Chapter 4

The final bell just didn't come fast enough. Maria jogged out of the door as soon as class ended. She weaved in and out of the groups of students that were trickling out of their own respective classes, excusing herself along the way.

Even though she was being careful enough to to bump into anyone, she still crashed into another animal around the corner, tumbling to the ground.

"O-oh! Oh, gosh. I'm sorry! Y-you alright?" said a deep yet timid voice.

"Oof, yeah. I'm fine," she responded, rubbing her leg.

"Umm...can you stand?" A slightly trembling hand with some rather long and slender grey fingers and claws were extended towards her. Looking up, Maria found they belonged to a tall and slim gray wolf with very worried eyes.

"Yes, thank you. " She grabbed his hand to pull herself from off the floor, which startled the wolf a little. After picking up her bag and dusting off the back of her skirt, she noticed that the wolf was staring at his claws, seemingly a bit awestruck.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Oh, uh-! Fine! Everything's fine…"

The slender wolf hid his hand behind his back as he hunched over slightly. He also kept fidgeting somewhat while actively avoiding eye contact.

Wow, this guy's the very definition of shy and awkward, Maria thought to herself. She couldn't help but smile a bit, finding it kind of endearing.

"Well, anyway, I'm in a bit of hurry. Sorry for bumping into you." She then bowed and resumed trotting down the hall. The gray wolf stared at the sheep for a while, his ear flicking curiously. He couldn't remember the last time an herbivore grabbed his hand so readily like that…

It took over half an hour to commute by subway and then ten minutes more on foot, but Maria finally reached Saint Eden's General Hospital. She had originally traveled with her twin brother, Joe, most of the way, but said he needed to pick something up first. So, it was only her standing in front of the hospital room, at the moment.

Maria was feeling slightly apprehensive about going in, but after smacking the side of her cheeks a few times, she managed to find her courage again. She continually told herself that it's nothing serious and that Rob will be well enough to come back to school in no time. Yes, everything is fine.

When Maria opened the sliding door, she almost thought she was in the wrong room. It was obvious she wasn't when her parents were there to greet her, which meant that the white lion sitting up on the bed with a lowered head and downcast eyes was…

"Rob, dear. Maria's come to see you," her mom said to the young carnivore. Rob elevated his gaze towards the door.

"Oh… h-hi there, S-Sis," he greeted weakly.

Maria almost gasped in horror at the lion's transformation, wanting to clutch her mouth with both hands. But, she resisted the urge. She composed herself, as to not worry Rob or her parents, and smiled softly.

"Hi, yourself. Are you feeling okay?"

Of course, he's not okay! How is this okay?! Maria cried out inwardly.

"I'm fine, I g-guess…" Rob struggled to curve his mouth into a smile, but gave up immediately. It was as if his entire face became too heavy to move.

Her heart began to sink. It was like the lion reverted back to the depressed and fearful cub that first came to live with them all those years ago.

"Well… it doesn't look like you got hurt that much, at least," Maria said a bit more cheerfully as she finally stepped into the room. "Right?"

Dean sighed as his daughter's eyes rested on him, "Just a scratch and bump on the head. Nothing major…"

Maria would have felt some semblance of relief if not for that grave tone in her father's voice. "Okay, so… what else happened?"

Dean looked to his wife, as though asking for consent to speak. She nodded with saddened expression in her golden eyes.

"Do you… remember hearing about some incident happening at the school?" he asked carefully.

"Well… yeah. A lot of students were talking about it this morning. It was even in the school paper," Maria said. Someone was actually devoured at Cherryton, which shook most of the student body. Though, everyone seemed too nervous to even gossip about it like with most crazy events.

"But, what's that have to do with…" Her voice trailed when she saw her father's eyes cast on the ground and her mother's ready to be filled with tears. Maria finally understood what was being alluded to as she watched Rob's hands gripping his bedsheets tighter.

"No. No no no no no, absolutely not. This is just another one of your bad jokes! Dad!" She waited in vain for him to confirm her accusations. "But, he… Why would—"

"HEY-YO! Sorry I'm a little late! Hope you're ready to get your snack on! Fresh castellas, on me!"

A bighorn ram of similar muscular build and height to Dean burst through the sliding door, carrying a dessert box and wearing a big smile. He then scanned the room to find Maria grimacing, Dean groaning with his fingers pinched between his eyes, Sandra with her hand over her mouth in surprise, and Rob staring back, wide-eyed.

"Dude… What happened to you? Looks like someone dumped you in a tub of bleach!" the ram exclaimed.

"Uh…" Rob was still reeling a bit from the sheep's boisterous entrance.

"Joe, just…! Just sit down somewhere," said an exasperated Dean. "There's something you both need to hear."

"Hm?"

Joe had a talent for shattering tension or changing the overall mood effortlessly, thanks to his gregarious nature. His tact in serious situations and timing would vary, however.

"There's just no way…" Maria whispered.

She stood rigid with her hands clenched on her chest after Dean explained what he had learned from the sloth bear detective.

Rob is actually suspected of devouring another student? OUR Rob? Those words just don't mesh together at all, no matter how many times they were repeated.

"What's going to happen to him?" she asked quietly.

Dean heaved a heavy sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We won't know until after he is discharged and questioned by the police."

The room remained silent for some time afterwards, everyone almost afraid to break it. It was certainly not an easy topic to discuss.

"...So, did you really eat that alpaca kid?"

Everyone—save Rob—snapped their heads towards Joe, who was straddling backwards on his chair, his chin resting on his arms. Sandra had a fearful look in her eyes while both father and daughter glared incredulously at the young ram.

"What? You all wanna know, too, right? Better we clear the air now," he defended. "Right, Robbie?"

Rob fidgeted a bit as all eyes fell upon him. After a few moments of wringing his hand, he lifted his head slightly… and slowly shook his head. "—asn't me..."

"What was that, dear? You can speak up," Sandra said assuredly.

"It...w-wasn't me," Rob mumbled a bit louder.

The herbivores in the room aside from Joe breathed a collective sigh of relief. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, they held back their own inquiries, fearing what the young lion would say.

"Alright, then! So, who really did it?"

"Um…" Rob thought for a minute. "I-I...can't remember." All he could now recall is the silhouette of a large animal, getting viciously clawed in the face, and his head getting slammed onto something hard. He recoiled as he remembered the impact, his hand unconsciously touching the right side of his head.

"W-well, that's okay. You can just tell the police you're innocent," Maria said, her fears alleviating somewhat. "Then, they can find the true culprit. Right?"

"It won't be that simple." Dean said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The fact that they found Rob next to a half-eaten body… gives them plenty of reason to arrest him."

"Wha—B-but…!" Maria began to protest, but her father continued on.

"Also, with him suffering from memory loss, it'll only make him look MORE suspicious."

"But, that's just so…stupid." Maria's fear quickly gave way to anger as she began to clench her fists. "Why—What possible reason do they have to do that without giving him a chance?!" she began to rant. "Why would they be SO sure that he ate that alpaca boy?!"

"Because," Dean began to answer, his hazel eyes atypically sorrowful. "Rob's a carnivore…"

Maria froze, her remaining words of indignation becoming trapped in her throat. 'Because Rob's a carnivore.' It was absolutely impossible to deny the weight of that phrase.

In a society where carnivore's are often feared and abhorred for their claws, fangs, and natural hunting instincts, no one would bat an eye if one were incarcerated, even if they were blameless. In fact, some would probably welcome it. Maria grunted in frustration as she bit her bottom lip, knowing that Rob will be treated in the same manner.

"I'm s-sorry…" Rob meekly mumbled.

No, stop it, Maria thought angrily. You don't have to—

"You've done NOTHING wrong that needs apologizing for, sweetheart," Sandra said in a trembling voice. The ewe gently stroked her hand from the young lion's mane down to his cheek, tears already streaming down her own.

Maria couldn't help but be amazed at how much her mother has come to accept Rob as part of the family. She remembered how, in the beginning, she wanted nothing to do with the "problem child" or his violent panic attacks. She even yelled at her husband behind closed doors, demanding they find someone else to take care of him. However, Rob's kind and gentle nature slowly softened her heart greatly to the point where she can't imagine not having him in her life.

At least there are some animals willing to accept him for who he is, Maria thought as she smiled. But then, her expression suddenly became more despondent—her eyes casting down and ears drooping slightly. She couldn't help but feel…

"So, what now?" Joe asked.

Dean inhaled deeply, as if getting a handle of his emotions "For now, we can only hope… and pray that something turns up that will help Rob's case."

His eyes then shifted towards the clock hanging over the door. "It's getting late. We can figure things out another time."

Rob immediately looked towards Dean with doleful eyes, as if begging him to stay.

"It'll be fine, boy," he said softly, while grasping the young lion's broad shoulder. "We'll be coming by tomorrow."

"...Okay," Rob said sadly.

The remaining herbivores each bid the young lion good night, with Sandra stroking Rob's muzzle a bit more and Joe giving him an affectionate jab on the arm.

"I'll… I'll stay with him a bit longer," Maria said, sitting down in the chair next to the hospital bed.

"Alright," said Dean. "Just make sure you get back to school before it gets too dark."

Maria nodded and the remaining family members slowly trickled out of the room. Both she and Rob sat silently for a time, listening to the clock on the wall as it ticked away.

"Um… Y-You know," Rob began, his eyes staring down at his bedsheets. "You don't h-have to stay i-if you—"

Maria gently placed her hand on the back of his as she shook her head. "I'm staying."

I owe you that much.

Without lifting his head, he turned his trembling claws face-up, wrapping his fingers around Maria's smaller hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Th-thank you," he said in a small voice, his eyes beginning to moisten.

Maria smiled, taking care not to let Rob see her own eyes brimming with tears.


Author's Note

Phew. This chapter took a bit of work compared to the others. Ideally, I'd like to pump out chapters weekly, but we'll see. What'd you think of the bighorn family, so far?