Chapter 2: Acting to save face in the eyes of our peers
"Papa! Please, Papa, get up!"
"Sweetie, it's not safe here. You need to leave. Now."
"But Mama! You could get-"
"It's ok Dan. Mama can handle this."
"But-"
"Make sure to keep your fur clean, ok? For Mama?"
And she smiled at him.
That damned smile.
"MAMA!"
...
Dan shot up from his bed in a cold sweat. His fur was matted and unkempt, as if it had been through a typhoon.
That again, huh?
Dan looked around in the dark room, scanning for any signs of movement. Silence.
Thank god I didn't wake anyone. That would've been hard to explain…
The wolf lifted himself off of his mattress and shimmied to the washroom silently, not making a peep for fear of waking his roommates.
God. Is that really me?
Dan stared at his reflection morosely. His eyes were bloodshot, his hands and knees were shaky and barely holding him, he was soaked in his own sweat, and his fur…
Why can't I just forget you, dammit.
The canine gripped the edges of the sink, his claws digging into the hard stone. He turned on the faucet and ran his hands under the stream. Recoiling at the cold water, Dan splashed some of the contents onto his face and rubbed his arms.
He could still feel those shallow canyons residing on his shoulders.
Slowly, Dan opened the side cabinet and produced a small orange canister from behind multiple cups and tubes, popping off the top and shaking out a pill.
At least I have you.
Dan was starting to feel better already.
...
I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready.
Dan internally repeated the mantra as he stood outside the door of the drama hall. After being recommended to the drama club by the tiger principal, Dan had signed the form and had currently found himself at odds with the home of Cherryton's theatre arts.
Dan sighed.
I'm not fucking ready.
Dan's hand found its way to the handle, slowly cranking it open. The noise from the other side became more audible as the gap between the door and it's frame widened.
The room went quiet.
As the door swung open, Dan was greeted by a wide variety of faces. Namely, a cheetah, a timber wolf, a pigeon, and a certain Jacob sheep. All the others were side-eyeing or simply ignoring him, either that or working on set or rehearsing.
"Oh, finally—he's here, guys!"
Oh no.
Dan froze. One by one, all heads turned toward the white wolf. Their eyes locked onto his icy blue irises and his slightly wrinkled uniform. They admired his fur as if it were paint on a canvas, waiting for the perfect artist to spread it into a masterpiece.
Stop it…please.
Dan hated the stares. He didn't want those eyes on him again.
Stop looking.
"Uh, hey, dude? Are you still here or do I need to call home planet?"
The timber wolf's deep yet playful tone broke Dan from the grasp of his thoughts and brought him back to the room.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just spacing out. I appreciate the attention you guys are giving me but-"
The color in his eyes seemed to fade.
"Please stop staring at me."
The energy from the drama club seemed to exit the room right then and there. The voice of the wolf shifted to a tone so cold it would make winter in Hokkaido quit their day job.
The other canine stood frozen in place, only gazing more intently at the lifeless look in Dan's eyes.
"H-hey, easy man. I'm sorry for bringing you up like that," he apologized, scratching the back of his head.
Dan seemed to realize how harsh he had sounded, dialing back, with his tail drooping.
"Ah no, it's fine. Sorry for getting so worked up about it," Dan replied.
The feelings between the two canines seemed mutual as both of their tails began to sway slowly behind them. Dan stepped further into the room to meet the other wolf's hand.
"Let me introduce myself—properly this time. My name is Dan, an arctic wolf. First year."
His fingers greeted the greyish furred palm, as they gripped onto each other.
"Oh, so you're my underclassmen. I'm Kuzai the timber wolf, second year. It's nice to have some new blood around here."
"Hey, what's so bad about us, Kuzai? Maaaaan, I thought better of you!" Shouted a very playful voice from the rafters.
"Ugh, you know what I meant, Yako. Stop being such a pothead," groaned Kuzai.
Dan's eyes shot up to the rafters, spotting a very cheerful looking Jacob sheep leaning over the rims.
"Yako, you're in the drama club?"
Kuzai glanced at Yako, then back at Dan, and gave him one of those 'you know this guy?' looks.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? It's awesome, especially when Kuzai really gets into the rehearsals."
Dan was feeling a bit better about his start in the drama club. The introduction went…better than in his head, and he got to see a familiar face.
"So, Dan. I assume you likely don't feel too comfortable being on the actor's team, yeah? How does the tech team sound?" offered the timber wolf.
That does sound nice…that way I won't be seen by them.
"Sure, sounds fun," replied Dan.
"Ok then," said Kuzai. "You'll be working with Yako in the lights. I don't particularly trust him to handle himself, but he knows his way around. He could teach you how to work with it."
Dan's face perked at the notion that he'd be able to work with the Jacob sheep.
Maybe I could get to know him better…
...
This is going a lot smoother than I thought it would.
Dan was standing next to Yako in the rafters, the sheep shining the spotlight on the actors on stage while the wolf leaned over the railings. They were performing Adler, a play that had been long in the running for Cherryton, being performed almost every year.
Yako shone the spot on the performers dancing around the stage, highlighting their impeccable movements and water-like flow. It was mesmerizing for Dan to watch, his eyes sparkling stars in the night sky.
He was so caught up in their movements, in fact, that he didn't hear the screams from the actor who had stumbled onstage.
...
What went wrong…
Dan and his newfound clubmates stood outside the school's infirmary, bated breaths awaiting the verdict of the nurse.
The cheetah that had been eyeing the white wolf when he entered the drama club had been sitting on the bench next to the victim's room, nearly gripping holes in his uniform pants.
The nurse had walked out of the door, scanning over the club's members, littered around the seats and floor.
They broke the silence. "She's in stable condition, however, will remain unconscious for the rest of the day as she has—"
At that point, Dan had already tuned her out, his own thoughts clouding the nurse's voice.
"—and as for you, Jeremy, I suggest you come with me," she finished. The cheetah on the benches, shaky from his nerves, slowly and wobbly stood up to follow the nurse. The look on his face was one of hollowness and regret for what he had done to the girl playing the woman who fell in love with the reaper.
There is a lot to be said about how a beast's face conveys emotion.
The eyebrows furrow to express frustration. The lip curls up when one feels joy. The eyes widen in reaction to shock.
They say the eyes are a window to the soul. If you were to look into Jeremy's eyes, right then? You would only see a dark pit of sadness.
What went so, so wrong…
A/N: Hehe thanks 4 reading. I kinda put off making this one because I didn't know how I would open the chapter and intro Dan to the drama club. But I found the solution, because drugs are always the answer :D
Please ignore whatever I say, just saying :]
Anyways, this is something I look forward to writing more of. I appreciate any feedback in the comments, since I read all of them (yes all 1 of them) 3
Shoutouts to my sister (again) for helping me boil this crackpot of a fic and proofreading. With that said, see you peeps later :]