I sneezed right there in the library. That may have not been the brightest idea on our part. While playing in the snow was totally worth it, the enviable happened. No amount of tea could stop the oncoming cold my poor body was going to suffer. Being a dwarf rabbit and therefore of a small physique, the school let me wear a poncho over my uniform on cold days; they did this after much argument from Bagheera when he found out I was freezing in a classroom in first year. So there I was, sitting in the library at one of the oak wooden tables with my poncho on and a now luke-water cup of Sencha tea beside my books. I had a big history midterm coming up soon which I had to study for. Cold or no cold, exams wait for no one. Not that I was too worried; history was one of my best subjects, after all. Still, I wanted to keep up my A average in the class.

I sneezed again, able to cover my mouth this time. Nugh, maybe I should pick up some medication from the nurse's on my way home. With a long sigh, I lid my history textbook over in front of me. Opening it up to chapter eight, I found- to my delight- a pressed, dried flower waiting for me. Smiling, I lifted it up to get a closer look; lavender, one of my favourites. "Louis…." Down beside me the bud went, and with one last grin, I turned my attention to the first page. "Ok, chapter eight…" My lips read aloud as quietly as I could.

But I didn't get far down the page. My concentration was interrupted by a rabbit- not dwarf but a harlequin- appeared at my table. He approached me from the side, and I paused to gaze up at him puzzled. I'd seen him around school before but never really talked to him before; I think his name was Hojo? I'm not sure. "Hello, Haru-chan." "Oh, hi," I didn't want to use his name in case I got it wrong. "How are you feeling?" "Uh….?" "I heard you sneeze just now. Are you getting a cold?" Why is he asking me these sorts of questions? Why should he care if I'm sick? Still, I decided to be polite and grin.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'll be fine." "I heard about your snow adventure this morning. That must have been fun." How'd he hear about that? Seriously, doesn't everyone have better things to do with their time than gossip about me and Louis? Be nice, be nice; I told myself repeatedly. "It was fun; I love the first snow of the year," I forced my grin to widen. "Me too," I think this backfired on me when his face suddenly softened; his eyes lowered upon me. Then, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was actually blushing… for some odd reason.

"H-here, I was afraid you might be getting sick, so I-I brought you a tea," Hojo- I dubbed him until learning otherwise- suddenly placed a paper cup on my table. "Tea?" I blinked startled. "Yeah. I always see you carrying a tea with you around campus; I-I figured you must really like it." Wow, he's right- I do love tea; it's one of my three favourite things besides flowers and sugar. Plus my family and Louis are on that list too, course. Hey, wait…. It slowly dawned on me. What does he mean by "always see me around campus"? How often does he see me? How have I not been aware of this until now? Still, I wanted to be kind and show my somewhat water-downed gratitude. "Thank you. That's super thoughtful," and a little creepy but I'll give him the benefit of the double.

Hojo seemed to beam at this like I've just lavished praise on him or something. His smile grew all the more as his eyes lit up in glee. "Make sure to drink it while it's still hot," he felt the need to add, again for some reason. I nodded. "W-well, I'll see you around, then. Have a good study session, Haru-chan." "I will. See you," I flashed him one last smile before turning back to my work, finally. Well, that was weird; what possessed him to do all that? Though I didn't have to think too long about it. The moment Hojo was gone, three girls- one of them also a harlequin rabbit- walked past my table. Along the way, the rabbit's hand slid along effectively knocked over my stack of books I was going to study from besides my textbook. I shot them a glare which they ignored, laughing and jeering at me as they looked over their shoulders. "Don't get the wrong idea. My boyfriend just pities small, dumb animals," she snarled. Boyfriend? Oh… oh, I get it now. I rolled my eyes before getting out of my chair to pick up the books, trying to ignore their vapid laughter as they too left the library.

This wasn't my first time being bullied by someone's girlfriend; that was rather quite common, actually. I didn't let it bother me; why should I be upset because some jealous losers get up in my face. Not my problem. I set the books back up and returned my stare back onto my textbook. Nothing eventful happened for a while; it got dark outside and the interior of the library got quieter and quieter. Eventually, I was of the persuasion that I was the only one on the floor still studying. The lights were turned on outside and you could see the light sprinkling of snow fly through the air. I sighed, resting my cheek on my hand and mindlessly gazing out of the window.

It's late…. I leaned back in my chair, letting one of my arms fall down at my side. I'd been here for a while now; I should probably head home soon. I ironically wasn't afraid of running into any carnivores on the way home but rather, going out in the cold and making my illness worse. Sighing, I then finished up the rest of my tea and went to shut my textbook. While collecting my scattered papers all around the desk, I winced at the sensation of one of them slicing my finger. Damn, a paper cut! A deep one too by the looks of it. I brought my forefinger up to see a drop of blood roll down from the cut along the side of my finger. It hurt like the dickens, but I had colourful bandaids at home I could put on it. Crisis averted. I was about to lick the blood off my finger until…

Breathing. Heavy breathing from behind me. It sounded close but not too close. Whoever it was stayed aligned with my back so I couldn't see them from the corner of my eyes. And trust me, I looked but wasn't able see anything. I don't know why but something inside me told me not to turn around either- I just sat there motionless and waiting for something to happen. And it did- oh boy, it did.

The breathing became louder like their mouth was hanging open; it was more like panting at this point. "You smell so good," my ears perked up at the sound of his deep, lustful voice. It was a male; I could tell that from his voice. He was male and predatory- he sounded… hungry, for lack of a better word. I didn't move in that moment. I didn't even breathe, I was so afraid to make a sound.

What should I do? Should I call out for help? Should I call campus security? Should I make a run for it? It was the oddest thing. I knew he was watching me with the upmost desire; I could feel his hunger from here. But…. he didn't move; he didn't step an inch closer to me. He just… stood there, unmoving. Why? I don't understand. Why doesn't he at least do something? "Perfect… You are so perfect." Ok, not that. Why is he saying that but not acting upon his desires? Sure, it's good for me but after the anti-attack training I'd received from the commune, I doubt I'd actually die. Still….

It only got weirder when he suddenly gasped- more like a wince. I heard him groan and before I had time to react, his footsteps could be heard echoing down the room and outside onto the staircase. It was only then that I spun my chair around to see what was there, or not there. To my shock, on the ground was a pool of drool with some blood mixed in. I couldn't prove it but since we were the only ones in the room, I bet he hurt himself so to stop himself from hurting me. He must have scratched his arm or leg or something. I didn't even get a look at his face; all I knew him by was his voice. I had no idea how tall he was or what kind of animal he was. And I didn't want to find out anytime soon. Now seemed like the perfect time to get the heck outta there. My hands gathered up my stuff as quick as I could; everything went into my backpack. Then I rushed out the front doors, completely forgetting the empty teacup Hojo had left me on the table.

I didn't like to think I was afraid of any carnivores, but I wasn't in any hurry to go back to that floor in the library again.