Chapter 19

"Well, look at you—a regular knight in shining armor," Haru giggled.

"I-I wouldn't go…th-that far," the lion bashfully replied, pulling a small weed from the soil.

For over half an hour, the two animals had been weeding and watering the plants that began growing since Rob visited the dwarf rabbit last. Haru was wearing an old white t-shirt and the school's red track pants. Rob didn't get a chance to retrieve his own gym clothes, so he settled with removing his shirt once more.

The work was simple enough, so it was easier for conversation to flow between them.

"Come on, you took down a thief faster than even the police probably would've. Pretty heroic, if you ask me."

"Hmm…N-never saw myself as a h-hero," he muttered. "I mean…w-what kind of h-hero would I be a-any—anyway?"

Rob dusted his hands off before turning around towards the last few flower beds when he noticed from the corner of his eye Haru looking intently at his profile.

"U-umm…."

"Hmmm…Oh, right! That superhero," she suddenly exclaimed as she snapped her fingers.

"W-wait, who?"

"It's been bugging me for a while how much the white streaks in your mane reminded me of someone. Now, I know—that lion with the detachable arms from that one hero flick. Mmm, I think it was 'Team RQ,' or something…"

"Y-you mean… th-the 'Remarkable Q-Quartet?'"

"Yeah, them!"

Rob tugged on several strands of his mane, side-glancing at them while making a face. He supposed that his blanched hairs did make him look like Dr. Remarkable, but it didn't really make him feel "super."

At least the streaks are becoming much less prominent and his mane is beginning to return to its original, light-brown hue.

"In any case," the rabbit continued. "I'm glad your date ended on such a high note."

"Y…yeah…"

Rob smiled weakly, but his heart still ached remembering the leopard's face.

All his life, he had made sure to actively control his strength around others, especially with herbivores. And yet, he still hurt two animals while losing almost all control of himself.

"...Hey, are you feeling alright?"

The young lion's ear twitched. He glanced over to Haru whose head was tilted a little with a slightly concerned look in her dark-brown eyes.

"Oh—um…! I…I-I'm okay," Rob hurriedly assured, closing his slightly trembling fingers. "J-just a little c-cramp in m-my han—my hand, is all."

Haru's long ear flicked while not bothering to hide how unconvinced she was of the feline's claims. "*sigh* If you say so... Just make sure to take it easy every now and then."

Rob nodded, and both animals resumed plucking weeds from the young plants in relative silence.

After finishing on their final beds and disposing of the unwanted plants, the pair washed their hands of the dirt at the outdoor faucets.

As the young lion scrubbed the soil from under his nails, he glanced at the dwarf rabbit beside him. He had not paid much attention to Haru's size before, but it had now become plain how tiny she was—especially when compared to Rob's own stature.

The large carnivore stared at his claws being washed over by the running water.

How simple it would be to encircle one of them around her small body, with his thumb and middle fingers touching each other.

He wondered just…how little pressure it would take him to squee—

Paaff!

Rob jumped a little with his tail shooting straight up, startled by the small, almost-hard pat behind his back.

"I think your hands are clean by now," Haru exclaimed in an exasperated tone.

"U-uh, r-r-right…" The young lion grasped his trembling hands under the running water and soon turned off the faucet after a few moments.

As he dried them with a towel, he noticed the dwarf rabbit looking up at him rather seriously with her hands folded.

"You know, if you have something that's bothering you, you could always talk about it. Better than having it all bottled up the way you're doing now."

"U—I-I…! N-no, I just…umm…!" Rob sputtered as he wrung his still-shaking hands.

"*sigh* You said you're prone to panic attacks, didn't you? I doubt I'd be able to stop if you started flailing around like the Indomitable Tank and hurting the little ones we worked so hard to take care of."

The young lion recoiled as his eyes fell upon said "little ones." Haru was never one to mince words—now was no different.

With his claws still trembling, Rob took several deep breaths and began mumbling multiple equations to himself. A moment or so later, he was able to calm himself and then cast his gaze down to the white rabbit, who was waiting patiently for him.

"U-um, see..." the carnivore began. "I-I just…th-that is…"

Haru's ear twitched very slightly as she looked up at Rob, almost without blinking.

"I just…h-haven't been feeling c-comfort—comfortable in my own…f-fur lately."

"Oh?"

He diverted his greenish-gray eyes away a little as he continued. "I've…r-recently hurt some p-people… ph-physically, without m-meaning to. I always t-try really hard to be c-caref—careful, since I'm…s-so big, but…"

Rob's ears drooped slightly as he grasped his forearm, feeling more than a little ashamed. It had become a little difficult and embarrassing to say anymore.

"...Is that all that was bothering you?" Haru asked.

"Hm?"

"I mean, with how rattled you were today, I was expecting something a little more—hmm,how do I put this…? A lot worse?"

Wait, how is almost gravely injuring someone not bad in itself, he wondered while making a face.

"What I mean is, isn't it normal for carnivores to get into fights, anyway?"

"Uhh…I g-guess…? I've…n-never been in a r-real one b-before, though ."

While he spoke, Rob traced the scar on the left side of his muzzle with his finger, wondering if that time even counted as one.

"Hmm, right…You were raised by sheep, now that I think about it."

Haru took a moment to think as she rested her cheek on the palm of her hand. "...Can't say I fully get what it's like to be in your shoes, but I can imagine how hard it must be living as a carnivore...Hmp—! Hmhmhm…!"

"Huh? W-what is it?"

"It's nothing. Just…I wouldn't have seen myself trying to sympathize with a lion three years ago."

Three years ago. That was when Rob first met the young dwarf rabbit—the day he first stumbled into the gardening club getting lost on his way to somewhere else, much to his embarrassment.

"I gotta admit, I was a little scared seeing a bear-sized lion coming through that door, at least until you opened your mouth. You looked so embarrassed and way more nervous than I was— it was just the cutest thing!"

The young lion turned red and grumbled as Haru struggled to stifle her laughter. Either animals feared him or treated him like an adorable little cub. Rarely was it in between those two extremes.

"S-sorry, sorry," she said, finally composing herself after a few more chuckles. "Phew. Anyway, whatever happened, I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"H-how come?"

"Like I said, it's normal. I remember seeing two carnivores from my class literally at each other's throats at the back of the school once. Next day they went back to being best friends, like they never tried to kill each other in the first place."

"...W-wait, so…th-they forgot about their f-fight? Just like th-that?"

Haru nodded before casually making her way towards the more mature flowers further away.

Rob pondered for a bit as he followed her small footsteps. Looking back, both Legoshi and Bill seemed to have recovered rather quickly after what happened during the play. Everything immediately went back to normal between them, though they were still as oil and water.

"Hmm, y-yeah. But, is it…r-really necessary for th-them to get so v-viole—so violent?"

"That's just what carnivores do—they lash out when they're angry, threatened…or when they're hungry...It's just…instinct."

Haru slowed her steps somewhat and began rubbing her left forearm as she spoke, seemingly a little scared…and sad.

"...Uh, w-what's wrong?" Rob asked worriedly.

"...It's nothing," she sighed, lowering her arms and resuming her previous pace. "Anyway, don't let it worry you too much. Out of all the carnivores I've seen, you're definitely the least threatening. Nothing scary about you at all."

The young lion made a very small grunting sound as though he were hit in the gut. Again with the "non-threatening" comments?

"That was a compliment, Robbie! Don't be like that," the white rabbit giggled while grabbing some small shears on the side of a flower bed.

After Rob requested the type of flowers he wanted for today's small bouquet, Haru paused for a moment. "Hmm…sure are a lot of whites and pinks you're asking for today. You really like this tiger girl, don't you?"

"Um—I-I, well—uh, I g-guess…? I…d-don't know yet," the large carnivore stammered while blushing profusely.

"Huh…that's a surprise. The way you talked about your date, it sounded like you really enjoyed being with her."

"Well…y-yeah, but…"

"'But?'"

"Mm, it's j-just…I-I don't know. After…th-the last one, I don't w-want t—want to go into it w-without thinking."

"Hmm…makes sense. She was a piece of work."

Haru then proceeded to carefully cut the bottom stems of the colorless flora, and soon began looking fondly at their petals. "Although…I have a good feeling about this one."

"R-Really? Wh-what makes you say…th-that?"

"Hmhmhm, these little ones tell me so. This Lily…seems like a really nice girl."

The young lion glanced at the flowers that the young herbivore was gingerly gathering together. He had purposely chosen not to include any red or vivid colors representing any declaration of love or passion. However, the bouquet revealed how he had nothing but good, tender feelings towards the young tigress.

"Alright…there we go." Haru carefully wrapped the modest bouquet in simple-patterned paper and then presented it to Rob.

"Th-thank so much, H-Haru...They're as b-beautiful as al—"

The young lion paused suddenly, noticing that a few flowers bore red and pink petals. "Wha—h-hold on! I said I-I wanted—"

"Come on, Robbie. You're not going to get far with any girl if you don't take the initiative," she said with a knowing smirk. "And a girl like her is hard to come by. Go on, no dragging your feet now."

Rob flushed slightly and grumbled a bit. He knew he couldn't be so wishy-washy about his relationship with others, especially with Lily.

With a sigh of resignation, he finally received the bouquet. "R-right…thanks."

Looks like everyone thinks we'd be good together…

Both animals soon changed back into their summer uniforms and then decided to go downstairs together. They chatted for a bit while going down the steps, until Haru huffed a tiny sigh as her brow furrowed.

"Hmm? I-Is everything alright?" Rob asked after reaching the bottom step.

"Bend down." The dwarf rabbit beckoned him with her index finger, wanting him to kneel down to her level. A bit confused, Rob did as he was asked.

She then carefully began straightening the collar of his blue short-sleeved shirt which he suddenly noticed was still upturned.

"Honestly, Rob, You gotta take a little more pride in your appearance."

"H-Haru…c-c'mon…"

"No whining now…there." The little herbivore gave a relieved and satisfied expression towards the slightly-embarrassed hybrid.

"Aw, don't don't give me that look. I'm just trying to look out for you." She then began patting the top of his head on her tiptoes as Rob grumbled once more.

"Heh, well anyways, I've got some things to take care of before our Biology time. Take care…and good luck," Haru bade with a wink before turning heel and trotting away.

"Um, y-yeah. B-Bye, Haru." The young lion gave a small bow towards the rabbit and proceeded walking the other direction. Turning the corner, he found himself almost bumping into another animal who let out a small yelp.

"O-oh, s-sorry about that! A-a-are you hurt?" he frantically asked the female sheep, whom he recognized to be a brown desert bighorn.

"Um, n-no—! I mean, yes!? I—" The ewe shifted her feet as her whole body quaked.

"U—I-If you're injured…I can t-take you to th—"

"I'M SORRY!!!" The frightened herbivore immediately bolted down the hall in the opposite direction as soon as Rob started reaching out with his hand.

His ears drooped slightly as he began staring at his claws once more. It seemed… the number of those that feared him still outstripped the ones that see him as a harmless child.

He didn't like either treatment, but it was definitely far less painful having a tiny rabbit mothering him…

...

Biology Day.

It was a time set apart every two days for all animals at Cherryton to spend approximately one hour inside special rooms—ones with environments tailored towards specific families and species.

It's meant to be a period for students to decompress and relax in more "natural" settings, but the young lion did not enjoy as much as he should. Sure, the warm and breezy grassland within the room was extremely comforting, but he still felt out-of-place…and a little lonely at times.

Even as the announcement was made from the intercom for everyone to make their way to the biology rooms within five minutes, Rob dragged his feet somewhat as other animals passed by. He knew it couldn't be helped since it was a mandatory thing.

Turning the corner, the young hybrid's clear eyes soon met with Legoshi's, who was walking in the same direction.

"O-oh…Rob. Hey there," the wolf greeted quietly.

"Ah, L-Legoshi. You…h-heading this way, too?"

"Er, yeah…actually. Uh, you wanna…?"

Rob smiled a bit as he watched the gray wolf sheepishly scratch the back of his head. "S-Sure. I would...l-like the company."

With that, the two carnivores slowly sauntered down the hall.

There were several stares from the other students, but Legoshi and Rob paid them no mind as they spoke to one another. There wasn't anything special with their short conversation: mostly simply pleasantries, how their day was going, and about some of the Drama club's plans for the upcoming Meteor Festival. Very innocuous subjects, to say the least, and yet they both seemed happy and relaxed as they conversed.

Perhaps it was due to the wolf's quiet personality meshing so well with the young lion's easy going nature. At least, that was what Rob was guessing.

After a few minutes, he began hearing what sounded like someone...sniffing?

Turning his gaze sideways, Rob flinched when he found the gray wolf's nose a few inches from his shirt.

"OH—! S-Sorr—I'm so sorry!" Legoshi sputtered as he quickly stepped away, a little embarrassed.

"Um—N-n-no! I-It's okay," the young lion replied, equally flustered. "Do I...s-smell bad?"

"No! Y-you smell fine! Really nice, in fa–I mean, yeah…!" The young canine sighed as he averted his eyes. "Sorry...I smelled something...familiar on you, and…"

"Hm? L-Like what?"

"Er, well...flowers? Soil...and, um…"

"F-Flow–O-Oh, that! Wow...I-I'm surprised you can s-still smell all th-tha–all that on me," Rob said, thoroughly impressed. "Y-Yeah, I was...h-helping take care of p-plants at the g-gardeni—gardening club, so—"

Legoshi's ears shot straight up while his eyes grew larger. "A–! With Haru!?"

"H-Huh!? Uh, y-y-yes? You...kn-know her?

The canine recoiled somewhat as he began fidgeting and then stared at the ground. "Um...y-yeah...we, er, met. About a month ago, I think…"

"Oh, I-I see. I guess she is r-really good at making f-friends, even with...c-carnivores."

"Mm, r-right…"

Legoshi kept his gaze fixed on the ground and began to flush slightly, which made Rob tilt his head curiously.

"A-Anyway…! You knew Haru for a long time?" he said quickly.

"Oh, y-yeah. I-I've been helping with h-her garden...s-since our f-freshman year. Sh-she'd even give me f-flower as p-paym–payment sometimes."

"Huh. So, that's it…" His body began to relax as he regained eye contact with Rob.

Why did he get so worked up, he briefly wondered to himself.

"Uhh...s-so, how'd y-you two...m-meet?"

Once again, the gray wolf's body became rigid as his tail shot straight up. "Urrr–wel–We, uh, w-we–!"

"Legoshiiiii!"

The two carnivores swerved their heads towards the bright and cheerful call from down the hall. It turned out to have belonged to a very pretty, female gray wolf trotting towards them–though her fur was curlier and brown compared to Legoshi's.

"O-oh…! Juno."

"It's good to see you again!" Juno exclaimed rather blithely.

"R-right…good to see you, too. Though, didn't we…already see each other during club?"

The young female paid no mind to Legoshi's awkward greeting as her blue eyes remained riveted towards his face, with her tail swishing lightly back and forth.

She has the same exact look in her eyes as Lily, Rob observed.

"Hm? Oh, hello," Juno greeted the young lion, noticing his gaze. "You're Rob, right?"

"U-um, yes…th-that's right. And y-you're the newest m-member of the d-danc—dance team. U—, n-nice to meet you, er, J-Juno." He then gave her a deep bow afterwards.

"Hehehe! Please, you don't have to be so formal, especially to a first-year like me."

"Y-yeah…"

"Still…it's good to see that all those nasty rumors seem to be totally wrong, especially since you're Legoshi's friend."

"R-Rumors…?"

Juno simply shook her head as she smiled. "It's not important. Anyway, I hope we can be friends, too!"

"Er...r-right. S-same here."

With one more sweet smile, the female gray wolf gently grasped Legoshi's wrist, startling him a little bit. "C'mon, we better get going."

"H-Hey…you don't have to—"

"We'll see you soon, Rob!"

Juno pulled the young male canine with her down the hall, with Rob waving somewhat awkwardly at the pair.

They certainly do look good together. But, it didn't seem like Legoshi was very enthused about having her head-over-heels for him.

Hope he'll be okay, he thought as he watched the awkward canine drag his feet slightly.

...

Inside the lions' room, Rob spent his time catching up on a novel from his literature class. It's definitely not his favorite thing to do, but keeps him busy during the hour.

Throughout the miniature grassland, many young lions congregated in their own little groups. Some were chatting amongst themselves, others were taking naps, and some had couples that were either flirting or making out. The young hybrid made sure to remove himself further away from the latter groups, especially a certain couple.

Rob had never been a part of any group within the biology room, however. Even though he was three-quarters lion, he never really did fit in with his peers. He was never bullied or ridiculed him—at least, not after he began middle school and went through his growth spurt—but no one really went out of their way to befriend him, either.

It was nothing he wasn't used to, though. Still, it was much more bearable before the incident with Tem. Now people would actively try and ignore him completely…

No, don't worry about that now! You still have twenty minutes left before biology day's over, the young lion thought to himself as he shook his head. He tried his best to refocus on the stanza of the epic poem he was just reading, convoluted as it was to him.

"Hey, you!"

Rob's ear twitched as raised his head, a bit perplexed.

"Over here, big guy!"

"H-Huh?"

He turned to see a Congo lion with a whitish-gold mane waving to him.

The young hybrid pointed to himself, asking if the other big cat was referring to him.

"Yeah, you! C'mon over here!" the Congo lion exclaimed.

Rob wasn't sure what he was being called over for, but he carefully set his book to the side and began tentatively towards him and the small group he was sitting with.

As he came closer, he found his red-maned roommate to be among them and waving somewhat sheepishly at him.

"L-Lorde…? Um…uh, m-may I help…y-you?"

"Holy %@#! He's even bigger up close!"

Rob flinched from the loud outburst of the Asiatic lion with a thinner mane sitting next to Lorde.

"For real! And d*mn, those arms are huge…!" said a second Asiatic lion.

At this point, the young liliger was already fidgeting and twiddling his claws, not knowing what to make of the attention he was given.

"Alright, settle down, guys," the first lion laughed. "So, you're the infamous Rob, huh?"

"H-Huh? Er…y-y-yes…?"

Hm, great to finally meetcha." The gold-maned lion then amicably grabbed Lorde's shoulders as he grinned. "This dork here's been tellin' me you've been rooming together since middle school, and only just said so today!"

"Hehe…heh, must've slipped my mind," Lorde said, uncharacteristically bashful.

"Um…"

"Oh, my bad! Forgot to tell ya who we are! Name's Richard, but you can just call me 'Richie,'" he said proudly. "Those guys over there are Ludo and Tyson. Older and younger brothers"

"Yo!" "'Sup, man?"

The young hybrid politely bowed his head in greeting them, though he was still confused as to why he was called over in the first place.

"I saw what you did the other day," Richard exclaimed with a knowing grin.

"H-Huh?"

"You were the guy that took down that leopard in the streets, right?"

"U—! Wha—y-y-you saw?" Now Rob was feeling really ashamed and embarrassed. This was the second time someone has witnessed him not acting himself. Oh, why did he feel the need to play the hero…?

"Gotta say, that was $#@% incredible!"

"W-wait…what?"

"You heard me! That other cat was going pretty fast and you pinned him in seconds! Man, I only wished I recorded that!"

Now the young carnivore was perplexed. Was he…actually being praised for what he did.

"Yeah, Richie wouldn't shut up about it! And hardly anything impresses him. Right, Ty?"

The other thin-maned lion nodded affirmatively to his friend.

"So, yeah. I realized you're a lot tougher than I thought, and I just knew I gotta meetcha!"

Rob wasn't sure what to make of what was happening right now. Not only was he being showered with admiration, but other lions actually wanted to get to know him? It was a very strange feeling indeed. And yet…it was also welcoming.

"Hey, don't just stand there, bruh. Come sit with us!"

As the golden lion beckoned him over, Rob turned to his red-maned roommate, who shrugged as he smiled weakly. Using that as a possible signal of approval, the young liliger carefully sat himself down amongst the small group.

"So, tell me: what do you take to get that swole?"

"Wha? I d-don't take anyth-thing. I just…w-workout and, er, eat a l-lot…"

"Duuuude…and you still have those tree-trunk arms…!?" said one of the Asiatic brothers. "What, you half-bear or something?"

Rob shook his head furiously. "N-no, no! I'm j-just…one-quarter t-t-tiger."

Everyone save Lorde was astounded and excited by this.

"Part lion and tiger!? @%$#, this just keeps getting better and better!"

It was strange. Not once in his six years at his school has another big cat shown this much interest and fascination in him—besides several females. It was also his first time actually sitting with a specific group during biology day.

And yet, it felt so comforting and natural being amongst his own species

Rob then suddenly recalled Louis' words to him: "Unlike most felines, lions tend to thrive best within tight-knit groups. You can learn a thing or two in such a setting…"

Right…maybe this was what the red deer was talking about, he thought.

Perhaps…he truly can belong in a "pride…"

With that thought, the young hybrid felt his black lips curve into a small smile…

Author's Note

I'm baaaaaaack! Did you miss me?

So sorry for the long hiatus! But, don't worry: I'm not through with Robbie's story just yet! Especially with season 2 of Beastars already out.

Hope you're excited as I am for how things will shape up with him next! :D