Chapter 11
Louis sat upon his bed in the nurse's office, frustrated at his own weakness, as well his herbivorous body.
After waking up hours after the final curtain, he was told by Bill that he wouldn't be able to continue the next performance, thanks to his broken ankle.
The red deer was not so much concerned for his splintered bone—as that will heal in time—but rather how his fellow clubmates surrounding him were treating him like some fragile babe needing to be coddled. One little injury and they stop regarding him as an equal.
Knowing feeling pity for himself wouldn't help him, Louis soon swallowed his own pride and relinquished his role of "Adler" to Bill. Seeing as he was the only one willing to tell him the truth about his injury without tiptoeing around it—as well as already memorizing the lines—it was the best decision open for the herbivore.
Afterwards, all of the animals trickled out of the nurse's room as they bade Louis goodnight—save for one large lion hybrid. The deer eyed the young carnivore scrutinizingly, admittedly curious about his reason for lingering.
"Is there something on your mind, Rob?" he questioned.
"Um… W-well, I…" Rob kept his gaze fixed upon the ground as he held his arm with his opposite hand.
"They said you were the first to realize I had a broken ankle, even before I collapsed," Louis remarked. "I must say, I'm impressed with your medical knowledge. It seems you were quite serious in your desire to become a doctor."
"Th-thank you…That's v-very kind of you t-to say, but…"
"'But…?'"
The young lion hesitated for a moment. He then lifted his greenish-gray eyes, giving Louis an apologetic look.
"I didn't…c-catch it in t-time. A-all the s-signs were there, but I w-was too s-sl—too slow to realize them. I-I should've—I mean, i-if I had s-spoken up earlier, th-then you would have… w-would…have…" Rob trailed off, taken off guard by the buck's quiet chuckles.
"That's quite pretentious of you to assume responsibility for my blunder," he smirked facetiously.
"W-What? B-b-but I—"
"What made you so sure that anything would change if you had said something prior to today? I would have denied your claims outright, you know. And I'd have taken the stage regardless of anyone's protests."
"Th-that's—!"
"Did I really look that feeble and in pain? That I secretly wanted a 'big, strong man' to succor me? Hmph, didn't realize you thought yourself my knight in shining armor."
"N-no, I never t-thought that! A-all I wanted w-was…to—!"
"Enough of your sputtering, Rob! What's done is done, so I will not have anymore of your whining! Understand!?"
The young lion flinched—his ears flattened and his tail almost going between his legs—from the red deer's beratement. The bottom of his black lips also began to quiver, which caused Louis' anger to cool almost immediately as his gaze softened.
"I just… w-wanted to help…" Rob murmured almost pitifully. "I-I've seen too many animals g-get hurt…a-and f-finding mys—finding myself unable to d-do anything to save t-them… I c-can't just…"
"Save?" What the h*ll is he going on abo—? Louis' thoughts immediately returned to his previous conversation with the young carnivore in front of Tem's memorial, and the similar language he has heard from him.
Oh… I see now. The deer turned his head slightly, now feeling somewhat guilty for censuring Rob so. After about a minute, Louis faced the distraught lion as he quietly cleared his throat.
"Rob, listen to me," he said in a gentler tone. "What has happened to my ankle was no more than me paying the consequences for my actions."
Rob looked up with moist eyes—which made the buck a little uncomfortable—as he continued. "I'm grateful for your concern—and for being kind enough in bringing me here—but you needn't burden yourself on my account. No one is blaming you for my injury—least of all, me. Also…"
Louis then closed his eyes while slowly inhaling. "...I'm confident that he wouldn't fault you, either…You did everything the best way you possibly could. For the both of us."
The young lion's ears twitched while his eyes grew just a bit wider. He then began to whimper as tears began trickling down his cheeks.
Oh, for Rex's sake! Why does he have to start blubbering now? Louis grumbled inwardly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Dry your tears, Rob."
"*sniff* O-o-okay…ngk!"
Rob quickly wiped his face, taking deep breaths as he was attempting to regain his composure. With a final sniffle, he then straightened his posture.
"W-well, I…g-guess I better g-get back with ever—everyone now."
"Hmm. See that you do."
The young lion bowed his head and then slowly walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. As soon as he heard the final click, Louis let out a deep sigh and flopped himself on the bed.
"There is something seriously wrong with that cat," he said while covering his eyes with a forearm. "Just once I would like to see him act like a real predator, and not just some…'pansy'."
…
It was the second night of the "Adler" production, and seats were already halfway full minutes after the ushers opened the entrance doors. It was a testament to the rousing success of opening night.
As animals continued to quickly secrete themselves into the auditorium, Legoshi nervously peeked from behind the edge of the curtain, looking more dejected than usual.
"Hm? L-Legoshi, are you… a-alright?" Rob asked as he walked past.
The grey wolf grumbled. "Remind me again…why'd they look at you first, but picked me instead?"
The young lion scratched the side of his muzzle almost guiltily.
Since Bill had to fill the role of "Adler," they were one body short for the role of the last spirit antagonist. Because both he and Rob were both big cats—and because he was so much bigger and more imposing compared to the Bengal tiger—the young lion would have been the perfect candidate for the "final boss" of the trio of villains.
However, the group soon unanimously agreed that his stutter combined with his crippling stage fright will only serve to derail the final scene.
Going down the list of large carnivores, they finally settled upon Legoshi, who immediately hid behind Rob's large frame as soon as his name was made mention. He failed to conceal his bushy tail, however, and was easily discovered.
Even though Rob was grateful he was not chosen for the role, he still felt bad for the young wolf.
"I-I'm sure you'll d-do fine. It's j-just a few lines and a f-fight scene, a-aft—after all," the young lion attempted to console.
"Mmm…yeah, thanks…" the canine mopingly replied. There was not much else the young lion could think of to lift the wolf's spirits, so he left with a awkwardly cheerful "G-good luck."
Rob went further back to meet with the rest of his crewmates before it was finally time for the second showing to begin. The new "Adler" performed his role pretty well, but felt quite lacking when compared to Louis' breathtaking portrayal of the reaper.
The audience failed to keep themselves engaged, with some animals whispering disapprovingly of the newly-striped Grim Reaper and others letting their eyes wander.
During the few times he was able to witness the act from the sidelines, even the young lion found himself a little disappointed—even though he didn't see the Bengal tiger make any noticeable mistakes. It became just another play that one could see in any other high school.
The second-to-last act soon approached and Rob quickly moved the props out in order to make it back to the sidelines in time. As he nervously awaited Legoshi to take the stage, the young lion's ears picked up the muffled thumps of crutches approaching from behind him.
He turned around to find that it was Louis.
He greeted the carnivore with a quick glance and a nod and hobbled next to him. Rob put his arm in front of the red deer to help him a little with his balance, but he motioned his hand—telling him that he was managing on his own—and turned his gaze towards the performance.
After several more lines spoken by the hornless "Adler", it was finally time for his opponent to come into the spotlight. Rob fully expected the young wolf to be apprehensive as he walked towards the center of the stage, but there was not a single sign of hesitation in his steps. In fact, Legoshi—who donned a simple shirt, cape and bandages over his eyes while walking barefooted—seemed unusually confident and focused.
Rob squinted to see Legoshi wearing a very intense, almost angry expression. He then noticed the false weapon shaking in the canine's left hand.
Huh? Is he still feeling really nervous, the young lion wondered. His question was soon compounded with many more as Legoshi threw his weapon on the ground and sprinted towards Bill, striking him with his fist hard enough to send him flying across the stage. The audience gasped at the new development while Rob's jaw dropped.
"W-what the—?! W-w-what's going on with h-him?!" the young lion exclaimed. As soon as the Bengal tiger hit the ground, a vial began tumbling from his person and rolled right in front of Louis' feet.
"A b-bottle…? Why d-does he…"
Louis stooped to pick it up. On closer inspection, the young lion was able to see that it was filled with a red liquid. Suddenly, a whiff of something iron-like emanating from the container reached Rob's nostrils—causing images from that fateful night with the young alpaca to flash before of his eyes.
"T-t-that's—! No…! W-why would he—h-he—!" Rob gasped in horror, covering his mouth while stepping back. Louis furrowed his brow, clicking his tongue as he then stowed away the vial into his pocket.
At that point, the grey wolf was already straddling over Bill's and began delivering several punches that slowly intensified into a barrage of blows—knocking the skull mask away. Legoshi even began crying out with each strike, almost as if he himself was on the receiving end.
Bill was beaten until his face was swollen, bloody, and given a black eye, but soon regained himself and easily grabbed both of the enraged carnivore's fists. With his claws still interlocked with the wolf's, the tiger pushed himself from off the ground until he was standing almost nose-to-nose against Legoshi. After a short struggle, Bill turned his back against the audience and then caught Legoshi in a tight embrace.
The young lion could hear Bill faintly whispering something to Legoshi, causing the wolf to put up less of a fight as his eyes seemed to fill with anguish and…guilt?
"No, silence!" Bill belted out a slightly improvised line. "After all, remember: you've got blood on your hands, too."
Rob ears were then greeted by the horrible sound of ripping flesh echoing slightly across the stage, along with pained groans from the distressed wolf. Soon, drops of red liquid began trickling on the floor behind Legoshi.
"N-no…! S-stop, you're h-hurting—ngggh!" Having already become hypersensitive from the discovery of the small vial, the young lion held his head as even more images appeared in quick succession. This time, he was taken back to that day thirteen years ago.
The young lion could still vividly remember the bright red all over his hands and face, how warm and viscous the fluid was, the metallic smell, and—unfortunately—the taste of the drops that somehow spilled into his mouth. Worse yet, Rob could still see the face of his beloved father, which became totally drenched with the blood spilt from the hole in his forehead. Even in death, he still donned an almost serene smile—one of many types of grins the young lion has seen him do everyday.
The killer's face was still almost whited out in Rob's mind, but he could at least recall claws belonging to a carnivore holding up a gun before they fled.
The young carnivore was then suddenly brought back to the present by a loud thud. Opening his eyes, he found that Legoshi had fallen to the ground, with Bill standing smugly over him—sword in hand.
Rob's heart was practically bursting out of his chest as his breathing became more labored and unsteady. He knew the weapon the tiger was holding was just a simple prop, but his body continued telling him one thing: death.
"P-p-please…! Don't—unnggh!" The scenes of death kept playing back and forth without ceasing as his limbs quaked violently from the increasing panic. Again. And again. And again.
"Ah—*gaaasp* Aagh, ngk…! AaaaAAAAAAAAA—Goooff!" The young lion had the wind knocked out of him all of a sudden, bringing him back to his senses right before sinking into fear and madness completely. Looking down, Rob found that he had been struck hard across the stomach by the red deer's crutches.
"Not another sound, you d*mned fool!" Louis hissed, the vein in his temple almost throbbing as he shot a deadly glare at Rob's tear-streaked face. "Don't forget: we're still in the middle of a performance. And...it's about time I brought it to its conclusion."
"...H-huh?"
Shoving the two sticks into the carnivore's arms, Louis began limping onto the stage until he made himself erect and strode forward with his own sword—which the lion surmised he grabbed from one of the spares on their side.
"L-Louis, wait…! W-what about your—!?" By the time Rob finished his protest, the buck had already grabbed the fallen skull and deftly parried Bill's sword out of his claw right before it fell upon the downed wolf.
"You were having way too much fun," Louis exclaimed in a confident voice. The crowd audience gasped at the original "Adler's" sudden appearance and then immediately cheered as he slipped on the mask.
"I know who you are!" the deer declared, thrusting the sword towards the bewildered Bengal tiger. The audiences applauded even more loudly as he began putting Bill on the defensive while they circled each other. "Let me show you, imposter, who the real Grim Reaper is!"
Louis slowly advanced his steps before continuing his "lines" to the almost-crouching big cat. "Back down if you're not prepared. The many sins you've committed: I know about them all."
Bill flinched at his declaration, practically admitting to the ones that knew of his actions he was guilty.
"Why don't you drink my blood, too? That's how you'll become a true Grim Reaper!"
The tiger backed away even more from Louis' challenge, and Rob could see his tail beginning to go in between his legs from under his cape.
"Now, leave! I've no time for imposters!" the skulled buck commanded, gripping his sword more tightly.
With a low growl, Bill then turned heel and fled stage left. Not looking where he was going, he crashed into the large lion, barely catching himself before dropping to the floor. Looking up with a face filled with anger and embarrassment, he pushed Rob aside as he continued running through the darkness.
Soon after, the "true Grim Reaper" offered his hand to Legoshi—who managed to prop himself up by his elbows—and helped him on his feet. The audience roared and then gave the two a standing ovation as they stared into the spotlight.
Rob was completely in shock from what he had just witnessed and heard. He was sure the crowd's current shouts of acclamation were so much louder than opening night's.
In less than a minute, the red deer changed everything. Facing a fierce predator while nursing a broken ankle took no small amount of courage. Even next to the tall grey wolf, there was no one that stood larger or taller on that stage than that antlered herbivore—the one true Beastar.
Me, too. The young lion thought as he squeezed the crutches in his arms, looking on in wonder. I want to be strong like that, too. Even…if it's just a little.
The animals in the auditorium continued their applause without ceasing, seemingly for a long while.
Author's Note
Okay, I'm feeling so much better about this chapter than the last. And it's a little shorter, too.
I remember worrying Robbie would end up being a dreaded "Mary Sue/Gary Stu" when I first created him, but it feels pretty nice having a lot of the characters calling him out his flaws so readily—at least the more obvious ones. Makes him, ironically, feel more "human."
Really glad the poor baby's a mess. He'll get better, though, I promise! Haha!
