

“You can’t arrest an idea, a cause! You can’t arrest my beliefs! Read Sage X! Sage X says the return is inevitable! You can’t-” 

The gorilla brandished his baton in front of the human’s face, which seemed to shut him up. Louis stared after them. 

“Who's Sage X?” Agata muttered. No one answered for a while.

“Don’t think it matters,” Louis finally replied. 

Ibuki whirled around. Clearly he was upset, probably because Louis hadn’t listened to him… but he said nothing.

“Let’s break,” the deer repeated, before leading the lions inside again. They all filed in, no one noticing the shadow perching on the building in the distance… eyes watching the human get dragged away. 

Chapter Text

Jack followed behind Gon, just to his left. The dog’s hands were behind his back, tail wagging excitedly despite his best efforts. He felt self-conscious about where his eyes fell. Don’t stare too long, look away, don’t be weird!

To Gon’s right, Vigil walked along quietly. His driver had already taken his bags to his dormitory - for safety reasons, he had a private room. All three of them now were outside between the buildings. The tiger principal raised his hand to gesture, “So this is the theater here, with the rest of performing arts arranged around the back. If you’d like, you could join something there, the choir’s been looking for some parts!”

“Yeah, that’d be really nice,” Vigil nodded. He didn’t speak unless spoken to, but had paid close attention to everything. “I’ll see if that’s something I can do.”

“Could be a lot of fun,” Gon gave a smile - the practiced smile of an adult carnivore, making sure to not show his teeth too much. “I’ll take you back to the dorms, show you where your room is? On the way back though,” he began turning to lead the group that way, “Jack, anything you think our friend should know about that I didn’t mention?”

“Hm? Oh!” He looked about excitedly. “Anything in particular? Um, oh! I’ll show you the field later! It’s a football field, with a track around it, but you can really do anything you want on it. And there’s a little shed with almost anything you wanna play with, it’s really awesome.”

Vigil gave a polite smile back, “That sounds really fun Jack, I’d like to see it later!”

“Yeah of course!” Jack let out a chuckle, clutching one arm with the opposite hand. Vigil had been nice so far. But in a weird way. Was this just how humans acted? Or was something up? Was it something that he was doing? Jack bit his tongue though, at least until Gon led them back to the dormitory.

“And here, is where you’ll be staying,” the tiger motioned, stopping in front of one of the private rooms on the first floor. The driver had been leaning against the wall and stood straight again on seeing them approach. He dressed in all black, as was typical for the humans in the communities. Black pants, belt, button-up long sleeve - and on top of it all, a face that looked uncomfortable to be there. Honestly, Vigil seemed almost comedic, wearing the uniform sweater vest and striped trousers that all the other students wore. 

“How was the tour?”

“Good,” Vigil answered, earnest and yet curt.

“Good, thank you, both of you,” the driver nodded at Jack and Gon. Then disregarding them, he reached into a pocket on his shirt, and pulled out a long fine silver chain. A pendant twirled from it - Jack could recognize a metal ear of maize, suspended in a circle, with two leaves on either side. “Take care of this,” he slowly lowered it to Vigil’s outstretched fingers. Immediately the boy slipped it on. “When I see you again,” he raised his hand. 

“When I see you again,” Vigil muttered and returned the gesture. 

The driver inhaled, then looked back at the two animals. “I’ll see myself out then?”

“Oh I’ll walk you out,” the principal invited him. “And Jack, make sure to make Vigil feel at home, okay?”

“Can do!” The dog gave a playful salute. The two adults walked away, and he turned to Vigil. The human looked back in silence. Hands clasped. Face enigmatic. No tail to wag, and ears too small to emote. “So, uh, are you hungry at all? We can stop by the cafeteria!”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

They walked together, Jack slightly ahead. He’d been so ready for this, but now that he was actually doing it, what should he say? ‘Hey, how’s the city?’ ‘Hey, tell me about life in your human community?’ ‘Hey, is there anything you don’t understand?’ None of them seemed like particularly polite things to say! But he couldn’t say nothing, that was also rude, and he didn’t want to seem like one of those kinds of animals. They were just nearing the cafeteria when he finally hit upon something.

“Did you-”

“What do-”

Jack blinked as he and Vigil spoke up at the same time, and he felt a fluster. “Sorry, go ahead.”

“No you first.”

“No no, seriously, you first!”

The human looked away, contemplating on insisting. But finally he relented, “Just gonna ask what they have?”

“Well, it’s Tuesday, so they got these really great grilled cheese. You grab some tater tots with that, mmmm… it’s one of my favorites actually! They also got salads, a pizza, and even a yakisoba station!”

The human’s face crossed in confusion though. “Grilled cheese? Like… those big blocks, they just grill them?”

Jack snorted and bit his lip, “I’m sorry, don’t mean to laugh. No, it’s a, uh, kind of sandwich? Bread and then just cheese, and it’s, well, grilled, but I forgot you don’t use animal products. Uh, like I said, there’s salad?”

“No no, it’s fine!” A slight smile came to Vigil’s lips, as he seemed to look away. “I dunno… might like to try it.”

“Really? You sure? Because we do have other options.” 

“Well it’s what you eat, right?” Vigil shrugged. “It’d be nice to just try cheese, at least once. See what all the buzz is about, you know? And you say it’s really good…”

“It is! Trust me,” Jack could feel his tail wagging again. 

“Sure then!” By now they were inside, and taking up one of the lines. A group of rabbit girls were in front of them, and they hushed at their approach, taking obvious side-eye glances. “So uh, what were you going to ask?”

“Oh!” Jack gave a bashful grin as he rubbed the back of his head. “Just wanted to see if you had gotten your books already? And I guess, what classes are you taking?”

“Oh, uh… well, I don’t have them yet, since I just came in…”

“Right! Right!” Jack mentally wanted to punch himself, why’d he say that?!

“...but I’m taking, let’s see… Pre-War World History, First-Year Language Arts, Biology, Algebra 2,” the four basic classes, “and then Intermediate Seaspeak, and P.E.”

“Hey, pretty cool! And listen, I think you’ll like the Language Arts teacher. I had her, she’s a lot of fun actually. Strict, but fun.” The line moved forward, and they found themselves in front of the counter - where another human was working, an old man. Suddenly Jack felt more self-conscious. “Uh, I’ll have two sandwiches please?” Vigil didn’t seem to react to it much, ordering his own food...

Minutes later, they were sitting at a table by themselves. Jack watched with eager eyes as Vigil picked up his sandwich. The boy stared back, looking about awkwardly. “...this is the right way to hold it, right?”

“Yeah! Sorry, I’m just really excited to see your first bite!”

Vigil gave him a concerned look… then sank his teeth in. He gave a few chews - and his eyes went wide. He swallowed. “Holy shit. ”

Jack laughed, hitting his fist on the table. “How is it then?!”

Vigil already had a second, larger bite. He struggled to swallow it. “This is the stuff we’re boycotting?!”

“It’s great! I know!” Jack picked up his own sandwich now. With his mouth full he kept talking, “Wai’ ‘til you try eggth!”

The human quickly devoured the whole thing, and now was dunking his tater tots in ketchup. “So, uh… what other kind of stuff has cheese, then?” 

Jack snickered, “The pizza always has it, and about every other day they’ll have a sandwich. It’ll be labeled, don’t worry.”

Vigil just shook his head. “Gotta say, the bread was also a lot less… crumbly, than what I grew up with,” he smirked.

“Yeah?” Jack saw an opportunity here. “What was that like, by the way?”

“Hm? You mean just like, growing up? Or the food in particular?”

“Either way, I guess, if you’re comfortable talking about it of course.”

Vigil took a deep breath, “Lots, and lots, of vegetables. I think like, half of what we eat is what we grow around us.”

“Only half?”

“Yeah, we trade with other communities when we can, buy stuff from you… guys,” Vigil bit his lip. “Sorry, that probably sounded bad...”

“No no, I understand what you mean,” Jack shook his head and made his ears flop. “Listen, I might do the same thing - in fact, I probably will. Then we’ll be even?”

At that the human gave a sharp laugh. “Yeah, yeah that’s a deal. But yeah, when we make our yearly harvest, we sell a lot of our grain, gives us a chance to buy stuff we need. Clothes, other important stuff. It’s almost like Rexmas for us.” 

“That’s really cool!” Jack said. He looked down for a second. “...if you don’t mind me asking, what was that pendant?”

“Hm?” Vigil’s hand raised to his neck, “Oh, it’s a charm, here.” He pulled out the chain, holding up the visual again. “The Four-Leafed Ear is our crest. Each community has one. It’s said that while you’re wearing this, it keeps you close to your family.”

“Like your dad?”

“Yeah, but also everyone else in Ardi.” He stowed it away again. “Keeps me safe, at least that’s what they say.”

Jack tilted his head. “You don’t believe in that?”

Vigil paused, looking down at his food. “So what do you like to do?” His tone suddenly seemed more pointed.

The dog took the hint. “Uh, mostly just hang out with my roommates. If you ever wanted to meet them, we do movie nights all the time! Or we head to town, it’s a lot of fun and you could see it if you wanted! Some of them might even be able to get you into their clubs, Legosi’s in Drama if you’re interested?”

The human’s voice returned to normal as he thought aloud, “I don’t know about drama, at least this year. Could be kind of… I don’t know, the theater troupe we had was always full of these big egos, I don’t know if that’s the way it is here too?”

“Ah…” Jack had to suppress a laugh, “yeah, I think that’s a cross-species thing.”

“I got a feeling things are going to be stressful enough this year as it is, heheh. I dunno, is there a farming club?”

“Actually,” he raised a finger, “actually there is! Well, gardening, but I bet they’d love to have you.”

Vigil’s eyebrows perked up. “That’d be great. I’ll look into that. And uh, I appreciate your invitation, for movie nights? I’d… yeah, I’d like to do that. If you let me know when it’s happening next, I’d be happy to join, if the others are cool with it?”

“Oh they will be! That’s the thing about canines, we love making new friends!” Jack gave a big smile. “Here, you want my number, then we can keep in touch!” 

Vigil accepted, pulling out his phone. Jack recited his number, which the human entered, but as the dog readied himself, a loud laugh echoed across the cafeteria. Vigil looked across. “...hey, who’s that?”

Jack followed his eyes. At a large table, a lot of carnivores sat together, exchanging jokes and excited conversation. And attention seemed to focus on one wolf in particular… “Oh, that’s Juno. She’s a first-year, kind of in the popular crowd. Some people are floating around that she might even be the Beastar.”

“Ohhhh…” Vigil nodded, and seemed to lose interest. 

“If you don’t know what the Beastar is, each school-”

“I know,” the human interrupted, “what the Beastar is.” The tone of his voice got sharp again. Jack froze for a second. “...sorry, here, my number?”

He turned his screen so Jack could copy it down. But the dog felt strange. Something about the Beastar had seemed… offensive, to Vigil? But it was so important! He decided to not press the matter further - for now, at least.

“Anyways, going to grab my books. Wanna come with me?”

“More than happy to,” Jack smiled, still trying to sort out exactly what he’d said wrong. 

Chapter Text

“Finally,” the bison at the front of the room clicked the remote in her hand. The slideshow behind her advanced, “you will prepare a final paper analyzing an event from Pre-War history, and explain how it continues to impact the world today. It will be at least five thousand words, have a Works Cited with at least six entries, and your topic must be chosen before the second midterm.”

Vigil glanced at the slide, and jotted down what he needed: paper. Major Event. Five thousand words. Six sources.

“I will help you to choose a topic of appropriate scope. We will also have a class on how to prepare a Works Cited section. But, I am expecting this to be a significant assignment, that will require significant out of class dedication. In other words…” Miss Athaba narrowed her eyes. “No. Procrastinating.” 

Vigil couldn’t help but swallow at that. This was only his first class, and already he had a tricky term ahead. Jack had had to help him with his books yesterday - they were massive! Luckily he’d had the night to thoroughly begin to regret coming here. At the very least, this week only started on a Wednesday - a merciful half-week to massage into the routine of classes. And, sitting near the back of the class, he could see other students also gawking at the workload. That made him feel a tiny bit better, it wasn’t just him…

The next slide. “So in conclusion: weekly readings and quizzes, two midterms and a final, and a paper due on the day of the final. I think,” the bison turned to look, “we are out of time,” motion began to sound around the room as backpacks opened and folders closed. She had to raise her voice. “Read the first two chapters tonight, answer the review questions, we will have discussion on Friday! You’ll get an email with the syllabus!” But no one was really listening any more. With that, she shook her head and went to her podium, gathering her materials. She raised her head, “Vigil, may I have a word with you?”

His eyes darted up at that. Heads turned to look at him - the rectangular eyes of a goat, the slitted eyes of a crocodile, all seemed to have a kind of… amused curiosity? It didn’t help that a lot of them were taller than him. Although, his seatmate was a vole, barely the size of his fist, with a personal-sized desk sitting right on the surface. The vole also watched as Vigil headed to the teacher’s podium. “Yes?”

“Email me your questions,” she waved off a couple of other students who were approaching her. Then she focused on the human. Her voice lowered, softened, “I wanted to make sure your first day is going well?”

“Oh, yes!” He gave a quick smile. “Everything’s fine, found my way here alright, and the class looks great!”

The bison nodded. Up close, Miss Athaba was intimidating - built wide and strong, and with horns too. But she stood back and kept her distance. “That’s very kind of you to say. I wanted to have a word with you, because of a particular concern that I had. Forgive me for my ignorance, but I’m not sure how much animal history you might know about?”

“Um. Well,” Vigil tightened his fingers on his backpack strap. “...not as much as the others, I imagine. I mean, I learned plenty of history of course, but most of it had to do with things that affected… well, the Union, and the community after that.”

“Right, right… I bring it up because I realize it is a disadvantage. I did want to give you this though…” She grabbed a slip of paper and held it out. Vigil accepted, “A couple titles in the library that would be good primers, to give you an idea of what you’d need to know so that all of this,” she motioned at the screen, “makes more sense. And if you have any questions, again, speak up in class, or email me or come to me during office hours. I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can. Just wanted to let you know that.”

“Oh… oh thank you,” he wasn’t sure what to say. On the one hand, it seemed that she was making a sincere effort to help. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being condescended to, even if accidentally. He settled on, “I appreciate it. I’ll look forward to Friday’s class then!”

“Of course, and again - if you need any help, let me know.”

“I will, thank you!” Vigil raised his hand in farewell, and ducked out the door with a friendly smile - even as he chewed over what she’d said…

He ventured into the hallway. His fingers pulled a crumpled sheet from his pant pocket, showing his schedule and his next class’s room number. Satisfied with his double-check he stowed it back, watching the animals around him. He noticed three different reactions. Some of those who caught his eye gave a quick nod before stepping past. Others quickly looked away. And some, like the trio of zebra girls that rounded the corner, didn’t even make an attempt to hide their fear. The three gasped and backed down into the other hall, waiting for him to pass.

Vigil just ignored it. Or at least, didn’t let himself react. He knew why they acted like that. Humans had always been different from the rest of animalkind. For one, their species was one of the smartest, if not the smartest, on average. They also had incredible stamina; even if they weren’t the fastest over short distances, humans won marathons against cheetahs and horses. 

But most distinctive, even more than their lack of fur and tails, was their unique diet. Humans existed outside the carnivore/herbivore binary. They could eat meat, and yet had no craving for it. A single whiff of blood could reduce a lion, a bear, a wolf to a feral rage. The same thing didn’t happen to humans - which was even more terrifying. When a carnivore mauled an herbivore, ninety-nine times out of a hundred it was a moment of innocent passion that spiraled out of control. 

When a human murdered, it was always malicious.

In his short time on the school Internet Vigil had looked up movies at Jack’s recommendation to pick for a movie night. It’d led him to one page after another, straying from the dog’s suggestions, and into a particular subgenre of horror that involved cold calculating human antagonists. Brilliant minds, who invented sick games to toy with the innocent animal victims. Stony faces that didn’t even blink at slashing open an elephant’s throat. And of course, powerful curses that could control minds and make animals drop dead at a word. 

Vigil shook his head, trying to get all that out of his head. He’d known that animals feared humans his whole life, it was something that Ardi and the other communities even embraced. Seeing it in their films, though, just hit him in a stronger way. A more personal way.

He barely even noticed the words being spoken beside him.

“Huh?”

“You alright?” It was an older voice, belonging to - another human! Dressed in overalls and a grey shirt.

Vigil looked around, and drew closer. “I’m alright. Really.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be lyin’ to me now.” 

Thank god, someone else who actually knew how to read his emotions. “Okay, it’s just a bit of culture shock. But everyone’s being nice, I promise.”

“Huh. Well that’s something.” He extended a hand. “Ward. Been looking forward to meeting you, Vigil.”

Vigil looked at the hand, then took it and gave a shake. He needed a moment to remember that bit of decorum. “You’re not from the communities are you?”

“Is it that obvious?” Ward gave a chuckle. “Nah, grandpa got tapped after the war. Grew up in the downtown area, myself.” 

“Oh that’s really cool.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he laughed again, in relief. 

“Hey, it was a crazy time after all.” Vigil shook his head, and offered a friendly face. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was your grandpa tapped to do?”

“Oh, he was a chemist.” Ward broke the handshake. “Herbivores got ‘im after Zeika fell. Never told me the work he did for the Union, but he ended up working on fiberglass. He always brought home stuff that was like, pieces of a plane or a spaceship, and I always thought it was the coolest thing. But enough about that,” he waved it off. “I heard that you’re the son of Ardi’s patriarch?”

“Adopted, but yes. And that’s been, uh, an interesting kind of life. Working the fields, and then reading in between, weekly assembly… and just, repeating...guess that’s not really interesting after all.”

Ward snickered, “Straightforward at least! So are you planning to take over then for the Father?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Don’t wanna think about that headache right now.”

“Right, sorry, just curious. Never met the kid of a community leader before, things just tumble out.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine…” Vigil hesitated a moment. He could see the other animals walking past, staring a bit at two human in private conversation. But he had one thing on his chest. He drew closer and lowered his voice. “Can you help me with something?”

“Anythin’,” Ward seemed more than happy to accommodate. 

“Is it… safe, to go into town?”

Ward blinked, considered for a moment. “Obviously the human enclave is the safest place for you around here. But, most of the town, yes, I’d say is safe to go. There are places I go to, where animals are, and it’s fairly safe. As long as you’re smart, you can stay away from anything dangerous.”

“Like the…” Again another look, as Vigil dropped his voice to a whisper, “the meat market?”

Ward’s eyes sparked. “ Don’t go near there.”

“I won’t! But, it’s real?”

“Yeah, it’s real. And you don’t want anythin’ to do with it. It’s not just a place where they sell each other, it’s run by crime rings that hate us. Look, you wanna go into town, stay where there’s lots of people, come back before dark, and stick with someone you trust.” Ward bit his lip. “Do you have someone you trust? Otherwise… I’d be happy to take you under my wing?”

“Thank you,” Vigil thought about Jack’s eager smile, “but I think I’m making friends.” The hallway was beginning to empty now. “I gotta get to my next class though, I’ll talk to you again later?

“Okay. Just be careful, right? And again, anyone gives you trouble? Talk to ol’ Ward, I can help you with anythin’.” 

“Will do, thank you!” He began walking while he was still talking, before turning away. Vigil hurried into a jog as he found his way to intermediate Seaspeak. Two people on his first day, not to mention Jack from yesterday, so eager to help. Even desperate to help it seemed, as if he could do nothing…

Luckily he got into class as the teacher, a massive polar bear, was still getting his materials together. Every student hovered on the edge of the auditorium, just like last class. Vigil took up a spot near the back of the crowd to attract less attention.  A black jaguar gave him a wary stare, stepping away as the human drew near. 

“And, that’s time,” the polar bear glanced at the clock, before clearing his throat. “Class, my name is Professor Baritus. This is Intermediate Seaspeak, so if you believe you’re in the wrong class, now’s the time to leave.” Silence. His sharp eyes scanned over the crowd. “Very well, I’ll begin reading the seating order, and you will sit down starting at this corner,” he pointed, “and following along the table, and then starting again on this side the next row up. Understood?” 

Quiet nods.

“Understood?”

“Yes sir,” Vigil mumbled along with everyone else’s affirmation. 

The polar bear sighed. “You’ll be speaking a lot in a second language in here. Might as well get used to speaking in your native tongue while you’re at it. Now, Akari?” 

A red fox moved into the first seat.

“Aoba?”

An eagle moved into the next chair. The process continued as the entire class got emptied into their seats. 

Finally, “Valerie?” 

It was a warthog. Vigil gripped his bag as he prepared to go soon. 

“Wasuke?” 

Vigil blinked, as a monitor lizard lumbered past him.

“Yuuto?”

A hippopotamus. Vigil shook his head.

“Alright, with that sorted out, please take out your notebooks to review the syllabus and—” He paused when Vigil raised his hand. “Yes?”

“Um… sir, I wanted to make sure that you had me on the roster?”

The polar bear double-checked. “Don’t worry, you’re not.”

He felt a clench in his gut. “I’m, I’m sorry, but I had signed up for… Intermediate Seaspeak, and…” he scrambled to pull the paper from his pocket. “Baritus, and the room number… is there, another class?”

“No, there’s not.” 

Vigil stood there. He wasn’t sure how to respond. It didn’t help that Baritus towered head and shoulders above him, and outweighed him at least three times over. His vision seemed to tunnel. He couldn’t tell how the other students were responding. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know. 

“I lodged a comment with the administrators this morning. I don’t believe that it’s appropriate for you to be in Intermediate Seaspeak. If you wish, Mr. Apten has some slots at the introductory level.”

Vigil swallowed. “Right, right, but I—”

“But?” The polar bear tilted his head, daring him to continue.

He hesitated, and gulped again. “I… I did take the placement test, and they said I’d placed here. I’ve been practicing it for five years?” he offered with hope in his voice.

Baritus didn’t respond for a few seconds. Then he sighed. “Very well, if you insist on holding the rest of us up over this matter. Please recite ‘The Musings of Mussels,’ by Blutholobew Guggles?”

“The… I-I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that? But here, I know several phrases-”

But the polar bear raised a paw. “This is one of the most basic texts of Seaspeak canon, and you’re not familiar with it?”

Vigil heard some whispers from the students. He chanced to glance over - confusion and even worry seemed to cross their faces as they conversed with each other. 

“Please stay focused,” Baritus demanded his attention back. “You’re already hassling me enough. How about this, can you tell me today’s news in Seaspeak? And no, reading me the temperature in numbers doesn’t count.”

“I don’t… I’m not sure, some of the political stuff might be—”

“Or,” again the bear cut him off, “how about you do what I ask. You can stop embarrassing yourself, I can do my job, the class can learn, and nobody has to go talk to the principal for being insolent.” A slight growl tinged his voice at the end. Total silence for a few seconds. “Well?”

Vigil quickly stepped back, grasped for the doorknob behind him. He gave it a turn and whirled himself out of the auditorium. His back hit the wall of the hallway. Out in the open he let himself breathe, and found his chest heaving. His face burned. 

To his left and right, no one was in the halls. They were all in class. 

Except for him.

Chapter Text

“You must be joking,” the snapping turtle scoffed. “Half?”

“Of profits,” Ibuki repeated. “Not revenue. It’s a generous offer, Clemynt.”

“Yeah, and for what? You expect me to trust you for protection when you’re the ones causing the most trouble in the first place! You’re just desperate because your boss is dead. Get out of my shop!” 

Louis listened to all this from around the corner. He straightened the tie on his suit as silence reigned. The air reeked of death, but he didn’t let it show that it affected him. Finally Ibuki sighed. 

“Boss? Guy wants to talk to you.”

There was his cue.

Louis stepped out from around the corner. He kept his head high, his eyes steeled, as lions taller than him parted at his approach.

Clemynt sat in front of shelves with sacks of meat, jars of pickled organs, entire limbs cured and stored on display. Slabs of flesh hung on hooks near the ceiling. He perched on a stool behind a butcher’s table, a fan in one hand. The beats of the fan froze. His eyes grew wide. “What… no, it’s… you’re not tricking me, you’re a front! It has to be!” He snarled, standing up. “There’s no way a deer leads the Shishigumi!”

“You seem a bit… put off,” Louis gave a smirk, his eyes half-lidded - before he vaulted himself onto the table. He crossed his legs, propping himself up on one hand, as his eyes gleamed at the shopkeep and startled him back onto his stool. He held out a slender hand. “If you don’t believe in me, feel for yourself…”

The turtle pressed back. His eyes seemed frozen in shock. Perfect.

“I’ve had a little talk with my boys here since I took over, and they’re really very sorry about all that trouble in the past. And I made them promise to be on their best behavior from now on.” He blinked with a smirk. “Have they been giving you trouble lately?” 

“...I suppose not recently. But…” Louis could see Clemynt struggling. A little fierceness returned to his eyes, “why should I deal with you? I’m sure the Madaragumi will give me a 40% rate, maybe even lower!”

“Oh it’s a wonder you’ve stayed in business this long,” Louis snickered. “Speaking of which, how has business been?”

A moment of internal conflict. “It’s been fine.”

He tilted his head. “Fine? Not great? Carnivores staying away because they don’t want to be seen in the market? Too guilt-ridden to come to your shop, afraid of some misplaced morality? Doesn’t seem too fine to me…” Louis could see that he was correct in Clemynt’s expression. Not that he needed that validation, he already knew it was true. “Now imagine… a nice big stamp saying that a deer approves of your shop, and even protects your shop. Well… that guilt just magically vanishes, doesn’t it?”

Again, a moment to process. “...there’s gotta be another catch. Another thing you’re getting out of this.”

“Hm? I suppose, it’s a nice bonus to know that our deal will help the whole city. If carnivores get their meat here, they won’t be so prone to turn feral and attack the first herbivore they see. They have to let those instincts out somewhere. Might as well have it be here where they can’t hurt anyone…”

But Clemynt shook his head. “No one here does things from the goodness of their heart. And you,” he swallowed, unsure if he should even mention this, “you know that I sell… deer meat, right?”

“I know.” He kept his face neutral. “And your point?”

“...you don’t care?”

“Why should I? All this herbivore and carnivore, species nonsense… there’s only one axis in this world. The powerful, and the powerless.” He leaned closer, so close that the turtle could snap his snout off. Louis knew it. He dared it. “Is that enough of a catch for you? Or do you want more?”

Clemynt swallowed again. “...okay. Okay, I accept. I accept!”

“Hmmm. Might be hope for your business sense yet,” Louis slid himself off the table. He hit the floor, facing away from the turtle. “First of the month, money’s due.”

“Of course! First of the month, got it!”

Louis stepped away, the lions following him. They stayed stoic as they left… until they got far enough away.

Then Jinma clapped a hand on the deer’s shoulder. “God this is great!”

The whole gang loosened up, laughing with relief now that they could drop the tough guy act. Louis turned and looked at them all. They grinned, stood shoulder to shoulder, Agata starting to fantasize about the new suit he’d finally be able to buy and getting everyone talking. Sabu clapped his hand on Ibuki’s shoulder. “This is the best idea you’ve ever had! Boss,” he looked at Louis, “you’re workin’ wonders for us!”

He gave a curt nod. “Just remember, we need to work extra hard to regain the market’s trust. We keep our word, we’re going to eat better than we have in years. If even one of us breaks that trust…” his eyes scanned around, “for some short-term gain, we’ll lose it all again. Understood?”

“Yes sir,” they answered in chorus. No holdouts. Louis looked over them all again, then focused on Agata.

“Looking forward to the new suit,” Louis nodded, before again leading them down the path to the hideout. They turned a corner, worn cobblestone beneath their feet, passing by the last row of stalls and along an unfinished concrete wall scribbled with graffiti - and over it all, the most recent mark, a bright red X. A wooden telephone pole stood nearby, and one of the lions snatched a pamphlet nailed to it.

“‘On the Goals of Human Liberation, a treatise compiled by Sage X’, fucking really?” He chuckled, crumpling it into his pocket. “What makes them think we wanna read that junk around here?” 

Louis grasped another pamphlet nailed up. He gave it a tug off the pole. The streetlight caught the gloss, and it shone a bright navy blue, with a black and white logo of four human arms grasping each other above the title. It had no other imagery on it. Honestly it seemed cheap. He only glanced it over for a second.

“Louis!” a female voice called.

He perked up and looked down the road where they’d come from. His lions did the same - and spotted a wolf coming towards him in a hurry. She wore pants, a jacket, carried a bag over her shoulder. Louis recognized the curly fur of her cheeks. “...it’s alright guys, I know her.”

Juno stepped forward. Louis could see that familiar spark in her eyes, that boldness that she had shown ever since her first day at school. And yet, she still seemed defensive in the presence of the Shishigumi. Understandable, of course. He walked through them to reach her. “Louis…” she repeated again, her eyes unable to stay on him, flicking to the lions. 

“I’ll catch up with you all,” he waved them off.

“Boss, are you-” Dolph spoke up. But Ibuki set a hand on his shoulder, shutting him up. Louis could see the light catch his glasses.

“Take your time boss,” and the lions began to stride away. 

Louis gestured Juno across the street, leading the way around a building lot. His head spun with things she might say, things that he might say. He waited, for what seemed like forever, as he led her around the corner and back towards the rest of Cherryton.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he finally broke the silence.

“I shouldn’t be here?!” Yep, silence definitely broken. “What are you doing Louis?! Are you part of a gang? Is this really where you’ve been all this time?!”

The deer slipped a cigarette into his mouth. He paused in his tracks. Cupped his hand around the tip as he lit it. Took a deep inhale, before taking it out and blowing the smoke into the air. “I spoke first.”

She growled. “I came to find you! I thought you were dead, but everyone was talking that they saw you at school. And I’ve been combing the market every night for days to finally track you down!”

He nodded along. They came out on the other street, with amber light beating down on them. 

“Well? You have anything you wanna say?”

Louis turned his head. “Did Legosi and Haru get back?”

“Wha… yeah, they got back.”

“Good.” He took another long drag. The smoke curled out into the night sky, catching the dirty golden light. “One step closer to your happy ending.”

“... what’s that supposed to mean?!”

He sighed and turned around. “Why are you here?”

“I already told you-”

“Why are you here?”

She paused. “...I wanted to find you.”

“Let me guess, to bring me back, save the wayward young deer who couldn’t take the pressure? Be a hero?”

The wolf didn’t reply at first. “...no more until you answer. Why did you run away? You were on the fast-track to be the Beastar!”

“Exactly why I thought you’d be happy to have me out of the picture—”

“LOUIS!” She snapped, and for a moment he could see her fangs. A pang of instinct shot through his body. Juno calmed herself, but stayed stern. “Why did you just walk away from being the Beastar? I want to know.”

He took a deep breath. His eyes glanced at the cigarette, still half lit. Louis let it fall from his fingers, before snuffing it beneath his shoe. “I just don’t see the point in it.”

The deer began walking forward again, and Juno stayed astride as her confusion deepened. “Don’t see the point?! Louis, being a Beastar is an honor! It means being a symbol of peace and unity! It means being a pillar of society! Don’t you understand that?”

“I do understand that.” He kept walking, not making eye contact. “And that’s why I’m not interested.” Silence hung in the air again. “Why should I be a pillar of society, for a society I don’t belong to?”

“Oh come on, really?! That’s it?!” She rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna pin this on a ‘I just don’t belong’ thing?”

“Yes. I am. Because it’s true.” He turned and pointed down the way they came, which was shrouded in shadow and aged lights that looked one storm away from breaking. “This is the world I belong to. It’s a place where we don’t believe that you can hold hands and sing a song and make all your problems go away.  Maybe you don’t believe it because you don’t see it, but the world of the back alley market is not the same society you live in. You can never understand it.” He gave a snort. “...the same way that I could never understand this world.”

He turned back to the road they now stood on and pointed. A block away there were bright lights, a neon sign that read CAFE AND BAR, a taxi stand with a cab loitering, and an el-train above the asphalt that rattled with traffic. It was the world of civilization, where a twinkling skyline rose into the air.

“I never belonged to it.”

Juno stayed quiet for a moment. Louis could see her head cocked, brow furrowed. She was blinking a lot, looking about. “...Louis, what aren’t you telling me?”

In that moment he felt tempted to tell her. Tell her about where he was born. Tell her about why he was born. Tell her about how he was hand-picked and lifted out of this place, to become someone he wasn’t born to be. 

“This is where I belong,” he simply reasserted instead. “That’s all I need to tell you. This is the only place I can believe in. Now is there anything else you want, so I can stop wasting your time?”

Juno’s jaw hung open, like she wanted to speak. Finally she pressed her lips together. “You’re wrong.”

“You don’t know me—”

“No. You’re wrong about the world. It isn’t split into the market and everyone else. You can’t just do that. Different parts maybe, but whether you’re here or back at school, you’re not escaping anything. We’re all a part of the same society!” She growled. “And… and that’s what the Beastar is for. It’s to bring everyone together! So they can believe in the better world that we can build! I still believe in that. Even if you don’t.” 

She spat the last words with venom. Her fists clenched at her sides, and her face again etched into that resolve. For a moment Louis beheld her. She was short for a wolf, which still put her ever so slightly taller than him not counting antlers. Her blue eyes roared like a stormy sea. The grey on her fur had a slight reddish hue to it, making it almost mauve. Every inch of her body burned with determination. So he wasn’t going to bother arguing back. Instead he looked away, slipped his hands into his pockets. “So, uh, how’s the human at school?”

He could tell that she wanted to drag the topic back. ``...he’s fine. I’ve been meaning to actually talk to him, but past couple days he was with Legosi’s friend, and then a full day of class yesterday. I heard something that there was confusion about what Seaspeak class he was supposed to be in.” She shook her head. “But I wanna reach out to him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Because he’s also a part of our world,” she brought it back. “Doesn’t matter how they’ve sheltered themselves away, humans are animals too. And if I’m going to be Beastar, I’m going to build that bridge now.” 

Louis looked down at her words. His pace slowed, but he kept going. This world she fought for so much, this same world that had pushed her to the ground and mocked her on her first day in school… he scoffed. “I’m sorry if I didn’t give you the answers you were looking for.” Finally he met her gaze again. That powerful blue gaze. His natural prey instincts normally told him to look away when meeting someone’s eyes. For some reason, he didn’t feel that now. “I hope you hold onto your optimism for as long as you can.” 

She didn’t answer back. He could only hear her breath, with the slightest tinge of a shudder in it.

“Want me to walk you back to the station?”

“...sure, I’d like that.”

The pair stepped right past the cafe, away from where eyes watched from the rooftops. A snort neither of them could hear. The hulking silhouette of a stallion stood up tall against the yellow of the moon, before he vanished into the night again.

Chapter Text

Haru skewered the lettuce leaf on her plastic fork, and started munching. She sat across from Legosi — again he’d been courteous enough to offer his backpack as a booster seat — and watched him as he ate. Every time he opened his mouth, those fangs… she forced herself to look down, taking another bite as an excuse. But every time she spoke to him she had to look up again. And when he bit into his sandwich, even with his efforts to not show his teeth… 

She had to distract herself.

“So how are you liking Professor Strig so far?”

“Hm?” Legosi fixed on her. His ear twitched as he processed her question. “Uh… she’s alright. Seems nice enough.”

“Yeah, she’s not too bad. Those huge owl eyes are something else though. I think, the entire time I was in her class, I never saw her blink.”

“Heheh, yeah,” Legosi gave a shy shadow of a smile. “It’s like… I feel like I could see myself in them like mirrors, if I stand too close to her…”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Haru shook her head playfully. “Same thing again, just quizzes and then the final?”

The wolf nodded as he finished another bite. “Mhm,” he answered with his mouth full. He swallowed. “Good thing too. Post-War history’s never been my strong suit. It always feels so awkward when I’m writing an essay, especially an opinion essay, because like… I don’t know what the teacher is looking for? If you know what I mean?”

“I understand. Don’t worry though, those kinds of tough questions are for the really advanced classes. Strig won’t push you too hard. As long as you can tell your decades apart, you’ll do fine.”

He nodded again. His eyes looked down at his half-eaten sandwich, egg spilling into his tray. Then he looked back at her. “What about you? You said you were going to transfer into that other civics class?”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, that didn’t work out.” She leaned her cheek on her palm as she sniffed. “Turns out the other class is already full. Gotta deal with the sow’s preaching.” Haru rolled her eyes. “Today she got us started on the actual coursework, just as bad as I thought. Full hour of ‘Remember, as an herbivore, you’re in constant danger and need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities!’ Pretty sure anyone who doesn’t know that didn’t live long enough to be in your class.”

“Hmmm…” Legosi stiffly nodded. He looked down, didn’t reply further. The cloud of constant worry that seemed to swirl around his eyes tightened. 

Haru could sense it. “Ah don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll lighten up in a week. Then we can talk about the fun stuff, like the All-Organism Council and how they make laws and politics and yada yada yada,” she gave a bright smile.

Again the wolf made an effort to smile back. “Sorry, just thinking about what Carnivore Civics is gonna be like. Not looking forward to that.”

“Hmmm…” Haru felt like cracking a joke, with what her idea of the carnivore civics class would be like. But Legosi was already really sensitive about that. “Well that’s still, what, next year? Worry about one class at a time okay?” 

At that he gave a real smile. “Yeah… yeah you’re right.”

“Oh I didn’t need you to tell me that.” She chuckled. “Just glad you’re not in pre-war history this term.”

“Mmm? Why?”

“Oh, that’s where the human is. And apparently, he’s a troublemaker…”

Legosi furrowed his brow. “Really?”

“Yeah. My roommate was telling me, her friend’s in Baritus’ Seaspeak class, and the human caused a huge scene on Wednesday.”

“Oh… what happened?”

Haru shrugged. “Apparently he wasn’t supposed to be in there, and kept arguing with the teacher about it.”

“...Baritus is the polar bear, right?”

“Yeah.”

Legosi looked away with a wide look in his eyes as he took a deep breath. “Why would anyone do that?”

“I know right?! I'm not even in his class, but if he told me to write a paper, I would. I mean, he's built like a sumo wrestler!”

She laughed again. But the wolf was quiet, still looking away. He seemed to be thinking hard. “...Jack says he’s nice though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I dunno, did your roommate say something was wrong?”

“Not really…” but Haru began thinking to herself about it. 

For a few seconds quiet lingered. “...did you see him yet?”

“Hm?” Haru snapped out of it to see Legosi fixated on her. “I guess, I saw him at lunch on Thursday. Mostly sat by himself.” Why did she say mostly? He did sit by himself, end of story. 

“Huh. That’s… kinda sad…” his ears drooped, as he looked down. 

Haru blinked. “I mean, I was already sitting down, and almost done eating anyways—”

“Oh no no no!” Legosi’s eyes snapped wide again, and he raised his hands to gesture in defense. “I didn’t mean anything like that against you! I know, you’re small, and probably afraid of humans — I mean, not to say that you were scared, and there’s nothing wrong with being small, but I just mean that, that you, seeing him, I can understand, that you—”

As he fumbled over himself, Haru watched. She couldn’t help but bite her lip in amusement. “Legosi?”

He finally paused. “...yeah?”

“You’re fine. I promise.” She looked down at her food, poking a carrot with her fork. “Honestly… you’re right. It’s like my instincts when I’m around you. My body won’t let me see you as anything other than a carnivore… it took awhile for me to learn to trust you. In the same way, my body reacts to him. I know it’s not fair, and I know it’s not right. And yet… I can’t control it.”

Legosi looked down. “I… I know. And that’s why I haven’t talked to him either.”

“Huh?” She felt a burst of surprise on her face. “You feel the same way?”

“No, no no. But he probably feels that way around me… ”He shook his head. “Look at me. I’m a wolf, just like you said. A wolf taller than he is. They… they don’t like wolves.”

Haru tilted her head. “What makes you say that?”

He shrugged. “I read somewhere that they tell stories about wolves to scare their kids. I…” he fought to find his words.

“Well, did he say anything to Jack?”

“If he did, Jack wouldn’t tell me. He’s too nice for that,” Legosi looked back at her. “But, we are supposed to hang out with him tomorrow. All of us in 701. I just, I want to make a good impression… don’t wanna scare him…”

“Just do what you did with me, and be nice!” She offered with a smile. “Just, skip the whole pouncing part, okay?”

“Ah…” another genuine smile from him. “Yeah, I’ll just, make do without that…”

“Probably for the best.” Haru stuffed the last carrot into her mouth, and began to ready herself to get down from her seat. With her mouth full she spoke, “I’mma shtop bah the gordin tonigh.” 

“Sure! Do you need any help?”

She swallowed. “Should be fine, nothing too much to do today. But listen, let me know how tomorrow goes, okay?”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye!” She gave a wave farewell, before stepping away and out of the cafeteria, pausing to reach on her tiptoes to throw her trash away. Other students passed, brushing by and looming over her. But Haru found herself deep in thought. Here she was talking about the human, just based off of what she’d heard from her roommate. Legosi hadn’t even intended to, but he’d pointed out the hypocrisy… 

Not that she was to blame of course, she assured herself as she began climbing to the rooftop. Everyone took things at face value at some point or another in their lives, and besides, it just seemed so in-character. Humans were infamous for being unruly. That’s why they didn’t get along with other species. That’s why she had to be so careful around the new student.

She shoved the door open.

Vigil turned around.

Haru did a double-take as she took in the human standing before her. His fingers were pressed together nervously as he struggled to speak. “Is… this where the gardening club meets?”

Vigil let the question hang in the air. But, the small white rabbit just kept staring at him. He already had felt like an intruder, and now the feeling intensified.

“Sorry, I-I maybe should have told you ahead of time that I wanted to come, but I heard that we could just join the club on the spot?” God he was twice her height and he still felt the need to explain his very presence to her. He’d been especially warned to not talk down to or patronize smaller animals. Somehow he felt he was overcompensating. “If it helps, I’ve got a lot of experience tending plants…”

Still she didn’t reply. Her eyes were unreadable. He took a deep breath, bit his lip, turned to look around. The garden up here had captured his imagination. Boxes filled with bold azaleas, soft camellias, and lush hydrangeas stretched to either side. Behind him was a brick arch which led to an even wider plaza, adorned with rich bushes and trees. Was this a paradise he was not meant to disturb? 

“...look, I, uh, if it’s trouble, we can just forget it, and—”

“No,” she shook her head. Her eyes snapped back to the present. “No, you’re fine, I promise! I just, I’ve been by myself up here for over two years, it’s such a surprise to have someone else interested, you know?”

“Yes, I can imagine,” Vigil scratched the back of his head in relief. The rabbit stepped forward, and he shrank away to the side to get out of her way. For a moment she seemed surprised by that. Was that a faux pas? But, she didn’t seem to mind it all that much. “Your name’s Haru right?”

“Mhm. And gosh, I don’t know if I’ve heard your name before…”

The tease prompted a weak chuckle from Vigil. Oh he needed that. 

“Well listen. If you wanna help, can you help me get some mulch moved? It’s a little hard when the bag weighs as much as I do…”

“I’d be happy to,” he followed as she began to walk over to a shed. Just before they reached it she paused though. For a second she hesitated. 

“...just in there, if you could bring a bag over to the plot with the two trees?” She pointed to the opposite side of the rooftop, “that’d be wonderful.”

“More than happy to,” Vigil repeated. He opened the shed door and ducked his head to enter, since it was built for animals a bit shorter than he was. About six bags of mulch piled over each other just in front of the door. Behind them were rakes, shears, hoes, full shovels and tiny trowels. 

He spotted them. Became conscious of what was going through Haru’s mind probably. Then he bent down and gripped one of the bags, standing it on one end before lifting with his knees.

Turning around, he could see her smiling politely. It was the look of someone who hadn’t been smiling a moment ago. He gave a nod, and worked his way across the roof to the bed. Vigil let it down with a heavy thud. His fingers dug into the plastic - but it was hard to get a grip, his nails were so short. 

“Yeah, those things are so hard to open. Hold on,” Haru’s petite fingers gripped the opposite side, and with her precision, managed to tear one corner open. From there she easily got the whole end. “Try to make this last for this plot and another one too, okay? Only got so much to work with.”

“Understood,” he crouched and reached in with both hands. The shredded wood was dark, and moist to the touch. It smelled of earth - a smell that made him feel like he was right at home again. Haru grabbed a bucket and began spreading the mulch herself. After a few handfuls, he paused. “What do you do with these flowers?”

“What?”

“I mean… when they’re grown like this. What do you do with them?”

“...look at them, I suppose? Not to mention they make the whole roof smell nice.” Haru took a big inhale, and sighed in pleasure. Vigil sniffed the air himself. It was a good scent. “And some of them, I’ll clip and bring around the school for decoration. All the flower vases you see, that’s me.”

“Just, for looking at?” Vigil stayed squatting. He focused on an iris growing right before him. The slender stem reached up to an elegant purple blossom. It looked like it was wearing a ballgown, the bright yellow center a beating heart.

“What’s the matter? You act like that’s so weird.”

“Sorry, I… I guess it might be strange, but… growing up, we didn’t cultivate anything that wasn’t useful. It was wheat, or barley, or beans, or something else we could eat or sell. Even the flowers we did grow, we just focused on what would sell for holidays.”

His finger reached out and traced the purple petals, grasping it between his index finger and thumb. 

“Everything had a purpose. We didn’t grow things to just… be.” 

A deep sadness took hold of his heart. His finger began to trace back down the stem. It was more than a few moments before he came aware of Haru staring.

“...you know, if you’d like, I’m kinda bored of choosing all the plants myself.” She set the bucket down. “I need to turn over a couple of plots. How’d you like to choose what we’re growing next?”

Vigil looked back at her in surprise. “Really? You’d let me?” 

“I’d be happy to,” she smiled. 

In the club office, Haru had packets of seeds filed away in a cabinet. Vigil went straight for the flowers - striking red irises and the soft yellow roses, to start. “Oh these ones look great,” he held up a packet with a photograph of speckled tulips. The smile on his face felt the biggest since he’d found out he’d been chosen to come here.

“Never thought I’d see a guy so into gardening,” Haru snickered. 

“Look, whatever we grow, it’s planned five years out. Every foot of ground gets mapped out. Nobody asks what they want to grow. So this is exciting for me.” 

“Oh no, by all means! I guess… I’m just happy to have company up here.”

“I’m happy to… have company,” Vigil replied. He took the three packets of seeds in one hand. “Let’s go for it then?”

They dug three rows of holes into one of the bare plots. Vigil thumbed a pair of seeds into each one. Already he envisioned the way they’d bloom and sway in the wind. 

“There we go,” he whispered to himself, before starting to push the soil back on top with his hand, working down the rows again. By the time he’d finished, Haru had the sprinkler head ready. “Water away!”

Vigil stood on the opposite end of the plot from her as the water hissed, and dappled the soil. He watched it with quiet eyes… 

“By the way, tomorrow, I’m going to be heading into town with Legosi. What’s he like?”

The sprinkler stopped. Vigil could see Haru’s face look up. He had trouble reading her expression again… “Why are you asking me?”

“I, uh, I heard that you and him were… a thing?” Oh that sounded awkward to say. “I mean, Jack says he’s nice, but…” How does he phrase this politely? “I wanted a second opinion?”

For a moment she didn’t do anything. Then she began to water the plot again. “He’s harmless if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Alright. But I mean, what’s he like?”

“If you’re looking for advice… just be patient with him.” She looked up at his eyes, another playful smirk. “Trust me, you’ll get what I mean once you spend ten minutes with him.”

“...Okay,” Vigil nodded. “I have to say though, it’s really… I don’t know if ‘interesting’ is the right word? But, I didn’t know that wolf and rabbit couples were a thing.”

Again the water cut off. Haru looked down. “They’re not.” Her voice felt sharp...

Vigil felt a clench in his stomach. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” She didn’t reply. He looked around. “I’m sorry.” 

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s fine.” He could tell it was a lie. “Here, I gotta get you registered for the club and everything. You can head back to your room for now, and I’ll put together a list of everything you can help me with.” 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I’ll see you…?”

“Sunday. Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

“Sunday, got it. See you then!”

Vigil walked to the door out of the garden. He let it close behind him. For a moment he stood in the drab gray space, no one else in sight. Then he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the wall. Idiot! Why’d he bring that up?! At least she’d acted graciously about it, but he had definitely touched a nerve. He had to be better about this. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, trying to breathe the pain out of his system, he descended the staircase, all the way down to the first floor where the teacher’s offices were. He was just about to turn towards his room when someone blocked his path.

“Hi!” It was a wolf, about his height, with bright blue eyes and a reddish-grey fur. She wore a bright smile… a wolf he recognized. “Sorry I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself. But I’m Juno! I hope you’ve had a good first week here at Cherryton?”

She extended her hand for a shake. He hesitated for a second, before accepting it. “It’s been alright. Just got a lot going on… got a mixup with one of my classes, but I just got down from gardening and I had a good time there.”

“Oh that’s so nice!” Her eyes closed when she smiled, almost the way Jack did. Maybe it was a canine thing? Her voice was sing-song, saccharine. “I hope I’m not being too forward. I’m just really involved around the academy, and I wanted to make sure that you weren’t being left out.”

“Ah. Well, I appreciate it. I was just heading back to my room for the night though—”

“Well just remember:” her eyes opened again and she looked straight at him. It was a happy glance, and yet beneath it a jolt of intensity, “if you need anything, I want to be as available to you as possible.” 

“Right, well, thank you.” He tried to move past, but she leaned into his way. 

“I just want to make sure you understand, I want to be here for you. I know it’s scary coming all the way out here,” her voice was high, like she was talking to a child, “but you’re not alone in this. I can help you make new friends, and see everything we have to offer around here!” 

“Thank you,” Vigil repeated. “I’m actually going to be visiting town tomorrow with some friends already, I’m sorry.”

“Oh don’t be! I’m happy to hear that. Just wanna make sure all species are respected here. It’s a very personal goal of mine after all.”

“...because you’re trying to become the next Beastar here?”

Her eyes lit up as he said it. For a moment she was taken aback. Just a moment though. “Yeah, I’m one of the frontrunners right now actually. How’d you know?”

“Someone told me.” Vigil nodded. He’d already embarrassed himself once today, and twice this week. He hoped he wouldn’t have to make it a threefor. 

“Well it’s true. And it’s a title I take very seriously.” She straightened up, puffed out her chest. “The role of a Beastar is to bring all people together, and to help make our world the best it can possibly be!”

Vigil listened to this, and already he felt tired. All he could muster was a “Yeah…”

“...what, you don’t believe me?”

“I said ‘yeah’. Look, I’m sorry, it’s just been a long day.”

“I know, a busy week, but I just want to let you know—”

“Please.” Vigil could feel the snap in his voice. It finally got her to be quiet. “I just want to go to my room.” With that he began to walk away. 

Juno stared after him. When he looked back, he could see her eyes, puzzled. Behind her, Ward was just coming out of Baritus’ office, tossing a trash bag on the top of his full can, and quietly pushing it away.

Chapter Text

The jingle of his phone woke Vigil that Saturday morning. He only had a flip phone — the communities had largely disavowed cellular devices as an expensive luxury that could be too easily used for espionage, but an exception had been made for Vigil while he was in the outside. His eyes could barely see as he blinked the sleep from them, he had to hold the phone close to read the caller ID.

Father.

Quickly he thumbed it open and pressed it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Vigil?”

“Yeah, it’s me! Is everything okay?”

“Yes, of course! Everything’s just fine,” his voice was warm. Vigil could practically hear his smile. “I was just about to leave for assembly, and I thought about you. I already miss you.”

“Yeah…” Vigil sighed as he fully pushed himself into a sitting position. “Yeah, I miss you too. First week’s been a lot, and next week’s even longer.”

“Just don’t forget, you’re doing good.”

“I know, dad…” he took a deep breath. 

“...so how’s everything going for you? You said it was a long week, I hope everyone’s treating you nice?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s all been good.” Vigil thought of Baritus - and thought of how his father would react to hearing about what happened. “I’m making new friends, and I even joined one of the clubs here. They got a gardening club.”

His dad chuckled. “Well that’s good. But don’t forget to try something different while you’re there.”

“I know, I know. I’m going into town today with this guy they attached to me as a guide? I’m looking forward to it.”

“That’s good, that’s great! Listen, tell me later about that, Flint is giving me a look right now, they’re going to start assembly soon. Don’t forget memorial today!”

“I was going to do it as soon as I got up. And... guess I’m up now…”

“That’s a good boy. Be careful with your friends today, but also have a good time. Okay fine, I’m letting him go,” Vigil could hear him hissing at presumably his older brother. “I love you, see you again!”

The receiver clicked. Vigil chuckled. Yeah, Flint was always so keen on assembly. “See you again,” he spoke into the dead mouthpiece. “Love you too.”

For a moment he sat there. Then he put the phone back on the dresser, and changed into his outfit for the day. Since it was a weekend, school uniforms weren’t required.

Finally.

He pulled on black tuxedo pants, and then tucked his white undershirt into them. Belt, black socks, and shining black shoes. He pulled on the dark jacket around his shoulders, before looking in his mirror to attach his collar. The fabric hung in a V across his chest, and at its point in the center was the red X, circled against the golden threads.  His dark eyes sparked in the mirror as he took himself in, before sitting at his desk.

In one drawer was a thin cedar box, and on top of it a paperback book. The cover had no title. Instead, in red lines it depicted a skull with a crown against a black background, and below it an X.

Vigil pulled them both out. He sat the book in front of him. A red ribbon stuck out of the bottom, near the end of the text. Opening the box, he pulled out the flag, and the Ligature.

The flag was a smaller copy of the ones in the rectory, hanging by a dowel and suspended by a loop of string. He stuck it to the wall and adjusted it to hang level. Then he took the Ligature, and hung it right by the flag. A string traced down from the tack and tied in a noose around an effigy that depicted a man in crimson clothes, bound by his hands and feet, head hidden in a red hood. He took a deep breath. It just wasn’t the same as being in the rectory, but this was a tradeoff he had to make.

He opened up his copy of the Elder Word to where the ribbon was marked. The forty-ninth week in the cycle. Three more until the Day of the Rope, and the end of the human year. Briefly Vigil’s thoughts flitted to what he’d do for it. This year it’d be on Sunday, so he didn’t have to worry about missing classes. Maybe he could get home for the observance?

Now now, concentrate. He could practically hear the rector in his ear. Shaking his head, he focused on the page:

Book Thirteen, Chapter One, Reading Seven

After the loss of Marshal Brooks at Olivier Bridge, the entire nation was shaken to its core. The aggressive push of both the carnivore and herbivore forces began to cross over the borders of the Union. Derren in particular was a rich prize to the animals for its prosperity. Chancellor Credence evacuated all rural citizens into the city of Cherryton, protected by the iconic fort at the top of the hill. Marshal Pines came off of the northern front to take up control and see that the country stayed defended to the southwest.

For a week, animal forces managed to move through the forests and largely avoid shelling. However, Pines pushed them away from the city every day. By now the animals had forged their alliance, working in conspiracy with each other in their campaign against humankind. Even with their combined strength, Pines’ cunning with the city’s guns kept them scattered. 

And yet Pines had a blind spot of compassion for the renaturalized within his ranks. He held faith in the dogs and cats within his regiments. He believed that in their hearts they loved the heritage of the Union as much as humans did. 

But in their hearts, deceit and cowardice grew instead. At once they were bowed by the tactics of the enemy, and valued more the blood of their own bodies than the blood that had been spilled for their sake. Their drive only intensified after animal propaganda promised them wealth and security for their aid. And so, in secret, they began to conspire against the Marshal of Cherryton.

One late night, a handful of canine sergeants finally put their plan into action. Under the cover of darkness they stowed away all artillery shells and as many weapons as they could find, and then destroyed the fort’s power station. A massive assault then proceeded against Cherryton, carnivores leading the charge through the night. Pines and his men woke to the feeling of claws against their throats.

The dogs were paid handsomely for their betrayal. But when they tried to speak on behalf of Pines, the marshal refused their aid. Already feeling the bite of shame, he refused to barter for his freedom, and stayed in his dark cell until the end of the war.

Vigil sat with it for a while. His eyes darted to the flag. To the effigy hanging from his wall. Then he numbly recited the words that had been ingrained into his memory for years:

“Despite being scattered and divided, I must not allow myself to be lost. Despite the broken ties of our people, our trust can only be placed with each other. And so I shall carry with me all memories, heavy and light, and draw from them the strength to lift up my fellows and to overcome my enemies-”

A knock on his door. He heard Jack’s voice, “Hey, hope you’re ready! We’ll meet you out front okay?”

Vigil reeled from the interruption. “Yeah… I’ll just be a minute…” For a few seconds he sat there. Then he reached up, to start putting everything away.

“Alright, what do you think?” Jack motioned around the shop. 

Vigil’s eyes traced around. The place looked austere, with sleek wooden tables and metal chairs on a concrete floor. Abstract decorations hung from the ceilings, and a menu in two panels above the counter listed flavors and prices. Between the two menu panels was a massive decal of a hand-drawn donut. Sunlight came through the glass storefront. 

“...it’s interesting…”

“Yeah, they have that kind of modern hipster feel. Trust me though, you’ll like this.” He turned to the counter, “Hey, we’re going to take thirteen for here? I’ll have two peanut butter donuts, Legosi, what do you want?”

Vigil hung near the back of the group to let them order. Jack was joined by his five roommates: Collot, a sheepdog a little taller than Vigil; Voss, a small fennec fox that rode on Collot’s shoulder; Miguno and Durham, a hyena and coyote respectively, currently planning to split their orders so they each got four flavors; and Legosi, the wolf, who had not spoken since they left the academy. All of them were dressed so casually, with T-shirts and flannel and polos. Legosi wasn’t even wearing real shoes, only sandals. It made Vigil feel like he stuck out even more. 

Of course, in a way that was the point of his outfit.

He stepped up to the counter. Behind the register was a teenage ocelot wearing an apron. The feline had friendly and curious eyes. “Hi, uh… the apple ring, and the peanut butter ring?” That’d been a suggestion from Jack, and hey, he didn’t have anything else to go on.

“Sure thing! Coming right up!”

Vigil sat right between Jack and Miguno, with the others across from him and Legosi to the side. They all watched eagerly as the food came… and even more eagerly as Vigil looked down at the nice glass plate that the donuts sat on. He picked up the peanut butter ring. They all leaned forward. He sighed, “Are you gonna do this every time I try a new food?” he focused on Jack with that.

A laugh went around. “Sorry,” Collot relaxed, “didn’t mean anything by it.” Everyone began to eat, though Vigil could still feel Jack side-eyeing him as he raised it to his mouth to bite in. 

He chewed. Subtle this time, but again everyone stared. He swallowed. Looked around. “It’s really good.”

“Yeah?” Jack cocked his head.

“Yeah… it’s good?” Vigil could see the anticipation still lingering, expecting something more. “I’ve had sweets before you know, just not donuts. It tastes the same, just round.”

At that everyone relaxed again, the tension dissipated. He saw some good-natured eye rolling. Durham muttered, “Gotta give him some bad donuts, then he’ll get it.”

“It is good,” he laughed, taking another bite. “Not saying it isn’t!”

“The besh,” Miguno tried to correct him with his mouth full. The hyena had already made one of his donuts disappear, cheeks crammed and his second in his hands. He gulped. “Hey Voss, you gonna eat that whole thing?”

“Fuck off,” the fennec growled as he held a ring almost as wide as his arm. 

Collot got Vigil’s attention as that exchange continued, “So what kinda desserts do you eat then? Like, at home?”

“Oh, we got pies, fruit tarts, that kind of thing,” Vigil paused to take another bite, chew, swallow. “Caramel’s really big. Chocolate too. We got-”

“Chocolate?!”

Miguna just about choked as he overheard. Everyone stared again. Jack’s jaw was open. “You do eat chocolate?!”

Oh that’s right. Vigil bit his lip, trying to suppress his own chuckle. “Yeah, I mean not a lot, it’s expensive. But every couple weeks, we’ll make fudge or brownies.”

He might as well have said he ate cyanide. “Shit, I thought that was just a rumor…” Miguno muttered. “And like, it doesn’t even make you sick?”

“I mean, if you eat a lot it makes your stomach hurt. You just drink some water, have a salad, you feel better soon.”

“Shit…” Voss drawled, shaking his head.

“Yeah, heh…” Vigil smirked down at his plate. “Maybe I can invent chocolate donuts?”

“You can keep those,” Collot scoffed. 

“Hey, suit yourself.” Vigil shook his head, but feeling satisfied inside. The conversation continued, and everything seemed alright. Briefly though he glanced at Legosi. The wolf had been looking at him. When their eyes met Legosi stared back intensely, before suddenly forcing himself away. His shoulders hunched even more.

After breakfast, the group wandered into Cornerstone Grand. Crossing the street Vigil could see the line of bollards, freshly painted, sectioning off the cobblestone strip for pedestrians only. 

On either side, a row of shops extended. To his left he saw a window filled with souvenirs, and then beside it a yakisoba counter, simmering and hissing. Next to that was a bar with a poster advertising Open Mic Night on Tuesdays. To his right, a corner post office where a sea lion was just emerging with a pile of letters in one hand. Beside it was an ice cream parlor with a neon sign, and then a karaoke parlor with flashing lights. And on either side it extended onwards, with name-brand fashion outlets and thrift shops, pharmacies and bookstores, and all manner of restaurants. Stacked on top were brick apartments, three or four stories into the air.

Different species crossed back and forth. Vigil spied a peacock set up with a stand, waving a wand about as cubs and hatchlings gathered before him. Down the way the sound of a plucked guitar reached his ears. 

“This is the best place in town,” Jack turned and walked backwards to look at Vigil. His perpetual smile was even wider now. “Come on, you gotta see this outdoors place!”

Vigil followed the group into a long thin shop. It had only one aisle, and both sides were lined with backpacks, outerwear and athletic wear, and tents of every size. In a glass case on the counter sat pocket knives, all wearing small white tags on strings. The human bent over to look closer.

“C’n I help ya?” A boar leaned in, eyes intense. 

“Sorry, just looking around, thought I’d see what’s inside.”

“Y’need help with ‘em, ask me.” His grunt sounded more like a dare than an offer. 

Vigil gulped. “Will do,” he replied in a meek voice, before trying to follow Jack more closely. 

“Hey look,” Durham held up a hat with a wide brim. “What’d’ya think?”

“Don’t think it matches you,” Collot replied.

“What are you talking about, look! It matches!”

“I mean, it matches too well. Blends right into you, makes your head look weird.”

“How would you know, bet those bangs finally grew too long.”

“Yeah, and if I can see it and you can’t then you got a problem.”

Durham rolled his eyes. “Just for that I’m getting it.”

“No man,” Collot watched helplessly as the coyote snuck away.

“Hey Vigil,” Jack motioned him over. He pointed at a map pinned up on the wall, showing the region around Cherryton. Trails and lakes and campsites were highlighted. “One of the things I wanna do is take a nice camping trip. Out in the woods. I’ve always wanted to see what the sky looks like at night without all the streetlights, you know?”

“Yeah…” The human looked across the map. It showed little towns, and drawings of roads between them. Little cartoon animals hiked to and fro across it, smiling at each other. Out of curiosity he followed the road out of Cherryton… no, Ardi wasn’t on here. “Got any particular spots you’d want to go to?”

“Oh nothing in particular. Though I’d love to go down to Green Lake and swim, it’s supposed to be a lot of fun!”

“That would be fun,” Vigil smirked back. But he couldn’t match Jack’s smile. The forever smile. Did the dog just wear it around him, or was he actually always this happy? Vigil couldn’t tell which put him off more.

After they wandered around the square for another hour, Jack began to push them towards the metro. The whole group - Vigil included - had vouched for a movie day. The title in question was The Southern Hundred, a new comedy from Wes Antlerson, whom everyone assured Vigil was really really good. 

“I mean, I guess I’m kinda biased,” Jack explained as they began to push into the train car, “He does a lot of comedies, and dogs just like comedies.” 

“Yeah? Should be fun,” Vigil nodded. Jack motioned for him to grab one of the handles hanging above, which he luckily took just before the train started moving. Looking around, he spied a pair of lions, a weasel, a vulture, a small group of foxes—

He realized it with a start. This was a carnivore car. Suddenly he watched them more closely. Some irrationally paranoid part of his mind kicked into high gear. Was this a trap? Were they about to attack?

No. Calm down. Vigil looked around. Almost everyone was looking elsewhere, and only a couple carnivores were fixated on him. He could see one panther pulling a pill bottle from her pocket, popping a couple pills into her paws, swallowing them down as best she could. Immediately the feline’s shoulders relaxed. Sitting across from him was a large black bear, who watched this go on and suddenly checked his phone. Then the bear pulled out his own pill bottle.

Jack must have seen the curious look on the human’s face. “Hey,” he motioned for Vigil’s attention. His voice was low, but his eyes still bright. “A lot of carnivores take strength inhibitors. It’s normal though, don’t worry. Just prevents accidents.”

“...accidents?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. Everyone who needs them takes them.”

“Ah,” Vigil nodded. Something moved from the corner of the eye. He looked to see a young jackal coming up to him.

“Hey,” he raised a fist in the air, offering a gesture, “Sage X!” A gentle smile on his face showed he meant it as an overture.

Vigil blinked back. “What?”

The jackal was taken aback. “You know, Sage X? Guy with the book? Human restoration?”

“I… no, sorry.”

He quickly bit his lip and looked away, shuffling back a couple steps. Vigil felt torn inside. Clearly the jackal was trying to say something nice to him, say that he was on his side. But that was such a weird way to go about it. Should he thank him? This was already awkward enough as it was…

Thankfully the train screeched to a halt at about that point. “Now approaching, Juniper Mall,” an announcer presumably said, though to Vigil’s ears the tinny voice could barely be understood. 

“That’s our stop?” he asked the dog.

“Yeah, then it’ll just be on the corner. Not too far,” Jack filled the air with his words, and Vigil felt grateful for it. The train stopped, and when the group stepped  into the station Vigil took a sigh of relief. “What was that about?”

“I don’t know. Must be a city thing though, the ‘X’ bit sounds like something they do.”

“Really?” Miguno cocked his head. “You sound like you don’t like it, I thought humans were all together and-”

“Miguno!” Collot gave him a sharp bump on his shoulder, showing his teeth for a second. His voice hissed, “Shut up!”

“No, no it’s fine. Up this way?” Vigil ended up taking the lead as they left the metro station. It was an open air pavilion, where massive buildings clustered around to offer fine retail and entertainment. “Look, the city enclaves are different from the farming estates. At home, my dad’s grandfather was born there, and his grandfather, and his grandfather. That’s always been… for lack of a better word, ‘human’ land. We just stay there, and we don’t cause trouble.” That lie gnawed in his head a bit, but he figured that’s the best way to contrast. “With the enclaves, they’re…” Shit. He realized he was about to talk himself into a landmine. “They’re different, okay? They cause a lot more trouble, and when they cause trouble, it makes trouble for us too. The X thing, it means the human X symbol, people will change their name to include it and then write or say really crazy stuff, like they’re speaking for all of us? And that causes trouble too.” He shook his head. “I just try to not think about it.”

“Yeah, I can see how that’d be… frustrating,” Jack picked his words carefully. His smile showed his desire to be comforting, but Vigil could see the dog struggling with what to say next.

“Hey, don’t worry about, don’t let that guy ruin our fun, okay?” He tried to wave it off, turning to the mall for any kind of pivot. “What’s this place?”

“Oh! B-Strike!” The dog perked up again almost immediately. “It’s so much fun, it’s a place that caters to each animal’s instincts. There’s a climbing room for squirrels, a scratching room for felines, and the canine room,” he was getting almost too excited, “there’s this machine that shoots out balls, and then you can bring them back! It’s awesome!”

Vigil stood there for a moment, before letting out a chuckle. “That sounds… interesting.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Durham broke in. 

“Yeah… hey, maybe after the movie we could swing by! You can give the room a shot!”

Vigil nodded along, “Yeah, could give it a shot.” He knew better than to ask if they had any activities for his species. But given their enthusiasm, well… he could indulge their excitement. 

Just beyond B-Strike was another clothing outlet, with suits in the window. Vigil peered in.

“Shit, are clothes always this expensive?!”

That prompted a laugh from the group, and Jack’s assurances that no, it was not a universal thing. That calmed Vigil for a moment, letting him chuckle along with them. 

Then they got to the theater concessions.

“I don’t get it,” Vigil held his popcorn bucket with two hands, peering in as he tried to estimate how many kernels were inside. “We sell you guys corn for like… a tenth of what they’re charging?”

“Yeah, join literally everyone else in that realization,” Voss sighed on top of Collot’s shoulder, holding a drink cup filled with the stuff. 

“You know, our theater back home, we actually got free popcorn. ‘Course the flip side is that we show the same, like, twelve movies over and over again. Wait what’s that?”

“Hm? Oh!” Jack followed Vigil’s line of sight to a counter with seven shakers lined up on it. “You can flavor your popcorn if you want. We usually don’t get any, but if you want to get some, we can go and grab a seat for you!”

“Sure, I wanna take a look at this.”

“Theater seven!”

“Got it!” Vigil set his bucket down, and started looking through the toppings. Cinnamon sugar… parmesan cheese… spicy jalapeño… finally he found himself tempted more by the nacho cheese, and began to apply it liberally. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see people passing by and staring. It felt like they were watching him… well let them stare. He was fine. He had his focus where he wanted it for now. The shaker hit the counter again almost defiantly, and he turned.

Legosi stood right by him. 

Vigil took a reflexive step back. Legosi also seemed to recoil. “Uh, hi,” he raised a clawed hand in hello.

“...Hi,” the human replied back. For a moment silence lingered. “...Can I help you?”

“Huh? Oh, no! No no! I mean, you could, I guess,” his eyes darted around, settled on the counter, “I was just… I was coming out to get toppings too!” 

Vigil’s gaze flicked up and down the wolf’s body. “Then where’s your popcorn?”

“My… right, I guess I forgot my popcorn! Whoops!” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, giving an awkward smile, looking down. “That’s, uh, that’s just like me, to, uh…” his smile twisted into an embarrassed disgust. “Oh what am I doing… I’m sorry, I was just, I was hoping to talk to you, but I’m not good at it. I don’t know why I’m not good at it, I did it with Haru, why can’t I do it again?!”

The wolf gritted his teeth and looked away. He was embarrassed… unhappy… Vigil let his stance soften. He even stepped forward. “I know Haru.”

“Huh?” That got Legosi’s attention. His ears and eyes fixed on the human’s face. He was right in the crosshairs of a predator - and yet, somehow, he didn’t feel afraid.

“Yeah, I joined the gardening club. She’s really nice. And, she told me about you?”

“R-Really?” His voice cracked. “What’d she say about me?”

Ten minutes, Vigil thought to himself. She said give him ten minutes, when all he needed was ten seconds. “She said you’re really nice. And I could feel safe around you.”

He could see Legosi swallow. His eyes sparkled a bit. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been more talkative today. I just, I didn’t know what to say, or how to approach you. I was just really nervous that I’d scare you.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t scare me.” That was slightly a lie, but seeing the wolf bare himself like this, what else could he say? Vigil looked away. “Hey, can you tell me something? Honestly?”

“Yeah, of course!”

He bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to word this. “Jack…”

“What, what about him?”

 “He’s been really nice to me, ever since I got here. And you and his friends, all inviting me out, I really appreciate it, it’s more than I thought I’d get, you know? But the thing is… I don’t know, he’s always smiling. All the time. Even when things are bad or awkward. And it’s just, I don’t know, sometimes I wonder if he’s putting on an act?”

Legosi’s eyes dropped. He stared at the floor for a moment, and Vigil wondered if he’d just said something dreadfully offensive. But the wolf looked back up. “I promise you, he’s being genuine. As genuine as he can be. But dogs… a lot of them after the war, they went through programs under the government. A kind of artificial breeding. Made them even smarter than before, but also removed any aggressive or negative instincts. Jack, he only smiles, because he can only smile. He can only laugh off anger or sadness.” His voice felt heavy. “That’s why dogs like comedies. They have trouble with anything else.”

“Oh…” Vigil blinked. His memories of all the times he’d been hurt - two years ago, he had a hard falling out with a best friend, and it’d broken his heart. When he was ten, his pumpkin plant he’d grown for the harvest competition had wilted and died two days before the fair. It’d been devastating. When he was seven, he’d broken his leg by slipping in the rain. When he was five… he’d been orphaned. 

All of that, and only being able to smile through it?

“That’s terrible.”

“It’s just, it’s who he is.” Legosi gave a sad smile. “I’ve known him since we were cubs. And sometimes, it is hard for him. But I promise, he’s probably one of the most genuine people I know.”

Vigil nodded. “Thank you. And I’m sorry if it wasn’t a nice question to ask.”

“Trust me, I’ve had worse. You coming?”

“Yeah…” Vigil nodded, and brought along his bucket. Theater 7 was just finishing up showing some advertisement for a new brand of car as he slipped into the row.

Jack whispered, “Hey! Vigil!” and patted at a seat next to him. The human accepted it, shifting his tuxedo jacket about as another segment came on screen.

“Remember: no roaring, squawking, squeaking or talking! Please silence your phones now!” 

Vigil pulled his emergency phone from his pocket. Looked at the screen. Looked down the aisle at the six canines all fidgeting to get comfortable.

He hit the power button until the screen went black.

Chapter Text

“North on Cornwall Road. You’ll find your little spy there.”

The phone call had reached Cherryton Police Department headquarters at 9:52 that Sunday night. About three hours earlier, two young college students - a caiman and a bull - had called about one of their classmates. They’d been at the Habil human community market, and he’d been missing since noon. 

So when the call came in, that’s why two cruisers and an ambulance were dispatched.

The dirt road traced along the edges of the outermost fields. A phone line strung in from the city, with wooden posts every so often. The officers leaned out the windows, flashlights searching the nearby barley fields, the grass beyond the human borders. But they didn’t need them. 

The cruiser headlights illuminated the next telephone pole, and the chameleon standing with his back against the wood. Hands above his head. Blood running down his face.

“Oh shit,” he gasped, lighting up, “Oh you came! You came!” His eyes teared up as the police cruiser pulled over, and the officers got out, keeping their flashlights trained on him.

“Y’can put your arms down, you’re not in trouble.”

The chameleon just shook his head, looking like he’d laugh and cry at once. “Please…” he gasped. He twitched his fingers.

His hands were nailed, one against the other, to the wood.

“Fucking hell, medic! Medic! Caito, get my water! Kid, what happened!?”

“I, I dunno… I was just, I guess wandered too far out of the market?”

“Those sickos…” One of the officers, a rhinoceros, growled. She glared over at Habil in the distance, windows lighting up the manor and the surrounding village. “Caito, what do you say we go teach them about messing with kids?”

“Just hold on a moment…”

That voice was smooth, and yet it shone with a threat underneath. It was a voice they all recognized, and all the police turned to face him. Even the paramedic froze where she was. 

The chameleon watched as they looked into the shadows. Stepping out of it was a tall black horse, dressed in a tanktop and skinny jeans. His severe eyes glared down at the young reptile, flicking from the wound down to his face. “What’s your name?”

“B-Brookes, sir…”

The horse narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”

“I… I just, wandered into their village from the market, that’s all.”

The horse crouched down to look Brookes straight in the eye. A rumble came from deep in his chest. The paramedic next to him fidgeted. “Yafya, let me at least treat him first before—”

He glared to the side, shutting her up. “You can treat him…” his eyes drifted over the chameleon again, “...when he stops lying to me.”

Brookes looked about uncomfortably. “I… okay, there was… I was with two of my friends and they dared me to sneak into the rectory…” There was a disappointed sigh from the officers. Yafya’s eyes narrowed. “...and, and take… something, from inside.”

“What ‘something’?”

“Just anything! I, I tried to take one of the shoes from the bodies, and, and the whole leg came off! And that’s when they found me, and, and—”

“Enough,” Yafya straightened up again. He turned from the reptile, and motioned to the paramedic. “Get him down.”

The paramedic pressed in now, pulling out gauze and trying to figure out how to remove the nail. Yafya stepped away, but he felt the rhino’s booming footsteps come after him. “Look,” she lowered her voice, “yeah he broke their rules—”

“Animals aren’t supposed to enter their village without permission, much less their most important and private space. ” He kept looking away, towards the dark buildings.

“Yeah, I know, but this?” She motioned at the reptile, who was watching desperately and wincing at the sting of disinfectant on his wounds. “This is barbaric!”

Yafya looked over at Brookes. Without sympathy. Without passion. Then up at the rhino. “How long have you been on the force?”

“Sir, this is my second week on duty.”

“Drop the sir,” he waved it away. “Better get used to seeing this kind of barbarity. And worse. But just remember something. You’re so disturbed by this?”

Brookes screamed, as the nail finally yanked from his flesh. He collapsed onto his rear, shuddering and silently sobbing.

“This is from the polite humans, kind enough to lock themselves inside their farms…” he let his words hang in the air. “Get this reported in. Let people know what humans do.”

That same night, Louis’ ear flicked. He’d been reading an old novel - or more precisely, blankly scanning the pages as his mind focused elsewhere. But he picked up “academy” in a nearby conversation, and that got his attention. “Hm, what’s going on?” 

Ibuki looked over. Sabu was with him, holding a cheap smartphone in his hands. Both had their coats in hand, about to step out. Ibuki answered, “Got a major deal up at the school. Gotta pick up and deliver, but won’t be too long.”

Louis set his teeth. Looked away. Then back up. “I’m coming.”

“Boss, no,” Sabu began.

“Yes.” He stood up as tall as he could, holding his book in both hands. “There’s business I need to attend to in that part of town.”

The lion seemed nervous. “But, we’re going to be picking up in the enclave…”

Louis let his brows raise. “Perfect, all the more reason for me to come along and see more of the supply chain.”

“Boss, there’s only two seats in the-” Sabu silenced when Ibuki raised his hand. 

“If he wants to come, then he comes. I’ll take him, keep him safe.”

Sabu hesitated, before giving a weak nod. “Just be careful…” He turned away, and despite his worry, seemed to also show some degree of relief. 

Louis took a deep breath. “Good, let me just grab something really quick,” he turned and stepped to his office. He set the book on his desk, and reached for a sheet in front of his chair. He folded it and stashed it in his coat pocket. The brief motion brought his hand into view. For a second he stared.

His forced diet of meat wasn’t sustaining him. He smoked for intimidation, but also to quell the nervous shaking from his malnutrition. He downed energy drinks by the pack to keep himself from passing out. All of it multiplied the havoc on his body. His wrists looked like they’d snap if he tried to pick up the book again. Louis took a shuddering breath, before he set his brow hard. He yanked the sleeves over his wrist. No weakness. 

Stepping back out, he saw Ibuki returning from the kitchen, still carrying his coat over his arm. “What’d you get?”

“Just something I forgot. Come on,” the lion motioned him out the door. But Louis refused.

“What is it?”

He took a breath, looked to the side. “Something for the delivery, I’ll show you in the car. Come on.” 

Louis stood firm for a second...but he couldn’t detect any malice in Ibuki’s eyes. So he stepped out the door. They crossed the Shishigumi’s bridge to the streets, where a small black coupe waited. Louis slipped inside the passenger seat, keeping his eye on Ibuki as the lion dropped his coat in his own lap, started the car, and pulled into the street. They turned a corner… and then he reached into his coat, and pulled out a small box wrapped in paper. “Here.”

Louis eyed it. Ibuki’s name was scrawled across the top. Gingerly he took it.

“Open it.”

The deer hesitated. He anticipated it’d be an organ, a tongue, something gruesome. It wasn’t the gruesome aspect he feared though. It was the intention. Best case scenario, it was Ibuki just showing what they had to deliver. But there was a chance it’d be a subtle threat. Or unsubtle. He swallowed. Then his fingers stayed steady as he unfolded the paper from around it.

It was a store-bought salad.

He blinked down at it. Ibuki seemed to pick up on his shock, “You need to eat, Boss.”

“I have been—”

“Eat food you need. ” The lion’s voice was firm. In this moment he didn’t really feel like an underling, but not a threat either… “You’re unwell. I can sense it. You’re no good to us if you starve.”

Louis looked down at the greenery, the vegetables mixed in, still cold from the refrigerator. His head was filled with negative why’s. Ibuki had known he was faltering. Why didn’t he take him out? Why didn’t he usurp control of the Shishigumi for himself? Why didn’t the others sense he was weak — or if they did, why didn’t they attack him? The Back Alley Market was a place where the weak couldn’t survive. So why wasn’t he dead? 

He gave a sigh, before tearing the plastic off the salad. In a single motion he grabbed the fork, speared a few big leaves, and shoved them into his mouth.

Ibuki glanced over as he kept driving. It seemed he wanted to say something else… then he turned the wheel. “Got a new customer tonight. Always lots of first-timers at the academy. That’s why we got this.” He held up the smartphone. It still showed the default lock screen. “One time use. Got a puppet account on it and everything. After that we ditch it.”

“I see…” Louis eyed it as he tried to keep one of the leaves from falling from his mouth. “Isn’t it expensive?”

“The prepaid phones are less than four thousand yen,” Ibuki shook his head. “And this is going to be a big deal tonight, they’re paying us five times the going price for human blood.”

Louis raised his brows. Human blood was one of the most valuable offerings on the market, partly because it was one of the most powerful bloods available — although it wasn’t clear if that was psychosomatic or real. A lot of the people demanding it were elderly veterans, who’d had a taste in the war that spiraled into addiction. Therapy frequently proved ineffective and, more often, wasn’t available at all. A lot of carnivore kids got their kicks from it too, after they outgrew rabbit and sheep. Couple that with its rarity. Few dealers were willing to run it, and of those even fewer could navigate the winding and narrow supply. But that meant, per ounce, it was like gold - and for five times that, well, even a couple superstitious lions could be talked into it. 

The human enclave sat only a short way from the hideout. As they approached, Louis watched a massive building pass by. A stone slab out front read NATIONAL ELECTRONICS AND INDUSTRIAL LABORATORY. The building itself sat four stories high, an austere concrete monument to progress and engineering. 

It had been closed for twenty-one years now. 

The outside stayed nice and clean though. And as the car turned down the famous Freedom Street, Louis’ couldn’t help but stare in awe. For most of his life he had seen enough humans to count on his fingers. But here, they were just as common as animals. Perhaps even more so! The road was wide enough to have a median strip with manicured trees. Signs shone in bright neon: human dancers, human musicians, human singers. In between the big attractions Louis could spy little cafes that advertised “authentic human cuisine”, as well as computer repair and handyman services. They stopped at a red light; to the left, one human danced just before a clothing shop. A small crowd gathered around him, watching in awe. 

“Never been here before?” Ibuki glanced.

“No, if I wasn’t studying I was practicing for drama. Or getting groomed to be Beastar,” he scoffed. “Wish I had.”

“Hmph, take it in,” the lion muttered. The light turned green, and they turned to the right down a side street. 

Louis watched the neon fade. The bright plaster of the building front continued along its side. Then they turned left into the next alley - the back was a faded grey. Louis could see doors labeled with the same iconography that blared on the fronts. To the right, gated archways led into brick apartments, ornately designed but crumbling from age. A few small cafes peddled noodles and pizza between the entrances. The alley had few people wandering through, but they were entirely human, shuffling along beneath the harsh orange glow of the street lights on either end. The car slowly puttered forward. Louis could see the humans staring in through the window, before the engine finally quieted. 

“Right here,” Ibuki pointed. “204. Buzz them, say you’re here with pizza. I’ll stay here with the car. Not good to leave it unattended in this neighborhood.”

Louis nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the envelope of cash that the lion handed him, and opened the door.

“Oh, and real quick, be respectful. Don’t look them in the eye, understand?”

“I understand,” Louis wanted to reply that deer naturally avoid direct eye contact, but he decided it wasn’t needed. He got out, looking up and down the alleyway. Commercial-size dumpsters lined along the big establishments. He couldn’t help but watch them as he approached the metal gate, and hit the call button.

There was a blast of static that made him cringe. “Yeah, whossat?”

“I’m… here, with pizza.”

“Pizza, pizza did we… oh, right, right right right, yeah, hold on.” There was a buzz, and the gate popped open. “Come on up then.”

Louis took a breath, swung the gate open.

“OUT! OUT!” 

He jerked his head at the shrill voice behind him. The door marked Fort Hill Bakery had swung open. Louis could see a human, no more than twenty, being pushed out the door and stumbling down the steps. He landed on his shoulder and turned to face up, hands over his face, as he looked at his assaulter. 

A sheep, dressed in a dress and apron and scowl, set her broom handle-down against the floor. The kitchen light backlit her, casting her shadow over the human. “I’ve had it with you stealing my stock! You think I can just let you keep stuffing your face on the shift?!”

“Come on, please, it was just a cookie Miss Wether?”

“It was not just a cookie. Two muffins last week, and then the biscuits before that!”

“Y-you said I could have those!”

“Get outta here! Don’t bother coming in tomorrow, you’re fired!” She brandished her broom again and took a step down the stairs. The human scrambled to his feet and ran. Louis watched him bolt down the alley, a black shape outlined in the amber of the streetlight. He stood there for a second. The door to the bakery slammed shut. With that, he proceeded inside. 

The walls were covered with grime, but it was hardly noticeable with the graffiti covering every square foot of space. Louis stepped up the stairs, passing by several red X’s and a thick black “SAVE THE ROPE FOR YAFYA”, along with plenty of illegible or sprayed-over messages. A single lightbulb buzzed above him. Soon the deer reached the second floor, and circled around until he reached 204. Before he could even knock the door pulled open.

A human woman faced him, eyes half-lidded, and she leaned in the doorjamb, arms by her sides. It looked like she might fall over. “Money,” she mumbled.

Louis rolled his eyes. He could imagine Ibuki scolding him, but in this case his bar of ‘respect’ had plummeted. He held up the envelope, and let the tips of the bills poke out. The woman’s eyes sparked as she reached for it. He held it away. “The wares first.”

She sighed. “Ye of little faith…” With a huff she stood up straight, and pushed the door all the way open as she turned. “Coooome on.”

Louis hesitated. The hallway into the main room seemed clear, but he could see other humans inside. Two were sprawled on opposite ends of the sofa, one on a folding chair, and three lying side-by-side on a mattress on the ground. Tubes ran from their arms, and he could see their anemic faces. For a moment his stomach wavered... but this wasn’t his fault. It’s not his fault they were like this, he was just clever enough to make it work for him. Hell, if he didn’t, then someone else would. Probably Ibuki, or whoever else would have taken over the Shishigumi. 

The woman turned and saw he wasn’t following. He broke out of his revulsion. “Just...bring it here,” he answered.

With a shake of her head, she stepped out of view for a second. The sound of something scraping. Then she stepped back, holding an open white box. It was a medical item, meant to hold blood samples. Luckily, a sample tube was big enough to act as a single dose for up to a medium size carnivore. Eight tubes sat inside, filled with crimson. “They’re cut and everything already.”

Louis examined them with searching eyes. “Alright,” he nodded. The case snapped shut, and it traded hands the same time as the money. She tore the envelope open and thumbed through the bills, her eyes lighting up. Her teeth bit at her tongue as she stepped back and slammed the door with her foot. 

The deer stared at the door for a little longer. Turned and looked at the other doors, all covered in the filth of ages. Then he shook his head.

He got what he’d come for.

Louis descended downstairs, and climbed back into the car. “Easy enough,” he rested his fingers on the white plastic. Gave a smile.

Glass shattered behind them.

Both whipped around to stare at Fort Hill Bakery again. One of the lit windows now hung empty. They could hear shrieks inside. A human, the one who’d been fired, hurled a brick into a second window before sprinting away. The crystal shards caught the light as they spilled across the ground, and frightened faces peered out to watch him retreat.

“Shit,” Ibuki growled, shifting into drive. They pulled away, slow enough to avoid the sheep’s attention when she stepped out and screamed down the alleyway.

The coupe worked its way up the hill to the academy, pulling off to the side road around to the delivery. Louis recognized that this would be where the cafeteria was. Metal shutters closed off the truck bay, and harsh fluorescent lights lit up the cargo area. A figure stood there. They had on an oversized hooded sweater, and baggy pants. It was impossible to tell what species they were. Louis could barely tell if they even noticed the car was here. He and Ibuki stepped out. “What are you doing here?” An innocent question meant to filter out innocent bystanders.

The figure stayed quiet. Massive hands covered in thick gloves lifted up a phone. A stylus in the other hand tapped at the screen. The phone in Ibuki’s hand buzzed. He read the message, then shared it with Louis.

WHERE’S THE PACKAGE

Ibuki nodded. Louis held up the white case. Another buzz.

SET IT DOWN FOR ME TO SEE

Louis shook his head. He kept his voice down, “Tell them to send half the money first.” Ibuki typed it in. 

The figure didn’t move for a second. Then the stylus worked across the screen. Ibuki’s phone gave a chime. “Got it,” he muttered.

Louis stepped forward. He’d seen this several times now. He stooped but made sure not to break his gaze on the figure. Set the box on the ground. Stepped back, as they stepped forward. Their shadow grew long across the asphalt as they crouched to pick it up, eyes dropping, undefended, alone. Louis shook his head as they opened the box and looked inside. Then they clicked it closed again. Pulled out the phone and tapped the screen once more.

Another jingle. “That’s all of it,” Ibuki nodded. 

The figure retreated inside, as the pair turned back to their car. But, Louis took a moment to gaze up at Cherryton far above him. 

“Boss?”

“Sorry,” Louis shook his head, got into his seat, closed his door. “Send the money over and I’ll start cleaning it.”

“Sure thing.” Ibuki shifted into reverse. “Now, where’s that errand you had?”

Louis went quiet. “...you know where Hillfield Acres is?”

The lion seemed shocked. “What do you want there?”

“Just gotta tie up some loose ends,” the deer exhaled. Gritting his teeth. This wasn’t going to be easy. But it was necessary. 

Hillfield was a sprawling community just outside town, with the roads winding between trees and up and down slopes. Finally, Louis muttered “Stop here.”

They stopped in front of a gilded gate, split down the middle. Either side was adorned with golden antlers. Louis stared. For some reason he felt more afraid here than doing the drug run. 

“Boss?” The deer didn’t respond. “...Louis?”

He turned.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Ibuki hissed. 

Louis looked at him. Pondered what to say… then got out of the car. He stepped up to the gate. A keypad stood just off the road. He prayed that Oguma was furious enough to change the code, the prodigal son cast from the household.

The gate swung open.

Louis closed his eyes. Took a breath. Proceeded up the road.

It took five minutes for the mansion to even come into view. He knew that they knew he was here - security around this place was tight. He would have been confronted by now if he was unwelcome. Louis almost wished for it, the sprawling manor had always been intimidating. He remembered flashes of when he first came here. A lifetime growing up in a crowded cell would have made a studio apartment look like luxurious space. Being told he could go anywhere in this mansion? He  had been overwhelmed, nearly ecstatic even.

But there had been no one to share it with. 

The door opened before he could even reach for the handle. “Master Louis,” Yuta gasped, “it’s been so long! Can-can I take your—”

“If anyone asks I wasn’t here.” The deer looked down at the butler, who immediately shut up. “Father’s in his office?”

The sheep nodded. All this time, and he still hadn’t broken his strict schedule. He slept, woke, ate, worked, rested all at the same time every day. The only exceptions were when he flew - and even then, his private jet meant that he could leave at the same day, at the same time, every year. After all, this was only his summer home.

Even if it had been Louis’ year-round home.

Louis climbed the stairs, stepping down one hall, turning into another. The red carpet beneath his feet was as manicured as ever. The glass chandeliers shared the same brilliance he remembered. Ostentatious, beautiful, empty. Finally he reached the oak doors. He raised a fist to knock. Then simply pushed in.

Oguma sat at his desk. He glanced up at Louis’ entrance. “Son. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.” Louis wanted to take a deep breath, but he couldn’t now. No sign of weakness. No expectation of clemency. “I needed to talk to you about something.”

“Funny way of talking to me the past… month or so?” 

He set his teeth. Reached into his jacket pocket. Pulled out the folded paper, and held it out. “I keep getting notices from the school. They won’t let me out unless I get a withdrawal form.” He stepped forward, set it on the desk, and stepped back.

Oguma raised his eyebrows. “Is expulsion not an option?”

Louis met his gaze. Kept it steady. They both knew why Cherryton Academy wasn’t going to forcefully expel him…

The buck looked down at the paper, his eyes almost amused. “I was wondering if you were just going to skip your rebellious phase.”

“It’s not a phase.” He sounded so juvenile with that and he hated it. “I’m leaving the school. And… I’m leaving your household.” 

His eyes looked up. If there was any surprise, it was about as dramatic as an unexpected rainshower. 

“I can’t be your son any more. I can’t be... another face for you to plug into your company, your organization, your life. I’m not going to work for you anymore.” A shudder in his voice. Damn it! Damn you, he cursed himself.

Oguma only shook his head. “I spent… seven million yen, to get the son I couldn’t have...”

“Wasted then,” Louis kept his face emotionless, trying to regain his footing.

“I’ll tell you what I remember most though. It wasn’t handing over that cash. It was seeing your face on the rooftops, when you looked over a city you had never seen, on a sun that you didn’t know existed. That look in your face, it wasn’t childish wonder. It was… a desire. I knew I’d made a good choice. I knew it the moment you saw the sun for the first time, and immediately wanted more of it, to reach it for yourself.”

Louis felt his jaw twitch. He had anticipated the cold shoulder. Sharp-witted attacks. A violent outburst. He hadn’t anticipated… fond memories. “Your ‘good choice’ was a mistake. Now sign the paper.”

Oguma smirked. “No.”

“Sign. The form. Or I’ll force you to.” Louis reached inside his jacket again. Pulled out his pistol. Aimed it just over his father’s head. “Sign it now.”

His expression didn’t change. “What is this about? Really?”

Now this Louis had prepared. “You thought you could lift me out of the Back Alley Market? I was born there. You thought I could just escape from my past. But no one can. It’s where I belong, and it’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”

“It’s your past?” A sincere question. Louis nodded. “I see… so, the fourteen years of your life that you spent here, that doesn’t count as your past? Because you don’t want it to?”

Shit. Louis set his teeth. “Sign it.”

Oguma sat back, as high as he could. His magnificent antlers rose into the air, and his squared lenses caught the light. His smirk only widened. Louis felt his stomach shudder. 

“Leave of absence.” The words hung in the air. “I’ll temporarily withdraw you, until you grow up.” He rested both hands on the sheet of paper, and slowly twisted them so that it ripped up the middle. “I’ll have it delivered tomorrow morning. On my honor.” 

Louis felt his breath release. He didn’t know he’d been holding it. It made his shoulders shake. Fatigue suddenly washed over him. But he couldn’t let him see he was struggling.

“Just know this. You’re right, and you’re wrong. You can’t escape your past, that’s true… but it was Item Number Four born in the market.”

Louis felt his weapon lower.

“Now get out of here. And come back when you learn to follow through on a threat.”

Chapter Text

The air freshener on Baritus’ desk gave a spritz as the bear ran his pen over his students’ tests. He snorted. Terrible scores, like usual. Apten was too soft and easy on them - a full nine of ten students that passed the basilisk’s class couldn’t tell a blurble from a gulp! But by the time they left his class, Baritus closed his eyes and nodded, they could sleepwalk through Advanced Seaspeak. 

His door opened. 

“It’s not office hours,” he grumbled, not looking at his visitor. 

“Baritus.”

His gaze jerked up. Gon clicked the door behind him, his face serious. He set his pen down, “Yes, is something the matter?”

“Baritus, there’s been some complaints,” the tiger tucked his hands into his pockets, watching him expectantly. 

“...if this is about the human, my stance has not shifted and will not shift.”

Gon sighed, looked away. He pressed his lips together. Then looked back, his glasses making his eyes seem bigger. “It’s not about Vigil. But some of the staff members have complained about… derogatory statements on your part, about the species. And,” he stepped back as he watched Baritus stand from his chair, “I just want to resolve the situation as quietly as possible.”

“What are they complaining about?” the bear growled. “What exactly was it I said?”

“You know I can’t tell you, it could reveal the identity of the complainant. But look, I know you have strong opinions. I understand how you’re feeling… this is too important though. If we screw this up it’ll look bad to the council.”

Baritus snorted. Gon cocked his head at that.

“I’m sorry?”

The bear looked away, “Nothing.”

“I’m sorry you don’t like the decision the trustees and I made, but we still made it.” He shook his head. “And look, the truth is, I’m facing pressure too. We haven’t picked a Beastar in years, and our prime candidate just got put on leave this morning. We could lose our seat on the Youth Committee…” He raised a finger to point, “but they won’t do that if we’re trying to integrate. Look, we have a promising Beastar candidate in the first year.”

“Don’t tell me you plan on submitting the boy as Young Beastar.”

“No! No, no no no, there’s a young grey wolf who’s showing a lot of promise. And I’m trying to field other candidates as well. Vigil will be here for three years; that buys us time to turn things around.”

“Ugh, three years…” he planted his face in his palm. 

“...tell you what,” Gon approached him, folding his arms, “Why don’t you take a sabbatical? Write that book you’ve been meaning to. We can have an adjunct cover for you while you’re out. Then you don’t have to worry about this?”

At this, Baritus smirked. “Why don’t you just replace me altogether?”

The tiger softened his stance. “You know I couldn’t do that. You’re the best Seaspeak teacher we’ve had around here.”

“Hmph… so why would I break for three years?”

“Why… I mean, I just don’t want you to get in trouble, or be distressed or anything.”

Baritus just shook his head, as he walked around his desk. “Kids gotta learn, and you said it yourself. If I leave they’ll just end up with someone worse.”

“...are you sure?”

He gave a curt nod. “I’ll just have to tolerate it I guess. As for the complaints, I’ll just learn to not express any opinions whatsoever I suppose. Make the council happy.”

“Baritus.” Gon turned after him, his face cross. “I came to you because I wanted to talk it out. If you don’t make amends, HR is going to put it on the record.”

But the polar bear kept heading for the door. When he reached it he paused. Kept staring ahead. “I honestly don’t know what I said. And that’s the truth. Put that on the record.”

He growled as he stepped out of his office, letting the door swing shut behind him. His mind swirled angrily as he lumbered towards the lounge. He needed a drink to calm his nerves. Baritus turned the corner to the kitchen, and ran straight into Ward.

“Oh, pardon me!” The human stumbled away, grinning nervously. He had his broom and dustpan in one hand, and circled around. “Excuse me, sorry…” The bear narrowed his eyes… but said nothing. Instead he just kept lumbering past without greeting, or even a verbal acknowledgement of the custodian’s existence. Ward watched after him, before shaking his head and going back to work.

Ward had wandered to the other side of the faculty wing when he spied whom he was looking for - through a door window, he could see Vigil sitting in Apten’s office. The boy was in conversation. Ward lingered nearby, until Vigil finally got up, thanked the lizard professor and stepped out. He managed to catch the boy’s eye, “Hey Ward, how’s it going?”

“Just saw you were here, and I wanted to check in. What were you talking about?”

“Oh, Apten said he was going to have me added to the roster, picked up make-ups,” he held up a few sheets. “He said since I’m already pretty well-versed that I should be more than able to catch up on assignments.” 

“That’s good,” Ward nodded, his smile thin. “So you’re going to be taking beginner’s level officially then?”

Vigil shrugged. “I mean, I gotta add another class in the schedule, and Baritus won’t have me. But it’s fine, I promise.” 

The man sighed, and drew closer. He dropped his voice. “You’re being very polite, and that’s good. But don’t say something’s fine if it’s not. You wanted that class. You were qualified for that class. It’s not fair to you. Nobody else around here is going to vouch for us, we need to do it ourselves. Now look, I can help you out if you want?”

“Please, no. I appreciate it, but this is already more drama than I wanted.” He looked down at the packets. “I do appreciate it though. Just being able to talk to you is honestly a big help.” The boy offered a smile. “Besides, I have other people that I can depend on too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, there’s the dog they assigned to be my guide, he and his room have been really friendly, and there’s this nice rabbit in the gardening club. We were a little frosty at first, but I think she was warming up to me last night’s meeting, even if it’s mostly just small talk.” Vigil kept smiling. “I think that balances out a grumpy old polar bear?”

Ward listened to all of this, before offering a thin smile of his own. “Right, right. Well it’s good you’re making friends. A lot of animals here don’t mean any harm, and I think you’ll find most of them are kind enough. But no matter what,” he motioned at himself, “ my offer still stands.”

Later that night, Vigil was in deep trouble. Jack sat across from him, and between them a chess board laid out. At the moment there were more black pieces than white. The 701 boys sat in between, and behind them a lot of students watched in curiosity. What had been a friendly match had turned into an event; money now rode on the outcome of this game. 

Vigil finally reached over, took one of the white bishops. Moved it. Let out a breath. Then glanced up at Jack in a challenge. The murmuring rose again.

The retriever nodded. His eyes squinted, as he motioned jumps with his fingers. Then his eyes went wide. His knight jumped. “Check.” 

“Ooooooh,” snickering and comments around them. 

A quick capture with a pawn. “Not any more,” Vigil smirked. Easy laughter. 

But the dog lifted a finger, cocking his brow… and his queen came forward. “Mate,” he grinned.

The crowd erupted. 

Vigil hunched over the board in disbelief. No, he could… there was… then he sat back with a sigh, shaking his head. “Shit,” he chuckled. “Well-played.” After a second he extended his hand, remembering it was polite. Jack accepted it with a smile. Bills changed hands around them, people shouting in triumph or loss.

“That’s enough, break it up!” Olive the housemother waved above the crowd. Her voice pierced through the conversation and drove people away snickering. The baboon sniffed. “It’s Monday, don’t you all have anything better to do?”

The moment she turned away, Durham pushed Jack aside. “Right, me next!” 

The coyote began to reset the pieces, but Vigil shook his head. “Got homework. Actually, Jack,” the dog looked up, “Would you be able to help me really quickly, some history stuff?”

“Oh, uh, sure! Let’s grab the room there?” He gestured at one of the study areas, separated by a door from the rest of the common area. 

Vigil carried his bag inside. He watched Jack go grab his own satchel, as Miguno settled across from Durham for chess. In another corner he could see Juno with a group of koalas, now that the commotion had washed away, pointing at their notepads with a pen. Briefly she looked up at him. Her blue eyes had a curious gleam to them: not hostile, but definitely with intent behind them. He looked away as he disappeared into the room, already sitting when Jack entered. 

“Alright, history, history,” the dog sat down, pulling a pair of thick-rimmed glasses from his bag. He rested them across his snout. His ears perked up and he leaned forward. “What you got?”

“Uh, well, we’re already starting to look at paper topics, and obviously I imagine everyone has an idea of what they’re going to do. But, uh, I don’t know pre-war history.” Vigil tapped his fingers together. “Like at all? And I was hoping you might have a good idea of a topic I might find interesting?”

“Sure thing!” Jack beamed. Vigil had grown to be more comfortable with the smile. “What I’d suggest is, don’t go for the big things. Everyone does the big things, and you’ll cover them in class. Go for the little things — teacher likes it better if you’re unique. So, the Bovine Grass Famine, or the Odd-Even Ungulate War, everyone does their paper on that. Is there any particular kind of history you like?”

“Oh, anything you think I should know.”

At that the dog cocked his head. Blinked. Vigil felt like he’d suddenly hit something sensitive, and began to feel uncomfortable. Jack raised his hand to his snout, resting a knuckle against his lips. His eyes flitted back and forth, before landing on the human again. “Why exactly did you ask me?”

“I mean… you’re really smart! And you’re, honestly, the closest friend I have here.” 

Jack’s gaze faltered at that. “Right, yeah, that makes sense. And thank you, I just, you know, can’t tell you anything sensitive…”

“Sensitive?”

“You know, our history.”

“Sensitive, about your history? Like, you don’t want to talk about it?”

At that Jack seemed to relax. “Okay, so… you weren’t trying to get things out of me?”

“Trying to… what are you talking about?”

“Okay, uh, you know how social studies goes Pre-War History, Post-War History, and then a species civics class?”

“Yeah?”

“Well…” Jack bit at his lip, gave a nervous laugh, “you see, uh, the smartest students in the school, only the top five, they’re enrolled in special history classes. And uh, heheh, we learn about stuff that other students don’t.”

Vigil could hardly believe what he was hearing. For a moment the silence lingered. The housemother swished past the door in a hurry. “You mean, I’m not even getting the real history in class? No one is?”

“It’s not like that!” Jack waved his hands. “The history’s not fake or anything. It’s just, they take out the stuff that makes people angry at each other. You know, it’s like… in post-war stuff, people learn that species got along after that, and that they should get along. All the other stuff makes them unhappy. But a few people gotta know it all, and you know, I guess I’m an alright person for the job. Heheh…” he smiled, in a way that looked like he wanted nothing more but to grimace instead. “At least it means I got a nice life plan. You take the special classes, you’re basically fast-tracked for the civil service. I could even be on the All-Organism Council one day… that’d be nice, right?”

Vigil listened in quiet, jaw hanging. All this time Jack’s attitude had seemed relatively normal, if not a tad overbright. But seeing him now, even as the dog joked and ended on a happy note, something in his eyes reflected fear. Discussing this seemed to weigh dread upon Jack’s face. He slowly nodded along to be polite. He bit his lip. “You know, if the secret stuff is like, dirty laundry kind of things… I probably already know it.”

The dog cocked his head. “What?” A couple security guards rushed past the door now.

“I mean, it comes with the whole ‘animals are scary’ mentality, we hear the stories. But even if it’s exaggerated, I’m sure it’s at least partially true. Not to mention we kept a LOT of records about everything they did to us.”

Jack listened… and suddenly gave a snort. “Sorry, I just thought of something… I know all the good and bad animal history. Everyone else only knows the good. You only know the bad,” he snickered.

“Heh, yeah. But, I guess a ‘sensitive’ topic wouldn’t be good for a paper I need to hand in. Maybe something like a famous artist? She said we could do biographies.”

“Hmm,” with the topic changed, Jack seemed comfortable again. He leaned forward, brow furrowing, clasping his hands and resting them against his chin. The dog looked into the distance. “The Couleurants might be interesting for you. It was a bird movement that had a big impact, not just with arts but with political thought, I think you’d…” His ear twitched, and he looked out the door window. “What the heck?”

Vigil was already standing. People gathered around outside; a frantic atmosphere seemed to fill the room. He stepped out to hear the commotion, Jack right behind him. “Legosi, what’s going on?”

“I saw it, I saw it!” A large tiger with wild eyes looked about from the center of the crowd. “Holy shit, who do you think it was?!”

As Vigil came close, he could see Legosi near the edges. The wolf spied him. “Uh, maybe you should… go back inside, I don’t know if you want to hear this…”

“Why, what happened?”

Another voice, from an elk, “Bill, Bill! You sure?”

“I heard ‘em,” the tiger insisted. “Human blood! In the teacher’s lounge!”

“Bill!” Aoba elbowed the tiger. “Shut it!”

“What, that’s what they said! Can you fucking believe it, one of the teachers!” 

“Bill,” the eagle gritted through his beak, before gesturing his head at Vigil.

The human felt his stomach lock up, “It’s fine.” He felt self-conscious saying it now… “If there’s something like that, I want to know about it. Really.”

Aoba looked over him, before nodding. 

“Bill, what else did you hear?”

“Hm? I just said it! Human blood, teacher’s lounge. Though apparently it was just an empty vial, but they could smell it.”

“Did you get a whiff of it?” A leopard came up to the side.

“Nah, though I tried!” Bill laughed. “Shoved me away before I could even get close to the door…”

The guffawing and bragging faded as Vigil stood there. He knew this happened in the world, and he knew it was a risk coming here. But actually hearing about it so close… he looked down at his own hands, and the blue-green vein running just under his wrists. 

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. 

“Let’s get back,” Jack gestured to the study room.

Chapter Text

A couple days later, Vigil stepped through the door of the garden. “Hey,” he called.

Haru stood over one of the beds with a trowel and some seed packets. She had already heard him come in. “Hey,” she looked around. “Not much to do today. If you wanna water, that’d be great. Oh, and pull any weeds you find, just make sure you don’t pull out any seedlings!”

“Got it,” he strode past her, scratching at his hair. Within a minute he had the hose and was spraying down the flower beds. Silence reigned for a bit.

“So, you’ve been here a week now. How’s it all been?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s been good! You know, just trying to be friendly, not step on any toes,” he probed. “I’ve been learning a lot, both in class and being about.”

“That’s great! You got everything resolved with the Seaspeak class?”

“Yeah, a resolution at least.”

He turned to the bed of lilies now, and began to mist them. The flowers bent their heads as droplets ran down their leaves and stems to drink from their roots. He watched the gentle petals, kneeling to see them closer, until he heard Haru’s voice again. “Hey, remember a few days ago?”

Vigil paused. “I dunno, a lot of things happened a few days ago?”

“You know. Asked me about a wolf and rabbit being together.”

“Uh… yeah. Sorry about that?”

“Hm.” He could hear her little steps come up to him. “I’ll forgive you if you let me pay it back. A stupid question for a stupid question.”

He blinked. “...sure?”

“Hmmmmm…” she stopped right beside him and looked up. So close, he could see just how small she really was compared to him. And yet, when she narrowed her eyes, had that devious smile on her face, he felt like she was every bit in control. She was relishing this moment. “Alright then… did you ever perform?”

“Perform?”

“Like in those human shows!”

Vigil gave a sigh, his cheeks burning a bit as a shy grin tugged at his lips. “I, uh, yeah… I was on stage a few times. More than a few actually.”

“Oh wow,” she grinned. “So what’s the secret? To human magic?”

He furrowed his brow. “You want me to tell you our deepest darkest secrets? No no.”

“Come onnn,” her ears tilted to the side. “I know it’s not real magic.”

He’d been taught how to react to this, “If that’s what you want to believe, then go ahead.”

“Look, maybe you fool a lot of animals with that,” she shook her head, “but there’s no such thing. It’s all tricks. I know. But I still wanna know how you do it! Come on?”

Vigil bit his lip, trying to keep up his cool with this grilling. “If I did magic for you, I’d probably be expelled from both the school and the community. It’s very secret”

“Aw come on, please?” Haru offered a bright grin. Vigil kept his gaze solid… until she finally sighed. “Fiiiiiine. At least show me one of the other tricks you know. Like, can you juggle?” 

“...yeah, I can juggle.”

“Juggle something!”

“Something?”

“Here,” she held up her trowel. “Juggle this !”

He held it in his hand, turned it over. Vigil cocked his brow. “Nah, it’s not safe. We have special knives we use, weighted and everything. If I try to juggle this,” Vigil lifted it up and set it against his forehead, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

“Yeah, that’d be an… unfortunate thing,” she snickered. “But okay, what other stuff can you do then? How about trapeze?”

“Pfft, I’m not built for trapeze,” he held out his arms to show. “But let’s see… I’ve done fire breathing, glass walking… and just a lot of sleight of hand stuff. Tricks, like you said.”

“Can you do something with that?”

“No fire up here, I don’t think you want me to start breaking glass, and I can’t do sleight-of-hand when you’re expecting it. That’s the whole point, it’s when you don’t expect it,” he shook his head. 

“You know,” Haru rested her knuckles on her waist, “you’re not making a very good case for being magic.”

“What, fine, I’ll lift my hands and make it rain on my command, o ye of little faith,” he shook his head theatrically. “But seriously, I just need to prepare them. I’ll see if I can get some stuff put together next time, okay?” Vigil went back to watering the lilies. 

For a second it was quiet except for the hiss of the water. “...I mean, only if you want to.”

“Well you were so curious about it. I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

“I know, but I was just curious. If it’ll get you in trouble…” she looked away. “And I’m sorry if I went too far, about it.”

“Oh it’s okay.” Technically a lie “Uh, I’m sorry for assuming that wolves and rabbits regularly got together?”

At that she let out a laugh, “Okay, you’re right. Now we’re even?”

“Even as… I don’t know, I went into that so confidently,” he shook it off. “Even, leave it at that.”

“Agreed.” Haru turned back to the lilies. She knelt down over the edge of the planter, prompting Vigil to cut the water. She plucked a green shoot from the soil, “Gotcha,” she grimaced at it before tossing it aside.

“Good catch,” Vigil muttered, going back to the water. He thought more about what she said, and he could tell she was kind of embarrassed. Would explaining more just make it more awkward? “...thing is, some people in the community, they get really into the stage shows. A lot of the really great people you see in the center of the acts, they’ve been doing it their whole life. But I never really… you know, the stage wasn’t for me.”

She nodded, “I know what you mean, I’ve never really been one for attention. I kinda like being able to just do what I want in peace, without everyone staring at me.”

Vigil bit his lip. “Yeah, exactly,” he left it there. Then he thought of something. He bent over her head, trying to see the dirt. “Is that another weed there?” he pointed past her face, his hand just brushing her cuffs. 

“I don’t think so, looks like something we want in there.”

“You sure that’s what it’s supposed to look like? Check the seed packets,”

“Alright, sure, but I’m telling you…” she reached for her blouse pocket - and found nothing. She patted herself down. “What the heck?”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

She whirled around to find him holding them up, between two fingers, a smirk on his face. She blinked. Then narrowed her eyes. “Can’t believe I fell for that…”

“It’s all about what you expect,” he returned them, “and don’t expect.”

“Yeah?” Haru took the packets back, “Well  I expect we’re going to decorate the halls a bit today. It’ll be nice to carry two vases at a time…”

Every Wednesday, Baritus sat in his office to grade his weekly test. Since it took so long, he ordered stir-fry delivered to the front of the school. Most people wouldn’t have noticed.

Ward had noticed it long ago. And when it happened today, it’d be his chance to act.

He pushed along his yellow barrel, lined with plastic, the handle of his broom sticking out. Cleaning supplies hung out the pockets on the side. He had on his usual attire - black pants and shirt, with a black apron on, and a matching cap. Blue latex gloves covered his hands. The wheels rattled as he pushed into the cafeteria.

“Afternoon,” he nodded at Gon as the tiger passed by.

“Evening,” the headmaster waved back with a polite smile. 

Ward kept going, arriving right at the counter. “Trash?” he spoke up. 

“In the back,” the human at the food counter, Opal, thumbed over his shoulder. “Help me with it?”

Dammit. Ward left his barrel sitting in the nearly empty cafeteria as he followed Opal into the kitchen’s storeroom, also empty. He peeked over his shoulder before asking, “What’s wrong?”

Opal folded his arms, looking about, “Bear came in about fifteen minutes ago. Picked up a sandwich,” Ward felt a sigh escape him. “What do we do, bail on it?”

“We can’t, it won’t be good after today.”

“No, I mean…” he growled through gritted teeth. “...kid said he didn’t want help, okay? I think we need to respect that.”

Ward lowered his brow, showing more of the silver in his hair. “This is about more than him right now. It’s about all of us, remember? We need to think big picture, and we’re not gonna get a chance like this again. If we wait another week and buy another box, that’s just more risk. We act today.”

“Okay, but how? He’s not gonna order today!”

Ward held up a gloved finger… before reaching into a pocket on his apron. He pulled out a bottle of pills. “Grabbed these off him the other day. Here,” he held them out. “You call him up and say that you found them on the ground here. Ask him to come pick them up. Then I go while he’s out.”

Opal bit at his lip. He still seemed hesitant.

“No matter what, it’s going to be good for the school in the end.”

“...alright,” he shook his head, “I’ll get it. Here,” he motioned to one of the back shelves. He slid aside some boxes of salt, and behind them sat a small plastic bag. Ward could feel the slim items inside as he grabbed it and stuffed the whole thing into his pocket the best he could.

“Wait for me to clear the room, and then call. Keep your own phone close in case I need anything.”

“Got it.”

Ward went back to his barrel. His heart pounded harder now as he pushed it out of the room, The wheels clacked on the tiles, louder it seemed to his more alert senses. But all the while, he kept his face neutrally friendly. A group of feline football jocks passed by. “Hey Mr. Ward,” they gestured.

“Hello,” he grinned back, lifting a hand. “Ready for the off-season?”

“Off? Football’s never off!”

“That’s the spirit,” he laughed as he kept on, eyes scanning the hallway. Soon enough, he saw Baritus turning a corner, and he pushed his barrel to the middle of the hallway to let the bear pass. He didn’t show any reaction, but internal alarm spiked his heart. His fingers scrambled for the phone in his pocket. He typed out a message to Opal:

BARITUS BROUGHT TEA WITH HIM.

The bear took another sip as he lumbered along.

STALL AS LONG AS YOU CAN. WILL MAKE IT WORK.

That’s right, he’d make it work. He had to. With his and Opal’s complaints on the record, with the evidence the school would find, going through with this had a guaranteed outcome. He’d spent hours digging through Baritus’ trash just to allow this to work.

He would make it work.

Ward pushed open the door to Baritus’ room, leaving his bin outside. First he proceeded to the desk, pulled the drawer open. He drew the bag from his pocket. Slipped the first two items inside. Then the real stinger…

The white case.

He opened it with his gloved hands. Seven of the eight vials remained inside. He drew another one out before resting the case open in the drawer, and then stuffing the trash bag back into his pocket. No drink on the desk. Ward glanced around, teeth clenched. 

Where could he put this? 

His phone buzzed. BARITUS HEADING BACK. Shit. He pulled open the other drawers looking for ideas. The sandwich might work, but it’d stick out so much against the bread.

That’s when he heard the spritz. 

Ward looked at the air freshener on Baritus’ desk. A bottle of oil fed into it. His mind worked fast, and his stomach dropped. This… this wasn’t going to go according to plan. But it’d do what they needed it to. This was about all of them after all. He worked quickly…

Baritus headed back through the hallway, still looking at his strength dampeners. The tea in his other hand sloshed about with every heavy step. He had no idea how his pills ended up in the cafeteria, but he had a sneaking suspicion. These humans probably were on a campaign of harassment against him, eager to make his life miserable in any way. Petty, he spat to himself. All he wanted to do was sit down, eat, grade the papers and then head home. But as he came up to his door, he saw the trash can outside. He huffed. So help him, if Ward was inside messing with his stuff…

He pushed open the door.

Blood hit his nostrils.

Baritus felt his mouth clench. His heart quickened. His breath caught. For a second he felt the jolt run through his body. Then looked down. 

Ward had slid right up to him. A vial in his gloved fingers. The last dribbles of blood dripped into the bear’s tea, before the human forced the glass tube into the bear’s hand alongside the pills. Then he just stood there. Taking a deep breath. Wincing as he closed his eyes.

Baritus looked down. This. This was it. This was their plan. Slowly, the hand with the pills and tube clenched. Tighter. Tighter than his teeth gritting. Tighter than the snarl crossing his face.

The plastic and glass shattered at once.

The next thing Ward knew, he was flying.

He felt a slam jolt every bone in his body as his back hit the wall across the hallway. He slipped to the floor, prompting a wheeze from his lungs. Warmth bled from his face, blinding his right eye, making him only see part of the polar bear approaching with a predatory gleam

“HELP!” The human screamed, while Baritus loomed large in the doorframe, eyes wild and furious, fingers clenched and shoulders hunched, breathing heavy. He screamed again. One hand clasped over his bleeding face. The other struggled backwards across the floor. Every movement shot pain through his shattered ribs. The bear came closer, ready to maul him...

Just down the hall, Athaba flung open her door. “What in the—” the bison began, before she saw Ward crawling away pathetically, the bear nearly upon him with teeth snarling. “BARITUS, YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!” By the time the words were out of her mouth she’d charged down the corridor. Ward saw her coming, watched Baritus turn and try to grapple with her

But there was no winning a grapple with a bison.

Athaba pinned down his head with a hand, knee in his back, and started shouting “Security! SECURITY!”

At the same time Vigil and Haru wandered through the halls, the human carrying a potted lily in each arm, chatting. But panicked students rushed by. “What’s going on?” Haru stopped one of them.

“Teacher went crazy, attacked the custodian!” the squirrel kept running.

“The…” Vigil felt his stomach drop. “Ward!” 

Ward struggled to keep himself awake, dazed by everything, time slipping by. Students gathered around. Athaba tried to keep them back as three security officers wrestled Baritus away. A tortoise nurse dabbing at his wounds as he babbled, “He just attacked me, and I could smell blood…” 

Down the hall, Gon came running. 

His suit jacket billowed behind him on either side. His hands were out as he breathlessly took in the scene. Ward watched with his mouth hanging open from the trauma - but he had to see. 

One of the security officers, a dingo, gestured him into Baritus’ room.

Gon stepped over the broken doorway to stand in the jamb, as the white-gloved officer went behind the desk and opened the drawer.

Ward knew what was Inside, what the dingo was looking at. A credit card, less than a week old, tied to Baritus’ identity. A cheap smartphone. Prepaid, with a message history and the cash app installed, linked to that card

But that’s not what the dingo pulled out.

Instead he pulled out a deep crimson vial. Held it up with a grim face. Glaring from it to Gon. Ward could see it just over the tiger’s shoulders, which slumped. 

Ward closed his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter Text

Vigil scrambled down the stairs, watching where students were fleeing from and dashing past them. He stopped one, a mongoose, “You heard the attack?”

“What, yeah!”

“Where?”

“Teachers’ offices!” That’s all he said before turning to run again. Vigil didn’t waste any time either. He hit the ground floor and nearly fell from going so fast — he had to grab the stair railing to keep himself from sprawling out. Around the corner, and he nearly ran into Baritus.

“Back kid!” The bear was flanked by a pair of large security officers. One of them, a moose, held out his hand. “Guy’s got himself drugged.”

“I’m not fucking drugged!” Baritus roared the best he could between his teeth. His jaw had been zip-tied shut, a stop-gap measure. Cuffs on his hands struggled to contain him. “I’m fucking framed! He put it in my drink, and my air freshener! I fucking saw him!”

The moose rolled his eyes, “Sure he did. Come on.”

“I SWEAR! You,” his eyes fixated on Vigil, “look what you fucking did, you happy now?!” 

“Go!” He was shoved forward, and Vigil pressed against the wall as he was taken away. 

Just after them came a dingo, also in a security uniform. His eyes were wild, and drool dripped from his mouth, as a gazelle held onto him. “Stay with me, stay with me…” the herbivore held a cloth over the canine’s snout, firmly guiding him towards the front of the school. Blood mania, the symptoms were clear. The human shook his head. No, no no no... he felt a pit of horror, but more than that, a blaze of fury. 

He kept going. 

A lizard with a camera dashed beside him, turning the corner and raising it. There was a flash.

“Don’t print that!” Vigil could hear Gon’s voice before he saw him. The lizard backed away, and despite the ridges on his head giving him an intimidating appearance, he was clearly frightened. “No student media here!”

“Sir, this has to go in the paper—”

“I’ll tell you what you’re going to print, later!”

“But press time’s at six—”

“You can wait until three in the morning if that’s what it takes.” Vigil finally came around the corner and saw, over the gathered crowd, the tiger with his glasses almost sliding off his snout. Gon still had his composure intact, but Vigil could tell it was an active effort for him. The lizard slunk away.

In the middle of the hallway, Athaba knelt over someone. Vigil couldn’t see who it was very clearly, just the hulking mass of the buffalo, but he was pretty certain he knew… on the wall just beside her Vigil could see an impact crater, where something had slammed in. Chemical wipes stained with blood piled in the corner. A mule security officer sprayed a cleaner into the office air, while another got Gon’s attention with a recorder in his hand. Behind all of them, and between them and Vigil, students had gathered to stare. 

“No cellphones, for — know what, go! Get out of here, back to your dorms!” Few obeyed the tiger’s roars, but one meek jackrabbit did. And where his head had been, Vigil saw him.

“Ward!” he blurted out. The old man was sprawled out. Athaba’s hands pressed gauze over his face, while she wound a bandage over his head and under his neck to secure it. Vigil started forward. That got the mule officer’s attention.

“Hey, hey! No crowding!”

“Look, I just gotta see him, okay?”

“Okay, see him. From there.”

“No, I need to talk to him!”

“You don’t get any special treatment kid, now stand behind—”

“Please,” the voice interrupted them both.  

Vigil turned and saw Juno, who had pushed herself to the front. The wolf looked at the mule, then gestured her head at Ward. 

“They were really good friends. And he doesn’t have a lot of people around here. Let him through.” 

The mule looked from Juno to Vigil. He set his jaw. “Just you.” He waved his arm in exasperation, still standing guard against the rest of the crowd. Vigil met Juno’s gaze… and gave her a grateful nod, before turning back.

Vigil knelt beside Ward. Athaba’s thick fingers proved surprisingly dexterous as she finished tying.  “This’ll be a little tight, let me know if you have trouble breathing…”

Ward gave a grunt, and a weak thumbs up.

“Careful now. Try to calm yourself…” she kept pressing down gingerly. 

Vigil bit his lip, before lowering his head to the ground. He could see Ward’s eye beneath the white cloth. It flicked over. “Hey, kid,” he groaned, doing his best to offer a smile. 

“Hey,” Vigil bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to word this. He knew that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to admit it in the open, but he had to know. Eventually he settled on a simple “What happened?”

The old man sighed, still keeping a softness on his face. “These things happen. Listen, they’ll patch me up. Might not even get a scar. I’ll be okay. Sometimes, animals just… don’t like us.” Then his gaze got pointed. “You take care of yourself alright?”

“Ward,” Vigil swallowed, “I promise I will. I’ve always been able to take care of myself.”

Ward blinked back. Vigil couldn’t tell if it was concern or pity on his face. Finally he breathed out, “At least get some friends to help you along.”

Before he could reply, Vigil felt a tap on his shoulder from the mule. “Right, that’s enough. Police are taking over now.”

The boy hesitated for a second. Then he stood again. Behind him, one of the other officers was whispering to Gon, “—this, the fact that… we still haven’t caught the animal that killed the alpaca last year. You don’t think that, Baritus could—”

“Not,” Gon snarled under his breath, “a word...”

Vigil let himself be guided away from the scene. Juno tried to catch his eye, but she seemed to understand that he was in no mood to talk. From the opposite end of the hall he could see a pair of Alsatians with blue peaked caps and badges gleaming on their chests. Keeping his pace measured, he turned the corner away. Then he let himself walk faster. 

Everything seemed to blur on the fringes of his sight as his heart pumped harder. His jaw clenched. His nostrils flared as he breathed heavier. Finally he reached his room and slammed the door shut. The cellphone sat on his dresser. He grabbed it and hit the quick dial.

“This is the Aldi human community, you’re speaking to Father Reed.”

“Dad, it’s me.”

His voice changed. “Vigil! What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, but…” he turned to check that the door was closed. He lowered his voice. “There was an attack. On the janitor, the human janitor.”

“What, are you okay?!”

“Yes, I’m fine, I promise.” He didn’t know how to say this, because the last thing he wanted was to make a false accusation. “...can I just ask you something though?”

“Sure?”

He gave a deep sniff. Kept his voice soft. “I… I think it might have been a setup.”

Again quiet. “You think I had something to do with it?”

“Well… look, I just don’t know!”

“...was he giving you trouble?”

“Yeah! Yeah he was! And how do you know that?!”

“Well, if you think I had some involvement, then you must think I had a motive. How bad was it?”

Vigil found himself turned about. “...it was one of the teachers. Kicked me out of his class.”

“Vigil, why didn’t you tell me? I could have done something about it. Not like that,” he cut in, “but I could have talked to the headmaster. That kind of thing’s not acceptable.”

“I did talk to the headmaster. And he said that he couldn’t do anything. I dunno, I just, I wanted to try and figure it out on my own? And not make a thing out of it.” He sighed.

“...I see,” Dad sounded soft. “I promise you, I didn’t know anything about it. I had nothing to do with it. And I would never do anything like that unless you wanted me to.”

The boy let out a long sigh, running his fingers into his hair. “...alright, thank you.”

“Of course. But you think that maybe it was a setup by the human janitor himself?”

“I’m like, seventy percent sure. The past week or so while this was all going on with the teacher, he kept saying that he wanted to help me. I told him the same thing I told you.”

“This man, what’s  his name?”

“You wouldn’t know him, Ward? He’s from the city enclaves.”

“Ahhhh…” Vigil could practically hear him shaking his head. “Nothing we can do then.”

“Yeah. I’m just worried now, if this causes so much trouble, I don’t know if I’ll be able to come  home for Rope Day.”

“We will bring you home,” Dad’s voice was solid. “You still want to, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then you’re going to be home for the new year. I don’t see any reason why you can’t. We have another two and a half weeks for things to blow over and calm down.”

“I just, if this turns into an investigation, I don’t want them to start suspecting us.”

“Well, did you have anything to do with it?”

“No, of course not!”

“Well if you had nothing to do with it, and I had nothing to do with it, then we have nothing to fear from an investigation.”

“I know, but it’d still be a lot of trouble for everyone.”

At this he snorted. “We’ve been living in lockdown for sixty, seventy years? Not much more trouble we can get into. And actually… why don’t you come home for this Saturday too? Flint’s been missing you, we’ll make your favorite stir-fry.”

“Thanks Dad, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea. Besides, I’m going to be doing something with Jack and his friends.”

“Really? What do you have planned?”

“We don’t know yet. Probably going to have to change after all this mess.”

Again, a moment of silence. “Why don’t you invite them along?”

“Dad, no.” Vigil stiffened. “That’s not a good idea right now.”

“You didn’t give it a lot of thought…”

“Yeah, it’s just not a good idea. I’m sorry, I just… they’re not exactly the most careful. And if there’s an incident, it’s going to be even worse now.”

“Well… just ask them. Please?” He was using that gentle voice, the one that made Vigil feel guilty about refusing him. “This whole arrangement, it’s about bringing our people together. You’ve learned about their way of life. Now give them a chance to learn about ours. And I can make sure there’s no incidents, I’ll let everyone know we have guests coming. Vigil… it would mean a lot to me.”

Vigil’s stomach twisted. But before he could answer, he heard a knock on the door. “Someone’s here. But I’ll ask them, I promise.” He didn’t know yet if he’d actually honor it.

“Thank you. See you again.”

“See you again,” he answered, before hanging up the phone. Vigil crossed to the door and opened it.

Standing in the frame was one of the Alsatian officers. “Vigil of Ardi? We’d like to speak to you…”

Chapter Text

 After Vigil shoved the vases into her hands and ran, Haru managed to leave them on a stand in the hallway before she followed down the stairs, slower of course. She reached the ground floor just in time to see a pair of nurses with a stretcher, carrying Ward past. Blood stained his gauze and bandages already. The sight of it stilled her… she sank to the steps, hands on her knees, and sat there. Her heart thumped inside her chest. She barely even knew what she was waiting for, but she recognized it alright when he approached from behind.

“Haru?”

She turned her head at Legosi’s voice, and shuffled over for him to sit down. As he did, his legs reached several steps down from her own. She could feel his body heat beside her. His tail ruffled behind them. “Hey, what’d you hear?”

“They said that Baritus went crazy and was attacking people. Is that true?”

“Well, person. He got the janitor.”

“The human one?”

“Yeah…” her soft voice hung pensively. Her fingers gripped her knees as she struggled with her words. “I saw him. He looked pretty bad.”

“Hoh…” the wolf’s ears drooped, “that’s terrible…” She could sense the apprehension in his voice, the second-hand embarrassment from a carnivore losing control. “Do you think, from what you saw, that he’ll be okay?”

“I think so. He seemed relatively okay, for getting attacked by a bear. Hopefully the infirmary can keep him stable until an ambulance gets here.” Haru glanced away. “...it also made me think.”

“Huh?” Legosi turned and leaned closer. His mouth slightly hung open, showing the points of his teeth. “What are you thinking about?”

She wished she’d kept her mouth shut now. The words weren’t coming to her quite right. “Just about things. You know, it’s… humans, they’re so big. And strong, and sure of themselves. I mean, not like a rhino, but you know what I mean, they’re pretty sturdy?” Legosi nodded to confirm his understanding. “And I just saw one of them almost get torn in half by a berserking bear. Then I look at myself,” she turned her eyes down to her hands, white and fragile…

The wolf took a deep inhale. “Haru… I would never do anything to hurt you. I promise.”

But she shook her head. “You would never do anything to try and hurt me. I believe that. But… how can we know for sure? It’d only take one moment of weakness…”

His head bowed. Those sharp eyes stared straight ahead. His tail stilled, and Haru felt afraid that she’d crushed his feelings. There was quiet.

“I said I promised.”

With that Legosi stood up. Haru did the same, but he was already walking away. “Legosi?” He wasn’t angry, she could tell that much. Otherwise, she had no idea what he had gotten in his head…

As Legosi walked for the side door, he passed by a small meeting room. Vigil sat inside. Tables sat in a rectangle, and two dozen chairs were arranged for a seminar. On the opposite wall was a whiteboard, which still had notes from an amphibian health class about keeping their skin healthy as puberty continued to exact its toll on their bodies. His eyes skimmed down the bullet points about proper bathing techniques, substances to use, substances to avoid…

“Hey,” the Alsatian sitting right in front of him snapped his fingers. Vigil’s eyes snapped back to attention. He’d been trying to prepare. He felt nervous. Sure he had nothing to hide, but still… The Alsatian pulled out a small camera and arranged it to face Vigil. He clicked a button, checked the screen. “This is Officer Emil of Cherryton Police Fourth Precinct, currently sitting inside Cherryton Academy, responding to case of attempted predation by a teacher.” His eyes flicked to the human. “Introduce yourself.”

“Uh,” he looked down at the lens facing him. “My name is Vigil. I’m from the human community Ardi? I’m a student at Cherryton?”

“Thank you. Are you aware of why I’m speaking to you?”

Vigil swallowed, and looked to the side before answering. “I know there was just an attack, like you said. I’m guessing that’s why you wanted to talk to me. The attack was on a human…”

“That’s right. We want to get a better idea of the motive behind this predation incident. Now I’ve spoken to the principal, he said that you had had some friction with Baritus recently?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” he spoke with a sigh. “It was... something about not being able to take his class. He said I wasn’t qualified, even though most other people I thought I was. But I already transferred to another class, it’s not a big deal.”

The dog nodded, his sharp ears gently moving up and down. He folded his arms and set them on the table. His blue uniform came down to his elbows, leaving his golden forearms showing. Vigil eyed those claws for a second. “How was your relationship with the victim, Ward?”

“Ward?” Vigil tried his best to suppress his reaction. He had an idea he knew where this was going, but he couldn’t tell if he had hidden his fear. Hell, maybe by trying to hide it he’d given himself away. “I mean, he was one of the two humans who were here before I was. So yeah I talked to him, and he gave me pointers.”

“Alright,” the dog nodded again. “Did you notice anything unusual or suspicious from him before tonight?”

“Uhm…” he pursed his lips… and then gave a weak chuckle. “I mean, considering where I grew up, everyone looks suspicious to me around here. I don’t even really know normal. Nothing that I’d remark on at least.”

Yet another nod. “Where were you when the attack actually took place?” 

Shit. Vigil could only think of one reason he’d ask that. “I was in the garden. You can ask Haru the dwarf rabbit, I was with her. I heard someone say that Ward had been attacked, so I came running.”

“Got it. Now, the headmaster told me that you came to Ward, and said something back and forth with him after the attack. You seemed upset,” he gestured with one hand, “which is normal, but he described it as you being… frustrated. What did you and Ward say?”

Shit. “Ah, he… he told me to take care of myself. I told him I would, but he seemed to think I wasn’t taking it seriously. I dunno, it was just a lot at the time. Very, you know, his face was bleeding and everything.”

“I understand, these incidents can be frightening.” Something in the tone of his voice gave Vigil the idea that the dog did not understand. “Is there anything else you know about this incident that you think might be helpful for us?”

He looked about, pretending to think. “...no, that’s about it. Sorry I can’t be more useful.”

“Don’t worry, every little bit helps. You’re free to leave.”

The human hesitated for a moment, before standing out of his chair. He stepped back away from the dog, who was leaning forward to stop the recording. He opened the door. Stepped out. His heart hammered in his chest. 

He needed something to eat.

With all his thoughts buzzing he barely even saw his feet on his way to the common room. He pulled a crumpled hundred yen bill from his pocket and fed it into one of the machines. Other animals were sitting around him. Staring. He could feel it. The machine rejected his bill. With a sigh he grabbed it and tried to smooth it out. Come on, he just needed something to eat and then get to his room…

“Hey?”

Vigil froze. Then turned in place. Jack had his head tilted, eyes concerned. The retriever’s tail swished behind him. 

“How you doing?”

“I — Fine, really, I…” he looked into Jack’s eyes. “...I dunno, the police talked to me. I think they’re suspicious of me and Ward.”

“Ugh, no,” the dog shook his head in disgust. “Listen, if you need someone to testify that you’re a good person, or anything like that? I’ll do it, okay?”

“Thanks, but I don’t think you’ll need to do that. I think it’s just gonna go away.” The bill fed into the machine again — and got spat right back out. Vigil gave a grumble and tried to flatten it again. Then he paused. “By the way, uh, I promised my dad something?”

Again the dog tilted his head.

“He wanted me to come home this weekend, and told me to invite you and the others. But I told him that it’s probably not a good idea, I know you’re busy with your advanced classes, so it’s okay if you can’t come.”

“No, I can,” he smiled.

Vigil paused. “No no, I mean, he wants me to come home to the village. So he’d want you to come in with me.”

Jack looked side to side, a confused smirk on his face. “Yeah, I got that. Is something wrong?”

“Well you know, just the, you know, wanna make sure that it’d be safe, and you’d be comfortable, don’t wanna pressure you to come.”

“I know. But I’d like to see where you live! Just like you came here!” His tail beat faster.

The boy bit his lip, looked about in frustration, before leaning closer. “Okay, the deal is, I don’t know how people are going to react to seeing a pack of dogs in the village.”

Jack just shook his head in amusement. “Well do you want us to come or not?”

“Look—it—” he sighed again. “I.. I do, want you to visit. We always get cops and inspectors coming in to look at everything, and I’d like to do that for someone who I’d actually want to show everything to. But at the same time, I’m just afraid you might get hurt. Dad said he’d let people know ahead of time, and they usually listen to him, but on the off chance something happens…”

“Hmmmm… how long would it be?”

“Not even a day, maybe a few hours?”

“A few hours,” Jack repeated. “What’s the worst that could happen in a few hours?”

“...would you like me to make you a list?”

“Look,” Jack pressed his hands together, looking to the side as he thought to himself. “If a pack of dogs is a bad idea, maybe it’s just me, or a few of us? At least at first.”

Vigil said nothing for a while. 

“And you’re worried about this because an animal just attacked a human?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Vigil felt a tinge of relief. Maybe he was about to understand.

“Then I think that’s why I should go. It’s about animal-human relations, goodwill and trust.” His eyes now fixed on Vigil. “And I trust you.”

Oh no. Vigil felt his stomach clench. They’d only known each other a week, and yet this dog was willing to put that much faith into an offer? If he’d been more malicious, he could have just offered Jack a one-way ticket into a trap, blundering his way into being a hostage… or worse. 

Was that trust also programmed into them?

“I’ll see what I can work out with Dad, if you’re sure?” Vigil watched the dog affirm. “Okay, I’ll let him know.” He fed the machine a bill again. Rejected a third. “You got a hundred yen I can exchange for?”

As Jack dug in his pockets for coins, Gon passed by in the hallway. The tiger had one hand running over his head. The other pressed his phone to his ear. “Soon as possible,” he confirmed. “We need the hallway cleaned before morning.”

“Right, uh, let’s see… we could get a team there in an hour, for tile scrubbing and wall repair. Based on your description though there might be an additional materials charge associated for more severe—”

“It’s fine,” he waved it away. “As soon as possible, that’s my priority. But, I also wanted to ask about your commercial services? The person attacked was our custodial, and we are going to need someone to fill in.”

“Of course sir! How long would this arrangement be?” 

Gon rounded the corner back to the scene of the crime. Yellow caution tape now barricaded either end of the hallway. Police were snapping photos of the wall and the bloodstains, wandering in and out of the polar bear’s office. 

“... I’d say a week at first, until we can get a better idea of our long term needs?”

“Of course sir, that’d be fine!” As she spoke in one ear, one of the antelope officers spotted Gon and gestured for him to come forward. “How will you be paying for our services?”

“Uh, hold on,” the tiger lifted a finger to ask the officer for a moment. “Can you email the invoice and contract? I’m at [email protected].” 

“Absolutely! That’s headmaster at Cherryton Academy, dot EDU?”

“You got it. Need to go now, but thank you!” He hung up as the antelope approached. “Sorry, getting it sorted out. Is something the matter?”

The officer didn’t say anything. He just stared back. Then he gestured with his head, taking the tape off the wall. Gon hesitated before stepping through and being guided around the crime scene. He followed all the way to the front door… and began to grow frustrated, as he realized exactly what was going on. “He’s waiting for you. Just keep walking.”

Out the front entrance was a wide cement plaza lined with trees. A trail led from the door and cut through the grass, leading to the roadside. Gon stepped towards it. By now, twilight crept into the sky. Up ahead he could see the road, and beyond it the tips of the city’s taller buildings.

His line of sight was blocked by the figure stepping out in front of him. “Headmaster.”

Gon stopped. “Yafya,” he clasped his hands in front of himself. “I hope you understand I can’t talk long, we’re scrambling to cover everything. It’s just a predation incident though. We’ve got it under control.”

The horse lifted his snout as his eyes burned into the tiger’s. Gon hated that gaze. He could never tell what Yafya was thinking, all he could tell was that it spelled ill for him. “The second predation incident in a year, Gon. It’s a bad look.”

The tiger sighed. This was going to be one of those conversations. “Well we caught him this time. And it wasn’t fatal.”

A scoff, “You say that like you deserve a medal.”

“Okay, you can’t compare the situations anyways. Tem was a tragedy. Here we have a anthropophobic motive. And we got him! Look,” he shook his head, “what’s your point?”

The horse kept glaring at him, until he finally turned away. His tanktop barely covered his body, black fur gleaming in the dying sun, skinny jeans rough and weathered. He rested one lithe hand on his hip. Gon felt a renewed self-consciousness about how he was a few inches shorter than Yafya. “Wanted to let you know what we found.”

“Okay?”

A long exhale. “Six vials of blood, going to be testing it at the lab. Credit card in his name, going to run it by the company. And a prepaid phone, with messages with an unnamed number, asking them to drop something off.” 

“There we go then. Open and shut case. Not a problem.”

“Yeah.” Yafya looked back over his shoulder. One wild eye fixated on Gon. “That’s why I don’t like it.” 

The tiger furrowed his brow. “What, you think that… something else is going on here?”

That eye kept staring. Searching. Then he looked out past the shrubbery again. “You got two humans working here, right? The one that was attacked, and another one?”

Gon’s eyes lit up with realization — then shook it off. “Opal’s in the cafeteria, he’s been with us a few years. Never any trouble. And Ward… he was just attacked! You really want to accuse him of framing someone when his face got clawed off?! It’s ridiculous! I know your standards are different than mine, but that’s something even for you.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time a human engaged in self-destruction to ruin an animal’s life. Now what do you know about Ward?” he repeated.

“He’s been our custodian since before I was even here. He lives in one of the rougher parts of town.”

“Freedom Street,” Yafya assumed.

“No, not even close actually.”

“Hm. Any problems with him?”

“Every now and then he misses the train and shows up a half-hour late.”

“Any real problems with him?”

“No,” Gon felt increasingly miffed. 

“Any political actions?”

“Yeah, a few years ago we were going to remove these,” he gestured to the shrubs around him, “He stood in front of the trustees and said it’d be a shame because they’re so old, and the kids like them for shade when they’re free.” Gon slipped his hands into his pockets and willed himself to stand as tall as he could. “I’m telling you, he wouldn’t pull something like that off. And he couldn’t either.”

“Hm?”

Gon scowled, “Look, I’d never say this in front of him… but he’s custodial, okay? Before us he was at NEIL as a mid-manager. When the lab moved, they didn’t bring him along, he wasn’t smart enough. Now look, Baritus wasn’t the worst person ever. But he was never pleasant, and he made it clear that he didn’t like humans. And when Ward found him out, he went mad. Sometimes the simple story is the right one.”

Yafya just turned away again. His tail swished behind his jeans with a thousand hairs. His whole body’s weight was on his left foot as he thought to himself. “Baritus’ personality was really that bad?”

“Bad enough that I’d believe he did it? Yes.”

“Then why’d you give him tenure?”

“...because he was good at what he does. Hell to work with, but he could get his kids from Seaspeak I to Seaspeak IV in a year.”

“Must be a smart guy then,” Yafya kept looking away. “Would you say, smart enough to not keep his drug money and drug phone in his office desk?”

Gon felt trapped. He bit his lip. “...a mistake. That’s how we always catch these kinds of people anyways.”

“You’re right,” he let his voice hang heavy, “through their mistakes…”

The tiger felt his fur prickle. Suddenly he stormed around and jabbed his finger in Yafya’s face. “Look, you’re gonna go back to the council and tattle on me?! Tell them this, I’m doing what they said. They want integration so badly. But if they think it’s as simple as telling people to hold hands, well… it’s not, okay? I’m doing my best!”

All during the tirade, the horse didn’t flinch. He barely even blinked as the tiger roared at him. “Don’t worry, I believe you’re doing your best. You just have to think about my perspective, not just as the Beastar concerned with keeping harmony between species, but also as an herbivore, who is hearing a school headmaster pitch me the idea that, one of his teachers getting drugged on blood and assaulting a staff member, is the better interpretation of what just happened in his own school. One of our prestigious All-Species Academies, the one that has mysteriously not produced a Beastar in years—”

“We have a candidate,” Gon snapped. “And let me tell you, she is going to blow you away.” Despite his defiance, he could feel himself sweating. His job could be at stake. Worse, Cherryton’s seat on the Youth Committee could be at stake, demoted to a common school ineligible to nominate Young Beastars...

Yafya, meanwhile, seemed more at ease than ever. He tilted his head… and his eyes seemed to soften actually. “I don’t enjoy these hard conversations you know. I’d like for my job to be easy. And I’d like for your job to be easy. But that’s not the reality we live in, and just because it’s hard doesn’t give us an excuse to not follow through. Your role is to discover the best and brightest.” He tilted his head forward. “Do it.” 

With that he stepped back into the shrubs. Gon didn’t follow him, just watching Yafya disappear into the coming night.

Chapter Text

Gouhin resettled the cushion on his chair. He always liked to keep the place looking nice. Whenever people came in here, they were more often than not drugged half out of their minds. Every bit of calm and order helped to soothe their soul. He didn’t anticipate finding too many out there tonight. Thursdays were still a work night - it was Friday and the weekends when carnivores tended to overindulge and become a danger to themselves and others. But still, someone might be out there tonight, and he’d be there to help them.

...like he was there for Legosi yesterday?

The panda grabbed his bamboo staff, slowing to pause… that kid didn’t know what he was talking about. He shook it from his head. A childish impulse that the wolf would forget by tonight. Gouhin walked to his door, passing a window...

He stopped. Backed up, and glared through with a side-eye.

Legosi’s face and fingerpads pressed against the glass in expectation. 

The panda stared back. Without a word he lifted a hand, and jabbed his finger in the direction of the door. The wolf glanced in that direction, before finally understanding the instruction and darting towards the front of the house. Gouhin fumed, working up his steam as he stormed to the door and yanked it open. “I told you not to come back here.”

“I-I know, but I was thinking about what you said last night?” Legosi  was wearing his polo shirt and pants, hands clasped in front of him, his tail still. His ears flattened slightly against his head. He still had that slight hunch that Gouhin had always noticed about him. “If I... if I could somehow prove to you that I’m not gonna give up, would you train me?”

“I told you already, no. And don’t think you’re going to start coming here to harass me every night and get me to change my mind. It’s trespassing. And I’m not gonna call the cops on you - they don’t come down to this part of town. I’ll take it into my own hands instead.”

He whacked his bamboo against his palm with a thwock. Legosi’s eyes bulged for a moment. “Just, listen to me, okay?!” He raised his hands. “All my life, people always thought I was dangerous. Even as a pup. I’m a wolf, and that meant I was dangerous, even though I never wanted to be. But for the first time, someone sees me as… as more than a wolf. She feels safe enough to let me hold her, to… she, she’d let me kiss her, if I wanted.”

“Hold on,” Gouhin’s face turned to incredulity. “You’re doing all this for a girl you haven’t even kissed yet?”

“Yeah. No! I, look, I’m worried of what might happen if I try. That’s why I wanna do this. So that I can kiss her, without her being scared… without me being scared.”

The panda narrowed his eye. He looked straight into this kid’s soul. Looked back to when he tore through a pack of hardened lions to save this girl.

“I’ll prove to you, that I won’t give up. Anything.”

“Just piss off kid, it’s a fantasy. You’ll grow out of it by next week.”

Gouhin waved him away, but he stood fast. Shook his head. “I’m not going to grow out of it. I want to get rid of my instincts! I know it’s possible, I’ve seen people who do it! What about you, you don’t have any carnivorous instincts!”

“One, pandas naturally have lower predation instincts. Two, you don’t have what it takes. Those are soldiers, monks, people who breathe discipline.”

“I can be disciplined!”

The panda just snorted. “Just go do something kids your age normally do. Watch porn or something, you have better things to do with your time.”

“No! This is what I want! And, and I’m going to sit here,” Legosi crouched and sat on the porch, legs and arms crossed, “until you say yes.”

Gouhin cocked a brow. “So it’s trespassing then.” 

He readied his bamboo rod. He could see the wolf’s ears flatten even more. But Legosi’s eyes kept fixed on his, even if they wavered ever so slightly. He moved his staff back. Legosi tensed. 

Then he swung forward and down.

Legosi threw up his hands to shield his face. The fur on his cheeks ruffled from the air. Yet the rod hadn’t hit him. Gouhin kept it less than an inch above his arms.

“...you really want this, kid?”

The wolf looked up with wide eyes.

“You’re not coming here for it. But, I got a place that can help you. Get inside, I’ll give you the address…”

Louis sat inside the Happy & Heaven Jungle Market, waiting to meet the club’s owner. The deep bass of the techno soundtrack thundered around him. He’d had a whiskey to loosen himself up, and thankfully he’d had another salad earlier, courtesy of Ibuki. Having at least some part of his diet actually agree with him made this all a bit more bearable.

A crowd gathered around at the stage, spilling over to bump into the bar. Carnivores hooted and hollered at an okapi’s sensationalized strip. A skimpy steel cage barely protected her from the sea of lust about her feet. Smoke swirled sensually in the air, a smell that by now Louis had grown used to. He glanced around, before reaching into his jacket pocket. 

His fingers clasped the medallion. 

He pulled it out to look. The dull bronze caught the neon lighting, which cast the embossed logo of the Horns Conglomerate into sharp relief. Around it circled the company motto: “One world. One vision. One future.” Dross, Louis spat in his mind. Some feel-good message to paper over their intentional ignorance of the atrocities that bubbled beneath the surface of society. 

On the other side, his father’s face glowered up. This had been his own personal challenge coin. But that night at the manor, after he’d been walking away, Oguma had sent the butler after him with it. It seemed so after the fact. A final parting shot, delivered without comment other than “He wanted you to take it.”

He squinted his eyes at it. Tilted it about. Louis had already scanned it thrice over for any kind of bug. Maybe a tracker, something like that? But the metal proved monolithic, not a single hole or break. He turned it over again, thinking…

“Hey,” One of the servers approached, a sleek gazelle with a blouse and skirt that let her shoulders, midriff, and thighs all show off. “He’s ready for you.”

Louis pocketed the coin again, leaving his drink at the bar, and followed her lead across the floor. They passed the crowd to a door off to the side. A pair of white tigers in suits flanked it, with purple light shining down on them from above. They didn’t make a motion as Louis was guided inside. 

Purple now illuminated every corner, as he saw stairs that led up to the second floor, where an even larger tiger waited at another door. This time he held up a hand. They paused, and he turned to peek his head inside. “He’s here.”

“Well send him in!” A husky voice called from inside.

With that the tiger fully opened the door, nodding to Louis to pass in. The server stayed behind now, and the deer found himself in front of Big Man. 

The human owner of Happy & Heaven.

He was a ruddy man, wearing reflective shades and a white coat that parted to reveal his heavy stomach. Matching white pants and shoes caught the deep blue lights that colored every strand of his messy blond hair. Louis had already met him a couple times, and every time he wore the same cocky smile. It was like someone who had only read about a smile and tried to imitate one, certain they were correct. He lounged back over a zebra-stripe couch, feet propped on a coffee table and elbows up on the edge behind him. On the walls hung photographs of nude animals of several species, while the very furthest wall boasted shelves stocked with kitsch and trophies alike.

“August, let us talk private, okay?” The tiger nodded. “And Mio darling?” The gazelle stepped up beside Louis. “Why don’t you go get us something nice to drink, okay?” 

She also agreed. Louis stepped forward, hearing the door shut behind them. 

“Come on, sit! I promise I don’t bite…” 

The deer settled on the couch opposite, keeping his legs in front of him, fingers pressed together. He didn’t want to be hostile, there was no need for that with Big Man. But still, they weren’t friends here… “Right. So what’s going on?”

“Oh, business, business,” Big Man shook his head, “Can’t we just take some time to enjoy each other’s company first? We’re all friends here.”

“Mhm,” Louis gave a smirk. He let himself lean back, hands still on his thighs. “So, how’s the family?”

“Ugh, same,” his head fell back, “ex is a bitch, and Mason inherited it from her. Listen, okay, bit of free life advice,” he lifted a finger, his face still hidden except for his nose, “never have kids. Whatever you gotta do for it, don’t get saddled with ‘em. They do nothing but drive you up the wall.”

“Oh yeah?” Louis couldn’t help but be amused. Usually when parents said that, it was because their kid was being a delinquent. Delinquency was Big Man’s career. “What’s he up to?”

“Political bullshit. You know, all that whining and complaining stuff. The stuff you believe when you’re, what, five…” He raised his head again with a sigh, looking away. “I dunno what I’m gonna do with that boy.”

“Hm, can you try talking to him?”

That earned a scoff. “Yeah, I managed to talk at him. Then it just,” he motioned his hand in waves through the air, “Not a word of it.”

Louis nodded. At least Big Man was never a boring conversation, in the three times he’d actually talked with him. “You still think he’ll take over?”

“Uhp,” again he raised a finger. “I’d said I wanted him to take over. But if I actually tried to hand him the keys he’d burn this place down within a week. Not important though, because I’m not going anywhere for a long time!” He thumped his fist against his chest, making his body shudder from the impact. “Now you, settling in okay?”

“Yeah, it’s been kind of rough getting used to everything. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Gotta say I’m surprised that they haven’t—” The door opened behind Louis. He turned to see Mio returning with a pair of beers. “Oh perfect, wonderful. Here, serve our guest first.”

The gazelle popped the cap off a bottle and handed it to Louis, the mist still wisping from the top. He took a sip to be polite. She proceeded to Big Man and handed him his drink.

“Thank you, darlin’,” he took the bottle from her hand — and kept holding her hand. He turned it over to press his lips to her knuckles, then up to her wrist. Her eyes were steady, but Louis could tell her face was flushing. Flushing with what emotion, she hid very well. “Here, why don’t you join us actually. No no, I want you to, really…”

Big Man scooted over, and let her sit beside him. One arm wrapped around and gripped her opposite shoulder, holding her close. 

“So, where were we…” he motioned little circles with his bottle, struggling to remember.

“You were surprised they hadn’t…”

“YES! I was saying, it’s a miracle those lions haven’t eaten you yet. Look, I don’t wanna badmouth anyone, but the old guy runnin’ ‘em before? Mean fucker,” his nose scrunched when he said it, “I lost… yeah, three girls to him. Couldn’t fucking control himself.” He shook his head with a chuckle. Mio looked down without a word. “Let’s just say I’m glad you’re his replacement. If you need any help, just remember, my ear’s always open.” 

Louis nodded. He knew what was going on. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind. I appreciate it.” Show gratitude to Big Man, but avoid indebting yourself. It required a strong skill with words, as well as a mind quick enough to use it verbally. “But anyways, what did you want to talk about?”

He’d been taking a swig from his bottle. It popped as he took it from his lips, and sighed. “Fine, fine. Here, honey,” he turned his head, whispering in the gazelle’s ear, “can you get it for me? It’s in my jacket pocket, left side…”

With tender fingers she reached under his jacket, finding the pocket, and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. As she did, he kept talking.

“It’s the bullshit my son’s into. They keep leaving these outside, walking around screaming about it, and then last night they spray painted all over the sidewalk. I’m sick of it!”

Mio unfolded the paper to show. It was a flyer that sported three creatures holding their hands in the air. In the center was a human, sleek and stylized, with a sheep on one side and a lion on the other.  Rising above them was a golden X against red, and above that a bizarre dark monster retreating away. ‘SOLIDARITY FOR THE RESTORATION’ read the bottom. 

“I told him, ‘Don’t use my work for this.’ I told him to tell his friends. They don’t fucking listen. So,” he gestured toward Louis, “I’d like for you to help me with this. Don’t hurt ‘em, they’re just kids, but scare ‘em okay? That’s all I’m asking.”

Louis nodded. “And, to pay? You want to add it on your debt?”

“Oh no, no no no,” Big Man shook his head eagerly. That was the only topic that managed to scare the smile completely off his face. “I got something I think your guys would like…”

He tilted back, lifting himself off the couch. Mio leaned away as he stretched for something behind the seat… finally he got it, and sat back down, holding up a brown bag. He shook it, making a scratching sound, before tossing it across the table to Louis. He took another swig as he leaned back again.

The deer caught it easily, and peered inside. He could see a large bouquet of silvervine within.

“Down payment,” Big Man continued. “Every week I don’t see anything like this,” he nodded at the flyer, “I’ll send over another bundle. Sound good?” Another swig.

“Hmmm…” Louis closed the bag again and set it to the side. “Why don’t you just take care of it yourself?”

“Oh, I dunno. I just think a pack of lions will be a stronger message than just August. Right? I just, I want people to feel safe when they come here. We’re not just a club after all, we’re an institution. ” At that he pulled Mio a little bit closer. “We’re doing a community service here. Mio, dear, you told Louis your story before? Go ahead.”

Her eyes snapped to him. For a moment her mouth hung open. “I… I was…”

“When I found her,” Big Man took over, “she was starving on the streets. Has mutt twins, half-gazelle and half-zebra. Government won’t give her a dime. But now, she’s got a little home all to herself and her foals. They got food in their fridge. And,” he tilted his head, “we’re even saving up to get the little ones into the Academy. Look at that face,” his fingers brushed over her snout, guiding it to point at Louis. “Won’t you give a little bit of help so that they can have a future?”

Louis looked away. “Why do I feel like you’re going above and beyond to butter me up for a simple deal?”

“What, nothing, nothing! I just want you to know the important work we’re doing!”

“Mhm. And the money this month is still coming?”

“Of course it is! I’m just waiting for some things to come in, I practically got it already, it’ll be ready by next week when it’s due, I swear!”

Louis let out a sigh. He took the paper bag again and looked inside. “You sure there’s nothing else you wanted?”

Big Man raised his hands in incredulity. “What? What, you think I got ulterior motives? I just wanted to ask ya for a quick favor, face to face, check in at the same time. That’s all! Babe can you believe it? Would you think I’m so untrustworthy?”

“No, course not,” she shook her head.

He was just finishing the last of his bottle, tilting it all the way up, before stopping. “See? Being all suspicious of me, it breaks my heart,” he set his hand over his chest with a shake of his head. “But it’s alright, I don’t like to hold grudges. Here you go,” he handed his empty drink back to Mio. “If you think we’re good, we’re good.”

Louis narrowed his eyes. “...okay, we’re good.”

“We’re good! Sweetie, go let him out, will you? Oh, and have another drink at the bar if you want, on me!” He laughed.

Louis gave him a lopsided smile, “Appreciated, thank you.” 

Mio led him back downstairs. Before they reached the bar though, Louis paused, declining any more drink. Instead he watched the stage. The okapi in the cage had by this point lost almost all her clothes. Coins and bills fluttered in as the carnivores went wild over her - and some of them, he could see, were wilder than others. If the cage hadn’t been there, she would have been swept away and dashed against their insatiable appetites. All for the sake of cash fluttering in between the bars. All in debt to the human perched on his zebra-colored throne a floor above. 

Louis stepped outside. The quiet felt like a balm to his eardrums, the throbbing drum of the music stifled by the walls. Animals passed by, to and fro along the sidewalk. He eyed them for a moment before he went over to the side and climbed the ladder to the roof of the club. From up here he could see the glittering lights of Cherryton hanging in the night air. The bag crumpled in his hand as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Slipped it in his mouth. Reached for his lighter.

Something hard pressed into his back.

His ears perked up at the heavy voice. “Head of the Shishigumi, I presume?”

Yafya watched the deer freeze where he was. The tranquilizer rifle shoved right in the small of the kid’s back. He was barely an adult, but that didn’t matter when meat and blood and bone flowed from him to the rest of town.

“Who wants to know?” Louis finally answered. His hand stayed halfway to his mouth, lighter still in his fingers.

“I do. Now set the bag down, and step away.”

The deer slowly stowed away his lighter, before complying. He moved to the side. Yafya kept his rifle steady as he stooped to pick the bag up. He opened, allowing himself to glance inside.

“Silvervine. I could get you twenty years just for this.” He snorted. “Turn around.”

Again, Louis complied. The silver of the moon was faint, but… yep, that was him. 

“Louis… tell me, what’s going on here?”

He growled. “You know those guys that drop out of school and build computers?” He held his hands out to his side. 

“...are they using you like a puppet?” He turned his head to keep his vision complete. This reeked of a baited trap, but he could handle those. 

“I don’t know, you tell me. You don’t seem particularly surprised.”

Yafya narrowed his eyes. “Right then. You’re gonna play with the grown-ups.” He tightened his grip on his gun. “Yesterday, a teacher went feral and attacked a human custodial at the Academy. Know anything about that?”

“Yeah, it was all over the news.  Everyone knows something about it.” He tried to lift his lighter again. “Mind if I?”

“Yeah, I do mind actually. Drop it.”

Louis glared across at him. Then he released the lighter, letting it clatter to the ground.

“Now stop being a smartass. The blood, it came from you.”

Again, a glare from the deer. His measured voice came cold, “Before we talk about this any more, I’ll let you know that the Happy and Heaven is Back Alley Market territory. Cops aren’t supposed to be here; and I’m sure that not just my lions, but every dealer’s going to be upset to hear you were.”

Yafya snorted. “I’m not a cop, though, am I?”

He could see the processing on Louis’ face. The deer understood at once what was going on, and inhaled softly. “So, what makes you think I had anything to do with that blood?”

“Dropout, for one. And speaking to an active student, for another. That wolf girl who stopped by a few nights ago?” The slightest flicker on Louis’ face. Perfect. “She help you deal in the school? Selling meat to children?”

“She has nothing to do with this.” Louis looked him straight in the eye for that. No hesitation. “She’s… she’s someone that I know. And, I don’t think she’s touched meat for a moment in her life.”

Again a snort. “She’s got nothing to do with this? So there is a ‘this’ then?” Yafya took a step forward. Louis didn’t budge, even as the rifle came closer. Tough kid… “Tell you what. I’ll settle for the species of the animal that bought the blood from you.”

“I still don’t know why you think I would do anything like that. The Shishigumi are a community organization, we raise money for parks around—”

“Don’t even try that with me.” Yafya could see the smirk on the deer’s face. He was drifting away from where he wanted him to be. He had to rethink his strategy… “Okay, fine. You didn’t sell the blood at Cherryton.” The horse let the rifle barrel lower away. “I can accept that. But, if you were, hypothetically… what kind of animal would want to buy it, do you think?”

Louis tilted his head up. Thinking… Yafya let his weapon drop even further, yet made sure to keep an eye out around him. He had three hundred and fifty degrees of sight. But those last ten were all anyone needed to deliver a killing blow.

“I think…” Louis finally spoke, “if someone wanted to buy blood at a school, they’d keep their species a secret. Loose clothing. Hard to tell.”

“That’s fair. But, you’d still be able to tell at least a little, right? A big difference between a bear and a mouse.”

The deer again fell quiet.

“Just remember that whoever did sell that blood, I’d be more than happy to teach them a lesson myself. A very strong, hard lesson, that they wouldn’t forget, unless they decided to be helpful in a very separate investigation I’m doing.”

Louis looked away. “I think… if someone were to buy blood at Cherryton… they wouldn’t be a mouse.” His eyes glanced back. “They wouldn’t be a bear either. They’d be right in between, about as big as me. But I can’t really imagine any more than that.”

Yafya nodded. “I see… pleasant conversation,” he began to turn away. But paused. “By the way, Louis… Cherryton lost someone very special with you. If you ever need to come back… I think you’d make a fine Beastar.”

With that he strapped his rifle to his back, and took off.

Yafya’s legs propelled him across rooftops, away from the degeneracy of the Back Alley Market. Up here the wind blasted free. His mane billowed as he fixated on his destination. 

Cherryton Central Hospital sat in a plaza just detached from the main road. The horse dropped down in front of the main entrance, standing tall, before stepping inside. 

“Hello sir!” A mink sat at the front desk, smiling. “How can I help you today?”

“I’m here to see Ward, a human checked in last night from lacerations and blood loss.”

“I see. Relation?”

Yafya looked her dead in the eyes, letting the silence grow uncomfortable. 

“...sir?”

“Beastar.”

Her face paled. “R-right sir. I’ll pull him up straight away.”

“Thank you.” He leaned one elbow against the counter, staring around. The sterile floors and walls always depressed him. People never came here to be happy…

“Uhm,” the mink clasped her hands, looking at the screen in concern.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry sir, but, the patient… he was discharged earlier today.”

“...what?”

“It’s — sir, sir!”

Yafya set his hand on the desk and leapt over, to see the screen himself. Sure enough, that was his target. Discharged today, to a pair of family members. Except… according to his background, Ward had no living family members. 

“It’s normal sir, if no more care is needed!”

“His face had been clawed open. Don’t tell me he needed less than a day of care… where are your security tapes?”

Chapter Text

Juno turned as she stepped inside drama club, making sure to hold the door open.

“Oh thank you!” Kibi nodded as he passed by.

“No worries!” She smiled, taking extra care to not show her fangs too much. Herbivores always got frightened so easily. She had to ensure that she didn’t scare them. Let them see that yes, she cared about them.

Sanu waited for everyone to settle in and stand in a semicircle before him. As the pelican started counting heads, Bill stood right by  him, holding a stack of stapled papers in his brawny arms. “That should be everyone! Bill?”

The tiger stepped towards the edge of the group, and motioned with his head. Tao the panther took a stapled pack from the top. Then Bill moved on.

“Coming around are the scripts for the term production. We’re doing River of Red Hill. A real classic, always a crowd pleaser. And I was thinking, this year… we might try out a female River?”

Juno’s heart skipped a beat. Did he mean…

“Juno, you were a huge hit at the Meteor Festival. I was hoping, in lieu of Louis’ departure, that you’d be willing to—”

“I’d be honored!” She smiled. “I’ll do the best I can to make this the best River anyone’s ever seen!”

“That’s fantastic. Just bring that same energy to the stage and it’ll be great. Everyone else, let me know if there are any roles you’d be interested in. We’ll definitely need a Dame… er, Duke, in this case, someone who’d have good chemistry?”

Juno already knew who she wanted as her love interest. She turned to look at Legosi...who was slouched on the floor, his head against the wall, passed out. Despite it being the weekend he was dressed in his full student uniform, the green coat folded across his legs. Bill huffed and dropped the script in his lap. The wolf startled awake for just a moment, blinking about. “Unnnh…” His grey hands rubbed at his eyes.

“There’ll be a lot of double parts,” the pelican continued. “Probably have the tax collector in the first act be the shrine priest in the second, that kind of thing. Only a few roles will carry over both halves. We’re gonna need a Lord Fangwood though. Bill, I hope you’d be willing to audition for that?”

“Sure thing!” he brightened up, the load in his arms practically weightless now as he reached the end of the group. 

Sanu moved on to sets they’d need, like the forest hideout and the village square and the throne room. Juno watched Legosi struggle to even acknowledge what was being said. Dolph elbowed the wolf, hissing something about paying attention. Legosi briefly flinched as the hippo struck him. His eyes blinked open and one hand rubbed at his opposite arm. He’d seemed rather… out of sorts, the past few days. Maybe he was losing sleep, since he’d accepted that invitation?

Juno eyed the pelican, whose eyes stuck to his clipboard. She took the chance to step back towards Legosi. He’d pulled a bottle of tea from his bag and tilted it up over his snout, downing the whole thing. His throat bobbed. It made her mouth feel dry. “Hey?”

He lowered the bottle and stared right at her.

“Hey, when are you… going, today?”

“Oh, uh… you mean to the human place?”

She nodded.

“It’s kind of touch and go...  they only have a couple cars, and apparently they get used a lot, so it might be any time in the next couple hours or so. Honestly I wasn’t sure if I’d even have time to come into drama today.”

“Well I’m glad you did make it. And hey, I had an idea…” She tapped her hands together, as innocently as she could. “You and I, at the Meteor Festival, we were a big deal! Imagine how many people would come see the play if we were the leads together! Everyone would come, we’d fill the theater!” His eyes slightly widened. That’s right, she thought to herself, think of all the money that the drama club would get. That’d make Legosi care... 

“I don’t know, I’m not really that much of an actor. And my experience on stage has been… uh… well…”

“But it’ll be a chance for you to get out of your comfort zone! Try something new!”

“...but I kinda like my comfort zone.”

She sighed good-naturedly, but inside she could feel her exasperation building. “Come on—”

Suddenly his phone buzzed. He glanced down. “Oh, that’s… they’re coming.” Legosi leaned over to Dolph, already disengaging from his talk with Juno. “Tell Sanu I’ll catch up, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Juno stepped back as he stood. His fingers ran over his head, ruffling his fur as he screwed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath. 

“You sound nervous…”

“Hm?” He finally acknowledged her again. “Oh, it’ll be okay. Everyone knows where we’ll be, and I figure that they wouldn’t do anything if everyone’s expecting us back. I’ll see you later.” And then before she could say anything more, he turned.

“Legosi, hold on,” but he already was walking out the door. Juno stared after. For the briefest moment her teeth gritted, and her lips flared. 

No. Control yourself. 

Just keep working forward…

Legosi felt terrible. Yes, terrible from being exhausted, but also terrible that he was going to show up to Vigil’s home like this. He needed caffeine. He still had a little bit of time before they actually got here…

“Uh, another tea please?” He pointed at the drink fridge behind the cashier. “Any flavor.”

The marten working the counter was a student. Strange though… usually Opal was scheduled here. But, the human hadn’t been around since the janitor was attacked. Legosi swallowed a bit. He could feel his suspicion rise, and immediately felt ashamed about it. The guy probably didn’t feel safe, around this place… 

“Thank you,” he accepted the bottle and slid over a pair of coins, before heading to the front of the school. His sweater vest felt tight. For a moment he closed his eyes as he walked, just to feel something resembling the bliss of sleep. He should have waited until next week to start training with Gouhin. This morning he’d been up until two staring at a plucked quail, dangling from a meat hook like some macabre horror movie set. It compelled him like an itch compelled him to scratch - an itch that covered his entire skin, that if he scratched would only intensify. It took all of his willpower to resist. 

And this was only the beginning. 

He didn’t know if he’d be able to make it past the later stages. And if he snapped, and had a taste, he’d only become more dangerous to others, to Haru—

No, he’d do it. For her. Every time he doubted his resolve, every time he wanted to run away to make it end, he thought of her. And he remembered why he wanted, needed, to do this.

Didn’t make him any less tired though.

His head slouched more as he came out the front door of the academy and headed towards the road right at the edge of campus. He downed his drink… then realized he had nowhere to throw it away. Legosi sighed. Right… maybe wasn’t the smartest idea. And he didn’t want to just leave it on the ground. He stuffed the whole thing into his pants pocket as he took his jacket off his arm, and started to slide it on. 

Waiting at the end of the road were Jack, wearing the same school jacket and pants as he was, and Vigil, dressed in a black tuxedo. The rest of the 701 boys had been busy — some sincerely busy; and some, while friendly, weren’t exactly keen about going into a human settlement just yet.

“You look good,” Vigil nodded. 

“Thanks,” he gave a weak smile back. “I’ll fit in okay?”

“Well… in terms of dress, yes.” The boy was nervous, Legosi could smell it. And even if not, the way he only gave a thin smile, his eyes constantly scanning the road, it was obvious.

“Do I look alright?” Jack tilted his head about, pivoting on one heel to show his back. His tail stuck out below his coat.

“Yeah, you’re good! So, you remember the… the rules of everything?”

“Stick with you,” the labrador let his tail wag. His face filled with warmth. “And really, just don’t be stupid. We can do that! Right Lego?”

“Mhm. We won’t touch anything. Won’t even look at anything, unless you’re right beside us.”

“Good, good. And wear your medals, that’ll be important. Uh, if we get separated, stay in a public place and say—”

“Say ‘We’re guests and waiting for Vigil, please help us find him.’ We remember, we promise!” Jack looked away, over Cherryton. The morning haze obscured the outskirts. “I don’t know if this is rude to say, but I’ve always been so curious about visiting one of the old human manors. Not just to ogle, you know, but just to… know what it’s like. You hear so much and see so much but I want to know how it feels…” 

His voice trailed away, just as the car puttered up the hill. 

It dated back from at least thirty years ago, with a sloped boxy chassis and a low ride that wasn’t made any more. Legosi watched the black vehicle ride up, turn about, and stop in place before the engine cut. 

When the driver got out, he was a human dressed in all black, wearing a peaked cap. He faced Vigil first, placing a hand over his chest and nodding. Vigil returned the gesture. “Good to see you again.” 

“Yeah, you too,” he seemed to relax a little. “Here, uh, Jack and I,” he gestured to the dog, “we’ll sit in the back. Legosi, if you want the front it’ll have a little more room?”

The driver turned his eyes to the canines. Legosi braced himself to get back hatred or coldness or fear. Instead there was an exceedingly bright smile. “Of course! Your friend is more than welcome to the front seat. Might be more comfortable for someone of your stature?” He gave a slight stiff bow, arms by his side. Very friendly. Extremely friendly.

“Uh, sure, I’d like that.”

“I’m happy to hear it. And may I take a moment to say,” his head motioned with every phrase, “that it is our incredible honor to be welcoming both of you to our humble village. As the friends of our beloved Vigil, we will be sure to extend to you every kindness and hospitality possible. And while he intends to meet you in person, Father Reed wanted to repeat how pleased he is that you accepted our invitation. Now without further delay, and my apologies for such…” he turned in place, gripped the door handle, and pulled it open, motioning with a gloved hand. 

Legosi looked to Jack, then Vigil. The former’s tail wasn’t wagging. The latter seemed just as uncomfortable as he felt. But he couldn’t very well turn around now. 

The whole car rocked a bit as the wolf sat down. Even with the additional room, his knees folded and came up to his stomach. Vigil squeezed in behind him, and Jack behind the driver. The hardwood dashboard hit against his shins. And then when the door shut, Legosi winced - the window lever jabbed into his left leg. He tried to shift down in his seat, which only bunched up his coat and tail, and spared him a mere inch of space between his skull and the roof. His ears still had to splay to either side.

The driver came back in now. He turned the key; the engine took a few seconds to turn over. The car jolted forward, and started to roll towards the city. 

The ride felt like it’d last forever, not a word spoken between the four of them. Several times Legosi wanted to say something, to ask a question. He’d open his mouth and turn his head. Then the driver would look over. It was an expecting face. Ready to hear what he had to say. And yet the wolf could never get the nerve. If one strange human was getting to him this much…

The highway led from high-rises to cozy little homes and shops. Then those became sparser and sparser, large estates sheltered by trees or hills. And finally, they were surrounded by gentle rolling slopes covered in crops. Out his window Legosi could see a combine harvester, painted a faded blue, chugging through the field. His heart hammered. Grandpa had never taken him out here before. And while the highway itself wasn’t technically human territory, for all practical purposes he was on their land now. 

Who knew what was going to happen?

The highway had narrowed to two lanes each way. Around a small hill, Legosi could see the village. It raised up on a small hill, with a large mansion on top. Other buildings crowded around it; some wood, some plaster. As the structures expanded out from the hill it became harder to see them, sinking behind the concrete wall and barbed wire that surrounded the whole place. 

There was a dirt turnoff from the main road, and a sign that advertised FARMER'S MARKET. LOW PRICES, FRESH PRODUCE. The car didn't take that exit though. Instead they went up a bit further, and turned off onto a pavement parking lot.

Legosi could spy rows of barricades arranged through canvas tents. A uniformed leopard approached the vehicle as they pulled up. The driver rolled his window down to let the feline lean in and ask, “How many?”

“Ah, three here. One resident and two visitors.”

The leopard's eyes flitted through the glass. Then he straightened up, gesturing with his fingers. "You three, step out."

Vigil had warned them about this. Legosi opened his door and began to unfold his legs, stepping onto the aged asphalt. He unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging it off, as the officer motioned him towards one of the tents. More officers waited for him to approach. Plastic tables were arranged in a row, with metal detectors in between them; he approached one scanner with a monitor lizard. The wolf handed over his coat. 

The lizard accepted the garment and held it up. Thin eyes searched inside. He turned it and scanned the outside. Then he patted down the pockets. As he did so, his pupils fixated on Legosi’s pants. “What’s that?”

Legosi felt a jolt as he feared getting in trouble. “What, the… oh, I had some tea before I came…” he sheepishly pulled it out, “It’s empty though, nothing inside?”

The lizard nodded to a metal barrel nearby, lined with a plastic bag. His snout still burning from the shame of being caught for a mistake, Legosi tossed the bottle, before the officer gestured him through the scanner. The wolf complied. A moment passed…

“Okay,” he handed back the garment. “Wait for the rest.”

Legosi pulled his coat back over his shoulders, looking at the harsh metal gate in the wall. His pulse hammered so loud that he could hear it from the blood vessels in his ears. He traced up the wall with his eyes, before looking back. Jack was just passing through now, but Vigil was taken aside. 

A llama was now pushing the boy’s arms to point to either side, flat. Shifting his legs apart. Patting down along the pants, the chest. Taking out a flashlight and telling Vigil to open his mouth, peering inside. The lizard searched his coat in the meantime, turning it inside out and bringing the seams close to his eyes to search... 

It took five minutes for the pair of them to be satisfied. But finally Vigil was allowed through, joining his guests. “Hope they weren’t too rough on you?” he asked.

“Aw, nah,” Jack answered for them both. “It was alright.”

He took a breath. “Good. Well… let’s do this.”

Vigil stepped between the pair of them, right up to the gate. He raised a hand. Rapped three times, hard and sharp, against the door. The sound felt like a gong. There was no response for a few moments. Legosi felt his stomach tighten even more. He had visions of what exactly he was about to see...

A slot slid open in the door, and a shadow peered out. Vigil said nothing. The slot closed. Something heavy clicked inside, an outdated mechanism straining to work as ordered. Slowly, it swung inside.

“Vigil!”

The human started, “Faith?”

The opening door revealed a girl with short dark hair, dressed in a grey blazer and matching slacks that came down to her knees. A soft black hat covered the top of her head, and black loafers covered her feet. An expectant smile crossed her face, and she held out her arms.

“Faith, I didn’t know you worked today!” He finished the hug, giving a small laugh.

“Yeah, they changed my schedule! Just in time too, wanted to be the first person you saw today!”

“Well there you go,” Vigil chuckled before stepping away.  “Uh, anyways, Faith? These are Legosi,” he pointed, and the wolf raised a hand in greeting, “and Jack. Jack, Legosi? Faith, she’s an old friend.”

She turned to face them, clasping her hands in front of her. “Pleasure to meet both of you. And on behalf of Father Reed, I want to welcome you into our sanctuary and our home. Please,” she gestured them forward. “If you don’t mind?”

Her voice was friendly, but firm. At her question, she nodded to someone right by the doors. Legosi turned and saw the gate swung shut behind them thanks to a pair of men flanking them. His eyes snapped to Vigil, who gave him a nod of reassurance. All normal.

Legosi gave a quiet sigh, and held out his arms. Once again, he was searched. Hands felt along his vest, his thighs. He peeled his shoes off with his feet to make them available — his paws could feel the rough-hewn brick through his socks. As the search finally wound down, Faith continued:

“Because you’re here on invitation, you’re allowed to explore any place in the village you’d like, except for our rectory. Please wear these so that we can identify you as guests...”

With that she reached into her blazer pocket, and pulled out a pair of bronze medallions. They featured a textured face, with lettering circling around the center. It was a language that Legosi couldn’t understand.

“Father Reed is sorry he couldn’t be here in person, but there was a last minute assembly of the hierarchs. He’ll be free within a couple hours. In the meantime... ” she motioned at Vigil, “take it away.”

Chapter Text

A plate of brown rice.

A cup of sliced oranges.

A bowl of tofu and cabbage. 

Those were the only three dishes sitting in front of Chancellor Credence as he ate his last meal. 

Jules watched the human eat. Very slowly. Part of it was the difficulty of eating with his fingers while his hands were cuffed. But also, he chewed every bite for longer than needed. Savoring it. Making sure no crumbs fell onto his deep red suit. Credence’s eyes focused on the empty wall in front of him. From where he stood beside the table, Jules could see his fellow hare watching the prisoner intently from the corner of the room, baton in hand. Across from him was a horse, and in the other two corners lurked a hyena and a Gila monster, all similarly armed. Jules couldn’t help but feel like he had to keep his eye on the last two as much as the chancellor. The truce had held for three years now, true. Yet things could easily fall apart now that the Union had collapsed…

“Excuse me.”

Jules nearly jumped at the human’s voice. Credence looked up at him, hands propped against the edge of the table.

“May I have some water?”

Jules blinked. Glanced around as he tried to measure the situation. Trying to find any traps here. “...Very well.”

With that Jules stepped out of the room, unlocking and relocking the door behind him, letting out an exasperated sigh as he stormed down the hallway. 

“Can we get a cup of water please? Paper cup.”

“What, the food wasn’t enough?”

“Yeah, bastard wants a drink too.” Jules turned into the sitting room where people usually waited between cases or other duties. Today the courthouse was full of soldiers. A dingo leaned on the wall beside the water cooler, and leaned in to quip:

“Look, he already asked for his food. Can’t we just say it’s too late? What’s he going to do, die of thirst in the next couple of hours?”

Jules shook his head, his face twisted in disgust as he filled the paper cup. “We’re doing this right. If we treat him badly it’s going to make life harder for people twenty, thirty, forty years from now.”

The dingo shrugged with a grin. “Just saying, boys and I could get him in a room, and uh… well, there wouldn’t be a body left over, if you know what I mean?”

“Mmmm.” Jules gave a thin smile. These carnivores had the worst sense of humor. “That’d be a problem in itself. Just be ready, okay?” 

With that the hare retreated back to the holding cell. He made sure to check the glass window. Good, everything still under control. He felt a pang of relief as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. 

“Here,” he set the drink down on the metal table with a tap that sloshed the water. “Make it last, there’s not a whole lot of cups left in the break room.”

Credence paused his eating and stared at it. The crimson sleeve along his arm creased as he reached out, grasped the cup, lifted it towards his bowed head. Dark eyes stared inside. “...in a way, I suppose I’m lucky. Not many people get the luxury of knowing that they’re sitting through their last meal. They assume they get more tomorrow. They don’t get a chance to relish it.”

Jules glanced to the side. Great, he was rambling. “I know, it’s really tragic.” 

“They barely taste their food. Not knowing it’ll be the last chance they have… before they are shot through the head, or bombed to pieces… or mauled by a tiger…”

Fantastic. More of this. Jules tried to bite his tongue the best he could.

“Tell me, Secretary. Do you know how many of my people were devoured by yours? Eaten, as I heard, alive and screaming for mercy?”

Jules badly wanted to snap that they were not his people, they were carnivores, but with two of them here in this room now it’d be a poor political move. Instead he took a deep breath to fight back the urge. “I don’t know, but I’m sure—”

Credence slammed his hand on the table.

Jules’s eyes snapped up  as the human stood from his seat. All four guards started forward with their batons. The chancellor glared down. “Nobody knows. You’ve counted every single one of your dead. Buried them, erected their graves. Who will be left to mark our graves?”

The hare kept his gaze fixed on the human. He only came up to Credence’s chest. His nostrils flared, and he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare lecture me.” He kept his face severe. The human clearly had no intention of being cowed, which worked just fine for Jules; he wouldn’t be doing any more grandstanding or moralizing by the end of the day today. “Finish your meal. We’re waiting for you.”

With that he turned and stepped away… and this time, he let the door swing open. He could feel the Chancellor’s eyes on his back all the way down the hall. 

“Credence Banks,” Jules read out only a couple hours later, “you have been found guilty by the Interspecies Military Tribunal of crimes against the peace, including the murder of civilian populations, the targeting and destruction of civilian homes and industry, the use of chemical weaponry, the promotion of terrorism, the displacement of civilian populations, and the subversive murder of forty-seven officeholders. For these crimes you have been sentenced to death.” He lowered the paper. “Do you have any final words?”

Three cameras panned from him to the human, standing on the gallows. He still wore all crimson as he stared at a patch of floor down below him. 

“My death... only makes the struggle stronger.”

With that a pair of deer covered his head with a hood, and fastened the noose. Jules kept watching as the executioner pulled the lever.

The trapdoor fell, and the chancellor followed. There was a slight bounce. A twitch. 

A marmot climbed a ladder and pressed a cold metal stethoscope to his chest. Cocked her head. Then nodded to the men.

They cut him down. Within minutes, they hit the button on the cremation chamber. 

The cameras still followed, each with a single uncut reel of footage. Jules felt his throat tighten a bit as they all watched the flames. After this, he’d be one of four people dispatched in different directions, each with a box of ashes. No one would know who had the actual remains, but the directions were clear: dispose of them where no one would find them. 

It was over.

Jack had seen that clip in history class. In fact, everyone had seen it, those old newsreels long since digitized. It was meant to inoculate the students against rumors of the chancellor’s survival. Even if it’d been over seventy years since the Hominid Union had collapsed, the Youth Committee thought it paramount to keep the information fresh. The newsreels always had an upbeat brass-band attitude, triumphant over a mighty enemy, like a duel for honor at last concluded.

Of course, a lot had changed in the time since then. Jack knew very well that the humans left in the old manors, or clustered in city centers, were hardly the fanatical menace painted in the old propaganda reels. 

Actually seeing it in person, though, hit him even harder.

He followed Vigil up the road. Bricks had gone missing out of it here and there, filled in with globs of cement. The masonry hadn’t been laid down neatly, so the pattern wandered a bit. Right beside the gate were large wooden houses — or rather, more like small apartments. A wide porch aged from the sun stood in front of a double door, and the blue paint along the walls had faded and peeled. Just before the entrance was a fire pit with fresh ashes, and wide stones arranged around it that had settled into the ground over years.

An old woman with dark skin sat in a chair on the porch, elbows on the sides. She hardly reacted as the trio came in. Her hair tied back in a grey bun, and as they passed by, Jack only saw her eyes move. The front door creaked open and a man with similarly dark skin stepped out. Slowly he edged beside her. He rested one hand on the back of her chair, watching the canines enter. 

Jack swallowed, letting his eyes drift to the other side of the street. A similar building slouched, this one in decaying tan paint and with an X flag hanging off the banister of the porch. In one of the side windows he could see a pair of adults, with high cheekbones and dark hair, and a pair of younger children peeking through the curtains. Their faces were curious and cold through the cracked glass. In the floor above, another family watched, with red hair and freckled faces eager for a glimpse of their visitors.

Vigil raised a hand in greeting. “Sorry, some people are a little more shy than others. A shame though, look.” 

He pointed at the metal lamppost. Jack saw bright white and red ribbons tied in a bow near the top.

“Wedding today. Usually everyone comes out for them.”

Jack nodded. An uneasy feeling built in him, but Legosi found the words to express it first:

“I’m sorry if we… crashed the wedding…”

“Huh?” Vigil’s eyes went wide. “No! No no, I’m sorry, that came out so wrong. Look, we get inspectors and liaisons through here all the time. It’s not you, some people just make it their home day. You’re fine, I promise!”

Jack gave a soft laugh. “Alright, if you’re sure…”

Vigil gave him a look. Then sighed. “Okay, think about it like this: now you know that people at the wedding are going to be people comfortable enough to meet you. That’s a good thing.”

A fair point, perhaps… but the dog still felt grateful when they passed the decrepit old houses. Going up the hill, the buildings now boasted brick construction, or wood that felt more robust and sturdy. Signs hung above the doors: “Cobbler.” “Tailor.” “Jeweler.” The road hit an intersection, and on the corner sat an open shop with tables of loaves and rolls. Jack had to pause to take in the warm rich scent of yeast and baking bread. He savored a deep sniff... 

“Do you like it?” 

Jack quickly opened his eyes at the voice. A woman with a round face and small eyes emerged from behind the counter inside. She held her hands in front of her.

“You can each take a roll if you’d like. They’re just plain.”

“Really?” Jack looked them over. They were tempting… but he deferred to Vigil. 

The human bit his lip. “Mind if I take one too?”

“Of course, go on!” She smiled. Her face seemed tired, but genuine.

With that Vigil nodded, and grasped for one. Jack took one too. The surface felt hard beneath his pads, but when he curled his fingers and dug in with his claws, it cracked to reveal the soft rich texture inside. They smelled sweeter than normal bread, and when he took a bite, it felt light and delightful on his tongue.

“Oh,” he took a bigger bite, “theesh are sho good!”

“No need to tell me what I already know,” she chuckled, before turning. “Ruby, you finish with those roses okay? They’re expecting the cake on the hour!”

Jack turned around, taking another big bite, and looking along the shops again. He could see one that was labeled as both a barber and a dentist, and next to it, “Mmmf!” The dog struggled to swallow. “Oh wow, is that…?”

Sure enough, when he crossed the road and peered through the window, he could see props inside. He cupped his hands against the glass. Batons, hoops, costumes hanging on racks. Trapeze swings and aerial silks hung from the ceiling, which was three times the height of the other stores. 

“Yeah, that’s our illusionist training.” Vigil smirked, before stuffing the last of his bread inside his mouth. He quickly chewed. “Ish… ish pretty co-zhy, nothing too fanshy…” He swallowed. “But that’s where we keep all our stuff between shows. It’s where I learned…” The human motioned with his hands, “you know, stuff.” 

“Oh that’s so cool…” Jack felt excited. All the stunts that happened at the human shows, this is where it all came from. As he stared though, his ear perked up at some distant music. 

For some reason, the dog had never really considered what human music was like. The closest he got were the tense scores they put in movies whenever humans schemed or lurked in the shadows. Lonely trumpets in the dark, or strings on a knife’s edge. 

Not the lively dance that frolicked to his ears. 

He turned to look further up the hill, and Vigil followed his gaze. “Wanna go see?”

Up the hill, Jack could slowly see two larger buildings, arranged beside each other and opening into a large dirt area. One of the buildings, the further one, was a small mansion, dating back at least two centuries from what he could tell. Directly to the left was a long peaked grain barn, with its doors thrown wide open and a golden X attached above the entrance.

In the dirt, tables and chairs arranged about a rough half-circle, with banners and streamers fluttering in the wind. Dishware scattered across the tabletops. They were clearly used, but hardly a speck of food was left on the plates. Bowls of fruit served as centerpieces, with apricots and peaches and cherries arranged in wood. 

A large wooden stage opposite from the other two buildings served as the focal point for the tables. The music came from here: two men strummed mandolins, while two women worked an accordion and a third mandolin respectively. And in front of the stage, people danced and twirled around with a lively skip. 

Just as the three of them walked up, the song ended, and everyone finally stopped, laughing and having a quick rest. Up on stage the players talked among themselves. Then the accordion player stepped up. Her eyes twinkled, “Alright everyone, let’s do ‘Upwards’ now! Upwards!”

This sparked a commotion as the crowd began to part, dividing into two. Some folks seemed confused about which side they belonged to. Jack cocked his head and furrowed his brow. Excitement shone on everyone’s faces as they clasped hands. 

And then the music started again.

The tune felt light-footed, exciting. All the guests bounced their clasped hands in time to the tune, looking back and forth at each other expectantly. Even Jack felt his tail begin to wag in time. Then, a man in the center of one group stepped forward. He also had dark skin, with glasses and an older face. He was flanked by a young woman in a white dress and sweeping dark hair. The man began to sing:

“Today, I woke up with a blazing great flame, inside my heart!”

“Inside my heart!” the crowd answered.

“My heart, it burns and yearns so bright and here says, we must depart!”

“We must depart!”

“My heart, so grand no tamer’s ever claimed it, I’ve never shied…”

“I’ve never shied…”

“And yet, it grows much stronger, sound, and stalwart, with you beside!”

“With you beside!” 

With that the two lines began to dance at each other with skipping steps, arms raised, their voices climaxing:

“Onwards! Onwards! Up the mountain’s head! 

Onwards! Onwards! ‘Nother peak ahead”

We clamber up and clamber on

Until our feet are feeling dead

Upwards we will climb until the sky and earth both end!”

As the two lines met, the humans unclasped their arms and instead grabbed the person right before them. They twirled around each other, practically yelling the lyrics with big grins on their face, before slowly parting again. One by one they danced back to the opposite side they had been on, reforming their lines. 

Vigil began to guide the two canines around the field. Jack followed, but kept watching eagerly. Again an older man came forward, this time flanked by a younger gentleman in a black suit. His voice powered through the breeze:

“The trail, laid out so treacherous for footfall, for man or paw...”

“From man or paw...” 

“But hale, my breathless chest carries my heart far, with great hurrah!”

“With great hurrah!”

“We climb, I know that nothing fell can fell us, or lead astray...“

“Or lead astray...”

“With you, your burning spirit and your hand thus, to light the way!”

“To light the way!”

And again they danced at each other, pairing off, as the chorus poured into the air:

“Onwards! Onwards! Up the mountain’s head! 

Onwards! Onwards! ‘Nother peak ahead

We clamber up and clamber on

Until our feet are feeling dead

Upwards we will climb until the sky and earth both end!”

But this time, rather than splitting again, the pairs began to link up and converge. The bride and groom led a growing chain, everyone kicking their feet as the music kept up. Slowly they began to circle around, continuing:

“Onwards! Onwards! Up the mountain’s head! 

Onwards! Onwards! ‘Nother peak ahead

We clamber up and clamber on

Until our feet are feeling dead

Upwards we will climb until the sky and earth both end!”

Now it was a single unbroken chain of people, circling about, bouncing in time to the music as it seemed to wind up. 

“ We clamber up and clamber on

Until our feet are feeling dead!

Upwards we will climb until the sky and earth both end!”

The last note held in the air as everyone threw their hands up — and then the music cut. Cheers erupted, people clapped, as everyone practically fell over themselves in relief. The energy in their bodies didn’t want to leave. In the midst of it all, Jack’s eye fell on a toddler that’d been just set on the ground. She stumbled about with a look of excitement on her face.

Then she spotted him. 

Jack felt himself freeze as her eyes went wide. It looked like she had just spied the most amazing thing she’d ever seen in her short life. Nervously, the dog raised a hand, and twitched his fingers to wave. 

She giggled and waved back with her entire arm. 

“Hey,” he squeaked under his breath, a smile tugging on his lips. 

She offered back a huge toothy grin — she hadn’t had to learn the etiquette on that yet — before toddling away to join the commotion.

“Heh,” the labrador turned. “You see that guys? Guys?”

Vigil and Legosi had wandered closer to the large building… and for the first time, Jack could see what was just outside. His heart leapt.

The Living Dead were lined up against the wall. 

Suddenly his legs felt shaky. This peaked structure looked like it had been built as a granary of sorts. But with the X hanging above it, of course… this was the rectory. He quickly scampered to Vigil’s side. The human looked over as he hurried over. “You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah just want to, you know, stay close?” he nervously laughed. “The, uh…” he motioned. “I’ve never seen one up close.”

There were six skeletons, all propped up against the wall on wooden seats. The chairs looked almost like thrones, with thick armrests, wide feet, and legs that lifted them so that even Legosi had to look up to see their barren faces  The bodies themselves were almost completely covered; the one closest to them had red slippers and gloves, and a black robe traced with ornate yellow embroidery. A wide-brimmed hat tilted down over the skull, which glistened with crushed glass shards. Empty eye sockets stared perpetually at the ground just between Jack’s feet. 

“Look out, move please!” Two women came around the corner of the rectory, bearing another body forward. This one wore dark green and slouched to the left. 

Behind them followed a man in a scarlet robe, and a golden X embroidered across his torso. He had light brown skin, a wrinkled face, and thick hair that fell in curls around his shoulders. “Right this way, careful… right, now turn…” He reached up to help set the chair in place with his assistants. Slowly they lowered it to the ground. Then he straightened up, and tenderly shifted the skull’s position back to center. He gave a huff from the effort, then turned around. “Vigil!” his eyebrows shot up. “You were coming today? ”

“Yeah… uh, Jack? Legosi, this is our rector. But, what’s going on?”

Jack made a movement to offer a handshake, but the rector didn’t see it as he turned back to the building, gesturing the two women inside. “Oh nothing much, just thought that it’s been a while since we did the floor, and it’d be nice to give it a little polish before Day of the Rope, y’know? Course it’s still a consecrated place, even under refurbishment...” 

Now he finally bothered to look at the two canines. His head cocked to one side. He wore a friendly smile, and yet Jack couldn’t help but feel off-put.

“Now I’m sure you know the consequences, if you step foot inside?”

“Uhm…” Jack felt his mouth run dry. “I mean, we just know not to go inside. But I’ve heard stories?”

The rector nodded, “Not very good stories right? Then that’ll be enough. Oh, and,” he raised a finger as if just remembering, “It’ll behoove you, to not touch the bodies of the Living Dead. I know that for some it’s tempting. But I can assure you that if you sink your teeth into their bones, you will drop dead on the spot. And we don’t want that.”

Jack flustered. “Of, of course not! I-I wouldn’t even think of it!”

“They’re with me,” Vigil cut in. His voice seemed hard. “And they’re my friends. They aren’t going to do anything like that.”

“I’m sure, I’m sure. But a reminder never hurts, you know?”

“Who are they?”

Legosi’s voice broke through. Vigil had been about to deliver a retort, but now all eyes turned to the wolf. He peered at the body in green. Brow furrowed.

The rector pursed his lips. “...This is Carpenter. Dad’s a firebreather, with our village troupe. Poor kid went along with him to learn the craft, thought he’d see the world too.” He paused for a bit. Bowed his head. “He was seventeen when a vixen clawed him open in an alleyway. Mistook him for someone who owed them money…”

Jack swallowed. For a moment he could visualize it. The robe gone, the bones covered in flesh rather than glass, lying there bloodied...

“...I’m sorry.” Legosi muttered. Jack looked up to see his eyes downcast. “That’s terrible.”

“It is,” the rector nodded. “I’m going to go find Father Reed, so you can go.” With that he turned to stride away.

“Who dresses them?” Legosi asked.

With that he stopped again. Jack could only see the back of the human’s head, but it was clear the question had had an effect on him. “Lego,” the dog hissed, “I don’t think it’s a good—”

“I do.” He answered. “I’m responsible for stripping their flesh, consecrating their bones, dressing them, having their seats built. It’s me.”

“I could never imagine that…” the wolf looked at the ground. “Especially if I knew them...like you must have.”

The rector didn’t reply for a while. Over his shoulders, jack could see the wedding still going on, the music more casual now, people crossing to and fro in merriment. 

“You’re so curious. Tell me then, do you know who the Living Dead are?”

Jack’s heart pounded. “They’re… everyone in your village who’s died?”

But he shook his head, turning back around. “No. Most of our dead we bury. But the ones we remember, the ones we have to reclaim, are those killed—”

“—killed by animals,” Legosi finished. 

The rector kept a grim look. But his eyes fell a bit. 

“Why don’t you go wait for the Father in the manor? I’ll let him know you’re here…”

Vigil nodded, and gestured for them to follow. Jack did. Legosi hesitated a moment. “I’m sorry—”

“It’s fine,” the rector waved him away. “It’s alright…” 

He waited for the trio to go, not able to watch. Instead he focused on the bodies in the seats. His eyes glanced from one to the next… and then out, over the wall. From up here on the hill, he could see over the wall to the landscape beyond. From up here he could almost pretend the wall didn’t exist.

Chapter Text

On the third floor of the main class hall of Cherryton, in the southeast corner of the building, an old telephone booth had been built into the wall. A relic of a bygone era. No one used it any more, and hardly anyone knew it was here.

That’s what made it a welcome refuge for Haru. 

She sprawled out on the floor. When her tennis shoes pressed against the wall, her head just barely reached the opposite side. Her ears splayed either direction as she kept reading The Ballad of Jimmy Snakes, a strange story about a strange man in a strange forest town, but one she was getting a kick out of anyways. 

The rabbit twisted onto her side, continuing to read. She wore only a white T-shirt and loose trousers at the moment, relishing every second to relax and keep her mind on her book, and not think about the upcoming decisions she’d have to make with her life.

Her life…

By the end of this term Haru was going to graduate, her secondary education completed. Honestly it was surprising she had made it this far. Not because she was in danger of dropping out, but because she was in danger from the world around her. Ever since she was little her mother warned her that death lurked about every corner. And in elementary school, those faces she would get… those pitying smiles, like she was an infant toddling dumbly towards the waiting jaws of a carnivore. Well now, she felt like she was toddling dumbly towards the rest of her life outside of the school. At least with a Cherryton pedigree her options were open. Her mother had been extolling the virtues of meeting another dwarf rabbit and starting a family, as well as showing off the checks that the Health Department sent her for doing so. They made being a housewife a viable career option.

Haru snorted. She’d rather charge right back to the Shishigumi.

Her mood shifted day to day. But today, right now, she knew exactly what she’d want to do: get into college, it didn’t matter which, and just go all in. Dorm parties, getting drunk as possible, she wanted all of it. She really didn’t care about the actual major. That didn’t matter anyways.  Maybe something like art or archaeology, get some classes abroad? Definitely go abroad. The All-Species Republic spanned the entire globe, so many different territories and states to see, and the last thing she wanted was to die without leaving the spot where she was born!

She flipped the page. The end of the chapter here. Haru let out a sigh, resting her chin on a palm, as she read through the last few paragraphs.

Her ear twitched as she heard soft steps outside.

The rabbit’s eyes glanced at the door. Then she sighed again, this time in frustration. She pointedly finished the chapter up despite the distraction. 

After the last word, she began to get to her knees, while still listening. Her visitor took some frantic steps back. Oh she had to see this. Haru made a big deal out of getting up, letting them have plenty of time. Finally she opened the door.

Juno was walking towards her, holding a stack of paper. “Oh hi! Funny running into you here!”

“Cut the crap,” the rabbit scoffed. She held her book against her chest. “What do you want?”

The wolf smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just wanted to share some good news with the friend of a future partner…” She held out the paper, which Haru could now identify as a script. “I got cast as River of Red Hill. A first year.” Her smile made her eyes close, a face that could be called cute if Haru didn’t know the context behind exactly why she was broadcasting this to her. “I’m just really proud!”

The rabbit simply glared up unamused. She could see Juno’s tail going back and forth. “Hmph. A regular prodigy. Exactly the kind of person who peaks now and then languishes for the rest of their life.”

That got a chuckle out of Juno. “Or the kind of person who manages to win over the heart of the boy she loves… the person who has the talent and perseverance to conquer a distracted heart. When Legosi sees me on that stage, he’s sure to be dazzled!”

“He’s sure to be dazzled?” She nodded along. “And you’re sure he’ll be dazzled?”

“Oh come on,” With that she passed her fingertips over one ear, and gave a confident grin, just barely showing her teeth. “What’s not to be dazzled by?”

“I mean, if you were so sure, then you’d just do it. And you wouldn’t feel so insecure that you’d need to stalk me and try to scare me away.” Haru narrowed her eyes, and gave a big smug smile. Juno didn’t drop her own grin, yet the rabbit could see a blaze of outrage in her pupils. That just made her even more smug inside.

The wolf’s mouth smacked as it opened. She seemed to measure her response… then she bent forward at the waist, pressing the script against her knees, almost eye-to-eye with Haru. Her face was bright and friendly. Her sapphire pupils screeched hellfire. “Legosi is a wolf. I am a wolf. It’s best for everyone here, and for everyone around us, that we’re together. We’re the same species. You’re not even in the same biological order as him!”

“Hmf,” she simply cocked her head. “That hasn’t stopped me before.”

There was the slightest twitch on Juno’s face. That little motion brought infinite satisfaction to Haru’s heart. The wolf straightened back up, still looking down at her. 

“We’ll see whom biology favors…” Juno finally answered. With that she stepped past, knocking her thigh against Haru’s shoulder. The rabbit stumbled back with an offended gasp. She could see the wolf peek over her shoulder with a small smile before continuing on.

Haru simply shook her head, got back on her feet. If this didn’t work out with Legosi, she was never dating a carnivore again.

“Ready? One, two, three, poppies!”

“Poppies!” The bride and groom answered before the camera flashed. Even though they were on the opposite side of the dirt patch, Legosi’s keen ears could pick up on their words. After their photo they snickered to each other. They shared another kiss. He turned to Vigil, to see the boy staring intently at them. Vigil caught the glance.

“Sorry, was trying to remember where he was from. The groom, I mean.”

“Ah,” Legosi nodded. “I mean, only so many choices in here right?”

“Hm? Oh no, he’s not from here, in Ardi. That’s what I mean.” Something came over him, and he suddenly laughed. “No no, we usually don’t try to marry in town. If we did, there’s, uh, only so many years before we run out of non-cousins, you know?” 

At the Legosi laughed too. “Yeah, that makes sense. So, uh, do you have a guess of where he’s from?”

“I think Dad mentioned the Ergaster Manor… we’ll know — right now actually!”

Vigil stood up from the bench. Legosi and Jack followed as two people came from the house. One of them was a larger man dressed in a dark coat and pants, with a bow tie around his neck and a bowler hat on his head. The other was a woman in a dark blue peplum jacket and a wide-brimmed hat. The two of them paused in front of the gate, chatting politely, as Vigil led his friends over.

“Mother Rose!” he greeted her. “Great to see you! Here for the wedding?”

“Course I am,” her rich voice flowed. But her eyes glanced over the two canines, a sharp and disarming look. 

“Oh, Dad wanted me to invite them this weekend, this is—”

“I appreciate the hospitality,” Rose cut him off. “But unfortunately I was just leaving. Must escort the newlyweds back to Ergaster before five, important meeting.”

“Please Mother,” Reed gestured back to the house. “We were just about to have dinner? It’s a good chance for us to, to open up and—”

She raised a hand. “I’m busy,” she reiterated. Her eyes looked between the two humans. “...Be careful, both of you.” Her voice was grim. Then she stepped away

Legosi watched after her. He could feel the ears pressing back flat on his head…

“Please don’t mind her,” Reed spoke. Legosi turned to face him. The man wore a smile on his face, regardless of the tone that Rose had set. He took his hat off his head to show trim black hair, and extended his free hand. “Father Reed. A pleasure to finally meet you in person.” 

Jack accepted the handshake, introducing himself briefly, then Legosi followed suit. He could feel the human’s bare skin against his fingertips, against the fur on his palm. It was so strange. But he didn’t let it show, instead just feeling thankful for another friendly face here. 

“I trust everyone’s treated you well?”

“Yeah,” Jack answered. “People’ve been friendly and all. And, it’s really an honor to be here!” Legosi nodded along in agreement. 

“Everyone’s been nice Dad,” Vigil confirmed.

“Good, that’s good! Wanted to make sure.” He gestured with his hat to the front door. “Come in, please!”

As they stepped forward through an old wire archway, Legosi could see the metal had badly rusted. The broken fence surrounded a small plot of land that was covered in small shrubs. Tea plants; Legosi recognized them from his time helping Haru in the school garden. 

The building itself had two stories, stretching to either side from the door and wrapping slightly around the garden. The masonry in the walls was just like in the rest of the village: old, and crumbling. As they approached the double doors, Father Reed took a knob and led them inside. Legosi had to duck to avoid hitting the top of his head.

Immediately his nose was struck with the smell of aged timber. The whole house smelled old, but in a way that felt pleasant and nostalgic. They now stood at the front of a long and wide reception room. In the middle were long tables draped end-to-end with scarlet cloth. On the right and left, staircases led up to a second floor which looked out in a balcony over the space. Behind the head of the table sat a fireplace crackling with welcome. And to either side of where they stood, Legosi could see hallways leading to the rest of the home. 

“Feel free to make yourself comfortable. Flint!” Reed suddenly raised his voice. “Our guests are here!”

“Alright,” came a voice from upstairs. 

“I’m going to go get the food ready,” Reed spoke to them again, with a friendly face, before going to the back of the room and disappearing through a door on the right.

With that, they were free to look around. “This is your house ?” Jack gasped.

“Uh, yeah,” Vigil weakly chuckled. “It might not have the same kind of things that yours does, but it’s home sweet home for me.”

“No, this is awesome. It’s like a ski lodge or something!” The labrador walked around the side of the table. Vigil walked after him, and Legosi followed. Under the stairs, pictures hung at irregular intervals on the wall. 

Approaching the first one, Legosi could see a black-and-white photograph. A man in an open coat and cap, a woman in a rich floral dress, and four kids in shirts and suspenders all huddled together. The manor rose up in the background. Smiles crossed all their faces, visible even through the grainy monochrome. “Who’s everyone here?” Jack asked. 

Vigil had wandered to the side though, in front of an open space on the wall. Legosi could see on his face that something was wrong… then he shook it off. “Sorry, uh, what?”

Jack cocked his head. “...I was just asking, who the people in this photo are?”

Vigil didn’t even have to come closer. “Oh that’s Dad’s great, great, great…” he counted them out, pausing. Then he nodded, “grandfather, yeah. And the whole family. That’s when they first got the house.”

“Wow. Must have taken a while to build it.”

“Actually they didn’t build it, they—”

“Hey!” Reed poked his head out of the kitchen. “Hey hey hey, why don’t you all sit down and get ready to eat?”

Legosi could see Vigil take the hint — even if he was less than happy about it. They all took a seat along the same side of the table, with Vigil nearest the head. 

“Okay,” Reed came out with a large platter in his hands. He set it down, and Legosi did a double-take. 

“Oh wow, deviled eggs?”

“Uh, yeah.” His face creased in concern. “Is that alright?”

“Oh! Sorry, yes! I didn’t mean like that,” Legosi fumbled over his words, raising his hands. “I, I just, sorry but… I didn’t think… humans used animal products in their food?”

“Oh,” Reed snickered in relief. “I figured I’d go all out for honored guests. Ah, excuse me,” he craned his head and shouted at the ceiling, “FLINT! We’re waiting on you!” 

“Coming!” a muffled voice came through the ceiling. A moment later a door opened upstairs, and footsteps thumped down to them. 

Flint was a young man, barely an adult. He had a wild pouf of hair on his head and a skinny face that had an intense look. He was wearing the same kind of tuxedo that Vigil was. After exchanging polite but terse greetings, they all seated themselves. Legosi and Jack sat by Vigil, who was next to Reed at the head of the table, and Flint across from Vigil. 

“Well!” Reed looked one side to the other, a big smile across his face. “By all means, dig in!”

Legosi glanced at Flint. The young man’s eyes were focused on grabbing one egg, and then another from the platter. Then his gaze flitted up to the wolf. 

Legosi immediately looked back down at the eggs. Carefully he plucked up three of them in his claws, sitting them on a small plate before him. He popped one into his mouth and chewed slowly. It was honestly not very good, way too bland. But he relished them not just to be polite, but also as a way to buy time. 

What was he supposed to say?

He had a mental image of himself desperately rifling through a cabinet, looking for conversation topics. Movies, manga, anime? They didn’t have that kind of stuff here, at least nothing current. Talking about himself? He wasn’t a very interesting wolf. Talking about politics? Absolutely not, especially here. So for now he just silently begged for someone, anyone, to pick up the conversation.

Father Reed swallowed, and cleared his throat. “So.” All eyes turned to him. “Why don’t you tell us about yourselves? Jack?”

The labrador was chewing. He held up a hand to ask for time, as he struggled to gulp it down. “Ah,” he finally gasped, “sorry. But sure! Well, I’m Jack, as you know,” he chuckled. “I grew up in Totoshima, about an hour north of here? But my parents drove me here for school. And, uh… for fun, I guess, I like to read a lot of manga. Hmph, you can ask Lego here, I got so many that I need to lend them out; don’t have enough space to keep them all together!”

“That sounds like a lot! Which ones do you like to read the most?” As Reed encouraged him along, Flint just kept eating, watching with intense eyes.

“Oh, well right now, I’m really into this one called Reaper’s Eye. It’s like a modern retelling of Adler? It’s so cool. So much fun but also really deep, you know?” 

“Oh that’s so fascinating. It sounds like you could do a lot with that!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.” Jack snickered. “So, just before we started eating, I was asking Vigil about the house. He said that you guys didn’t build it. Did you buy it then?”

Reed shook his head, “That’s all boring history. Terribly boring, you wouldn’t want to hear about it.”

“No I do!” The dog leaned forward. “Please, it’s something I’m very interested in.”

The man faltered. “...I promise, it’s not very good table conversation. Besides, as our guests, I’d like to get to know you more. What are—”

“Dad,” Vigil broke in softly. “He just wants to know. Just tell him.” The man hesitated still. Vigil sat up, and tilted his head. He gestured at the blank wall, “Dad, where are the other pictures?”

“Yeah Dad,” Flint finally spoke up with a pointed voice. “Where are they?”

Legosi watched all of this with concern. Reed looked between his sons, then at the canines. “...here I’m going to bring out the main course,” he stood up.

Vigil stood up with him. “Dad!”

Reed stopped. Stared straight at the table. His jaw set, and he muttered under his breath, “I just didn’t want to scare them…”

Vigil gave a frustrated groan. Legosi took the moment to speak up, “Ex-excuse me?”

All eyes looked at him. Jack elbowed him, “Now’s not a good time Legosi…”

“If I felt too scared,” the wolf pressed ahead anyways, “I wouldn’t be here… if there’s more you wanted to show us, I am very curious about it…”

Flint cocked his head at his dad, pointing at Legosi. Reed looked between all of them. “...Alright, if you’re sure… after the meal though?”

Vigil lifted his brow.

“...okay fine. They’re over here…” he huffed as he proceeded to the door opposite the kitchen. He opened it up, then gestured. “Well come on then.”

Legosi stood, following behind Jack as everyone filed into a large sitting room. Propped up against the wall near the door were several framed photographs, leaning atop each other.

“Why are these here?” the wolf muttered.

Reed bit his lip. “I’m sorry, these are all things about the Union, and I didn’t want to bring it up during our nice dinner. It’s nothing much really, we should go get soup…”

Before Legosi could reply, to let him know it was alright, Jack spoke up. “Is this… the Battle of Marble Hill?”

His eyes were wide with excitement as he pointed to the front picture. It was black and white and badly faded, just like the one they’d looked at, but Legosi could see human riflemen gathered and grinning. Their faces were dirty from the grit of war. To the left flank were a handful of wolves. Legosi could see their ears drooping slightly, and their tails curled up. They wouldn’t have been classified as such yet, but they were the first “dogs”, largely still wolf-like until the All-Species Republic began to breed them after the war. 

“Yeah, that’s… my grandfather’s great-grandfather, the human second to the right.” Legosi looked again. He could recognize the man’s face from the other photo he’d looked at. “He was a sergeant there.”

“He actually fought with the Unionists?” Jack’s question was earnest and curious. Bit by bit, Legosi could see Reed getting more comfortable.

“Well, yes… he’d been a prominent farmer on crown land. Managed to avoid getting conscripted for the war,” Legosi knew that would be the Avian Succession Wars, “because he was overseer for the county. But when the rice failed, and Parliament did nothing…” Reed shook his head. “In a way he didn’t have a choice. He and his family would have starved if they did nothing.” 

“That makes sense.” Jack nodded. “He must have been important though, if he got this house?”

“Yeah, he… he became a lieutenant through the end of the revolution. And in thanks, the first chancellor built him this place. This became one of the biggest farms in the Union, fed half the town from here. And when he died, my family was still active in the party, up through… well, until there was no party.”

Legosi nodded along, listening, but his eyes wandered. One frame in particular, a long but narrow one, caught his eye. “Is it alright if I…?”

“Sure, uh, go ahead. If you want.” He was still conscientious about it, but he was no longer visibly uneasy. Legosi carefully leaned over and pulled out the frame. The picture was a slender saber, curved slightly at the end, with an elegant handle. 

“What’s this?” he muttered. “...I mean, I know it’s a sword, but it must be a special sword if you...have a framed...photo, of...it…” he trailed away in embarrassment.

He could see the corners of Reed’s lips tweak a bit. “That was his uniform saber. We used to have it over the fireplace. But we lost it after the occupation… you know, no weapons in the communities any more…”

“I see. That’s… I’m sorry.”

Reed waved it away. “It’s nothing for you to apologize about. It’s what it is.” His eyes glanced around. “Oh, I have something in here you might be interested in…”

He pointed at the opposite wall. A framed painting hung up on the wall. It portrayed a medieval man in a red tunic and a conical liberty cap, peering around a tree trunk at a group of human pikemen passing on a road. Several animals were pressed against the tree behind him, watching for his signal it seemed. The brushstrokes were loose and practically simmered with energy.

“That’s the original,” Father Reed let himself quietly boast. “ River Leads the Breakout, by Briar Bellman. My great-aunt managed to sneak some art here before—”

“Wait, that’s… River of Red Hill?” Legosi leaned closer. 

“Of course! He’s a legend! Especially for us,” he chuckled. “You know, Flint actually played River when he was little.”

“Dad.”

“What, you did!”

“Hiding all our stuff, and then you go and start telling them about when I was a baby…”

Legosi just kept staring. “Was River actually human then?”

Reed seemed taken aback. “Of course he was! I mean, I know that he’s portrayed by other animals, but he was a human in the old legends. Stood against the tyranny of Prince Decan, led hundreds of animals to freedom. It’s a good story, you know,” he offered a friendly smile. “Something I wish more people would take to heart.”

The wolf felt like he should have known those details. He wanted to say something about it. “I wish they would… too…”

But he trailed off, an ear twitching. He stared through the windows. His fine hearing could pick up offense, outrage outside. 

“...Legosi?” Vigil asked. 

“What’s wrong?” his father muttered. “I didn’t upset him, did I? I told you, we shouldn’t have—”

“Something’s coming,” the wolf muttered. 

“What? What’s going on, what—”

The door suddenly burst open in the other room. The whole group flinched, before crowding back through into the dining area.

Legosi could see a black horse silhouetted against the sunlight, wild hair swishing just above his eyes. He wore a white tanktop, blue jeans, and a pistol on his belt. He was flanked by a gazelle in a police uniform. His sharp gaze cut across the room.

“Vigil of Ardi? By the authority of the All-Species Republic, you’re under arrest.”

Chapter Text

“Do you want to make this easy for everyone? Or are you going to cause problems?”

Vigil felt his mouth run dry as the horse demanded an answer. He glanced to Jack's and Legosi’s shocked faces, to his brother who for once in his life seemed genuinely shocked by something, and then to his father. 

Reed looked down at the table. Then up at him. Slowly he stepped forward to speak under his breath, “Does this have any actual grounding?”

“What?” Vigil took a moment to process that. “No, I… I didn’t do anything. I promise.”

“Hey,” the horse snapped his fingers. He stepped into the room more, making him more visible. And that’s when Vigil recognized him. His heart skipped a beat in fear. “There’s nothing to talk about. You’re coming with me. And you two,” he looked now at the two canines, his eyes seeming to linger over Legosi for longer, “go home. Now.”

Jack looked aghast. “Hold on, you can’t do that!”

“Actually,” Reed interrupted, “he can.”

“But… no, he didn’t do anything—”

“Please, don’t…” his voice was low, “make a scene on our behalf. Please.” Vigil watched the pair keep staring in disbelief, while his dad faced him again. “Do what he says. Whatever this is, we’re going to figure it out. I promise.”

Vigil nodded to agree. Not like he had much choice in the matter anyways, but he knew his dad was right. Slowly he stepped across the room to where Yafya waited. Briefly he met the intense glare, before dropping his gaze again. Once he was close enough the horse gripped his shoulder and turned him around. Without a word he pushed him out the door. 

He was forced on a brisk pace through the village, flanked by the gazelle on one side and a bull on the other. All along the route people watched in silence, more coming to watch, holding onto their children or parents or husbands or wives. Vigil could see Ruby come out of the bakery, aghast at the scene, and disappear back inside to report it. All along, not even the children dared to jeer and heckle the officers... 

Half an hour later, Vigil watched through the back window of the squad car as they pulled up to a large glass tower. Cold metal lettering across the lobby entrance spelled out: CPD 1st Precinct. 

Inside he was met with a sleek, modern design. The reception desk curved around, with a pair of raccoons in blazers working it. They glanced up only briefly to greet the Beastar and the officers with him. To either side, windows wrapped around to show the city traffic rolling by. To the left and right behind them the walls were polished concrete, which led to a pair of double-doors in the center. A fine metal mesh covered the glass in the doors, but Vigil could still see the people moving around inside as they approached. 

Yafya swiped a card at the sensor to the side. It beeped green, and they stepped inside. Low cubicle walls stretched in front of them. Vigil could see two dozen offices right here, some of them occupied by officers hunched over computers or talking on the phone. There was a break in the layout for a table sporting a water cooler, plastic cups, and a bowl of dry pretzels.

As they stepped forward, they passed over the seal of the city of Cherryton, which sported the academy upon the hill. To either side, more doors led to who-knew-what, and a dark corridor at the back of the room… well, he had an idea where that went. 

“Get him processed,” Yafya released his grip finally, turning to the officers beside him. “Meet you in 12B.” 

He stepped away, and the others herded Vigil over to the right. His fingers smudged black from the fingerprinting. His eyes blinked away speckles from the photograph. His wallet disappeared into a plastic bag. And now, he sat in a simple room, handcuffed to a table. The human boy looked to the left, at a mirrored wall that he was sure was a one-way window. 

There, he waited.

It felt like minutes dripped by, but no clock told him for sure. He tapped his fingers on the table. Not a sound from outside the walls. Vigil rested his head on his hand, then the other one. Not a soul. He sat up again, his stomach starting to turn, and he tried to speak at the mirror, “Listen, whatever you’re looking for, just tell me and I’ll try to help!”

That triggered no response.

He fidgeted with his fingers. Looked about. Every moment that melted into the last made his anxiety bubble higher. After a long enough time he began to fear that they may have actually forgotten about him…

Finally the door opened.

Yafya came in, holding two manila folders stuffed with papers. His harsh gaze met Vigil’s. The boy didn’t dare reply. Instead he pressed back in his seat, only relaxing the tension slightly when the horse sat across from him and slapped the folders against the tabletop.

“Do you know why you’re here, Vigil?”

“N-No,” he stammered out. 

That prompted a sigh from Yafya, and he rubbed his eyes. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to need to build some trust.” His glare met the human again. “We can’t do that if you’re going to lie to me.”

“I’m not, I really don’t know!” But Vigil couldn’t convince even himself of that. 

The horse flipped open one folder, and held up a sheet of paper. “Do you know what this is?”

Vigil leaned forward and squinted to read. “That’s, a, uh… certification of predatorial offender status.”

“That’s right. And you know whose name is on it? I think you’d recognize him, a certain polar bear.”

Oh it was about that. “I had nothing to do with that. Really!”

“ Lies,” Yafya’s voice hardened, “Vigil. Even in your own account, he hated you. He hated humans. And then he attacked a human, just after you joined the school. Even by your story, you can see that you had something to do with it.”

Vigil just shook his head dumbly, “Please…”

“That just makes me wonder why you protest so much.” As the human’s heart raced, funny enough, the horse seemed to be unwinding. The dark glare had softened into something casual, almost bored. Somehow that felt even worse to Vigil. “I want to trust you, I really do, but so far you’re making that very difficult.”

The boy's  eyes flicked back and forth. Ward had been so kind to him, and he didn’t want to give him up like that. But he had to get out of here, and if he had just not gone to such extreme lengths, especially when Vigil had asked him not to help …

“I know, you may not particularly care about what this means,” Yafya help up the same paper again. “But I’ll tell you anyways. Being a predatorial offender bars you from any government employment. That includes being a teacher. It also shows up on any background checks, so the bear’s going to be lucky if he can be hired as a dishwasher. His life is basically over now. Tell me, do you think he really deserved it? Do you think the punishment fit the crime? If so, then you shouldn’t mind it coming back around...”

“I didn’t want anything to happen!” Vigil blurted out. Yafya raised his eyebrows. “Look, a few days before it happened, Ward asked me if I wanted help with the dispute Baritus and I had. About me being in Seaspeak. Though like, it wasn’t even a dispute. He said I didn’t belong in the class I’d signed up for so I went to a different class! You can ask the teachers, the counselors there.”

“I see.” Yafya folded his arms, nonplussed by the human’s outburst. “And you didn’t report this because…?”

“He asked if I wanted help. I thought he meant like, talking to the principal or something. I don’t even know if he did do anything.” Vigil realized that he was spewing out so many words, and probably making the problem worse for himself. “If something happened behind the scenes I didn’t know about it. I promise.”

The horse stared with almost disinterest. “Where is Ward now?”

“I don’t know, probably the hospital?”

Slowly Yafya stood up. His eyes sparked to life again as he leaned forward, resting his palms against the table, towering over Vigil who leaned back in his seat. “ Where, is Ward?”

“The hospital! Whichever one they took him to! Why, what, is he not there?!”

“I ordered you to not lie to me.”

“I’m not lying! I swear I don’t know where he is!” 

“Yeah, well do you know where Sage X is?”

“No, what, who?” Vigil blinked as he tried to remember, the name sounded vaguely familiar to him but he knew nothing about it.

“How about the restorationists, how many have you been talking to?”

“None of them! I don’t know any!”

“Really?” Yafya reached to the side, flipping open another folder. Inside was Vigil's small black book, and the flag he’d kept for his weekly memorial. 

“That’s… that’s nothing, just the stuff that we all carry in the communities when we have to leave.”

“Right…” Yafya faced front again, and leaned forward even more to glower at Vigil in his seat. “You say that like that’s supposed to help me feel better.” He sighed again, looking to the door, in deep thought. “If I brought him in here, would Father Reed know anything about—”

“Dad had nothing to do with this!” A new sense of desperation tinged his voice. “He didn’t know anything! Look, I told you everything I know! I swear!”

The horse slowly sank back into his seat, and looked sickeningly pleased with himself. “Such an outburst, for someone who’s not even your actual father…”

Vigil set his jaw. Swallowed thickly. He shivered, but if he could speak he would just outright dare the horse to continue.

“Oh yeah. Poor little Vigil, parents carving out sad little lives as ‘blood donors’ until they’re shot dead in gang violence,” he pulled out a newspaper clipping. “Then the local patriarch takes pity on you, adopts you out of the goodness of his heart… perhaps sees a future soldier?”

“Stop it.”

“Someone hungry for revanchism, to draw his own ounce of blood in retaliation.”

“Stop it!”

“You want me to stop?”

“Please!”

“Then where. Is. Ward?”

Vigil glanced side to side, face twisted in despair. He racked his brain. There had to be something he said that would help answer the question. “I promise, I don’t know. We barely even talked that much!”

The horse shook his head with a scoff. He gestured at the mirrored window on the wall, before tilting back in his seat, arms still folded. His eyes looked into the distance, narrowed, angry. A long awkward silence followed. “...let me ask you something, Vigil. You’re not happy in that school, are you?”

He blinked. “I… I, no, it’s really nice. I have some good friends, and most of my teachers are nice, and the principal’s been helping me a lot.”

“But if you had the choice, the real choice, to go to Cherryton or to stay in Ardi?”

Vigil’s jaw hung open for a moment. He looked away, trying to process that. “I’m happy to be representing my species in such a prestigious school...”

But he was cut off. “I asked you a binary question. I want a binary answer back.”

Vigil couldn’t give one. He was bound between the command to never undercut the patriarch, as well as the love for his father… and the command to tell the truth.

“If you hadn’t gone there,” Yafya continued, “you would have never ended up here. So either you were foolish enough to think that this would ever end well for you… or you were acting out of deliberate malice. And until I figure out which one it is, you’re going to be staying here.”

His stomach plummeted through the floor. “But, I have class! Homework! Gardening, all my stuff’s in my room! You can’t just lock me in here as long as you want!”

Five minutes later Vigil sat locked behind iron cell bars. It held only a hard bench, a metal toilet, and himself. He clutched his arms around his stomach as he perched on the edge of his apparent bed. He gulped. There was no light in his room; the only illumination came from the dim hallway. It made his room seem a faded blue…

“Hey?”

A young male voice invited his attention. He ignored it. 

“Hey, it’s alright, it’s us. They roughed you up bad, huh?”

Vigil finally looked over. He saw a young human male with messy blond hair, a black tee, and grey pants at the bars across the hall. He couldn’t have been older than twenty. He squinted his eyes as Vigil stood up.

“Sorry, I… don’t recognize your name, but I know we’ve met before. Were you with the Midokawa ring?”

“Seriously?” Another voice to the cell at the left got Vigil’s notice.  Since she was adjacent he couldn’t see her face, and he had been too preoccupied to notice when he’d been forced inside. But he could see her pale fingers gripping around the bars. “Take a good look at him Mason. A real good look.”

The blond boy really stared hard. “...Hey, you’re the kid from the community!”

“Good job genius,” Vigil could hear her roll her eyes. 

He shook his head, “Don’t mind her. Miss Sunshine over there is Grace, I’m Mason, and this…” he knocked to his right, “is Clement.”

Looking over Vigil saw a third human staring at him. He had a rounder face and short black hair, about his own age. “Hey, nice to meet you! I’m Clement, I…” he blinked when he realized his blunder.

“So tell me Farmer Boy,” Grace scoffed. “What made the fuzzballs finally turn on you? Miracle you lasted long as you did honestly…”

Vigil licked his lips. “I… it’s a misunderstanding. We’re going to get it sorted out though.”

“Right, right right right, a misunderstanding. Well that’s why all three of us are in here, isn’t that right guys? Just so much misunderstanding between us and that living devil.”

“Come now,” Mason motioned for her to back off. Then he looked at Vigil. “What happened?”

Vigil felt so tired. So many questions. “If it’s alright, I don’t really want to talk about it right now…”

Mason raised his hands. “That’s totally fine. I imagine that this is your first time in jail?”

He glanced back. “Is it… not yours?”

At that Mason scoffed with a cocky smirk. His sharp hazel eyes traced around the hall. “Served time in… that cell,” he pointed. “That one, three separate stays over there… and twice in here, including now.” He shook his head to make his curls bounce. “It’s a cycle. They do a crackdown, handing out pamphlets this time around. They ask us what we know, which is nothing, and then we get out when they need the cells for someone else.” 

That made Vigil breathe a little more easily. “That’s, that’s good… so you think I’ll be out of here soon?”

“Don’t worry,” Clement answered with a friendly smile. “It should be fine, right Mason?”

But he didn’t answer. He seemed to be debating it in his head. “I’m not sure. I mean, for one thing, you’re important. There’s going to be outrage, I’m sure there already is. That puts pressure on them out there.”

“Okay…” Vigil bit his lip. “...but?”

“But, on the other hand… you are important.” He seemed to hesitate. “Did the Beastar himself grab you?”

“...yeah.”

That made Mason drop his gaze, his face deflating slightly. Clement was the same way. “That means you’re useful to him. And when someone’s useful to him, he doesn’t let them go very easily…”

Chapter Text

Kyo, a handsome ferret in a suit, leaned over his desk into the camera. “Onto other news, protests continue across the nation in solidarity with the detained son of a community patriarch near Cherryton. They are calling for his immediate release and an apology from the local police department, as well as the All-Organism Council. Kendra is on the ground reporting.”

The screen cut to a gorilla in a green dress, with a microphone in her hand. Yafya watched it from his seat at his table, phone propped up against his pitcher of water, while he ate his oatmeal. Kendra was out in the middle of town with a crowd of animals and humans alike behind her in Black Pine Square. “Thank you Kyo. As you can see behind me, protesters are still not letting up in their pressure, even on the third day. So far there have been seventeen arrests, mostly for obstruction of traffic as the municipal police try to keep the roads clear. Detours are recommended for anyone driving through the blocks around the square, as well as anyone traveling via public transit, which has faced heavy strain — hey!”

A jackal in a T-shirt and shorts grabbed the microphone, “Humans are animals too! We need equal rights for humans! Stop the council of tyrants and—”

The screen immediately cut back to Kyo, clearing his throat. “We apologize for that lapse in our coverage. We will keep you reported on the unstable situation as it unfolds. For now, we’ll go to break.”

Yafya looked away as he took another bite, the heavy lumps of his breakfast sitting on his tongue before he moved to chew the berries mixed in. So far it was one of those mornings that had dragged by slowly. His suite, perched on the fifty-seventh floor above the Cherryton Police Department, stretched around him, with wide windows opening up to the skyline. In front of those windows were long rows of garden boxes, where he grew his carrots. Slick tiles reflected the lights from far above.

Then the front door chimed.

With a heavy sigh he laid down his spoon, stepping across the long empty floor, before hitting a button. “Yeah?”

“It’s Sanford.”

Yafya hit the next button over, as well as undoing the deadbolt on the door. It opened to reveal a large moose, who had to duck to get in. He wore a sharp business suit over his massive frame. The horse moved behind him to shut the door again. “What do I owe the honor, then?”

Sanford pulled a pair of glasses from his jacket pocket, unfolding them over his face. “The situation with the human… I wanted to again express my own private thanks for handling the matter in a swift and firm way. I spoke with the rest of the party, and we reached a consensus.” He reached for his other pocket, and pulled out a folded sheet. It was typed and marked with the letterhead of the All-Species Republic. The Shielded Paw sat at the top. Yafya skimmed the words.

“‘The official position of the Unionist Party…”

“...is regret for the misunderstandings that led to this situation,” the moose nodded, “and that we will speak to the Beastar about having a thorough investigation and a speedy trial. And that we urge cooperation from the human hierarchs.”

Yafya nodded, folding the paper again and handing it back. “So what’s the real sentiment?”

Sanford’s demeanor relaxed a bit, and he let out a soft breath. “You have been a lifesaver. With the Integralists on the council pushing all this propaganda out there, all these radical things, I’m glad that we have you on our side. And also so far, keeping the protests under control, and not escalating them.”

Yafya gave a smirk. “Funny, the idea that trying to drag a human from his home into our world would be anything but a disaster.”

“Yes, exactly. They just tried to move too fast on the academies. Next thing you know they’ll have humans buying us from the meat markets!” He shook his head. “I know it’s not easy, but stand firm. All us Unionists have your back. And honestly, I’m sure a few of the Integralists agree in private, from what I’ve heard mutterings of…”

“That’s good.” Yafya sighed, gripping his head, turning it to the side until his neck popped. “I just need him for leverage right now.”

“Leverage?”

“Yes. We can get concessions from Aldi, if we press our advantage. The kid knows nothing, but I’m sure I can wring a few dark secrets from the father. That’s all the excuse we need to send him back, and kick this whole mess down the road…” he shrugged, making his shoulders roll, “a decade, two? Then the Integralists will move on to some other fad issue that they care about, and we don’t have to worry.”

Sanford tapped the paper against his fingertips as he considered. “Quite right. Okay, how long do you think it’ll take?”

“You know how stubborn the species can be. Might be a week, maybe longer. So I’d appreciate it if you can keep the news distracted. I’m working with the boys downstairs to keep the protests under control, so they can complain as long as they want.”

“Right, right…” the moose scratched at his snout with large fingers, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought. “I know they’ve been talking about a new rent program in the housing sub, I’ll try to see if Ema and Takako can get that brought forward. That’ll get some coverage?”

“That works,” Yafya glanced out the window at the towers in the distance. The last vestiges of night were being chased west by the rising sun, and the sky by the horizon was violet fading into a smoldering sienna, and then the blue of daylight. A few glints off the towers’ glass caught his eye. He couldn’t help but give a smile, as he folded his arms and bowed his head. “And thank you for the visit. It’s… always good to know that people have your back.”

Sanford nodded. “You know something? My grandfather, he was a corporal back in the war. He always told me that he had been honored to take up arms, to fight for what he loved. If he had had a chance to meet you, he’d be very proud of you…” he trailed away. “I know it’s hard. The Beastar is a leader for our society — and that means you’re alone while everyone else catches up. It’s a burden few can bear.” He paused for a moment. “I’m thankful that we have you to bear it for us.”

Jack hunched over the books in the library. Tomorrow was Wednesday. Test day. And he had to make sure he was ready to go. His palms pressed against his forehead, he could feel them pulling at his brows as he went to the next question on his study packet:

What were four-

Legosi’s snoring interrupted him. The labrador glanced over again, quietly annoyed, but also concerned. Lego had been exhausted during the day for a couple weeks now, and it was starting to affect his grades. He’d seen it himself, poorly marked essays on his nightstand while the wolf himself was nowhere to be found even after curfew. More than anything he wanted to help, but at the moment the dog was having a hard time himself. This term had already been difficult with the coursework getting more intense, especially with where his role in society was concerned, and then everything had gone wrong with Vigil. Vigil…

The dog felt another stab in his gut. He wanted more than anything to be out there demonstrating. But he could feel his classwork already beginning to slip from the stress. The top level canine classes were the most unforgiving courses in the entire academy, and if he got anything less than top marks he’d be barred from continuing the program. His parents wouldn’t be mad at him — they literally could not be — but the thought of disappointing them haunted his heart.

So he rededicated himself to his study packet:

What were four CORE factors that led to the Interspecies War becoming so destructive?

Okay, this was simple enough. Jack wrote:

The Interspecies War was a far more destructive conflict thanks to the following:

• Carnivore exclusion led to rising tensions between them and the other orders

• Organization of states along species lines led to competitive policies

• Radicalization of politics thanks to homogenous populations

• Economic organization and industrialism allowed for more and deadlier weapons to be produced

A handy little acronym, he thought to himself. Next question:

What led to the human intervention in what was originally the Carnivore-Herbivore War? 

Before he could start writing down the answer though, he heard a small voice: “Hey, you’re Jack, right?”

He looked over — and did a double take. A small white rabbit was talking to him. No, the small white rabbit. “Yeah! Yeah that’s me, uh, and you’re Haru, right? You’re Legosi’s… girlfriend?”

She turned to see the wolf slouched forward on the table. Her eyes narrowed. “That’s honestly up for debate at the moment, there’s a lot of complicated stuff we’re trying to work through.”

“Heheh, I can imagine!” His chuckle seemed to do nothing to lighten her mood. Dammit. He coughed, “Well, uh, if you want I can tell him you tried to stop by?”

She tilted her head. “Actually, since I have a chance… I wanted to talk to you.”

Jack blinked. “Uh, sure…” He slipped off his glasses and folded them in his book, before crossing his arms and leaning forward as she climbed onto the seat across from him. “What’s up? Something about Lego?”

“I mean, kinda,” she gave a soft short laugh as she turned in place, heaving up her backpack to sit on. It wasn’t much of a boost though.

“Here,” Jack pulled his glasses towards him and closed his book, starting to get up. “You want it?”

Haru waved him away. “Oh it’s fine.”

The dog nodded, settling down again as she finally seated herself. For a moment she sighed and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were dark and intense. Then she looked back at him.

“I guess it’s just, if things do work out with me and Legosi, and you’re his friend, then we’ll be friends too. So I figure it just makes sense for us to try and sit down and…” she gestured between them.

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So you want to actually be really serious with him then?”

“Well, you know, when a guy fights through an evil gang just to save your life, that’s kinda a sign that things are already serious. That’s what’s got me so hung up though. I mean, he’s a great guy, and I’m beyond grateful for what he did. I just don’t know if that gratitude is, you know, I want to be with him? Or just, I want to be his friend.” She leaned her head on one hand, making her ears lop over to the side. “It’s weird. And it’s even weirder when, uh…” The rabbit stopped herself, clearly rethinking her words, glancing at the wolf.

“...it’s weirder when Legosi acts like Legosi?”

“YES! Thank you, I didn’t want to say it!” She laughed again.

Jack joined her, “Yeah he can be a handful. You know how we became friends? We got into a fistfight. Things are always surprising with him.” He looked down. Legosi’s tail flicked slightly now and then in his dreams. Jack looked back. For a moment he wanted to ask if they were… compatible. But he didn’t really care about that kind of thing, not like most boys his age. And besides, it was private. He didn’t want to pry out any details about that night. So instead he opted for small talk, “I’ve just been studying for a test tomorrow. Should be pretty simple though, nothing too bad…”

“That’s good! I have one Thursday. Home economics,” she rolled her eyes. “Mom made me take it.” 

“Hey it’s still a good class!” Jack smiled. “I honestly wish I could take it, but the program I’m in has every single minute of my life mapped out until I graduate... “

Haru nodded. Silence for a moment. “...hey, you were Vigil’s buddy here, right?”

The dog’s heart leapt a moment. Regret came pouring back to him. “Yeah, what about it?”

“I don’t know if he mentioned being in gardening or anything, but I knew him too. I was sorry to hear about what happened... “ She clasped her hands. “I wish we could do something about it.”

Jack knew better than to suggest the protests. Those things were always so hazardous to smaller animals, which made organizing difficult. “Maybe we could visit him soon? I think he might like that!”

Haru blinked. “Can we do that?”

“I’m sure we can try at least. And it’ll be nice for him to see friends. I imagine it’s not a lot of fun being stuck in those cells alone… know what,” he stood up, “why don’t we go right now? Studying can wait ‘til later. We—”

His phone buzzed. 

“Ack, hold on, sorry,” he grabbed it from his pocket and was about to unlock the screen when Haru’s buzzed.

And then Legosi’s.

And then on the other side of the room, one phone blared an alert, with everyone else joining in.

Jack looked about, his ears perking, before reading the message.

“...oh no.”

Chapter Text

Larry sat back at the reception desk, rubbing his reptilian eyes. He had had no romanticized delusions; he knew that an internship at Silver Wing Broadcasting, prestigious as it may be, would involve some low-level grunt work. But laying out a hundred and fifty-three name badges on the computer? How was this supposed to get him a business degree?! He missed graduating a semester early, for this?

At least there were snacks - like the donut box his supervisor Hassan came back with. It was half-empty, the lid hanging open, as the ram set it down. “Board just finished up,” he nodded at the box, “those gotta disappear. Dig in.”

Larry took a tissue and grabbed one of the frosted rings. The frilled lizard had a bite as he returned to typing out the next name on the list. And then the next. And then…

The buzzer sounded at the door. 

Larry glanced up. A human woman waited at the door. She wore a bulky nylon jacket that had the ShipFast logo on it, and tucked her hands inside the pockets. 

“Here,” Hassan spoke through a full mouth, “go let her in.”

The lizard sighed softly, setting down his donut and strolling over. He hit a button to unlock the door before opening it. “Yeah?”

Immediately he was hit with an overpowering scent. She had clearly used way too much perfume. “Got a delivery,” she answered. Her head jerked back to the small black truck idling in the lot just outside the broadcasting tower. “Help me with it?”

“Yeah, sure…” Larry followed her over. Probably the shirts, he thought to himself. This damn kiddie fair they ran every other month was such a pain on his end. Sure it was supposed to be good for the grade schoolers who came in, but all the legwork was driving him up the wall. He rolled his arm trying to limber up as he turned, and the human opened the door to the back.

Inside were hundreds of bottles filled with clear fluid, rigged with wires.

Larry felt his heart shudder. His stomach felt like it’d turn inside out as he realized what he was looking at, the frill on his neck fluttering. 

“Not a word.” The human held up a garage door opener, her fingers in clear plastic gloves, with wires spliced into a battery pack. 

She clicked.

The lizard flinched. His heart stopped. Yet… no blast. 

“This resets the timer,” Sharp eyes flashed at him. “If I go ten seconds without clicking, the van detonates.” Another click. “Take me to the control room.”

Larry just stared back at first. He couldn’t breathe. Or at least he had to remind himself to do so. 

“The control room,” she repeated. Click .

Still staring, he began to back away - but towards the front door.

“Say nothing. I’m just making a delivery. Understand?”

The lizard shivered. “I… I understand.”

“Play it cool, don’t alert anyone, and you and I can walk away alive here.” She nodded before stowing the device in her coat pocket. Click . “And stop acting scared.”

Larry took a deep breath. All of a sudden his degree, his job, all his problems shrank to a miniscule size, overshadowed by towers of bottles ready to blow the Silver Wing Needle to pieces. He just needed to keep calm. Keep calm. He swiped his ID at the door, unlocking it again, allowing himself and the human through. 

“Hm?” Hassan looked up from behind the desk, grabbing a tissue and wiping off his fingers as they pair approached. “Can I help you?”

Click .

The lizard’s mind drew a blank, but luckily his companion had an answer: “I have a package for Director Akari?” She drew a folded manila envelope from her other pocket. “Gentleman said he would take me up.”

“Mmm,” the ram clearly didn’t like the sound of that. Larry knew he was already planning a gentle reprimand on being too courteous. “We can sign for that right here actually?” 

Click . “She requested it in-person,” the human answered back. “High priority, from the Council.” 

His face brightened. “Ah, from the Council? Of course, he’ll show you where to go.”

Click . 

Hassan barely even noticed the sound, if at all. He didn’t know to listen for it. But Larry strained to hear that click, because he knew if he didn’t… 

They rounded a corner to the elevator. He hit the button. Struggled to swallow, his throat hurting so bad. Fuck. What if it actually blew? There’d been eight other siblings in his clutch. If he died here they wouldn’t even have a body to bury. His mother and father would get mere fragments. Vito and Goji at school, he’d never see them again. That book he’d always meant to write, forever blank.

Click .

The elevator arrived. Larry shuffled on, the woman alongside him. He hit the button for the top floor, forty-eight stories up. The doors slid shut, leaving them alone. Her eyes watched the floors tick by, glancing over at him every other second or so.

He gulped. Anything to break the tension.

Click .

“Wh-what are you doing in the control room?” he stammered.

“I just need to play something,” she answered back. Her eyes fixed on him now. She looked him up and down. “It’ll be quick, and then I’ll go. No need for anything to get messy.”

He nodded, eyes searching, his thin reptilian lips so dry. “My name, uh, is Lawrence?”

Click . “Mmkay.”

The elevator dinged open. 

Just in front of them was a security checkpoint.

A tired vulture in uniform motioned at the table, “Put your stuff down, pass through the scanner.”

Larry’s heart lurched again as the woman stepped forward, and started to unzip her jacket. Underneath she wore a black turtleneck. She pulled the envelope from one pocket, set it across the table. Her keys. Her wallet. Then her jacket, crinkling as she set it down. And finally, a subtle click before she set down the device. 

“Ugh, you gotta get that fixed,” the vulture cocked his head at the clicker. 

“I know, just a million other things to pay for first,” she laughed. “Can I?” 

He nodded and waved her through.

Larry fixated on the device though. He... he could get it! But if he lunged he’d be suspicious! He should tell the guard, but then he might get confused and if the button didn’t get pressed in time—

“Thank you,” the human picked it up again in her latex fingers. Click .

The lizard blinked. It had gone by so fast. He’d been so busy planning how to do it, he’d missed his chance to actually do it. 

“You alright boy?” 

Larry blinked as the vulture addressed him. He could see the woman peering around, a pointed stare. “Yeah, sorry, just not feeling real well, uh…” he flashed his ID, and was allowed through. 

Click .

He led the human past the double doors of the soundstage. They could hear Kyo addressing the camera, a few fragments about the new rent control measure that’d been introduced before the All-Organism Council. But this wasn’t where they needed to go…

Around another corner, with glass walls looking in a spacious office with sweeping modernist furniture. Sleek white steps led to a desk, and atop was a smaller desk. At that desk sat a pangolin. Director Akari worked on a small tablet that was as wide as she was. 

Larry hesitated. For a second he wondered whether dealing with the terrorist was preferable. 

Click . 

He rapped his knuckles on the wall just inside the glass door, though he didn’t dare step in.

“I am busy,” she didn’t look up, “and you will not interrupt me when I’m busy.”

Shit. He cleared his throat. “M-Ma’am, it’s important though…”

“Am I your direct report?”

“Please, I-”

“Am I,” her clawed hands paused, “your direct report?”

“...no ma’am,” Click . “But someone wants to see you!”

“Then they should have an appointment. I have no appointments until six,” Akari’s voice grew harsher, “when I’m due to give Kendra a formal reprimand, for allowing an unauthorized speaker on the air. In other words, for breaking the rules…” She swiped at her screen again. “Do you want to join her, intern?”

“No,” Larry felt himself breaking down, “I-I don’t—”

Click .

The woman stepped into Akari’s office.

At the violation of her sovereignty the pangolin finally looked up. Her eyes immediately betrayed annoyance. “Course…” she grumbled. “Whatever you got should have been taken by reception. I, for one, am doing something important.”

Larry’s eyes flicked to the human. As terrified as he was of her, he couldn’t help but feel awed at the way she didn’t even flinch at Akari’s anger. Instead, she pulled out the envelope, and rested it on the table. 

“I think you can find the time to have them broadcast that. Now.”

Utter silence. 

  Click. 

“I’m sorry?” The pangolin stood up. She might have been only a foot high but Larry still recoiled at that. “Last I checked, I was the one running this tower!”

The woman drew out her other hand. 

Click . But this time, she didn’t let go.

Larry’s eyes fixated on the device. After a few seconds, a green light came on — and it began to buzz. At the same time, the human’s hand gripped at her jacket. Her grip tightened as she tore open the fabric. 

Hidden underneath in the lining were small plastic bags, filled with powder, all hooked into wires. 

For the first time ever, Larry saw Akari’s brow falter. Her mouth hung open slightly…

“Now,” the human insisted. 

As the All-Species Republic’s public broadcasting network, Silver Wings stations were also home to the emergency alert mainframe — the mainframe that was currently accepting the CD found in the envelope. One team member was already working on transcribing the note found inside. All the while, Larry lurked in the back of the dark room. A matrix of twenty-four monitors showed various programming streams, some live and some not. News, sports, children’s programming, it all ran through here. 

The fox at the console paused. He looked back at Akari. The pangolin gave one more glance at the human… and then nodded. 

He hit enter.

Every screen cut to an emergency card.

The mingled colors were now a glaring red. It sent unease crawling along Larry’s neck and made his frill shiver. Harsh tones blared from the screens, before every single monitor filled with the same image.

A man sat before a plain white cloth. He wore a heavy jacket, a black stocking over his face, sunglasses over that, and blue latex gloves over his hands. They couldn’t see the color, but it was clearly the nimble and clawless hands of a human. 

In front of him sat a microphone, and in front of that he held a piece of paper. His voice came garbled and disguised. The words he read were, verbatim, the same as the words sent to every cell phone within fifty kilometers of Cherryton:

“Citizens of the All-Species Republic, I regret to be speaking to you in this manner. But with no path of petition, no voice to speak for us within the All-Organism Council, we must unfortunately take dramatic steps to have our concerns heard by the public.

“I do not speak to you today with threats. I do not speak to you to inspire violence. Indeed, the opposite: I fear that violence may escalate unless steps are taken to ameliorate the situation we find ourselves in. For decades the back of humankind has borne mortification after mortification in penance, for crimes convicted upon our grandfathers and their fathers. Every new generation born into indictment, condemned before they understand what they are punished for. Yet we have taken it upon ourselves to withstand it, in the hope that the debt would be soon paid.”

At this point, the human woman began to back out of the room. “Keep it playing,” she brandished the clicker again, still watching. 

“And yet, we find our punishment growing harsher by the day. We find work, only to be driven from our jobs. We find homes, only to be priced from them. And we bear our sons… only to have them taken from us.”

At this point the figure set down the paper, clasping their hands and leaning forward. 

“The arbitrary arrest of the son of Father Reed, Vigil of Ardi, is a gross escalation of the continued subjugation of our species. It is a foreboding warning to not only us, of the depths the Council may sink to in order to press us into bondage, but to all species, of the terrible actions that may befall any of us. For if one species may be classified as non-animal, any species may be classified as such if it is so desired by the rest.

“What we ask for is not privilege. We merely propose that as we pay the obligations of law, we should therefore enjoy the protection of law. If anyone does not receive the latter, then it does not follow that they should honor the former.

“Members of the Council… and the current Sublime Beastar… I implore you at once to release Vigil. For this is one injustice too many, and cannot be tolerated by anyone who claims to value freedom, liberty, and justice.” There was a pause, almost a hesitation. “I am Sage X. Thank you for listening.”

Larry felt a chill go through him. He turned to see the human woman, holding up the device, still pressing it with her thumb, as she began to step away down the hallway, around the corner, to the stairs, her steps going faster… 

A half hour later they found the van abandoned in an alley, her clothes discarded nearby, too covered in smells for even the wolves to trace. Bomb squad came for the bottles.

It turned out they were filled with water.

Chapter Text

Ibuki raised his arms to either side as the metal detector passed over his body. All this was new, but after the Silver Wings takeover two days ago, the entire city seemed to be in a frenzy. Hell, police lurked outside of grocery stores now. 

The guard motioned him through. As he slipped on his coat again. Agata waited for him, and both lions slipped wordlessly down the hall to the stairs, going for the balcony seats. Ibuki could feel the elaborate woodwork around him, all the way down to the handrail his fingertips traced along. The stained glass windows were dark from the night sky outside, but the street lamps could be seen through the texture, their lights fractured and refracted. The wall’s mural boasted an elaborate expressionist collage whose colors had faded with time. Woodsworth Theater had stood for two hundred years, and was a favorite meeting spot for elites of all kinds — legitimate and otherwise. 

 Ibuki pulled open the door quietly. The show had just started, so the theater was already dark and a beautiful voice soared from the stage. Approaching the edge of the balcony he could look down and see a human woman, pale with cherry red lips, her gown flowing, lifting her arms and song to the sky. It was a language he didn’t understand, but it sounded like Pig Latin — a classic choice for these refined kinds of productions. 

They shuffled along until they reached their seats, right by where Big Man sat back. He tilted his head ever so slightly, the shades covering his eyes, as Ibuki sat to his right. Agata sat on the other side, glancing down to the stage below. “...quite a set of pipes on her.”

“Oh doesn’t she?” Big Man snickered, scratching his cheek. A bit of stubble had yet to be shaved. He wore a purple suit jacket, a black button-up beneath it, and a collection of gold chains circled his neck. A soft sigh escaped him. “Y’know, I used to know her?”

“Yeah?”  Ibuki followed along politely, though he was hardly surprised. Humans tended to know each other in the enclave.

“Oh yeah. My last year of secondary, she was just startin’. She auditioned for the school musical and got the starring role… bet y’can see why,” he chuckled. 

He kept watching her, resting his chin on his hand. Ibuki’s eyes followed his face. It was hard to see beneath Big Man’s sunglasses, but there was something different about the way he gazed at the woman on stage. It didn’t have his usual lechery… 

After a few moments, the lion spoke. “The payment?”

“Huh? Oh,” the man blinked from his trance, before reaching into his jacket pocket. He produced a small plastic bag filled with silvervine. “Is a present, really, ‘cause y’guys had an easy job this week.”

“Easy?!” Agata interjected in a hiss. “Had to yell at people every other second because they were trying to pin stuff to the wall! We should get paid double for working in a crowd like that!”

Ibuki let him talk, nodding along. “The protests did make things hectic for us. Don’t think it was easy.”

“Okay, okay, hold on,” he raised his hands. “Didn’t mean nothing by it. Just meant with my boy and his friends off the streets, they’re not causing the trouble. That’s all I meant. That’s what I was worried about.” He held out the bag again. “Point is, it’s clear, so you’ve done your jobs.”

“That, we have…” Ibuki took the silvervine, passing it back to Agata. He could feel the younger lion’s eagerness at accepting it. “Not here,” he muttered. 

The eagerness dimmed ever so slightly.  

“You’re having trouble getting bail for your son, by the way? Perhaps we could help you with that?”

“Puh,” Big Man scoffed. “As if I’m short the money. No, Mason can sit and think about what he’s done for a few days. Maybe it’ll finally drill some fuckin’ sense into him before he gets hurt.” He nodded, eyes drifting back to the stage. “I’ll get him when I feel like it.”

Darn, an opportunity missed. Well, time for the tough talk. Ibuki adjusted his glasses, “Anyways, there was something that we wanted to discuss with you?”

The human was already fixed back to the singer though. “Before she got real big, we used to get lunch together. Really she’s a delightful woman. Fuckin’ hilarious, too!” He chuckled, but his face darkened. “She told me about the guy who owns her contract, this asshole aardwolf? The way he’d treat her, made me so fuckin’ mad. I’m tellin’ you, if I’d had the money that I do now, I’d’ve bought out her contract. She could be singing at the Happy and Heaven instead...” His head shook side to side, as she crescendoed into a lament that made the air ring true.

“Big Man, we need to talk about something important.”

He cast his eyes down by his feet. Then over to them, “Right, what is it?”

“Look, what I’m going to say isn’t personal. We’ve done really good business together, and we want to keep our relationship in the future.” Ibuki could feel the man’s gaze harden through his shades. “In the current climate, however, it’s simply too risky. No more goods for at least a couple weeks.”

He just stared back. His teeth bit at the corner of his lip. “It’s — it’s because I’m human, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that would unfortunately be it.”

“Wow,” he scoffed, looking away. That smile still etched across his face. “Here I thought you were the good ones.”

The lion had been expecting this kind of reaction. “Again, it’s not personal. You’ve been very good to us and we appreciate that. But think about it, if they crack down on you, they crack down on us. If we limit our transactions now, then there’s a better chance we can slide by until the cops relax again.” 

Big Man still refused to look back. “...if that’s how you see your best business plan then by all means. But I’m the guy who’s hooking new customers for you.” Finally he met Ibuki’s gaze again, pressing his fingers against his own chest. His smile had shrunken, but it was still there, immutable as ever. “How many people do I send your way? Right, I wanna be your friend here. I am your friend here. And you wanna throw that away, throw all that money away, because the police are getting angry at us?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just too risky. We’ll keep your sidewalks clean still,” he nodded over his shoulder at Agata, “but no goods. Come on,” he motioned to his partner, and they made to get up.

“Wait wait! Wait, hold on…” Big Man chuckled nervously. “Come on, who’s sayin’ this, is it you sayin’ this?”

“Louis,” Ibuki answered. “I’m sorry, we won’t interrupt your show any more.”

“No no no no no, you’re not interrupting, we can talk about this. Come onnnnnn, surely there’s something I can do to make up the risk?” 

Ibuki paused. There it was. He gave a soft sigh. “I just don’t see how we could arrange it?”

“Well, come, come, hear me out?” He gestured for the lion to sit again. Slowly, Ibuki obliged. “Right, so let’s have no existing arrangement. But if I were to, say… lose some money in the Back Alley Market in front of your door, that’d be a boon on your part. And if you happen to misplace a delivery, well, that’d certainly be helpful to me.”

Silence for a while, as Ibuki sat back and looked at the ceiling. Ornate floral patterns covered the plaster, aged over decades. “You know, with everything so risky right now, we’re looking at raising our prices. Up to double what we’re charging now.” He could sense a falter in Big Man’s countenance. “You think that’s a good idea?”

The human set his jaw, before reaching out for the banister railing. He looked down at the singer again, who was just finishing the big number. Applause filled the air. The next number started. “Price and a half,” he muttered. “And only ‘til this blows over.”

“...reasonable enough.” Again Ibuki stood, for real this time, and he motioned for Agata to shuffle out of the aisle ahead of him. 

Neither of them cared for musical theater. 

Soon they exited the lobby, walking down the nighttime glow of Freedom Street. A cruiser slowly glided down the road, the cops inside scanning the sidewalks for anyone suspicious. Agata waited for them to pass, then grinned as he held up the silvervine. “Oh it’s gonna be a good night tonight…”

“Save it for when we get back,” Ibuki smirked. “If you take it all again, Free’s gonna kill me.”

“We should’ve pressed him for more though. Guy’s got more than he knows what to do with, right?”

“That’s not what we needed this time around though. Tell you what, you can have my share.”

“Ah fuck, really?” He grinned, the hot pink of a neon sign overhead reflected on his teeth and in his eyes. “Y’know, don’t think I said this, but I’m totally behind you when you take over.”

Ibuki didn’t miss his step. “Take over?”

“Yeah, after we eat Louis? You’re a great negotiator, people respect you. You were lined up for it anyways.” 

He gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I suppose.” They were approaching an alley. “Really think I’m that good of a leader?”

“Course, everyone does.”

“Great, then listen to this.”

His hand seized Agata by the back of his neck and whirled him around against the brick wall in the alley. One arm pressed against the young lion’s neck as fear filled his speckled face. From where he could see, Ibuki’s glasses caught the light.

“I don’t want to hear you ever talking about eating the boss again. After everything he’s done for us, that’s how you’d repay him?”

“No! No it’s not like that!” His hands gripped at Ibuki’s arm. “I didn’t, I just assumed, I mean, he’s a deer!”

“He’s the man,” he seized the silvervine bag and shook it in Agata’s face, “who got you these, in return for standing on a street corner.” With a huff he let the young lion go, making him catch the bag. He glared, making sure this sank in. “I’m giving you a warning ‘cause you’re still  young, still new. But don’t you ever bite the hand that feeds… especially one that feeds this well…”

Ibuki turned away, stepping towards the car. The Shishigumi had never had so many doors open, They’d gone from being one of the most detested rings in the market to one of the most respected. It only made sense that Louis stayed in charge.

That’s why. The only reason why. Nothing else weighed on his heart, he kept telling himself…

Gouhin patrolled along the edge of the waterfront. A small line of knick-knack swap meets ran along the road. On the other side, trimmed gardens led up to the edge of the ocean. The crash of the surf sprayed into the night and he could smell the crisp salt hanging in the air. A perfect breeze.

An ideal night, then, for the meat peddlers to be out and about.

The panda’s dark eyes scanned through the shadows. He wasn’t out to bust anyone. That wasn’t his job and he’d get no satisfaction from it. This was a predation hot spot though, second only to the Back Alley Market. That’s why he’d set up a clinic here — and while his current patient was completing his therapy session, he wanted to make sure all was clear. 

Heavy boots stepped along as he approached the railing and looked down at the sand. Two falcons and a bear were huddled together in the moonlight. For a second he peered down. No one else. He sighed and continued on. It’d been about twenty minutes… he should probably start heading back.

He slung his bamboo staff against his shoulder and set off. Time to see how that wolf had done. 

Rubbing his neck and turning his head to the side, Gouhin checked for traffic. Nothing but a lurking police cruiser that had already crossed the street. He strode past the nail salon, which proudly touted that it now offered claw services as well. Beyond it was an udon noodle shop — and the lights were just turning off.

The door jingled as it opened. A llama, a small barn owl, and a human stepped out, all tired but with smiles on their faces. The owl held up a key. “Violet, would you?”

The human accepted it, locking the shop shut for the night before returning it. “Same time tomorrow right?”

“That’s right. Oh, and Donson?” The llama perked up. “We’re getting new dishes delivered in the morning, when you get here can you make sure to bring them in?”

“Course. Get them open and stocked?”

“Washed first,” the owl added. “But yes, that’d be great.”

“Oh hold on,” the human held up her hand, “you got a little something in your wool…” The llama held still as she gingerly picked out a strand of noodle. “Didn’t know you liked it that much,” Violet snickered as she flicked it away.

“Yeah, haha.” Donson smoothed out his wool again, his face sheepish. “Heading for the metro again?”

“Uh huh.”

Their conversation faded as Gouhin paused in front of the door beside the noodle shop. but he kept watching them. The CPD cruiser circled around the corner again, and it slowed as it approached the trio. He could see them tense. The vehicle rolled slower… but it never stopped. Finally it began to prowl away again, and the three of them all relaxed, going on to the metro.

Satisfied, Gouhin stepped into his place. It had the same calm interior as his main location outside the market. Doors on each side led into different treatment rooms, some of which were more… extreme, than others. Down one hallway was his refrigerator, where he kept his more sensitive supplies. He rapped his knuckles on the door. “Hey kid? How you holding up?”

Silence.

After waiting for a reply, the panda sighed. Steeling himself for whatever was on the other side of the door, he pulled on the hatch and yanked it open.

Legosi huddled on the floor, arms tucked into his sides. His eyes fixed on a cheap cut of Bactrian camel that Gouhin had picked up from the market. The wolf’s breathing came heavy. Shivering shook his whole body; it wasn’t from the cold. He bit at his lips, trying to keep the drool from dripping down his chin. 

The moment the door opened, Legosi’s ears perked up, and his eyes snapped to the panda. ”It’s been four hours already?” he gasped, wiping his hand over his snout. “I, I feel like I was able to control myself more that time! It went by so fast!”

Gouhin growled, “It was thirty minutes.” 

He could see Legosi’s face fill with a quiet despair. The wolf hung his head in hands, like he was praying an apology to the meat hanging before him. Gouhin gave a quiet sigh.

“Come on. Take a break for a bit.”

A couple minutes later he slipped Legosi a cup of tea and sat across from him at the table. The wolf’s eyes were downcast and dulled. He barely gripped the cup, didn’t even look at it.

“I’m stopping your training.”

That jolted Legosi to life. “Huh, what? But, I’m doing good so far! I can do this!”

“You wanna march your ass into the bathroom and look in the mirror? You are not doing good so far. At this point I don’t care if you want it or not, it’s killing you.”

“But I have to! If I want to be with Haru then I have to!”

Gouhin sat back, giving a soft growl. “Right, how are your grades?”

“My… grades are fine?” An obvious lie, and Legosi plainly knew it wasn’t going to pass.

“You’re sacrificing your health for this girl. You’re sacrificing your future for this girl. You’re giving her everything. And what is she giving you?”

“She’s… I don’t want her to sacrifice anything. I want her to be—”

The table shuddered as the panda slammed his fist on it. “Listen to yourself! That’s not love Legosi, that’s infatuation! And it’s not healthy for you.” 

“No, it is love!” he started up, trying to fight back, “What would you understand about love?!”

At that Gouhin slammed both palms down and whipped onto his feet. The wolf immediately cowed, ears pressed back, eyes wide.

“I understand plenty…” he dared Legosi to challenge him back. No such answer came. “This kind of love, romance, it has to be both ways. What is she doing for you? I know she makes you feel better about yourself, that she makes you feel like a better guy. But it’s not worth ruining the rest of your life for.”

Legosi panted as his eyes searched for an answer. “I don’t care, I want to keep going! You did it! I have the discipline!”

“Yeah? Well it takes more than discipline. Because you know what I had that most people don’t have, that you don’t have? Time. I was privileged enough that my parents could afford to let me take a gap year, so I could focus. I needed every day of that year too. Even with all that, I still have days where I can feel it raise its head, and I need to take the day to myself. And I’m a panda.” He stood up, turning away to face the counter and open up a cupboard. His thick hands grabbed a half-full bag of rice. “You’re not ready. Not because you’re weak, you’re not. But you have obligations. The same way almost every other carnivore does. When you’re working or studying full-time it’s hard to focus on undoing millions of years of evolution, after all…” He filled a pot from the sink, letting the water run, before setting it on his stove and turning it on. Let the kid reply, give him a chance.

“...then I’ll drop out,” Legosi finally spoke.

Wrong answer.

Gouhin sighed as he poured the rice into the pot, before getting a small pan from under the counter. He turned and jabbed it in Legosi’s direction. “If I ever hear you suggest that again I will beat the sense into you with this.” 

“But come on, I’ll be free to focus on this! And I could work at the noodle shop next door, I saw they were hiring! I could focus on my training even more!”

The panda slowly cocked his head. Then sighed, stepping over, drawing back the pan, “Fuckin’ warned you kid.”

Legosi yelped and startled out of his chair, sloshing his hot tea against his coat. “Okay okay I won’t!” 

“Nah it’s too late now,” he calmly followed. “Just a couple whacks will set your brain straight.”

“No! No!” Legosi darted around the table, holding out a hand. “I promise! I won’t drop out!”

“That’s fucking right you won’t.” The panda paused and leaned over the table, brandishing the pan right in his face. “You know how many animals wish they could get into an All-Species Academy? How much some people pay so that their kids can have a better future?”

“It’s, uh…” The wolf tenderly took a step back. “... it’s a lot, I know.”

“More than a lot. A shit ton of money. And you know what you get from it?”

“A good education?”

“ Wrong.” Gouhin began to slowly circle the table again. Legosi kept to the opposite side. “You get a credential. It’s not about the classes, it’s about that diploma. You’re a carnivore Legosi. The world sees us as dangerous, unreliable, a risk to others…” He reached the stove again, and stopped. “That means we have to be twice as qualified, twice as good, just to be in the same place as an herbivore. Do you understand?” 

Legosi nodded in silence. The panda turned, set the pan on a different burner, before greasing it with oil and going to the fridge. He pulled out a box of tofu cubes, approached the stove… then set the tofu down, gripping the counter and sighing.

“You remember those photos I showed you? Of the carnivores who went mad from blood mania?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“I want to show you something else.” 

He gestured for the wolf to follow him. Off to the side was another room. He slid open a thick deadbolt. Then another. Then a third. When the door creaked open, Legosi could see something that looked like a dentist’s chair - but with restraints on the arm- and footrests. There was even a clamp about where the neck would go.

“This is where I keep the worst cases. People who get so desperate that they overdose on blood, or get so meat-hungry that they lose all sense. They go berserk. I usually have to wrestle them into the seat, and even for me, it’s...” He gently touched the scar on his face. “I keep them in here until they come off the high. Most of them do. A few have their hearts explode first.”

He could see that the wolf was frightened. Good.

“What I’m saying is,” he sighed, “I don’t want to one day be wrestling you into that chair. And the best way I can make sure that doesn’t happen, is to get your ass back to class. Harder to resort to drugs when you get a job and a family to keep you busy.”

Gouhin stepped back to the stove, beginning to drop tofu into the pan.

“Sit down. I’m gonna feed you before you go.”

Slowly the wolf sat back at the table. He waited for Legosi’s reply, if anything. What was the kid going to say?

“...if you think it’s for the best, I… won’t come back any more.”

Gouhin sighed in relief. “I’m not always going to be there to help you fight off a pack of lions, you know.” He glanced to the side, weighing something. “Not tomorrow, but next Friday.”

He could hear Legosi perk up.

“Next Friday. Bring me a paper or quiz or some shit to show me you’re passing. If you can do that… I’ll let you come by weekly. We won’t get rid of your instinct but you can help to dull it.” 

“Really?! Oh thank—”

“Two rules!” The panda held up his fingers. “One, if you’re failing a class, I send you home. Two, if you’re as visibly exhausted as you’ve been the past couple days, I send you home. Deal?”

“O-okay. Deal.” 

Gouhin pulled out his spatula and began to stir and toss the tofu about. At least this compromise would make it easier for the kid to see the futility of what he wanted to do. “Oh, one more thing?” He looked over his shoulder. “Think about what I said, about romance. And ask yourself this week, if what you’re putting in equals what you’re getting out.”

The Back Alley Market sounded muted tonight, with fewer people out thanks to the government crackdown. But still the sounds of sizzling and crackling and cutting and thumping could be heard stall to stall. 

To Louis it sounded like home. 

He walked with his hands clasped behind his back, calm eyes surveying his domain. Sabu and Dolph flanked him behind. This whole corner of the square answered to the Shishigumi; in return, he made sure they had what they needed.

“There we are,” a lynx scrawled across the top of a wrapped package. “Three-fifty for an hour and twenty minutes.” 

“Thanks Miika,” a tiger accepted it and slid it under his arm before stepping away. For a moment Louis stared after. It kind of sounded like Bill almost, and looked like him too… although, lots of tigers shared the same build. Shaking his head, the deer looked at Miika, who was already paying attention.

“Any trouble tonight?”

“Uhhh,” the lynx leaned forward, smacking her lips. “No, not really.”

He raised his brows. “Anything I can help you with?”

“Uh, get more customers in here,” she laughed. Louis gave a polite smirk back. “I may not buy as much off you guys the next week or so, if that’s alright?” The slight edge of nervousness crept into her voice. 

“Honestly we might not get as much in, so that’s great actually.” A sigh of relief on her part. “Long as you don’t go behind our back or anything, we’ll be fine.”

“No of course not! I’d never!” The lynx laughed. “But thanks for stopping by, sir! I’ll let you know… if... ”

She trailed away. Louis could feel a presence over his shoulder. Stepping back, he turned to look a human straight in the eye, just beyond Dolph. They wore a black cloak, matching gloves and boots, an ornate satin collar, and a wide-brimmed hat. He could see bright eyes against the olive skin, and a fine mustache across the lip. The gentleman clasped his hands together. In a rich yet quiet voice he spoke, “Oh please don’t mind me. I’m simply surveying to ensure that none of our brethren have been stolen away to this profane hive of savagery.”

These Inquisitors were fairly normal appearances. But in these times… the deer glanced to the rooftops. He scanned along… and he spied a pair of shadows, huddled against the swirling grey of cloud cover blowing in. “We have no human meat at all. From the communities or from here.” Louis slipped another cigarette into his mouth. “But just so you know, you’ve dragged the cops here. You’re going to be even less popular tonight. Some of the carnivores might not take kindly to it…”

“Boss!” Sabu hissed. “Careful!”

The Inquisitor lifted his head, framing his face against the black hat. “I have my role to fill. Please, do not try to dissuade me from it.” With that he turned in place, sweeping his cloak along, slowly gliding down the row. 

Louis rolled his eyes, giving a nod in farewell to Miika, as he stepped away. He lit up his cigarette finally, and was just pocketing the lighter when his path was suddenly stopped by three children. A tapir, an onager, and a pronghorn all looked up at him. “Louis!” they cheered with their limited vocabulary. They wore plain white shirts and comfortable shorts. 

They also wore signs around their neck. Five hundred thousand yen for a fresh pronghorn foal. A million for a small plump tapir. Above the cardboard, their beaming faces met his eye.

“Louis!” “Louis! Gum?” “Gum?”

He blinked down at them. His teeth gripped his cigarette. “Yeah… yeah, I have gum for you.” The deer carried around a small pack, these kids loved the stuff. Unwrapping each stick one by one, he fed it directly into their mouths. He could hear their soft moans as the sugar danced across their tastebuds. 

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“Yeah, just, go sit down,” he motioned back to the little cushions they had to sit and wait on. They followed suit, dawdling along like they were in grade school recess. 

This was the way things were, Louis repeated in his mind. People condemned the Back Alley Market because they were simply blinded to the same thing going on around them. A rabbit was kidnapped by a pack of lions, and the mayor covered it up for political points, to preserve the fragile peace. Louis snorted. If he could go back in time he’d drive his fist through the mayor’s perfectly trimmed face.

That was the difference between them; Louis and the Back Alley Market didn’t lie. 

Carnivores needed meat. Herbivores provided meat. It’s a simple process that a toddler could understand. All the laws and platitudes and protections of the All-Organism Council would never change those two immutable facts. If anything they made the problem worse. How many times did carnivores go savage unexpectedly when their bodies just couldn’t handle the deprivation any more? This was the good that the Back Alley Market did for society, filling in the cracks where others could not. That was the service they provided.

So how come whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the chubby cheeks of a young tapir, not knowing what the numbers on his sign even meant?

No it was… it was better this way. Under the functional lordship of another herbivore, their lives were better. He had taken them out of that hellish dungeon, let them see the sky. Fed them, clothed them, gave them stars in their eyes so they wouldn’t see where their lives were leading to. 

That was a mercy, wasn’t it?

He snatched his cigarette from his mouth with a heavy sigh. It was only half-gone, but he dropped it and snuffed it out beneath his shoe. He couldn’t take much more of it right now. He glared down at the remains, vaguely aware of the quiet before him. Then shoes came up behind him.

“Hey, you’re the guy that runs the Shishigumi, right?”

Louis turned to see three humans. One of them, a woman with a shaved head, led two young men on either side who both looked nervous. “Perhaps I am. Depends on if you’re buying or selling.”

“Buying.” Her gloved hands pulled out a folded sticky note. She opened it and held it up for Louis to read. He squinted to read the words… his eyes would have immediately jolted open, but he had the sense to control his reaction.

They wanted guns. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” He shook his head. “Too risky right now.”

“No, we can pay,” she insisted. 

“I know. I don’t want your money. It’ll be too much heat.” He glanced very pointedly at the rooftops, where the cops were still watching.

“In the Back Alley Market, everything is for sale. And we, want, this.”

“Come on,” one of the boys spoke up, interrupting her, “we shouldn’t even be here”

“Will you fuck off, it’s my money and I’m gonna do what I want with it.”

“It’s our money,” the other boy broke in now. “And… Sage wouldn’t want this.”

At that she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, we talked about this already. Ugh, know what, fine.” She turned back to Louis, who had crossed his arms in front of his body. “We don’t fucking need you. There’s three other gangs here that’ll sell us what we want I bet. Because they like this…” The human pulled a wad of bills from her pocket, waving it about temptingly.

But Louis just gave a gentle shake of his head. “Fine. Buy it from them, because you won’t buy it from us.”

“It’s time for you to go,” Dolph added on, taking a menacing step forward.

“Fine, I will!” She huffed and began walking away, but turned back to yell, raising her fingers “and by the way, fuck all you! My aunt fucking drained herself to death so that you could get high off her blood. Hope it gives you all heart attacks or something. FUCK!”

She hadn’t been watching her step and ran right into someone - the community Inquisitor. He stumbled before catching himself, correcting his hat. “Watch where you’re stepping, please…” His voice came tinged with a threat. 

The girl had been stepping away… but when his words sank in, she stopped. Then turned around. “Oh, watch where I’m stepping? In my own home? Where are you supposed to be, traitor? The land you bent down and kissed ass for?”

“How dare you?” He dramatically threw open his cloak. “I represent all the Hierarchs, the Elder Word, and the strength of human concord. Together we have thrived through all tribulations, preserving our upright dignity and—”

“Oh will you stop,” she shouted in exasperation, “with the shitty act!”

At that moment Sabu stepped forward closer to Louis. “Want me to break them up?” he whispered.

The deer shook his head. He wanted to see where this went.

“...I don’t think it’d be a good idea to let her rile him up…”

“Just stay for now,” he whispered. 

Meanwhile, the Inquisitor had moved on, “—observe and preserve our way of life, while you and your kind rejected it!”

“My kind?!” she clenched her fists, coming forward.

“Yes, you who forsook our solidarity. Your grandparents and their parents let themselves be fooled and tempted by the animal world. They were blind when they signed away their liberty. They were unfaithful when they turned their backs on their own species and embraced the very civilization that destroyed us. They were fools who—”

His nose crunched as her fist swung to his face. 

With a sharp squawk he crumpled, hitting a stall and making it collapse atop him. The human girl stood above him, quivering.

“My great-grandfather was a fucking engineer when he came here!” she screamed, voice cracking. “Don’t be mad at me if yours wasn’t good enough!” 

With that she stormed to the alleyway, her two comrades in tow. The Inquisitor untangled himself from the mess, back bowed as he fled down the other way, pressing his sleeve under his nostrils, his hat in his hand and revealing unkempt hair upon his head. Louis watched him beat a hasty retreat. 

There was quiet in the Back Alley Market again, even heavier than before.

Chapter Text

A shower of fangs and claws clattered against the tile floor.

Yafya looked down upon it with silent contempt. The backpack he held was filled with even more of the distinctly feline parts, yanked from unsuspecting lions and tigers and leopards over the course of weeks. It’s owner, a very frightened looking sheep, pressed back into her seat. 

The pair stood before seven members of the All-Organism Council at a long, curved desk: the High Tribunal on Predation. The center seat was occupied by Sabo, an anteater, who had been selected from the Judicial Committee as the tribunal’s chairman — Yafya knew him all too well. Light shone down from above, harsh and unyielding. 

“Can you tell me,” Yafya spoke, “and the good men and women of the tribunal, how you came by this material?”

“I-I swear I didn’t know anything about it!” Her face paled noticeably, even considering the wool. “I’ve just been trying to make ends meet as a courier! I didn’t know what was inside!” 

He sighed, setting the bag down, beginning to walk circles around her. “Sounds rehearsed to me…”

“No I promise! I’ll tell you everything! I got where I picked it up, where it was going, even a phone number! You want that, I can give that to you, it’s on my phone in the bag!”

Yafya let her beg. This was a vital opportunity, but he needed to ensure that she wasn’t going to immediately throw him off the trail. So he took his wallet from his jean pocket, and pulled out a picture. 

“You’ve been sucked into an emerging trafficking ring for the hyperdrug market. They’re ambitious, and they’ve been working quickly… but clearly they’re sloppy,” he glared at the sheep again. “I want to stop them before they manage to finesse themselves into hiding. Tell me… is this person who hired you?”

He held up the photo. It depicted a small chipmunk, snapped from across the street. She squinted at it… “...n-no, sir, I don’t think that’s who it was.”

Yafya raised his brow. He had gift-wrapped for her a chance to send him after a red herring, to throw an innocent man under the bus to preserve her boss — and she hadn’t taken it. “Very good…” He tucked the photo away, before turning to the tribunal. “I submit to the tribunal a formal recommendation of a five hundred thousand yen fine.”

“WHAT?!” She started up. “I barely even have a hundred! Please—”

“Let me finish…” he held up a finger. “We will confiscate the bag and the materials. We will issue and record the fine. And then you go back to the person who hired you, and lament about this… but you tell them that you said nothing to us. Which is why we fined you.” He nudged the bag with his foot. “This isn’t a big shipment, so they shouldn’t be too angry at you. But you tell them how desperate you are for money, and they will jump on that… you get in, find out more, and report everything you learn to me. In return, I will pay you a million yen, up front. And upon the dissolution of the ring, we shall have your record expunged, and you will have immunity for all crimes you commit while assisting me.”

Her face reflected only shock. The sheep gulped, looking back and forth. “I-If I, I dunno, I just, I’m not a good actor! What if they find out?!”

“One and a half million,” Yafya upped. He could see her eyes wavering. “Of course we can skip the arrangement and just have the fine.”

“No! Okay! I’ll do it!”

Yafya gently nodded, before turning back to the tribunal. “If you see it fit?”

Sabo nodded, “With the details presented before us, I now move to vote on conviction. All in favor of conviction of the defendant?”

Seven hands raised into the air. Yafya could see the sheep shudder, but she still kept herself steady. The anteater counted the votes before recording them on a notepad before him. 

“The conviction passes. Now, to restore justice, a fine of five hundred thousand yen will be levied. All in favor of this sentencing?”

Again, seven hands counted and recorded. 

“The sentencing passes. Does the tribunal face any further business?”

Yafya glanced about. The room was otherwise empty. “That’s all I have.”

“Very well, but before we adjourn… Yafya, I hope we could have a dialogue with you?”

At that his ears perked up… and his brow hardened. He turned to the sheep. “Go wait at the front door, I’ll cut your check before you leave.” 

“Of course Mr. Yafya sir! Thank you sir!” She trotted out of the chamber all too happily. The horse watched her go, steeling himself. He ran both hands over his face to smooth back his wild black mane. Then he turned, not bothering to hide his annoyance. 

“Can I help you with something, Sabo?”

The seven-member tribunal all deferred to the anteater, who now stood up. “Yes, I wanted to take a chance to ask you about one of your ongoing actions…”

He folded his arms. “If it’s about the ongoing ivory trade, I’ve made a breakthrough in that just this past week. A hybrid of some kind,” he growled, “very slippery, but I think I’ll be able to corner him soon enough.”

“Yafya.” Sabo’s voice was sharp. “You know what I’m talking about.”

The light overhead backlit the horse as he stood there, facing down the panel. It made every strand of hair in his mane seem electric. “The last time I checked, it was not the place of any tribunal, or any other part of the Council, to impede on my role as Beastar.”

“I’m not impeding. I simply want to ask a question. Don’t we have a right to ask questions, and expect answers?”

He glared across at them… “Very well. What do you want to know?”

At this Sabo sighed. He took off a pair of glasses that had sat across his face and folded them, “There’s no need for hostility. All I want to know is, how much longer will you keep the human child in custody?”

“First of all… he is old enough to choose right and wrong. Let’s not infantilize him.” He snorted. “And I intend to keep him as long as I see fit. As is my right.”

The anteater sat forward. “It has been six days Yafya. Whatever information you were hoping to get out of him isn’t going to be relevant now. You may have to accept that the search for Ward is a cold case, and focus on—”

“I investigate as I see fit.” He spat those words out and dared the little mammal to challenge him. “Finding Ward is one of my second priorities, as is my negotiation with Ardi, and even the search for Sage X.”

Sabo raised his eyebrows, and there was muttering between a pair of animals to his side. “We’ve had protests unfolding in almost all our major cities. They’re either furious about your little stunt, or terrified that humans are going to cut their throats in the night.  In Indre they got violent, started fighting, four animals and two humans were hurt and a third human died. And with the mayoral ball here in town just next week, I don’t want to risk anything happening, so make these your top priority!”

Yafya let him finish. Let him get all his words out. He glared into his soul, searching and finding all the pitiful timidity of a bureaucrat. “Do you want to know what my top priority is?” No response. “Take a look at your suit jacket. You see the Shielded Paw on your chest pocket? Do you know what that means?”

For this he actually waited for an answer. “...it stands for our unity, and the strength we have when all animal species come together,” Recited straight from the schoolbooks.

“That’s fucking right. And you remember why it stands for that?” At this, Yafya spread his arms to either side to make his point. “That’s why the Beastar was made. It’s why our society has thrived. If we had built off the laws of the old world, the outdated ideals of fear, we would have never made it this far. We would have mumbled our prayers to the pagan gods until we crumbled to dust. But no…”

He turned away now, clenching his fists. These were words that echoed in his head every day. Words that informed his every action. He had repeated them to himself, pared them down, wrought them into a precise and elegant weapon. 

“No, we didn’t blindly swallow the hazy dreams fed to us. We create our own meaning now. We... the first Sublime Beastar who erected a business empire upon the ashes of a ruined world; the Beastar before me, whose campaigns forged an alliance with the sea peoples and the bonds that hold us together today; and myself… we lead so that others will follow to a brighter future. That’s why our All-Species Academies, including the one your own son attends, sift through the roughage to find our future Beastars. It is a mantle I do not wear lightly.”

He turned to look at Sabo again. 

“That is my first priority. It has always been my first priority. It will always be my first priority.  I spare no ego or pride for myself. Since the Council chose to designate me Sublime Beastar, all I have, do, and am exists for the sake of the Republic. And it is with that consolation,” Yafya gave a soft nod, “that I ask to be allowed to do my fucking job without second-guessers and meek cowards interfering.”

With that he pivoted to finally leave. He could hear Sabo calling, but the horse continued storming out. 

They weren’t allowed to touch him anyways. 

“Hydrogen, helium, lithium beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen oxygen!” Jack sang the little jingle, gently waving his fingers like a little conductor. Then he motioned to Legosi, who sat beside him in the empty classroom. The wolf cleared his throat.

“Hydrogen… helium… lithium…” Slowly he recited all eight elements. Jack nodded along. It was the most awake he’d seen Legosi in a couple weeks, and honestly it was soothing to see him better. Something still seemed to be weighing on him though, with his eyes constantly fixed far away in thought, but the dog would relish improvement at least.

“That’s it, you got it! Now remember it, I’ll ask you a little later.” The labrador smiled brightly. “That should get you through anything they’ll ask on the test. Easy points!”

Legosi nodded along. “Thanks, it just seems… a weird thing to memorize, you know? If I can just look it up in real life…”

Jack snickered and waved it away. “Ah teachers have their reasons. Just gotta learn what they want, right? Okay, uhhhh…” His eyes scanned down the study guide. “Difference between an element and a compound?”

“An element is… something that’s made up of one kind of atom? And a compound is many kinds of atoms, all together?”

“That’s right! But specifically the atoms have to be chemically connected. If they’re just mixed together that’s, well, a mixture. They’ll try to trick you with that!”

“Right, right…” Legosi was processing everything, even if his demeanor never seemed to pique. He was just biting his lip, scanning through the guide, when the door to the classroom opened.

A capybara with overalls and gloves peered in, looking left and right, his eyes tired. Then he glanced at the boys. “What you two doin’ in here?” he muttered.

“Just studying! We’re okay though!” Jack gave a thumbs up.

He sighed, “Well don’t make a mess…” With that he continued on. Jack stared at the door, before looking back at Legosi.

“I miss Ward,” he snickered.

“Yeah, the new guy just… looks at me weird… hey, did they also ask you about him?”

“About Ward? Yeah…” There had been renewed interest this week in finding the custodian. A pair of police officers had sat Jack down and questioned him about Ward, Vigil, Sage X, his association with humans. And he’d told them the exact truth: he knew nothing about any conspiracy. Despite his openness, unfortunately, he couldn’t help but feel that he was seeing the new guards slightly more often than anyone else was. The dog shook his head though, and returned to his take. “Right, so next, uhhhh… how do atoms form bonds with each other?”

“Atoms... they share electrons together, to fill their energy levels...”

“That’s right! See, you’re gonna do great at this! Let’s see, how many electrons—”

“Hey…” Legosi suddenly interrupted. “Jack, can I ask you about something?”

“Sure! What is it?” The labrador grinned and wagged his tail in anticipation.

His response was slow, faltering, uncertain. “So, I, uh… I have a… I got... this… girlfriend. I don’t know if you heard about it?”

Heard about it? It had been the talk of the school for weeks, even through summer break, and the only person who had been too naive to hear the gossip was Legosi himself. “No, I didn’t hear anything. That’s so cool! Who’s the lucky girl?” He struggled to keep his face earnest, despite already knowing the terrible answer.

“There’s this girl in… the gardening club. And she’s a… a, uh… look, you remember that magazine you found in my drawer?”

“I do…” He let the wolf say it in his own time.

“So, yeah, she’s a…” Legosi tensed, struggling to say it, “she’s a rabbit. My girlfriend is a rabbit. There.”

Jack nodded solemnly, and reached up to put a hand on the wolf’s shoulder. “Hey, thanks for telling me. It means a lot to me.” He gave his smile again. “I know it’s not easy to talk about something like that, but I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah, you know, I just… I’ve been trying to… I don’t know, it’s so weird. I don’t know what to do, and I was talking to someone, and… I don’t know if it’s even a good idea.”

Relief struck at Jack’s heart, though he didn’t show it. The idea that Legosi was having doubts meant that there was a chance he might put this idea aside. But he just tilted his head. “Oh yeah? What’s the matter?”

“Well… the past week or so, I’ve been seeing… someone. Like a doctor of sorts. And I told him about it, and I just… I love her so much, or at least I think I love her. But I’m afraid now that she might not really love me back…”

“I see… is she being mean to you?”

“No no, it’s not that. I just… I don’t know if this is what it’s supposed to feel like. We just kind of chat now and then, we text, we hang out. But like… we’ve never kissed, or anything like that.”

Jack’s heart leaped in his chest, and his stomach tightened. All the gossip had been about the wolf and rabbit spending a night together in a love hotel, which surely could only have one outcome. “So… you haven’t, you know… slept together?”

Legosi blinked. “I mean, we have. We had to share a bed one night when we were stranded in town.”

“No, I mean, did you… sleep together?”

A pang of alarm crossed the wolf’s face when it finally clicked. “OH. No! No we haven’t!”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what I meant! But, so you’re worried that while you call each other boyfriend and girlfriend, it might not really be that?”

“I guess. Yeah, yeah that sounds right…” He smoothed his hands back over his head, flattening his ears. “I’m just really scared though. I mean, she’s my first girlfriend. Kinda. I don’t know. I don’t know if I should risk losing her…”

At this Jack gave his reassuring smile. “Lego,” he sighed, “I want you to look at something.”

With that he pulled out his phone, opened the mirror camera, and held it up so Legosi could see himself. 

“You see that handsome face? That’s the face of a wolf that’s going to graduate from Cherryton Academy. You’re going to have a lot of wolves and canines who would love to be with you. I mean, look at Juno!”

“Huh?”

Jack set down his phone. “Come on man, Juno’s totally into you! That whole thing at the Meteor Festival, the way she looks at you when you go by? And there’s a lot of people saying she might get on the Beastar track. You know, someone who adores you and is successful in her own right? That’s a pretty good option.” Not to mention she was a wolf, Jack didn’t say aloud. All same-species couples got that lucrative subsidy. Legosi would basically never want for anything a day in his life. If he was with a rabbit, well…

“You really think so?”

“I mean, I can’t tell you for sure.” Jack shook his head. “You have to feel it. But if you feel like you’re maybe pushing this rabbit girl into a relationship she doesn’t want to be in, then you have to ask if that’s fair to her, and to you…”

Legosi looked aside. Biting his lip. His eyes searched, and while he didn’t often emote, Jack could see the slightest pain outlining his face. Finally he muttered, “...what’s the next thing in the guide?”

As the afternoon stretched on, a tent had been pitched in an unbuilt lot just outside a subway terminal. Inside many hands worked to erect the seating around the center ring, where Father Reed held a notebook. Flint stood by his side. “Okay, kerosene?”

“Got it.”

“Bands?”

“Counted them out, we got ‘em all.”

“Cables?”

“Still hooking up, I’ll check.”

“Good good. Got any news about ticket sales?”

Flint bit his lip, shaking his head. “Haven’t heard a whole lot, but Banks said he’d had a lot less so far.”

That prompted a sigh from Reed, and one hand ran through his hair. His eyes glanced around as he tried to sort through all his thoughts. In the corner a baboon cop watched them — a new addition thanks to the tensions in the city. “Right, we’ll see how things go tonight…” He’d been hoping to use tonight’s show to get one of their tractors fixed, but the community’s water pump had been starting to sputter. He might have to choose which one to pay for first… “Here, let’s get the trapeze out here so we can—”

“Reed.” The voice made him whip around.

“Mother Rose! Hello, uh, here, Flint?” He handed off his notebook, “Start having people run through their routines, okay? 

His son accepted it and turned away, leaving to find the performers. Meanwhile Reed greeted his fellow hierarch. “Sorry about that, the usual chaos of the show, but now with all… this,” he motioned in the air, “adding onto it, heheh. I hope that you’re carrying good news?”

She pursed her lips. Oh… so not good news. “May I speak with you in private?”

“Uhm… the closest I have is my car. Come.” 

He led her outside the tent to the rest of the parking lot. More humans worked to shuffle boxes inside, while another pair of cops supervised. At the sight of the two human leaders though, one of the officers, a large elk, began to approach. And when they opened the car door he raised a hand. “Hey, where you going?”

“We’re just hoping to have a conversation,” Rose answered back shortly, before moving to get in again. But Reed froze at the confrontation.

“Hold on…” the elk came up to them. “Mind if I just hang around?”

“Actually this is a private matter?” Rose retorted.

“Actually,” he fired back, “I wasn’t really asking.” 

A silent stand-off filled the air. Finally Reed slipped in, “Come on Rose, we won’t be talking about anything bad. Just let him.”

“Thank you,” the officer acknowledged. “Nothing to hide, nothing to fear.”

Reed could see the silent anger on her face though. His stomach turned as he got in on the passenger seat. Rose sat in the driver’s seat, and the elk filled the space behind them. It was all the more cramped since the vehicle dated from years back and the ceiling hung low.

Mother Rose reached into her jacket pocket and drew out a folded sheet of paper. “I have the resolution from the other communities concerning the Beastar’s demand.”

“Okay, and?”

She handed it off to him. He opened it and skimmed down the lines… and then his heart sank. His fingers slightly trembled. “‘...shall not comply…’?”

“That’s right.” She let him continue reading.”It was fifteen to two, your vote included. Everyone’s in agreement on this. And it’s binding.”

Reed placed his hand over his mouth as he processed… then he laughed. “Really? This, this isn’t a joke?”

“Father, this decision was not made lightly. But we had to weigh careful consideration of our communities with the extenuating circumstances.”

“Extenuating circumstances…” his grip tightened on the paper. “Extenuating circumstances, that extenuating circumstance has a name and a face and he’s my SON!”

His voice peaked into a roar, and it left him shaking. Rose was unfazed, but he couldn’t see how the elk reacted, the edges of his vision were beginning to blur. 

“They’re not even asking for money or anything! They just want me to say some stuff, let them put a few things in the village. It’s hardly anything and you’re gonna let Vigil, let my boy rot in jail by tying my hands like this?!”

All the while Rose just watched him. He was left panting, shaking in quiet fury and shame. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” she finally spoke.

He looked at the dashboard in front of him, in silence.

“Right. Now, you have to keep in mind that this isn’t just ‘a few things.’ For one whatever they’re going to make you read, it’s going to be horribly unkind to our species. And as for the community, they want security cameras, and more intense searches at our markets? Think about what you’d be giving up for your people with that.”

“No, think about what we’d be gaining. ” Reed interrupted, his voice audibly still choked up. “We play nice, we show them we want to be friendly, then they’ll be friendlier to us.”

“Reed—”

“We can’t keep fencing ourselves off like this, we need to reach out—”

“That’s enough—”

“—we need to reconcile and open up and this will just be a small pain point that’ll win us good favor!”

“That doesn’t matter!” Rose’s voice snapped. Silence reigned for a few seconds. “What matters is what we decided together. The animals are a united front against us, and we need to stand as a united front against them. Because if you set this precedent, they’re going to crack down on all of us the same way.”

Reed glared down at the paper in his hands, which was now wrinkled and creased. His breathing came shakily. “How could you understand?” he croaked. “You don’t have kids yet. You don’t know, it’s not the same way you love your mother and father. Because while it’s just as strong, there’s so much more worry to it. You second-guess yourself. You make decisions and you might not know they’re wrong until ten, twenty years later? You become responsible, and when you make the wrong choice it haunts you...”

He looked up, blinking, struggling to make his words come out. 

“I let him… I let him go. I even suggested it to him, and he… he went, and now… I honestly don’t know how long it’ll be until I see him again. If I ever will. And… but even if I do, I have to live knowing that… I’m the reason my son had to see the inside of a jail cell… and now I have the chance to make that right, but you’re telling me I can’t take it?” Reed sniffed. Wiped briefly at his eye. “You have to understand how it looks to me?”

Rose watched all of this, and while she stayed stoic, Reed could tell that the matriarch harbored hurt inside her as well. “...well for what it’s worth,” her words were terse, “before you toss around accusations… I was the second vote.”

With that she threw the door open and left, leaving Reed alone with the elk and his thoughts. 

Legosi’s thumb hovered over the keypad on his phone. He wrestled with what to type, what to say. Should he start with ‘Hello’? ‘Hi’? ‘Hey Haru’? 

Jack had left a little while ago, satisfied with his studying. It was a shame because now the wolf needed him more than ever. Whatever he said next needed to be delicate; the problem was that Legosi knew he had the delicacy of a bulldozer. This conversation might lead to a break-up, and if it did, he wanted to make sure that it was necessary and painless. And that started by choosing a greeting. So he would pick one!

He typed out “H”. 

His mind froze again. 

With a growl he gently hit his fist against his forehead. Come on! Just pick one! Finally he resolved to let a random number generator pick.

Then his phone chirped.

Legosi perked up and looked at the screen. Haru had just messaged him. ‘Hey, come to the rooftop! I wanna show you something!”

His mouth hung agape. Numbly he typed back “Ok”, and hit send. It seemed that fate intended for this to be in person…

A few minutes later Legosi pushed open the door to the garden. He blinked away the sunlight, scanning the rooftop, before spying Haru in the door to the shed. She waved him over. 

“Hey, how’s your day been?” she smiled up at him, closing the door behind him and minding his tail. 

“Uh, it’s been busy… just trying to catch up with classwork,” he scratched the back of his neck, eyes looking at the ceiling. “Happy it’s the weekend at least…”

“Ugh, I know right? Now come on! I wanna show you!” She went out the opposite door now, before crouching by an overturned pot. Legosi tilted his head as he approached.

“That’s a… really cool pot?”

She rolled her eyes. “Get down here! I want you to tell me what this is!”

Finally he knelt down as well. Her delicate hands lifted away the pot. Underneath, a stark black butterfly fluttered, with a brilliant turquoise splash across each wing. 

Legosi gave a startled gasp. He could feel his eyes go wide. “Oh wow…”

“I haven’t seen a butterfly like it, and I thought that you’d like to see it… is it a good one? Or, I don’t know if you call different bugs ‘good ones’ or not,” she snickered. “But, do you like it?”

Tenderly he reached out the back of one clawed finger. The butterfly turned in place, before it flapped and hopped onto his knuckles. Slowly Legosi raised it up, so that both he and Haru could see.

“It’s a common banded peacock. I, er, don’t know why they’re called that, because they actually can be hard to find,” he gave a nervous laugh. “They aren’t usually seen out in the city, they stay to the forests. Maybe,” a smirk tugged at his lips, “they just wanted to see your garden that badly.”

“Oh you’re too nice,” the rabbit laughed back. “But, it’s a good find?”

“Yeah, it’s a ‘good one’,” Legosi smiled, taking care not to show his fangs. Slowly he stood back up, reaching his finger above his head. He could feel the cool kiss of the wind before the butterfly took off. 

He stared after it, as it soared over the edge of the roof towards the city skyline. Within moments it had vanished from his sight… but he kept staring into the distance, as he processed what had just happened.

“...thank you, for showing that to me.”

“Of course!” Her voice was bright… but it fell quiet. “Hey, can I ask you something?” He turned to face her. “I’ve been kinda worried about you since Ward got attacked. I… said something that night that I don’t think was fair.”

Legosi felt his throat tighten. “It’s alright, you were scared...  and to be fair, I don’t blame you for being scared of me. I’m a... “ he sighed, raising his hands to look at the claws on his fingertips. “I’m a wolf.”

“Legosi.” He kept his eyes on his fingers. “Look at me.” At her command, he did so. “You’re right, I was scared. But you’re wrong, it’s not an excuse for what I said, especially when it’s clearly affected you so much. You’ve been passed out during the day, and I don’t know what’s keeping you up at night. So I just want you to know something…”

Haru came closer, and reached up as high as she could to take his hands from near his chest. She brought them back down and gave them a gentle squeeze, her fragile fingers wrapped around his. 

“If I was really scared of you, I wouldn’t have gone to that hotel with you. I wouldn’t have told you to choose whether to eat me or love me. You know why I told you to do that?”

“...because you weren’t scared of me?”

“Because I knew exactly which option you’d pick.” She smiled so sweetly, like she was one of her own flowers sprouting right from the ground she stood on. “For years people looked down on me for being a dwarf rabbit. And while I know it’s different for you as a gray wolf, well… I don’t want you to feel that way. And more importantly I don’t want to make you feel that way…” 

Her words hit him somewhere he didn’t know he could feel. Legosi looked into her eyes. All his life he had been feared by everyone around him, especially when he was the quiet kid. That had only ever pushed him more inwards, which made him even more ominous. It had been an immutable fact that he’d harbored in his heart.

And now she was uprooting this idea, and offering something beautiful in its place.

Legosi sank to his knees. She stepped forward in concern. “What’s wrong?! What… Legosi!” 

He blinked hot tears from his eyes. 

“Legosi, was it something I said?”

He gulped...and when he spoke, a gentle smile crossed his face. “Yes… it was.”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t until the third day of Vigil’s incarceration that he realized that he was going to probably be here a long time. No windows illuminated the row of cells, and no clock could be seen on the walls. He had only two ways to measure the passage of time. One was the way the lights dimmed at night, and then came on full force again in the morning. The second was the semi-daily meals that left him feeling hungrier than before. Mason, Grace, and Clement were nice enough, but they often talked about shows he hadn’t seen or people he didn’t know. In the meantime they mostly left him alone.

On the fourth day he began to worry about losing track of time. Luckily they had given him the luxury of entertainment - that is, an 800 page tome about animal history, which was already extolling the virtues of the Republic that would be born by the end of the book. Vigil folded down four corners as if to save his place. His eyes dully scanned the words as the other humans in their cells talked. The lights switched off, and an officer ordered them to bed.

He folded down another corner before stowing the book against the edge of his cot.

The next day a sheep was wrangled into a cell by a canine officer. She sat in the corner and didn’t say a word, though frantic eyes could glance across at Vigil from across the hallway. Any time he caught her gaze she looked away, clearly terrified. 

The sixth day came around. Another officer came in and strong-armed the sheep from her cell, taking her away. Some time later Vigil himself was dragged into the visitation room. A line of five tables were surrounded by glass to let everyone see inside. Across from Vigil sat an owl in a snappy suit, who greeted the boy and motioned for him to sit down. “I’m legal counsel for Baritus the polar bear,” he started.

Vigil’s stomach plummeted.

“We’re collecting evidence for his upcoming defense against criminal charges of predation and I was hoping to take a deposition from you about your knowledge of the attack?”

“A… a deposition?”

“Just to record your words. Under oath,” those last words were more pointed. “Do you know what that means?”

“Yeah, I know, what that means…” Vigil bit at his lip. He could see the owl tilt his head pointedly. “It means that I have to tell the truth.”

“That’s right, under penalty of the law.” The owl placed a small bag onto the table, and produced a miniaturized legal pad and pen from it. “So, what happened?”

Vigil detailed everything. Again. The owl copied each word down carefully, so the boy paused now and then to let him catch up.

“Right, and, Ward, what do you know about him?”

“I just know he was nice to me, and…” He wanted to help me? “...he cared about the students in the academy. He’s a good guy.” But even as Vigil said the words, he couldn’t help but feel bitter. He had asked the man not to help him. It was because of him that now he was in this mess. 

“Do you know anything about where he lived?”

“Downtown somewhere, I don’t know where.”

“What do you know about his activities off of work?”

“Nothing, really.”

“Do you know anything about where we might be able to find him, or anyone else he associates with?”

Vigil racked his brain. He felt so torn. As upset as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to give up the man. Not that he had much to give up anyways. But there was something that he felt he could divulge. “There was one time, he offered to ‘take me under his wing’? Sorry, for the phrase...” he didn’t know if that’d be offensive to a bird.

The owl seemed to give no particular reaction as he kept writing. “Take you under his wing, what did he mean by that? In what context?”

“I was just saying that I didn’t have a lot of people like me to visit the city with, and he said he’d be happy to accompany me so I would feel safer. I don’t know if he meant anything by it, but I guess it’s a weird choice of words…”

“Mhm, mhm…” he nodded along. “What was your reply?”

“I said that I had friends that I trusted… and I do. Jack, the labrador retriever at the school, he can vouch for me that we’re friends. I never accepted Ward’s offer. That’s why I don’t know anything more about him.”

The owl paused. Thinking. Then he finished his sentence. “And you certify that everything you’ve told me is true to the best of your knowledge?”

“Yes, to the best I can remember.”

He flipped the legal pad closed. “That’ll be all. Thank you.”

Vigil returned to his cell. The lights went off hours later. He folded another corner in the book. 

A full week. 

The next day, he twirled his pendant about in his hand. It was the only thing he’d been allowed to keep on his person. The circle, framing an ear of corn… he hadn’t been seriously considering it, but it was starting to dawn on him that maybe he wasn’t going to get out of here. Slowly he pushed his thumb against the edge. The hairline cracks around the middle began to show more clearly…

“Hey, Vigil?” It was Mason’s voice. 

He paused. “Yeah?” he finally answered.

“...your folks coming for you?”

Hearing it aloud made his throat tighten. “They will be. I know it.” 

He could hear Mason shift in his cell, step over to his bars. “Hey, kid. I wanna tell you something.”

“I dunno, I don’t know if… I feel like talking. No offense, I just… I don’t know…”

“That’s a lot of not knowing. At least give it a shot, for me?”

Vigil debated with himself. Finally, realizing he had little better to do with his time, he rose and approached his bars. Mason faced him, hands hanging out of his cell door in a handsomely casual way. Clement the next door over seemed to be watching and attempting to mirror the pose. 

“There we are,” Mason smiled. “Sorry we’ve been kinda leaving you out the past couple days, I just had the feeling you weren’t so keen on being disturbed.”

 “It’s alright,” he lied, “I just been trying to read, you know, to kill time.”

“Oh god you’re actually reading that propaganda?” That prompted a laugh. “It’s not even well-written propaganda at that!”

“Well what am I supposed to do then? It’s not exactly like I have a library in here. What,” Vigil shook his head, “what’s the thing you even wanted to tell me? Just tell me.”

Mason locked his gaze. His hazel eyes flashed. “I want to try to get you out of here.” There was a pause as Vigil struggled to even begin to ask about it. “Look, any day now, my dad’s going to come in and bail us out. It’s kind of a long shot, but I’ll ask if there’s bail on you too. And if there is, maybe he can pay it off for you as well, or we can fundraise it for you. If there isn’t — and there might not be, considering the Beastar himself got you — then we can try something else. I’m sure there’s something we can do.”

Grace’s voice floated over from beside Vigil’s cell, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Your dad’s already dragging his feet as is. And, the guy’s clearly not interested.”

“This is what Sage would want,” Mason didn’t break his gaze. “Look, Vigil, I don’t know what you heard about us and the Restorationists, but we want to be your friends here.”

Vigil was already stepping back though. “Y-you’re with Sage X?” He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to keep his anger in check. “You guys, following one of these X people. You see what it does?!” He gestured at himself. “It’s always Sage X, or Scribe X, or Scholar X, trying to get humans in trouble, and it works. Oh it works…” He growled, turning and pacing to the other side of the cell. “I’m not joining your little cult thing. I just want to get out of here and get back to my life!”

He clenched his fists. With his back turned he couldn’t see how Mason reacted to all that, but the ensuing silence was unbearable. Say something. Anything. 

“You’re right,” the boy finally answered. Vigil unclenched at the unexpected words. “You’re absolutely right, the animals are striking back hard and brutally. They expect us to submit, backs bowed and eyes down. If we so much as try to look around and ask questions we’re punished. And I’m sorry that they took it out on you…” Vigil turned to find him gently shaking his head, “but if you get mad at us then you’re playing into their hands. We’re, what, four percent of the population nowadays? Even Freedom Street now is almost half animals. We need solidarity if we’re going to get anywhere, and it starts between human communities and human enclaves. If we can’t accomplish that then we’re doomed. So what do you say?”

He extended a hand through the bars to offer a handshake. Slowly Vigil approached the hallway again. For a moment he considered it, and moved to accept. But he just… he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he gripped at his bars more tightly. Mason just pressed his lips together, nodding, and slowly withdrew his hand again.

“Good going,” Grace quipped.

“Look, he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to,” Mason fired back. Then he sighed, giving a weak chuckle. “I wish Ward were here though, he’d know what to—”

“Wait you know Ward?!” Suddenly Vigil was at full attention. “Like, a human Ward?”

“Yeah?”

“Freckles, old man?”

“Yes, yes! He worked at the academy?”

“As a janitor!” Vigil blinked. “How do you know him? He was mixed up in all this too!?”

Mason laughed, “Oh he got me mixed up in all of it. He’s real close to Sage. Well, as close as anyone gets to Sage. The guy’s a mystery, nobody knows what he looks like. Nobody even knows where he is. But he drops his letters at certain points, and Ward’s one of the people who knows where to pick them up. That’s how Sage talks to us.”

“...you mean, the three of you?”

“Well yeah, the three of us. But there are dozens of rings across the city, across the region. We get copies of all his letters. And we try to help spread the word about the restoration, recruiting. Ward’s really good at it, he got me and Grace together in this ring, and then I got Clement to join.”

“Yeah!” The boy spoke up for the first time in a long while, grinning widely. 

“And we’re getting a lot of people on our side. And not just humans, but animals too!”

At that Vigil could feel his mouth tugging into a smirk. “Seriously? Why would animals support the restoration of the Union? That’s ridiculous.”

At that Mason guffawed incredulously. “Oh they wouldn’t! No, they don’t, and we don’t either. I’m sorry,” he raised his hand, “I know that you guys keep a lot of those traditions, but… the Hominid Union was a failure. That’s the difference with Sage. The other X’s were delusional with the idea that we would recreate what existed before without it falling into the same mistakes. But that’s impossible. The kind of insulating fear it created was toxic. All that industrial strength got turned into a war machine, and even then when they tried to intervene in the Carnivore-Herbivore War it wasn’t enough.”

“No, the Chancellor was a great man…” Vigil started. At least that’s what he’d been taught since he was five. “He just wanted to protect humanity!”

“And how did that end up?”

Vigil shook his head. “Then, then what are you even fighting for?!”

“We’re fighting to move forward. We can’t tear down the Republic and then repeat the same mistakes. Whatever we create, animals and humans both need to be equal parts of it. Look, Sage has this idea,” he began to gesture, but the sound of bootsteps quieted him. A bull officer approached, jingling a ring of keys. Behind him followed a large human in a garish yellow jacket with red-tinted glasses and a severe look on his face. Mason brightened. “Dad!”

“Right, you’re outta here,” the bull muttered as he unlocked the door, before moving on to Clement. 

“I was starting to worry you forgot about me,” Mason laughed as he stepped out to face the man, only to be slapped across the cheek. It wasn’t super hard but Vigil could tell it would sting.

“Hope you had a fucking horrible time,” he growled.

“Ow! Dad!” Mason still snickered. “I mean, yeah, the food’s not real good?”

“Hey,” he snapped at the officer as he was unlocking Grace’s cell now. “Tell me what you feed these kids, maybe I’ll borrow the fuckin’ recipe,” he began to push Mason out.

“Wait wait! Hold on, Dad, can you help me out with one more thing? My friend’s also stuck in here, and he didn’t even do anything wrong, for real!” He motioned to Vigil. 

“No, okay, I’m not bailing out any more of your criminal friends, you know how much I’m spending to keep your ass out of jail already?!”

“But he’s not a criminal! I promise!” 

The huge man gave a sigh. “Any idea what the bail on this kid is?”

“None,” the bull glared. “Beastar’s personal detention. He stays until Yafya says so.”

Mason’s dad gave an exaggerated shrug. “There, can’t do nothing anyways. Now come on, swear you’re gonna give me a fucking aneuryism... ”

“I’ll come back for you, I promise!” Mason shouted to Vigil before being taken away. Clement and Grace also walked by. It was the first time Vigil could see her. She had sharp eyebrows and a thin face, framed by long dark hair. Her eyes were powerful and piercing. She looked in at him. Something about her seemed to soften… and then she left as well. 

Vigil now sat truly alone. 

Once again he tried to thumb through his book. It droned on about the broken states of the past, little fiefdoms and clans that divided up caiman from crocodile, gerenuk from gazelle, fragmenting and fighting and feeding on each other. He dragged through a few more pages until he heard footsteps, and a baton clanging on his bars. It was the bull again. 

“Got a visitor…”

His stomach felt heavy as he got up and obeyed. “Another lawyer?” he dared to ask.

“No,” came the gruff answer.

Even heavier in his gut. “...is it Yafya?”

“The Beastar’s in Rokuma dealing with another issue. Just shut up and you’ll see.” He pushed Vigil towards the visitation room again, and the boy could see through the glass.

It was Jack.

His heart leapt as he was guided through the door. The labrador turned in his seat, eyes lighting up. “Hey!”

“Jack, oh my gosh!” Vigil quickly took the chair across from him. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Ah, I’m sorry it took me a while,” he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, his smile tinged a bit by embarrassment. “They kept questioning me, and then there were a lot of tests this week. But I wanted to make sure you’re doing okay, I was worried about you…” 

Vigil blinked. He hardly knew what to say. “I… thank you, I appreciate that.”

“I did want to bring you something to make you feel better! Ready?” Slowly he reached into his lap, and raised up a little plastic box with a cupcake inside, yellow cake with bright blue frosting. “Surpriiiiise.” 

He stared at the little treat inside. “You… oh, you didn’t have to, but thank you…” 

“Well you gotta have something to make you happy in here!” He slid it across the table, and Vigil accepted it. “Hope it tastes alright, they X-rayed it five times before they let me bring it in here,” the dog snickered.

“I mean… is there, anything inside?” 

“Uh, sugar, flour, eggs, and so on?” He shifted to rest his elbows on the table, and his cheeks on his hands. “Just something to make you feel better! We also had a card, but apparently I’m not allowed to give it to you, they took it…” Jack briefly grumbled. “But it was just a thinking-about-you card. Everyone in 701 signed it. We all miss you…” Something seemed to pull his gaze to the side, and his smile dampened. “Gosh, I… I’m sorry I didn’t do a really good job, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, my job was to try and make you feel welcome at Cherryton, and now…” he weakly chuckled. “I can’t even give you a card without it getting confiscated.”

Vigil bit at his lip. “Hey?” Jack looked back at him. “You did make me feel welcome. All of this, it’s not your fault.”

“Really? You believe that?” His ears perked up again.

“I do.” He smiled. While he wasn’t sure exactly where to channel his frustration towards, all he knew was that Jack didn’t deserve it. “Here, how’s it going at school?”

“Oh, things have been crazy, like I said. Especially after Sage X took over the Silver Wing Needle.”

Vigil blinked. “...he what?”

Chapter Text

Sunday morning, slow winds blew in from over the ocean. Rainfall was expected for the next couple days, and cloud cover even after that. Sure enough, that night the drops began to patter against the streets of Cherryton and atop Juno’s umbrella. 

She stood alone on the sidewalks. Her eyes focused on the door in the distance. A sniff confirmed the tip she’d been given; the air reeked of lion. 

Slowly the wolf began to step forward. Her face was set strong and sure. Inside, her heart was hammering. At any point the Shishigumi might gun her down and the cops would just brush her aside into the gutter. And yet, she had to do this. This was what she would have to do as Beastar: bring people together. That’s why she was determined to practice with this impossible task. She kept moving forward.

The door opened.

Juno paused as she saw the silhouette of antlers against the light. Louis glared at her. “You shouldn’t just walk up like that.”

“Well, how else am I supposed to talk to you?”

“What, I didn’t leave behind a phone number?”

She clenched the umbrella tighter, and gave a half-growl sigh. Her head shook. “The point is, I’m here. Should I just leave then if you hate seeing me so much?” Juno began to turn part-way around.

“Wait.”

Louis’ voice made her stop. She waited there for a moment, the rain still drumming on her umbrella. The deer focused on her, before glancing towards the corner of the hideout.

“Come with me.”

He led her around the building. Within the compound a cobblestone path wound through a gentle garden. Trees and shrubs had been strategically planted decades earlier to provide discretion from the outside world. Juno kept apace as they walked in silence. She shifted her umbrella to the other hand, and began to offer it to him.

Louis shook his head and waved her away. 

“Oh come on.”

Again he refused. “I like the rain in my fur.” 

She stared at him, before slowly moving the umbrella back over her own head. Juno could feel her ears flatten. A few more steps in silence.

“Why are you here?”

“The school sent me to check on you,” she told her practiced lie. “To make sure you’re doing alright.”

“Hmph,” he looked away, starting to crack a smirk. “Worried my father’s going to give up and demand a refund for the year?”

“No, they’re worried about you. You meant everything to that school. It’s different with you not there. It’s… people can feel it…”

“Right, right. I hope you’re not going to go for round two here, unless you brought some actual arguments this time.”

Something snapped inside Juno, and she stopped. She could feel her snout wrinkle in fury. “You don’t have to be an asshole because people care about you!”

 Louis’ eyes went wide at that. Juno let her words sit in the air, daring him to reply. He apparently had nothing to say back. Somehow that made her even angrier. 

“Maybe it’s good you weren’t a Beastar. You can’t just think about yourself, you have to think about everyone. What you do matters. What you say matters. And it’s not about where or how you’re born, it’s about who you become.” She shook her head in silent rage. “I can’t believe all this time, you never realized that.”

Louis still offered no reply. Instead he tried to walk forward.

With a huff she darted forward and stood in his path, confronting him. “Say something, for fuck’s sake!”

Her eyes met his. Deep amber irises brimmed with silent power. Something immovable sat in his pupils, pure black and solid to his very core, as he let her words break against him. 

Finally she scowled and stormed away past him, back where they’d come from.  If he wasn’t going to say anything then she’d just leave his ass here, why did she even think coming was a good idea—

“It was a good thing.”

His voice stopped her. 

“Me not being Beastar,” his voice was sure and smooth. She could hear him turn to look after her. “Exactly for the reasons you said too. It’s all about what other people see, what other people want and need from you. But that’s what I’ve been doing since I was a fawn. I had to be what my dad wanted me to be, what the school wanted me to be. I...couldn’t do that, for the rest of my life.” He was approaching her again. Slowly she turned about to watch him as he stepped right in front of her. His antlers rose above both their heads in the rainy night. “It’s not something that a person like me could do. But… maybe it’s something that a person like you could do.”

Juno clutched her umbrella close to her. She still wanted to be mad at him, for what he put her through, but his words… “...I hope I can,” she whispered. 

She struggled with what to say next. Even that line had betrayed more weakness than she wanted. Growing up she had been taunted for her species. The Wolf Witch, lurking in the shadows to cast evil spells on the other students. Grab her tail in line, give it a good tug. It had been a living hell to walk into school every day and face classmates who snubbed and needled her, and teachers who looked the other way. She had hoped that getting accepted into an All-Species Academy would fix everything.

It hadn’t.

It wasn’t going to stop unless she made it stop. To do that she needed to be strong, unassailable — as immovable as the depths of Louis’ eyes. No matter if it was lonely at the top; she was used to standing alone. 

Louis kept watching her as she thought. Then he gave a weak smirk. “There’s a certain… fire in you, if you will. I saw it the day you pinned me down on that mat. I could see just how badly you wanted to be Beastar… tell me, if you did get it, Sublime Beastar… what would you do? Who would you be?”

Juno took a breath. Truthfully, she had considered this, lying awake when she couldn’t sleep. She began to walk alongside him again. “I’ll be an artist.” She was sure of that much. “Being up on that stage, I… I don’t know, it just felt incredible. It’s… it’s…”

“...liberating?”

She looked up as he offered the word. “Yes... “ her voice was breathless. “It’s like, in that moment, you put on a mask and you become someone else. I can be anyone I want, anything I want. I don’t have to be a… a…” 

Juno couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence, but she lifted one hand to look at her claws. She gulped, before clenching her fist. 

“I know that a Beastar stands for all species. And I will stand for all species. But what I’m really worried about is…” she struggled with how to say it. “...Carnivores, and wolves, deserve to know they’re beautiful too. Legosi, my first day, he saved me from a raccoon and hawk who were trying to attack me. He said that… that I would have to learn to get used to it.” Slowly she shook her head, set her jaw firm. “I don’t want to get used to it, and no one should have to get used to it. We’re all animals, aren’t we? And if I can put myself out on that stage, then everyone will see that.”

She had been so caught up in her memories and reveries that she hadn’t noticed the way Louis watched her. His eyes seemed… softer, if still just as heavy. “...Yeah, you would be a good Beastar.”

The rain crackled far above them, as the trees grew so thick here that it sheltered them from the droplets. Juno bit at her lip. Some part of her suspected he was poking fun at her with that, but in his eyes she couldn’t find any disparagement. “...thank you, Louis.”

The corner of his lips tugged into a slight smile. It didn’t linger long, his face didn’t seem built for joy. But it had been there, she was sure of it. “I, uh… haven’t been doing much. Just, you know… getting by. The gang’s been raising a lot of money for the parks, if you know what I mean.” 

Juno nodded. “You look better, than the last time I saw you. Healthier,” she clarified.

“Thanks… I think,” another shadow of a smirk. “I’ve been eating better.” For a moment he seemed about to say something else. Then he changed his mind, and looked away, into the distance. “My dad’s going to be in town this Saturday.”

She perked up. “Oh?”

“The Mayoral Ball. Course he’s gonna be there.”

“I see. Are you going to see him?”

“No. No, I… I don’t know, I just… thought that was interesting.” 

Juno could see him struggle to keep that mask on. She closed away her umbrella, held it by her side. “Yeah, really interesting…”

Their conversation slid into pleasantries. Juno focused on weather reports and gossip from the students they knew; Louis had some acting tips from the time he had played River in junior high. What they said didn’t really matter, at least to Juno, because she was starting to feel… something. Something that had been lurking in her gut for weeks, that had finally compelled her to come here. It was growing stronger the more they talked. She wanted to talk more to Louis, but she was running out of interesting things to say. Or at least, things she wanted to say. It was starting to frighten her. 

And after she finally told him good night and left him behind, she kept considering it. Her fingers clutched the umbrella as she opened it again. She could tell that Louis had noticed her getting distracted. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings. Wait, why did she care? Why was she being so protective—

Her eyes snapped up, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. That history lesson came flooding back. Back when carnivores and herbivores were life animals and nature animals, that ancient time period, civilization had only been made possible by life animals developing natural instincts to protect their herbivorous counterparts. A strange mutation and a strange practice at the time, perhaps, but by actually managing to work together, they had become stable enough to build a society with. The cornerstone of good interspecies relations.

That’s what she was feeling for Louis right now. 

Relief swept through her as she kept moving forward, alone, passing through the Back Alley Market on her way home. Animals of all sizes weaved between the stalls, bearing all sorts of… “goods”. A wolverine caught her eye and whirled around, “Well aren’t you a lovely dear? How’s about some finger food?”

She grinned at her own bad joke as she held up a tray of severed sheep fingers wrapped in seaweed. Juno blinked at them and had the horrific thought of that dall sheep who’d just joined the drama club. “No, thank you,” she snickered, backing away. “I’m just—” 

Without watching, she backed into the corner of a stall with a damaged leg, and it lazily collapsed onto its side. The basilisk lizard underneath yelped and ducked out before spotting Juno, and snarling. “You serious right now?! Seriously?!”

“Uh, I’m sorry, sir,” she tried to play it down, “it was an accident, would you like—”

“An accident? The second fucking accident I’ve had this week!”

Okay, kick it up maybe. “I’m sorry sir, really! I’m happy to help fix it!”

“Oh no, I was too nice before. People gonna knock over my fucking stuff…”

He dipped down beneath the tent, and pulled out a cleaver. A crowd was starting to gather, and they pressed back in horror at the blade.

“That there’s property damage. Know how we deal with property damage around here?” The basilisk paused, then scoffed, a grin cracking across his face. “Bet you don’t, dressed like that. You’re fresh meat… well, I’ll make sure you don’t forget this for the future.”

He moved at her and she recoiled, letting her umbrella fall. “No, what the hell?!” She was scowling now. “I’ll get you some money! Hold on, I got my purse with me, see?”

“Oh I don’t gotta ask to take that. I think you’re gonna hand it over, along with anything I see on you that looks—”

“Sorry, is there a problem?”

A young human man had popped up beside her. His curly blond hair framed a pair of mischievous eyes. Juno barely had time to process what was happening before he spoke up again:

“She’s actually a dear friend of mine, so if you don’t mind?”

“Oh, is that so?” The reptile chuckled. “Then maybe I’ll get what I’m owed from you instead!”

“...Ah,” Juno could tell he hadn’t fully thought this through. “But, I don’t think you’ll do that either, because…” his eyes lit up again. “Because otherwise I’ll curse you.”

The basilisk paused for a moment - but he was visibly undeterred. In fact he seemed amused. “You don’t got magic.”

“No?” He glanced around. “Don’t believe in human curses?”

“No more than I believe in the fuckin’ Tooth Fairy.”

“Right, fair enough…” The boy scanned the crowd… and spied that wolverine. She was visibly terrified. “But I think she believes in it, don’t you?”

The wolverine’s eyes widened. Then she snapped at the lizard, “Put the knife down, Garret!”

“Oh come on, really? Really?” The basilisk shouted at her. “You’re gonna let him fool you like that?”

“It’s really easy though… can you feel your heart already beating in your chest? Your breath, is it coming too quickly? Your tongue, already restless, can’t get it to sit still?” 

Juno listened to him with rapt attention, watched the wolverine get more and more antsy in her skin. “GARRET!” she screamed.

“Alright fine!” The lizard threw down his arms, the knife hanging limply in his hand now. He brushed aside Juno, “Just… get the fuck out of here!”

She didn’t need a second invitation. The wolf turned and stepped away, quickly heading for one of the alleyways. Her rescuer caught up to her. “Hey, hey! You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was fine, I had it under control.”

“I don’t know, he had a knife and you didn’t, that doesn’t quite seem under control,” he quipped. “For a second I thought he’d get me too!”

Juno gave a sigh to regain her bearings. “...you didn’t have to help me,” she insisted.

“And yet I did.” With a flourish he twirled her umbrella up, and handed it off. “You were in trouble, I had to.”

He had a disarmingly roguish smile, and when he gave her the umbrella their fingers brushed. There was something about the way humans emoted… without ears or tail to help them, they had bigger expressions. Coupled with his sharp blue overcoat and black pants, well, he was definitely charming, she’d give him that much.

“...well thank you,” she gave a slight bow.

“Hey, it’s fine. Happy to help! Though, now that I have a chance to talk to you, can I hand this off? Just a little something…”

From his coat pocket he produced a small pamphlet and held it out. Juno could see three stars in a row, and below them the title ‘On the Question of Species Relations’ before she heard a loud voice: “Mason!”

“Shit!” His eyes shot wide, and he hissed under his breath. “Hide it!” 

“I’m gonna start locking you at home when I go anywhere!” Juno stuffed the paper into her purse right when a large human rounded the corner. He had a massive coat that buffeted around his shoulders. Seeing Juno he paused. Then he eyed Mason, before looking back at her. “What you doing with my boy?”

“Nothing sir, I promise!” 

Slowly he bent forward. Garish shades covered his eyes so she couldn’t see. “Did he give you one of his fliers?”

“No Dad, I didn’t—”

“I wasn’t asking you,” he gestured, “I was asking her. Did my boy give you one of his fliers? I just wanna know, you’re not in trouble.”

Without missing a beat Juno shook her head. “No, really, I promise. I was just asking for directions, it’s my first time here and I got overwhelmed, so he found me and was helping me.”

He stood up again, tilting his head. Contemplating her words… then looked at Mason. “You be careful with wolf chicks, okay?”

“What, no! It wasn’t like that!”

“Just making sure. Nothing but trouble.”

“Really Dad?” he snickered, “Aren’t you dating Lupita right now?”

“Yeah and she fucking bites. Hard,” he rubbed one of his shoulders. “Thank you by the way,” he motioned to Juno, before shepherding Mason away. The boy flashed her one more smile, and a brief wave that was just awkward enough to be endearing. 

It left her in the strange alleyway alone. 

Not wanting to cut through the market again, Juno began to head around, walking through nearly empty streets. The rain made her press the umbrella closer over her ears as she glanced about. Most of the windows were dark, but a few were lit up. Late night animals of all kinds were typing or eating or watching something. One delivery girl, a crane, landed on a porch with a bag of food hanging from her beak. Juno passed by her just before she knocked on the door of one of the old derelict houses. “Delivery for Gil Hao?,” she drawled out.

“If you leave it on the porch,” a voice answered, “money’s underneath the mat.”

Juno’s ears stood straight up. She… she knew that voice. 

“Thank you,” the bird made the exchange and flew off. The moment she did, the door opened. Juno hurried back to see inside but the man at the door was quick. She didn’t catch a glimpse of him. But, it did waft out a bit of the air inside. She could smell pine freshener, hot and old food alike, fancy perfume, all combined and masking each other. But underneath it, there was a familiar scent to pair with the familiar voice. 

Her heart pounded. What should she do, what should she do… Juno finally decided to head straight downtown to the police headquarters. 

That was unmistakably Ward.

Chapter Text

Yafya clapped the pills to his mouth and tossed his head back. He gave a grunt as he felt them go down. 

Rokuma had been rough. The Herbivore Prosperity Front had lashed out, burned an apartment down. Police had scrambled to corner the suspects but they had been stopped short: rules and laws and rights tied their hands.

Such things didn’t concern Yafya.

He’d spent two whole days working his way through the ranks of the Front before finally knocking the ringleader back with a single punch. With him out of the way, Yafya flew back to Cherryton, and now he sat back at his table, willing the caffeine pills to take effect, as he waited for his guest to show up. His eyes stared up at the lamps hanging from the high ceiling, a sleek modern look. 

His front door chimed. 

“It’s open,” he called, rubbing his eyes with his fingers as he straightened up in his seat. He could hear the door swing as his guest came in. Then he lowered his hand.

The mayor of Cherryton approached. Yafya could already see the simpering look on his face. His leonid features had been sanded away into an uncanny mask of flat teeth and swollen eyes. Thousands of dollars poured into an attempt to make himself presentable and friendly to the herbivores in his constituency.

As an herbivore, Yafya could attest that it hadn’t worked. “What do you want?” the horse leaned forward and folded his arms across his table.

“Yafya, I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time?” he began to speak, and Yafya could see the ground-down teeth in his mouth. He hated it to no end.

“I haven’t slept in almost forty-eight hours, and you’re keeping me from it. What do you want?”

“Right, I’ll keep this brief.” He looked away, trying to collect his thoughts. Yafya could see the nervousness in his expression. “The mayoral ball, this Saturday, I wanted to talk to you about that?”

“I have a security detail picked out already. It’ll be fine. Is that all?”

“Well, not exactly…” Again the nervous eyes. “Yafya, I… this is a big event. We’re going to have business leaders, party activists - and the head of the Horns Conglomerate will be there. Very important donors.”

“And nothing will happen to them. I can promise that.”

The mayor nervously rubbed the back of his neck. His mane had been shorn off as well, except a small bit up over his head, much like a human’s hairline. It just looked… wrong. Like a cartoon begging to be real, but not quite making the jump. “Actually, I’m concerned about, well, the… the optics of it.”

“Of holding the ball?”

“No, of… your security presence.” Yafya’s glare intensified, and the mayor paused for a moment. “Obviously we need a detail to stay safe! But I just want to make sure it’s not too overwhelming, you know? The sight of armed police in the streets, I’m just concerned that it’ll put people on edge.”

“You’re concerned the donors will be on edge.”

The lion motioned with his hands a bit, struggling to reclaim his euphemism. “...Alright yes. Yes I am worried about that. But it’ll also scare citizens going by, and it just won’t look good. So just a few officers, please.”

With a sigh, Yafya pushed back from the table and stood up, his eyes level with the mayor. “You know what’ll look worse?” He dared the lion to answer. “A bomb going off in the middle of town hall, or gunmen storming the building. Don’t you agree that would look worse?” No response still. The horse narrowed his eyes. “You’re a politician. Spin it to sound better, that’s your job. I won’t tell you how to do your job. In return, don’t tell me how to do my job of protecting you.”

The mayor opened his mouth, before his eyes darted around. A strangled sound escaped his throat as he failed to say what he wanted. Finally he sighed. “Alright. Thank you for your time.”

“Hold on.” The horse stopped him as he was turning around. Slowly Yafya stepped around the table. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing, it was nothing.”

“Oh I’m sure it wasn’t nothing. I really want to hear what you were going to say.”

“Yafya, I was just trying to think, I wasn’t going to say anything!”

“Mhm,” the horse studied his face. “Maybe you should worry less about donors and volunteers, and more about not having your title stripped altogether by the council. Because I’m real sick and tired of people being ungrateful for everything I do, so I’d appreciate if just once—”

Suddenly the front door chimed. “Uh, Yafya? Can you come downstairs, we have someone that you want to talk to.”

“Piss off, I’m in a meeting.”

“I really think you’ll want to talk to her. She knows where the human Ward is.”

The horse’s head turned sharply at that. He thought to himself… then he gave a final glance at the mayor. “Go home,” he muttered, before heading to the door. “Get me a file on her. Now.”

Juno had folded her umbrella across her knees as she waited in the station lobby. She watched a single peafowl hunched over her computer at one side of the desk, eyes weighted by fatigue. The young wolf glanced to the side, watching the cars pass by. Then across the stark concrete walls. 

Her nerves were starting to get to her. She had been waiting here for… she pulled out her phone to check. At least ten minutes now, since the first time she checked. Probably closer to twenty. She hadn’t done something wrong, had she? Juno gently bit at her lower lip, eyeing the night receptionist. Should she say something? Would that be seen as rude? But what if they were so busy they had forgotten about her? The wolf took a deep breath… she made to stand up.

The armored doors behind the desk opened. “Juno.”

It was a horse, with a tanktop and — wait. She startled to her feet. “Y-Yafya! Sir!”

Without speaking he motioned with his fingers to follow him. Juno immediately complied, hurrying through the doors he was propping open. Inside she stepped over the seal of the city, passing by the cubicles as she followed Yafya to the left. All the while though her stomach clenched. The Beastar? She didn’t think she’d be talking to the Beastar! Was this a good thing? A bad thing? Was she dressed alright for the occasion? Should she have worn her school uniform dress? She struggled between her anxieties and staying aware of her surroundings.

The hallway here was well-lit, and adorned with photographs of smiling officers below the words “Fallen in the Line of Duty.” More rooms to either side, marked as break areas and the armory. 

At the very end of the hallway was an elevator. Yafya swiped a card to call it, and soon they were rising up, up, up to the fifty-seventh floor. There was another security door up there, but when they stepped through and it opened up…

Juno looked about in awe. “Is… this where you live?”

“One of the places I live.”

After growing up in a cramped city apartment, and then spending months in a communal dormitory space, seeing so much space for a single person was incredible to her. She walked past Yafya to stare. The open plan was surrounded by garden boxes, filled with root vegetables and more sprouting from the dirt. She fantasized, just for a moment, living in a place like this with a family of her own. 

“So you know where to find Ward?”

Juno turned. “Yeah, yeah I was walking, and I heard his voice. And, and then I could smell him. He, uh…” she realized she might have to explain that last bit. “I’m a student at Cherryton, so I knew—”

“I know.” Yafya’s voice was sharp, and she couldn’t tell if he was mad at her or not. “I know a lot about you Juno. No disciplinary records at any schools, currently passing all your classes and even excelling in a few. Daughter of an accountant, third child of five. All pretty normal.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s only two things I don’t know about you. One… why does Gon consider you a viable Young Beastar candidate?”

Her heart leaped. “Wait, Headmaster Gon really said that about me?! He thinks that, that I could really be Beastar material?! That’s great! Oh my gosh, that’s…” Her voice died when she caught Yafya’s hard glare. “Sorry sir, I just… yes, that’s something that I’ve been hoping for for a long time.”

“You and many other kids…” He began to step forward. Juno felt like she was a bug caught under a magnifying glass, being examined and studied - and on a whim, the glass could be tilted to fry her alive. 

There was silence before she dared to continue. “To answer your question, I’ve been doing a lot to try and help other students. Of all different species! And I’m in drama club, and I’m already going to be the starring role, plus I was lead dancer at the Meteor Festival! I just, it really does mean a lot to me.”

He nodded. “Being a Beastar is very important. It’s about being a role model.”

“Yes, yes! And that’s something I really want to be for people!”

Yafya kept nodding, eyes relaxing, and a slight smile came over his muzzle. “That’s good, that’s good. Now my second question: this address you gave us for Ward… why were you there in the first place?”

His smile lingered. Suddenly Juno felt like she’d stepped into a trap. “I… there’s no reason, I…” Then she sighed. It was no use trying to lie. Not to the Beastar especially. “I was… seeing a friend.”

“A friend, you say?”

“...Louis, the red deer, he used to go to Cherryton. He used to be a candidate for Beastar, but he dropped—”

“Dropped out, I’m well aware. I also know he’s… affiliated, with a known criminal organization...” 

A subtle accusation crept into his words. Juno set her jaw. “He’s not a bad guy. He’s just confused. I think he just… he didn’t want the pressure. He won’t stay there forever, I’m sure.” She shook her head. “But I promise I wasn’t buying meat or anything. I’m not that kind of carnivore…”

“‘That kind’ of carnivore?”

“The kind that goes to the market to eat meat. You know, people who… can’t control themselves.” She felt guilty phrasing it like that. But she had to make her point clear. “I’ve never eaten a single bit of meat in my life!”

Yafya stepped forward again. Juno gulped, but she stood her ground. Her breath shivered as he approached. The horse’s nostrils flared. His eyes closed as he tried to smell. Juno clenched her umbrella more tightly, as she tried to endure it. Why should she protest, when she had nothing to hide? And sure enough his eyes opened, seeming almost impressed. “You are clean…”

“Of course I am. It’s wrong to eat herbivores after all. And I know that as a carnivore I’ll be tempted, because of my instincts, but I will never let them overwhelm me. That’s a path I don’t want to go down. Please,” she tried to steer the conversation back. “I don’t have any agenda. I just wanted to help before more people get hurt. Isn’t that what being a Beastar is about? Protecting people and our society?”

Something about Yafya’s gaze seemed to change. He had been analyzing each aspect of her so closely, but now he was actually looking at her. The horse pulled a radio from his waistband, and without removing his gaze, spoke into it: “We’re taking her tip. Get everyone ready to go, I’ll be down in five minutes.”

“Roger that,” the voice cut out. Juno breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she could see Yafya holding his hand out to gesture to the balcony. 

“I want to show you something.” 

Slowly she followed him around the planters, rows of carrots sprouting out of them. Her nose could catch the whiff of fertilizer, must have been a special brand, she couldn’t quite place the smell. 

The embrace of the cool night air met her though. The rain had reduced to meager sprinkles, and when she breathed it was clean and fresh, a rarity in the urban center. Yafya looked away over the rooftops, where the dull yellow and bright blue of the citylight brightened the clouds hanging overhead. 

“So many kids tell me they want to be Beastar,” he rumbled. “And when I ask why, they say they want to be famous, they want to be a rock star or a doctor and they think this is a shortcut. And then when I ask about it more, they give the answer I want to hear. Then you come along…” He snorted, giving a smirk. “I don’t like Gon very much, but a broken clock is right twice a day.”

Juno wanted to ask what was the matter with Gon — but she wanted more for Yafya to keep talking about her. “Thank you, I just, I really do care about this. You know, it’s like… I know it’s not about me. It’s about this,” she motioned at the city. “It’s about protecting all of this. I…I don’t want to be ‘Juno the Beastar.’ I just want to be the Beastar. If anything, I just…” her mouth hung open as she struggled to speak - and suddenly felt self-conscious about showing her fangs. She pressed her lips together tightly. “I’d want to leave being Juno behind…”

Her eyes fell. It felt weird to bare herself before someone she had never met before. But again, he was the Beastar. If she couldn’t trust him, whom could she trust? Plus, if she laid out all her cards, maybe that would help her.

She didn’t look up from the street below. Yafya was silent for a long while. “This role requires everything from you. Your needs come last — the needs of the Republic come first. That is a commitment you’re willing to make? You’ll give up everything, so that all of animalkind can thrive?”

Juno faced him, taking a deep inhale. “My very life.” 

Yafya raised his brow. “...This Saturday, you heard of the mayoral ball?”

“Yes?” Excitement built within her. 

“I want you to be there. I want you to meet the people who make this city run, who make this world run. If I’m going to endorse you I want to make sure you don’t make me look foolish.”

“En…” She could hardly breathe. When she woke up this morning she never would have thought it. Beastars often endorsed candidates coming up in schools, but the Sublime Beastar doing so? She was practically guaranteed to be Young Beastar! “You really mean it?”

“You take me for a liar?”

“No no, not at all! That’s just, that’s so great, thank you!” She couldn’t keep herself from grinning like a fool. Her hand clasped over her mouth. “Oh my tail’s wagging, I’m so sorry, I don’t want to be rude!”

Yafya just watched with a hint of amusement. “I want you to spend a couple days with me each week. Just to see what I do.”

“Like a mentorship?!” 

“Something like that. A kind of… deputy Beastar, if you will. See if you’re really up for it.”

“Oh I’d love that! Thank you, thank you!”

“Good,” Yafya nodded. Then he turned away from the balcony. “Now if you excuse me, I have a man to catch…”

Chapter Text

Ward hunched over his desk, the pen scrawling across the paper. He’d lived in this place for only a few days; he jumped from place to place, and as a result owned precious few items for himself. The rickety old bed had been here when he moved in, as well as the wooden desk that had paint flaking off the top. They provided rest and support well enough though for his purposes.

He kept writing:

“ And this is why I propose we redefine ‘restorationism.’ I am sympathetic to those who wish to restore the Union as it once was, for one of our most important goals is and must remain the liberation and self-determination of humanity. Yet to trace our steps backwards, and then walk forward again, will only have us stumble upon the same hurdle.

“Our movement cannot ignore the needs of the carnivore and the herbivore. In fact, in our dialogues with our animal brothers and sisters, I’ve come to understand that our struggles are often in parallel. For is the paranoia of the carnivore’s ‘innate nature’ any less hateful than the paranoia against us? And is the herbivore’s despondency, bereft of meaningful protection, any less a betrayal than the negligence shown to us? The Republic dictates their fates with all the force they dictate ours. The only difference is whether they wear a velvet glove or an iron gauntlet while they do so. ”

He paused to think, reaching for the sandwich he’d slapped together. It was difficult to eat here; he had splattered vinegar and air freshener and perfume across the room in an attempt to mask his scent from investigators prowling outside. The smells overrode his senses and made the otherwise plain food taste strange on his tongue. But it was nutrition, that’s all that was important.

His room was the benefaction of a sympathizer, a fox who worked in a hospital lab downtown. She had enough distance to plead ignorance. He did his best to help her with chores around the place. In return he could stay as long as he needed, though he fully intended to move along again sooner rather than later. Ward had only lasted this far by being fluid. The moment he settled too long in one place he’d have the police on top of him. And he couldn’t have that. At least not yet. There was still so much he needed to do and say.

Ward picked up his pen again: “ That is why I believe in our new Tristar Flag. Each star represents human, carnivore, and herbivore, indistinguishable from each other, none higher than the other. For this must be our goal. The liberation of humanity will accompany the liberation of all animalkind from the chains of ignorance. 

“And please notice my turn of phrase: ‘WILL accompany.’ For to free ourselves, and not free all other species, will be no liberation, but only a delay to our return to chains. Our fates are tied together; our fates are already in motion. We must strive to keep up.

“We must also strive without fear of death. Whatever we accomplish will never be erased by mortal hand. Even if I shall be shot tomorrow, and every word I’ve written burned, these ideas will manifest again in someone else in the future. But do not mistake this as an excuse for complacency. Rather, know that our words and deeds shall be the foundation upon which our brothers and sisters not yet born will carry on our sacred mission and keep the wheel of progress turning forward.

“For I believe in a simple truth; the Republic as it stands cannot survive. I cannot say whether it will end in violent collapse or by withering in a thousand lacerations, but however it happens we must be at the ready, else we lose our window. The moment draws near when the Tristar may fly atop the All-Species Chamber. The moment creeps upon us, but we must be vigilant when it arrives. The march of progress is relentless. The hands of history are steady. And I will be happy when my eyes see that day arrive. With great care, yours,

“Sage X. ”

Ward set down his pen, sighing. He lifted the letter to read it more closely. It was rough, he knew that. But they needed this hope. So many of them needed hope, with things so rough since Silver Wing. It had set the Beastar on edge, and that was good. It meant they’d make more mistakes. 

He desperately needed that to happen, because he’d made a mistake himself.

Ward had underestimated the pushback that his stunt at Cherryton would bring. He had just wanted to help Vigil. And now the boy was rotting in a jail cell. What he intended to be a good deed had gotten the boy mixed up in all this… even if it had been helpful to their movement.

That’s what made him sick to his stomach. His eyes read over his words again, and his guts churned. After losing his job at NEIL he had kept close to his team, and their weekly outings had quickly turned political in the bitterness of their situation. He didn’t remember how they got to this point; all he knew was that after all this time of living a double-life, he never thought he’d so heavily regret the position he was in. Yes, Vigil being captured had been a catalyst for outrage. It had enabled him to direct operations that were more dramatic without alienating too many people. It was probably the best thing to happen to the restorationists in a decade.

But Vigil was never meant to be part of this game.

It frightened Ward that he’d allowed this to happen. The boy had been reduced to a chess piece, and now that he was in play it seemed foolish to not leverage it for the good of the cause. Even if he dropped all else and managed to get Vigil released today, it would have the benefit of legitimizing their group. And it felt wrong to Ward, as wrong as keeping the cash from a found wallet. 

How had he let it happen?

Two options presented themselves to his mind, and he couldn’t tell which was more horrific. One, his age was starting to show. His mind was starting to slip, even only in his late forties, and that wasn’t just a danger to his own well-being. It’d take only a single misstep to doom the others. It’d take only a single thoughtless word to rile the fringe elements in one direction or the other, and upset the delicate and fragile coalition of cells he’d fostered over years of patient negotiation. The thought that he was becoming a liability to the restorationists broke his heart.

The second option, in contrast, frightened him. Had he grown too hard and cynical? Had he gotten to the point where lives were now merely playing cards to be laid out as he wished? Ward wanted to say no, and part of him even believed that. But it wasn’t the conscious train of thought he had to worry about. If he had become desensitized it would affect his calculations, the unconscious decisions he made at a moment’s notice. The movement, he knew, would require sacrifice. But the moment that sacrifice lost its terribleness, well… what would he become? How much would he soil everything he built towards?

So many people were angry. So many people wanted an excuse to go out and fight the police until their fists were bloody. They’d even swing at Yafya himself if Sage X told them to. It wasn’t a power he relished. It wasn’t a power, now, he even thought he deserved. Sometimes it scared him, but he tried to be sympathetic. So many of them weren’t really violent, just impatient and afraid. They wanted their results now. He could understand that, he had been young once. But if he wrote and told them to act, then blood would run in the streets. He had said it before, it was only the last course of action. But now, what if he made that call at the wrong time?

For a while Ward hesitated with his letter. His fingers caressed the paper. A dozen doubts circled his mind, as they always had, but now they seemed closer than ever. 

With another sigh he took the letter, sealed it in a plain envelope, and folded it into a plastic bag. Striding to the door he checked the peephole. No one could be seen in the narrow streets. Nevertheless he still grabbed the coat and hat and scarf from the hooks beside him. He layered himself up all to open the door for a total of ten seconds, to leave his letter underneath the mat. 

About an hour later Ward heard a knock at his door. “Delivery for Gil Hao?”

“If you leave it on the porch, money’s underneath the mat,” he called out. 

“Thanks!” He could hear the wings flap away, before he cracked open the door again to take the delivery. A single styrofoam container nestled in the plastic bag as he grabbed it inside. Peeling off his hat and scarf, Ward sat down and cracked it open. About five thousand yen, his weekly allowance, greeted him. He also had a stack of notes from cells with their plans for the week. Lots of notes, resources to be shuffled about… but he couldn’t say anything about it until tomorrow anyways. He needed to sleep. 

He wasn’t sure what woke him up later. Moonlight still streamed through his window. No vehicles could be heard passing by. But something had jolted him to full alertness; something had his subconscious on edge. Slowly he rose to his feet, his clothes mussed from having slept in them, straining to hear. He took a step towards his window, covered in paper. In the distance, helicopter blades beat the air, drawing nearer and nearer.

From the opposite wall, Ward could hear boots against the ground.

Quick as a flash he tore off the paper and shoved the window open. Ward forced his body through and stumbled against the rain-lashed sidewalk as he heard voices around the corner, “Shit he’s running!”

Sure enough he ran down the street. He could hear the sound of animals splashing through the puddles behind him and drawing closer. The helicopter was louder now. Light flooded around him. Rushing past the mouth of an alley he grabbed a plastic trash lid and turned to chuck it. The pronghorn right behind him caught the lid square in his face. It gave Ward a chance to dash into the apartment nearby. 

The mongoose at the lobby desk snorted awake as Ward turned and bolted the door shut. “Hey, hey what’s your problem?!” 

Ward ignored him and went for the stairs. He ran up the steps, dragging himself up along the handrail, first flight. He kept going, his shoes echoing up and down, the shaft of the stairwell seeming to spin as he climbed, second flight. 

The door banged open on the ground floor. Ward fled out into the hallway. Numbers adorned the rooms on either side, except for one. He yanked on the closet door. 

No luck.

“Shit!” he shouted, hurrying on. Ward turned a corner. The fire escape! He sprinted for it, pushing the door open and clambering onto the metal scaffolding. The human made to climb down - except for the helicopter that swirled into place. He heard shouting, “He’s on the fire escape!”

A jaguar ran around, gun drawn. The bullet fired and pierced the air. 

“FUCK!” Ward cried, the force catching him in his shoulder. Searing pain, so much pain, he struggled to stay upright, leaning against the brick. He could hear shouts below, distant chastisements from the other officers, and then clanging as they began to grab at the ladder. He moaned in agony… but he had to keep moving. Gritting his teeth he pressed onwards, upwards now, to the top of the building, as the rain drove down against him. The jaguar had started climbing after him, and soon the rest of his pursuers were on the metal below. Six, seven…

And that was it. 

Ward staggered forward, slowing as he reached the center of the rooftop. He looked about. Animals from the taller towers nearby peered out in awe at the unfolding drama, recording it. Up above the helicopter’s spotlight cast him into harsh relief. The wind buffeted at his hair and clothes. 

“That’s enough Ward.”

He turned. Yafya stepped closer across the rooftop, with four men behind him guns-drawn. Ward retreated, towards the edge of the building.

“Don’t even think about jumping. I’d catch you the moment you turn. It’s over. You’re coming with us.”

Ward took a breath. Every drop of rain that shattered against his skin felt like ice. His heart burned. Another breath, looking at the animals before him. The helicopter pinning him down. The city, to either side, drizzled in the falling rain. Another breath, as he looked up. 

“...I’m sorry…” he whispered. Then he fixed his glare on Yafya. 

His hand darted for his pocket.

“LONG LIVE HUMANITY—”

The rounds tore through his chest first, then the abdomen, then the cheek, then the chest twice more. Ward was blown back by the sheer force of the ballistics, collapsed on his back, eyes unblinking. 

“STOP, STOP!” Yafya screamed, turning on the jaguar. The cat’s gun was still smoking. “What the hell did I say?!”

“What?! You said live, but he was going for a—”

“Live no matter what.” Yafya growled. He jerked his head for the others to go to the body. Ward’s blood mingled with the pooling rain, a scarlet flower on the rooftop. “When I say something, I mean it. When I say ‘no matter what’ I fucking mean it. I am going to have you written up for insubordination, because now we can’t get information from him, and Sage X is going to have a lot to say about—”

“Uh… Yafya?” The pronghorn spoke up. “He… had no weapon. But in his pocket, he had…” Ginger fingers lifted up a mask — the same mask that he had worn on state television.

Everyone froze. Yafya’s jaw hung open slightly, as the gravity of what had just happened sank in.

“Oh...I, I… I shot Sage X?” The jaguar’s voice was ecstatic. Stars filled his eyes. “I did it! I, I really did it! I—”

“Shut up,” Yafya finally growled, jabbing a finger in his face. “You’re fired.”

His face struggled to process this wild whiplash of emotions. “What… but, I… it’s over! Sage X is dead! I killed him! You act like it’s a bad thing!”

“Yeah. You killed him… and there’s thousands of people out there who followed him. You wanna go advertise your accomplishment to them?”

Yafya could see it all clicking for the jaguar, and horror crept into his eyes. 

The horse turned, running his hand through his mane. He glared down at the dead human. Then he pulled out his phone and dialed.

Gon had some explaining to do.

Chapter Text

The blue curtain was lowered to the stage in Cherryton Academy’s auditorium. In front of it stood a handful of administrators all in a line, accompanied by a rhinoceros in a police uniform. Gold trim traced the Shielded Paw above their heads. Incessant whispering, muttering, and worry filled the auditorium. 

Finally a red panda stepped forward with the microphone. “Okay, is everyone in here? Can everyone hear me? In the back, can you hear me?” One of the teachers stood at the rear of the auditorium and gave a thumbs up. “Fantastic. Well, everyone, my name is June, and I’m sure you’re wondering why we called you all here?”

Haru sat with the medium-sized herbivores, her feet just dangling above the ground. She’d seen her phone, she’d seen the headlines already...

The red panda read off note cards in her hand. “As you might have heard, the local police partnered with the Beastar to finally confront Sage X last night. This is good news. But, it has been confirmed that... he was someone who, until recently, had been working here: our custodian, Ward.”

Haru could hear a collective gasp around the auditorium. She couldn’t help but swallow a bit herself. It was instinctive; small animals were raised from birth to be hyper-aware of danger after all. 

“I know that this is distressing to hear,” the red panda gestured with the hand full of cards. “But I assure you, your safety is always our top priority. And it is in the interest of safety that Gon has agreed to step away from his role while we take measures to ensure the security of the academy. We will be re-conducting background checks on every member of the staff and faculty. We will have extra security guards in the hallways. And if need be, we will have extra counselors for the next week for you to speak with. Your well-being comes first, and we want you to know that.”

With that she handed off the microphone to the rhinoceros, who cleared his throat. “Can you hear me?” Haru didn’t see any sign, but she assumed there was a thumbs-up from the back again. “Very good. Now, I’m Officer Daisuke, and I’m with the Cherryton Police Department. I wanted to give you more details so you know what happened straight from us.” He gripped the microphone with his other hand as he stood there, taking a pause. “You know that Ward had been wanted in regards to the predation incident that happened here a couple weeks ago. We had an anonymous tip last night to his location…”

Haru barely listened. Something terrible had occurred to her. What if… no, no that wouldn’t make sense. But, it did give her another idea… she waited to hear what they said.

“...one of our officers reacted, and Sage X was fatally wounded,” the officer finished. “We’ve since searched his apartment, and while we uncovered information relating to other operations, we found no immediate threats to you or your safety. We’re already working on cracking down on restorationist cells with what we found. The threat posed by Sage X’s followers, if anything, has been dramatically reduced.” He nodded at June.

“Thank you officer,” she replied. “And I just want to take a moment to thank you for your bravery, you and your entire department. Now, before we continue,” the red panda faced the students again, “we’d like to collect some questions from you to understand what you might be more anxious about. So if you have any questions or concerns, please stand up and raise your hand, and we’ll get someone over to you with a microphone. Yes! You there!”

Haru let her hand fall. She watched Phoenix, the girls’ PE coach, come sprinting up the aisle with a microphone. The flamingo held it out, and the rabbit stepped forward. “Hi, uh… can you tell us if this had anything to do with Vigil?”

The red panda onstage faltered. “Hold on…” she glanced at the rhinoceros, who motioned with his head, before shuffling through her cards and holding one up. “Ah, according to the Beastar’s office, yes, it is unfortunately believed that the human student was involved with Sage X and the restorationists.” More muttering. “Which is why he is still in custody, and not here! Which is why we will be rescinding his admission, already effective. Next question?”

Haru watched with careful eyes. She sat down again, but her face was stony.

“They were lying,” she muttered hours later. She stood on her chair across from Legosi, leaning over the table but looking away in thought. Jack sat beside him; both glanced up from their shared book at her comment.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“At the assembly. I asked if Vigil had been involved with Ward, and they said yes. I wanted to see what they’d say. They were lying when they said he was.”

Legosi blinked. “How could you tell that?”

“I was with him.” 

They both stared back. 

“When Ward was attacked, or… when whatever happened happened, Vigil had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know about it. And he was terrified about it. I could sense it off of him.” 

Jack blinked. “I mean, I know that he had been upset by it. But… what are you getting at, exactly?”

Haru raised her brows. “What do you mean?” 

“I… I just was asking what you meant.”

Legosi glanced between the pair of them, his brow furrowing. “What? What’s going on?”

“Jack, what that officer said wasn’t true. You can’t believe what he said, not after all that time you spent with Vigil!”

The labrador flushed, looking away, rubbing his neck. “I mean, heheh… yeah, Vigil is a good guy, we all knew that, but the police must have their reasons…”

“So what if they have reasons? I don’t see—”

“Hey Legosi, when did you have to leave again?”

The wolf seemed shaken from his focus on Haru. “Huh? Oh, I got fifteen minutes.”

Haru tilted her head. “...Didn’t you say that fifteen minutes ago?” 

“Wait, what time is it?!”

She checked her phone. “It’s 11:01—”

In a flurry of long limbs and terror Legosi bolted from his seat and sprinted out of the common room. The pair stared after him, along with other students passing by. 

“Heheh, good thing we asked,” Jack smiled, his eyes closing, “Hate for him to miss the test after studying so hard!”

“Jack,” Haru leaned forward across the table, her hands keeping her up, right on the tip of her toes at the edge of the chair. “I know that’s not why you reminded him.”

She was face-to-snout with the labrador. His face seemed mortified that his charade had been found. “Look, I’m sorry, I don’t know if I should really be talking about this,” he got up to leave. 

“Vigil trusted you.” She could see him flinch at that. He paused where he was. “He trusted you enough to take you to his home. You know better than I do that he had nothing to do with that. Couldn’t you smell it on him, that’s a thing canines can do, right?!”

Jack’s face filled with fear. That was the thing with the “domesticateds,” with their generations of natural selection accelerated by geneticists after the War. They’d been bred to be compliant, soft-tempered, fangless in spirit if not physically. “I… I…”

Haru could see his eyes filled with panic. She straightened up, and felt her own gaze softening. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up the smelling thing…” Something nagged at her that he might be self-conscious about it. “But still, you’re really going to turn your back on him like that?”

“No! No no, it’s… it’s not that… it’s... “ he winced as he peeked around. Then with a sigh Jack sat again to lean closer. “Look, I believe you. I do. I don’t think Vigil did anything wrong.”

“...But?” Haru could tell there was more.

Jack sighed again. Double-checked around him. “But if the police and the Beastar are saying something is wrong I have to believe them too. At least… it’s, it’s hard to explain…”

“Jack, they lie to us every day, you know that. Everyone knows that, it’s just a bunch of bullshit.”

“Yeah but this is different. It... “ he rubbed a hand over one eye. The dog still had a weak smile on, and yet at the same time it looked like he wanted to vomit, “I’m fast-tracked on my career. I have been since I was in grade school. And you know how it is with dogs, we’re, we’re people-pleasers. I can’t… I never could have a ‘rebellious’ phase, you know? I have to take them at face value. They have their reasons, and even if I don’t like those reasons, I… I can’t… heheh…”

His eyes cast down as he nervously laughed it off. But even as he chuckled, Haru could see tears in his eyes. She’d picked a fight with someone who literally couldn’t be mad back at her. 

“...It’s okay Jack. I didn’t realize it was like that, I shouldn’t have gone after you. I’m just…” she bit her lip, looking around, struggling for words herself. “I’m sick and tired of being told to be afraid. Of humans, of carnivores, of larger herbivores? It’s all I ever hear, and now they’re telling me to be afraid of people that… honestly, I did think of him as a friend.”

Jack nodded. “He was… my friend too,” he croaked.

Haru thought for a moment. “You said you saw him last week?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t we wait a bit so that you don’t rouse suspicion… and we can go see him together. I missed tagging along last time.”

“Yeah, heheh… let’s do it. Got tests, but how about Saturday?”

“Saturday would be great.” 

Mason held the letter in his fingers. As he spoke his voice wavered, and yet it lifted over the heads of everyone gathered around in the garage. “The moment creeps upon us, but we must be vigilant when it arrives. The march of progress is relentless. The hands of history are steady. And I will be happy when…” 

He faltered, swallowing thickly, and his fingers trembled. 

“And I will be happy when my eyes see that day arrive. With great care, yours...“ he looked up. “Sage X.”

Silence reigned. The group was three-dozen humans, with a handful of carnivores and herbivores in their midst. Grace and Clement flanked him. The overhead lights were off, letting the nighttime loom overhead, with only a few industrial lamps illuminating the inner circle.  People bowed their heads to relish Sage’s last words. Then they looked about, unsure. No one wanted to ask the question that everyone was thinking.

“Wha…” A young woman with dark skin just across from Mason started. All eyes turned to her. “...What do we do now?”

Mason took a deep shuddering breath. “First I think we should stay calm, we can’t let our anger get the best of us. We… we need to think, what Sage would want.”

“You know what Sage would want?”

A hawk piped up to the side. His rich plumage seemed to puff out slightly as he spoke, and they could all hear the edge of nervousness in his voice.

“He always said that violence was a last resort. It was only to be done if we were against the wall with no way out.” He gulped, looking around. “I think that’s where we are now. We need to fight back! Now!”

A chorus of “Yeah!”s sounded around them, mixed with hesitation from the others. Mason looked about in alarm, raising his hands to motion for calm. “We can’t be too quick on this. We need to think this over, talk to the other cells if this is the best way—”

“The docks cell got busted today!” Another human shouted in the darkness. “They got notes and everything from Ward’s apartment!” 

“We need to act now!” another voice rose.

“Shit, you remember that note, when did I send that?!” Cacophony began to flare up.

“Calm down, calm down!” Mason struggled to be heard. With an exasperated sigh he glanced around, and spied a wrench. “Clement grab that real quick?” The boy darted down and snatched it, handing it over. Mason turned and slammed it against the car lift beside him.

The loud clang reverberated through the air, and finally got everyone’s attention. 

“We aren’t going to get anywhere by panicking!” Mason shouted. “Now I hear you, the other cells have… they’ve been compromised. We should be okay for now, Sage made sure that we wouldn’t know too much about each other. Even if they talk, it’ll take them days to trace the trail back to us. But that’s still… we can’t do nothing. You’re right.”

He looked to his side, at Clement. The boy stared up; Mason was two years his elder, and had known him for three. He knew that whatever he said, Clement would all too eagerly throw his passion behind. It had been easier when Sage gave him an idea on what to say. Now… well, now it felt like he had to make the choices. 

Mason gulped. “Grace? What do you think, you haven’t...you haven’t said much.”

She folded her arms, and bit her lip. “I think we need to change our strategy. Dramatically. We’ve been so worried about growing and we haven’t put enough energy into using anything we have. It’s time for us to actually do something.”

“I know, and I know you’re right. I’m just worried that we’ll go too far. Sage didn’t want for us to just—”

“Sage is dead, Mason.”

“He didn’t want blood to be spilled!”

“And he’s dead.” 

She let it hang in the air. Mason turned away, gripping the workbench before him. On it was the letter, and a tristar flag folded into a square. It had been just freshly printed and delivered, tragically, the morning after Sage’s death.

“I don’t know if this is disrespectful to say,” Grace continued, “but maybe he wasn’t a hundred percent right about everything. When it comes down to it the Beastar doesn’t really give a shit if we’re peaceful or not. He’s going to come after us either way. So we can try to run and hide, until he ends up hunting us all down and dragging us into his little fortress… or we can do something about it.”

“I think we’d be ready to go out there,” another human spoke up, this one with bronzed skin and curly hair. He gestured along with his words. “The takeover at Silver Wing, that was a big dramatic move. Sage wouldn’t have wanted that unless he thought we were ready. I think we are.”

“We should do some kind of demonstration!” a ram piped in. “A march of some kind, or a rally, and then we send a message by—”

“A march…” Mason closed his eyes. He could feel everyone staring at him. Yes, yes that could work… “I think that’s it.”

Everyone pressed in closer.

“This Saturday, the Mayoral Ball will be held here in town. We’ll have party members, politicians, business leaders, all coming in. That’s the day we march. In honor of Sage X.”

“We need something stronger than a procession!” Another human shouted.

“No I know, they’re not going to like it. But if we just go out there and start hurting people then it’s bad on us.” He set his jaw. “We’ll make them hit us first… and then we’ll be ready to fight back.” 

“Yeah!” Clement piped up. “We’ll show them, we’re not gonna take it any more!”

Mason began to unfold the flag before him as he raised his voice. “On Saturday, we will send them a message. That the wheel of progress will not be stopped, not by bullets or propaganda. We’ll let them come at us with shields and clubs, and we will be ready to stand against them.”

There were whoops around them. Grace was nodding along now. “Should we tell the others then? And how?”

“They’re going to watch us. So, instead of trying to be discreet… tell everyone. Tell everyone,” he spoke up, “get everyone talking about it! Then they can’t tell us apart from the rest of the town. Tell all animalkind what we plan to do! On Saturday carnivore, herbivore, and human alike will break the chains of ignorance for all species!” 

With that he thrust the flag into the air above his head, to cheers and applause. 

The week slowly slipped by. Juno meticulously laid out exactly what to wear at the ball, then double-guessed herself and went back to the drawing board. Legosi’s fervor at his studies had never been higher. 

Throughout Cherryton, the streets were quiet. Pamphleteering from the restorationists had all but vanished. Vandalism had plummeted, with the occasional teenage rascal still scribbling their name on a wall here or there, but there was almost nothing about Sage X or rebellion.

On Freedom Street the sidewalks ran barren before theaters and casinos and restaurants. By Friday the rainy weather had vanished and been replaced by winds coming from inland, even as the clouds still churned overhead. Young men and women, usually all too content to drink their worries away, just weren’t coming in. And among their parents, and their parents’ friends, and their friends’ friends, the whispers started. The fear had been that Sage’s death would explode in a fireball of fury. The silence felt even worse.

Of course, out of every human in Cherryton, there was only one that Father Reed worried about.

“Tomorrow’s going to be two weeks,” he muttered absent-mindedly as he held the bowl of liquid for the rector. Flickering candlelight illuminated them both from the ceiling.

The man looked up from his work. Both of them stood in the rectory, around the skeleton of a woman from the Floresien community. They didn’t have the substances necessary to treat their dead, so Reed offered to have her remains treated here and transported back. “Two weeks, since…” he thought for a moment, then sighed. “Father I’m sorry. I know it’s been hard for you.” He lifted a jar of powder, and began to spoon it into the bowl. 

Reed shook his head. “I just… I have to do what’s best for the community.” The windows flashed as lightning danced across the sky, casting the skull into sharp relief. “I know that. But it doesn’t make it any easier.” Thunder rumbled over them.

“Have they budged at all in their demands?” The rector took a small cube and slipped it into the bowl, before taking a brush and carefully stirring the solution together. He took great pains to not slosh it over the edge.

“Not an inch. Officers inside our walls, cameras in our homes… they want us to open our books and see how much we’re bringing in from the market. And you know only one reason why they’d want to do that.”

He nodded, his brows raised. “Figure out how much they could potentially tax from us?”

“We can barely make ends meet as it is. Actually we can’t, the pump’s going to have to wait a month or so. Stuff’s breaking down faster than we can fix it…” He swallowed, his hands dropping slightly. “...Jasper?”

The rector paused, his brush still in the bowl. “...Yes?”

“What if…” he sighed, “we can’t keep living like this. We’ve been stuck in our world so long, but it’s falling apart. The… Rudolfen community, I remember when they folded. They got to keep their homes and everything. It wasn’t so bad for them.”

Jasper’s face hardened. “Father. I remember it too. And things went badly very quickly. The moment they let the animals’ police on their streets, there was violence.” He gestured for Reed to move closer as he stepped beside the body. Lightning again split the sky. He took the brush, and started to carefully apply the glaze over the bones. “Our dignity is more important than any material comfort.”

Thunder rattled the rectory. Reed watched as the brushstrokes left behind their clear sheen. It was a treatment that not only helped the bones shine better on display, but also helped as a literal layer of protection. Inside the glaze, a cocktail of deadly toxins mingled. Any carnivore that tasted it would have their heart stop within seconds.  It was a recipe taken all the way from the war, where desperate soldiers and families would rather swallow poison than face the oncoming carnivore troops alive.

It was one of their many illusions, the tricks they had to pull in order to keep themselves free this long. The truth of their situation had been painfully apparent for decades - it’d take only a couple SWAT vans to subjugate any given village. But as long as some part of the population — the gullible and vociferous part — believed that it would bring down a terrible curse, the communities had leverage. As long as the underground was terrified by rumors and well-placed intimidation, their bodies would be unspoiled. 

And yet…

“Dignity?”

The rector looked up. “Hm?”

“You think this is dignity? To sit in our crumbling houses, unable to drink from our taps?”

Jasper straightened to his full height. He wasn’t angry, but his face still read stern. “Father,” he paused, “the peace your grandfather signed left us independent. We are the last vestiges of the proud Hominid Union, and I cannot let you sign over—”

“We don’t have a doctor Jasper.” Reed snapped. “Okay, we already have to call an ambulance to cart our sick off to a hospital in the city. We can’t manufacture anything, except for what Willow can carve from wood — wood that we need to buy, mind you, from the animals!” He could sense the bowl slightly sloshing in his hands, so he set it down between the skeleton’s feet as he continued. “We have to let their police in here if there’s a warrant, hell we can’t even generate our own power . If we’re keeping the Union alive then we’re only giving it a slow and agonizing demise. What is so dignified about that?”

The rector stared across at him. His face turned, giving him a side-eye. Another lightning crack, this time with thunder crashing at once.

“We can’t keep deluding ourselves that this is a long-term solution. We need to start reconciling, am I the only one that can see that? The tit for tat will never end unless one of us budges, and if they won’t then I have to.”

“You know the other communities explicitly forbade it.”

“That’s why I need to convince them. It’s… it’s why I need you to believe me. Please. For the good of everyone in Ardi, tell me you can see my point of view!”

Jasper looked away. Then his eyes went down, as he laid his brush on the table. “You can’t let your love for Vigil affect your decision making.”

“Tell me, once, where I mentioned Vigil in all of what I just said?! Everything I’ve done has been for the good of this community, and that has never changed. Hell that’s why I reached out to the Cherryton Academy in the first place! This was only ever to bring our peoples together!”

“And look what’s happened.” 

Reed felt his blood boil. Jasper seemed to realize he’d crossed a line. For a brief second both men were parsing out how to react. 

Then light shattered the room.

With a mighty crash of thunder the back of the rectory splintered. Sparks raced like a firework. The smell of smoke and steam poisoned the air. 

Reed found himself blown back by the shockwave and stumbled to the ground. “Jasper! Jasper are you okay?!” 

“I’m okay!” he coughed. “What was that?! Father, are you hurt?”

“FIRE!” Reed’s eyes went wide. Lightning had shredded the top of the rectory, and now the live embers were beginning to lick at the wood around them. Already small flames began to sneak around the timber, crawling up the banner that hung over the altar.

“Go get some water!” Jasper shouted, struggling to his feet and unbuttoning his shirt. “Get everyone up!” 

Without hesitating Reed sprinted out into the yard. A few folks had been lingering, and they started up at the commotion. “Fire!” he shouted. “Get the—” The hoses wouldn’t work without the pump, “the buckets! Go, the well! Hurry!”

“Dad!” He could hear Flint’s voice from the manor. The boy leaned out the second-story window, “What’s going on?”

“Get on the phone! Call for the fire department! The rectory got hit by lightning! Call the firefighters! Hey, hey, Ruby!” Reed caught her running past. “Help me, we gotta get the Living Dead out of there!” 

She gasped when she realized the danger. “Sure sure, come on!”

Back inside the rectory, the fire was climbing up the wall. Jasper desperately tried to beat out its seeking tendrils where he could reach, but it was starting to spread up and over the ceiling. He coughed, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Come on, this one!” Reed turned his back to the flames, gripping one side of the chair. Ruby took the other, and together they heaved it up. The robes over the bones lightly swung as they shuffled it out of the building. Reed could feel his arms straining, crying out, his gut clenching from the effort. When they finally set it down he gripped the back of the seat, desperately catching his breath.

“Father, are you alright?”

“I...I’ll be fine…” he gasped, “We…. we need to get the rest out…” 

The second one felt even worse, but he could feel the fire already getting too close. 

“Hold on hold on!” he screamed, practically dropping his side to pat out an ember that had alighted on the body’s robes. “Sorry, here, keep going now!”

They brought the second body out, and Rector Jasper followed them coughing and wheezing. He hugged a massive tome to his chest. “I’m sorry, I can’t do any more…”

“It’s okay, it’s alright,” Reed patted his back. “We’re gonna get this under control.” They had to. The dry winds the past few days threatened to send sparks and embers across the entire village.

By now people were showing up with buckets, and hurling it wherever they could see the flames. The altar received a soaking, dousing the licks of fire that had been eating into it. One bucket wet a corner of their banner — even as the opposite corner still smoldered and curled. 

Ruby called over someone else, and together they gripped the table that the bare skeleton laid on. Around them people rushed, popping in to douse the flames before running out, coughing as smoke began to fill the roof above their heads. 

“Dad! Dad!” Flint called as he dashed out of the house. “I called them, they should be sending someone soon!”

“Good! Here, help me get more of the Living out of here!” 

They scurried, scrawny black bodies silhouetted against the blossoming firelight. A wicked wind picked up sucking the air through the only doorway as the inferno ate through the roof and spiraled into the sky. 

“Is that the last of them?” Reed set down the chair he carried, and counted. “There’s one, are we missing one?! We gotta get back inside and—”

Suddenly a sickening crack came from inside, and screams as the main supporting beam began to cave. With a mighty crash it slammed into the middle of the aisle, rending the wood and sending sparks spiraling into the air. Reed watched with terror. 

“No, no no,” he waved off the buckets coming. “Take it to the houses! Watch for fire, douse your roofs, anything you see! We can’t let it spread! Go! Dammit, where’s the fucking fire department!?”

Miles away, Yafya stepped out onto his balcony. . His eyes narrowed as he zeroed in over suburbs and strip malls, focusing on the community normally nestled in nighttime shadow. The radio in his hand crackled, “Yafya, are you sure I shouldn’t dispatch anyone?”

“I already told you: cancel the alarm. That’s an order,” he answered, not looking away. “If they won’t play by our rules then they don’t get to play.”

“Yeah but what if it gets into their crops? Or their—”

“It’s their own crops. Their problem.”

“Hold on... “ muttering on the other end. “Shit they just called again. They’re begging, we gotta send someone.”

“Let them beg. That is an order, ” he repeated.

He could hear the long sigh on the other end. Then the radio went dead.

Yafya kept watching the flame go higher. Never in his life had he been the one to blink first. He wasn’t going to blink tonight, not when he had an advantage as lucky as this...

Chapter Text

When the sun rose on Saturday, Yafya awoke after only three hours of sleep. Another few pills to keep awake. He had so much to get through before the ball today — and before whatever was going to happen with the demonstration. There was no secret about the restorationist plans to march on the ball, and he had the city police deployed even now in full gear to handle it, as well a local battalion of ASIR, All-Species Integrated Rangers. He knew full well he'd get some flak for that, but he'd gladly take it in exchange for the peace of mind. They were only at the ready, just in case; certainly that was nothing to chew him out over…

His morning report came in right on the hour like usual. The stallion stood on his balcony overseeing the city as he scanned the email on his tablet. Three arrests made from the Madaragumi, excellent, more of those bloodthirsty carnivores off the street. Two koalas caught with a money laundering racket, good, potential to branch into other cases. The Ardi fire… his eyes lingered over this more. Drone pictures from up above showed the rectory completely gutted and its roof gone. The flames hadn't spread to the other buildings. In the corners of the frame some humans were in the shot. A few had spotted the drone; a couple even flipped it off. Yafya just snorted. Of course they'd stay defiant, even with their homes burned down.

His inbox finally was empty an hour later. He sighed, setting his tablet down and leaning back in his chair. Yafya scanned his ceiling as he rocked back and forth. Already he could tell he was going to hate today. He was the Beastar, everyone was going to try to throw themselves at his feet for political points. It got so irritating after a while.

At least this time though, he'd have a promising guest.

The wolf… Yafya sighed as he kept staring at his ceiling. He loathed the idea of a carnivore Beastar on principle; carnivores had had the upper hand for too long in history, and to give them the highest position in the Republic seemed like a backwards step for herbivores. And yet… she offered a rare opportunity. Juno fell in line with the country's values more eagerly than any herbivore he'd seen. In a way she reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger: eager to prove himself, ambitious, headstrong. Back when other stallions his age gossiped about mares and their sexual conquests he was reading, working out three hours daily, building his entire life around his service in the Rangers. He had found a worthwhile direction for his life while they wasted theirs.

Now he'd make sure she found a worthwhile direction — and the carnivores would follow her.

A few hours later Yafya sat in the back of a limousine, wearing a trim black tuxedo, just outside the Cherryton Academy as Juno clambered in beside him. She wore a stunning yellow dress with a floral headband, and tiny jewels adorned the fur around her eyes. Yafya raised his brow. "You went all out."

"Uh huh. It's not too much is it?" She trailed off suddenly uncertain.

He shook his head. "You look fine, trust me." Juno visibly relaxed. "I like the yellow. It reminds me of the Shielded Paw."

"That's exactly what I was going for! It's good?"

Yafya couldn't help but chuckle. "It's patriotic, very good. Help yourself to the…" he caught himself, "well, the bottled water in the minibar. Oh, and," he reached into his chest pocket, "just for today, you're going to want this."

Yafya pulled out a small badge, and offered it to Juno. The wolf took it with wide eyes. It was shaped like the Shielded Paw, and had the triangle circumscribing its center, but instead of filling in the design the badge read 'Deputy Beastar'.

"Wait, really?!" She lit up.

"It's how you're getting in," he smirked. She could see the pure elation on her face as she struggled with where to put it, before settling on one of her armstraps. His eyes went out the window, and he fell quiet with his chin on one hand, legs crossed.

With the small blocks and crowded streets it was stop-and-go all the way to city hall. Yafya watched people go about their commutes and their shopping, friends hanging out… then larger friend groups… then they started carrying signs. He lifted his head from his hand as they drew closer to the town center.

"Sir?" The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, "Should we try to go the back way in?"

Yafya felt mildly offended by the question. "The front steps will be fine. Just be careful."

"Wow, they really came out, a lot of them…" Juno watched. Yafya could see her eyeing a sign decrying the death of Sage X… she sat back in her seat, her voice suddenly softer. "...Sir, I… I did do the right thing, didn't I?"

"Hm?"

"Telling you where to find Ward… I mean, I didn't know at the time he was Sage X. I thought I was helping, but I see all this, and I worry that I might have caused more trouble than I thought…"

"Hey." He snapped at her. "These idiots," Yafya gestured out the window, "they don't know what they're talking about. They're bandwagoners. They're going to yell and scream for a few months and then they'll get bored and move on to something else so they can feel better about themselves. That's it. What you did was the right thing to do. Don't beat yourself up over that, okay?"

Juno seemed breathless at not only being validated, but being validated by the Beastar himself. "O-Okay!" she breathlessly agreed, before nervously glancing around struggling to not melt into a gleefully blushing grin. Yafya couldn't help but smirk in amusement, just as they reached Victory Plaza.

The road stretched in a long thin oval around a cobblestone space, and bright green cherry trees bookended either vertex. In between was a line of bronze statues of different species in military gear, haggard yet dignified in appearance. Each one bore the name of a different soldier who had died in the Battle of Cherryton.

At the moment, no one was on the plaza. Traffic crawled along on either side, with a line of police in full riot gear along the shoulder. This was the forward perimeter; on the other side of the officers, Yafya could see a massive crowd moving slowly along, with signs with such innocuous words as 'In Memoriam' and 'We'll never surrender'. It'd be outright illegal to explicitly refer to Sage X, but the meaning was all too clear.

On the other side, small groups of reporters thronged the stairs up to the city hall. The limousine pulled up and when Yafya stepped out they began to draw closer. "Yafya, what are your comments about the demonstration today on behalf of-"

"No comment," he waved them away as he came around the vehicle. "I'm here for a party event, maybe report about the things that actually affect people's lives?" With a huff he opened the door, and offered his hand to the wolf.

Immediately the cameras lit up. "Who is this? Young lady, what brings you to today's event? And do you have anything to say about today's demonstrations?"

Yafya watched the wolf briefly tense up as she stood from the limo, before she blinked. "Sorry, I don't want to comment…"

He offered a gentle nod, and even a slight smile. She followed his lead through the paparazzi. Eventually they quieted and returned to their trap, waiting for the next attendee to come by. Under his breath he muttered, "Very finely handled."

"You really think so?"

"You need to be able to face public pressure. I like that you already have some semblance of that skill. It's… promising."

He could sense the way she beamed at him as they climbed. Wide cement steps led up to an old brick facade, topped off with a clocktower and steeple. Quaint windows peeked inside, leading up to a central door. On either side of the door stood a stone statue; one of an eagle, the other of a sheep. They each raised a scroll into the air, crossing them above the entrance. Yafya led Juno beneath their shared gesture, through a lobby of columns, and into the front hall.

Normally this was a conference room, and some vestiges of its normal use remained: a podium stood at the far end, with the flag of the Shielded Paw on either side and a massive screen behind it that projected a photo of Cherryton's skyline. However, all the seats for the press had been folded and stored away. Now the tile floor held over a hundred attendees lingering by snack tables or chatting about their work and the shifting sands of gossip. Juno couldn't see it yet, he'd be surprised if she even knew anyone's name here besides the mayor's, but Yafya saw a dozen daggers eager for their taste of flesh.

"Stay close to me," he whispered. She gave him a quizzical look. "Careers in the Unionist Party are born and throttled at these events. Don't talk to anyone alone unless I specifically leave you with them."

Just as he spoke he had already caught attention though, as the mayor approached. "Yafya, it's a pleasure to have the Beastar here, and… with a young guest?" The lion tilted his head for a moment, "...hey, you were at the Meteor Festival, weren't you?"

"She's the one," Yafya answered for her. "A young wolf who is remarkably civic-minded, actually. Juno," now he faced her directly, "this is Leonard, mayor of Cherryton. "

"Nice to meet you," she gave a proper smile and offered her hand, which the lion accepted. Yafya could see the unease in her eyes though at the mayor's smoothed features. "I imagine you and the Beastar work together a lot?"

"Of course, you know, it's the job of the cities to work together with the Council in order to make everyone's lives better, it's a shared responsibility, and we cooperate wherever we can." It was such a bullshit political answer, and Yafya knew it, but at least it'd let Juno keep her optimism alive a little longer. For that much he was grateful. "I'll want to speak to you more later, but really quickly, Yafya?" The lion turned to him. "Would you like to make a toast?"

"Hm," he cocked his head. "Know what, don't mind if I do. Come on," he gestured for Juno to follow him.

"Oh I don't mind keeping her… company…" His protests died away as the pair already moved along the side of the room.

Without breaking his stride the stallion plucked up a slender glass on his way to the podium. The wolf stayed at his heels, keeping at the edge of the crowd as he took the stage. With a nod Yafya tapped the microphone. "Hello, everyone?"

All eyes turned to him.

"It's good to see so many fine animals here," he gently nodded. "Especially for such a great initiative. Because every yen here tonight goes to the Cherryton Arts and Culture fund, a worthy cause Leonard!" He raised his glass, prompting polite applause from the audience. "A worthy cause, because every day I ask myself, what do I fight for? And to see carnivores and herbivores living in harmony, able to turn their energies to a vibrant culture, well… that's what it's all about. For as long as I stand, the Republic stands. And as long as the Republic stands, all species know peace and prosperity. I know that things have been rough lately, and I also know that I might not see eye-to-eye with everyone in this room," he chuckled, which everyone kindly echoed, "but I can promise you, we have never been stronger as a people. And the fact that we are meeting here today is proof of that. So a toast!" He raised his glass. Everyone else followed suit. "To animalkind!"

"To animalkind!" came the chorus. Yafya sipped his drink, gazing around as everyone went back to their dance.

A satisfied smile crept over his face.

"There you go," Gouhin handed a styrofoam cup of water to an otter sitting in one of his beds. Little guy barely came up to his waist, but he'd fought and squirmed with the strength of two wolves. It was the smaller carnivores that got the worst of blood mania, the same way a mug of beer hit larger people more slowly.

The otter seemed almost unrecognizable now, quiet and trembling. His slender fingers cradled the cup as he looked up at the panda. "I… Did…" He gulped, as if he was about to be sick with himself. His fingers traced over his face, "Did I… do that, to you?"

Gouhin barked out a laugh. "No no, these have been here," he gestured to his scars, almost humorous compared to the proper doctor's coat he wore. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything about this."

His patient let out a shuddering sigh. Finally he let himself sip at the water, glancing around. He swallowed. "I… I'm sorry, but if you… I… I don't really have a lot of money, I don't know how much this'll be…"

"Hmph. I found you getting chased by a pair of angry dingoes, cornered against a wall, and you're worried about money? Focus on getting better instead."

"But-"

"I got enough paying customers, consider this a hobby of mine. Lie back," the otter hesitated before complying. "You can stay for a few hours, if you don't relapse by then I'll get you some sedatives and send you home."

The otter was breathless. "Thank you… thank you, really…"

"I'm going to lock the door on my way out just for safety, but you're not a prisoner here. Knock or call and I'll let you out, okay?"

"...Okay." Slowly he sipped again, and Gouhin turned and stepped out, turning the deadbolt.

At least this seemed like an easy case.

Gouhin shrugged off his coat, leaving him in just a button-up as he returned to his sitting room. The television was on but muted so he could get a glimpse of everything that was happening. His patrol through the market had been filled with whispers and hushed exchanges about the march today. Sure enough, it seemed to be actually taking shape. But it wasn't just the restorationists out there; in so many overheard words it was not only sympathy to the dead human Gouhin sensed, but anger towards the city and the Beastar. Yafya was hardly popular around here. Hell, he was often termed the Black Devil for the way he treated carnivores caught in the meat trade. And if this was a way to give him a metaphorical middle finger then they were in.

And so he watched the crowd slowly weave its way through the streets, keeping to the sidewalks. There were strict laws against protests blocking pathways, so they did their best to keep out of the way. But it had to be impossible to coordinate that many people flawlessly; coupled with the fact that they almost certainly hadn't been granted a permit, he didn't see this not going badly.

His worry was interrupted by a knock at his door. Gouhin went to answer — and spotted Legosi through the glass. Great. "Right kid, better remember what I said, or I'll—"

Before he even finished the wolf held up his phone. The panda could see the school portal pulled up - a string of B's and C's under Legosi's name.

"I waited for the grades to update this morning," Legosi spoke. "I'm passing my classes. I got a full night's sleep last night, nine hours, and I'll call my roommates to prove it if you want." His face was set, determined, even slightly smug in a way that surprised Gouhin. "I'm ready to continue my training."

He stared back for a moment. It was all in line… "Come in. Get ready, I'll get the room set up."

The wolf took a deep breath, preparing himself for the trial ahead as Gouhin led him to the main room.

"I have to be honest, when you didn't show up last night I thought you'd given up. I even kind of hoped you had."

Legosi's brow furrowed at that. "Why would I? This is something I want. I thought about it, like you said, and I'm sure now." He nodded. "More sure than ever."

"More sure than ever?" The panda smirked. Honestly, seeing this newfound conviction in the boy, and the way it compelled him to turn his grades around… something about it made him a little proud. "I'll give you four hours in the meat locker, see how you do with that, and then go from there if you do better or… worse…"

He trailed off as he saw Legosi get distracted by the television. The crowd in front of town hall had parted as a vehicle came through. Gouhin recognized it right away.

"Oh shit…"

Friends met up at homes and work, and by nine in the morning they began to work their way downtown. The storm had finally cleared away overnight with the wind now chasing away the last few shreds of cloud. Bright blue smiled down on them, the sun warmed their backs. By all accounts it was a beautiful day to be outside - and the city had taken the invitation.

Mason kept close to Grace and Clement as the crowd swept around them. Plenty of humans of course, but they were joined by animals as well, all different species, some head and shoulders taller and some only waist height but still eager to be involved. Mason held a flag against his shoulder, the tristar dangling over the crowd. He could feel his heart pounding, both in elation at seeing so many people turn out for Sage X, and also in trepidation for what the day would bring. He knew that a few folks in the other cells had guns with them, and even now he waffled back and forth on whether he'd been dumb for not getting any for himself. Of course it was impossible for a human to get one legally, or really any weapon for that matter, and some of the gangs like the Shishigumi had outright banned them from the firearm black market. No no, he shook his head, it would have been too much flak. Mason's hand patted against his thighs, where he'd slipped a wrench under his waistband and a can of wasp spray into his pocket.

Only for defense.

He had stressed this over and over to everyone in their clique, pled with the folks in other cells, don't attack first. There were three ways today could go. First, no blood was spilled, which wouldn't do much but might help them gain more legitimacy. Second, the police attacked, and then they would fight back in all their righteous fury.

Third, some rogue member of the group would lash out first - and that would undo the fragile sympathy they'd gathered. So every step twisted Mason's stomach further. It could all go wrong in an instant.

But despite the fear, he kept moving.

"Here, you want a turn with it?" He offered Clement the tristar banner. The boy eagerly accepted it and gave the flag a good wave. The flag fluttered in the breeze above everyone's heads. He swished it back, then forth, his arms moving and his elbow nearly hitting Mason. "Ach," he chuckled as he tried to move.

"Sorry! Sorry, just not used to waving a flag like this, you know?"

"No you're fine, you're fine," Mason looked up at it whipping in the air, and he couldn't help but let out a happy sigh. To be marching under this banner, it felt like something was moving. It was a hope that maybe, maybe something could change. Grace was just on the other side of Clement, and he got her attention. "Doing good?"

She flashed a thumbs up. "So what do we do when we reach City Hall?" she shouted.

"We stay there! Let them see us, let them hear us. Until we can't stand there any more, we make sure they know we're there. Silver Wing will be there, either they show us or they don't cover the ball. Either way, people are going to notice."

Impromptu chants could be heard around them, slogans that were repeated on picket signs: "Human rights are animal rights!" "Free Vigil!" "Where is the Council?" They would start up, ripple out more and more for a minute, before the direction faded. The mob was like a living thing in itself, and every now and then a flash would seize control of some portion of it to lash out with angry words. Naked, furred, and scaled fists alike beat in the air with each chant, and Mason couldn't help but get swept up in a few of them. "Where is the Council?!" he demanded. "Where is the Council?!" Why didn't the judicial committee take up the case? "Where is the Council?!" Surely they could bring pressure on the Beastar? "Where is the Council?!"

Eventually that died away too. They were coming up to Victory Plaza now; the City Hall's clocktower could be seen rising into the air. Their progress slowed though. The crowd was pushing in more and more, especially now that police enforced the boundaries of the road. Large animals with helmets that hid their eyes and shields that covered their bodies, forming an uncompromising wall to keep the all-vital traffic flowing through the streets.

But it was about this point that a voice came from the crowd, somewhere behind them. It began to catch on, and Mason joined in too, along with Clement and Grace. It wasn't another chant; it was an old folk song, and it filled the air:

Hark now here to trusty River, hark and hear his tidings clear
What he whispers, soft but certain, in the shadows by your ear:
"When the waxing moon arises, take your bindle in your paw,
Run fifty leagues by nighttime, set your course by northern star"

From the bloody Castle Thornwood, comes a letter from the king.
On his throne with envy's venom, where he's hatched a bloody scheme.
"Take the peasant's gold and silver, lock them up in iron bars"
So hurry friends in quiet, chase the gentle northern star

"For upon the yonder shoreline wait the yachts with sails unfurled!"
River led the huddled townsfolk what felt halfway round the world
Crone and cub he never left behind, no matter near or far
And he never rest his head until they found that northern star

Well the wicked king caught wind here, and his court felt burning ire
Ten and thousand men chased River, caught the innocents crossfire
But brave River duped the blackguards and he led them too afar
Ere they backed him in a corner, 'neath the somber northern star

Well the wicked king was tickled, and hung River from a tree
But still the vault ran empty, and the animals stayed free
And if you beneath the night sky ask where champions still are,
Turn your eye to freedom's pathways, to dear River's northern star

And as they sang, Mason couldn't help but rock his head to the beat. It was a slow marching beat, like a rhythmic sway in his neck. He looked to his side, saw a jackal alongside him, also singing along. They both caught their glance, and sharing a smile between them they drew close and threw their arms around each other, singing all the more triumphantly. Carnivore and herbivore and human united in song.

Already it felt like their new world was being born.

At the last stanza, the song repeated again, and it was already spreading backwards through the crowd. But as Mason pressed to the front, the singing had stopped, and friction was starting. There was hardly any room to keep moving, and as the crowd pressed forward it began to get too close for the liking of the police. That led to them brandishing their batons, which made the marchers furious at being threatened, so voices were rising. Clement kept waving the flag, in full view of the steps where guests arrived.

"Get back!" A crocodile growled, thrusting his shield forward almost into Mason's face. The boy stumbled back into the crowd, bumping into someone. He snarled.

"Don't need to fucking shove! I'm just here on the sidewalk where I'm allowed to be!"

"Keep your distance!"

He began to speak into his radio, something about requesting orders, but Mason's ears were filled with another chant, which he joined in again: "Free Vigil! Free Vigil! Free Vigil! Free Vigil!" He pumped his fist, shouting at the officer, into the sky, his voice joined with scores of others in a mighty demand.

But he faltered, as he saw the car drive up. It was the old style of cars they used in the communities. The crowd fell into cacophony again, talking and pointing and shouting at getting shoved, as the human valet opened the door.

Father Reed stepped out.

The human's head was bowed, silent and sullen, as he began to climb the steps towards the hall. The reporters swarmed him with questions and flashing cameras but he didn't stop. Mason could see him slowly scale the slope towards the ball.

For a moment the human paused before the door. On either side, carnivore and herbivore stood with arms raised, and it made him seem all the smaller. Then he pushed open the door, and trudged inside.

Chapter Text

Vigil could hear the bull grumbling as he unlocked the cell. “C’mon,” he was sharply waved down the hallway. “Stupid fucking kids, coming today of all days…”

The human was shown to the visitation room, passing by the police desks that were noticeably emptied. Only a handful of officers were around, tapping away at their computers or getting cups from the water cooler. Vigil’s eyes flitted over… and he felt a wave of relief as he saw Jack and Haru waiting for him. 

Minutes later he was biting into a savory red tomato. The way the fruit dribbled against his chin made him hunch his shoulders, quickly trying to wipe the juices from his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled with a full mouth. 

“Heheh, don’t worry,” Haru waved it away as he struggled to clean himself up. “Good though, right?”

Vigil nodded, eagerly taking another bite. Jack watched with his ears cocked. “So how many of those can you eat,” the labrador asked, “before you get too sick?”

“Hm?”

“Or are they another thing that humans can just… eat just fine?”

It clicked in Vigil’s head — tomatoes were a nightshade plant, stomachache-inducing in significant quantities. “Oh, yeah, we love ‘em,” he chuckled. “You can have one too, right?”

“I guess, but we brought them for you…”

“And if they’re mine then I get to decide what to do with them. Have one!”

Jack gave a breathless little smile as he accepted the fruit. Haru helped herself to one as well. “We did a good job growing these, if I may say so myself…”

Vigil smirked down at the rabbit. “I mean, you did most of the work really. I was only there a couple weeks…”

“Yeah but you still helped!”

He pressed his lips together in a thin smile. Closed his eyes, looked down. There was something… patronizing about the way she said it. But he could tell she meant it with good intentions. “Thank you, you’re very kind. How’s the rest of the garden?”

“Oh you know, the usual stuff…” She kicked out her legs, looking far away as she considered her work. “I did get some money for more copper tape, put that around all the pots on the left side of the roof, when you come in?”

“Yeah?”

“No more snails hopefully. Even saw one get zapped myself,” she gave a fiendish little grin at the memory of that little pest getting shocked away from their precious plants. Her glee was interrupted by Jack giving her chair a bump with his knee.

“Hey, don’t talk about things getting zapped,” he hissed. 

Vigil blinked. “What? I don’t, mind…” he trailed off as he saw the horrified realization in Jack’s eyes. “...What’s going on?”

The dog gulped. Haru stared up at him, expectantly. “Ah…” He nervously scratched behind one ear with his claws. “Last night, Ardi was… there was a storm, and a lightning strike. The news this morning said that the crypt was burned down.”

“Crypt?”

“I know that’s not what it’s called, that’s what the news said. The, the rectory I think? The big building on the hill, that we weren’t allowed into...”

“The… yeah, that’s the rectory.” Vigil leaned forward, slowly zoning out. He lightly bit at his finger. “How bad was it?”

Another gulp. “...I-it’s gone. I’m sorry Vigil, I thought they’d told you.”

Gone. The rectory was gone. Rebuilding it would take time they couldn’t spare, money they didn’t have, materials they couldn’t get. Not unless… no, his dad wouldn’t cave in for this, would he? Asking himself that question he could already tell how stupid it was. Dad, why did you have to do this?

“Vigil?”

He blinked his eyes open, moving again. Doing his best to wear a smile he looked at Jack. “Sorry, I just… no you’re fine, really. I’d prefer to know, which is… probably why they didn’t tell me!” He weakly chuckled. “I guess I… my hands are tied anyways. Not sure what I can do about it, so, just… try to see how it ends up I guess.” 

Awkward silence filled the gap between the three. Then Haru broke the silence pointedly, “I’ve been wanting to get some hanging planters for the club office? You ever use them before, I’d like to figure out what kind of stuff to put in them.”

Grateful for the change in subject, Vigil took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m not familiar with them, but could think about something that could go inside. Maybe some more vegetables. Jack, you have anything in particular you’d like to maybe see in the garden? Jack?”

But the dog was pointing his snout at the entrance to the police station. His ears perked up. His whole body froze. 

Haru furrowed her brow up at him. “Jack?” She tapped her wrist against his thigh.

“...Something’s going on outside.”

Juno glid around the ballroom by Yafya’s side. Every now and then he stopped and introduced her to one animal or another, and she shook their hand, smiled, talked about her classes at Cherryton and her role in Drama Club and how she helped tutor other animals, practiced pleasantries that she recited perfectly.

Inside she felt she balanced on a knife.

A single slip-up in front of any of these people, and her chances at being Beastar were ruined. There was something terrifying about shaking the hands of judges, commissioners, the local All-Species Trade Union secretary. They controlled the future of thousands of animals, and yet here they were just… smiling at her, as corporeal as any other person.

As they idled around the edges of the room, her following Yafya, she took a chance to whisper, “Hey?”

His ear flicked as he stopped and turned, looking at her with a single eye.

“I’m… doing okay right?”

He just stared for a moment. “Confidence,” he muttered. “You need more of it if you want to be a good Beastar.”

She trembled inside. Looked down - then chastising herself, met his gaze again, and gave a nod. With that he turned back and continued the way he’d been going. Shit, she shouldn’t have spoken up! But still, the way he’d said it… it wasn’t a disqualifier, right?

Juno composed herself again as Yafya was approached by a large stag. They shook hands and exchanged greetings. “How’s business been?” The stallion looked him dead in the eye.

“Terrible,” he huffed. “We’re looking at one percent growth. One percent, Yafya! These change agents did nothing but sit around and eat up my money.” He sighed and took a gulp from the champagne swirling around his glass. “You think they got anything stronger here?”

“Hmm,” Yafya smirked, before stepping around. “Oguma, this is Juno, an academy student who’s accompanying me tonight. Juno, Oguma: the president of the Horns Conglomerate.” 

“Pleasure to meet you,” he muttered. But Juno’s eyes had already snapped wide.

“Mr. Oguma! Sir! Pleasure is mine, I know your son, Louis!”

 That prompted a pause. Yafya suddenly cut in, “I’m sorry, she didn’t mean to bring up a subject that’s very personal right now,” his voice flared with danger.

“It’s alright Yafya.”

Juno had been about ready to die. Just turn inside out, crumple into the ground, and die from the faux pas she had unknowingly blundered into. But those words were like the flapping wings of an angel. The stallion gave him a look, before sighing and looking away, accepting a glass of wine from a server. Then Oguma turned to her.

“You knew Louis at school?”

“Yes, I… I did.” She had to watch what she said. Yafya knew about her rendezvous with the deer, but given that she’d accidentally wandered into taboo conversation here she didn’t want to bring up anything that might be the least bit suspicious. “We were in Drama Club together briefly. But even in that short time, he made a huge impact on me. I…” she thought for a moment, “hope that wherever he is, he can come back to the academy soon.”

“Hmmm.” It was a deep grumble in Oguma’s chest. “Sooner or later he will. Just gotta get this fit out of his system. These kids think they always know best. No offense,” he nodded at Juno. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Yafya nodded along, “I’m still surprised by it. The kid always seemed to be right on track to be Beastar and suddenly…” He sighed. “I don’t mean to speak ill about your son Oguma.”

“No by all means, he just needs to finish his self-centered tantrum, and then he’ll realize how good he has it. But the kid’s not gonna be Beastar now,” the deer huffed.

Juno’s blood ran chilled. Hearing her arguments spelled out through Oguma’s mouth made them seem… a lot less charitable. She couldn’t outright confront him, but... she had to say something. “I’m sure that he’ll come back,” she agreed. “But even if he can’t be Beastar… he’s so good at anything he does, so determined, he’ll be great anyways.”

Oguma watched as she spoke. “You really think so?” He finished his flute of champagne, before tapping the empty glass onto the tray of a passing waiter. For a moment he stared after. “A good father just wants his son to succeed. And that’s why I set him on the rails to success -- and look what happened. What am I supposed to do? I’ve failed him as a father it feels like.”

Juno nodded along, “I see your point. But, if I may, I don’t think you failed him.” She shifted her head. “I think he’s just trying to succeed in his own way. He’s… he’ll come around again. I’m sure of it.” 

“Hmph… sounds like you think you know him.” He plucked another glass of drink from a passing tray. “Only time will tell which of us is right. But you’re bold, and optimistic… could use a splash of that around here more.” Juno’s heart lifted. “Maybe you and I can keep in touch, and see… if…”

He trailed away, staring over her. Juno turned along with all the other guests. The music stopped. All noise died away.

Father Reed stood at the front door in his usual tuxedo with his hands clasped, shoulders stooped, eyes downcast. “Yafya?” 

He dared to meet the stallion’s eyes. 

“I accept your terms.”

Juno was breathless. She didn’t dare move; Yafya, on the other hand, had no such inhibitions. He gestured for her to stay put before turning to Father Reed. He swirled the wine in his glass. “No more little secrets? No more meddling in meat markets?” Whispers rippled out; to even mention that horrible place here was taboo. 

The human nodded. “Of course. No more secrets.”

“And my men will no longer be harassed inside your walls?”

“N-no, sir. They’re… more than welcome.” Juno could see how hard it was for him to say it. She felt so strange inside. This should have been a great moment! The settlement of Ardi, so long out of animal control, so isolationist, was finally going to become more open and integrated with the rest of the republic. She had always pictured it as either a diplomatic triumph, or at least the deposition of petulant human leaders raving insanely. But this… there was no triumph of fellowship or triumph over folly here. Reed looked like he was about to be sick.

“And…” Yafya posed another question, “you’ll accept responsibility for Sage X, and the damage that he’s caused?”

The human blinked, struggling to speak up. Nobody else dared to talk, even move. The only noise was the commotion outside. “Y-Yes…”

He raised his brows. “Yes what?”

“Yes, we… accept responsibility for the actions of Sage X.”

“I’m sorry?”

Reed lifted his eyes. “I said… we accept responsibility? For the actions of Sage X?”

“Mmm,” Yafya shook his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. Why don’t we…” He motioned at the stage and its podium on the other side of the room, starting to walk.  

The human cast a glance at the stage; what little color could be seen in his skin drained away completely. “Yafya please, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything, but I thought it was urgent to tell you—”

“Well if it’s so urgent then you can tell all of the fine people here.” He gestured around. “I’m sure they’d love to know that Ardi’s going to finally admit to sponsoring terrorism and unrest, the same unrest that’s just outside the doors you came in.” As if on cue there were enraged shouts in the distance. The stallion’s face was terrible and severe. He glanced over at a nearby table, plucking a small fork off of it. “We’d love to hear it.”

Reed shook his head pathetically. He whispered something breathlessly; Juno could read his lips, “What… what more can I give you?”

There was no smile on Yafya’s face, no joy. “Well if you’re not going to tell us all about the terrible things you’ve done then I don’t know why you’re here. Security,” he rang the fork against his glass, “remove him from our festivities.”

“No! No wait, Yafya! Okay I’ll say it! I’ll tell you everything you want!”

“I can squeeze you in for an appointment in a week or so,” he turned in place, stepping away with a swish of his tail. “We can talk more then.”

“Yafya please! Wait!” He desperately tried to wave off the suited moose that was coming to show him out the door. “Yafya, we did it! We did everything! Ardi did everything!” He shouted the last part. It echoed through the ballroom, so loud that it nearly drowned the popping that came from outside. 

But Juno was too entranced to look at the sound. The horse turned in place again, and she felt a jolt of fear at the look in his eyes, the kind of overbearing contempt that he kept composed within himself. “Colluding with the restorationists? Making our streets and our schools unsafe? You admit all of it?”

“All of it!” He shuddered as the guard’s heavy hand landed on his shoulder. “I worked with Sage, I had my son carry messages and material for me! But he didn’t know, it was all me!” The shouting grew louder and louder. 

Yafya narrowed his eyes… and finally, a thin smile crossed his face. “Very well. I won’t make you speak here… but please stay until I’m finished, because I’m sure the Council will be very keen on hearing your testimony.” He nodded. The moose’s grip slid down to the human’s arm, before beginning to lead him away. Reed’s eyes were frightened as he looked to the hulking creature, then back at the Beastar. 

“My son?! My son, where is he?!”

He brushed it away, “I’ll let him out when I’m done here.”

“He’s innocent! I tell you he’s innocent! I gave you what you wanted!”

Yafya jerked his head, motioning for the guard to carry off Reed. Juno watched with her mouth slightly hanging open as he started harshly directing the human away. All that could be heard was the man’s protests and pleas.

“I’m glad you were here for that,” Yafya rumbled. Then he raised his voice, “Right everyone! On with the ball, we have an extra reason to celebrate today—”

The door into City Hall splintered open.

Mason shouted, “Free Vigil! Free Vigil! Free Vigil!” His fist pumped the air alongside hundreds more, every species shouting down the cops. Already some had tried to break the barrier; through their plexiglass shields Mason could see a human on the other side of the road, who had somehow wormed through the line. Four officers had pinched off and surrounded him, clubs swinging down to beat him to submission. 

Regular police were coming through now, in their blue shirts and peaked caps. Their hands rested on their guns and it was clear their eyes were frightened. Boos and hisses jeered at the display. A cup of soda flew overhead and splashed open just behind one of the cops, an Alsatian. The dog whirled around and jabbed his finger. Shouting. His partner kept moving to cuff the human curled up on the street now. What few cars still came through the area routed around the scene. 

“Shit!” Clement got knocked roughly by someone’s elbow. He dropped the flag and it fluttered hard to the ground. “Sorry! Sorry!”

“It’s okay!” He had to shout to be heard. Mason grabbed the flagpole and made to lift it — but there were already a dozen shoes trampling it thanks to the mad shuffle of the crowd’s confusion. 

“Get off it!” Grace started trying to push and pull people away as Mason slowly lifted the fabric out from underneath everyone’s feet. He was trying to be careful not to tear it. 

There was a blow in his back.

The human stumbled as a peafowl bumped into him from behind. Some serious commotion was erupting now with the Alsatian cop and a jackal… the same jackal that had been singing arm-in-arm with him earlier. Both canine faces were furious, teeth bared. The peafowl moved into his line of sight. Mason lifted the flag more, it was just free now.

A great crack split the air.

Everyone screamed and cowered down. The riot police whirled around. All eyes focused in. The Alsatian had his gun drawn, a look of terror on his face. 

The jackal lay on the ground with a wound in his chest, choking on blood.

“MURDERER!”

Mason screamed the word the moment he thought it. As in one motion the crowd reacted. Five hands grabbed the dog and dragged him inside, beating him down. His partner drew his own weapon and rushed forward. The animals in riot gear drew batons and gas from their belts. Screams of murder kept erupting, rippling through the gathered masses. “They shot someone! They’re opening fire!”

Officers stepped in to rescue their own, only to be grappled by the frenzied mob. That left the line open. People rushed into the streets. There were more gunshots. Mason could feel Clement grab his coat in fear. Shouts of outrage tore the air apart. It was not the normal anger a lone person might feel from a single slight; it was a raw fury only possible in the collective nature of a mob, having been dealt a thousand wounds for years. 

It was the chance that they had waited for. 

“Fight back!” Mason waved the flag high. “Take their guns! This is it! This is it!” 

By now the line had dissolved. Human and animal alike rushed the park. They grabbed bits of gravel and started to pelt the officers with it. That sparked the opposite line of cops to turn. They realized they were surrounded, only for the crowd to push them over as well. 

A tidal wave of revolt flooded the road, engulfing the car driving through. The marten inside crawled to the passenger side door, his face in terrified desperation as he tried to force it open into the crowd. Eventually he managed to slip out just as they yanked the driver door open.

“The hall!” Mason began to move towards the steps, motioning with the flag, “Charge City Hall! The Beastar’s inside! This is it!”

People began to charge the steps, with riot police desperately trying to intercept them. News spread out from the square down through the gathered crowd. “Things are getting violent!” “Police are gunning people down!” “It’s a bloodbath, we need to do something now!” The streets of Cherryton electrified into action.

Mason stormed up the steps, holding the flag high. But he heard Grace, “MASON!” He paused and turned. She was panting, holding a club and a taser. “They got enough people here! Precinct One! We need to go there!”

He could feel his breath burning his chest. She was right… he knew exactly what she was getting at. “Market ring! MARKET RING! To me!” His eyes snapped wide. “LOOK OUT!” 

The car had been hijacked and now revved wildly up the steps to City Hall. It knocked a human and two officers over its hood before finally smashing through the door of the building, shattering the statues that stood around it. 

“Go! Go!” Mason cheered on, before calling his compatriots to his side. “Market ring! The police headquarters! We’re getting Vigil!” 

Chapter Text

The crash sparked screams in the ballroom. Juno threw her hands before her face, Oguma nearly pushed over the table behind him. Even Yafya himself startled back at the breach. Bouncers and guests fled back as glass scattered across the floor. Steam hissed from the engine. A human shoved open the driver door, gasping with blood smeared across her forehead, struggling to exit. 

Then the rest of the crowd rushed in around and over the vehicle. 

“Get to the mayor’s office!” The stallion shouted behind him. “Everyone, the heart of the building! Go! Security, regroup there! Go!” 

More screams as the guests stampeded to the back of the ballroom, pressing against the revolving doors that led to the inner atrium.

“Juno!” The wolf had been frozen in fear, and jolted as Yafya threw her his phone. “Passcode 0313! Dial Akira! Tell him ‘situation hot!’” 

“What?!” She fumbled with the device. “Okay, zero, three, one, three!”

“Akira!” The rioters were moving in. At the moment they seemed focused on things. It was clear they had no sense of direction. They were inside City Hall… how were they supposed to fight back now? Some raced for the buffets and began to upend them; dishes shattered against the floor. The intruders spotted Yafya and immediately recoiled, trying to go around him. One mink, however, was apparently very stupid. He grabbed a plate and chucked it at the horse. It missed wildly. Yafya replied by grabbing a wine glass, smashing the stem against the edge of a nearby table, and hurling it at the carnivore’s head.

Yafya had much better aim. 

The mink went down. Everyone behind him gaped in shock before scrambling to either side. Those who went right were unlucky. The stallion grappled them, delivering a punch in a gut and then whirling his elbow into a capybara’s snout. A harsh crunch sounded in the air along with his pained cry. 

“Hello?! Akira! This, I’m calling on Yafya’s phone! Situation hot! Situation hot! People are attacking the building!”

All guests crowded against the doors in the back. Reed followed them; the moose dragging him away had let go, and was already going for a chair in self-defense. Everyone wanted to get through the revolving doors first. As a result the damn things wouldn’t budge. The security staff were trying to upend tables themselves and pulling them together to form a makeshift barricade. Yafya was doing his best but he couldn’t hold them off. Reed pressed up against the back of a ram as he found himself more trapped than ever. He looked back; he saw Yafya suddenly grab the young wolf he was with and drag her to the floor.

Gunshots echoed. 

Reed ducked. All rational thought left him; he had to get out of here. Every animal around him had the same transformation. They crammed one, two at a time through the revolving doors. Yafya’s voice mingled in the chaos with something about blood, carnivores go first. Reed didn’t listen. No one did. A zebra and a pair of raccoons crammed in with Mayor Leonard before the lion wrenched the door around. There was a cry as hands got caught in the swing. It opened again to let them free before sliding shut again. Everyone jumped for the next space. The other corner of the ballroom had the same wild mob trying to get away. 

A clicking buzz came from the distance behind them. Some cops had tried to fight their way through, wielding their tasers. Numbers were still against them though. Yafya shifted to another table for cover, keeping a hand on the girl with him. Another cop came in with a launcher. A thump sounded, followed by clinking as a gas canister bounced across the floor and began to spit. 

Reed’s eyes snapped wide at just how close they’d aimed. Yafya began shouting at the officer. Meanwhile the human just reacted without thinking; he dashed and kicked it away. The can skittered across the tile. Thick yellow clouds brushed his face and immediately he felt needles in his eyes. It burned into his nose. Squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his sleeve to his face, Reed pressed back into the crowd, trying to worm his way through. Tears streamed down his cheeks. The door jerked its way around again to reveal another space. More animals pressed forward, but this time Reed managed to squeeze in, along with a massive buck. “Hey careful!” the deer snapped, “There’s not much space!” 

The human didn’t have time to snipe about stating the obvious. As the door swung, another gas canister flew through the air - and caught him right on the head. He fell forward and slammed his head against the glass, clutching his skull with a cry. The shouts crescendoed as it burst open. Thick clouds flooded the space between the two men. 

“Move!” Reed gasped, throwing his shoulder to make it spin again. The buck did the same, making the whole door shudder. The glass cracked ever so slightly. But the crowd had sandwiched itself in too far this time, the door couldn’t budge. Reed slammed his fist, screaming, only for his throat to burn. Every breath poisoned him. Again the deer tried to slam his shoulder into the door. Again, but weaker this time. He couldn’t see. Could barely hear. He had to get out. Ardi needed him. Vigil… Vigil had to be saved… it was so dark...

Jack stared from inside the visitation room. Vigil could tell the dog was getting more and more anxious. Then he started from his seat. “We gotta get out of here.”

“Hey!” The bull outside snapped. “What’s his problem?”

“Something’s going on outside,” he shook his head, panting from the rising fear. “We gotta go.” 

Haru’s ears twitched. She froze up.

“Guys?” Vigil looked between the pair of them. “Guys!”

“Right, I’m calling this off. Both you, out,” the bull opened the door and pointed.

Haru suddenly broke her trance. “No, no sorry, we, we gotta stay inside.”

“The fuck are you talking about? You’re leaving right… now…”

But his voice faded. Vigil could hear it now too. Gunshots, shouts and yelling. Glass shattering. The pair of raccoons at the front desk darted through the doorway with terror on their faces. 

Slowly the officer reached down. Gripped his handgun. Vigil felt his breath still.

The door burst open. 

The first people through were a pair of humans dressed in tees and pants, wielding a wrench and a broom between the two. Their eyes flashed bright. 

PAH PAH PAH

Vigil shouted and stumbled, tripping over the chair and falling as the officer opened fire. He hit the ground on his arm. Pain shot up through his shoulder. Jack and Haru darted to his side, cowering under the table as the crowd rushed in. Screaming, furious shouts, the gunshots stopped but the clamor only surrounded them. It all blurred in a haze as the adrenaline pumped up in Vigil’s veins. Someone ran around the windows, the door opened. 

“Look what I fucking found!” 

He was a human wearing a polo and khaki slacks and a broad grin on his face. Looking up he motioned people to follow him, as he kept shouting.

“It’s one of the dogs trying to fucking pin him down!”

“What?! No no no!” Jack frantically scrambled back away from Vigil. His face had a  desperate smile. “Wasn’t doing anything like that!”

“Hey, you know something?” He gripped the table and tilted it up, exposing the trio. “Dog just shot someone in front of city hall. Saw it myself, pulled out his gun and put a bullet in his chest. Just can’t seem to help yourselves can you?”

Vigil watched Jack’s ears fold back. He still smiled though, albeit painfully, “I’m sorry, that’s terrible, I, is, are they going to make it?”

“That’s all you’re gonna say about it?” The boy’s face turned to disgust. He dipped and grabbed Jack’s shirt, yanking him onto his feet. “‘Too bad, carry on,’ that’s all you gotta say about it?!”

The labrador was wild with fear. Vigil leapt to his feet and tried to grab the human’s arm, “Hey, he wasn’t hurting me! He’s fine!”

“He’s a dog! Just waiting to stab you in the back!”

“No he’s my friend! Let go of him!”

“I promise, please, I can prove however you want!” Jack held up his hands, pinning his arms to his body, shaking his head. “I swear I’m not a bad guy!”

“Where’s the fucking cells? Let’s strap him in there until we find a rope or something!”

More people were crowding into the room now, running past the windows, Vigil shouted, “Stop! Let go of him!” 

“Vigil!” 

“FUCK!” The attacker recoiled and gripped his knee; Haru had driven her shoe into his shin. “The fuck’s the matter with you!?” 

“What’s the matter with you ?! Let him go!” 

“I promise I didn’t do anything! Really!”

“That’s it, who’s got a gun?! I’ll take care of this myself!”

“No! Stop!” 

“Yeah, put him against the wall!”

“NO! JACK!” 

“No! No no no! Stop it! Stop it!” The last voice was familiar to Vigil. A boy with messy blond hair swept past him and grabbed the assailant by his shoulders. His voice was sharp, and he gestured, “You are not going to do that!”

“Yeah?! Fucking watch me!” He tried to break away, but Mason kept his grip. 

“No, we’re not going to watch you. You are going to calm down, your buddies are gonna calm down, you aren’t going to kill anyone.”

“So how come they get to get away with it?!” His voice was shrill, even pained, as he gestured at Jack. Vigil watched, tense, but decided to step around between the dog and this boy. 

“You can’t think like that, okay? You can’t think like that. He,” Mason turned to look at Jack, “didn’t kill anyone. Okay, we can’t be angry about these kinds of things and then take it out on every dog we-”

“Oh will you shut the fuck up.” He snarled. “Don’t fucking preach to me! Who the fuck put you in charge anyways?!”

At that, Mason set his second hand on his other shoulder. His head tilted forward. Vigil couldn’t see the face Mason was making, but it seemed to quail the other boy. “Nobody put me in charge, because I’m not in charge. But I got a couple dozen friends just out there,” he nodded at the windows of the visitation room, “who I’m sure are going to side with me on this. If you’re going to hurt someone, I’m sure they’ll also be okay with helping me put you in a cell until you calm down. Now…” he relaxed a bit, “are we going to need to do that?”

Vigil could still see hatred in the boy’s eyes… but he just turned away, glaring at Jack, and stepping out of the room. 

Mason sighed, reaching his hand up to run his fingers through his locks. Vigil could see the hint of a tremble in his digits. Then he turned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want that to be the first thing you saw when we came back,” he gave a handsome smile. Then he held out his arms. “But! We came back!” 

He laughed, grabbing Vigil in a hug. The boy froze where he was… and then returned the embrace. In all honesty he’d never expected Mason to actually come back for him, much less in such a dramatic fashion. He had so many questions, so many concerns, he could scarcely begin to articulate them before Mason stepped back.

“So, how’s your friend, you said?”

“Yeah, he’s…”

Vigil turned to see Jack. The dog’s face was still etched in trembling terror. Eyes darted around as he panted, one hand pressed against his chest heaving with every breath. Haru reached up to him to get his attention. “Hey, hey it’s alright, just calm down okay?”

“Yeah… yeah…” Jack’s words came breathlessly. He staggered and gripped a chair, now without a table, and sank onto it. 

“Hey?” Mason squatted down to try and look up into his eyes. “I’m sorry, that guy was way out of line. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. You…” He stopped himself before he asked his questions, thinking over his words. “You need anything?”

“I’ll be… I’ll be fine.” Jack leaned his head back and let out a long sigh. 

Haru watched him try to relax. Then she turned to Mason, “What’s going on out there?! I can hear it! A riot?”

Mason stood again, shaking his head. His eyes lit up with a smile. “Revolution…”

No one said anything for a moment. Vigil scrabbled to think, how would one even reply to that? 

“The revolution is happening!” Mason gestured for them to follow; only Jack stayed behind, still trying to catch his breath. As the boy led them back into the center of the station they saw the bull lying prone. A human and a lioness were rolling him onto his belly, the latter fumbling with handcuffs to slip around his wrists. All around was the cacophony of paper being crumpled and ripped apart on the desks, shredders running and jamming, as people destroyed any police documents they could find. A pronghorn barrelled hollering down between the cubicles, arms raised, laughing in ecstasy. 

 The pair of raccoons had been cornered by three people, who were now standing in a sort of awkward guard as they discussed what to even do about them. “Hey, hey Mason! What should we do, they were at the front desk!”

“Uh…” he tousled the back of his hair. “I dunno, um… here,” Mason motioned his way through, addressing the raccoons directly. “We don’t have any quarrel with you, you’re just secretaries really. We’re not going to hurt you,” he gestured for everyone to stand back. “If anything, we’d like you to stay. If you want. It, er, might be safer in here than out there”

The pair looked up at him. Then at each other. Then back again. “We… just want to go home.”

“Very well,” he stood and gestured. “Let them go.”

Vigil watched the raccoons glance around, suspecting a trick. They began to walk away. No one followed them. They kept going, until they sprinted right out the front door. Nobody gave them more than a glance. 

He blinked, then turned. Mason was already moving on. “Wait, what kind of revolution? Mason!” 

“This is what Sage would have wanted! We can’t change the republic peacefully, they won’t let us.”

“Hold on,” Haru paused. “You don’t… you don’t really mean that, you’re going to try to overthrow the whole All-Species Republic?”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing right now.”

She blinked. “The globe-spanning All-Species Republic? With their fighter jets, and battleships, and drones?”

“All we need to do is provide a break. Everyone’s already joining us! Look in the streets, it’s happening! All over the globe, soldiers will defect! They know they’re being beaten down by the Council, they’ll take this opportunity and join our side! They just need a call to arms. That’s what we’re doing!”

At that Haru fell quiet. She pulled out her phone, began to type something with a furrowed brow. Meanwhile Vigil grabbed Mason’s attention. “Hey, you came with that guy from City Hall?”

“Yeah. Well kind of, not really ‘with’ him, he doesn’t understand Sage’s work obviously.”

Vigil waved that away. “Do you know who was in the building?”

Mason blinked. “Who?”

“No no, I’m asking you. Do you know who might have been inside?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t go in the building myself. I imagine the Beastar, the mayor, some other politicians?”

“Shit!” Haru interrupted them, lifting her phone. “Service just went down…”

She walked away trying to get a signal. Vigil ran his hands over his hair, shaking his head. “Sorry, I’m just, I’m afraid my dad might have done something really stupid. I don’t want him to get himself hurt…”

“I understand. When the dust settles, we’ll get everything sorted out. I promise.” He offered a smile, before his gaze was taken by Grace motioning for him.

“We found something!” She clicked a button. The intercom above their heads squealed; speakers around the building and around the block also turned on. Vigil could see Jack’s ears perk up before he glanced to the ceiling.

Mason’s eyes lit up. “Go for it!”

Grace leaned in close. “Cherryton Police Department, Precinct 1, has been liberated! If you’re fighting with us, come and help us! If you want to help fight the Council, and get a better life for carnivores and herbivores and humans, come join us! Precinct 1, we’re at Precinct 1!

“Hnh!”

Gouhin hefted the cabinet up, his back rippling, before turning in place and letting it crash in front of his main door. Legosi stood there watching with wide eyes, before looking back at the chaos on the television. The streets could hardly be seen beneath a haze of tear gas and smoke. Shadows stampeded through the mist.

“Right kid,” the panda straightened up again, sighing, “make yourself comfortable. You’re gonna be here until this blows over.” He grabbed his crossbow from where it was leaning against the wall, before stepping over to the television and turning up the volume.

“—see from our footage, the unrest is continuing to spread. For those just tuning in, bloodshed at the Mayoral Ball in downtown Cherryton. Protests concerning the death of restorationist Sage X turned violent after one of the protestors opened fire. We have with us one of the officers on the scene who says he saw the incident unfold. Officer Chita, you’re on the air.”

There was a pause. Then the audio cut in, with shouts and cracks in the background: “Yes! Can you hear me?!”

“We can hear you, don’t worry. Tell us, what did you see? What caused this?”

Another pause. “I saw it myself! Illegal weapons in the crowd, a lot of anger and hatred from them. An officer, just a short ways from me, pulled his own firearm in defense. But in the chaos one of the protestors fired by accident and then they blamed him. They’ve lost all reason! Half our squad’s down, we’re trying to—”

Suddenly there was a clatter, and the voice cut off. “Officer Chita? Officer?” It cut to Kyo the ferret leaning across his desk clearly enraptured by the conversation. He looked about for a cue. “Uh, it appears we’ve lost signal. But we’re continuing to monitor the situation. At the moment we urge viewers to get inside and stay inside, to avoid being swept up in the violence. The office of the Beastar has confirmed that reinforcements have been on stand-by and are already moving to… what?” 

Kyo looked to the side. A goat and a red panda swept behind the desk and started collecting papers frantically. The ferret spoke again:

“We, ah, we’ve gotten the order to evacuate the building. We’re cutting to the Rokuma studio now for their coverage of the situation. Please stay tuned for continued coverage and safety information.” With that he left the desk. The chair slowly swiveled around in place. The camera lingered awkwardly… and then a news graphic as they cut to a commercial for wool curlers. 

Legosi felt breathless. He remembered going with Grandpa to that park, sitting there with a pair of ice cream bowls. He got distracted in the bushes though, crawling around looking for a beetle he saw land there. Coming back, his ice cream was melty. He tried to drink what was left and it got his fur all sticky.

Now it looked like a warzone. 

“Kid?”

Legosi turned sharply. Gouhin had a brow raised. The wolf suddenly felt conscious of how long he’d been standing silent with his memory.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just… never seen anything like this.”

“Yeah, it’s ‘cause you’re young. I was… sixteen, when the Claw Riots happened? It’s gonna be nasty.  Everybody with a grievance against anybody’s about to extract their pound of flesh.” He raised his crossbow, studying it. “You think being a therapist in the Back Alley Market’s made me many friends?”

Before he could reply, Legosi’s phone buzzed. He fished it from his pocket. Right on cue, it was Grandpa: ‘Are you okay? Where are you right now?’

“Hold on, my grandpa texted me,” he turned, starting to type out his reply. But he got interrupted by another buzz.

A text from Haru.

His heart leapt as he saw the first few words, and as more came in, his pulse skyrocketed: ‘Riot going on. Stuck in station.’

‘Was seeing Vigil. Jack here.’

‘Rioters took over.’

‘Not sure if safe.’

And then nothing more.

“No, come on, come on…” Legosi shook his phone, as if that would somehow make more messages from Haru appear.

It didn’t.

‘whats going on???’ he tried to text back. His phone only displayed an error; he’d lost service.

“Gouhin, Gouhin I need to go.”

The panda whirled around to look at him. “How come?”

“Haru, she’s in a police station, and she said the rioters caught her, and she’s in danger! I need to get there now!”

At that, the panda just glared at him. “You fucking serious right now?”

“She’s in danger! I need to help her!”

“The same girl you’re training for?”

“Yeah!”

“The same girl you fought through the Shishigumi for?”

“Yes, yes that’s her, stop wasting time, we need to go!”

“Fuh-cking hell…” he shook his head. “If she’s going to be a damsel in distress this regularly, again, rethink how much effort you’re putting into winning over this girl.”

“That ‘girl’, she’s the first herbivore I’ve met who’s not terrified of me.”

“I know, I know, and you want to—”

“ LET ME TALK!” 

Legosi felt terrified to hear the roar come from his own mouth. Gouhin was flabbergasted as well; at least, he raised both brows, which was the most Legosi had ever seen him emote outside of a scowl. But the wolf pressed forward, shaking slightly as he lectured a panda that could snap his spine in half:

“She’s the first herbivore I’ve met who’s not terrified of me,” he repeated. “And I know what you said, that I have to do better in school, so that I can have a good job and a good life, and that it’ll be harder because I’m a wolf. I listened to you…” he swallowed. “But that’s not enough for me. Because if I don’t act right now, and she dies because of it, then… what’s the point of me being born a wolf, if I can’t use my strength and size to help the people I care about?”

Gouhin tilted his head. There was quiet, as he waited for Legosi to be done. “Kid, there is a city-sized riot between you and her. I’m telling you right now,” he stepped over, filling the exitway with his body, “I’m not letting you out this door.” 

Legosi’s nostrils flared, and his teeth bared for a moment as he tensed. But then… he thought of something. He met the panda’s gaze.

“...okay.”

Then he whirled around and ran to the window. 

“Kid! LEGOSI!” Gouhin shouted behind him. But he didn’t listen. He wrenched open the window, slashed the screen with his claws, and dove through. 

He felt his shoulder hit the asphalt just outside. Letting the adrenaline fuel him, Legosi sprinted to a nearby fire escape and began climbing. If the streets were choked with violence, he’d use the rooftops. 

“Kid! Stop! You’re gonna get yourself killed!” Gouhin was at the window now, already two floors below. The wolf didn’t care. He dashed up to the roofs, and began to sprint. 

The first alleyway he cleared with a single bound. 

Cherryton was an old city, and even with every building having been rebuilt three times over at least, the tight road network had remained, especially in these districts urban planners had skimmed over. Every now and then he had to scale another story, or drop down a floor, but for the most part he was able to get by, running over the rooftops of Cherryton. The wind whipped through his fur. Smoke curled up from the skyline around him. Distant sounds of shouts and shoving and gunfire didn’t stop him. 

Legosi kept running.

He was just coming up to the Back Alley Market, sprinting over the tiles, when he caught a whiff of something. The scent brought him to a halt.

No, it… it couldn’t be. But he could pick it up more. His ears perked around, his eyes scanned the market — and Legosi found him.

It was Louis. And he was in trouble.

Chapter Text

Louis had been surveying the Back Alley Market when hell broke loose.

To be fair, the market was always boisterous, even during the day. A little more discretion had to be practiced of course during these hours. Storefronts advertised cheap groceries and lottery tickets, name-brand sodas plastered in the windows, and the stalls sold trinkets and clothes. But to those who knew to ask, they could still find a leg of lamb hidden just under the counter — like the ‘bakery’ he was in now, listening to a leopard try to reason with him.

“Look, you have to give me a break here.” She wiped down a dough mixer with an off-white rag. “Sales just up and stopped the past few weeks. It’s not me, it’s everyone!”

“I understand Tulia,” Louis repeated himself, his elbows on the counter as he leaned forward, “but we still need rent and security for the building here. And you were already behind even before the crackdown.”

She sighed, leaving the rag on the lip of the bowl and running her hands over her head. Louis turned and looked at Ibuki and Free standing in the corners behind him. Ibuki gave a nod, prompting Louis to turn back self-assured. The leopard licked her lips nervously. “Look, I’m telling you, I got —”

“You got three cubs, you told me that already. I’m not unsympathetic to that. But we still have books to balance, Tulia.”

She looked at him, searching for any sign of further clemency. Slowly her gaze dropped. Her eyes were sad… then angered, as she squeezed the cloth in her thick fingers. With a growl she threw it against the wall with a heavy plap. “You wanna know what I’ve got?”

The leopard hit the drawer on her register. It popped open and she grabbed a handful of bills in her hands. She threw them onto the counter where they fluttered down, each bearing only a few thousand yen.

“There. That’s what I got. That’s everything I have in the store, everything I was going to buy food with. There. Take it. Go ahead. I don’t care. You... you think I like this business!? You think I wanted to grow up to sell fucking body parts!? Of course I fucking didn’t! But I was told that it’d get me money, and I needed money, and now I don’t even get that!”

She punctuated her outburst with a punch to the register. A few keys flew off and clattered to the ground. Louis could feel Free coming up behind him, but he motioned for the lion to stay back. Instead he just watched the leopard’s rage finally burn out. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. Desperation and fear strained her face as she panted. 

“I… shit, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I —”

“Don’t.” Louis’ voice made her flinch. With a sigh he looked down at the bills she’d tossed to the ground. “Pick up your money. You’ll pay us back later.”

“Th-thank you… thank you so much.”

He waved it away, so focused on the moment that he didn’t heed the shouting coming from outside. “It’s not charity. You will pay us what we’re owed. And at the moment it’s less of a hassle to do that, than to try and find someone else to fill in this space. Understand?”

“I understand, and again I’m sorry.”

“I told you not to —”

Suddenly the door opened. Agata gasped. “Boss, there’s something going on. We need to get out of here.” Sure enough Louis could hear yelling and commotion coming from the market. Louder than usual. Glass shattered outside and cursing flared up. 

“Out the back,” Ibuki started forward and set a firm hand on Louis’ shoulder. The deer let himself be forced along, the lion looming over him, as they moved towards the rear exit to the alley. Free darted in front of them, both cats pulling their guns. “You guys, get the rest of the gang through here.”

As soon as he spoke the door yanked open in front of them. Louis could see the human girl with the shaved head from before, the one who’d demanded firearms.

From the rifle in her hands, she’d found a seller. 

She was just caught by surprise as they were. Her eyes went wide and she fumbled with her weapon, clearly not trained with it. A small crowd clustered behind her made of other humans, some rabbits, a cow, two ducks, a doe, and a mule. The anger and determination on their faces melted into panic as they found themselves facing the Shishigumi.

PAH

Free’s pistol fired. There was a wet burst of blood. The girl screamed and dropped her gun, falling back against the wall. Everyone scattered for cover up and down the alley. “HAZEL!” “Fuck, just run!” “Go go go!” Louis also shuddered at the gunshot, a few flecks of scarlet hitting his fur.

“What the fuck?!” Free shouted, stepping into the alley, pressing his wrist against his nose to limit the scent of blood reaching him. “She had a gun! A fucking military gun!” He kept his pistol out, looking every way for further threats. 

Louis kept his eyes on the human though, gasping and holding her hand against her shoulder. Shining red already stained her jacket. She half-sobbed as she pulled her fingers away to look at her blood across her palm, starting to drip to the ground already. Human blood, precious as gold, spilling to the asphalt of the Back Alley Market. 

“Hey! They shot someone over there!” Louis could hear the yells. He turned to see people approaching with guns and crowbars and pipes and anything else that was vaguely club-shaped. Some humans, but mostly herbivores, all furious. Free raised his weapon and fired again and a third and fourth time, making them hit the ground and scramble for cover. From this distance though, and only one-handed, he couldn’t hit them nearly as easily. 

“Stop it!” Ibuki hissed, also trying to cover his nose. “Don’t start a firefight when the boss is right here! Come on!” He forced Louis back into the bakery. The jaguar was visibly panicked, scraping the money off the floor and stuffing it down her shirt. Out the front door people were running, yelling, Agata trying to motion them to go back as the rest of the lions converged, guns drawn. 

“Why are you bringing him this way!?” Agata practically screamed. “Out the back like you said!” 

“We’re pinned down back there. The chaos will give us more cover. Come on, go!”

“MURDERERS!” 

“MONSTERS!”

Glass shattered to his left. He jerked around. An impala swung a golf club against the next window, and people swarmed inside. They shoved and jostled around. A human tried to take the impala’s shoulder, waving him off, yelling something about Sage X, only to get the club swung at him. Louis could hear another wooden stand being collapsed, cloth tearing, screams as people were beaten. There was a sickening crunch of a heavy cleaver connecting with a chest. Coals slid off of barbecues and smoke curled into the air. Louis fumbled for his own pistol in his jacket.

“Hold your ground!” Ibuki roared, tightening his grip on Louis. “Make a box!”

Frightened vendors and patrons fled past the lions as they arranged themselves around Louis and then spread out, expanding their ground, guns drawn. The sight of the Shishigumi, in their suits and wielding pistols, was enough to scare most of the rioters back. They merely fled into other parts of the market though, upending stalls. On the far side of the plaza there was a shatter of glass and a blossoming fireball. Then another, as a flaming whiskey bottle got hurled into a rival gang’s shop. 

“Boss,” Ibuki pulled on his shoulder, “we need to get out of here. You’ll be safe at the hideout.”

“No, this is our section of the market. I’m staying!”

“All due respect Boss, but you’re not staying. Half the people here wanna lynch you. I’m taking you to the hideout.”

Louis shrugged off Ibuki’s grip and turned, staring up at the male a full head taller than he was. “I’m the boss. I said I’m staying!”

“Back!” Dolph barked behind Ibuki, his gun darting back and forth between the crowd eager for a stab at them. It was a stand-off with no one wanting to move first and be a target. 

Ibuki looked back to gauge the situation, before turning to Louis again. The light caught in his lenses, making him all the more imposing. 

“Boss. I am telling you, as a man who’s been in this business for years now, there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. If I die or any of us die, the group can recover. If you die then every chance the Shishigumi has at a successful future dies! Now get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving, and that’s final! I have a gun!” He held it out to show, “I’m done talking about this!” He made to move around Ibuki, but the lion suddenly grabbed his shoulder and blocked with his whole arm.

“Louis you’re a KID!” he finally roared. 

An instinct triggered in Louis and he stood there, frozen and wide-eyed. In that moment he wanted to argue back but his mind blanked. 

“I’m not gonna let you get killed here! Now do what I — oh fuck…” he got distracted by someone running over the rooftops and leaping for a balcony a floor down, catching it, landing with a natural canine grace. “You… you son of a bitch! The fuck are you doing here?!” Ibuki snarled and raised his gun, right as Louis recognized the newcomer. 

“No stop!” He grabbed Ibuki’s hand. The gunshot deafened him, leaving a ringing in his ears. He could see the wolf stumble back in terror. “Stop, I know him!”

“Yeah, he’s the mutt that killed half the gang!” He tried to wrench himself from Louis’ grasp.

“No, I know him from school! Stop! Stop, stop it!” The deer hardened his voice. He looked the lion in the eye. “I’ll only go to the hideout if I go with him.”

Ibuki looked down at Louis. He could sense the anger in that leonid face. But finally he removed his hand from the deer’s, and slowly lowered it, glaring across at the wolf, who gasped. “I… Louis, you saved me!”

“Yeah,” he spoke, before turning to face Legosi. “But he was right about one thing: what the fuck are you doing here?!”

Legosi’s ears flattened. “I was trying to save you! I was… practicing nearby.”

“Practicing what?! You…” he narrowed his eyes. “You were here in the market weren’t you? I always thought you were actually different, Legosi.”

“No, no no! I mean, I was near the market, but not like that! I’ve been getting this therapy to help keep my instincts under control! And then this all started up, and I was trying to run past more quickly, and then you…” his muzzle went back and forth as he finally processed what was happening. He pointed at Ibuki and let a snarl cross his face “Did they take you prisoner? Is that where you’ve been all this time?!”

“No! No!” The second ‘no’ was directed at Ibuki, who was going for his gun again. “I’m not their prisoner, I’m their boss.”

Legosi’s anger froze on his face as his eyes blinked, looked around, trying to process everything. “You’re… you’re in charge… of the lion gang?” 

“Yeah. It’s… complicated, but they’re a bit less vicious now.”

“But the same lion gang... that tried to kidnap —” With a growl he brushed all the questions away. “Listen there’s no time! Haru, she’s in trouble! She’s stuck at the police station and they have her trapped! I’m trying to get to her, and if you’re not in trouble then you have to help me!”

At the rabbit’s name Louis felt his stomach lurch. His guts squirmed, his whole body prickled. “Police station…” The deer could feel his face darken. “Legosi. What. Happened?” 

“She became friends with the human that was in our school and then got arrested and she and Jack were visiting him when the riot started. We need to go now!”

Louis stood there, snout curled into a frustrated scowl, as it all hit him. For some reason, in his mind, everyone in his old life had just hung suspended where they’d been. But, the fact that Haru had become friends with a human? The fact that Legosi had been training for… anything, really. For some reason it almost offended him, that they moved and changed without him there to see it, and he didn’t even really understand why. “Look, this is the worst possible time for me to leave right now. In case you didn’t notice,” he gestured with his gun at the crowd, “we’re kind of in the middle of a war.”

The wolf stared at him dumbfounded. Another shatter, a fireball blossomed in the distance. Legosi cocked his head, “Are you… serious right now?” A scowl made his nostrils flare. “You’re really going to leave Haru behind a second time!? You said you’re in charge of the gang right? Why can’t you get them to help us!?”

“War, Legosi! I know you heard me you dumbass!” 

“Yeah, and she’s caught in it! What’s here in the market that’s more important than her!?”

“You wouldn’t understand!” Louis blurted it out. Legosi was treading too close to something he shouldn’t dare address. “You’ve never had to be responsible for anything in your life, you can’t understand!”

“No, but I do understand one thing…” he growled now, a dark and spiteful look in his eye. “You never loved her, did you?”

“I loved her more than you’d ever know!” And he meant it; as a young child he’d been a thing . He was adopted and suddenly became a prince, everyone deferential to him and by extension his father. Haru’s gaze, her playful attitude, the way she held herself around him, it was the first time he’d been an equal to someone. And Legosi dared to deny that?

“You’re not going to lift a finger to help her now!” The wolf argued back. “Just like you didn’t help her back then!” 

Louis raised his gun, wrinkling his snout in raw fury. The wolf’s ears flattened as fear came over him. “I DID COME HELP!” he roared. “I was there! I saw you and her walking away, and I saved your lives when you left the boss alive! He was going to kill you because you didn’t finish the job! I had to finish it for you! So don’t you dare stand there and lecture me!”

Legosi was breathless from the revelation. He looked around at the market, at Louis’ gun. “Then... then help her now! What is here that you need to stay and fight for!?”

“It’s our territory! Our business! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you ask!”

“But it’s the Back Alley Market! Why are you fighting for it?”

“It’s — it’s not something you’d get!” Louis stammered. He used the time to try to scrape together an answer. The Back Alley Market, it was where he’d been born and made. Oguma might have tried to change that but he couldn’t. Not even the mighty head of the Horns Conglomerate could press Louis’ coal black past into a diamond. 

...Or could he?

As Louis processed Legosi’s words more, his aim slowly wavered. He looked away. He’d always told himself that he’d been born in a different world, and that’s why he couldn’t make it as Oguma’s heir. That’s why his problems would disappear the moment he returned to the meat market. But… it hadn’t worked. He turned, and looked between the shoulders of the Shishigumi as they waved their guns about.

Chaos sprawled everywhere. But amidst the violence he began to pick out each person. It was almost like in slow-motion. A ram toppled a makeshift chopping block, before scrambling for the knives, but he didn’t use them; he looked about before stealing them, plucking them away. In another direction, Louis could spy the kids with the signs around their necks, cowering and wailing in fear, as a pair of humans with horrified faces ran up to them. The woman scooped up the tapir and onager, the man took the pronghorn, quickly beating a retreat from the fighting as the foals kicked and squirmed, unaware they were being rescued. He looked elsewhere - a hog had frozen in a shop, hands over her mouth, as she looked at a male porcine corpse laid across the butcher counter. He could see her sobbing as she caressed the body’s face, pressing her forehead against his.

Louis felt his fingers fish into his pocket. His father’s medallion was still there. He pulled it out to see. One world. One vision. One future. In that moment, for the first time, he understood. 

“Louis?” Ibuki’s voice shook him from his thoughts. 

He stayed quiet a few moments longer. “...Ibuki,” he finally muttered, barely audible over the raging cacophony. “Why did you join the Shishigumi?”

“Why did I join?” He confirmed the question. “I… don’t know if this is the best time to discuss it.”

“Just tell me,” he screwed up his face in frustration, “please.”

Ibuki just shrugged. “Things were hard. Didn’t really have a lot of options, but I got good money here. It was either that, or sell more teeth…” He hooked a finger in his lips and pulled back - three of his molars were replaced with metal. Then he let go again, “Nothing else really to it.”

Louis looked past him again, seeing the market anew. At that moment, the clamor of the crowd began to be overwhelmed by a distant chopping. From over the rooftops, long black helicopters cruised across the sky. Their tails were tipped with red; ASIR’s famous aircraft were all too well-known.

“Leave it!” Louis shouted, waving his hands. “We gotta go!”

Ibuki spied the rangers passing overhead, and he didn’t hesitate. “Fall back!” He grabbed the lions’ shoulders, shaking them. “We’re getting out of here!” The others looked back in confusion

“What?!”

“But they’re gonna loot everything!”

“Let it burn!” Louis shouted, “Let it go, just let it go!” 

He turned back to Legosi, grabbing his arm and forcing him down the alleyway, turning his back to the open air of the market. The helicopters passed over; they weren’t the targets it seemed, but he still didn’t want to risk an armed confrontation with special forces.

At least, that was the reason he decided he’d give to any of the lions who asked.

Chapter Text

“One… two! One… two! One… two!”

Grace was leading three other people as they swung a small filing cabinet like a battering ram against the armory door. It stayed strong though, and so far they had only made a dent in the metal. 

Jack watched from around the corner, one hand against the wall, his eyes wide. All of this felt so… so strange to him. The words that hung in the air were frightening. Revolution, overthrow, defection. The All-Species Republic had been the bedrock for all their lives and for everything he’d ever known, but within these walls, the Republic had ceased to exist. 

“Ha! Aha!” He heard Mason’s voice come from behind him; the boy had snatched a sticky note from inside a cubicle drawer. He hurried over to the armory door. “Got numbers here! Okay, let’s give it a shot…”

They ceased their siege as he bent down and punched the code into the keypad — but it only blinked red. Everyone groaned.

“Sorry,” Mason sighed, “ah… carry on, then.”

The group heaved the filing cabinet back up and gave it another swing, and another, each punctuated with the heavy clang of metal on metal. Mason watched for a moment before turning back to face Jack.

“Hey, you doing alright?”

“Uh,” Jack swallowed, “Y-Yeah, I’m doing okay! Never better!” He flashed a thumbs up nervously. 

He could tell Mason wasn’t buying it though. The boy’s eyes flitted over; all around anarchy still reigned, with some trying to guess the passwords for the desktops, but most of the crowd had ventured upstairs to see what they could find. Vigil, meanwhile, was just returning with another cup of water. He quickened his pace when he saw Mason speaking with Jack “Here you go,” he handed it to Jack before turning to the boy. “Is everything okay?”

Mason looked around, before gesturing at a few desks in the corner by the coffee machine. “Let’s sit down, I wanna talk for a minute.” Each cubicle was equipped with a rolling chair; Mason took one and straddled across, his elbows on the back, before nodding at a pair of seats across from him. 

Jack numbly sat down, and Vigil sat beside him. The dog held his cup in his clawed fingers using both hands. He’d managed to settle himself after being assaulted, but he could feel in his muscles that his body was unconsciously ready to jump at the slightest sign of danger. 

Mason folded his arms, chewing on his thumb, looking away briefly. His eyes returned to fix on the labrador… then he sighed. “Jack?”

“Mm, yeah?”

“I want to say again, I’m sorry about what happened. No one should have laid hands on you, that was out of line. That guy, he already left, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t apologize?”

Jack shook his head.

“Then, for what it’s worth…” Mason gestured with his hands, “ I’m sorry. That kind of attitude, that’s not what we’re fighting for. And it’s important to me that you understand that.”

For a moment the labrador puzzled out how to respond. Eventually he gave a weak nod. “Okay…”

He could tell that Mason wasn’t fully satisfied by the answer, the way the boy looked away again. But at least he didn’t press it further for now. “It’s important to me that you feel welcome in here. This, all of this, it’s for people like you.”

“Heheh…” Jack rubbed the back of his head, “Look, you don’t have to say that. I do feel bad for humans, there’s been a lot of bad things that have happened, and I feel bad about that.” He glanced at Vigil. “And I-I’ve seen it, myself… you don’t have to pretend that it’s for me.”

But Mason was already shaking his head, looking a bit angry even. “No. No, you can’t… think like that. It’s…” he looked around, trying to figure out how to explain it. “What we see… what we want, it’s a place where humans and herbivores and carnivores, nobody has to fear each other. There’ll be no rules saying you can’t go into this job or that one.”

“I mean, there aren’t really rules against that now,” Jack tried to answer, “it’s just what we’re each best at.”

Mason again shook his head at that. “No, you can’t… you can’t think like the way they taught you. Look, this kind of carnivore self-loathing, the herbivore self-pity, it’s not sustainable and not healthy. We’ll have no meat market, no Beastar.” Jack’s eyes just about bugged out at that, and the boy caught the expression. “No Beastar. Yeah.”

“Well that’s just it!” Jack gave a weak laugh, feeling like he’d just discovered the fatal flaw in Mason’s argument. “Why’d you want to get rid of that? The Beastar is a role model for society, to bring all species together!”

That prompted only a pointed stare from Mason. Even Vigil, so far listening in intently, dropped his gaze at that.

“...Okay, maybe the Beastar right now isn’t great. But it’s about setting a goal, an ideal! And we’re working towards that ideal!”

“...Are you though?”

“Well,” Jack struggled, trying to find his reasoning. “You can’t just get rid of the Beastar!”

“Why not?”

“You just can’t!”

“A hundred years ago there was no Beastar. The world isn’t going to end without one. And if he’s supposed to be a symbol of unity among all species…” Mason shook his head again. “I’m sorry to say that he’s failed.” 

“So, but then what? What are you going to do instead?”

At that, the boy blinked. Bit his lip. Looked away. 

“You don’t have an answer you want to tell me?”

“We’re… working on it.” The answer was obviously a lie. “I… guess I can admit that I’ve spent so much time getting to this moment that, I’ve not thought a lot about what comes next. But we’re all going to work together, we’ll find something that works.”

“If you don’t even have a plan, then why do you want to change things so badly?”

He set his jaw… then glanced back at Jack. “And you? Why do you want things to stay the same? You mean to tell me you’re happy with your life? That there’s nothing you wish you could do differently, as a dog?”

“What, what do you mean?”

“Let me take a guess: fast-tracked to go into government work?”

Jack blinked. “Yeah, yeah I am…”

“And that’s what you want to do?”

“I mean, why wouldn’t I? It’s got good pay, job security, and I’d be doing important work. Sounds pretty good to me!”

“Work doing what?”

“I, uh, had been looking at the urban development ministry? Which you know, doing inspections and permits.”

“And that’s what you really want to do?” Jack meant to say something, but Mason scooted himself forward, sitting up more and gripping the back of his chair. “Really think about it. When you were a kid, did you say ‘One day I want to write permits for a living’? That’s what they kept pushing you towards.”

“I don’t know, I mean—”

“You never got to choose, did you?”

“It’s not like—”

“If you could choose… what would you really want to do?”

“I-I don’t know, okay?!” Jack shook his head, feeling like he was being pushed back in a corner. He’d be angry if he could; the most he could muster was frustration. “I don’t know what I’d want! I never had a chance to think about it!” He gestured with his hands and made the water in his cup slosh. “Besides, what I was doing, I was going to help people in a way no one else can! Dogs were made to be in the civil service! You can’t change that!”

But all through the outburst, Mason only watched. As the dog finished, he spoke again. “Dogs existed before the Republic began its breeding program, Jack. You don’t have to be anything. You shouldn’t ,” he corrected himself, “have to be anything.”

“Well I can’t control that! Just,” he struggled to speak, “just because you say something doesn’t make it true for the rest of us! That’s not how the real world works! That’s not how my life gets to work!” He stood from his seat as he became more agitated. “Maybe you can feel free to get out here, take over police stations, break windows, and laugh it off, but I have my life to worry about! And if I get seen here then I get kicked out of my program, and I lose everything! I can’t risk that!”

His chest rose and fell. Something in his chest squirmed, and he felt like he’d choke. It scared him, and he weakly clutched his heart. Vigil and Mason both stared up at him. Then Mason slowly nodded, looking away. 

“You think I’m not risking anything being here?” His tone wasn’t angry. If anything it sounded hurt. “My dad, he has… has this business, that he wants me to inherit and run. And he hates that I do this, he’ll probably cut me out of his will or something. But the thing is, it’s hard for him, running that place as a human. In fact I think the only reason he's not shut down is because the crime lords extort him for protection. That’s... not a way to live, can you see that? To live in fear of losing everything?”

He paused, swallowing nervously, as he stood up.

“What I say still stands. If you need anything, I want to make sure we help you.”

“I just need... space, right now…”

A last nod. “Alright. I’ll make sure no one bothers you. Oh, and Vigil?” The human perked up. “Tomorrow is Rope Day, right?”

“Is…” Vigil counted out on his fingers. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Happy New Year.” Mason turned away. He passed by a few desks, picked up the wrench he’d been carrying around with him, and moved onto the next group. All around came chatter, the sound of teenagers and college-age students bored and waiting for the next steps to come along. Jack was left there, still clenching his water cup, fingers trembling again, as he struggled with the unfamiliar emotion.

There was a long awkward silence between the two of them. Then Vigil spoke up, “Can I… say something?”

“Yeah, yeah go ahead, I’m sorry, I…” he seated himself again, trying to slow his breathing. A dozen thoughts clouded his mind at once. “I promise, I’m not mad at you…”

Vigil bit at his lip. “I… I think I understand at least a little bit of what he was talking about, and what you’re going through?”

Okay, the one thing Jack didn’t want to talk about any more. But before he could interject Vigil pressed forward:

“Please, just let me explain, and… maybe, it’s something that can help you articulate what you’re thinking better?”

The dog closed his eyes with a sigh. “Alright. I’ll listen.”

“Thank you…” Jack heard a pause, his eyes still shut. Vigil’s voice was shaky. “I… you know how, how I mentioned before that Reed was my adopted father?”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t tell you, what happened to my birth parents, did I?”

“No… no you didn’t…”

“They, ah… they had been caught up with bad people. I didn’t understand, I was so little. But I remember there were… scary men around, lots of lizards in particular. And Dad, I remember him more, I remember this one time he looked at me and his face was… looked so scared.” As Vigil continued, Jack started to open his eyes. The frustration in him calmed, and instead a pit formed in the bottom of his stomach. “I remember they said their job was in their room, and again, you’re a kid you don’t question that. It wasn’t until later that I realized they were… they were pumping themselves dry for money. And one day, I guess… they made a sale they weren’t supposed to, or something… and… and I don’t remember much… I just remember Mom screaming... ”

Vigil swallowed. He looked like he’d be sick. 

“I…   I ran, and just kept running, out on the streets. I was crying, trying to find someone that would help. It’s like… I can only remember snapshots here and there. Running. And then I remember a black car, and one of Ardi’s Inquisitors…” He bit his lip. “He calmed me down, and he gave me an apple, and… I remember that, because I’d never eaten an apple before. I thought it was the best thing I’d ever tasted. He… he was taking me to somewhere safe, I remember thinking that. Again, so many things I only found out later… but he went back a couple days later, poisoned their meat at the markets. The Dokugumi, the lizards, a dozen of them died, and nobody would touch their wares for weeks…”

Jack couldn’t think of what to say. He desperately wanted to say something though, something to comfort Vigil. But what words would work? Sorry? That’s too bad? Glad you found new parents? The weight pressed on his shoulders, the way he wanted to help and yet found himself helpless.

“And Father Reed, let me sleep in his manor for a few nights. Then… a few nights longer… a week turned into a year, and then another one, and then…” he shrugged, managing a smile. “The rector said it was the first adoption under the laws of the Hominid Union in over six decades! And Dad, he really did his best. He made me feel like I wasn’t just part of the community, but part of his family. And Flint was a good brother too, even if he was…” he snickered weakly, “really annoying at times. But still, Dad, he had… he has big ideas. And sometimes I think he cares more about them than us.”

“What, what do you mean?”

Vigil opened his mouth. He was struggling to make coherent words. “It’s… I, please… I don’t want you to take this personally.”

Jack drew back, bracing for what he was about to say.

“I… never wanted to come to Cherryton. Dad thought though that I could be some kind of bridge between worlds. A city human, raised in a community, he told me all the time about how I could be the one to bring peace between species. He talked about me like I was going to save the world or something.  And I mean, I do believe in interspecies peace, and Dad never, you know, mistreated me about it or anything. I just thought that… you know, he’d keep trying to get me in the academy, they’d keep rejecting me. I never thought that they would actually say ‘yes.’ I show up here, and I had to be like... like some kind of empty vessel. So I could be what people wanted me to be, so I could be who Dad wanted me to be. I always had to have some purpose, I wasn’t allowed to just… be. And if I failed, then... “ A scoff. “What am I talking about, I did fail. And now it’s like, the entire point of my life has been for nothing.” He paused. “I know that was a lot, but does it make any sense at all?”

Jack blinked away. He took a shaky breath. “...You never had a chance to feel like you were worthy of just existing? You felt like you had to justify the space you took up?”

“Yeah, that’s… exactly it.”

The dog blinked. Blinked again. His chest tightened again, and he could barely control himself. “I’m sorry… I’ve failed too, I’ve been a terrible host…”

“No, Jack.” He felt the human clasp his wrist. Jack glanced up at his face. “None of this is about you. Yes, I wanted to stay in Ardi, the rest of my life. But when I came here, and met you, you… you showed me a side of animalkind that I didn’t know about before. You, meeting you, has been the very best part of being here. And I don’t want you to think any differently.”

Jack tried to swallow. He couldn’t… his hand grasped at his throat, he found himself struggling to breathe. His eyes stung. 

“Jack, Jack are you okay?!”

An avalanche starts with just a slight disturbance, which rolls and builds and crashes over more and more snow before raging down the mountainside. In the same way a thousand little memories were piling together in Jack’s mind, falling over one another and each dragging along a dozen more related thoughts. Lectures in regal yet austere rooms, examinations where Council members themselves sat in to monitor the results, meeting bureaucrats at the age of 12 to build out his path into government work, every hour of his life mapped out, while his friends joked and laughed and didn’t have to think more than a day ahead. He’d been a watch in perfect harmony, being wound tighter and tighter and tighter. Now the spring had snapped.

A tear fell from his eye onto his lap.

He clapped a hand to his mouth, terrified about what was happening - and yet it was the most beautiful thing he had ever felt. Jack squeezed his eyes shut. More tears. The cup fell from his hand, spilled across the floor, as he pressed his palms to his face. He gasped for air, shaking, sobbing on the chair as the rest of the world seemed to fade around him. 

All he was aware of was Vigil nervously resting a hand on his shoulder. Jack let him. 

Cherryton convulsed with chaos as down every alleyway, lawlessness reigned. Old resentments and insults slithered to exact their pound of flesh. It was like a great flood; the tidal wave of revolt splintered as it rolled over the land, spilling and filling itself into every crack and hole it could find. The police fractured off into pairs and trios, guns drawn, terrified and ready to lash out at the first sign of danger. Men and women rushed either for the nearest opportunity or home to wait out the storm. 

The vibrant palm trees of Freedom Street swayed in a gentle breeze as smoke curled around them. Men and women armed with whatever they could grab stormed the shops, months and years of abuse returned to management and then some. Outside a tech repair, a tiger was pinned to the wall, frothing at the mouth, blood on his face. It took two elephants to hold him there, one trying to stem the bleeding gashes in his trunk. 

Blocks away outside the Happy and Heaven, people hammered the walls and splashed paint across them, scrawling out harsh words. But a pair of bloody bodies outside the door were an effective deterrent to actually going inside — four big cats had their pistols drawn, the door barricaded, the fortress held down until the mob grew bored. 

Further down the way, back to the respectable side of town, people poured into the city hall. These were the most focused, the most determined, and so far the most victorious. They pumped their fists and shouted, “Hey-ey! Oh-oh! Yafya has got to go!”

Their voices thundered and echoed the ceiling. Windows opened wide on either side as the open atrium led to a twin set of stairs. Those stairs culminated in front of a door, marked with a plaque as the office of the mayor. Within this office, those guests who hadn’t fled the building cowered in terror. What was left of the security team wielded batons against the crowd pushing up the steps. It was a stalemate, and looking over it all were Yafya and Juno, the young wolf panting in fear. 

Yafya pointed. His voice was terrible and strong, not needing a megaphone, “Listen up! This is another warning! You’re here unlawfully! Disperse, now!” 

The only response was a shoe hurled through the air, whacking the stallion in the face. Juno jumped away with a yelp as the shoe spun past her, hitting the floor. 

Yafya didn’t even flinch. His only sign of having even registered the impact was closing his eyes. Fingers reached up, adjusted a part of his mane that had been ruffled by the projectile. 

“Hey-ey! Oh-oh! Yafya has got to go! Hey-ey! Oh-oh! Yafya has got to go! Hey-ey! Oh-oh! Yafya has got to go!”

Juno shook her head. So many, so angry, at Yafya - and the stallion didn’t seem to care. Every chant felt like it rocked her to the core. Yet the Beastar stood beside her, as if carved from living stone. There was another surge up the left staircase. Yafya’s eyes snapped to glare at them, but the police beat back the protestors. The stalemate continued. Juno gulped, looked around frantically. Her claws began to etch into the railing as she gripped it tighter.

The horse glanced to her. He calmly leaned over, speaking in her ear. “It’s alright, just hang in there.”

She struggled to draw a breath. “You have to do something! Isn’t it your job to bring people together? Say something to them!”

He cocked a brow, leaning away, speaking loudly over the protests. “Well, future Beastar, what would you say!? How would you offer peace to the mob down there!?”

Juno didn’t expect the question turned back to her like that. “I… I’d try to listen to them! Tell them I can make changes, make things better for them!”

His face only showed smug amusement. “Then tell them, Deputy Beastar!” And in that moment, when she tried to think of how to phrase it, she realized what he meant. “Don’t you hear them? They want me to resign! Because we caught a terrorist and accidentally shot him when he moved aggressively!?” He shook his head. “The bandwagon, remember, Juno?” 

Oh god… that only reminded her that all of this was because she turned in Ward. It hit her with a wave of horror — not only of the destruction of the mob, but also of the idea that Yafya might blame her for all this. “I remember!” she spoke without fully thinking, “And you’re right! You were just doing the right thing!”

“And no good deed goes unpunished!” Yafya looked back down at them, before lifting his eyes. “Let me tell you something, you see this?” He motioned at the rotunda above them. The mural depicted herbivores and carnivores, seated in togas within an ancient forum, speaking and gesturing at each other in classical idealistic forms. “This! This is what the Republic stands for! Herbivore and carnivore, united together, stronger together! We believe in this ideal, don’t we?”

“Yes, of course!” Juno realized she didn’t want to sound like blind agreement. “All species should work together! That’s what the Beastar is an example for!”

He nods, and gestures over the crowd. “They don’t believe in it.” 

And sure enough the chanting had shifted down below. “Where is the Council?! Where is the Council?! Where is the Council?!”

Juno felt choked for words. But they were just—

“They might say they believe in it, maybe they even think they do! But then they do this, they attack the Republic! And we can’t…”

He trailed off. Juno’s ears flicked as she picked up the thunderous hum outside. Down below the chants broke away as people began to hear the sound as well. Nervous eyes turned to the windows on either side, and some started to filter away from the crowd. The only person who seemed to light up was Yafya. “What is that?” Juno glanced around.

He just gave a content snort. “Tell me, what happens to your body when it’s sick?”

Then shadows descended over the windows. 

Gunshots sounded from every direction. The crowd all ducked. Protests mingled with screams as the glass shattered. Animals in thick black armor and masks stormed in from every window, rappelling in from helicopters above. The rangers wore red badges, shouted orders. Tear gas erupted from their weapons into the mass and they pressed in from all sides. In terror the crowd stampeded for the exits, scrambling and crawling over each other. Soldiers ripped individuals from the fringes and pinned them down, zip-tying their hands. 

“Advance!” Yafya ordered the security staff. They moved alongside the rangers, pushing the crowd back. Then the stallion turned to Juno. His eyes drew to the button on her dress. His stare brought her own gaze to it, even amid the new wave of chaos. “That says Deputy Beastar doesn’t it? Let’s get this place cleared out, together.” With that he started down the staircase.

Juno blinked. “Wait, wait wait, what do you mean?! You mean, fight? But there’s… there’s blood! I... I could lose control!”

With that Yafya paused and whirled around. “Listen to me,” he raised a finger to point, “You told me before that you’d never let your carnivore instincts overwhelm you? Forget that.”

Her stomach flipped.

“Let them loose, and clear the building! You want to protect the Republic, don’t you?!”

“Yes, of course!” 

“Your badge gives you immunity! Unleash your instincts for the good of all species! Now go!”

With that he ran down the steps, barking orders, chasing a straggler and practically tackling them. Juno meanwhile followed his example, coming down the steps the best she could. She’d long since abandoned her heels, and her slim dress was already starting to split at the seams. Her instincts… something she’d always been told to suppress from an early age. She’d been shamed for even raising her voice to her parents. Her breath came short as she tried to work it up…

“Hey get back here!” 

Someone ran into her, sprawling away, as the rangers shouted after him. They were quickly distracted by more protesters before them. But the human boy had shaken Juno from her trance. 

Slowly, she began to step, then jog, then sprint after him.

“STOP!” she shouted. “In the name of the Beastar!” 

He tried to press into the crowd and disappear into the mass of people squeezing back through the doorways. Juno eyed him, feeling like she was locked on a target, something inside her breathing back to life like a frail vine resuscitated with a cup of water. She leapt, practically pouncing.

Juno caught the boy by the shoulders.

The crowd splintered around her and a growl came from her throat as she straddled across the boy’s body. “You’re attacking us?! The people trying to help you?!” Her claws ripped into his shirt as she forced him onto his back. His face contorted in fear. “In the name of the Beastar you’re under arrest for — “

There was a crunch as a foot connected with her nose.

She recoiled to the left; the blow had come from her right. Someone screamed for her to let him go. The cartilage in her snout had broken a bit, and it was bleeding. Bleeding, the pain, the assault, she was under attack, fight, fight back. Her head jerked around as a badger raised her foot again to kick Juno off her catch.

The wolf caught the foot in one hand, and swiped with the other. 

More screams around her, and this time people actually fled. Someone tried to move behind and she took a lunge at them. A growl at everyone as they fell back.

Then she looked down at her catch again, furious, incensed, adrenaline pumping in her system like it never had before. Juno grabbed his shoulders to hold him in place. Her grip threatened to crack the bones; he yelled in terror, in agony. No, she shouldn’t, but he was right here, the blood, the attack, what was she even doing.

Her fangs sank into his shoulder.

His screams echoed up to the mural above in the dome.

Chapter Text

“Attention students. We remain in a Code Yellow lockdown. Please remain in your dormitories and obey all directions from your housemothers.”

The command echoed through Cherryton Academy, just as it had for about an hour now. Wild whispers had sparked up at first: “There’s a riot downtown!” “They’re gunning people down, Mom said!” “There was some kind of terrorist attack again!” “No no, apparently Sage X is still alive!” Even when the cell signal cut out, students took to the internet to post the latest and greatest tidbits they could find. 

By now though, the fascination had turned to boredom. Those still interested endlessly refreshed their social media feeds while the rest of the student body grumbled about having the weekend stripped from them. They stared out their dormitory windows as the school guards patrolled, nervous faces visible even from across entire courtyards.

But now, something finally changed. The air pulsed, hummed, and a pair of dark helicopters crested over the dormitories. Their blades made the grass in the fields ripple as they landed and began to discharge armed soldiers dressed in black. For the first time a genuine fear began to take hold of the students as the Rangers moved to the academy’s entrance, ensuring the school would not fall.

All through Cherryton ASIR continued to drop their men. Cornerstone Grand, normally a cheerful community, had been at first thronged with marching protestors and now by panicked civilians fleeing the oncoming Rangers. A small crowd of college students, all feline, pushed themselves into cover through the door of Artie’s Adventure Stop. The boar gestured them inside as two soldiers approached. “They’re criminal vandals,” the sharp words were muffled through the lead Ranger’s mask. “Turn them over.” He pressed forward.

“Hey, hey!” The boar pulled the door closed behind him, leaving just a crack open for his voice. “Alright, that’s bullshit. I’ve been watching them right here, they haven’t done a thing! What, is standing outside illegal now?!”

“This was an illegal protest from the beginning. Now stand down, they’re under arrest!”

“You got the wrong kids!” Again the boar shouted, this time pulling the door all the way shut and locking it. “They’re customers, alright? They’re on my property and I say they can stay here!”

Without hesitation the soldier advanced. He drew back his rifle, and bashed it against the glass door.

“What the fuck?!” He recoiled, mouth agape, as the Rangers smashed the window along his storefront too. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Thick gloved fingers reached through the empty doorframe. The lock snapped open, and the soldiers stormed inside with rifles ready and aimed, forcing everyone inside to the floor. Up above the helicopters hovered, barking birds’ eye directions to the men on the ground.

Louis could see one of those helicopters as he rounded the corner. Legosi and the lions were still in tow, and he faltered. “That way!” He gestured across the street instead, to the opposite alleyway. In the shadow of a pharmacy and a jeweler's, the deer finally let himself pause. Turning to face the wall, he set both palms against it, lowered his head, panting with short shallow breaths. 

What was he doing?

The lions were going to start asking questions. The fast and loose life of the Shishigumi didn’t involve running away from danger! Even if it was the entire goddamn military, they were supposed to stand and hold their turf.

But the turf they’d be fighting for... when the mob had struck it was like a thousand ghosts pouring from the walls. When he blinked he could glimpse their faces when they saw what he and the Shishigumi and the other gangs were doing. He almost felt embarrassed that polite society had seen his work. Louis had tried so hard to forget they even existed, but of course they still did. Just like Juno had told him…

“Boss?”

Louis let out a sigh, turning to look at Free. “Yeah, someone coming?”

“No, no it’s just…” He watched where they’d come from, clearly wanting to say something but not having the nerve to actually do it.

Louis shut his eyes. “Just… forget the market right now. We’re not gonna do any good trying to go back.” 

He heard a grumble to the side, “Yeah, not now…”

His eyes shot open and he glared at Agata. The other lions were trying to shush him, and he did seem to realize his faux pas. “Something the matter?”

The lion glanced back and forth. Then his face darkened; he felt himself cornered. “We just lost everything. Not just the shops and the inventory. We just ran away. The whole point of people paying us is for protection. If we can’t do that then they’re not going to pay us any more! What,” he shook his head, in disbelief, “do you expect us to do now?!”

Louis could see glances being traded between the lions. Many of them seemed to be testing the others for how much they agreed with Agata’s words — a sure-fire sign that many of them secretly did. Legosi shuffled close to him, starting to sense danger. The deer pushed him away though, the back of his slim hand enough to guide the wolf away. He stepped forward, locking his eyes on Agata. The lion seemed to shrink back again.

“I should ask you a similar question: what did you expect us to do then? Those helicopters? They were carrying ASIR Rangers. Not the Dokugumi or any other gang. Not the police. Not even the army. The Rangers. And they were about to land and tear the market to shreds.”

Suddenly he thrust his hand into Agata’s jacket. The young lion jumped in shock at having his personal space invaded like this. Louis pulled out the pistol and held it up between his and Agata’s faces.

“A pistol. What do you think a pistol is going to do against the best trained special forces the Republic can muster, with armor and assault rifles?” He shoved the gun back into Agata’s chest, hard, and pointed down the alleyway. “You wanna go show me? Go ahead, show me that your way is better. Or, was your idea that we should have stood our ground, get shot to pieces, and have the market ravaged anyways? Is that the strategy you would have used? Is it?!”

Agata’s jaw hung open at being told off like this. Then he snarled, nostrils flaring. “Don’t fucking lecture me! Not when you’re apparently friends with the wolf that killed off half our gang! Or was he working for you too?! Is…” His eyes narrowed. “Did you work with him, huh?! Kill the old boss, take his place?! Is that what you did?!”

“This wolf?!” Louis jabbed his finger in Legosi’s direction without looking. “If anything I told him to not attack you, but he didn’t listen. But, okay, so what if I did plan to take over the gang? Which would be odd because, by the why, it was your guys’ idea! And then I dragged it out of the gutter, and made you guys the most respected gang in the Back Alley Market.” He narrowed his eyes. “Even if I did conspire all that out, which I didn’t… what wrong have I done to you?” And with this he focused on Agata. “What have I done to you, that you’re so eager to be rid of me? Is there something you’re unhappy about?”

“We just lost face! It’s humiliating! No one’s going to respect us because of what you did!”

“I’ll tell you,” Louis’ voice was sharp, “what’s going to happen. We’re going to wait this out. We’re going to let the other gangs stay if they want. The Madaragumi, the Inarigumi? Let them fight the Rangers, it’ll cripple them, if they don’t get wiped out entirely. Then when we come back…” He motioned with his head. “We’ll be free to take the whole place ourselves. No matter what they think of us now, they’ll have no other choice.”

Nobody replied.

“When a cyclone makes landfall, the tree that stands proud gets uprooted, but the grass that bends and lets the storm pass stays strong!” With the last word he pumped his fist. “We’ll rebuild what we come back to and I guarantee, two months from now, we will be even better off than we were before. Did I not already do it once? You don’t think I can do it again?”

Again, silence. All eyes were downcast and thoughtful, excepting Ibuki, who was watching the rest. 

“The Shishigumi will have an even better future ahead of them. This is my full, unbreakable promise to you.” 

Ibuki turned back to look at him, his eyes steady behind his glasses. “I believe you, Boss.” He gave a solemn nod, the rest of the lions now glancing at him. “And you have my full support.”

One by one the rest of the gang agreed, some readily and others more half-heartedly. But eventually, even Agata nodded in silence. His eyes were still blazing, but he seemed at least pacified. 

The deer felt a wave of relief. “Don’t go back to the hideout for now. If you have a friend,  family that you can stay with, go to them. Keep them safe, keep yourselves safe. I’ll need you all in peak condition when this blows over. Understand?”

More nods.

“Meet back at the manor in two days. I’ll have a plan by then.” With that he waved his hand, and the group began to dissipate, the lions keeping their eyes sharp for danger as they rounded corners and made for home. Only Ibuki didn’t leave.

“Boss,” he glanced aside, double-checking the rest had left, “where are you gonna go?”

“I’ve got something I need to do. And I can’t ignore it…” 

But as he spoke, he could see Ibuki’s eyes. The lion wouldn’t be content with such a non-answer. 

“…Do you remember the night the old man died? This guy,” he pointed at Legosi, “fought through everyone to save the rabbit girl?” Ibuki’s eyes narrowed slightly. “She’s also important to me too. But, I didn’t come after her, at least not with Legosi, because I was told to not rock the boat, to just let her go. I didn’t help her when I should have. It was a mistake that I have a chance to correct now.”  He tried to meet Ibuki’s gaze. It was hard, and yet… something inside it, was it pity? Concern? “If you’re going to try to talk me out of it, it’s not going to work.” 

At that, Ibuki gave a light chuckle.  “I can see that. Well, in lieu then… I will go with you.”

“No, no I can’t let you.”

‘“Actually,” he pulled out his gun, ejected the magazine, counted the bullets, popped it back in, “I think you can,”

“No, it’s…” Louis turned. “Legosi, back me up on this!”

The wolf seemed alarmed at finally being asked to speak after the back and forth between Louis and the gang of cats who had tried to murder him previously. “I-I mean, I don’t know what it’s going to be like. So it’d be too dangerous for you to come with us, and… safer if we… go… alone…”

He trailed off as Louis shot him a hateful glare. His greatest tactical error, relying on Legosi for sound rhetoric. Then he looked back up at Ibuki.  “As the boss of the Shishigumi, as your boss, I’m telling you to go home.”

“Oh? Well, as your elder by about…. you’re twenty, right?”

“:…Nineteen.”

“Ah, still almost twice your age. I say, I am coming. It’s the job of old guys like me to make sure young guys like you don’t make any dumb mistakes or, if you do, to make sure you don’t get killed by them.”

“For fuck’s sake! Go home!” 

But Ibuki just slid his hands into his pockets, looking out over the rims of his glasses, his smile cheeky. 

Louis growled, running a hand over his face. The last thing he needed was one of the lions sticking around him. He had been hoping to talk to Legosi, get an outsider’s view, because he had his own plans for the Shishigumi and the Black Market. But if he said a wrong word to the wrong person, it would be his head on a platter.

Literally.

“Okay… if you’re going to come along, at least do what I say, okay? I have an idea on how we can talk our way through this. Legosi… I hope this time the stage doesn’t get to you like it did last time.”

“Huh, what? What do you mean?”

Louis closed his eyes. He was already thinking of what to say, the person he would become. He’d have to do what he did best.

“It’s time to put on a performance for the ages…”

The sunset shone red, as smoke seeped from the streets of the city. By the time Louis and his entourage had picked their way to the station where Vigil was being held, night had already fallen. Along their way, they ran into a teenage bear graffitiing an alleyway with a nonsensical tag. At the first sight of Louis and Ibuki in their suits, and Legosi with his torso bared and fur riled, the cub gasped and sprinted for cover. 

Louis had feared they’d meet more hostile resistance but by now, it seemed the wild mobs had splintered into pairs and trios at the most. The usual nightlife was replaced by a pair of iguanas slipping a couch through a store window, the door broken in; a human with his phone out, recording everything with breathless commentary; a group of teens laughing, too drunk to walk straight, amusing themselves by throwing pebbles at apartments. 

Louis felt the fur on his neck prickle as he heard the sounds of chaos from surrounding blocks. Tires screeching, shouts now and again. The beat of helicopter blades forced them under an awning, and it took a minute to fade again. On occasion they could hear staccato gunfire, or a single shot cracking the air.

An apartment near the center of town threw a massive yellow glare into the night as it burned. Down the road one way they could see a massive tactical van with soldiers wrestling people inside. Two blocks down, the road leading the opposite way was blocked by a burning fire engine.

And then there were the bodies.

Human. Carnivore. Herbivore. Some showed signs of predation. Others slumped against walls or on their bellies, shot. A few bodies had had the decency of at least being covered by a sheet, but the rest hadn’t been attended to yet. Around one corner Louis even found a familiar face: the inquisitor from Ardi, strung up on a noose, hanging from a streetlight. A cardboard sign hung on his chest: ‘I am a TRAITOR to my SPECIES’. 

Louis couldn’t help but gulp. He could sense from Legosi’s constant turning and double-checking that he was on edge, and Ibuki stayed quiet. He couldn’t blame either of them really, it looked like the end of the world out here.

They finally rounded the corner, and saw the police station. Louis gave a sigh, “Okay… you remember the script? The plan?”

“I, I think so…” Legosi stammered. 

“If you get stuck, just defer to me. Ibuki?”

“I remember.” He felt for his gun in his jacket again. 

“Okay…. I don’t know what it’s going to be like in there. Be ready for anything. Play it cool, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, pretend like you do.” With a final breath, he took a step forward.

The sound of the intercom squealing on immediately made him backtrack. 

“This is another call for people who wish to join us, fight with us! Tonight is the birth of the Free State of Cherryton, and the beginning of a new era of equality and liberty for all species! We are in Cherryton Police Department’s First Precinct! We need people who will fight for the freedom of all species! Rise up, and join us!”

Then it clicked off.

Louis listened as the voice echoed between buildings. No, that wasn’t directed at them… he adjusted his suit jacket again. He gave a sigh, the same he did whenever he went on stage. His back straightened, and even if not physically he imagined himself slipping on a mask. 

It was the easiest thing he could imagine doing. 

As he approached the front door of the station, he could see the windows to the outside were shattered. The lobby’s two desks were empty and in disarray, abandoned in a hurry. In the single door leading into the station he could see a flurry of motion through the door. Louis hesitated for a moment, trying to sense an attack. “Legosi, you’ve got a good sense of smell right?”

“Hm? Yeah?”

“How many people do you sense in there?”

The wolf closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. “There’s… two dozen people…” he muttered, “...and there’s… Jack, Haru, Vigil… the rest, I don’t know…” 

Louis nodded, then turned to Ibuki. “Let’s be diplomatic as possible.” Which was code for ‘Keep your gun ready.’ He led them inside, and then opened the door, which had been jammed open with a stop.

A small crowd was watching as two people, each on a ladder, were trying to fit the corners of a flag into the ceiling tiles. Louis could see a few eyes turn their way, one guy elbowing his nearest compatriot and pointing out the newcomers. On the ladders were a pronghorn and a blond haired human boy, respectively. The banner hung horizontally, three stars in a row, but it sagged in the middle.

A human girl called up to them, “Just hang it sideways, it’ll be easier!”

“No! No, it has to be this way. No star above the others, that’s what it means. Hold on…” he reached in, tying the corner to something.

Meanwhile Louis looked around. His sharp eyes immediately found Jack. The human Vigil was beside him, and only coming up to their chest were Haru’s ears. Immediately he relaxed a bit. They weren’t in danger it seemed… he had had awful visions of them being locked up, or tortured, or worse. But, so far everything here seemed to be going okay. He could retool his approach a bit...

“Okay, okay I think that’ll hold! You got it?” The pronghorn flashed a thumbs up. “Awesome! We’re good to go!” The blond boy climbed down the ladder, clearly excitable. He dusted off his hands as he turned around, grinning at everybody. “Now when people show up, the first thing they’ll see… is…” His eyes fell on Louis. His smile faltered. And at that moment, Louis recognized him too. 

Oh this would be harder than he thought.

“Mason?” Louis had to stifle a smirk. “Is this your handiwork then, all this?”

“Our handiwork,” he crossed his arms. At the signal the rest of the crowd suddenly grew colder, realizing that Louis was an unwanted presence. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

“Why so hostile? I thought you were asking new people to come join you.”

“Yeah, what’s the problem?” The girl who had been directing him before seemed confused, even annoyed by Mason’s obstinance.

“We’re looking for people who are going to help fight for all species to be free. This deer,” he pointed, taking a step forward, “is the head of the Shishigumi. He has done nothing but exploit desperate people for cash. My dad’s barely treading water now because of him.” His gaze was stony. “I don’t think he’s here as an ally…”

Louis held his hand out; Ibuki had been reaching for his gun. He needed to keep calm, at least for now. “Your father chose to work with us, Mason. You really want to accuse me of exploiting desperate animals, maybe you should talk about how many dancers—”

“I never said my dad was a saint. Far from it,” Mason scowled. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you still take advantage of him and innocent people every fucking day. I’ve seen it, he sells children, to be eaten, in the Back Alley Market. Don’t you?!”

“Mason—”

“Don’t you?!”

“Mason,” he raised his hands to gesture for calm. A lot of eyes were now being filled with fury as the boy spelled out his crimes. Louis tried to play it cool, but having it thrown in his face like that, it stabbed him in the gut. It was easy to rationalize with himself; it was harder to do it for someone else. “Look, don’t you want to know why I came here in the first place?”

“I can only imagine why. You’re probably scared, know that you’re going to face justice and you want to plead you won’t. I don’t want to hear it. Put them in a cell,” he gestured. 

Legosi immediately panicked, looking about in terror as they started forward — but they recoiled as Ibuki whipped out his pistol. “Lay a hand on the boss and you’re dead!”

“Shit! Fuck!” The gathered group all pressed together. Mason’s face flickered with fear at being held at gunpoint. In a moment he’d gone from being in control to being a frightened kid again. Louis let Ibuki bare his gun a bit longer, before motioning. The lion slowly lowered his weapon.

“I’m a businessman,” he started. “My wares are just different from most other entrepreneurs. But that doesn’t mean I can’t change. Not in a moral sense, mind you. I’m already certain I’ll never convince you of that…” He stepped forward, looking Mason in the eyes. “But if there’s going to be a new government in Cherryton, it’d be stupid of me to not at least try and make friends. Besides, I can always be helpful…”

“Yeah, for a price. What, you wanna be president or something?”

“Can I be allowed to at least finish my offer?” Louis chuckled. “We each have something the other wants. I have guns, I have money, I have cops paid off and in my pocket, I got dozens of businesses under my thumb. I can say a few words and they’ll support you. These are things you need if you want to hold any kind of real power. I’ll put a stop to the worst of the meat trade, that gives you a political win. I’m happy to give you all of that, and my personal loyalty, if, in exchange, I don’t get put on trial.”

Mason scoffed. “I think you’re mistaking us for your cop friends. We’re not going to be bribed. We will not compromise on what we believe in!”. We won’t compromise our ideals!”

A few shouts of agreement aired behind him, but the girl pulled him aside. “Mason, don’t be so stupid about this. We need—”

“Stupid?!” Mason half-whispered. He glanced at Louis, before pulling her aside. The crowd followed them, curious about the conversation. A few uneasy glares swept his way now and then. The only people not turned against him were Jack and Haru, who seemed more shocked than anything. They were whispering to Vigil, probably reveling that this was the first time they’d seen him in months. Louis gave them a nod, then stepped closer to listen to Mason arguing back. “He’s going to stab us in the back! I know it!”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know that! Grace, he’s a monster. If we give him any power then we’re going to be even worse than the Republic!”

“Mason!” she hissed, “In case you didn’t noticed, we don’t exactly have people rushing to help us like you said we would!”

“Yeah, they’re at City Hall. That’s admittedly a bigger priority than us. But once they have that, they’ll meet up with us! Look, there were hundreds of them there, remember? Thousands! They have to have won. And then they spread out, they find us, and we can start coordinating better. If we can just take the city, or even part of the city, and hold out the national guard then we can start making demands.”

“That’s going to require every person we can find, and so far we’ve not found a lot. Look, what if we…”

Her voice lowered, and Louis couldn’t hear any more than muttered debate. He glanced to Ibuki; he had lowered his weapon, but still didn’t trust what was going on. Meanwhile Legosi was focused on Haru. Slowly the wolf began to step around.

“Legosi, no,” Louis grabbed his arm. The wolf just pulled out of his grasp and kept moving. Haru reciprocated. Louis watched the crowd for a reaction, but saw none, so he carefully followed along. Legosi knelt slightly as Haru picked up her pace and then threw her arms around his neck.

“Legosi,” she gasped. Louis could see her fingers digging into his fur. “I was so worried about you, I was trying to text and call but my phone wasn’t getting through!”

“Worried about me?” The wolf drew back, gripping her shoulders. His massive clawed hands were still tender in their grasp. “Your last message, you said you were in danger! I’m just sorry, that I took so long getting here…”

“You’re here now though!” she weakly laughed, clasping his hands in hers. But she was clearly distracted… by Louis. Her eyes trailed to him. “...Where did you find him?”

“Huh?” Legosi turned. “Oh. He, ah, I… on my way here, I—”

“It was a coincidence,” Louis answered. His ear flicked as he heard a pen click in the crowd, the sound of paper being pulled from a printer, and they began moving the coffee machine off of the table it was on. 

“A… coincidence?”

“Yeah… a coincidence.”

Awkward silence filled the air. Haru slowly became angrier. “...And that’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?! I thought you were dead! You didn’t answer my texts, my calls! And…” she glanced back, before whispering, “why are they saying you’re in charge of the Shishigumi?!”

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t think of anything to say, that wouldn’t sound like excuses.

“You… became their leader?” Her face twisted in disgust. Tears beaded in her eyes and her fists balled up. “Do you have any idea what they did to me?! How could you join them?!”

The discussion from the group started to slip at the disturbance unfolding. Louis crouched before her, getting on one knee. “Haru, it’s a complicated story, but the short version was that I had no choice. They wanted me as a mascot basically, to improve their image. I would have been killed if I refused. But I know that everything that the old boss did was horrible. I know what he did to you was horrible. And, I think I’ve been able to actually turn things around a bit.”

But Haru’s face was still hurt and angry. “...Is what they said true though? You’re still hurting people, kids?”

“Not any more. The market was destroyed today, I saw it myself. And when we build it back, it’s going to be better…” He could sense Ibuki’s eyes on his back. “Things are going to change in the market. I promise.”

She still couldn’t look at him. The main group had gone back to their work, whispering furtive demands to each other. Haru’s eyes flashed over to Legosi.

“He’s not part of it. I promise. I mean, do you really think I’d want Legosi to do anything life or death for me?” He smirked a bit, and he could see her face soften at that. “He really did just run into me by chance. He was about to come save you on his own. Figured I’d just help him plan better so he didn’t get shot.” Her eyes fell again. Slowly he lifted a hand to rest on her shoulder, “...I’m really glad to see that you’re okay—”

Haru jerked back before he could touch her. He felt his fingers twitch in surprise, before he let his hand fall. Louis stayed silent as he stood again, glancing across at Jack still staring. The group was starting to break though, and Mason gave a curt gesture.

“Okay, the will of the group here,” he clearly didn’t sound too pleased by the decision, “is that we will accept your support, and agree to not try you.”