A/N; Sorry about the delay again, I've been doing some editing/updating of old chapters as to improve the overall structure/grammar/quality of the story. It takes way more time than I expected. :(
Guest(1);
"Yeah, that's actually me since I was five years old, lol."
Eduardo Guevara Ruiz;
"Hum, considering the recent episodes, not really? Cause they're aren't even a thing anymore, so I think Tao will have more time for other people. :P"
Guest(2);
"Not really sure what you want me to say, I had replied about that link previously. I find the artwork inspiring enough for me to adapt into the story, just like I did with TommySamash's works."
Guest(3);
"No, the conversation was short on purpose, trust me when I say there will be a lot more on those two on future chapters. :)"
Tommy423;
"Thanks Tom :P"
nadillaandlaprasthefireandice;
"Yes, it will be inspired by the very same artwork. I may even adapt some other couples from his other arts. Hum, now that's a fun fact I've never thought applicable. Nice. :0"
Guest(4);
"I don't know who Yahya is, so I don't know yet."
Elias8807;
"I know I could've made the parent's thing longer, but I don't think they were in the mood to talk, lol. Anyway there will be plenty of them in the future, this is where the fun begins. o/ Yeah, the nose thing was a wild guess, didn't think it would be so relevant in future events. Luck, I guess. :P "
Guest(5);
"Durham and Miguno is something I see/play as a strong/close friendship, like most things I see in the Anime. I cannot say further cause I don't read the manga. I mean, ships are all over the place, but I don't really tend to focus on "popular ships" that much. I dunno what makes a ship become a ship, more so popular."
Charlie B. Barkin;
"Lol, I will be waiting for you to review the recent chapters, I will give you replies in PM."
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"Well, that went better than expected."
"Are you kidding me? They clearly hate me, at least your father does."
"One out of two ain't really that bad."
"I guess, but we haven't introduced you to my parents yet. Now that's going to be something."
"It can't be that bad."
"No, I suppose not. Yet, if my mother ends up liking you, well, be prepared to be crushed by her hugs."
Ellen snorted. She wasn't really sure how strong female coyotes actually are, but she doubted that someone that was most likely of a lower height could cause her any considerable damage. She was proud of her current strength, improved thanks to Durham being a pain in the ass in regards to her physical care. No, he didn't imply she was gaining weight, but that she has a lot of room to improve her muscle mass. Even if he crudely pointed out how her 'incredibly needle legs' weren't going to give anyone a second thought, if they decided to confront her. Of course she couldn't let that jab go without testing her punches on him.
Her parents weren't pleased at all with the news they received. Their initial intent was to have Ellen convinced to leave school earlier, but they only ended up finding out that their daughter was having intimacy with a Carnivore, much to their shock and despair. Ellen's mother, Hwin, was the least upset about the news, but even she could not deny the immediate repulsion she felt towards the idea. They both adopted Ellen for the sake of her safety, especially due Ellen tragically losing her parents at a young age due a Carnivore incident. They went to great lengths to give her a proper life, teaching and loving her as much as they could, for the couple itself was fearful of having children of their own. It was quite common for Equine mothers to perish if they had the misfortune of having more than one children, not to mention that a simple pregnancy was already risky. Cesarean was off the plans, for Hwin had been too afraid of the idea of the procedure, even despite it being commonly performed on most pregnant mares.
To see their daughter lurking with such danger on such intimate level had their nerves on the edge. It was impossible for them to react properly, and prolonging the conversation at that time would've made everything much worse. Raffher was not a patient stallion, his personality often clashing with Hwin, who in turn was serene and very amiable, although neither could ever bring themselves to allow a Carnivore to become acquainted with them in any shape or form. Their mistrust of Carnivores was of an exponential level, but not as far as being aggressive towards the very same, even if Raffher can use of violence if the need ever arises. Ellen's personality was a mix of both, while Ellen adorned her father's fiery temper, she also learned from her mother serenity, compassion and caution.
Raffher often oriented the zebra to avoid Carnivores, but Hwin knew that such wouldn't always be the case, especially in school. Ellen had to learn to accept differences, even if it meant sharing and spending time with people they feared. Hwin was wise to advise her daughter to not see things only as black and white, even if at the time she couldn't help but joke about the irony of telling a zebra such thing. Ellen wasn't amused, but took her advice to the heart. She understood that it wasn't only the Carnivores she would need to be wary of, but the all kinds of people in general.
"Say, why we don't head back to the plaza? I want to check something with Dom before we head back. I'm not sure if we gonna keep doing our meetings during this week until the event. Besides, I gotta start planning for the summer. What do you have in mind?" Ellen asked before nagging the tip of his ear with her teeth. The coyote blushed profusely, especially because they had quite an audience as they were walking towards the park.
The streets were busy today, with many folks running around as they prepared themselves for the summer aswell. With the schools all around the city closing up for summer there would be a massive amount of families that wanted to enjoy time with their kids somewhere else, most planning on leaving town, heading off to either the countryside or the beaches, despite the latter being much of a hassle for Herbivores. Beaches were places where most often exposed much of their bodies. Herbivores in that regard felt incredibly uneasy with the idea of being so poorly clothed near Carnivores, who in turn had no shame on exposing themselves and their pride about how they looked. Perhaps the fact that most Carnivores usually would have a predatory grin on their faces when looking at a particularly attractive Herbivore didn't help matters.
"Say, I'm kinda curious about something." Ellen started, giving him an hesitant look, one that Durham learned that meant she was about to ask something personal. He shrugged.
"Ask away, I'm all ears, perhaps you can even nag at me on a more interesting spot." He replied cheekily. The zebra huffed.
"I was wondering... what do you plan to do for the vacations? I really don't wanna be stuck at home forever, and I know my parents will try to keep me on tight grips now they know I'm with you."
Durham could tell she's worried about not seeing him for a long time. Yet, he had no reason to be worried. A smirk made its way to his muzzle before he could contain it.
"So? Nothing is stopping me from visiting you when they least expect, I can even snuck you out of the house if needed."
"Durham!" She replied, looking very embarrassed and affronted. "I'm not some damsel in distress that will need rescue! How about you just try to ask them first?"
"Eh? Just so they shove the door on my face? Though luck, just make something up to get out, if they don't let you out I will sneak in when they're not there."
"You're impossible." Ellen replied, although she didn't look upset in the slightest. That until Durham decided to take a jab at her.
"You could use some time at home anyway, work out these stripped sticks of yours you call legs."
Ellen, much to his shock, jabbed her tongue inside his ear, the moistly sensation made him reel back a few steps away.
"Argh, what the fuck Ellen?!" Durham shouted, looking spooked as he desperately tried to shake the uneasy feeling from his ear with the side of his shirt. "Don't do that! That felt weird!"
"I thought canines liked being licked." She replied with a naughty smirk on her face. Durham bristled at her expression, she was clearly getting back at him for his flirty suggestion.
"You didn't lick me! You shoved your tongue inside my..."
Durham stopped, realizing the several bystanders giving them bewildered looks. Some girls, that he recognized that were from the school, were giggling madly. Looking at them with mirth in their eyes. He narrowed his eyes at them, pulling Ellen by her hand as he took the lead and drove them away from the unnerving crowd. He didn't stop until they were meters away from the judgmental eyes from the bystanders, which didn't really gave the coyote any peace of mind since they were back at the plaza, where there were even more people walking around, most of them being students from their school.
Ellen eyed him with mirth, looking to be enjoying the situation despite the sudden embarrassment. The coyote shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his muzzle. He was about to say something cheeky, but the sudden commotion few meters away caught all the attention. It seemed a fight had broken out, but the two people, clashing in the middle of the open ground, were no other than Louis and Legosi.
"What in the...?" Durham said, as he watched the Carnivore and Herbivore exchange punches at each other, both seemingly unfazed by the ferocity of their hits. Yet, their fight didn't last for very long, as many bystanders were quick to spread them apart. Both struggled to get away from the grasp of many arms holding them back. Legosi was clearly livid, his face screamed pure anger, which was reflected on Louis.
"The hell is wrong with these two?" Ellen asked, although she was far from being upset. It fascinated her to see such an intense fight between Herbivore and Carnivore, even more so that Louis didn't seem to fare badly in it. Durham was too busy making a call. The coyote watched as the two were arguing even while being contained. After few tense seconds Legosi broke off from his containment and walked away, looking every bit as mad as he was moments ago.
"Fuck this, let's go!" Durham said, he turned off his phone and ran off to catch up to the wolf. Ellen followed after a moment's hesitancy. She was thankful for being on a better training routine, the coyote was unbelievably fast by comparison, even if his pace seemed sluggish.
Durham reached near Legosi, who seemed to be very narrow-minded at the moment. He screamed his name to shake the wolf back to reality. Legosi blinked, turning around with an annoyed look on his face, his anger momentarily forgotten as he noticed who was near him.
"Durham? What you're doing here?" He asked, clearly caught off guard by the coyote's presence. Although the reply was delayed due Ellen's late arrival. The zebra voice her displeasure at being a few seconds late.
"Fucking... hell... Durham... what... the fuck... do you eat?" She asked, panting intensely as she bent and took hold of her knees. "I can't even... run a few meters this much." The coyote sniggered.
"Maybe now you will listen to me when I say that you need to work out a bit more. I know you've been trying to make some runs here and there, but you gotta try harder if you ever hope to catch up to me, well... in the worst case scenario, run away from me." He added with a bitter chuckle. Ellen scoffed.
"You are terrible at making such jokes. Shut up already." She replied, exhausted and humored at the same time. "Urgh, my legs are really not up to this, it's gonna be aching for a few minutes."
"I can always rub them if it will make you feel better."
Legosi, not wanting to hear more of this, poked the coyote on the shoulder to grab his attention. Ellen was about to make some quip retort, but she refrained once she realized that the wolf didn't seem to be any interested on dealing with their antics.
"Oh, right. Errmm, so... Legosi, what happened back there? You know we don't really like Louis that much but, if you're gonna be throwing punches at him, at least warn us so we can buy some popcorn and enjoy the show. OW! What?!" Durham said, massaging his injured shoulder while giving Ellen and undignified glance.
"What Durham is trying to say." She started, giving the coyote a brief glare before looking back at the wolf. "Is what just caused you and Louis to be fighting. I know you two had been at odds for whatever reason, but nothing should cause such a reaction from you. I know you ain't like this Legosi, so it has to be something really bad for you to go out like that."
Legosi nodded, thankful that Ellen was addressing the situation more maturely. He sighed, a hand running over his head as he tried to absorb the huge problem on his hands.
"Haru was kidnapped."
Ellen blinked, Durham immediately turned serious.
"Who's Haru?" Ellen asked, seemingly confused.
"She's the girl that allowed me to use the Gardening club for our date. Well, she's basically the only member of that club." Durham replied right away, a tone of agitation on his voice as he felt the anxiety building up. "How did she get kidnapped?"
"They said it was the Shishigumi." Legosi replied hesitantly.
"The Shi-!" Durham caught himself from shouting, his eyes looking around in search of eavesdroppers. "For real? That group?"
Legosi stared at Durham, surprised by his reaction.
"Do you know them?"
"If I know? Who doesn't?! Well, at least in regards to what adults know. They're a fucking bunch of mafia gangsters. The worst type you can find in a town like this. Lions, the whole group, if what dad told me is accurate." The coyote replied, looking very distressed all of sudden, it gave Legosi a very unwelcoming feeling. Durham stared at him with severity. "Legosi... what you're going to do?"
The wolf blinked, looking at him with a baffled expression, which was followed by Ellen's puzzled look.
"Well... I was thinking of getting her back." He replied slowly, unsure of what their reaction would be.
"Huh, but how you're gonna do that?" The coyote asked, looking very worried. Legosi shrugged.
"I will think of something. I... Haru means a lot... I can't let her be taken."
Durham and Ellen exchanged a glance. They knew very well what kind of meaning the girl could have for him.
"Fuck me. Legosi... the Shishigumi. Well, for starters, they all must have guns, what self respecting mafia doesn't? Yet, they are unlikely to be good shooters, fucking mafia scumbags don't do specialized training for that anyway, so you can count your blessings if they try to shoot you and miss a lot."
Ellen glanced at them, looking very scandalized.
"What the fuck are you two talking about?! You're going to support Legosi on assaulting a fucking mafia group? Are you insane?!" She asked, looking at them as if they had lost their sanity.
"Didn't you hear him saying that Haru was kidnapped?! They're going to rip her apart!" Legosi whimpered at hearing such. "That's what people like the Shishigumi do! They kidnap Herbivores and... well, I don't really wanna go further." Durham said, looking despondent. Ellen was clearly conflicted.
"But why not tell the Police?! Surely they can track down a group that is notorious for kidnapping and other such atrocities!"
Durham sighed. She was right, but wrong at the same time. You could tell the Police, but Durham knew that it was pointless. The Police never did anything in regards to mafia groups. Why?
It all came down to politics.
He was not looking forward to having to explain to her what is seriously wrong with Cherryton.
"It won't work. I know it won't. Trust me on that." He said, not wanting to look her in the eye, afraid to see her disappointment and expectations coming down and crushing her spirits.
Ellen actually had decided she wants to be a police officer, but Durham wasn't sure if she should. Yet, he dared not to crush her dream just by saying the truth, even if he should. The zebra strongly believes that she can make things better by siding with the law, but the coyote knew better that it wouldn't be the case. Yet, he was hopeful that his father could guide Ellen away from the bad side of law enforcement.
"Legosi." Durham said after the long pause in between him and the zebra. "Whatever you're going to do, for the love of... don't fucking die. Jack would... just don't die, can you promise us that much?"
The wolf nodded, looking at them with something akin to appreciation. He turned around to leave, but a tap on the back made him stop. He glanced back to see Durham looking sideways before shoving something into his chest.
"Keep this under your shirt, you will need it more than I do anyway. If you need instructions I can give you a message later on, make sure to turn off your phone once you get where you need to be, you don't want anyone hearing your phone ringing in a bad time, do you?" Durham said, half humored and half serious. Legosi blinked, his hand closing around what was undeniable the shape of a gun. He gasped.
"Durham! I can't-
"Don't give me this crap! I'm not letting you walk into that kind of shit without anything. I... wish I could help you to get there, but Ellen would kill me before anyone else could."
"You got that right." Ellen replied quietly, looking at Legosi with no short amount of fear and concern. "Please, be careful Legosi."
The wolf nodded quietly, an awkward silence feel between them, no one was sure of what to say. That until the wolf broke the silence.
"Durham, if I don't get back... can you take care of-
"You will come back. I know it. If there's someone strong enough to pull this... it's you." The coyote cut him off, a confident smile on his face. Legosi assented again, he exchanged his attention towards Ellen.
"Hum... Ellen, take care of him, ok?" He said somewhat sheepishly. The zebra smiled, looking torn between begging him to stay or yelling at them to quit the crazy act.
"S-Sure. I will do my best, don't let us waiting. Els invited you to go out with us next weekend after all."
At this Legosi finally broke a smile, even if it looked forced.
"Yeah, I remember. I will try to make to it. I... see you then." He said, turning around to walk away at a rushed pace. The gun concealed underneath his shirt. They both watched him disappear from view with mixed feelings.
Durham knew it wasn't his call to make, it astonished him that a student had been kidnapped by the mafia, and someone he knew even if sparsely. Legosi was walking into a sinking boat and the coyote was doubtful he would make it out with Haru, yet he needed to show some faith in the wolf, clearly Legosi could use all support he can get. Of course there was also the trouble of potentially loosing the gun, but it was possible to track the thing if it ended in the wrong hands, which would provide solid evidence of murder in the worst case scenario. Not even the Shishigumi could walk away from that one.
Ellen was clearly distressed, she didn't know Haru, but the idea of a mafia meat-eating group kidnapping students didn't sit well with her in the slightest. The fact Legosi was actually going in to attempt a rescue was beyond logical and, even if they never talked much, she came to appreciate the wolf for who he is, something that she was only able to see thanks to Els and Durham. The fight earlier that he had with Louis didn't make any sense though.
"Why were they fighting?" Ellen asked aloud.
"Huh?" Durham looked back at her with confusion. She glanced down at him with worry.
"Louis and Legosi, why were they fighting moments ago?"
"Oh, right! We never asked that." Durham facepalmed, they had left a really obvious matter out of the conversation. "I don't know, my guess is that Legosi wanted Louis help or something, isn't what a Beastar should do? Help people?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm. Ellen looked unsure.
"I mean... I guess they should, but Louis is a student, what can he know about dealing with the mafia? Especially if they eat... us so shamelessly."
Durham glanced at her, a sympathetic arm reaching around her waist on an attempt to bring her some peace of mind.
"Come on, let's go back to the school. I think we've seen enough for today." He softly suggested. Ellen nodded distractedly.
"Should we tell the others? About where Legosi went?" She asked, looking doubtful. Durham shook his head.
"Nah, we might just cause a panic if we tell them Legosi went to the mafia. The amount of mess that would cause could get lots of people into trouble. I won't tell Jack, nor the others. We... let's have some faith that he might make a miracle rescue. I don't know what Legosi is truly capable of, let's see if this gamble will pay off in his favor. If not... we go looking for him."
Ellen seemed somewhat satisfied with that answer, even if it was clear she would rather they did something other than wait.
"I'm feel bad for saying this, but..."
"What?"
"I'm glad you didn't offer to go with him. I... don't want to see you getting hurt."
Durham felt his throat constrict for a moment. Words failed him as his heart clenched at such meaningful words. He knew she felt bad for saying it, but also he couldn't deny that it would be unbearable for her to wait by herself, hoping for a miracle, that he would make it back alright. No, this wasn't his choice to make.
'Fucking hell, Legosi. Don't die on us.'