"Is it true? Another Adler show? They never get bored of those?"

"Meh, who cares? At least Legosi is having fun with his lights. I personally slept on last year's event. Never fancied the theatrics."

"How admirable of you Durham. Will you kindly look for Legosi and warn him about his math exercises? It seems like he forgot we are supposed to deliver those tomorrow."

"Sure thing Jack. Anything to get a walk around. I was getting bored being in here. Weekends suck so much."

Jack shook his head as he watched the coyote raise rather lazily from his bed, slipping into his shoes with haste before standing up and cracking joints as he stretched rather dramatically.

"Any idea where he might be?" Durham asked while buttoning his shirt. "I don't feel like walking the entire campus. I had enough of the Herbivores staring at me from last year. They need to fucking chill. I don't even have that many fangs, ha!" Durham joked with himself as he made his way to the door.

Jack sighed pensively. The labrador was well aware of Durham's concerns on being out for too long. The amount of Herbivore students was of a significant higher number than Carnivores, which meant Carnivores were mostly avoided and glared upon during most of their time since they arrived at the campus. Jack really lamented that they couldn't leave that hostile and distrustful behavior back at their primary school years.

"You might find him at one of the storage buildings. It's where they practice their acts and keep the material. I really don't go there often, nor anyone else that's not in the club. Be careful with Shiira." Jack warned. Shivering as he remembered his last encounter with the cheetah girl.

"Why? Is she gonna beat the crap out of me for trespassing her doll house?" Durham asked crudely. Jack grimaced at his choice of words.

"Well, she's pretty bossy and can be rather intimidating if you're not careful." Durham snorted.

"Sure it has nothing to do with you being a jelly?"

"Hey!"

Durham laughed as he opened the door, leaving a very flustered and undignified Jack behind.

The coyote went downstairs, greeting some of his fellow Carnivore classmates on the way, reaching the main courtyard on a rather slow pace. He had no hurry to find Legosi, but he still hoped to avoid more herbivores until he reached the storage houses that were located right near the dorms.

It was a sunny sunday, clear sky, warm temperature, a gentle breeze soothing over the area outside, the sound of rustling leafs coming from the trees brought an endearing sense of peace to any who paid attention to their surroundings.

Durham glanced as students walked freely across the campus. Most out of uniform due lack of classes. Not a single group was mixed, either all were Herbivores or Carnivores. He saw nothing new or surprising in that. It has been like that his entire life.

And he was starting to think he really didn't care anymore. It was pointless.

Things had become increasingly bad these last few days. A student had been murdered, a predation occurrence inside an academy that preached for equality and harmony between all kinds of animals.

It has tainted the academy and the trust of everyone inside of it.

To make matters worse the student that was killed was a good friend of Legosi and Jack. One of the very few Herbivores they had befriended so far in the academy, now gone forever.

Durham felt bad for the gray wolf, losing people you knew like that wasn't funny at all. It irked him to think the murderer was still out there somewhere, no doubt someone from inside the campus.

The news of the incident spread quickly. Durham recalled the phone call he received from his parents, at first worried if he was involved, then warning him to be cautious as he cleared their doubts. His father was rather adamant about providing something to make him safer.

Durham did not like to think that certain something was staying hidden under his bed, contradicting several rules and laws. He had no choice on the matter. Either he accepted the imposing tool or his parents would transfer him to another academy.

Durham would be dammed if he left his canine friends behind.

Also it scared him to think how easily such tool reached him. No suspicion of any kind from the delivery office.

So invested he was into his own thoughts, Durham failed to notice the storage buildings that were right in front of him. He blinked as he nearly drove face first into a wall. His eyes searched around for any sign of an entrance.

Turns out there were six storage buildings. It took Durham five tries to find the right one. He knocked on a rusty metal door rather impatiently, already worked up about wasting time on different failed attempts.

His ears perked as the faint sound of footsteps reached him from the other side of the door, he cooled his expression, anticipating any kind of surprises that would come his way. He wasn't sure what the folks of the drama club were like but, if any of them were just as 'intriguing' as Legosi, then he was going to have some interesting people to deal with.

He found himself somewhat disappointed as he came face to face with a cheetah. He sort of expected something more extraordinary. Cheetahs and leopards were a common species among the Carnivore students.

"May I help you with something? This club is private." She asked dryly. Durham kept his poker face on check as he carefully took in her stance. This cheetah girl surely was the one Jack warned him about, she had a very no-nonsense attitude by the way she talked and stared at him.

"Aye, I came here to talk with with Legosi, he's my roommate. It's nothing big, just a quick for him about homework and few other things." The coyote replied coolly. He did his best to look uninterested on whatever they might be doing inside.

Durham was not entirely curious about the Drama club, just about who were the members for this semester. Surely they added new members and it was an often thing to hear about the rumor that circulated in regards of the basic qualifications to join such club. The rumor about the qualifications was rather concerning.

The cheetah eyed him with something akin to suspicion, but after a few seconds she hesitantly decided that he was not going to be a hassle for anyone.

"Legosi is currently working on the stage. He will be busy for few minutes, you can wait by the auditorium if you want. Don't touch anything and don't bother anyone. I won't say this twice." She warned with a rather intimidating glare sent his way. Durham merely shrugged, smiling to himself despite her threat.

"Your house, your rules. Oh! Name's Durham. Yours?" He quickly said while raising his hand for a shake.

The cheetah was taken slightly by surprise due the coyote's joyful mood. He didn't seem even a bit nervous due her stance towards him.

"Name's Shiira. I'm the one making sure no one is slacking behind the curtains." She replied, taking his hand with a firm shake. "Normally I would say for you to wait outside, but isn't really safe for... obvious reasons." She added, looking slightly distressed for a second.

Durham could understand her concern for that matter. Acts of predation always brought Carnivores under a bad light, no matter if male or female. Having Herbivore friends always would make things awkward.

She gestured for the coyote to follow her inside. He did without hesitation, his eyes taking some time to adjust to the more prominent darkness inside the building. A small set of stairs nearby would lead to the backstage, the only sources of light focusing on the main stage that was hidden behind gigantic curtains.

Durham had no doubts that Legosi was up some catwalk working on the lights, but he wouldn't dare shouting for him. Shiira would tear him apart in a matter of seconds.

Instead he found some other members currently chatting among themselves. Some were reading into their scripts while others practiced their movements. Durham was immediately stunned to see Herbivores and Carnivores mixed up in that particular group. A rare sight for nowadays.

"Els, did Dom showed you your costumes?" Shiira asked as she approached a female goat. The girl turned her attention towards the cheetah, providing Durham with one of the sweetest faces he ever saw on an Herbivore.

"Oh, yes. He did. I liked it very much." She replied with extreme gentleness. The goat's eyes went from Shiira to Durham in the spam of a second, immediately growing concerned by the presence of the newcomer." Huh, who's this Shiira?"

"A friend of Legosi. Came after him, guess something personal." Shiira replied with a shrug. Durham couldn't help but smile. The cheetah knew how to keep things to herself.

"Oh, Legosi never mentioned any about his other friends before." Els said somewhat surprised.

"Actually I'm his roommate. We are good friends regardless. Name's Durham. You're Els, right? Legosi talked about you a few times. He has you in high regard." The coyote said sympathetically.

Els stared for few seconds before understanding what he was getting at. Her eyes lowered as a saddened expression took on her. Durham couldn't help but feel really bad for the girl.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Durham quickly said, feeling foolish for dragging the conversation into that. The girl probably was still hurting about Tem.

How unlucky was Els that the boy that had feelings for her was the one murdered a few days back? On top of that Tem was a member of this same very club, which made the incident even more difficult to get past.

"It's alright. I'm grateful that Legosi told me about it. Also... it only then made me realize how sweet and kind he really is. I was often scared of him, but that was because we never really talked before."

"That, and I'm sure Legosi was acting like a total weirdo. He often stares into you, it kinda creeps me out." Durham half joked.

Els giggled while Shiira snorted nearby.

"Yeah, that sounds like Legosi alright. He has to stop thinking so much. Not sure why he gets worked up about even the simple stuff. I asked if he wanted some coffee the other day and he took a whole minute before deciding that he would prefer some tea. It pisses me off at times." Shiira made no effort to hide her annoyance with the wolf.

"I don't mind it. It looks funny actually, and he's cute." Els replied. A small blush on her face hidden under her fluffy wool.

Durham masked his incredulity under his trademark smirk. Although he wasn't sure if one of his eyes was twitching or not.

'Sheep girl calling big wolf cute, now I'm getting some different vibes in this place.'

Durham looked around for more interesting things that could be worth remembering, but stage scenery, ropes and some broomsticks weren't much to look at.

The other members were a totally different story.

They were scattered nearby, but not as many as the club was certainly composed of. Perhaps a few other members were currently practicing on stage.

Durham recognized a few like Dom, Kai and Bill. Tao was also there but the coyote never interacted with him before. A squirrel, a giraffe and a zebra were talking among themselves. Durham couldn't help but notice that the majority of the Herbivores were females.

"Louis will be on for ten minutes. Then we are off to go." Dom, a rather tall and elegant peacock, informed his colleagues as he made his way backstage. "Kai, Louis wants to see you in the office when the rehearsal is over." The bird informed the smaller carnivore.

"Oh, alright then. Probably to talk about the replacement. " Kai said more to himself than anyone.

Durham had no idea what that was all about, he just hoped Legosi would be coming down soon. Despite how nice his little adventure has been so far, the coyote did not want to spend too long close to Herbivores, for a spark of misconception or misinterpretation could lead to disastrous results in a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately he wasn't getting any luck in the next few minutes.

Rather bored out of his mind he decided to walk around. With Shiira's warning in mind he didn't touch anything, but rather observed the area with fake interest, although he should've paid more attention to where he was going.

After walking distractedly near a group of Herbivores he felt his right foot press over something uneven, almost instantly he was jerked away by a strong set of arms. Durham nearly stumbled upon himself before regaining his footing.

"Watch where you're going moron!" Came the enraged voice of a female. The coyote turned around, finding himself face to face with a very pissed off zebra. She hissed while holding her foot suspended with one of her hands.

"Oh, sorry. I really didn't mean to." Durham replied with honesty. "Are you alright?"

"Guess I should be thankful you didn't bite my leg off!" She shot back with a snarl.

Durham's eyes widened in shock. Never before he saw such a wild tempered herbivore. Normally they either ignored him or muttered under their breath. No matter how angry they would get, Herbivores have a great sense of fear and refrain from shouting at carnivores.

This zebra was the clear opposite of it.

"I... I'm really sorry. Hum... name's Durham." He replied hesitantly. The female huffed before setting her foot back to the floor cautiously, applying a small amount of pressure to make sure it was safe to stand on both feet.

"Ellen. What you're doing here? Doesn't look like you are a new member or anything." She said while placing both hands on her hips. She had very challenging aura and it was rather endearing to watch. At least that's how Durham thought of it.

"Oh, just came by to talk with Legosi. Rather urgent stuff. We're roommates and I kinda had to rush after him to remind of homework." The coyote replied nonchalantly. His eyes scanning the zebra more thoroughly as he spoke.

This girl was just a bit taller than him, and despite being in the Drama club it was hard to not notice the outline of powerful muscles in both her arms and legs. Stripes were all over her body, she was quite exotic to look at, just like tigers. Yet, nothing caught his attention more than the soft blue glow of her eyes. It was unusual to see many animals with colorful eyes as big as hers.

'Too bad she isn't in the Sports club. I have no doubt she would make quite an impression there.' Durham thought distractedly. 'She has the right attitude and physics. Also quite beautiful.'

His eyes widened in shock at what he just said in his own mind. He never acknowledged this kind of thing to himself before, he was unsure why it came up all of sudden.

Ellen raised an eyebrow at Durham's sudden panicked expression, she was pretty sure he was dozing off on her for a second. Probably just came back to reality and noticed the zebra's annoyed expression.

"Huh, well... I... guess I should wait some mor- somewhere else." He said rather clumsily before walking away to a different corner of the stage.

"What was that all about?" The giraffe girl nearby asked, puzzled at the strange conversation that took place. Ellen shrugged.

"Dunno. Weird Carnivore. Let's get dressed and go back to dorms." Ellen replied, watching as the coyote walked away looking rather unsettled.

Muffled shouting suddenly came from someplace else inside the building. Most members present instantaneously turned their heads towards the most likely origin. A few walked towards it immediately in search of answers.

Durham wasn't sure what the commotion was all about, he had his own personal issues to deal at the moment.

'What just happened? Why did I think something like that? Not only about a girl but an Herbivore!' He frowned, unsure of how to reason to himself about the strange tug he felt at his chest. This feeling was alien to him, but not unheard of. 'There's no way I would feel like that for an Herbivore! I fucking can't!'

Durham ran a hand over the top of his head, ruffling the thin layer of fur purely out of agitation. This wasn't him. The coyote was always cool and collected about whatever life threw at him. He never faced the prospect of animalistic behavior urging him to anything. For a moment he was afraid he felt that predator instinct while acknowledging the female zebra, a sudden desire for her flesh may be the cause of his distress.

Durham shook his head.

'I'm pretty sure I had no desire to harm her in the slightest. I never had a desire to hurt anyone. Well, unless they pissed me off.'

No, it was a different feeling. Durham wasn't sure he should pursue this feeling or ignore it completely. He was certainly afraid of the consequences.

He sighed. Feeling tired and rather upset this happened. He didn't believe this could happen. He didn't want it to happen.

"Durham? What you're doing here?" Asked a rather familiar voice.

Durham's ears perked, his eyes focusing towards the hunched figure of a tall gray wolf staring back at him. Surprise and concern mixed on his face.

"Oh, hey Legosi. Fancy seeing you here." Durham joked, although it had little to no effect on the other Carnivore. "I came by because Jack is going up the walls due your math homework. We have to present it tomorrow."

"Oh. I'm pretty sure I'm almost done." Legosi replied.

A silence stretched afterwards. The coyote felt awkward by the sudden prolonged pause.

"So, you alright?" Durham asked. After many days spent together with the wolf it was already possible to tell some of his facial expressions despite the usual blankness. Durham didn't know much about Legosi, but if the rumors about the drama club members were true then he felt no need to know at all.

"Yeah, just a lot in mind." He muttered distractedly. "You met the others?"

"Oh, yeah. They are a interesting bunch. Especially the zebra girl."

Durham wanted to slap himself right then. Why did he mention her at all? Why she was the special one anyways?

Legosi stared, seemingly surprised.

"You mean Ellen? She's usually afraid of Carnivores."

Durham blinked. Ellen? Afraid? Was he serious?

"Wait, wait. How do you even know that? She looked terrifying when I stepped on her by accident." Durham retorted dubiously. The wolf frowned.

"You stepped on her?"

"It was an accident, Legosi." Durham repeated himself, annoyed at the wolf for focusing on that. Just because he is a coyote it doesn't mean he goes out searching from trouble for the sake of it. "Besides, she pushed me off really hard. I nearly fell flat on my face."

Legosi's eyes widened slightly.

"She pushed you? That doesn't sound like Ellen."

"How many female zebras in this club go by the name Ellen?" Legosi did not respond. "Figures. Let's go back to the dorms."

"You can go ahead. I need to check a few equipment before closing the doors."

"Eh, fine by me. I'll let Jack know to not be so worked up."

Legosi nodded quietly before walking away. Durham watched him for a second before making his way back outside.

It was late in the afternoon, the sun's brightness dimming from a bright yellow to an intense orange. Most students were already back at the dorms. Not a single Herbivore spotted in his way back to the carnivores dorm.

'Unsurprising considering the circumstances.'

Durham felt bad for them. Predation has forced them into hiding early, very few Herbivores dared to leave the campus during weekends. They used to believe they were safe inside, but after Tem's murder the level of mistrust and panic rose to exponential levels.

Some Carnivores were also being punished by these incidents. Herbivores were avoiding Carnivores as much as possible, that including those who shared club activities or classes. The clear segregation behavior wasn't doing the School's name any favors.

It was normal for Herbivores to be afraid, even some Carnivores were afraid. Predation often targeted Herbivores but there were instances of Carnivores devouring their own kin.

It wasn't normal for Herbivores to be violent. Ellen was the first Herbivore to act rather violently towards Durham, a Carnivore no less.

Durham couldn't understand how Legosi saw her as being fearful. There was no trace of fear on that murdering expression the zebra gave towards the coyote. It was both shocking and fascinating.

He shook his head. Thinking about her would only cause him troubles. It would be better to just forget the whole thing and organize his backpack for the classes tomorrow.

Durham entered his dorm room quietly. He found Jack laying over his bed, the labrador was so absorbed reading his book that he didn't notice Durham walking in.

"Hey Jack!" Durham yelled excitedly.

Jack gasped while he jumped in fright. Bumping his head on top of his wooden bunker.

"Ow! D-Durham?! What gives?!" The labrador asked while in pain and annoyed. The coyote smirked at his clumsy friend.

"Just came back. Found Legosi and let him know about your concerns."

"Oh, huh, thanks." Jack replied while caressing his injury. He eyed the coyote thoughtfully. "Hum, so did Shiira gave you any trouble?"

Durham snorted. He walked back to his own bunker, removing shoes and socks, relieved to be barefoot again, before laying back into his bed, feeling more worn out than usual.

"Nah, but you could've warned me about the crazy zebra girl that nearly ripped my head off." Durham joked. Jack looked dumbfounded.

"A zebra almost killed you?" Jack asked slowly, unsure if he should be shocked or laugh. Durham smiled.

"Yeah, she was a tough one. I kinda bumped into her by accident. She got super mad and tried to murder me right then."

Jack could only stare, deadpanned.

"Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

"Eh, maybe." Durham replied with a chuckle. "... she has beautiful eyes though."

Jack wasn't sure how to answer to that. He never before heard Durham compliment anyone on their physical attributes, much less a girl.

Durham took Jack's silence as his cue to shut up and stop talking like a weirdo. He didn't really care what Jack thought of it, he was merely speaking the truth.

Durham wanted to see those eyes again.