Chapter 94 - The Best Laid Plans of Deer and Men Pt. I

Despite Louis falling asleep last, he still woke up first, seeing the room brightened by the morning light. He sighed and looked to his right, seeing Legosi there. He observed his face and the bandages on it. "Oh...thank god you didn't have to lose an eye...Imagine if we both had to wear eyepatches...It would be ridiculous at that point."

Legosi was still snoring softly, looking peaceful despite his injuries.

The deer leaned over and kissed his sleeping fiance's cheek. "Legosi...Leeeegoooosi~"

Air whistled out of the wolf's nose. He tightened his grip around the him as his tongue poked out of his mouth.

Louis leaned forward and poked the tip of his tongue on Legosi's lightly. "Legosi~"

"Mmph." The canine's visible eye peeled open slowly. It scanned the room before finally landing on Louis. "...bleh..."

His lover's ears perked up. "Hey." The smile was clear in his voice.

"Ugh." Legosi reached up and pulled off the bandage on his right eye, revealing the fresh scar he received last night. The eye itself was fine, though, as Gouhin said.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling...better. We'll go with that."

"Do you remember what happened?"

Legosi squinted. "Uh...I was...on the way back from my old room...with the medicine. I heard something...and then something hit my head. That's all I remember..."

"We...know who did this to you."

The wolf's eyes went wide. "Wha? Who was it?"

"You promise you'll stay calm?" He made sure to keep rubbing his chest gently.

The dog blinked slowly. "Is it...is it the murderer?"

"It is."

Louis could feel his partner's heart rate speed up beneath his chest.

"I won't tell you until you're ready."

Legosi nodded, taking a few deep breaths, ignoring the pain in his chest. He closed his eyes. "Okay...I'm ready."

"It was Riz."

The wolf breathed out slowly. "...Dammit. I really messed up..."

"Messed up?"

"When I went to get the medicine during lunch...I went to the cafeteria and talked to some of the drama club carnivores about the murder to see if one of them would seem suspicious. None of them really did, but I did mention my stuffed nose to Riz. That must be how he snuck up on me..."

"You...did? I thought you were just getting the medicine and coming back."

"I know...I lied to you. You went out with Pina to do some investigating so...I thought I should do some." Legosi rolled on his side and hugged him. "But I just ended up getting hurt and worrying you. I'm sorry."

"You know what? You're safe now. And with me. And Riz doesn't know we know. It's the perfect setup to get him. We can avenge Tem and Els and stop all of this..."

"But what should we do?"

"I've been thinking about that. We've seen enough movies and I doubt Riz is smart enough to figure out what we're doing. I have a plan."

"Mm?" Legosi's ears twitched. "What is it?"

"We bait him. Classic strategy. We use either Pina or me and one of us goes out at night and when he comes out to get whoever's out there, that's when we get him. We might have to tip him off again, somehow."

Legosi cocked his head. "I guess...you'd just have to ask him about the two murders. That seemed to do it for me..."

"Whichever one of us is the bait, that is. Pina has his bat and I have my gun. We can discuss it further with...Oh. Wait. Bill said they wouldn't be doing this anymore. I'll text Pina and ask him if that's still the case."

Legosi laid his head back, feeling too exhausted to feel any strong emotions about the situation. "We need to be careful...but you know that..."

"Of course I do. I'll call him in a bit, unless you want me to call him now."

"Well...can you help me up to go to the bathroom?"

"Okay." He moved to get up off the bed, reaching down for his underwear.

The wolf looked down and got a face full of deer butt. "Wh-wh...you were naked?"

"Yeah. Of course I was."

Legosi opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. He figured he couldn't argue with that. He slowly inched himself to the edge of the bed until he was in a sitting position. His entire body still ached, but it was better than last night.

"Should I get dressed for the day?" Louis asked.

The wolf tentatively put his large feet on the cold tile floor, testing for pain. "Well, are we going back home today?"

"It's only been a day."

"Yeah...but it's dangerous here for you."

"But we're safe here."

Legosi looked away. "If Gouhin-san lets us stay..."

"I think he's requiring you to stay." He took a moment. "You seem sad."

The dog's ears perked before he smiled, slightly. "Oh, it's just the pain." He leaned his body down before extending his legs, standing shakily. Immediately, a hand went to his head as he wobbled.

Louis went by his side, quickly, still undressed. "Agh...I'm worried about you."

"J-just dizzy. I'm going to try to walk." Legosi took a few breaths and hobbled forward with a noticeable limp.

Louis put a hand on his back. "Just don't move anymore until I get dressed."

"Okay..." Legosi wobbled a bit, looking out the window only to be greeted by the view of a brick wall.

The deer got dressed quickly and then went back to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "I'm not hurting you?"

Legosi shook his head. "We just have to find the bathroom now."

The herbivore laughed and took him out of the room. "Can't be hard to find."

"If Gouhin-san is around, he can show us..."

The cervid turned his head this way and that. He moved to the wall. "Lean against this. He might be in his office."

The patient did as was instructed. The modest clinic was eerily quiet. The black market must not have been very active in the morning.

Louis went to the room he had found the panda in previously, knocking.

The building remained as silent as it was before.

"Hello? Gouhin?"

There was no response. Legosi began to slide along the wall, trying to make his way to one of the doorways.

Louis sighed and decided to begin looking around, opening the various doors around the clinic.

The deer grabbed it and kept opening the doors around. "It can't be that hard to find—" His voice cut off as soon as he opened a door and saw a wall full of photos.

Legosi flinched, recognizing the room instantly. "O-oh, we don't want to go in here."

Louis pushed the door open and stepped in anyway, looking at the wall and all the pictures. There were many pictures, all of carnivores in poor conditions, some scratched up, some missing limbs, some missing patches of fur.

"H-hun, please." Legosi stayed in the doorway, reaching his hand out.

"Does...does he do this?"

"Th-that's what carnivores do to themselves when they eat a herbivore...he told me."

"He also gave you a black eye..."

"Well, yeah...but that's because I yelled at him..."

"This isn't right..."

"What isn't?"

"Taking pictures of poor carnivores like this. Why does he do it?" He kept looking at all of the photos, one by one.

"They're his patients, I guess. He has to...document them?"

Louis gasped lightly as he came across the picture of his wolf in a muzzle and chains, looking pathetic. "What are you doing here? You don't belong here."

Legosi shut his eyes. "W-well Gouhin-san considered me his patient...I guess I am again...bit in a different way."

"But you don't belong on this wall. You said you didn't eat any meat, right?"

"Yeah...but at the time I was really struggling," his fiance answered.

Louis plucked the image off the wall. "Well, you don't belong here anymore."

Legosi simply watched, wondering if Gouhin would even notice its absence on the wall.

The deer folded it and put it in his pocket. "Hm..." He kept looking at all the pictures.

The carnivore whined quietly. "Louis...please, let's just go..."

His fiance sighed and left back the way they came.

They continued around the hall, finally finding the bathroom. "You take your time in there, I'm going to call Pina."

Legosi nodded, passing through the doorway into the small bathroom and closing the door behind him. He immediately turned on the light and walked over to the mirror, gazing upon his roughed up visage. The scar on his eye was quite noticeable and fresh, three lines slashing upward into his forehead. His left ear was still wrapped up, as was his head. His eyes were even more sunken in than usual. He sighed and walked over to the toilet to do his business.

Louis pulled out his phone outside and called the sheep, waiting for him to answer on the other side.

The call was almost immediately rejected, followed by a text from Pina.

Pina: im in class u walnut

Louis: Oh. I shouldn't bother you, then.

Pina: i mean if its an emergency ill slip out but otherwise ill call u

Louis: It's not, just wanted to talk about Riz.

The sheep didn't respond to that, understandably. It wasn't too long after when Legosi exited the bathroom, the bandage on his ear now removed, his new scars now all revealed. He looked down at the deer with a tired expression, as if expecting him to say something.

Louis immediately carried a sad gaze. "...Your ear..."

The wolf just nodded sadly. "I can still hear out of it...at least."

"And those scars above your eye..."

"My fur might grow over it..."

"It's strange...You getting hurt by him just makes me want to get him more."

Legosi scratched at the bandage that was still around his head. "W-well I don't think that's too strange...but we have to be even more careful now."

"I texted Pina but he's in class, so hopefully he gets back to me soon."

The wolf just nodded again. "Guess we should wait for Gouhin-san to make us breakfast."

"Let me take you back to your room." He put an arm around him and they returned to the room. "I'm so pumped up, even if I'm not showing it. All this time, it was Riz...Can you believe it?"

The large animal felt something primal within him, but between the injuries and the pain meds wearing off, he couldn't act on them yet. "I...I'm really mad..."

"I...I know."

Legosi crawled back into the bed, laying his head down and sighing.

Louis sat down and tried massaging his shoulders.

"I wonder when he's getting back. How long are we going to have to stay here?" The impatience in the wolf's voice was starting to push through.

"I mean...you were almost killed."

"But what if Riz attacks someone else! Or if he runs away!"

"He doesn't know we know, remember!"

"But he knows we're engaged! You're in danger too!"

"What?"

"He'll know we talked about it! He knows how close we are!" Legosi slowly felt himself get more heated.

"Then wouldn't it make more sense for us to stay here?"

"But who's going to bring him to justice?"

"We are."

Legosi grumbled. "I guess he wouldn't expect Pina..."

"No, we just have to wait for him to call and see what he says. Don't worry."

The canine grumbled again, his fur beginning to fluff up.

Louis continued to massage his shoulders, softly. "Too bad we aren't at home or I could give your whole body a massage. He'll probably be here at any moment though. Don't want to take any risks."

"Isn't that another reason we should leave this place soon?"

"For a massage? Legosi."

Legosi rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, I'm not even mad that I could have died, I'm more angry at how inconvenient this attack was..."

"Inconvenient?"

"Having to take time to recover...not being able to get grandpa to sign that dropping out document..." A deep, heavy sigh formed from the canine's chest. "What if I can't get that job now?"

"Of course you can!"

"Wh-who would want to hire a big, scary carnivore with a scarred up eye and half an ear missing! I'll scare everyone!" the wolf argued.

"Animals like you need jobs, too! They hired Gosha and he has his venom issue."

"Yeah but he works in construction, not with the public, like I'd be doing!" Legosi's big hands mushed up his face as he groaned.

"I'm sure it will be fine. So you had an accident. Isn't it illegal to discriminate against workers with disabilities? You can't not hire someone because of a few scars."

Legosi's breathing slowed down, and his hands lowered to his sides. "I guess so..."

Louis kept massaging, gently. "You'll be fine. Just like you are now. And no matter what, I'll be with you."

Finally, that smile the deer loved so much crept onto the wolf's face. "...Thanks, hon..."

The buck nodded. "And when the doctor gets back, we'll ask him how long he wants you to be here."

Legosi reached up and snagged an antler gently. "Okay."

Louis leaned down a bit. "Uh...yes?"

"Mmm...you're so lovely."

The deer blushed. "Eheh..."

A door opening and closing was heard outside their room, followed by the stomping of boots, jingle of keys, and the rustle of plastic bags.

Louis turned his head at the noise. "That must be him."

Legosi's stomach grumbled. "Ask him for food."

The deer left the room and found the panda just coming into the clinic. "Good morning, sir."

Gouhin looked over his shoulder at the deer, cigarette lit in his mouth. "...Mornin'." The panda went to work moving the plastic bags into the kitchen area. "How's he doin'?"

"He's doing good. We just have a few questions when you have time."

Gouhin unloaded the groceries into the cabinets. "Of course. I need to check up on him after I'm done here, anyway."

"Perfect. He's also curious about food, as always."

"You know what he likes? You can make it. Just don't break anything." Gouhin sidestepped past the deer and plodded off.

"Oh. Okay." Louis stood for a moment, thinking about what to make. He went to the kitchen, deciding to see what the bear had.

Meanwhile, Gouhin had entered the room he had given the two sudden newcomers. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this wolf was romantically involved with that deer. The kid he had met months ago was a hopeless wreck.

Legosi looked up. "Good morning, Gouhin-san."

Gouhin smiled. "That already sounds better than last night! Any memory issues?"

Legosi looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. "I remember everything I can remember, I think."

"Good." Gouhin reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a few instruments. "Just one more checkup and I should be able to tell you what's goin' on."

It's a standard checkup, and Gouhin chastises the wolf for removing some of his bandages on his own. In the end, he deduces that Legosi is recovering on track. "I want you to stay here until tomorrow morning, just in case." The metal drawers shut loudly as the doctor returned his equipment. "I have some appointments in the afternoon and evening, so I'd prefer it if you and your boyfriend stayed put in here, alright?"

Legosi jumped slightly, feeling hot suddenly. "O-okay..."

Gouhin turned around and leaned against the drawers, arms crossed. Legosi stared at him for a moment. "Um...do you need anything, Gouhin-san?"

The bear motioned his head toward the door. "He's makin' you your breakfast. He said you both have questions for me so I'm waitin'. That is, unless he takes too long. You could speed things along and ask any questions you might have."

Legosi scanned his head, but aside from how long he had to stay there, nothing else came to mind. He shook his head, but then immediately remembered something. "O-oh, wait! What happened to my clothes?"

Gouhin made an amused huffing sound. "Oh, I gave 'em in the wash, but I don't know if you'll want them back."

"Th-the scarf!" Legosi was sitting up in his bed now, despite the dull ache in his skull.

"Oh, that thing was soaked in blood. I don't think you want it back."

The wolf looked forward, the feeling of tears stinging his eyes. The day he and Louis went out to buy those scarves played in his head.

After a few minutes, the deer entered the room with a tray of a simple breakfast. "He didn't have much."

Legosi quickly wiped his eyes and saw what his mate was bringing him. An egg sandwich, just like last night, along with some orange slices and a glass of water.

"All the food I have in there is for my patients. I pretty much just eat bamboo." Gouhin revealed, nonchalantly.

Louis brought the tray over and set it on his partner's lap.

"Thank you." The wolf leaned up to give him a kiss, but his mate was too far away.

Louis nodded. "Yep."

Legosi leaned back down once he realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted. He looked down at the tray and took an orange slice, slipping it into his mouth and sucking all the juice out.

"So how long will he have to stay here?" Louis asked.

The canine let the orange slice fall out of his mouth as he answered for Gouhin. "Tomorrow morning. Gouhin-san will do another checkup then."

The doctor shrugged. "What he said."

"Oh good. What are the restrictions?" Louis queried.

"Well, looking over everything, I'd say even when he gets back he'll need a lot of bedrest. No goin' to class or nothin'. I'll give you guys a paper with breathing exercises on 'em for his ribs, but seeing how he's doin' now makes me think it wasn't as bad as I thought it was last night. His scar and ear wound should be kept clean...really the most important thing would be to avoid strenuous activity."

"Ok." So we'll have to wait...

"Any more questions, Louis?" Gouhin questioned.

"Can you tell me about ursids?"

The large herbivore was taken aback. "Wh-what? You didn't learn enough in biology class?"

"No, I did. Even more as a future Beastar...But...Tell me more."

Gouhin scowled. "Specify! There's a lot about bears!"

"Their strengths and weaknesses."

The bear's eye narrowed. Or at least, it looked like it might have. "What're you plannin'?"

"Justice."

"Police work just fine."

"I wish that were true. They haven't done shit."

Legosi finished wolfing down his sandwich. "And this is personal now...Riz was our friend and club member...but he's killed two of our other clubmates. I want to see to this, personally." The dog's voice turned calmly dark at the end, leaving the doctor to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I should just call the fuckin' police right now. Of course, they don't come round these parts."

"You don't think we would have fucking done that already?" Louis almost snapped.

"I think you're some stupid fuckin' kids is what I think! You almost got killed and you're already thinkin' of fighting an animal that's naturally stronger than you!"

"Yes, because we want to prevent other animals from being killed!"

Gouhin said nothing, just standing there and looking off into the corner.

Legosi quietly ate his other orange slices.

"So tell me," Louis demanded.

The panda continued to stare at nothing. "...if it comes to blows..." He faced them and pointed at his round nose. "Hit 'em here. A bear's biggest weakness. Try it on me and I'll gut you."

"I don't want to hurt you," the deer sighed.

"You're not the one doin' the punching. And Legosi won't be either. He's in no condition for this. Maybe your big tiger friend, but I heard him saying he wants no part in this." Gouhin pushed off the counter and began to pace. "What do you know about this bear?"

"He's a grizzly bear.", Legosi offered. "He...was always very kind and caring. Quiet." He clenched his fists.

"Yeah..." the other young animal nodded.

"So, what's your plan?" the panda tilted his head.

"We don't want to kill him. But...my plan is one of us herbivores act as bait and then we get him when he comes out."

"Okay. Then what?" Gouhin had stopped pacing at this point, standing with his feet apart and arms crossed.

"Then we turn him in!"

The doctor stared incredulously at the deer. "Dontcha think you missed a step or two in the middle of that?"

"Well, didn't the 'get him' part cover that?"

"Details! How are you going to get him? This student is easily stronger than anyone in your entourage!"

"I'll have a gun...Pina has a bat with nails..."

If Gouhin had been drinking something, he would have done a spit take. "G-gun? Didn't say anythin' 'bout a gun!"

"He has one," Legosi stated, calmly.

"Exactly," the cervid nodded.

"On a school campus?" The poor panda looked like he was sprouting gray furs in real time.

"I guess so..."

Gouhin groaned again. "Know what? I ain't gettin' involved in this. I know I can't talk sense into you guys and you'll just go through with it, anyway. I gotta get started on my work for the day. Seeya." The bear disappeared into the hall, faster than one might assume for his size.

Louis frowned. "This is pretty complicated..."

"What is?" Legosi asked, sipping his water.

"Planning all of this...and Pina still hasn't called."

"He will. He's still dedicated to this," the wolf assured. "Oh yeah, Gouhin-san said we need to stay in this room later when he has appointments with his patients."

"Fine with me. We can be alone."

Legosi looked around. "Nothing in here but ourselves..."

"Yeah..."

The dog placed the empty tray on the floor and scooched over.

Louis sighed, smiling at the ground.

Legosi cleared his throat, looking at the empty spot next to him, but the deer wasn't getting his signals.

Slowly, his mate raised his arms up, invitingly.

Now, the buck got it, going into them. "Just us," he repeated.

Legosi embraced him with his large wolf arms. "Now I really can't wait until this is all over."

Louis leaned his head back against him. "And why's that? I mean, after this we have to leave..."

"I just want to start my life with you."

"As wonderful as that would be, it takes planning and money."

"I'll get my job!" Legosi said, proudly.

"Yes, you will," Louis scratched behind his ear. "And we'll find a nice place where we can be alone every night." At that moment, his phone rang. The deer quickly pulled it out. "Hello?"

Pina's voice came through the other end. "What's going on?"

"I have a plan. Are you still in?"

"Always and forever, deer. What's up?"

"What about Bill? Is he...still in?"

"Bill is out past the orbit of Neptune," Pina stated, with a humorless laugh.

"Ah...So...we can't rely on his strength for this one, and Legosi shouldn't really be fighting. But...we have a job to do, so we're gonna do it, huh?"

"You know it," Pina affirmed, "Did your plan involve Bill?"

"I don't think so. We know what a bear's weakness is now. My plan is one of us acts as bait to lure him out. He's not that smart, obviously, because he left Legosi in a shed at school, so I'm sure he'll fall for it. Then, we just need to incapacitate him and tie him up, or something."

"Hm, I don't know Riz-senpai well enough. Do we know why he attacked Legosi?"

"Apparently, he got tipped off when Legosi asked about the murder during lunch..."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, as well as from the wolf next to Louis, whose ears folded back. Finally, the sheep spoke. "Well, okay! Guess we know how to set the bait."

"What do you mean?"

"One of us does what Legosi did and then walks outside at night in a remote area. Boom! Instant bear."

"Sounds easy enough. We just need to knock him out somehow..."

"Or we wait until Legosi feels better," Pina suggested. "How's he doing?"

Louis put it on speaker. "How are you doing, Legosi?"

"I can leave tomorrow if my checkup is good." The wolf's tail thumped lightly.

"See? So, he's doing great. Though, it's sad that he has the scars and he's missing a chunk of his ear..." Louis' ears went back as he said this.

"I dunno, scars are sexy," Pina assured.

Louis pinched Legosi's cheek. "He's still my big strong wolf. Anyway, should we wait until he's better, or risk it?"

"That sounds like more of a 'you guys' thing than me. I'll be ready to roll whenever you are. Just need more refinement on the plan when we do. I think your gun will make things a bit easy, though."

"I just have to make sure I'm close enough so I don't miss, though, a gunshot at school..."

Pina cleared his throat. "I mean...I thought we might hold him up, or something..."

"Hold him up?"

"Yeah, like, 'freeze! hands were I can see them!', y'know?"

"Oh, that makes way more sense."

"...Yeah. Anyway, I gotta go. Talk when you guys get back?"

"See you tomorrow."

Legosi looked down as Louis ended the call. He was clawing at the covers.

The deer looked to him. "What's wrong? Careful, don't rip that."

The dog let go of the blanket and laid his fingers flat on it. "I...feel weird about just pointing a gun at Riz until he gives up."

"It will end it quickly. Doesn't that make you happy?"

The wolf growled a bit as he answered. "It should. But I feel like...it needs to be more personal. What he did was unforgivable!"

"I...I know. But you're in no shape to fight him."

"Not now..."

"So, let's just finish this before he hurts anyone else."

Legosi sighed. "Okay. What should we do for the rest of the day, then?"

"Your choice. You're the patient."

Thr large animal looked around the room for probably the fifth time. "Doesn't seem like there's anything in here..."

"I guess we can nap. I mean, when do we ever get to just lie around all day?"

The wolf laid his head back, his already matted fur bunching up on the pillow. "Well...I could probably go back to sleep. I don't know about you. You might get bored."

"I'll sleep with you and prepare for what's ahead." Louis laid down once more.

"Okay." Legosi couldn't help but smile since his lover was next to him, once again.

The deer curled up and shut his eyes. Soon, this would all be behind them.

Soon.