A/N: Sorry for not updating the last week folks, I had to move out from home to work, due isolation issues. It was a hard adaptation, but I will be back home this week. Thankfully. Also the killer was 'revealed' in last episode, event though I already knew who it was (was kinda obvious tbh) and I'm looking forward to be expanding on other Drama club members. Also, Els and Bill? Ha, that's... different I guess. Well, I will be giving Els plenty of character, although the fact Els knew about Bill going to the BM was something I had planned, now I'm bummed that the show did it first.
Guest;
Ahn, kinda? I mean, it looked like a lovely couple at first, but I want to wait more before becoming a fan.
Tommy423;
Yep! Tao's one of these characters I do have a soft spot for, and after last episode I'm definitely giving him more build.
nadillaandlaprasthefireandice;
Jack is best boii! :)
Anonimo;
"Ehh?What? Also after I watched the last episode, I'm not really sure what this is all about. Besides, if you watch Season 1, Episode 3, timestamp 06;35, you can clearly see Shiira and Tao heading into the woods while holding hands. Not sure who he's cheating here, lol."
Charlie B. Barkin;
"Ok, now what do I say about you? Aside the amazing help you've been giving me, the amount of meaningful reviews and advice? Also, no, I'm not a wizard, lol. I guess I just got good at guessing some stuff? Not really sure, some things that happened this season turned to be a nice coincidence, that's all. Yeah, I do need to edit some early chapters, which I did for few already actually. Chapter 3 was really bad indeed, damn. I really cannot let that much accumulate. Thanks for the immense support Charles, I love ADGTH to this day. :3 "
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"So, there's something I would like to ask, that if you're okay with it..."
"Why wouldn't I be? Unless it's homework again."
"Heh, no, it isn't. Don't worry. It's about Durham actually."
"Eh? What about him?"
"Do you remember that day few weeks back, that we were at the cafeteria? Didn't he mention something about his birthday being next weekend?"
"Oh, shoo! I forgot! That's right! Wait, isn't the Meteorite, or Summer, or whatever Festival this weekend too?"
Shiira sighed, her hands occupied as she moved pages around of her science book. Her eyes traveling from her readings to the nearly empty classroom around. Her only company at the moment being the rather energetic labrador, and a rather despondent looking Juno.
The cheetah glanced at her other canine friend with concern. Juno has been acting oddly ever since last night's incident, if she could ever call what happened yesterday an unfortunate event. It was discovered that the primary light switch, that powered the cable lines that went towards the plaza, have been turned off manually. Whoever did such act was surely up to no good, although most the adults had the audacity to attribute such as students pulling a prank. The amount of irresponsibility for doing such a thing was far beyond what could be accepted as a harmless prank of any sort. The act was nothing but a clear endangerment of several people that were present. Subjecting them to thievery, kidnapping, or worse, predation.
Shiira was immensely relieved that no one got hurt, especially her classmates, although few were clearly shaken by the events, especially the Herbivores. Not that the cheetah could blame them, being utterly blade while exposed to the world outside was hardly a thriving experience, even less so when you're aware of the dangers lurking around. Although Shiira did not expect Jack to be so slow to catch up with what was happening, was he truly that blissfully ignorant to the elements outside the school grounds?
"Say, do you have something in mind for his birthday? I was going to ask Ellen, I doubt she wouldn't want to give him something nice in return to the little party they had yesterday."
Juno, who's mind has been mostly elsewhere, lost in thoughts about what she witnessed last night, suddenly perked her eyes away from the few notes she managed to write into her textbook. She shifted her head slightly to address the feline.
"Party? What party are you talking about?" Juno asked, looking genuinely surprised she hasn't heard of any parties. The amount of classmates that constantly tried to pick conversations, and share gossip in a way to gain her favor, had her very aware of many things going around the school, no matter how small of an event. Yet, she never heard anything about Durham or Ellen being on any parties whatsoever, or for anything party to be happening yesterday for that matter. Shiira glanced back at her with mirth.
"Weeell, it just happens that the thing, that we expected that would happen, just happened." She replied with a humorous chuckle. "Durham and Ellen were on a date, and that sneaky coyote had a setup ready for it from the start. I know for a fact that Els helped him with that, that sly goat."
Juno's eyes widened. That was definitely news for her, not to mention that it involved another Herbivore and Carnivore couple that she never expected. Her thoughts scrambled, her mind trying to make sense of what was happening lately. She still couldn't forget the burning image of seeing Legosi last night, kneeling to be on eye level with a female bunny, one that she never saw before and could barely reach his waist! Seeing him smile that way at the much smaller creature was nothing short of incredulous.
The female wolf never felt so anguished before. She felt like the idea of Legosi being into other males would've been less of an insult to her, but that he actually like females, and small Herbivores, really shook her. To make matters worse, Juno couldn't even see what was attractive to Legosi in regards to the bunny, she seemed like any average one around the school, Juno failed to see any trait on her that she could consider 'beautiful'.
Incredulity was replaced by fury. Fury replaced by jealousy. Jealousy replaced by utter despair.
Despair now was being put aside by genuine curiosity. Durham has been always a strange guy with a witty attitude. She honestly liked him, he always provided some insight to things she was still struggling to understand, not to mention it was always fun to see him and Ellen debating silly things. She could tell that the coyote had some profound admiration for the zebra, but she didn't imagine he would ever pull the romantic card on her, at least not so quickly. Ellen usually is a tempered animal, but her attitude bounced on the coyote like he was made of rubber. Juno never managed to understand how these two came at odds with each other and got over them so quickly. Now to hear they were actually dating? That was a new one and Juno had serious doubts that this was something to be shared so lightly. She shared her concerns back at the cheetah.
"Nah, don't worry, but you are right on that one." Shiira replied with a shrug. "Ellen asked us to keep to ourselves, but there is a few people we are free to mention it, as long we tell them to keep secrecy. It just happens that you and Jack are part of that small list."
Juno felt honored that the coyote and zebra had added her in their trust circle, it was a very meaningful thing for them to let her known, especially since Herbivore and Carnivore couples are a rather troublesome oddity in their society.
"So should we do something? A party or anything or the sort?" Jack asked, looking excited at the idea of a birthday party. Shiira wasn't sure what to suggest, she felt hesitant to offer any ideas without asking Ellen first.
"Let's make sure that Ellen hasn't planned something already, she gets the priority for being his ma- uhhh, maybe I will just stick with girlfriend, I suppose." The cheetah replied uncertainly. "But we have lots of things to worry about before that. I'm not sure how much we will be able to organize with the Meteorite Festival happening around the same time."
"Say, maybe we should let them have this moment for themselves." Juno started, a thoughtful expression on her face as she contemplated the dilemma. "The Festival is a really important event, especially for couples. Perhaps we should just give them some space, they are really new to this, and I don't think Durham would want to attract much attention to himself with a party."
Shiira smiled approvingly, Jack seemed more hesitant.
"I suppose that's reasonable, although I would feel bad for not doing anything about it." The labrador commented, seemingly apprehensive. "Maybe we could get out somewhere? Like, just like we did this last weekend?"
"Oh, now that sounds like a plan that I don't think they would disagree with." Shiira said, glancing back at Jack with mirth. "Say, Jack, how about we go out later today? I feel like visiting Fujiwara again. I could use some more of his noodle soup."
Jack stared agape for a second, his brain failing to process the information in a way he could react properly. His mind went blank for few seconds before he could recover his rational thought.
"Aye, huuuuh, we ai-ehh- u-us? I mean... errr, how, when do you want go to?" He replied, looking absolutely discombobulated. The girls giggled at his flustered reaction, making the male canine feel utterly hopeless.
"Don't worry about it, just get some social clothes before meeting me at the main gate around..." The cheetah paused, quickly glancing at the clock hanging from the wall above the gigantic blackboard. "Three hours from now. Text me if anything comes up though." She added with a smile, her eyes shone with such playfulness that it caught the labrador by surprise.
"Yeah, ok, huh... I will be there then." Jack replied, looking a bit spooked at the sudden invitation. He could already picture in his head the amount of teasing he would be getting from his roommates.
Juno watched the exchange with muted fascination. Jack was always a high spirited, soft and charming kind of animal. It was a clear contrast to Shiira's own qualities, not to mention they were different as a species aswell. Yet, it was nothing as challenging, or stupefying, as a Carnivore and Herbivore dating. She wondered if this was going to become a common trait in her time in the school.
"Should I consider dating outside my species too?" Juno thought to herself. The idea of dating someone that not a gray wolf always gave her uneasy feelings, much more so since she endured several amounts of hardship in her younger years, simple because of what she is. "I don't even know if I would be able to stomach such. Or my parents for that matter."
Her despondency must've reflected on her expression as the other two animals present noticed her sullen look.
"Hey, Juno, you okay? You've been looking really uneasy the whole morning." Jack asked, looking genuinely worried for her well being. Juno tried to put up an smile, but it felt like a chore to even make any effort about it. She sighed, resignation evident on her face. She is well aware that there was no way to avoid talking about what has been troubling her mind.
"It's... last night... I saw Legosi, with... a bunny."
Jack went rigid, his eyes widening as he realized what was about unfold into the conversation, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything to deviate the topic from it. Shiira seemed somewhat startled.
"A bunny? Why? What were they doing?"
"Well, they were... talking, but... the way Legosi was looking at her, it meant something for him." Juno said, looking extremely hesitant to further describe the scene. Shiira raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing what had Juno in such low spirits.
"Oh, I think I get what you mean, but still. Juno, if it turns out Legosi likes someone else, even if a bunny, you won't get involved, right?" The cheetah asked, looking dead serious as she narrowed her eyes at the wolf. "It's kinda of stunning that Legosi would be interested on a bunny, but don't think that it means that you're not an incredible wolf. Don't worry about it, Legosi is an oddity and you have to respect if he likes someone else."
Juno nodded quietly, unsure of what to think of the situation. Shiira did have a point when in regards to Legosi's weird personality, if it turned out that the wolf felt attracted to smaller animals, what was she even supposed to do about it? Perhaps she should start thinking about other options.
"Say, you don't think it's weird, right?" Jack asked slowly, his eyes resting on Shiira's pensive form. She blinked, looking back at the canine with surprise.
"Weird? No, why would I? I mean, Legosi it's free to like whoever he wants, it's not my place to judge. Besides, we already have a weird couple to talk about anyway. Have you spoken with Durham today?" She asked, wondering what the coyote would be up, especially now that he seemed far happier than usual. It surprised her to see the coyote talking animatedly with Jack and Tao last night. The black panther interacting with both of them simply baffled her, she expected Tao to resent Jack somewhat, but it clearly wasn't the case. At least he showed some bit of maturity in that regard. For once she felt more at ease to start a conversation with him, awkward as it was. Tao was mostly okay with just keeping their friendship, even if he's still a bit disappointed that they relationship didn't work.
"Nah, Durham just left early, apparently he wanted to go out with Ellen to the plaza, that and he said something about getting his driver's license. Not sure how though, he ain't at a age to earn that. Only thing he told me was that Fujiwara could get it for him, how I really don't know."
"He left with Ellen?" Shiira asked, amazed that Els failed to mention that detail. "Don't they have homework and stuff to do?"
Jack burst out in laughter, looking very pleased all of sudden. Both girls stared at him in utter puzzlement.
"Now that's one of the first good things about their relationship. Durham hates homework, he just procrastinates like crazy until the last moment possible. Then he gets on a mad rush to finish it all at once, that earned him some sleepless nights. It's kinda funny, especially after we told him many times to not let that happen. I never saw him ever finish homework days before we were required to deliver it. He was so excited about going out that even the huge amount didn't discouraged him in the slightest." At this Jack couldn't help the soft smile on his face as he glanced away, focusing on nothing in particular. "I'm glad to see him so happy for once. He always looked a bit stiff, even if constantly being sarcastic and mirthful. He looks so different now."
"I don't doubt that." Shiira said in agreement with the labrador's words. "Let's hope the better mood in between these two can actually reach over the rest of the club. They sure could use a more chipper atmosphere." She added with a grim on her face. "Last night had many of them on edge. I do not need people going into another panic wave of mistrust again."
Juno nodded in agreement. Most Herbivores were desperate to go back the school after the scare they went through, despite the Carnivores offering to keep an eye out for them. Ellen, Els and Dom were the only ones left after the rest left for good. Some Carnivore members also left to accompany them as escorts. What made Shiira even more worried was that Louis was nowhere to be found during that whole night. Her concern quickly turned into justified anger as the deer, early this morning, revealed that he has been absent from the night due returning to the school early. The fact that he left them so casually without saying anything made the cheetah's blood boil.
"I really could use some time away from... all of this." Shiira said, a mix of frustration and disappointment in her voice. "Hence why I was wondering if you wanted to go out, Jack. Fujiwara has a nice place for us to have some breath of fresh air, no need to worry about others, if you catch my meaning."
Jack nodded, fully aware that the feline was in need of something to take her mind away from all the stress she's been running into lately. He was glad she asked him to join, probably she didn't saw Jack as someone that could cause her an headache. It wasn't a thrilling thought, but coming from Shiira it was almost a compliment.
"Sounds fine by me. I will meet you at the main gate then."
Jack was thankful that the last two weeks of school were mostly free periods. Few teachers had already left for their much needed vacations. Unsurprisingly most Herbivores students were gone, their parents were eager too see their kids back at home as quick as possible, that way they would rest assured that they would be safe.
Ellen's parents did come by this morning to the school, an attempt to convince their adoptive daughter to leave earlier. Ellen's promptly refused, saying she still had club activities to perform and wasn't willing to leave them hanging like that. Shiira witness the rather heated debate she had with her foster parents. It was quite stunning to find out that her parents are horses, although it made sense that they would be Equines.
Ellen's father was a rather tall and lean stallion, his fur was pure black, his figure rather imposing and somewhat frightening, even for an Herbivore. His musculature would be enough to make someone like Bill wary of getting on his bad side. Ellen's mother was not that different, aside the fact her fur was a light shade of beige, her hair incredibly long and of a golden color. She also was imposing in her own right, but her manners were far softer if compared with her male counterpart. Ellen had no worries on displaying how much she loves her forest parents, acting incredibly amiably towards them most of the time, at least until they insisted for her to go back home early.
Well, at least that was not the worst that happened that morning.
"Say, I hope we can find Durham on our way there. I'm kinda curious to know how he's doing after... well, earlier today."
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2 Hours Ago...
"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet someone really special for me."
"Oh? Is this what I think it is?"
"Moooom, I haven't said anything yet!"
"Yes, you didn't, but then I do remember the amount of times that you mentioned this 'Durham' to me. Are you finally going to introduce us?"
"Durham? Wait, is this the kid you've been seeing often lately?"
"Yes, dad, it is. He ain't a 'kid' though."
"Heh, yeah, if you say so my dear filly."
Durham couldn't help but burst into laughter at that particular addressing. Judging by the way Ellen reacted, it was possible to tell that it wasn't the first time he used such and she became immediately flustered by it. Unfortunately his hysterics announced his presence to her parents, who promptly turned around to face the humored coyote. Durham never thought he would feel the joy leave his body so quick once he locked stares with the enormous equines.
'Damn, I'm really small.' Durham couldn't help himself the thought as he walked towards them at a wary pace. The outline of the equine muscles surprised him. 'Her parents must be gym pros or something, that can't be natural.'
"And you are?" Her dad asked, eyeing the coyote with conspicuous regard. Durham tried to open his mouth to respond, but he felt the words choke on his throat. Ellen quickly came to save him from embarrassing himself.
"Mom, Dad... this is Durham, he's... my boyfriend."
The large mare blinked, looking fort and back between her daughter and the coyote, her face of undeniable incredulity. She shared a troubled look with her husband, who seemed even more off put than anyone else present. He glanced at Ellen, his face expressive enough as if to ask if she was joking. Ellen nodded briefly at his silent questioning. He glanced back at the coyote, and Durham was honestly surprised to see the lack of anything that would suggest his displeasure with the event. Or maybe her dad was good at poker faces, he wasn't really sure.
"So... you are Ellen's boyfriend." He said, seemingly contemplative. The coyote tried to not squirm under his scrutinizing gaze, most likely the stallion was evaluating his strength, which was a very common thing for Herbivores to do. "This is... unexpected. Although I should've guessed for her to pull something this... wild."
"Raffher." Ellen's mother said, a tone of warning on her face that made the stallion pause. He looked back at her, an annoyed glance shot at the mare. She merely narrowed her eyes at him, a huff escaping her muzzle. The stallion grunted before returning his attention back to the canine.
"Say, I suppose it's good to known someone that Ellen evaluates as worthy of her... affections." Raffher said with visible effort, it was obvious he was having problems to adapt to the fact his daughter was dating a Carnivore, even if one not that threatening looking. "Even if is an non-trustworthy Carnivore."
"How about." Ellen's mother started, looking very crossed as she gently pushed the stallion to the side, to which he glared at her with clear disappointment. "You go wait by the car? Maybe get something for us? I do have to pass by the market also, so try to do something productive and go write a list. I'm sure you remember all the things I told you to buy, isn't that right?"
Raffher merely grunted. He said his goodbyes to Ellen before giving one last long look back at Durham. The message in that look was very clear;
If something happens with her you will die.
The stallion left without saying any other word, his departure followed be the attentive eyes of Ellen's mother. She sighed once she could no longer see her husband's silhouette, turning around to face both coyote and her daughter.
"I... sorry for that. Raffher has his reasons to be like this, not that I can blame him. This is quite a shock, if I had to be truthful." She said, looking somewhat apologetic and apprehensive. She eyed Durham more closely as her attention shifted towards him. "I'm not really sure what Ellen saw on you, but if she truly cares for you then it must mean the feeling is mutual. I hope you can prove to be a worthy partner for her, despite... your condition."
"My condition?" Durham asked, feeling as if she was referring him as to be sick or something. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The mare shared a glance with Ellen, the zebra looked very upset and faced her adoptive mother with a heated gaze. The larger equine sighed in defeat.
"I just wish my daughter to be safe, but we all know how difficult that is if involved with Carnivores. You're are what we fear the most, and I cannot express enough how this truly makes me terrified for her sake, but... I think it's a blessing that you're not really that much of a treat, surely Ellen can take care of you if it ever comes the day you lose your senses. I just hope that day never comes."
"Huh, thanks?" Durham replied, unsure if it was a good thing to be considered non-threatening or not. Not that he would tell her that he was armed, but that wasn't really the point. "I'm... also hopeful that it never happens with me, but if it does... I will make sure that I get taken care off."
The mare glanced backed at him, seemingly astonished by how easily he was ready to be taken down. A long stare followed his words, Ellen's mother went from stoic to sad in just few seconds.
"I wish things like this weren't something we had to fear. I wish you were a normal boy Ellen could love without being afraid of such terrible outcome. Yet, despite the danger, she loves you regardless and... I have no doubt you feel the same. I... be careful, both of you. It's a difficult choice you both made, make sure you will be ready for what's to come."
Ellen nodded, her hand finding Durham's. She squeezed him as if to show her commitment, a gesture that the coyote reciprocated.
"We will, I promise."