Human among Beastmen
Hey everyone, here's another BNA story for you. I do not own any characters of the anime or the anime itself. I hope you all enjoy it and leave a comment on what you think of it.
Chapter two: The end of normal days part 2
Shawn was walking down the street with a large smile upon his face. He then began to stretch his out his arms as he relaxed them from all the writing that he did.
"Man I can't wait to get home and enjoy mom's cooking," said Shawn as he folded his hands behind his head. "I wonder what's on the menu tonight?"
Shawn continued to walk down the street as he thought about what his mother was making for supper. Suddenly, a scream sounded from up ahead and brought Shawn out of his thoughts. He paused in his steps to look ahead of him in surprise before he sprinted forward to where he heard the scream. Shawn had just turned the corner and what he saw had his eyes widening in shock and horror. What he saw was Blake standing with a knife held in his right hand, while holding a young girl pinned to cement wall by the throat. But the girl whom Blake was holding was none other than the very same girl that Shawn and Michiru had stopped to help on their way to school...Roxie. Shawn watched in confusion at what was going before Roxie suddenly changed into a skunk beastmen child. Shawn's eyes widened even further as understanding came over his face, along with a sense of dread.
'No...Blake wouldn't, would he?' thought Shawn quietly as he desperately hoped that his friend wouldn't hurt Roxie.
But his hopes were dashed when Blake started to raise his knife up and got ready to stab the young beastman. Shawn quickly dashed forward to try and stop Blake from stabbing Roxie, while shouting out at his friend in the process.
"Blake, no! Don't do it!"
Blake didn't seem to hear Shawn as he stared down into Roxie's frightened face before he said four words with a smirk on his face.
"Die you ugly monster," said Blake in a harsh voice.
He then thrusted his knife forward and stabbed it right into Roxie's stomach. Shawn froze in his tracks as he stared at what had happened in horror as Blake pulled out his knife before letting go of Roxie's neck, and letting her drop to the ground. Shawn stared at Roxie's unmoving form for what felt like forever before his body started to shake. Rage began to rise up within Shawn's very soul as he turned his gaze on Blake, who was smirking with sick glee at seeing Roxie's unmoving body. Shawn then started to run forward again as he let out a cry of anger. Blake quickly turned when he heard Shawn's cry before he was tackled to the ground. Every thing became a blur for Shawn as he began to punch and claw at Blake's face viciously as anger over ruled over his judgement. Blake tried to defend himself by using his arms to block the attacks before he was able to punch Shawn in the face. The sudden punch caused Shawn to tumble off of Blake, but he did not feel the pain from Blake's fist. The only pain that Shawn felt was what Blake had done and the rage that flooded his whole body. He stood on his hands and knees as he glared at Blake, who stood up from the ground to look down at him in anger and confusion. He then turned and ran away down the street, while Shawn glared after him in disgust. Shawn thought about running after Blake before he heard the sound of someone coughing. He quickly turned to where Roxie was laying and saw that she was moving. Shawn shot up to his feet and ran over to the young beastman.
"Roxie!" shouted Shawn as he knelt down beside the young beastman.
He gently scooped the young skunk up into his arms as the beast-girl weakly opened her eyes to gazed up at Shawn.
"Mr. Shawn?" spoke Roxie in a soft voice.
"I'm here...I'm here," said Shawn as he tried to keep his voice steady and calm. "Don't worry, I'm going to call for help and get you to a hospital as soon as possible."
Shawn was about to dig into his back pocket and pull out his phone when Roxie stopped him by asking a question that shocked him.
"Mr. Shawn...Am I really a monster?"
Shawn turned to look down at the young beastman he held in his arm. He saw the hurt within Roxie's gaze as the young skunk stared up at him with tear filled eyes. Shawn smiled softly down at the child before he used his right hand to gently stroke her face.
"No...you're not a monster," said Shawn in a reassuring voice. "You're a sweet, innocent girl who didn't do anything wrong."
"But...aren't you...scared of me...now that you know that I'm...a beastman?"
Shawn gently shook his head 'No' before speaking again: "All I see is a cute child who has a gentle heart and beautiful eyes that hold a deep warmth within them."
At his words, Roxie gave Shawn a weak smile of gratitude before coughing. Shawn tensed at her cough as worry and fear washed over his body.
"Roxie! Hang in there!" exclaimed Shawn as he stared helplessly down at the girl in his arms.
He then lifted his gaze up and started to look around the area he was in before he shout at the top of his lungs: "Somebody help! Is there anyone out there who can hear me!?"
Shawn waited and prayed that someone had heard his shout for help as he held Roxie close to his chest. Roxie looked up at Shawn before she slowly lifted up her left hand up towards him. Shawn gently grabbed the young skunk's hand and stared down at her in confusion. She then gave him a smile that told him that she wasn't going to make it. He then tightened his grip as grief began to well up inside of him as tears started to appear within the corners of his eyes.
"I'm sorry," whimpered Shawn as he looked down at the girl he held within his arm. "I should have stopped him sooner."
Roxie shook her head before speaking again in a weak voice: "I'm just glad...that you're here with me."
Shawn gave her a small smile and listened as Roxie continued to talk to him.
"Mr. Shawn...Thank you for being here for me...and for helping me back when I scraped my knees. You're the first human...friend that I made. I'm just sorry...I'll never be able to thank...Ms. Michiru for giving me back my ball...and tell her that she was also the second human...who became...my friend."
"I'll make sure I tell her that," said Shawn as he vowed to give Roxie's message to Michiru.
Roxie gave Shawn small smile before she shuddered as she took in her last breath, then went limp within Shawn's arms. Shawn's eyes widened as he stared down at Roxie's still form before tears started to fall down his cheeks. He then let go of Roxie's hand and drew her limp body into a hug as he let out a wail so loud that it could be heard throughout the whole town. Everyone, who was within ear shot, all heard Shawn's cry of anguish as they all paused in what they were doing to look up at the sky with a start. Some of those who had heard the wail had been humans, who were confused as to whom was letting out that horrible sound. The other half that had heard Shawn's wail had been beastmen who had paused to look up at the sky. But unlike the humans that had been confused by Shawn's sudden cry, the beastmen knew that something terrible had happened. Back at the Kagemori house hold, Michiru had heard Shawn's wail and was gazing out the window of her bedroom with a look of worry and concern upon her face. It was an hour later that someone found Shawn sitting on the ground holding the now dead beastman child within his arms.
He was taken to the police station before the police called Shawn's mother to come pick him up. Nancy arrived at the police station to find her son sitting completely still in one of the lobby chairs. His face cased down towards the floor as he leaned against his knees, while his hands were tightly clasped together. Shawn didn't respond right away when Nancy walked up to him before coming to stand beside him. After a few minutes, Nancy gently touched Shawn's shoulder, which caused him to raise his head and look his mother. When he did, Nancy was disturbed by the emptiness within his eyes. She later found out the reason after taking Shawn back home and he told her what had happened. Nancy was horrified to hear that Shawn's friend, Blake, had killed a beastman child. It became a rough night for Nancy as she comforted her son, who silently cried over the death of Roxie's death. The next day, Nancy called the school to let them know that Shawn wasn't feeling well and that he couldn't come. It was just near evening that Nancy was busy in the kitchen when the doorbell to house rung. Nancy made her way to the front door and opened it to reveal Michiru in her school uniform.
"Oh, Michiru. What are you doing here?" asked Nancy with a surprised expression upon her face.
"Hello Mrs. Joseph," greeted Michiru with a polite bow before looking up at Nancy with a concerned expression upon her face. "I heard that Shawn wasn't feeling well and I came to see if he's okay."
Nancy gazed sadly down at Michiru for a moment before letting her into the house. Michiru walked through the front door and took off her shoes as Nancy closed the door behind her.
"You'll find Shawn up in his bedroom," said Nancy as she pointed towards the stairs.
Michiru nodded her head before he set her basketball carrier bag and backpack down on the ground. She then began to head towards the stairs with a light frown etched upon her face. It didn't take long for her to locate Shawn's bedroom door. Michiru stood in front of the door for a moment before raising her left hand up, and lightly knocked her knuckle against the wooden surface.
"Come in," answered Shawn in a voice that sounded dead to Michiru.
Michiru frowned before she slowly opened the bedroom door and looked in to see her friend lying on his bed. His back was towards the door as he faced towards the window of his bedroom. He was wearing a grey short sleeved shirt and blue shorts, while his feet were bare of any socks. Michiru looked down at her friend in worry before she quietly closed the door behind her. Shawn heard his door being shut before he turned to look over his shoulder to see Michiru standing within his room.
"Hey," greeted Michiru with a friendly smile.
"Michiru?" said Shawn as he sat up on his bed to gazed at his friend fully. "What are you doing here?"
"You weren't at school today so I thought I'd come by to see if you were okay," replied Michiru as she walked up to Shawn's bed before sitting down on the edge of it. "The school said that you were sick or something. After hearing that I got worried and decided to come over to your house to check up on you."
Shawn looked at Michiru in surprise before smiling at her: "Sorry for worrying you and thanks for coming by."
Michiru noticed how empty Shawn's smile was and grew concerned: "Just what exactly is going on Shawn? I can tell that you're not sick, but I can also tell that something is wrong with you."
Shawn's smile dimmed as he turned his gaze downwards to look at the blankets of his bed. After a minute of silence, Shawn began to tell Michiru what had happened to him yesterday. Michiru listened intently to Shawn's story, and couldn't help but gasp in horror and disbelief when Shawn told her that Blake had killed Roxie. Yet she was also surprised when Shawn told her that Roxie had been a beastman child. Michiru felt her heart break when Shawn finished telling her his story and her eyes welled up with tears.
"The police took Roxie's body after they pulled her out of my arms," said Shawn as he now sat beside Michiru on the edge of his bed. "I can only hope that they called Roxie's family and told them that Roxie...had passed on. Though I can't help but doubt that they didn't tell them the whole story."
Michiru silently stared at her friend as Shawn's hands gripped his kneecaps. His body began to shake as he spoke in voice that was mixed with both sadness and anger.
"I can't believe Blake would do something like this. Why would he kill an innocent beastman child that didn't do anything to him? I should have stopped him when I saw what he was doing. Instead...I hesitated and...and..."
Michiru saw tears starting to form within the corner of Shawn's eyes before she quickly brought her friend into a hug. Shawn didn't hesitate in hugging Michiru back as he buried his face into her left shoulder.
"I wasn't able to save her," whimpered Shawn as his tears soaked into the shoulder of Michiru's school shirt. "I wasn't able to stop Blake from killing Roxie. I just...froze when I saw him pinning Roxie against the wall."
"You tried your best, Shawn," said Michiru as she gently rubbed her hand up and down his back.
"But my best wasn't good enough," muttered Shawn as he continued cry on Michiru's shoulder. "I should have been faster in stopping him."
Michiru only hugged Shawn for she didn't know what else to say to comfort her friend. The two of them sat on the bed for about an hour before Shawn finally calmed down and pulled away from Michiru.
"Are you okay now?" asked Michiru gently.
"No," answered Shawn as he wiped away the remaining tears from his face. "And truthfully I'm not sure I'll ever be alright. The burden of not being able to save Roxie will always be hanging over me."
Michiru looked away and sadly nodded her head in understanding. The two friends sat in silence for a moment before Shawn spoke with a smile on his face.
"You know...before Roxie died, she told me that she wanted to thank you for giving her back her ball. And that she thought of you as a friend."
Michiru looked at Shawn in surprise before a sad smile appeared on her face as tears started to form in her eyes. She raised her hand up and began to wipe away the tears. Shawn saw this and smiled sadly at his friend before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. The two friends sat in complete silence as they comfort each other before they both heard a knock at door. Shawn let his arm drop from Michiru's shoulders as they both looked up to see the door open. Nancy popped her head around the corner of the door and saw the two teens sitting on the bed.
"Is everything alright in here?" asked Nancy in a gentle voice with a look of concern on her face.
"Yeah, mom," replied Shawn as he gave his mother a reassuring smile. "I'm feeling a little better now after talking with Michiru."
"That's good," said Nancy with a soft smile. "I'll bring you two up some snacks so you don't get hungry up here."
"That sounds great, thanks," said Michiru in gratitude.
Nancy nodded her head before closing the door to Shawn's room again. Michiru turned to look at Shawn with a smile before speaking to him.
"You're mother is so nice."
"Yeah, she's the best," said Shawn in agreement. "I'm glad to have her in my life."
The two became silent for a moment before Michiru spoke up with a smirk on her face: "You know, there's another reason why I came over to your house today."
Shawn looked at Michiru in confusion before realization came over him. He let out a groan as he slapped his hand against his forehead.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" groaned Shawn in exasperation. "Why can't the school give me a brake from homework?"
Michiru giggled at Shawn's misfortune before he glared at her and grabbed one of his pillows: "Quit laughing!"
Michiru let out a yelp of surprise when she got a face full of pillow. Michiru quickly pulled the pillow off of her before she used it to hit Shawn in the face. Shawn grunted before he grabbed another pillow from his bed and the two friends soon got into a pillow fight. Shawn and Michiru laughed as they hit each other with their own pillow weapon held tightly within their hands. Downstairs in the kitchen, Nancy heard the two teenagers' laughing and she couldn't help, but smile at the joyful noise above her.
"Shawn is so lucky to have someone like Michiru to cheer him up," said Nancy before chuckling in amusement. "Especially with how much energy she has stored up within that body of hers."
Nancy started to place some cookies on a plate when the house phone began to ring. Nancy gently placed the last cookie down on the plate before she walked over to the phone that hung on the wall. She picked up the phone near the third ring and answered the person on the other end of the line.
"Hello, this is the Joseph residence," greeted Nancy with a smile upon her face.
She listened to the other person on the line for a while as her smile changed into a look of surprise and sadness. Nancy quickly got out a pen and paper as she started to write something down. After she finished writing on the paper, Nancy listened to the person on the other end of the phone for a moment before speaking in a soft voice.
"I'll make sure that he comes over to talk with you tomorrow and...I'm sorry for your loss...Yes...goodbye."
Nancy gently placed the phone back where it rested before letting out a soft sigh. She heard the laughter upstairs again and a sad expression appeared on her face. Nancy walked back over to the kitchen counter and began to gather up the snacks, along with two mugs filled with fruit juice. She took in a deep breath before she started walking up the stair to Shawn's room. Nancy knocked on the door to announce her presence before entering Shawn's bedroom, and saw the two teens frozen with their chosen pillows held above their heads. She smiled in amusement as Shawn and Michiru quickly hid the pillows behind their backs, while smiling sheepishly at her.
"I see you two are having fun," said Nancy with a chuckle.
"Sorry for being too loud, mom," said Shawn as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand.
"Yeah, I guess we got a little carried away," spoke Michiru with a shrug of her shoulders.
"It's alright," reassured Nancy with a smile. "I'm just glad that you two are having fun. I'm also glad to hear that you're laughing again Shawn."
Shawn chuckled in embarrassment before he noticed the sad expression within his mother's eyes. He grew concerned before he spoke to his mother in a gentle voice.
"Mom...is everything okay?" asked Shawn in a concern.
Nancy's smile dropped slightly as she hesitated slightly before she answered Shawn's question: "Shawn...I just got a phone call from Roxie's parents. They want to talk to you tomorrow at their house."
Shawn looked at his mother in surprise before he glanced at Michiru, who gazed at him with a worried expression upon her face. Shawn frowned in thought for a moment before he looked at his mother again with a determined expression upon his face.
"What time do I have to meet them?" questioned Shawn in soft voice.
Tomorrow soon came and we find Shawn walking down a long street with a piece of paper in his hand. On the piece of paper were the directions to Roxie's house. He was dressed in the same cloths that he had worn yesterday. He glanced down at the piece of paper for a quick second before looking up again to search for Roxie's house.
'I'm glad it's a Saturday,' thought Shawn as he walked down the street. 'Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go visit Roxie's parents.'
At the last thought, Shawn felt his stomach tighten slightly with worry. The thought of facing Roxie's parents made Shawn feel apprehensive about his meeting with them.
'What if they blame me for what happened to their daughter?' thought Shawn as a nervous expression appeared on his face.
Shawn paused in his steps after that thought came into him head. For a moment, he thought of turning around and heading back home. Shawn frowned before raising his hands up and slapping both of his cheeks hard. A determined expression then appeared on his face after Shawn got his act together.
'Get a grip on yourself, Shawn! You agreed to do this and you have to see this thing through! Be a man and don't hesitate in finishing what you've started!'
With new found courage, Shawn continued on his way towards Roxie's house. He soon found the address and he was surprised to see a small one story bungalow with a little flower garden at the front. The house was painted a pure white with light grey along the lower walls and the roof tiles were a dark grey. Shawn walked down the front path before climbing up onto the front porch. He soon came to stand before the front door of the house and raised his hand up towards the button of the doorbell. Shawn paused for a moment in hesitation until he took in a deep breath and pressed the button. He heard a ring sound out within the house before stepping back to wait for the occupants to answer the door. Shawn didn't have to wait for long as he heard footsteps coming closer to the door. The front door opened to reveal a woman in her late twenties.
The woman had dark midnight blue hair that grew down to the middle of her shoulder blades, the same blue eyes that Roxie had and fair skin. The woman wore a light blue top and white skirt that went down to her knees.
The woman looked down at Shawn before she spoke to him: "Can I help you?"
Shawn nervously shuffled his feet before he spoke: "Um...my name's Shawn Joseph. You called my house the other day to ask me to come over and talk with you."
Realization dawned over the woman's face before she quickly stepped aside and spoke in a quiet voice: "Come inside, quickly."
Shawn, slightly confused by the woman's action, quickly did as he was told and walked into the house. He took off his shoes as the woman glanced out the door to look around for a moment before she quickly closed it. Once his shoes were off, the woman turned to Shawn and gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen. Shawn quietly walked behind the woman as she led him to the back of the house towards the kitchen. Standing within the kitchen was a man in his early thirties, and standing near his leg was a boy who looked to be around six years old.
The man had short ebony black hair with a white streak in his bangs, dark brown eyes and dark tanned skin. He wore a dark grey short sleeved buttoned up shirt, dark brown trousers that were held up by a black leather belt and white socks.
The young boy that stood near the man's side wore a white short sleeved t-shirt, blue jean shorts and grey socks. The boy had the same colored hair as his mother and the same brown eyes as his father.
Shawn paused within his steps before he gave the man and boy a polite bow of greeting. The man looked at Shawn with an unreadable expression, while the boy warily stared at Shawn from behind the man's leg. The woman walked over to the kitchen table and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Please, sit down," said the woman as she gestured to the chair in front of her.
Shawn slowly walked over before sitting down in the chair in front of the woman. The man and boy came to stand behind the woman before she began to speak to Shawn.
"Before we start this conversation, I think we should begin with introductions. My family and I already know your name through one of the policemen that had called us yesterday to tell us about...what happened to our daughter."
Shawn sadly stared at the woman in front of him, but remained silent as he waited to hear what she had to say. The woman took in a calming breath before she began to speak again.
"My name is Almara Clement and this is my husband, Clarence."-She turned to look up at the man standing behind her, who stiffly nodded his head at Shawn-"And this is our youngest son, Robert."-She turned her gaze down to the boy who stood as close to her side as possible.
"It's nice to meet you," said Shawn gently with a sad smile upon his face.
Clarence gave Shawn a firm look before he spoke: "It would have been even better if we hadn't found out our daughter was murdered."
"Clarence," said Almara as she gave her husband a look, but he only continued to stare at Shawn.
"The policeman told us that they found you with our daughter lying dead in your arms with a stab wound in her stomach." Clarence continued as he narrowed his eyes at the human boy in front of him. "Perhaps you can tell us exactly what had happened to our daughter, human."
Shawn shrunk slightly within the chair he sat on as his fists clenched within his lap. He couldn't help feeling small under the gaze of the man that glared at him, but he quickly got his act together and began to speak.
"Well...Mr. Clement...It's like this."
Shawn began to recount the tale of what had happened to Roxie. He made sure not to leave any single detail out as he told the beastmen family his story. Almara was shocked to hear that her daughter had been killed by a boy that had once been friends with Shawn. Clarence was surprised to find out that Shawn would help their daughter after finding out that Roxie had been a beastman. As for their son, Robert, he was clinging onto his mother's arm as tears began to well up in his eyes. After an hour of telling the family his story, Shawn finally finished and became silent after that. He cast his eyes down towards the tiles of the the kitchen floor as he waited for the Clement family to say something. Shawn expected to hear the disappointed in Almara's voice or the angry shout of blame from Clarence. After what felt like forever, Clarence was the one to finally speak.
"So...that's what happened to our daughter, huh?"
Shawn only nodded his head before shutting his eyes tightly as his body tensed up in fear. He heard the sound of feet walking up to him before Clarence spoke up once again.
"Then there's only one thing I have to say to you."
Shawn prepared himself for the worse before he was taken by surprise when he suddenly felt strong arms wrap around him. He opened his eyes and saw that Clarence was hugging him. Shawn sat in shock for a moment before Clarence spoke gently into his ear.
"You may not have been able to save our daughter, but I am glad that you stayed by her side until the very end. For that I am grateful that you at least gave her solace that she wouldn't die alone."
Shawn sat completely still for a moment before his eyes started to well up with tears. He gently placed a hand on Clarence's right arm, while resting his head on the male beastman's left shoulder. Almara came over to also hug Shawn when she felt her maternal instincts kick in after she saw Shawn's tears. Robert also comforted Shawn as he shyly hugged the human around the waist. Shawn silently cried as he felt the small weight of guilt lift from his shoulders, but he still held regret that he wasn't able to save Roxie. Shawn stayed at the Clement family's house for a bit before he decided to head back home. We now find Shawn walking down the street with a somber expression upon his face. He thought about the conversation that he had with the beastman family as they told him that they would be moving to Anima City. A place where beastmen could live without fear of humans coming after them.
'I can't really blame them,' thought Shawn quietly to himself. 'After what had happened to their daughter, I'm sure they'd want to move to a better place where they won't have to worry about being hunted by Anti-beastmen people.'
Shawn continued to walk down the street before he noticed someone leaning up against a wall ahead of him. As he got closer, Shawn's features turned from confusion to anger when he saw that the figure was none other than Blake.
Blake was wearing a black leather vest over top a long sleeved grey muscle shirt, blue jeans with ripped holes in the knees and black sneakers. Circling around Blake's neck was a metal chain and hanging from the chain was a claw that once belonged to a wolverine beastman.
Blake leaned against the cement wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes shut as he took on a relaxed appearance. Shawn glared at Blake before casting his eyes down towards the ground. He just walked passed Blake before pausing in his steps when his ex-friend suddenly spoke to him in a casual voice.
"Going out for a walk?" asked Blake in a low voice.
Shawn frowned before speaking in a blunt voice: "Yeah. I just needed to clear my head on some things."
"Like a certain beastman that you saw me kill two days ago?"
Shawn's eyes narrowed in anger, but didn't say anything as he only continued to look ahead of him. Blake smirked as he opened his eyes to look at Shawn's back before he spoke again.
"I don't see why you should feel sorry for them. Beastmen are nothing but monsters who can easily kill any human that turns their back on them."
"That's not true," said Shawn as he turned around to glare at Blake. "Beastmen are living beings just like the rest of us. They have the right to live in this world and they only want to be left alone."
"If we left them alone, then they'll wind up spanning more monsters like them into the word," countered Blake as his smirk changed to a frown.
"They're not monster!" exclaimed Shawn as his anger began to boil up inside of him.
"Then you're pretty much blind to what you see in front of you," said Blake in a calm voice that held a dangerous edge in its tone. "These beastmen won't hesitate in stabbing you in the back as soon as you turn away from them. They wouldn't even think twice when it comes to letting a human die in front of them."
Shawn didn't respond to those words as he only glared at Blake in anger and disgust. He then slowly tried to calm himself down before he spoke to Blake again in a cool voice.
"What exactly do you want with me, Blake?"
Blake's frown quickly switched back to a smirk before he replied: "Getting straight to the point, huh? That's what I always liked about you Shawn. You're never one to beat around the bush when it comes to serious conversations."
"Just get to the point," said Shawn in an irritated voice.
"Testy, testy," mocked Blake before he got down to business. "Anyway, I came here to ask you about joining the Anti-Beastmen Hunters gang to help us hunt down beastmen."
Shawn's face changed from irritation to anger and horror: "What?"
"Think about it Shawn," spoke Blake with a smirk upon his face. "What have beastmen ever done for you and your mother, huh? They're just mindless beasts who act on instincts and nothing more. They don't really care about humans and they're basically just creatures that have no used on this planet, except for us to hunt them down to extinction."
Shawn's body began to shake as uncontrollable anger slowly rose up inside his body. He tried to keep a hold on his emotions and not do anything rash, but what Blake said next was the last straw for Shawn.
"Also. I've heard that selling off the fur, feathers, scales and meat of beastmen can be a good way to gain money. Especially if the fur, feathers and scales are skinned off of a child beastman."
Shawn soon saw red as he ran forward and punched Blake in the left cheek. Blake stumbled back in surprise before he turned to glare at Shawn in anger and surprise. Shawn also glared back at him as he breathed heavily in rage before he spoke.
"You're wrong about beastmen being monsters. The only monsters that exist in this world are those who have no empathy for others."
Blake spat at the ground as he glared at Shawn before speaking in a cold voice: "So you're pretty much rejecting my offer of becoming a hunter, huh?"
"I refuse to take part in hunting innocent beastmen who did no wrong to humans," said Shawn in a defiant voice.
Blake's eyes narrowed before he shoved his right hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pocket knife: "If that's how you feel, then you are nothing but a traitor to humanity!"
Blake flipped open the blade of the pocket knife before he ran towards Shawn. Shawn quickly dodged to the side when Blake tried to stab him and glared at his former friend. Blake turned to look at Shawn with a crazed look upon his face before he made a jab at Shawn's face. Shawn barely dodged as the blade of the pocket knife grazed his left cheek. He then quickly grabbed Blake's wrist to prevent him from stabbing again. Shawn tried to get in another punch, but Blake also prevent him from attacking by grabbing Shawn's wrist. The two boys struggled as they tried to over power each other.
"Just give it up," said Blake sharply as he glared into Shawn's eyes. "You know that you've never been able to beat me in a fight."
"Well this isn't going to be one of those times!" grunted Shawn as he strained against Blake's overpowering strength.
"Face it, Shawn! You're too weak to beat me in a fight!"
Shawn only glared at Blake in defiance before he tilted his head back and slammed his forehead hard against Blake's. Blake let out a grunt of pain and surprise before he took a step back. That action also caused Blake to lose his grip on his pocket knife, which dropped to the ground with a clatter. Shawn panted as he watched Blake back away from him, while letting out a groan of pain. Blake held his forehead for a moment before he turned to glare at Shawn again.
"You bastard!" shouted Blake before he shot forward again.
Shawn didn't have enough time to react as Blake tackled him to the ground and wrapped his hands around Shawn's neck. Shawn struggled as he tried to pull Blake's hands off from his neck, but it proved futile as Blake was stronger than him. Black spots began to appear within Shawn's vision as Blake glared down at him in rage.
"You love beastmen so much? Then you can die along with them!" growled Blake as he tightened his hold on Shawn's neck.
Shawn grunted as he struggled to get out of Blake's hold before he looked to the side to see the knife lying a few inches away from him. Shawn, desperate now, reached out with his left hand and stretched it to grab the handle of the knife. Blake was so focused on strangling Shawn to death that he didn't see what his formal friend was doing.
"In the end, you really are nothing but a weak minded fool," mocked Blake as a sickening smirk appeared on his face. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be strong enough to beat me."
Shawn ignored Blake's words as he stretched his hand out and grabbed the handle of the knife. He gripped it hard within his grasp before turning his eyes on Blake again. Then, in one swift movement, Shawn slashed the knife upwards across Blake's left eye. Blake let out a cry of pain as he let go of Shawn's neck and pressed his left hand against his injured eye. Shawn coughed as he quickly caught his breath before he weakly got up onto his feet, and began to run down the street. As he ran, Shawn heard Blake shouting after him.
"You'll pay for this Shawn! I swear that no matter what I will end your life, along with any other person who cares about the beastmen!"
Shawn continued to run down the street as he headed back home, but the words that Blake had shouted at him still rung within his head. Shawn's eyes narrowed in anger and hatred as one thought ran through his head.
'One day, Blake. I'll stop you and any Anti-beastmen hunters from killing innocent beastmen and people who hold sympathy for them.'
With that vow firmly locked within his heart, Shawn ran faster down the street as he promised himself to get stronger in hopes of stopping his ex-friend from hurting innocent beings.
To be continued
Sorry for the long wait everyone I was busy with other things these last few week. I was in tears when I wrote this sad part within the chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and leave a comment behind. Also to the guest reviewer. I'm sorry to say that Shawn's beastman form has already been chosen by my co-writer partner. What Shawn's beastman form will be is something that I don't want to spoil, but I will tell you this. Shawn's beastman form won't be either Godzilla related or Sonic the Hedgehog related. Sorry, but I hope you'll still follow the story and see what happens next.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!
