"Hey, have you noticed anything weird on Legosi lately?"

"Weird? You mean more than usual? Not sure if I'm the best person to be asking."

"Well, I'm kinda worried. He seems to be in a sour mood of sorts. Not sure what's bugging him so much."

"Chill Jack. Legosi may not look like it, but he's a tough nut to crack. Whatever is on his mind won't be anything that will last for too long. Just give him some time."

"I hope you're right Durham."

The coyote glanced at the labrador, a sense of worry overtaking him for a second. It was unusual for Jack to display this amount of concern for his best friend. If the dog felt worried then it must mean something serious was going on.

Durham wasn't sure what he could even do in regards to the situation. Legosi wasn't the most talkative and the coyote had sparse conversations with his fellow canine. He knew next to nothing about the gray wolf.

The last couple days went rather normally. The animosity of the last week died down a bit, but news of predation incidents around the city kept the Herbivores on high alert. Durham was honestly upset to hear about the increase of attacks. He worried for his father working on the police force, imagining what hell he might be going through.

His mother called a couple times to ask about him and his classes. His responses were nothing out of the ordinary, at least until his mother started asking him about female students. Durham felt his body temperature increase drastically during the interrogation. Those kinds of questions never bothered him before, mostly because he never displayed any actual interest for anyone. Things changed after his incursion at the Drama club.

He managed to deviate away from that topic, but his mother was suspicious of him nevertheless. She wished him well and hoped to see him visit during summer break. He promised to pass by as soon as possible before ending the call with a sigh of relief.

He wasn't sure why she was being so nosy. His romantic life wasn't going anywhere. He didn't deny he has a bit of charm for the ladies, but he felt rather alienated from that kind of concern.

At least that's what he thought.

The zebra girl, Ellen, he tried to get some info about her classes. He was hopeful they could be sharing at least one since she was also a second year. His source of info was Bill, who's source of info was Els.

The goat girl had been quite another strange phenomenon, in Durham's opinion. She was hanging with the Drama club Carnivores way more than usual, it was really strange. The coyote wasn't sure if Els felt safer among them nor why she would risk herself without a good reason.

He did notice she only hanged with specific carnivores like Shiira, Aoba and Legosi. For some reason she avoided the others.

Nevertheless Durham got what he wanted. Him and Ellen shared two classes. Biology and History. He was not really surprised he never noticed her around. Biology demanded a lot of his focus and History class drove him into a different plain of reality.

The coyote successfully found where she was sitting during a History class. He found himself to be disappointed that she was at the far corner, amidst several other Herbivores. This kind of grouping was very common among their kind. Very few herbivores didn't care about where they would be sitting. Yes, there was a system that the school tried to apply so students would sit according to the initials of their names, but that was hardly ever taken into consideration.

Although his luck had turn around when they reached the Biology class. He found the zebra sitting by herself at the center. Durham couldn't resist the opportunity and went towards her. He had swiftly reached her seat level and approached carefully as to not alarm her.

That was his first mistake.

He remembered that Ellen was distracted searching for something inside her backpack and had her back towards him. Durham gently tapped her shoulder to announce his presence.

A sickening noise came from his stomach as a fist collided with it at full speed. He doubled over himself, eyes bulging out in shock as a silent gasp escaped his wide open jaw.

He fell on the floor in slow motion, his lungs were screaming in protest for much needed air. He felt extremely disoriented and scared as he struggled to breathe properly.

He faintly heard the zebra mutter curses nearby. Soon he felt two hands wrap around his hips, roll him to face upwards, and gently pulling his belly upwards.

Slowly, but surely, his breathing recovered from the traumatic event. He felt lightheaded for few seconds before regaining a better sense of reality around him.

He found the zebra to be standing right above him, her legs at each of his sides, arms stretched as she pulled his guts to alleviate the pressure on his lungs. Her face a mix of emotions. Her beautiful eyes finding his. He couldn't help the heat on his face as they stared into each other so intensely.

At least until she dropped him without any further notice. His back ached for a second after making contact with the floor.

" Urgh, h-hi Ellen."

" Just what the hell were you thinking? You can't just sneak up on me like that. Are you out of your mind?"

Durham sighed as he recalled that particular conversation. She was livid with him, chastising his stupidity, berating him for being so inconsequential on his approach. He apologized, admitted to be at fault and accept the punishment. His attitude surprised the zebra. She clearly expected him to argue his case, not to just agree with her.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I will live. I have dealt with this kind of thing before. I always get hit in the stomach during football practice. Yet, nothing felt this brutal. You are super strong."

Durham had a wide smile on his face as he complimented her strength. Ellen did stare at him in bewilderment, unsure if the coyote was being serious or not.

"So, I guess we are classmates... mind if I sit here? I don't feel like walking anywhere at the moment."

His second mistake was thinking that the zebra would ever want to sit near a Carnivore.

She was clearly disgusted at his suggestion. He wondered if that's how she actually felt. Durham was almost certain that she only accepted it after seeing his reaction.

Durham wasn't sure what his face looked like once he saw the way the outline of her face contorted into something nasty, but he was pretty sure he felt really hurt by it. Some of his hurt must've surfaced onto his facial expression. Seeing it probably made the zebra somewhat guilty and ashamed of herself.

At least he hoped that's what happened.

She allowed him to sit near her. The awkwardness that followed took away whatever joy he would have with that small victory. It was rather surprising no one saw him getting handled by a zebra girl in middle of class.

He tried to make small talk as they started taking notes from the chalkboard. The Biology teacher was very keen on writing long, detailed and unenthusiastic texts upon texts of research. Most student learned at this point to only take notes of whatever seemed relevant enough to fit into a test.

Ellen had ignored the coyote for the most part of the time. Frowning at each of his attempts to get her to talk with him. He could remember he was upsetting her the more he insisted.

"I don't want you to hate me or anything. I just want to understand you more, that's all."

That had gotten her attention. Her eyes finally breaking that glare of steel, looking at him in wonder. Such beautiful eyes.

"Why me? Why not literally anyone else?"

Durham had to admit she had a good reason to ask. He couldn't help the smirk he had on his face as he was thinking his answer carefully.

"Because... you're different from any other animal I've ever seen. Well, at least Herbivores. That and..."

"And, what?"

"You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen."

Durham sighed. He shouldn't have said that. She took it the wrong way and punched him right at the edge of his muzzle. His nose was still itching to this day.

Thankfully he managed played it off as a joke. She merely huffed at him, extremely disapproving of his idea of a joke. The coyote couldn't help but feel a coldness in his chest he never experienced before.

Was this zebra so completely against the idea of a Carnivore and Herbivore being together? Making an honest attempt of complimenting someone's physical attributes should not be a punching matter.

Durham wasn't even sure what was the point of all of this. Does he really want to get along with her that badly? He never took himself as the desperate type.

The fact he got harassed in middle of class, again, went unnoticed a second time. Durham was starting to understand how someone managed to commit murder inside the school without being afraid of the consequences.

He couldn't help but remember how saddening it felt to see her rush past him as soon the bell rang. No words or a glance of acknowledgement. Just an unforgiving cold shoulder. It was clear to Durham that she did not care about him.

He has to change her mind somehow.

Durham knows exactly who is the animal he needs to talk with. Talking with her would be a problem though, she's also at the Drama club and a Carnivore like him reaching her on his own would cause unnecessary worry.

"Hey Jack, where's Legosi?" Durham asked as he searched for his dear roommate across the room. Jack was currently scribbling something as he was sitting at his own bunker. The dog raised his head, a vague expression of curiosity adorning his features.

"Huh, I imagine he's out with Collot. They were going after bags so we could use them for the fur we will be selling after trimming. Not sure really. Why do you ask?" Durham shrugged.

"I kinda need to talk with someone at the Drama club. I rather not go there by myself. I'm not exactly a member."

"So you need Legosi as an excuse." Jack guessed as he stared in wonder. "Who you need to talk with? I'm sure you can find them during free time somewhere else."

Durham scratched his chin, feeling uncertain of how to explain things to Jack without making it awkward for himself.

"Yeah, but it's an Herbivore. I don't need to be getting weird glares from a group if I approach one. You know how that is. Besides, that club has some interesting folks. You should go there too, might help you to make some nice friends." Durham chuckled. Overly nice Jack was just too sweet for people to not befriend him.

"I guess." Jack replied thoughtfully. "Say, you don't think Shiira will be upset if I show up, right? I kinda feel I didn't make a good impression last time."

Durham's senses went on high alert. Did he just heard that right? Sweet, lovable, loyal, caring and positive Jack being worried about what a girl thought of him?

A smirk played at the edges of the coyote's mouth. He took a sitting stance over his bed as he regarded the anxious labrador across the room.

"Hold on... you are actually worried about Shiira? Wait, wait, wait... Jack, don't tell me you are actually crushing on her-

"NO!"

His immediate shout of denial was all confirmation Durham needed. He laughed at the ashamed retriever that placed both hands on his own face. The heat waves of embarrassment reaching all the way across the room.

"Oh, come on Jack! That's great! No need to be hiding out! You gotta work courage to push this through. The others were thinking you to be too much of a wimp to get a girl. Imagine the shock on their faces if you get on a date with that cheetah!"

Durham's encouragement and support surprised Jack. The dog stared back, seemingly hopeful but still very hesitant.

"I... think? I don't know. This is all a bit sudden for me. That's why I'm scared of seeing her again. I don't want to make a fool of myself." He sighed heavily, staring into an empty space as if searching for something. "I don't even know anything about her. I wish I could get an idea of what she's like besides the bossy attitude."

Durham smiled, feeling sympathetic for his friend. Jack was always a happy and positive animal, to see him getting so worked up about a girl was enough for the coyote decide to help him.

"Trust me, I know how you feel. I'm kinda in the same boat on that regard." Jack's thoughtful behavior broke as he stared back at Durham.

"You mean... you also have a crush that you know nothing about?" This time around Durham could feel the excitement building up on Jack's voice. Durham nodded with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, she's a tough girl. Strong, tall, fierce and rather exotic looking." He described rather vaguely. Jack frowned as he tried to picture in his head the image of the descriptions he received.

"Well, I don't recall many Carnivores that look like that." Jack said slowly while struggling to gather possible candidates sorted out. "I would say a tiger, perhaps a gray wolf? Puma? Leopard?"

Durham sighed. He wondered how Jack was going to take this.

"Yo, Jack, can we keep this a secret? You know, I won't tell anyone about Shiira and you don't say anything about my crush?" The coyote proposed as he regarded the dog with utmost seriousness.

Jack realized the hardened look on Durham's face, understanding the extreme necessity for secrecy.

"Of course. This is between us. I promise I won't tell anyone." Jack jumped from his bed, walking towards Durham as he raised his hand for a commitment shake. The coyote smiled, knowing he could trust the labrador without a worry. He shook the hand to seal the agreement.

"Okay, for starters, my crush isn't a Carnivore."

Jack's shock was instantaneous. He stared on utter astonishment back at Durham.

"B-But then... that means..."

"Yep, she is." Durham said, fully aware at what Jack was trying to get at. The dog struggled to come with terms of what he just heard.

"What species then?" Jack asked as he tried to wrap his head at the circumstances.

"Zebra. Her name is Ellen." Durham calmly replied. The dog gasped in realization.

"Wait! That Ellen?! No way! For real? Wow Durham, she's... she doesn't like Carnivores in the slightest." Durham snorted.

"I think after all the beating I got I was able to get a bit suspicious." He joked bitterly. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean with that?"

Durham hesitated. He trusted Jack to keep his mouth about his weird crush in secret, but getting beating up by an Herbivore girl wasn't going to do his canine pride any favors.

Not that he minded the beatings that much.

"Oh, it's just Ellen is a bit rough. She doesn't like me being pushy. Gotta say I never expected a zebra to pack such powerful punches."

"S-She punched you?!" Jack was perplexed. He never heard before of an Herbivore physically assaulting a carnivore. Much less one brave enough to do so. Sure, perhaps stronger ones like horses, elephants and a few others. A female zebra was very unlikely.

"Yeah." Durham replied, feeling some weird sense of pride on that, which didn't make much sense at all. "She's got quite a personality. I just need to know more about her. I might get her to talk with me without breaking any bones."

Jack stared dubiously at his roommate. He wanted to tell Durham that this didn't sound like a good idea, but he dared not to crush his friend's hopes of a relationship. Not to mention that Durham's case was complicated enough without Jack giving him negative opinions.

"Sooo, how do you plan to find more about Ellen?" Jack asked while walking back to his own bunker, his eyes searching for his pen lost amid his messy blankets.

"Well, the same way you could find more about Shiira." He immediately replied with a cunning smile. Jack froze for a second before resuming his search.

"And that would be?"

"Well, I can talk with Els."

"Els? I mean... I think that kinda makes sense. She is a good friend of pretty much every Herbivore and all females at the club. How can you ask her things without making it obvious why you're suddenly so interested?"

Durham crossed his arms with a huff. Truth to be told the coyote hadn't thought of that. Els might be a nice girl and all, but there was no telling if she would keep Durham's nosy questions to herself. A Carnivore asking personal things about an Herbivore at a time like this would raise many concerns.

"I might try to talk with Shiira first then. At least I hope I can get her to listen. Not sure she would know much about Ellen." Durham groaned in frustration. This was getting far more complicated than it needed to be. It would be so simple if he just asked the zebra directly if she wasn't so bent on ignoring his existence.

Sensing his friend's agitation Jack placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The coyote glanced back at him, surprised by the gesture.

"Hey, whatever you need, I will be here for you. I'm sure the others will be if you talk with each about it. Just don't go out thinking you're alone on it. We're friends after all."

Durham couldn't help the thankful smile. Sure, Jack's words were cliche and cheesy as hell, but it was the truth regardless of how it sounded.

"Eh, sure thing Jack. I can dig up something about Shiira if you want. Anything for my pal." Durham offered sincerely. The dog laughed for a second, amused at the idea.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm not too worried with that just yet. Say, Durham... did you notice som-

"Something off about Legosi." The coyote immediately concluded. Rolling his eyes at how predictable Jack's actual concerns were. "Yeah, you asked before. Like I said, Legosi seems moody all the time, but rather than looking deep lost in his own head he looked rather troubled. So I guess that's different?"

Jack remained silent. His head racing thoughts left and right, searching for whatever might be aggravating his best friend.

"You know Jack, it's easier if you just nag him with questions. If you two are really close, Legosi should have no issues talking with you about it. Perhaps it's an issue like mine." The coyote suggested with a shrug. Jack jolted after hearing those words.

"Wait, Legosi... in love?" The labrador never dismissed such notion about his best friend, but the event seemed very unlikely to happen considering Legosi's personality. "Who would be the wolf girl then?"

Durham gave him a pointed look in return.

"You have no idea if it's a wolf, a Carnivore or even a girl for that matter." Jack winced.

"I can't imagine Legosi would swing the other way."

"Would that change the way you appreciate him?" Durham asked seriously.

"...no. It wouldn't. It's just... weird."

Durham laughed hard. The fact that weirdness was still a factor in this conversation was just too much of an absurd. Poor, innocent, Jack.

"Jack, Jack, Jack. Life is never that simple. You gotta learn to adapt to different situations. Just because, urgh, society expects you to act a certain way it doesn't mean everyone will follow that trend. Hey, if it's not a law it's not exactly wrong."

"Who says stuff like that?" Jack asked, concerned by the notion. Durham shrugged.

"My dad. He knows the law upside down. Is his job after all." Durham's eyes laid upon his own bed, knowing exactly what was hidden under the bunker. "Sometimes I wonder if he knows way too much."

"Why would knowing the law be a bad thing?" Jack was confused by the way Durham spoke. Durham had a good idea why, but he rather not make Jack worried about things he didn't have too. Aside his own girl problems of course.

"No sweat. Just a thing between me and my dad. He kinda expects me to become a cop too. I just don't feel like it."

Jack's ears perked up in a mix of interest and excitement.

"Oh, what do you want to do after concluding your graduation?" He asked with earnest.

"Honestly? I wanted to do something related with sports. Nothing extremely physical, I wanted to be a pilot of sorts. Perhaps racing? The idea of being a driver is very appealing. I feel like racing is something that gives animals a more even ground. No one is just too fast, or too strong when compared with another. Is all on reflexes and skill." The coyote couldn't help but get carried away in his own excitement. "I'm pretty sure I can get a driver license right away and do some tests for the local auto company. They were looking for candidates these last few days, but apparently the amount of people that want to take into racing is nearly nonexistent. I can legally get my license next year and apply on my fourth year of school. If everything goes right I will go straight into tests after graduation."

Jack stared in awe. It surprised immensely to find out how Durham has already thought on how to follow his own dream career.

"Wow, you're pretty serious about this." Jack commented after a moment of silence.

"Yeah." Durham said with a silly smile on his face. "I need to find out what career Ellen wants to follow."

"Huh, why?" Jack asked while internally wondering how many times Durham would keep bringing up weird things today.

"Why, you ask? Well, I need to have a card on my hand if I want to convince her that there's something to look forward if she gives me a chance. If I find what her dreams are I can help her to achieve them. That's what you do for someone you're in a relationship with."

"Yeah, but you two are not in a relationship and, considering that you're thinking this far ahead about you two, kinda sounds like you intend to marry her or something." The labrador replied while glancing worriedly back at his roommate.

Durham was taken aback by his words. Jack did make sense after all. Durham wondered if he was going about this way too fast, obsessed even. Perhaps he was, but who cares? He knows what he wants.

He wants Ellen. Nothing was going to change his mind on that regard.

To make that true he will be visiting that Drama club again. With way more interest than last time.