The two sides of the moon (A Beastars AU)

by AlexTalbain

A Beastars AU Staring Legosi and Jack and how they become more then best friends. This is my own retelling of Beastars and my personal interpretation of these great characters. This is a passion project that I'm writing myself and is being edited by my dear friend Richard.

1. First 6 Chapters

The Two Sides of the Moon

A Beastars AU Fanfic

Written By Alexander E.

Edited By Richard S.

Chapter 1: The Full Moon Bares Witness To The Intertwining Fate of its Children

Legosi rubbed his eyes. It was completely dark out and he was still keeping watch for any staff as Louis instructed while he and Zoe the goat rehearsed.

"What am I doing here?" the wolf questioned. "I know I'm doing this for the drama club but..." Legosi couldn't stop pacing with the murder of his friend Tem fresh in his mind. He knew that if anyone saw him out this late they would most likely suspect him and even if that weren't the case he could still get in a lot of trouble for being out past curfew.

"Just calm down, you're not doing anything big, just helping to make the performance as good as it can be." he assured himself.

Elsewhere, Jack was on his way back to the dorms. Now, it wasn't like him to be out so late, however between his study group and tutoring, the time had completely gotten away from him.

"Oh man, I'm gonna be in so much trouble with the dorm mother," cried the golden retriever. "Still I'm glad that I was able to help those guys, and even happier that they trusted me and felt comfortable enough to be around me even with what happened."

Jack thought back to his tutoring session with the herbivore students and how much fun he had talking to them. He remembered how many of them were practically all over him trying to understand the class lectures. "Man, I'm gonna reek like deer for a week!" he joked, quietly laughing at the rhyme he just made.

Soon the young canine was in view of the fountain. The air was cold and an intense fog had rolled in, making his nocturnal vision practically useless.

"Good grief," he muttered. "I wish Legosi was here, he can see a lot clearer than me, not to mention his thick armor-like fur could help with the night air, he really is lucky he was born a wolf. Meanwhile I…" he stopped himself, not wanting to start feeling down.

Jack looked up and saw that a magnificent full moon was out. "Wow, would you look at that. I bet this moon would be enough to even make Legosi howl." He thought. "I wonder what he would sound like, maybe someday he will let me hear it".

Meanwhile a still pacing Legosi was going crazy. "Louis, what is taking you and Zoe so long? While you're in there, I'm out here just begging to get busted." he thought to himself. His pacing came to a halt when he spotted a nearby cricket. "Hey little guy, what are you doing here?" He asked playfully.

After a minute or two of playing with his new friend Legosi heard footsteps in the distance. He wasn't sure who could be out this late and hid behind one of the theater pillars.

"Shit!" he yelled in his head. "Should I tell Louis? Should I leave? Should I check it out?" The wolf was panicking as to what he should do. Almost immediately his nose caught the scent of what was coming. He stopped and took a deep inhale.

"Deer, was it Louis? No, he should still be inside. Whoever it is shouldn't be here, don't they know it's dangerous? Maybe I can just scare them away." The wolf thought. He walked out from the pillar and saw a small figure coming, the fog making it impossible to see who it was.

The wolf adopted a hunched over pose (more so than usual) and crept forward. Part of his mind told him he should head back to his room, but with the predation incident still lingering in every part of his mind, he continued forward. He didn't want there to be another victim of a carnivore that gave in to their instincts.

Legosi, taking a pouncing stance thought that if he could just make whoever this was go away, they would both be safe.

Jack was still lingering next to the fountain, he liked the feeling of the water in the air, even if it was a little chilly. His thoughts turned calm as he listened to the sound of the water, mind drifting to his soft bed and the scents he had become accustomed to.

Suddenly and without any warning, SLAM! Jack jumped, looking around in a panic as his heart almost burst out of his chest. The fog was getting thicker and he couldn't see anything. He walked backwards slowly, fingers coming together similar to how his wolf friend's did when he was nervous.

Legosi was now on all fours and saw the figure beginning to panic all while the strong scent of deer filled the air. "Ok, they're scared, maybe they'll run."

That was the last clear thought he had.

His muscles tightened, his heart sped up, he felt excited but as to why he was excited, even he didn't know.

Jack was still looking around frantically, hoping to see something while also hoping nothing was there. A loud growl could now be heard, making his fur stand on end and freezing him solid. He turned his head ever so slightly, while trying not to move. Out of the corner of his eye a large shadowy figure could barely be seen.

"No, it couldn't be? Not so close to the last one. I'm not even an herbivore, so why?" The dog's mind began to race. "Why would the killer come after me? I didn't do anything, right?" He began to back away hoping he could get away.

Legosi saw how scared the small figure was, causing something in him to snap. "Don't let your prey get away." A voice in his head kept yelling this phrase over and over. The wolf's eyes turned red as he lunged at the deer.

At that moment Jack tried to make a break for it, but it was already too late. He felt something grab him as he began to tumble head over heels. When he came to a rest the large animal was on top of him, ensnaring him in its arms.

Legosi could only stare forward as the smaller animal moved around his grip. "What's going on, why am I doing this, what's this feeling inside me?" The wolf thought to himself.

*Ba-bump Ba-bump Ba-bump*

"I can feel his fur under these clothes. He is so soft, small, warm, and vulnerable. I can imagine the warm juices filling my mouth…

Stop! How do I stop this? How… How… My hands, they are moving on their own."

In that moment Legosi saw a large shadow in front of him, taking the form of a demonic wolf with the eyes of a killer and the voice of a devil.

It grew closer to the young carnivore and began to speak.

"That's how you should be. You've been holding back for a long time now. But now you are almost at your limit", the shadow whispered.

"Stop, go away!" Legosi pleaded.

"You've been living quietly in the shadows. Are you scared... frustrated? No, you are delighted!" the shadow laughed growing larger and more defined.

"No, stop!" Legosi whimpered.

"This is your chance, finish him with a single bite!" the creature in front of him demanded.

"Please… leave me alone!" Legosi struggled.

"You've been waiting for 17 years," the shadow taunted.

He could feel it closing in on him, becoming part of him. Forcing his hands to grip harder and harder, causing the small prey to completely freeze in terror, rendering it unable to even speak. His muzzle inched closer and closer to the animal's neck.

He took a sniff. There was a new scent piercing through the deer scent that started all this.

"This… this scent, it's so familiar. It smells like my childhood."

"JACK!"

The shock of who he was about to eat snapped him out of his craze.

It was then that he noticed the scent of blood coming from beneath his nose. His eyes darted down, finding that his claws had pierced Jacks' arm.

Shocked, he immediately pulled away but the damage had already been done.

His heart began to sink as what was once hunger turned to nausea. How could he do this to someone he cared for?

"What have I done? I have to get out of here!"

He pushed Jack out of his grip and ran, disappearing into the thick fog.

Jack just lay there, unable to move or form any sort of thought, the only thing that could be heard was the frantic beating of his own heart..

"What the hell…" His thoughts started to form slowly. "Am I alive, am I really alive? Was that even real?" He thought to himself, tears slowly started dripping down his face.

The dog began to slowly pick himself up, still shaking.

Managing to get back on his feet, he finally noticed the warm feeling of blood on his arm. Looking down at his wound, his stomach shrank. He felt like he was going to throw up at any minute, but managed to push it down.

"I have to… I have to get back to the dorm." He thought. "I can't let the others see this, what should I do?" This question burdened him as he ran as fast as he could back to the safety of his room, covering the blood with his hand.

Jack finally made it back home and luckily for him, his roommates were nowhere in sight. He grabbed the first aid kit he kept with his stuff in case of emergencies. Though he never once thought he would have to use it for a situation like this.

Meanwhile Legosi had also arrived at the canine dorm, however instead of going back into his room, he ran into an empty restroom, locking himself in. His mind was hazy, he couldn't believe that he hurt his childhood friend.

"Jack… I am so… so sorry, how can I ever look you in the eyes again." He crawled into a corner and began to shed the most painful tears in his life as the guilt completely took over.

After what seemed like an eternity of crying, the wolf picked himself up and walked over to the sink. He proceeded to wash the blood off his hands and wash the tears off his face. As he finished he looked in the mirror and his heart stopped. That same shadow was enveloping him, his eyes turning red and his fur growing dark.

CRACK!

Before anything else could happen Legosi shattered the mirror, breathing heavily.

Legosi sighed, heading back to his room after cleaning himself up and there in the doorway was Jack. His best friend who he almost killed. His heart sank once more as he stopped the tears that were welling up.

"Hi Jack," was all he could muster.

Jack had finished cleaning up his wounds a few minutes prior and had already hidden the first aid kit.

"Oh, hey Lego-face," he said with his usual cheerful demeanor. "How have you been?"

Before the wolf could answer Collot walked in, the other 701 room members soon after.

"Hey guys what's up, and why does it smell like deer in here?" Collot asked. "We haven't seen you two all day." Durham exclaimed. "You two go on a date and forgot to tell us?" Miguno joked, Voss riding on his head.

"I was tutoring some herbivore students and time just got away from me." Jack explained, putting his hands up and giving them a smile.

"And I was helping with club stuff," Legosi remembered. He was not looking forward to the lecture Louis was going to give him for leaving him and Zoe alone.

Voss, still sitting on Miguno's head tugged his ear.

"What is it Voss?" he asked.

The fennec fox pointed at Jack's arm.

"JACK, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM!" the hyena yelled in shock. "Why do you have those bandages on?"

Legosi froze, he knew exactly why the retriever's arm was all wrapped up. He wanted to say something, but the guilt of seeing what he did rendered him speechless.

"Oh this, it's nothing really, just a little accident." He laughed, putting a hand behind his head.

"Little my ass!" Durham snapped. "Your whole forearm is completely bandaged," the coyote said, looking worried.

"Really guys it's nothing. Just something that happened while I was working on a class project," Jack explained, trying to reassure them.

"What happened?" Collet questioned. "I just don't see how something like that could happen cause of a school project," The English Shepherd Dog stated, beginning to look concerned as well.

Jack looked around trying to think of an excuse and almost immediately spotted his diorama.

"Like I said it was an accident," he pointed at his project. "I was working on my diorama and I dropped the scissors. They didn't cut me too deep, just a long scratch downward," Jack explained, hoping his excuse would work.

Legosi finally spoke. "Well if you say so, we won't pry anymore," the wolf muttered, feeling a lump in his throat.

Soon after the six canines finished their pre-bedtime rituals and turned in for the night. Legosi and Jack got no sleep however. Both felt scared and hopeless, completely unaware that they were feeling the same thing. Instead they stayed in a frozen like state where they were neither awake or asleep and time just drifted endlessly. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring, but whatever it was the two would have to face both it and each other, no matter how much they didn't want to.

---

Chapter 2: A Shared Darkness

The following morning Collot and the others woke up and started getting ready for class when Durham noticed that neither Legosi nor Jack had gotten up yet. It was normal for the wolf to sleep in late. Jack on the other hand, had never done that before! After all, punctuality was practically his middle name.

"Yo Jack, wake up!" the coyote said with a fierceness in his voice.

This got both canines to start moving and they were soon on their feet, fur all matted and with the eyes of dead men.

"Geez, you two look like zombies! What's up with you guys?" Miguno said with a look of concern on his face. "I know that's how you usually look Legosi, but today you seem worse and you Jack, you might as well be his twin brother."

"Sorry guys," the retriever yawned. "I guess all the studying and tutoring yesterday kind of hit me all at once. Those herbivores were all over me."

"Same with me and the drama club," said the wolf, letting out a lethal amount of dog breath as he tried to wake himself up. "Louis had me working late on some last minute touches, plus I needed to fix the lights for the last scene we practiced."

"Since when have you been such an overachiever Legosi? Jack I get... but you?" the hyena joked.

Collot came over, hearing the conversation between his roommates. "Hey now," the large white dog said. "Cut them some slack will ya. You're interrogating them like they're on trial or something. Legosi has always been a hard worker, it's just that he puts more effort into the drama club than he does for class. He even told me about all the cool technical stuff he does with the theater lights. You should have heard him go on and on, I felt like I was in one of those extra credit classes. As for Jack, well come on he's Jack! When isn't he hitting the books?" Collot turned to said canine. "You know, I'm surprised you don't get paid for all the work you do," he joked.

Both Legosi and Jack's tails were wagging as their friend defended them from Miguno's barrage of questions. Legosi's tail was wagging especially hard thanks to Collot's compliments. He took pride in his work and he was happy to hear his friend understood that.

After the little interrogation with their dorm mates, Jack and Legosi attended their classes. However with everything that had occurred last night, they were having a hard time focusing on their lectures and instead the day just felt like a long vivid dream that they were both trying to wake up from. Jack did his best to keep up since it would make him look suspicious if he suddenly started daydreaming during class. Luckily for him, all the morning classes were just review sessions covering what they learned the day prior.

Legosi was having the hardest time however. He kept thinking about how he would have to face Jack who usually went right to him after a class was over. To his surprise, Jack didn't visit him once during the morning and instead was just as lost in his own thoughts as the wolf was.

It was finally lunchtime and Legosi had somewhat managed to clear his head. He was worried since he usually had lunch with his roommates and even if he didn't sit with them, he would always sit with Jack. Legosi also knew that it would look suspicious if he avoided Jack and that he would have to talk to Jack sooner or later, although he would prefer it if it were later.

"I wonder what's on the menu today?" Miguno pondered cheerfully with his tail wagging. "I hope there's plenty, because I am starving!"

Legosi and Jack just stood there in a daze, wondering if they would even be able to stomach the food, nevermind if it would really help them. The incident last night was still making them feel nauseous no matter how much they tried to ignore the feeling in their stomachs.

Collot patted them both on the back, causing them to jump a bit. "Hey, are you two sure you're ok? I know you guys didn't have much to eat this morning," he said with a worried expression.

"Sorry Collot, I guess I'm just thinking about everything that happened yesterday," Legosi muttered, hoping his friends wouldn't pry too much into what he said.

"Yea sorry guys, I'm still going over some stuff that I covered in tutoring. You know, making sure I explained everything clearly." Jack laughed awkwardly, trying to stay as cheery as possible.

"Well that's all the more reason you two should eat!" Durham exclaimed. Voss who was riding on Collot's shoulder nodded in agreement.

After getting their food, the six friends found an empty table to sit at and started eating. Jack was sitting next to Legosi who was completely frozen. The wolf looked to his friend who didn't seem to notice and it was at that moment that his eyes flicked downwards toward Jack's bandaged arm.

"I did that, I really did that to him! Damn it! What would Jack do if he found out? Would he be scared of me, even hate me? Would our friendship really be over in an instant?" The guilt and despair started to creep in once more as the large carnivore was trying to hold back both the tears forming and the uncontrollable urge to throw up.

Just as Legosi was about to break, a commotion could be heard nearby.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?" all heads turned to the middle of the cafeteria where two angry canines stood facing each other. "CAN'T YOU TELL THAT YOUR STEPPING ON MY TAIL, OR ARE YOU TOO FUCKING STUPID TO NOTICE!?"

The other carnivore, a fox, snapped back, "Hey, I said I was sorry, damn it!"

The angry carnivore, a dog, stepped closer, "The way you're smiling is really pissing me off, you damn fox."

The fox frowned, "Look man, I'm sorry I stepped on your tail. Now will you just let me go enjoy my lunch already?!"

"That guy on the right looks like one of you guys," a female panther at the table next to Legosi spoke, causing him and Jack to look up.

The Labrador leaned forward, "That's a fox, sure he's a canine, but totally different from us."

The dog, now seething with anger, lunged forward, biting the fox's arm and pushing to the ground.

"Gaah!" The fox yelped as the dog's fangs sank deeper into his skin.

The two animals were wrestling on the ground growling and snarling at one another.

"Someone call a teacher!" a goat girl shouted.

The fox was now on top of his opponent. He grabbed the dog's neck and squeezed. "I'll let you go if you apologize."

"Grk…" was all he could muster as he gasped for air.

"He's choking him! Someone please do something!" a rabbit girl cried.

Jack and Legosi could only look in horror at what was happening in front of them as they were taken back to last night.

Jack was suddenly wrapped up in shadowy arms and feeling the warm breath of his assailant on the back of his neck. His blood ran cold as he was bombarded with images of the white, sharp, and ferocious fangs that almost ended his life. He was breathing heavily as he started to panic.

Legosi was brought back to a different scene entirely. He was standing in front of the fountain once more. The thick fog, the light of the full moon hanging over him, and the small frightened figure as he got closer. His heart started to race, as saliva filled his mouth. He grabbed the small figure wrestling it to the ground, the scent of blood filled the air.

"This is your chance, finish him with a single bite!"

That same demonic voice filled his head again, "You wanted this to happen!" "No," the wolf whimpered. "Don't hold back. Go on, do it! Finish him! FINISH HIM!"

"STOP IT!"

All eyes were on Legosi who hadn't even realized he stood up. When he finally snapped out of the vision he saw that the fox, who thanks to his outburst, had let go of the dog's neck allowing him to breathe.

Jack, who was calmed by the wolf's attempt at diffusing the situation, looked at his friend. "Did he see me panicking? Is he trying to help me?" Jack questioned, completely oblivious to the real reason behind Legosi's behavior.

The fox walked over to them, still growling, "What? You want some too, wolf?"

Legosi put his hands up in front of him, "Uh… no I..."

"You were going too far!" Jack shouted suddenly, before covering his mouth.

"What?!"

Durham stood up, "They're right, you almost killed him! And now you're here trying to pick a fight with my friends. You need to calm down."

The fox continued to snarl at them, "You stay out of this or else!"

"Or else what?" Legosi asked, as he started to growl while exposing his fangs. He would usually never do this but he didn't like that his friends were being threatened. He also remembered how this trick made Kai back off from attacking Louis and hoped it would work here.

Collot knew what Legosi was doing since he told him what had happened that day and nudged the others to do the same.

Soon all of 701 was growling at the fox, except for Jack who was still processing everything that was happening, and Voss who tried to comfort him when he saw how much the Labrador was struggling.

Their foe was taken aback by this. The other students who were watching weren't sure what to do. Some of them were glad to see these guys were trying to stop the fox from continuing his rampage, while others were worried it would escalate into something worse.

"Look you shit heads! You should have just minded your own damn business. This was between me and that mutt," the carnivore exclaimed, noting that the dog he was fighting had finally stood up.

"You do realize they just saved you right?"

Everyone turned their heads.

"AHH! It's Louis the Red Deer!" the panther girl from earlier called out.

Soon all the students were cheering as the school Idol intervened. They called out his name, cheered and let out an applause for the future "Beastar". He ignored them of course since he had a more pressing matter to attend to.

"What do you want Louis and what are you going on about?" the fox questioned, not standing down.

"So you still haven't noticed? Even though they explained it clear as day for you... If you had continued your assault, that student would be dead and you would be spending the rest of your sad life in prison."

The fox completely froze at the comment.

"Of course, your actions were appalling before that. You should know that exposing your fangs in public is not tolerated here, if you're going to fight take it outside."

The canine looked around and saw everyone staring at him, turned tail and ran for the nearest exit, all while everyone cheered Louis on as he settled the situation.

The deer turned to Legosi and company.

"Thank you for stepping in senpai," Legosi praised.

"Honestly, I really didn't see any reason to. Just consider this as both a thanks and an apology for yesterday," Louis muttered.

The wolf gave Louis a confused look. He thought about what happened with Kai and figured his senior was talking about that, but what was the apology for?

Louis let out a sigh, "You're as clueless as always. I'm apologizing for completely forgetting about you and going back to my dorm after I finished with Zoe," the herbivore shook his head. "After spending a good half hour reprimanding that useless goat for eating his lines, we went out the back way and it wasn't until about 20 minutes later that I realized I left you out in the cold. I came back to get you, but you were already gone. I figured you realized what happened and turned in for the night."

Legosi's eyes widened, "So that's why he was taking so long."

"Still, I wasn't expecting you to jump in like that. I figured you would continue to play the silent tree and that the incident with Kai was just a one time thing. It turns out you're more of a wolf then I thought."

The buck turned to study his roommates.

"You were all something else as well. Tell me, were those the fabled 'Pack' instincts you canines are known for? It was such a rare treat to see it firsthand."

The canines froze, completely taken in by his dominating presence. Louis looked at them a while longer before turning to Jack.

"I know you," the buck said, crossing his arms. "You're Jack, right? The honor roll student whose grades are as good as mine. You're the last animal I would think of to try and resolve something like that," He leaned forward. "Tell me, are you planning to become the next 'Beastar' or do you have other motives?"

The Labrador looked up.

"Oh… um," he muttered.

"No, nothing like that Louis-senpai," Jack put his hand behind his head and gave the red deer his signature smile. "Legosi is my best friend and I just wanted to help. I just kind of acted without thinking."

"That's right!" Miguno intervened. "We look out for and help each other out!"

"Really senpai, if you're gonna blame someone for this you should blame me," Legosi stated as he looked to the floor, folding his ears back. "I'm the one who jumped in after all."

"Don't blame yourself Legosi, you did the right thing," Collot said, trying to comfort the wolf. "If you didn't act when you did, things would have been a lot worse. Honestly, I'm surprised no one did anything sooner. That being said where are the teachers or even security? With a scene like that you'd think they would come running!"

Durham spoke up, "Yea it's weird they haven't shown up yet. Anyway Legosi, you should be proud, you totally saved that guy's life. The coyote looked around trying to find the dog that started the fight. "I wonder where he went, hope he's ok."

"You all make a good case, however…" Louis was now giving them a stern look, "I can't condone your actions for what happened after you tried to stop that little mess. What I said to the fox goes for you all as well. Showing your fangs in public isn't allowed and you would do well to remember that."

"As for you Legosi," he scoffed, "I'll let it go this time and not report you to our club adviser, but you better be ready because I have a lot of work for you at today's meeting."

Legosi put his fingers together, "Yes sir."

Louis walked off, leaving the room 701 canines with their ears and tails drooping. This was not the lunch they had envisioned.

The rest of the day was uneventful as Jack and Legosi went about their classes like normal, or at least as normally as they could manage.

Jack was feeling really guilty, thinking it was his fault that Legosi got in trouble with Louis.

Legosi was still processing everything that happened. He couldn't believe he let something like that happen again. He really wasn't looking forward to drama club today.

The two friends were feeling even worse than before and it was clear that their string of bad luck was far from over.

---

Chapter 3: Unwanted Attention

The last class of the day had finally ended and Legosi worked his way to the drama club. He was mentally preparing himself for the earful that he knew he was going to get as soon as he arrived.

Legosi's ears folded back and his tail drooped as he remembered how he not only embarrassed himself, but his closest friends as well. Soon his thoughts turned to Jack, his best friend who he barely saw after lunch and who he wanted to talk to the most. He remembered that the one time he saw Jack, the Labrador looked miserable... and eventually when their eyes briefly met, Jack immediately looked away..

"Damn it! What is wrong with me?!" the wolf shouted in his head. "Not only did I almost kill Jack, I completely humiliated him. No wonder he can't even look at me, let alone talk to me. God, I must have been a truly horrible person in a past life."

Legosi was so wrapped up in his self-loathing that he almost didn't realize he was already outside the club room. The wolf really didn't want to see anyone right now. Fortunately his habit of showing up early gave him a little time to clear his head.

As he entered the room there were only three animals inside. Kibi, an anteater who was on the art team with Legosi and who was one of his few friends, herbivore or otherwise. Dom, a peacock who was the head of the art team, another animal the wolf could more easily talk to. And of course Louis who had an intimidating look on his face. Louis was the last animal Legosi wanted to see right now, however since he was the lead actor, it made sense that he would be early.

"Hey Legosi," Kibi said, putting his hand up. "I'm glad to see you came. I was worried you weren't coming after everything that happened."

"Well… I've never missed a club meeting… so it would probably look worse if I didn't come. Plus Louis said he had some work for me."

"Makes sense," the anteater shook his head. "Still though, it's amazing how fast word spreads around here. I mean, it hadn't even been five minutes after lunch and already the entire school was full of rumors about what happened." Kibi looked up to meet the carnivore's eyes, "Don't worry though, almost all of them were positive. I think there was one rumor about how you started the fight, but since so many students saw what ACTUALLY happened, I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure it was just some random animal who wasn't even there and just wanted to join in on the fun."

Legosi went quiet, if there were already so many rumors going around then it would make sense why Jack was so disheartened. Jack had always gotten along with everyone and was a model student, if the student body started rumors about him being in a fight, Jack could become a target for bullies, if he wasn't already. Legosi knew if teenagers were one thing, it was cruel.

"Alright that's enough!" Louis huffed. "We all know what happened! That being said, Legosi I have a ton of work for you."

The wolf looked down, his tail seemed like it was about to fall off at any moment. Just as Legosi was about to answer Dom stepped in.

"Come now Louis, don't you think you're overreacting? I mean yea, it's true that showing your fangs in public is frowned upon, but given the circumstances, I don't think Legosi had much of a choice," the peacock looked back at Legosi. "I think what you did was very brave, if you didn't jump in who knows what would have happened."

Legosi had perked up a bit from Dom's praise, his ears had finally perked up a bit and his tail had gotten some life in it.

"Anyway Louis, what Legosi did was just considered rude. You on the other hand could have gotten him suspended if any of the school staff caught him breaking curfew to be your look out."

The deer's eyes widened. Their late night practice was supposed to be a secret.

"Don't look at me like that Louis! You should know by now that if the club is involved in any way, everyone finds out about it sooner or later. There's no need to worry though. We all know the reason you did that was because Zoe badly needed help with his lines."

Louis sighed but before he could retaliate more club members showed up at the door. They all seemed to have a high level of energy except for Kai, a mongoose, who was trailing behind, looking more annoyed than usual.

"Hello everyone," Ells the sheep said softly, giving the other club members a gentle smile.

"Hey guys, hope we aren't late," Aoba, an eagle added.

"Hi guys, glad you can make it," Kibi responded.

Dom walked over to them, "Hey there. I hope you guys are ready because we have a lot of work to do today. I'll explain more when the rest of the club gets here."

"Piss off!" Kai hissed.

"Whoa!" a bear called Riz put his hands up. "I know you and agitated go together like bread and butter, but that was a bit much even for you."

Kai gave Legosi and Louis a dirty look, "Well, let's just say something happened today that brought back a really annoying memory."

Ells spoke up, "Now you stop that Kai! We all know you're upset about being taken off the actor's team, but that's no reason to take it out on those two."

Kai muttered angrily to himself, looking for a place to sit.

Ells, having stopped anything from escalating, walked over to Legosi.

"Hello Legosi, I heard about what happened during lunch. You know what? This is the second time you've proven me wrong " Ells turned to the others. "Everyone I have something I need to say."

All the present club members turned to her.

"I'm sure all of you have either seen or heard about what happened in the cafeteria today," all eyes immediately went to Legosi. "Well I just wanted to tell you that this isn't the first time Legosi did something like that," Ells turned to the wolf. "I know you said not to tell them, but I think they should know," she looked back at the others. "When we lost Tem… I-I immediately suspected Legosi, and I did this without any proof or evidence whatsoever. I only suspected him because he was a carnivore and because I was scared of him! But then he came to me and gave me the love letter that Tem wrote to me. He had no reason to do this, but he did it anyway because Tem was his friend and he wanted me to know how Tem felt."

Everyone immediately started whispering to each other.

"Did he really do that?" a red panda named Fudge whispered.

"You see, I told you he was a good person. That's why I'm friends with him," Kibi stated proudly.

A zebra called Ellen whispered to a cheetah next to her, "Wow, I had no idea."

"Geez, now I feel bad for starting that rumor about him," Sheila responded.

Legosi could hear every word. He wasn't used to so many animals talking about him and it made him even more nervous than normal. Even though the club members were saying nice things about him, he didn't like being the center of attention and just wanted to go somewhere and hide.

"The reason I bring this up is because I wanted to apologize to Legosi for ever thinking he could do something terrible like that," Ells turned back to Legosi who was covering his face in embarrassment. "Legosi," the wolf looked down at her as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry for ever suspecting you of attacking Tem. I'm also sorry for saying such hurtful things about you when you never deserved any of it."

The large canine put his hands up. "It's ok Ells, really. Like I said, I'm used to it," Legosi felt dizzy as everyone watched him, wishing that she had kept that to herself.

Kibi jumped in, "But you shouldn't be!" the anteater argued. "I know you would never do something so horrible and now thanks to Ells everyone else here does too."

"I-I umm…" but before he could say anything else another club member barged in, it was Bill the bengal tiger.

"WHAT'S UP BITCHES?!" Bill called out, smiling as if he was on top of the world. "Did you guys hear what happened in the cafeteria today? Man, from what I hear I missed one hell of a party!" he looked around. "Whoa speaking of parties, are we having one in here?"

"Glad you could finally join us," Louis huffed, walking over to the group.

"Aw come leader. I'm not late, everyone else just showed up early," Bill joked, as he spotted Legosi still talking to Ells. "Well speak of the devil. It's the man of the hour himself," The tiger ran over, putting his arm around the wolf. "Hey man I heard about what you did, who knew you had it in you?" Bill quickly noticed he had everyone's attention and knew exactly what to do with it. "Seriously you guys, did any of you ever once think that mister 'gloom and doom' here would ever pull a stunt like that? It's freakin awesome," he turned his head to Legosi who just wanted to crawl away. "I'm not gonna lie man, the way you're always so reserved kind of got on my nerves. I mean you're always acting like such a wimp, but as it turns out you've got some carnivore in you after all."

Legosi knew Bill was making a bigger deal out of the situation than was necessary. He hated how the tiger kept making him the topic of the conversation. His face was burning red and he felt like he would faint at any moment.

Everyone, including Louis saw how uncomfortable Legosi was. Everyone except for Bill, who couldn't take a hint to save his life.

"So Legosi, is it true?" The tiger questioned. "I heard that you not only saved a dog's life from a fox on a rampage, but you knocked out some of the bastard's fangs with a single punch when he went after you."

Legosi's eyes grew wide, "What the hell was Bill talking about? Is that the rumor going around? Are people going to start treating me like a thug?" The wolf was completely frozen as these thoughts rushed through his head.

After a brief moment to gather his thoughts Legosi spoke, "It wasn't like that Bill." The wolf put his hand up, pushing the large cat out of his face, "Yes I did stand up during the fight, but it's not like I joined in or anything. I just saw how that fox student was going too far and panicked, and yea he did come after me and my friends, but I didn't do anything! I just growled at him hoping he would back away."

Bill looked slightly disappointed, but then smiled again, "Dude, that means you totally showed your fangs!" The tiger was beaming as he drew Legosi closer into his arm. "Oh man, that is nuts! Fuck me, I can't believe I missed it."

"ALRIGHT ENOUGH!" Louis shouted, as he tried to regain control.

Everyone immediately turned to him.

The deer walked over to the two carnivores with disdain in his eyes, "You seem to have failed to understand the severity of this situation. If there are rumors about how the drama club is housing a delinquent student, there's no telling how much negative backlash we'll have to deal with. So instead of hounding our wild card here, how about we finally start today's meeting and get some actual work done!" Louis turned to the others, "Hopefully our production will cripple these false rumors and get things back on track."

Everyone, including Legosi who finally managed to pry his captor off of him, nodded in agreement.

The initial briefing went much more smoothly than everyone anticipated. It was confirmed that the drama club would be performing the play "Adler" for their production and all members were assigned their roles.

Now that the strategy meeting was over, Legosi went to work on the lights and set design as usual. The wolf was happy to be working above the stage again. Not only was he working with his passion, but being up on the balcony was like being in his own little world. No one else ever came up there with him unless it was very important. This gave him some time to cool down and get out of sight from the others. Legosi knew he was a 'behind the scenes' kind of animal and he liked it that way. Just as the wolf was feeling better however, a certain irritated mongoose started climbing up. Legosi let out a small sigh, he had forgotten that Kai was assigned to do the lights with him.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Kai said with an 'I don't want to be here' kind of face.

"Umm… yea… let's get to it," Legosi muttered.

Legosi continued to work. Fixing the spotlights, marking the different wires, and checking the fuse box for any problems. Kai didn't really do much. He just kept watching Legosi as he worked, something the wolf could feel but tried to ignore.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them until Kai finally decided to break it. "Look, I know how you must feel about me," Kai said as he let out a sigh. "It's pretty much how everyone feels about me, and my comment from earlier didn't help much either."

Legosi turned his head towards him, his body still facing the spotlight he was working on. "Well… you did attack Louis… and uh… you tried to threaten me… you can't really blame me for having a hard time trying to talk to you."

The mongoose looked off to the side. "Yea, you have a point. I know you were in the right when you protected Louis, and I know that working together isn't gonna be fun for either of us if I stay angry at you," Kai shook his head. "I just… I have a bad habit of losing my temper. I mean, I was kicked off the actor's team for crying out loud and the way Louis just kept insulting me... I just snapped. I know that isn't a good excuse, but it's the truth and I know it isn't fair taking it out on you."

"Well… to be honest, I am glad to have someone here to help me with this. I was just worried you would be upset with me the whole time and that you would start blaming me for getting stuck up here. I'm happy that isn't the case," Legosi said.

"I would be lying if I said that wasn't the plan... but like I said, doing that would be pointless and it would just make things harder for both of us," Kai looked back to his new leader. "So… why don't you show me how this stuff works."

"Sure, I'll teach you everything you need to know," Legosi boasted, as his tail began to wag.

For the duration of the club meeting Legosi showed Kai all the things he worked with. He taught him about the different filters for the lights, he showed him how they made the lights change colors, and he even showed Kai some of the sets he worked on with the art team. The entire time he was talking to Kai his tail was wagging as if it belonged to a puppy.

The mongoose was surprised, not only about the amount of effort and knowledge it took to make the stage look as good as it did, but also about how much life this quiet wolf had when talking about something he loved. It was as if he was seeing a whole new hidden side to Legosi. One that the wolf would usually keep secret.

"Wow, I had no idea something as simple as a spotlight needed that much work! I guess when you're an actor, you don't really think about what goes on in the background."

"Yea it's definitely a lot of work, but I am happy to do it, it's a lot of fun," Legosi put a hand behind his head. "You know I have worked with this for so long, I honestly think I could get a job as an electrician."

"I believe it. The way you worked on everything, it was like watching a professional."

Legosi's tail continued to wag, something that the mongoose took notice of. The way it moved back and forth just made him laugh.

As the club was coming to an end the two carnivores could hear an annoyed voice coming from the stage and looked down. They saw Louis reprimanding the actors like he always did.

"Geez, you know I was really mad about my reassignment... but now I'm kinda glad I'm up here. I don't have to deal with that arrogant jackass anymore," Kai said.

"I mean Louis isn't that bad, sure he can be…intimidating, but he just wants the performance to go well," explained Legosi.

"I know," Kai looked to Legosi. "But he doesn't have to be a dick about it."

The wolf laughed. Sure his new partner can be a little rough and foul tempered, but he wasn't a bad guy. This meeting was one of the most fun Legosi had during his entire time with the drama club.

Finally the activities ended and it was time to head home. Legosi was on his way back to the canine dorm when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey wait up!"

Legosi turned around and saw Kai headed his way.

"Oh… hey Kai what's up?"

"Hang on let me catch my breath," Kai huffed. "You have really long legs."

After taking a minute to compose himself the small carnivore spoke, "So hey. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime."

Legosi gave him a surprised look.

"I mean we're going to be working together. I figured we could get to know each other better. That, and you're a pretty interesting guy to talk too," Kai put on an unamused face. "Not like the rest of those scrubs."

"Uh…yea, we can hang out," The wolf said, his tail beginning to wag again, though not as much as before.

"Cool! Well I gotta run, talk to you later," and with that the mongoose ran off.

Legosi was left with a warm feeling in his chest. The past two days were just bad events, after bad events but he was starting to feel a lot better. He had a fun day at the club and now had a potential new friend. Finally after what felt like an eternity of misfortune, his luck seemed to be turning around for the better.

---

Chapter 4: A Good Boy's Bad Day

It had been a week since the fight in the cafeteria, and while most of the school had gone back to normal, however there were still many students who were talking about what happened and spreading false rumors.

"At least the first period wasn't so bad today," Jack shuddered, thinking back on how the past week had just been one unpleasant interaction after the next.

"Let's see… first it was that Zebra girl who sprayed his lemongrass juice all over me. I even turned around and was about to tell her it was okay and that accidents like that happen all the time. She just sneered at my face and asked me how it felt being one of the 'regular students' now.

Do… do the other animals really think of me like that?" Jack shook his head. "I thought they usually enjoy being around me. I-I try to be friendly and helpful… I wonder, were those deer that I tutored also just pretending?" Jack gulped and unconsciously rubbed his arm, trying not to think about the events of that night.

Even though Jack knew it was unhealthy to obsess over the events of the past week his brain sardonically moved onto the next incident.

"Then there was that Rhino guy… It was probably just by accident, but he shoved me really hard into the corridor wall," Jack rubbed at his shoulder which was still a bit tender from the impact. "But I guess if it was an accident he would have apologized… At the very least he wouldn't have laughed in my face and told me to be a real man," Jack shook his head to himself and let out a sad sigh. "I wonder what he meant by that. He was probably just referring to my artificial nature."

"Next was that alligator who knocked my books out of my hands with his tail as he passed by me. At least he apologized to me, though I could tell from the smile on his face he didn't mean it.

"Oh great, here comes the horrible one from yesterday. Thanks brain! Even I could see this one was purely intentional..." Jack yelped and was jolted out of his thoughts by someone bumping into him.

"Watch where you are going!" a dingo snarled. "You're manufactured but you can't even walk properly."

"Oh… sorry! I-I umm," Jack winced at the term used to describe him and tried to respond. "I was just-"

"Tch, useless!" the dingo snapped without waiting for the rest of Jack's response.

"At least that didn't turn physical like some of the others this past week," Jack thought to himself sadly. "So much for this day was going to be better than the past few. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

By this time Jack had arrived at his next class. He dejectedly entered, knowing that the incident with the dingo was likely just the first on today's list. He started getting his materials ready when he overheard some students talking about him.

"Hey do you think that's him?" a cat girl whispered.

"Gotta be. I heard one of them was some genius golden retriever," a male polar bear answered.

"Uhh not again… they're still talking about it," Jack thought to himself.

"Oh come on!" a sparrow student whispered. "There's no way Jack would be involved in something like that."

"Yea, he's way too much of a wimp and a teacher's pet," a nearby gecko mocked.

"Why can't they just let it go?" stressed Jack, trying his best to ignore them.

The professor walked in just before class and announced that there would be a pop quiz. The rest of the students groaned but Jack didn't mind. At least this was something he could do.

As usual Jack knew every answer and was the first finish. He spent the rest of the period reviewing his notes for his other classes and soon started to think about how he wanted to talk to Legosi about what happened. The class finally ended but his friend was nowhere in sight.

As was leaving for his next lecture, he heard more students talking about him.

"How much do you wanna bet Jack aced it?" A beagle asked his friends.

"Are you kidding? That's a suckers bet, of course he aced it," his lion friend answered. "Although, what do you expect? It's typical Labrador behavior. They were bred to be ace students."

Jack turned to the side and walked off, his ears and tail drooping. Jack had heard these kinds of comments before, but for some reason they were stinging him more than usual. As classes continued he kept hearing the same comments and rumors from the second period, with only small changes here and there. He tried his best to keep his upbeat attitude, but soon even that started to break.

The morning lectures had finally ended and it was time for lunch. Jack didn't really want to see anyone so he grabbed the food he bought and headed up to the empty swimming pool located on the roof. This was his and Legosi's secret spot since no one ever came up there. He hoped their little sanctuary would help clear his mind.

"I wonder, is this how Legosi always feels?" he said to himself looking up at the sky. "Now I know why he doesn't talk to other students. They suck!"

As Jack continued to eat his egg sandwiches he heard footsteps heading his way. When he turned his head he immediately saw a certain wolf coming with a bag in his hands.

"Hi Jack," said Legosi, sitting down next to him and giving his childhood friend a gentle smile. "Figured I'd find you up here."

"Hey Lego-face," Jack said, putting his cheerful expression back on. "Aren't I usually the one saying that?"

"I guess we're switching roles today," said the wolf. "I uh… I've been trying to talk to you, but you seem to keep disappearing on me." Legosi looked down, his ears folding backwards, "Not that I blame you after what happened."

Jack looked to the side. He realized that by avoiding his friend who he was so sure was mad at him, he unintentionally made Legosi feel worse.

"Well…to be honest…I've wanted to talk to you too. It's just that, I thought you were upset with me." Jack scratched the back of his neck.

Legosi gave Jack a confused look, "Why would I be upset with you? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Because!" the Labrador answered. "It's my fault you got in trouble with Louis."

Legosi put his arm around the smaller canine, "Jack… it wasn't your fault I got in trouble with him. If anything I would have gotten in trouble with him anyway with my bad luck."

Jack looked up at Legosi, noticing his large wolf features even more, features that Jack wished he had himself.

"It is my fault Legosi. When Louis went after me, you stepped in and told him to blame you for everything that happened!" Jack exclaimed.

Jack knew the real reason why he felt like he was to blame for what happened to Legosi, but he was too scared to confront him about it and instead rubbed his arm subconsciously.

"It's fine Jack, I was the one who stood up and shouted. I was also the one who showed my fangs to scare that guy off. So...no matter how you look at it, the whole mess was my fault."

Jack looked at the wolf trying to figure him out. Did he not notice how the Labrador was panicking or was he just avoiding the subject to make him feel better?

Legosi could tell that Jack was still feeling responsible for what happened and wanted to cheer him up. He remembered an awkward situation he had with Louis the other day, and while the wolf was still feeling anxious about it, perhaps he could use what happened to help his best friend.

"Hey Jack, watch this."

Legosi put his hands behind his head and spread his fingers making them look like antlers.

"Legosi you worthless wolf, how many times do I have to tell you to keep the spotlight in place!" the wolf said, trying to imitate Louis' stern expression. "Large carnivores like you really piss me of the most!" Legosi kept going while avoiding what happened after Louis yelled at him.

Jack's eyes widened as he started to laugh. He couldn't believe Legosi was making a joke about getting yelled at.

"Oh man, you actually made a joke like that? Who are you and what have you done with Legosi?" the Labrador teased as he continued to laugh.

Legosi was happy he made his friend laugh. He noticed however that something was still wrong. Jack wasn't laughing his usual cheerful laugh and his tail was motionless.

"Hey Jack, is there something else bothering you?"

Jack, having calmed down a bit from laughing, looked down and then back at Legosi.

"No, nothing's wrong," the dog said, giving Legosi a smile.

The wolf was right, something was bothering Jack. He knew that smile. That same forced smile he had given others his whole life.

Legosi put his hand on Jack's head and turned it towards him so their eyes met.

"Jack… if there is something wrong you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?"

"What are you talking about Legosi? I am perfectly fine." Jack said as he brought back his cheerful persona.

Legosi leaned in closer. "Jack, we both know you're not. I know that smile you're giving me, I invented it, and even if that wasn't the case," Legosi moved to the side and looked behind Jack. "Your tail isn't wagging."

Jack's eyes widened again, even more than before. He moved back and quickly looked down.

"Damn it! Why, why is it always you who sees right through me?" Jack thought to himself as he started to remember the night of the attack. He could still see the animal cloaked in darkness and feel the claws as they dug into his arm, even though the wound had completely healed.

Jack looked back at Legosi, "It's nothing really, I just… it's been a weird couple of days, ya know?"

"I think there's more to it than that," Legosi said.

"I'm fine Legosi... really," Jack stated. He was starting to get frustrated.

Legosi reached out and grabbed his hands, "Jack please. Just talk to me, you know you can tell me anything." The wolf continued to reassure his friend.

"WELL I CAN'T TELL YOU THIS! ALRIGHT!?" Jack snapped as he closed his eyes and tried to push Legosi away.

Legosi stepped back after seeing how upset Jack was.

The Labrador opened his eyes and realized what he had done.

Legosi just stood there, his ears folded and giving him a painful look.

Jack put his hands over his mouth as tears began to form.

The canine took a few steps back. "Legosi I-I…" he turned and ran, leaving the wolf alone and worried.

Legosi more than likely knew what was really bothering Jack. The wolf knew he was thinking about the night he almost took Jack's life. Legosi wanted to confess what happened that night. He wasn't ready to bring it up however, he wanted Jack to be the one to talk about. Only when Jack was ready, would the large carnivore tell him the terrible truth.

Lunch period ended and afternoon classes had begun.

For the first time in his life, Jack didn't pay any attention to the lectures. He was completely guilt ridden about how he snapped at his best friend who only wanted to help him. The Labrador kept staring at Legosi during the classes he had with him, wondering how he could apologize to Legosi for snapping at him when he was just trying to help. Luckily, Legosi had a drama club meeting to go to after classes so Jack could have some time to clear his thoughts.

Classes had ended and Legosi was off to his club, not even bothering to look for Jack. He was really worried about his childhood friend, but with the performance coming up he couldn't afford to be distracted. The last thing he wanted was to be in trouble with Louis again and make Jack feel worse.

Jack went back to the dorms. He just wanted to forget about his day and start thinking of ways to apologize to Legosi. When he arrived he saw Collot sitting at the table working on some homework.

"Hey Jack, what's up?" the large dog asked.

"Hi Collot, nothing much," Jack answered. Once again putting his cheerful persona back on.

Collot knew that wasn't true. He had heard about what was going on with Jack. Of course even if he hadn't, the fact that he himself was also being harassed made it clear that his dorm mates were as well. Collot however, wanted Jack to be the one to bring it up just like Legosi.

Jack couldn't tell what his dorm mate was thinking since his fur covered his face, however he could feel that Collot was giving him a look. Jack rubbed the back of his head trying not to make eye contact.

"So… you doing homework?" The Labrador asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Yep, figured I'd get a head start on it. I'm having some trouble with 'Sea Speak' though. Think you could help me out?" Collot asked as he humored his friend.

"Yes, of course!" Jack answered, eager to have something to occupy his mind.

The two dogs spent close to half an hour doing homework until Collot decided to speak up.

"So Jack, how have you been holding up? I hear the school has been more lively than usual, probably because the play is coming up," Collot said as he looked up at the ceiling. "I kinda want to ask Legosi about it, but at the same time I want to see all the hard work he did in person. As a surprise you know?"

Jack froze. Hearing the wolf's name made him remember how he snapped at his oldest friend.

"Uhh…I don't think he would tell us anything even if we asked, he would rather we see everything first hand," Jack explained as he looked down, hoping the floor would just swallow him up.

"Jack, what's going on? You've been acting strange since you got here and now when I mentioned Legosi you looked like you were gonna be sick!" Collot was growing more and more concerned. This was not the happy-go-lucky retriever he knew.

"Collot can you keep a secret?" Jack asked, still looking down.

"That depends on what it is," Collot answered while patting Jack on the head. "Although I really don't like keeping secrets from the others, if I'm being honest."

Jack looked at him, doing his best to hold back his tears. "I…I snapped at Legosi. He was trying to help me and I pushed him away."

"What!" Collot looked Jack in the eyes. "Why would you do that Jack? Were you mad at him, did he say something to upset you?"

"It wasn't like that!" Jack sobbed as his tears started to finally come out. "It's this school Collot! I had always gotten along with everyone, but now they're treating me like I shouldn't exist. They've been making fun of me by calling me a teacher's pet, they've shoved me into walls and corners, and kept reminding me of how I'm not a real animal."

Collot grabbed the smaller canine and pulled him into a tight hug. It was clear that Jack had gotten the worst of the abuse.

"I don't understand this. I always thought all these animals were nice. But they're not, they're cruel!"

Collot hugged him tighter. The cheerful bubble this Labrador lived in had been shattered by the world's darkness.

"And what's worse is that I'm just like them. A part of me has been blaming Legosi for this," Jack cried. "I kept thinking that if he didn't try to stop the fight, none of this would be happening. I hate thinking like that, when I know he did the right thing."

Jack continued to cry as he grabbed Collot's shirt, "I hate this Collot! Legosi has been dealing with all this hatred for years and never once broke down, yet here I am letting everyone get to me after a few days. I'm not strong like him,"

Collot just listened as Jack vented out his frustrations. He held the smaller dog close until he finally spoke, "Is that why you snapped at Legosi? Because you blame him for what's been happening?"

"No, of course not," Jack cried, his face completely red and covered in tears. "I just…I don't know why I feel like this. I don't know why I pushed Legosi when he was trying to help me, I don't know why I'm mad at him, and I don't know why I wish he was the one comforting me right now."

Collot listened closely to Jack's every word. It was clear that there was more going on here than just the bullying.

"I hate being an 'artificial' life form, I hate how I'm not strong like Legosi, and I hate how he's the only one who sees right through me and is willing to let me take out my frustrations on him. He's my best friend and yet I feel so much jealousy and anger towards him, even though I know he doesn't deserve it. The truth is… I'm just as heartless as everyone else."

Collot finally spoke, "Jack you need to talk to Legosi about this. You can't keep these feelings bottled up, it's not good for you."

"I can't Collot, I can't hurt him like that."

"Listen Jack, it may hurt for a bit, but it will hurt much more if you start hating him and drive him away. For the sake of your friendship you need to talk to Legosi."

Jack continued to cry into Collot's shirt. He knew he had to talk to his childhood friend, but could he really do that? Did he have the strength to protect their friendship when he couldn't even protect himself from almost getting killed? Jack's mind continued to race. It was clear that he was in for a long uphill battle.

---

Chapter 5: A Dark Opportunity

It had been a few days since Legosi had his argument with Jack and things still weren't any better. Every time he tried to approach his friend, Jack would turn away with a pained look on his face. Legosi missed his friend dearly. He wished they could go back to how they were. Back when they talked and laughed and Jack would always have a smile on his face.

The Labrador was also having a tough time trying to apologise to Legosi. Jack had been wanting to talk with the wolf ever since he lashed out at him on the roof. But whenever he tried to approach his best friend, he always felt like something was in the way. It was as if some invisible wall was keeping them apart. Jack longed to see the only animal who truly understood him, but the more he wanted to talk to Legosi, the more he felt like he didn't deserve to see him. Jack threw himself into his school work, hoping that it would calm him down and distract him from what happened between him and his roommate.

Meanwhile, Legosi was heading to the drama club again. The 701 canines and even some of the club members had started noticing that Legosi was spending a lot more time there. Perhaps he was also throwing himself into his work like Jack, or perhaps he was looking for an excuse to be away from his friend until they were both ready to talk. Whatever the case Legosi diligently worked on anything that needed repairs. The wolf also took a lot of extra time to help Kai understand the complexity of working with the lighting system and helped the art team create the new sets that they were to present to Louis. The club members couldn't believe how much effort he was putting into the play. This encouraged the other backstage hands to work even harder which resulted in them getting their work done even faster and to a higher quality to boot. It was as if Legosi had become a leader and inspiration to the art team (even though he didn't mean to). With the play right around the corner they were glad for the extra motivation and knew they would be ready.

Louis in particular took great interest in this, and while he was happy that the play was coming along better than ever thanks to the wolf's efforts, he also became very frustrated. What's up with this stupid wolf? Why is he working so hard all of a sudden? Did he always have such a strong work ethic, and if so why didn't he show it before? What is it about this performance that is making him outdo everyone? These questions kept running through the deer's mind, adding anger to his mounting frustration.

"Damn it, Legosi!" Louis thought to himself as he sat in his office. "What the hell are you up to?" The deer was outraged. He'd never been able to figure Legosi out and that's what he hated most about the large carnivore. He couldn't stand how unpredictable Legosi was. "Why are you so damn random? One minute you're no different than a statue that blends in with the background, the next you're stopping a fight and exposing your fangs. First you were lurking in the shadows and following orders like the obedient dog you are, and now you're out in the open and taking charge. You've never acted like this before... Even when I pinned you to the wall and yelled at you to bite me, you just stood there and took it like the wallflower you are!"

Louis picked up Legosi's file off the top of the desk and frowned. The longer he stared at it, the more he wanted to rip it up. "To make matters worse I've never seen the backstage team so…united. Ugh! They're making the actors look like a bunch of slackers. You even managed to get the fucking mongoose in line and now he is actually working well with you, something I've never been able to do!" The deer was seething, "Damn you to hell Legosi, I swear I'll figure out EXACTLY what's going on in that random mess of a head of yours. Even if it's the last thing I do!"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"Hello, Senpai?"

As if summoned, the same wolf Louis was just stressing out over was standing right outside his office. Louis quickly put his profile away and recomposed himself.

"Come in," the deer responded in a professional, if not slightly clipped, manner.

Legosi walked in holding several sheets of paper. He placed them on the table where his upperclassmen was sitting, "Um…so Louis-senpai, Dom wanted me to ask you about these set pieces you would prefer for the final scene."

Louis looked down at the various set designs and pondered over them. There were many different ones, each of them unique in their own way, "Wow, they really did go all out with these… I can't help but be at least a little impressed."

Legosi eventually spoke up, "Everyone on the art team made one and Dom thought it would be a good idea for you to be the one to pick out which one we use. Since you know, you're the lead actor and would know what would make the final act really shine!"

Louis continued to study the art team's work. He couldn't help but feel that there was one set that really stood out from the rest. It was a beautiful scene that was lit up by the light of a full moon. In the center was a large fountain with moon flowers surrounding it. In the background were small columns and an archway wrapped up in dark green vines which made the moonflowers covering it stand out more. All of which stood out against the backdrop of darkness at nightfall. The set gave off a sense of mystery and an almost dream-like atmosphere. It was clear that this one, though simple in design, had the most thought and effort behind it. Its simplicity would help emphasize the actors, while still being eye catching to the audience.

"This one," the red deer stated as he handed the paper to Legosi.

"Oh, really senpai?" the wolf questioned.

Louis raised a brow to him, "Yes, is there a problem?"

Legosi put his hands up "N-No, of course not. It's just…I wasn't expecting you to choose my design, that's all," Legosi's tail started wagging as he felt like he was finally getting his senpai's approval.

Louis' eyes widened, he couldn't believe his blunder. "Of course something involving the moon would be the wolf's work," he facepalmed mentally. And worse, by choosing this annoying wolf's design, he gave the carnivore a bigger chance to shine. The buck wanted to take his choice back but he also knew that Legosi's was clearly the best since the others were either too loud and flashy, too plain, or too downright weird. He looked at Legosi with an annoyed look in his eyes.

Legosi's ears and tail drooped, "Uh…Louis-senpai?" the wolf asked as he was taken aback by the look the deer was giving him.

"It's nothing!" Louis exclaimed as he looked to the side. The buck recomposed himself and looked back at his visitor. "I've given you my answer. Now off with you, I have a lot of work to do," Louis said as he brought his arm up and rested his face on his fist.

"Yes sir!" Legosi eagerly said.

The wolf then bowed his head, grabbed all the set designs and exited the room leaving the deer to himself.

"DAMN HIM!" Louis yelled as he slammed his fist onto the desk. "What is your deal you damn mutt?! You come in here acting like your same old unassuming self, then you start wagging your tail like some new born pup, then you run out of here like a freaken coward!"

Louis was getting more and more frustrated by the events of today, not to mention the past few weeks. He always despised the wolf for his reserve nature and wasting his strength, but now he hated Legosi for how unreadable he was. Louis never really saw himself as a control freak, he just felt more at ease being able to read others and tell what they were thinking. This wasn't the case with Legosi however. The wolf was like a loose cannon or a ticking time bomb that no one knew when it would go off (if it ever did). Luckily the club would soon be ending for the day and Louis could finally get out of there.

The club meeting ended and all the members had left for the day. A small group had stayed behind which consisted of Legosi, Kai, Dom, and Kibi. Louis saw the four stage hands and heard how excited they were to be working on the set. The red deer rolled his eyes in exasperation wanting no part in the conversation and left.

Louis headed back to his dorm. After a few minutes of walking the buck noticed a pair of tall white ears over by a bed of flowers and decided to investigate. As he expected it was a small dwarf rabbit girl. The same girl who Louis had been secretly sleeping with since the last semester.

"Oh, hello Louis," the small rabbit said as she smiled and waved up at him.

After exchanging greetings and some small talk, the two went up to the roof of a nearby building. It was here that the school's gardening club met, even though it only consisted of Haru for now. The small rabbit continued to talk to Louis as she watered the flowers, all while the red deer wondered how it is that one student can take care of so many plants on her own.

Louis walked over to her, "So you're still the only member huh?"

"Yep," Haru responded. "What about you? You seem more wound up than usual, and I didn't think that was possible" the dwarf rabbit joked.

"Well as you are aware the play is coming up, so I have been running myself ragged getting those useless peons ready," the deer huffed.

"You know I'm always here if you need to vent" the rabbit girl reassured. "Is there anything else you want to get off your chest?"

Louis grabbed one of the lawn chairs and sat down as he started to speak, "Sheesh, where to begin." The deer wondered, directing the question to Haru, "Well first of all there was that fight that broke out in the cafeteria two weeks ago."

"Oh, the one that wolf and his friends helped break up, right?" the rabbit responded.

Louis gave her an angry look, "Yes, that one!" The young buck composed himself. "Then there's the drama club. The actors keep messing up their movements. It also doesn't help that one of them keeps eating HIS DAMN LINES," Louis was getting more and more agitated as he continued. He continued to vent about how Bill never seemed to take anything seriously, how weak Aoba's sword play was, and how the dancers kept moving in the wrong directions. "I swear, I'd replace each and every one of them if I could. Honestly, the only ones who seem to be actually trying to put on a good performance are the backstage crew."

"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" Haru questioned. "Doesn't it show how dedicated and hardworking they are?"

"THAT'S THE PROBLEM!" Louis yelled, his face now burning with anger, all semblance of control lost. "They are making the actors, MY actors look like a bunch of slackers who couldn't perform to save their lives. I swear it's all that FUCKING WOLF'S FAULT!"

The white rabbit continued to listen, noting that this was the second time Louis got upset at the mere thought of the large canine, "Do you have some kind of grudge against this guy?" Haru wondered.

"I've always hated carnivores, especially the large ones. That mutt however, is on a whole other level of annoying" Louis looked down as he clenched his fists. "Every carnivore I've met has always been so loud and open, or at the very least somewhat talkative. That dumb dog isn't anything like that. He's so quiet and reserved, you never know what he's thinking. He completely wastes the strength he was given," Louis shook his head and he continued listing off his frustrations. "Then out of nowhere he starts standing out, only to go back to being his annoyingly unassuming self. He's just so…so…all over the place. I think he is gonna act one way, but then he goes and acts in a way that is neither the opposite of what I thought nor exactly what I thought. It's like his personality is a giant spinner and he acts according to whatever the arrow lands on. To make matters even worse he's become like the de facto leader for the art team and has been inspiring them to work harder than even they thought possible."

Haru hung on to every word and was intrigued by Louis' description of the student he was frustrated with. How could a large carnivore like a wolf be so quiet and reserved to the point where he just blends in with the background? She also couldn't help but wonder how someone like that would suddenly start standing out, go back to lurking in the shadows, and then become a leader that even surpassed Louis like it was nothing. Is it even possible for an animal to be that much of an enigma?

Louis looked at her, "Do you remember that mongoose I told you about?"

"The one who tried to punch you after you insulted him?" Haru responded, giving her boyfriend a smirk. "You totally deserved that punch by the way."

The buck raised a brow to her, "Anyway…I told you that another student protected me, what I didn't tell you was that the one who protected me was the same wolf I just told you about."

The rabbit's eyebrows shot up in surprise by what Louis said.

"Legosi growled at him and showed his fangs to make Kai back off. I'm sure you can guess that's how he knew to use the same trick in the cafeteria incident. I used that as an opportunity to punish both him and Kai by sticking them together. I figured that they would drive each other nuts, but instead they became friends! Seriously, how does that even work?! How do you go from growling at someone and being on the verge of fighting, to becoming their friend a few days later like it's nothing?" Louis was honestly dumbfounded by the whole thing. "Now, not only has that damn mutt managed to work well with my worst performing actor, he gets that stupid mongoose excited to work on the performance, something I've always had to drag out of him."

Haru was becoming more and more perplexed as she continued listening to Louis' rants. Just hearing about such an animal was hard to keep up with, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to actually talk to someone like that, let alone deal with them on an almost daily basis.

Louis looked up and stared at the sky and sighed, "He came into my office today. He presented me with different set designs that each art team member had apparently made. I looked through them and I ended up picking the one he made." Louis grabbed his antlers in frustration, "My god, I wanted to tear these off when I found out. You should have seen that idiot! He comes in acting like his usual nervous self, then when I pick his design he smiles and starts wagging his tail. I swear, you'd think he was a pup in primary school by how giddy he was. Then, when I tell him to leave, he runs off like he was someone's prey."

Haru couldn't help but feel a little concerned. She started to think that it could be dangerous to leave such an unpredictable animal like that on his own.

The young buck looked back at his friend and saw the worried look on her face, "I'm sorry Haru, I'm probably making a bigger deal out of it then it is. I just…I can't help but feel uneasy by the fact that there is an animal THAT unreadable not only living at this school, but who I am responsible for as the leader of the drama club."

Haru shook her head, "I get it Louis, I mean I am only hearing about this guy and I already feel like I should run for the hills." She looked at the deer and gave him a smile, "Don't worry Louis, I'm sure you'll get through it, you always do!" The dwarf rabbit knew her classmate was carrying a lot more stress then he was letting on. "I know, how about I help you forget all about your day and that mean wolf."

Louis blushed as he looked down at her, "Well, I suppose I could use some…'release' after the day I've had."

Haru took Louis by the hand and took him into the shed. There were shelves full of gardening equipment, bags of seeds, and fertilizer. There was also a large bed in the back that had clearly been used recently. The rabbit girl led Louis to the bed and began to get comfortable. The two removed their clothes and Louis brought the small herbivore in for a tight embrace as they began.

After an hour of intimacy, Louis and Haru cleaned themselves up and started heading back to the dorms together.

"Thank you Haru, I really needed that," the buck exclaimed.

"You're welcome Louis, I'm glad I could help," the white rabbit responded as she giggled. "Remember, I'm always here for you.

The two made it back to the dorms and after a quick kiss they parted ways. Haru went to the Rabbit dorms and Louis went to his special dorm that was located elsewhere on the grounds.

Meanwhile a certain tiger who was also heading home noticed what was going on.

"Well I'll be fucking damned! Louis is dating the school whore!" Bill laughed to himself at what he just discovered. "Guess the rich boy is into sluts. I mean who would have thought Louis of all animals would have to go to her just to get his rocks off" Bill couldn't stop laughing. "Oh man, wait till the guys hear this," suddenly the tiger got an idea. "No, on second thought I could use this," Bill knew this was his chance. He finally had some dirt on his upperclassman. "Well Louis, you keep saying you wanna give the audience a show they'll never forget."

Bill began planning immediately. He knew Louis would do anything to keep something like this from getting out. Plus he did make a promise to his girlfriend who just so happens to be in the journalism club that he would tell her anything newsworthy. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. The play was only a week away, and one way or another, Louis' time in the spotlight was over.

---

Chapter 6: From one Carnivore to Another

The play was just four days away and the preparations were in full swing. The backstage crew had finished Legosi's set much faster than anticipated, which allowed the actors to practice the final scene in the play without any problems or setbacks. With everything going smoothly, Louis was finally able to direct the swordplay perfectly and Legosi could figure out how to move the lights in sequence with the fight scene. The club had ended early for the day and all its members were feeling confident about the upcoming performance.

Legosi was standing outside the club room and was having mixed feelings about heading back to the dorm. Things were still pretty awkward between him and Jack and even though he longed to be with his childhood friend, he knew that if he talked to the labrador now, things would only get worse before they would get better. He also wasn't sure if either him or Jack were ready for that. All he knew is that he just wanted things to be back to normal with his best friend again. The wolf was lost in his own head when he heard a familiar voice calling him. Legosi turned and saw Kai waving to him.

"Hey Legosi!" the mongoose called out.

The wolf waved back, "Hey Kai, what's up?"

Kai walked over to him and spoke, "Well since the club ended early today and I don't really have anything better to do, I figured we could hang out like we chatted about."

Legosi's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh…uh…yea sure."

Kai turned his head and raised an eyebrow, "You ok? We don't have to if you're busy."

The wolf held his hands up, "N-No it's not that, it's just…" Legosi put one hand back down and the other behind his head. "I wasn't expecting it at all. You kinda took me by surprise."

"Oh well I…" Kai looked and sighed before looking up at the larger carnivore. "Look Legosi I'm gonna level with you. I'm REALLY not excited to head back to my dorm. My roommate has been driving me crazy and I know for a fact that if I go back there now, I'm just gonna end up strangling that S.O.B."

Legosi lowered his head and stared Kia in the eyes while squinting.

"W-What?" the mongoose said as he was taken aback by the wolf's piercing gaze.

Legosi suddenly grabbed Kai by the shoulders and turned him around.

"Hey what the hell are you-" but before Kai could finish Legosi stuck two figures out and put them on Kai's back. He then started turning them like they were a key to a windup toy.

"HAHAHA, STOP IT YOU DAMN WOLF! THAT TICKLES!" the mongoose yelled as he laughed.

Legosi smiled as he looked down at his captured friend, "Your wound up too tight. Hold still while I unwind you."

Kai pushed Legosi's hand away and jumped out of the wolf's clutches. After some time Kai finally managed to recover from his laughing fit as he turned to the canine.

"You are such a weirdo, you know that?" the mongoose said with a smile.

Legosi just smiled back at him as he stuck out his tongue with his eyes closed.

"Alright, alright, I suppose I deserved that," Kai said as he rolled his eyes. "So we're gonna go hang out or what?"

"Um…yea, let's go," Legosi thought about where he and Kai could go and talk. "I uh…I think there's still time to get dinner before the cafeteria closes."

Kai raised his hands and smirked, "Whoa there big guy." The mongoose jokingly said, "I said I wanted to go hang out, not go on a date."

Legosi's eyes widened again. He put his hands up and shook them. "WHA…N-No I-"

Kai just laughed at his new friend's expression, "I'm teasing, you dork." The mongoose, satisfied that he had got Legosi back for his earlier trick continued, "But seriously let's go eat because I am starving."

"O-Ok," Legosi said as he followed the smaller carnivore out.

The two arrived at the cafeteria. They grabbed their respective meals and found an empty table for two. The perfect place to eat and have a nice conversation.

After sitting down and taking a few bites, Legosi and Kai started talking about how school life had been treating them. They talked about how excited they were for the performance, and also just made any small talk they could think of to keep the mood from getting awkward.

"Look I'm just saying, if I have to spend another minute with that ass hat of a roommate, I can't be held responsible for what happens," Kai said as he took another bite.

"I'm sure he can't be that bad," Legosi responded after swallowing the food in his mouth.

Kai swallowed and spoke, "Ok, think of it like this. You know how much of a skirt chaser Bill is right?"

"Yeah?" the wolf answered

Kai took a deep breath and spoke, "Ok now think that - only full of energy, loves getting into your personal space, and is always trying to find out what you're doing or never shuts up about what he's planning on doing."

Legosi shook his head, "That still sounds like Bill."

Kai looked up as he thought about what else he could say to describe his annoying roommate, "Oh and he's always trying to get me to play games with him, even though he knows I'm busy."

"So… like if Bill was a canine?" Legosi asked.

Kai made a puzzled face, "Closer but…" Kai tried to think of another hint to give to Legosi. "Oh I know! He likes to try to make this intimidating face." The mongoose, now trying to imitate his roommate's face, smiled just enough to show his fangs, and attempted to wrinkle face in a similar way that canines do when they growl.

This was more than enough for the wolf to figure out what Kai was saying, "Oh, so if Bill was a chihuahua." Legosi answered, taking another bite of his meal.

Kai looked at the wolf and smiled, "Give the mutt a cigar."

Legosi giggled, he was happy he impressed his lighting partner.

Kai looked up at him . "Hey Legosi, why don't you act like this more often?" the mongoose questioned.

"W-What do you mean?" the wolf responded.

"I mean, why are you always so quiet and in the background when we're with everyone at the club? But when we are alone, you laugh, make jokes, and talk about things you love without any hesitation?" Kai shook his head. "I also know that it's not just with me. Whenever you're alone with anyone, whether it's just you and Kibi or you and Dom, that's the only time you stop being so quiet. I mean you're still quiet for the most part...even now I'm doing most of the talking, but you're able to at least have a normal conversation, even if it's much."

Legosi looked to the side and put a hand behind his head, "Well I…I just don't want to be in the way."

Kai gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

The wolf looked back at his dinner guest and then looked down, "I-I don't like the noise, that's all. Even when I was pup I didn't like to be around the other kids." Legosi put his hands together, "I guess that's the reason why I feel so comfortable working backstage. You've seen how peaceful it is when we're working. When I'm up there manning the lights, I feel like I'm in my only little world. I don't have to worry about anyone and I can just do what I love." Legosi looked back at Kai, "I'm sorry, you'd probably rather hang out with someone who isn't so…out of the way."

Kai rested his face on his hand. "Not at all. I already told you about my roommate and how much he pisses me off. You two are complete opposites and I think that's why I don't feel agitated when I'm working with you. As for what you said about not liking the noise, well...I can understand that," The mongoose said.

"Honestly…I think there's a part of me that's like that too." Kai looked to the side, "Don't get me wrong, I liked being on stage and I loved it when I was the center of attention, but at the same time it was such a pain in the ass when I was still on the actor's team."

"I swear, if it wasn't Louis barking orders it was someone else either messing something up or trying to get a rise out of us."

Kai looked up at his new leader and smiled, "After working with you and seeing just how calm it is where you hang out, I'm glad Louis put me with you, and I kinda wish he did it sooner."

Legosi looked back and smiled, his tail began to wag like crazy. Kai saw this and grinned, "There you go again 'sir wags-a-lot'!"

Legosi looked down and then returned his gaze to the small carnivore, "There I go again."

The two started laughing. Enough so, that other students who were also eating dinner took notice.

"Hey look at those two," a nearby hyena pointed out.

"A wolf and a mongoose? That's certainly different," the lion sitting with him answered.

"Hey, how much do you wanna bet he kidnapped that mongoose and is saving him for an after dinner snack?" an Arctic fox at another table joked.

"If a carnivore ate another carnivore, would that be considered predation?" the red fox he was sitting with asked.

Legosi and Kai overheard everything the other students were saying. Legosi was getting nervous as he tried to ignore them but Kai was getting pissed off.

The mongoose stood up, "HEY!" Suddenly all the attending students were looking at him. "Do you idiots mind, I'm trying to have a conversation with my friend here," Kai said as he glared at the other animals.

"Wow, such a big voice for such a small carnivore," a crocodile sarcastically said as he walked over to the pair.

"What was that?" the mongoose questioned, now staring daggers.

"Oh nothing, I'm just surprised that such an itty bitty little animal can make so much noise," the croc continued.

Kai's face was red with anger, "SEEMS LIKE SOMEBODY'S LOOKING TO LOSE SOME TEETH."

Legosi put his hand on his new friend's shoulder, "Calm down Kai, he's just trying to get under your skin."

The smaller carnivore looked back at him, "I know but-"

Legosi said nothing, and instead used a canine's secret weapon 'The-Puppy-Dog-Eyes'.

Kai's eyes widened, "Seriously! You're using that on me?"

The wolf just continued to stare at his friend.

Kai looked at the croc and then back at his friend, "But he's the one who-"

Legosi stuck his tongue out a bit and continued to look at his friend in silence.

The other canines in the cafeteria noticed what was going on and started to laugh to themselves.

"Hey, check out the wolf," a husky whispered to the bear he was sitting with.

"Oh man, he's using that?" a black wolf at another table asked.

"Dude is hardcore!" the dalmatian he was sitting with responded.

"Ugh, fine damn it!" Kai said as he crossed his arms and sat back down. The mongoose took a sec to catch his breath and looked at his dinner mate. "That right there, that is just cheap," he said while pointing at Legosi.

All the canines in the cafeteria smirked and laughed as quietly as possible, but to no avail.

"How'd I know it was gonna go like that?" the hyena from earlier laughed.

"Hey when something works that well, what do you expect?" a coyote who overheard answered, also laughing.

The crocodile who was teasing Kai continued to torment him, "Ha! Oh man I can't believe you. You try to pick a fight and then stand down because your friends starts eyeing you, that's rich."

Kai clenched his fists, it was clear he would snap at any moment. Seeing this, Legosi decided to stand up.

"Can you please just leave us alone? We just came here to have a good meal and talk."

The croc smirked. "I can see that," he said as he looked at Kai. "I gotta say, you certainly bagged a good one. I mean a little on the scrawny side, but hey, at least you'll be able to eat him in one bite." The crocodile laughed, "I mean at least this predation incident will be a clean one, unlike what happened a few months back." The whole cafeteria was shocked, the reptile's words made most of the other carnivores to become uncomfortable with the situation and many of them tried to look away.

Legosi, now getting annoyed with the brute, began to glare at him, "That's not funny!" The wolf barked, getting upset that someone would make light of such a horrible event. "I asked you to go away nicely, but now I'm telling you, leave us alone and mind your own business!"

The large carnivore put his hands on his hips, "Hey man, don't be like that. I'm just congratulating you on your catch," The croc laughed. "I bet this mongoose will make a great snack. In fact-"

"ENOUGH!" the wolf yelled as he slammed his fist onto the table, a loud growl could be heard in his voice. Legosi had lost what little patience he had left and began to snarl. This caused the canine to once again expose his fangs.

The brute put his hands up, "Whoa there buddy! Take it easy, I was just joking."

This sudden outburst took all the carnivores, including Kai, by surprise, causing them to jump back. After seeing the way Legosi showed his fangs, many students immediately recognized him.

Kai was in shock, he couldn't believe what was happening. Once again he saw another side to this quiet, out of the way wolf.

A cougar ran up to the croc and put his hand on the reptile's shoulder, "Hey man, I think you should back off...like now." The feline said with fear in his voice.

The bully looked at him, "Why? I'm not scared of this guy."

"Don't you know anything you idiot?" the large cat responded. "That's him! He's the guy who stopped the cafeteria fight and who's the leader of that pack of canines."

The croc looked back at Legosi and his eyes widened. "Oh crap! It is him." He thought to himself. The brute put a hand behind his head and made a submissive face. "Um…listen, I can see that I've offended you two with my jokes and uh…I guess I was taking things a little too far."

"A little?" Kai questioned.

"Ok, a lot," the croc reluctantly responded. "So…how about we just put all this behind us and go about our business."

Legosi stopped his growling and smiled thinly, "I'd like that."

After their unwanted guest left, the two carnivores ate the rest of their meal in silence. The other students also continued their meals in peace.

Legosi and Kai began walking to the dorms as an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Both of them wanted to say something, but were at a complete loss at what to say.

Legosi decided to break the silence and spoke up. "Umm Kai… I-I just…I want to tell you…I-I'm sorry," the wolf stopped and bowed his head. "I'm sorry…I embarrassed you in there. I just…I didn't like how he kept teasing you and I was getting mad about how he kept treating what happened to Tem as a joke and I just…I'm sorry."

Kai stopped walking and looked back at the guilt ridden wolf, "Why are you apologizing?"

Legosi looked up at the small carnivore with a confused look, "Because I-"

Before the canine could finish Kai spoke again. "You didn't do anything wrong. You did what you needed to do in order to help me fend off that asshole." The mongoose looked down, "Honestly, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."

Legosi stood up straight and looked at his friend with a raised brow, "What do you mean by that? I'm the one who showed my fangs again."

Kai shook his head, "I know, but you only did that because of me." The smaller animal looked up at his partner, "I was so close to starting another fight and just like before, you stopped me before something could happen. when that idiot wouldn't back off you stood up for me." the mongoose let out a small smile, "You're the only one who's ever done that for me. So…Thanks."

Legosi's tail began to wag as he smiled. He was happy he could do something like that for someone.

Kai looked to the side and then back at the large canine, "By the way Legosi, I didn't get to say it back at dinner but, it seemed like you had something on your mind."

Legosi widened his eyes. It was true that he was thinking about Jack the whole time, but was it really that obvious?

"Oh, it's nothing really," The wolf responded, while waving a hand in front of his face. "I was just thinking about a friend is all."

Kai raised a brow and smirked, "Oh, I get it. My company wasn't good enough for you."

Legosi froze, "W-What no I-"

The mongoose laughed at the wolf's expression. He couldn't believe his defender fell for that again.

Legosi looked down and blushed as his ears folded back. He still had a hard time figuring out when someone was messing with him, or if they were being honest.

Kai saw how embarrassed Legosi had gotten and decided to change the subject, "So about this friend of yours."

Legosi looked at Kai and felt a heavy pressure in his chest, "His name is Jack, and…He's my best friend."

Kai put a hand to his chin, "Jack huh, I think I've heard that name before." After a few seconds, the mongoose managed to remember, "Oh, he's that golden retriever who's on the honor roll right? I've seen you hanging out a lot. Although now that I think about it. Lately it seems as if you two don't even know each other."

"Yea, he's the one," Legosi's heart sank. "We use to be inseparable. We did everything together."

"Well what happened?" Kai asked.

"It's nothing really. It's just been a little complicated for the both of us," Legosi responded. "Between what happened to Tem, the cafeteria incident, and then with the play coming up, we've haven't been able to hang out as much."

Kai was starting to get concerned. He could tell something else was wrong, "Come on Legosi, you can tell me. You helped me out with that dumb croc. The least I can do is listen to what's really bothering you."

Legosi turned his head to the side and then back to the mongoose. He wanted to tell Kai what happened, but not until he sorted it out with Jack. So he instead decided to explain what happened on the roof. He told Kai about how he and Jack got into an argument, about how he could tell Jack was getting bullied, and how horrible Jack felt when he pushed Legosi away.

"I've wanted to talk to Jack for so long now. I wanted to tell him that what happened was ok and that no matter what happens we will always be friends," Legosi could feel the tears beginning to form. "I also wanted to tell him that I'm here to help if those jerks messing with him won't back off."

"So…Why don't you?" Kai questioned, noticing the wolf's wet eyes.

"He keeps avoiding me and whenever I get close to him, I feel this awful pain in my chest," the wolf responded. "So it's hard for me to break through that and really speak to him."

"Look Legosi, I know how you feel, I get it. But neither of you are going to feel better until you talk this out," Kai said with a concerned look on his face.

"I know. But what should I do?" Legosi asked.

"I can't really say for sure, to be honest." Kai shook his head. "I've never been one for having a meaningful relationship, what with my temper in all. Plus let's face it, I would probably end up breaking their face before we got close." The small carnivore looked up and smiled, "But I do know this, if he really means that much to you, then you should do something about it."

Legosi looked down, his ears and tail drooping. "I just...I don't know what to do. Whenever I look at him I feel sick to my stomach. I'm just so confused."

Kai reached up and grabbed the wolf's hand, "It's not how you feel in the moment that counts with something like this. You can't let some small thing, like being uncomfortable, make you throw away someone you cherish so much. It sounds like he is someone really special to you and I think you should fight whatever you're feeling so you can overcome it and help your friend."

Legosi got a determined look in his eyes, "Yea, you're right. I need to stop running away from this and face Jack if I'm ever going to be able to talk to him again." The wolf looked Kai in the eyes and smiled, "Thanks Kai, you were a really big help."

Kai smiled, "What are friends for?"

The two parted ways and Legosi ran towards room 701 as fast as he could. He knew what he had to do to get his childhood friend back.