A/N: Ok, so since this week will feature the last episode of the second season, I will be moving the update date to Wednesday nights. Helps me cope with weekend issues, and gives you all something to fill that empty void in our hearts :(
nadillaandlaprasthefireandice;
"Yeah, this world has just too many rich characters to just pass up, it's truly a shame. Well, this stands for most franchises anyway, which is why fanfics are the ones to bring some light to these characters in the back that are hardly spoken about. Also, it's rather easy to build them up if they don't provide too much about themselves in canon material. I will be doing that a lot for other characters as the story progresses. I just don't want to rush things since I'm worried that the show might do something extremely conflicting to the characters I often write about."
Silver Shadow360;
"Thanks, yeah, I don't think it would work really well. Durham is meant to be a main character in this story, but not a pivotal character for such moments in the original timeline. No worries, though, he will get his share in the future.
Tommy423;
"Thanks!"
Guest;
"Yes, Shiira and Jack are a really fun one to write and I will have plenty of them in the future. :)"
LzMan;
"Nah, it's alright. Sucks his account is gone though. I don't use Reddit since I'm overloaded with too much from Discord, FimFiction, FanFiction and few other social medias, is just too much."
KitsuneKaze;
"Ha, thanks for sticking with my lazy ass for so long! :P Yeah, I actually have done that D build with a lot of intent. Trust me when I say this will go further than just a reference."
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"Does it hurt?"
"Not now. Wasn't feeling great yesterday, but... I'm okay now.'
"Where were you the entire night? The amount of wounds you got is crazy! How come you didn't bleed to death?"
"Hmm, I really don't know."
"Of course, at least you're not filled with holes, now that would've been an issue. How come no one shot you?"
"...luck?"
Durham chuckled, looking mildly amused and exasperated at the same time. At his side stood a extremely relieved Ellen, alongside Juno, Jack, Shiira and Els. The group was allowed to visit Legosi after he's been cleared of danger, his arrival has caused a bit of a commotion in the school. The fact a student brought back another student that was kidnapped was something the director couldn't ignore, for he was one of the few aware of the missing Herbivore. He made sure to visit Legosi during the night as he was being patched up, astonished that the wolf managed to pull out the rabbit from the claws of the Shishigumi, he strongly advised the canine to lay low for now, for the streets would surely be dangerous if the leo group ever thought about coming after him.
The director hoped to keep this incident under secrecy, but that was just wishful thinking. Soon the entire school would know of the event, albeit the narrative would surely be distorted. Voss, Collot, Miguno were the part of the first group to check on their roommate in the early hours of the morning, for them had been unable to sleep. The distress of the wolf's sudden disappearance made Legosi feel a bit guilty for making them worry so much. Although his guilty quickly turned to apprehension when Haru stepped in the room later on while the others were checking on him.
Juno and Haru exchanged a look right away, but before anything could happen Ellen came in between them.
"Hi! You must be the girl Legosi saved from these bastards." She said, giving Juno a weary glance as she spoke. Haru nodded quietly. Everyone else was looking at them, a mix of curious and concerned stares made their way to the rabbit. "Say, why don't we get a chat on later? I think we are all a bit worked up about Legosi pulling something that crazy on us, we will be leaving soon if you want to talk with him."
"No, t-that's fine." Haru replied, caught off guard by how receptive the taller Herbivore has been towards her. "I was just checking to see if he patched up. He will be fine, I'm sure."
"Say, Haru." Durham called, looking at her with mild interest. "How did they kidnap you?"
Haru hesitated, unsure of why so many people were suddenly so interested on her, it didn't make sense or felt pleasant at all.
"I... was at the plaza, just laying on a tree. One of them came from behind and held me in a way I couldn't move or scream for help." She replied, slowly remembering the details of that event.
"Wait, at broad daylight!?" Shiira seemed stupefied an furious. "The fucking nerve of these guys!" Jack, who's been silent so far, frowned in thought.
'No one saw it happen at all? In the plaza? How's that possible? Something doesn't add up here.'
Durham nodded distractedly, his eyes glued on the phone as he texted his father to warn him that Legosi succeeded on bringing back Haru. The response he got was very telling.
'Yes, I know he probably got away somehow! If the amount of distress calls I had this night about several gunshots wasn't telling enough! Still, I'm thankful to know they are both alive. Sadly I won't have enough evidence to pin any sort of blame on this bloody mafia trash, not even witnessing testimony would be enough. Stay out of trouble, and tell Legosi to stop giving more work! I have enough on my plate already without him waking half the damn town!'
Durham snorted, at least it was the best he could do to not laugh loudly and upset the nurse. The female adult gazelle has been watching over them with scrutiny, it was well know how overzealous she could be about her patients, even if they were Carnivores.
"Something funny, Durham?" Els asked, noticing the grin on the coyote's face. The goat girl has been quiet so far, she has been one of the very few to learn about what happened with Legosi, it was simply impossible to keep it a secret from her if Ellen was involved aswell. He chuckled before answering.
"Yeah, my dad is very mad with Legosi." At this he faced the wolf with a smirk. "He told me to warn you to keep your fights more quietly next time, but also glad that you two are safe."
"I didn't mean to cause trouble." Legosi replied sheepishly. Ellen huffed in disbelief.
"You went into a lion's den, quite literally, and saved Haru from these monstrosities. You had enough reasons to make whatever mess you needed, if it meant getting her out of there alive." She said, looking very assured of his actions despite the danger. "Yeah, some people probably lost their sleep, like anyone here gives a crap!"
Haru stared at the angry zebra, then at the bewildered Legosi, then at the prideful coyote. Most of the others were either chuckling or nodding in agreement.
"Ellen! Tone down!" The gazelle warned, a troubled look on her face at the zebra's colorful language. That only earned the older Herbivore an annoyed glare in return.
"What? It's not like I should be formal about this anyway! Seriously, Hannah? Would you be level headed if someone kidnapped you for launch?" Ellen retorted back testily. Hannah puffed her cheeks in frustration.
"No, obviously not. Yet, Legosi needs rest and peace, not chaos and anger. Give him some breathing space, I dare say I've never saw so many wounds on a student before, even the more... brutal ones weren't this grave." She replied hesitantly. "At least don't yell, I would appreciate that much."
"Fine, sorry." Ellen relented, upset at the situation and herself. "Say, anyone warned Louis? I'm surprised he hasn't show up yet. Despite his attitude, it is unlike him to not be around when someone of the club gets hurt."
At this several clueless glances were exchanged, but the most notable expression was that of Juno. The wolf girl simply stood quiet, looking conflicted as everyone started exchanging whatever last bit of info they have of the deer's location.
"I'm not too sure, I remember Dom mentioning about seeing him at the plaza. Also," The cheetah turned around to address Legosi with a very narrow look. "What's the big idea of you and Louis exchanging punches in public? Have you two gone mad or something?" She clearly wanted to yell at him, but Hannah was already breathing down their necks. Legosi briefly glanced at Haru with worry, a tinge of regret as he carefully formulated a response to that event.
"Huh, Louis and I had our... disagreement about what to do in regards to Haru's kidnapping. We... I may have been a bit harsh on him." He admitted, although not feeling in the wrong for the course of action he decided to take. "Louis... he couldn't hope that we would be able to save her, but... I had to try."
"Well, it's not like Louis would be better off jumping into a building full of predators." Durham replied with a touch of irony. "Like any sane Herbivore would ever do such thing. You taking him there would've only made things worse. Don't feel bad about it."
"I suppose." Legosi said, unsure if he could reason with that. "I want to talk with him though. I own him an apology."
"That sounds alright, but you have to rest Legosi. At least until you're cleared out, but I don't think there's much to worry anyway." Jack said, sighing as he took a seat at the side of the bed. "Summer vacations are right around the corner, so you won't really be missing anything important."
"There's still the Meteor Festival." Shiira reminded him with a pointed look. Jack grimaced, looking slightly embarrassed for forgetting that particular event. "And we are going out after the Festival is over. Do you have any plans for the weekend?" She asked towards the coyote. Ellen was the one to reply to that question.
"Yeah, we do! It's Durham birthday!" The zebra said, looking suspiciously eager. Durham gave her a weary look.
"Huh, yeah, it is." He replied, feeling suddenly very self conscious with everyone staring at him. "I... don't really have anything planned for it, especially since Shiira, Juno, Ellen and Els will be performing. I think they will have plenty to worry for that day, it's not like I make a big deal out of birthdays anyway."
"How could you not?!" Ellen nearly shouted, but quickly faltered under Hannah's withering glare. "I mean, that's a big deal Durham, who doesn't celebrate their birthday as if the most important day of their life?"
"I don't." Came the reply from Legosi, Shiira and Juno in unison. Jack was about to give his own opinion, but refrained once he heard their replies. He tilted his head in wonder.
"Huh, say. Els, Ellen, do you two make a big deal out of birthdays?" He asked, looking fairly curious.
"Of course. My parents make sure I never forget them." Els replied with a smile, her memories recalling those fond particular days of her life. Ellen's reply was somewhat similar, but it's her foster parents that were responsible for providing such memorable occasions. "What about you, Haru?"
The rabbit's ears went up, surprised at being asked such question. She was starting to think they've forgotten she was in the room.
"Huh, my... mother was very keen on me having good birthdays, so... yes. It was a big deal."
"How come only the Herbivores seem to give birthdays so much value?" Jack wondered aloud, which made all of them think for a moment.
"Maybe..." Durham said, feeling unsure of his view. "I don't want to be the grouch of the conversation, but... Herbivores are always one moment away from dying. Their life expectancy is... difficult to measure. Even more so when you have something like predation lurking around the corner, from the moment of birth you will be subjected to that danger. It's not like I would blame them for being so happy to reach their next birthday alive."
No one spoke, each of the absorbing that idea with mixed feelings. The Carnivores looked extremely somber, while the Herbivores were somewhat agreeable to that thought.
"It makes sense, though I never looked at it that way." Ellen said, her eyes shifting from one presence to another. "I just though of birthday as an excuse to celebrate being a family."
Durham had no choice but to agree, looking at the others and noticing how they all shared that sentiment, he couldn't help but feel how close each of them in this room had gotten so close to each other in the last weeks. Legosi and Haru definitely have a thing going, Jack and Shiira are an item (Much to Collot's increased frustration), and he and Ellen were getting intimate in a way he never thought would happen so quickly. Els was standing around, looking far too at ease, for she clearly has developed a huge amount of trust towards the others. Still, he couldn't help but notice how Juno's attention seemed to wander off, looking uncomfortable to be in their presence.
'She really can't get her mind around Legosi.' Durham thought, feeling a bit of pity that Juno couldn't help her feelings on the matter. 'I really need to find something to get her mind off of it, otherwise she might end up hurting herself or someone.'
The coyote watched as his friends continued holding conversations, with Haru even getting herself more involved somewhat. Legosi and Jack were sharing a private conversation, the likes of which Durham knew concerned him not. Juno, realizing that she wasn't really being addressed by anyone, decided to leave on her own accord. Durham was about to follow after her, but Ellen pulled him out for a talk before he gave chase.
"Hey, I was about to ask, have you asked Legosi to give your gun back?" She said, looking intrigued that she hasn't heard of it yet. The coyote's ears perked, realizing the fault in his line of dialogue towards the male wolf.
"Ah, you're right. I should ask about that." He quickly replied, yet the idea was promptly shot down as he took notice of Hannah hanging around the group, looking to be engaged in a conversation of her own with the other girls. "On second thought, maybe later. I cannot risk someone from school hearing about it."
"Good point." Ellen said, standing hesitantly while facing towards him. The coyote felt like she had more to say, but he wasn't sure why she didn't spoke right away.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked, curious on what had the zebra holding off. She shrugged sheepishly. An intense blush on her face that surprised him.
"N-no, it's just... that thing you said about birthdays. I mean, I get what you were trying to say, and... I..."
"Ellen, come on, there's no need to be embarrassed, I won't judge you. What is it?"
It was really strange to see the zebra fidgeting so much, her hands clasping each other, her fingers crossing nonstop. Her ears were leveled, which was often a sign of sadness, but it didn't seem to be the case. Even her tail was waggling erratically, not that he could notice it that much, zebra's tails were short after all. He gently caressed the side of her head, something that broke her anxious fit for a moment.
"Ellen, what are y-
He was brutally interrupted as Ellen's clasped his head with both hands, raising it up as she planted a fierce kiss on his muzzle. The action shocked him completely, to the point he actually yelped, but the sound was muffled with both their mouths connection. Her mouth was so big that it almost swallowed his entirely. It was so sudden and such an alien feeling, he lost the sense of awareness, trying to understand these new sensations as they kept locked into each other. A profound silence followed this action, only the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears, he kept his attention on her face, from this close he could clearly see the outline of her eyelashes, her eyes closed forcefully, but soon her stance relaxed, allowing them to open.
It was such a wild experience, to feel her like this, to see himself reflected on those gigantic blue irises. It was like the world has disappeared around him, leaving only her presence to be known and relevant. Her warmth was strangely addictive, he could stay like this forever and he wouldn't really care. Yet, as fast as the moment came, he felt his lungs burning, desperate for the income of fresh oxygen. Ellen didn't seem to be struggling at all, her seductive gaze held firmly upon him. He tapped her nervously at one of her arms, a sign for much needed relief from her grasp.
She let him go after few seconds, he took a much welcoming breath of fresh air, looking at her with nothing but utter bewilderment. Ellen didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Looking down at him with intrigue.
"Huh, I guess I can keep my breath for much longer. Must be the lung size." She said calmly enough, as if the fact she just sucked his face didn't even happen. Durham was rendered speechless, this zebra was wilder than he could've expected. His mind was struggling to absorb the event, still too dazed to rationalize.
"So, huh, I think you two need some time for yourselves?" Jack said with a nervous chuckle, looking at them with a mix of embarrassment and happiness. It was hard to tell, especially when both coyote and zebra realized the huge amount of attention they gained to themselves.
"No jokes, let them have their moment." Shiira warned, although the way she smiled was a clear indication of how happy she is for Ellen. "I think we overextended our visit time. We see you at the club on friday, Legosi."
The way Shiira was dismissing herself and the group was a clear indication that there was nothing more to be done. Legosi was going to recover and they cleared all doubts they had about the event, but Ellen's move sparked a fire and the cheetah knew it was better to put it down before it spread.
The wolf, still astonished by witnessing the sudden kiss, waved timidly as the group started exiting the room, which happened to include Ellen.
"I will see you tomorrow. Cafeteria, breakfast, don't be late." The zebra said, looking incredibly smug as she left the room alongside Els. The goat girl was struggling to contain her hysteric giggles.
As soon they were out, it was only him, Legosi and Hannah left in the infirmary.
"So... how long you two have been dating?" The nurse asked, looking exceptionally curious about their relationship. Durham shrugged, slowly recovering from the act of intimacy. He went to the vacant chair by Legosi's bed, suddenly feeling much heavier than he initially thought.
"Well, a few days actually. Not that long, but we've befriended for a decent amount of time, at least for what time is worth inside this school." The coyote replied, he sounded sluggish while speaking. "Damn, I really didn't see that one coming."
Legosi looked at him with puzzlement.
"Why not? I guess that kiss was... sudden, but isn't that what couples do?" Durham dignified him with an annoyed look.
"Have you ever kissed anyone, Legosi"?
"Huh, not really."
"Really? What about the bunny?"
Legosi didn't reply, his head turning away, looking extremely hesitant to mention anything about Haru.
"We are not a thing."
"How come? You literally risked your life to save her from a goddamn mafia of meat-eating pussycats, and now you're trying to sell me this bullshit of 'we are just friends' or whatever excuse you're making?" Durham felt like laughing at how ridiculous Legosi was being, his efforts of deflecting the obvious failing spectacularly. Hannah, who realized that the conversation was turning rather personal, excused herself away back to her office. Durham watched her go with a pensive smirk.
"Hey, Legosi, can you imagine what Ellen will look like in the next ten years or so? I mean, Hannah has some huge hips, and she's a gazelle. Damn, Ellen is going to break me one day, I swear."
Legosi made a noise that resembled a poor attempt at concealing a snort.
"Huh, about that, Durham, aren't you... I mean, Ellen kissed you."
"Gez, really? I didn't even realize." He replied with a huge amount of sarcasm. Legosi huffed, feeling a bit annoyed that the coyote was pulling such antics during a moment he was trying to be serious.
"What I'm trying to say is... did you... taste her?"
"Huh? What are you trying to get at?" The coyote gave him a puzzled look. Legosi was clearly uncomfortable with bringing this topic to light.
"S-She's an Herbivore, aren't you... worried that... feeling her like that may... confuse you?"
"... is this some sort of insinuation that I might turn crazy because I kissed her?" The coyote asked slowly, a tone of warning on his face that the wolf was oblivious to.
"It might, I don't know. I've been... scared of trying anything with Haru. I hurt her once." Legosi's mood took a shift downwards at remembering that incident. "I worry that if I try to be close to her I might end up losing my senses again."
"So? You think I will? You think I will turn into a monster the moment I start cuddling with her?!"
Durham couldn't help the embarrassment at mentioning such, but his anger was growing and easily overcoming such silly feelings. It infuriated him that Legosi was bringing up his carnivorous dormant demonic side, all because he got a kiss from a girl. Why did he have to be so negative? Yes, he wasn't wrong about the danger, but couldn't he keep it to himself just this once? The coyote raised from his seat, looking absolutely furious as he faced towards the wolf.
"So fucking what, Legosi?! I get a surprise kiss from the girl I love and all you can say is; 'I think you should be careful, you might end up eating her.' Fuck you!" He shouted, the hurt in his voice clearly showing. Legosi's ears folded, realizing that he may have expressed concern with haste. "It's not like I would tell you crap about Haru. I couldn't care less if you're dating a bunny, or a mouse. I really don't fucking care! It means you love someone and you..."
The coyote paused, looking exhausted as the anger he felt quickly left him. It was pointless to yell at the wolf, Legosi couldn't be blamed for lacking social awareness. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't understand how much this meant for Durham. The coyote stood sheepishly, feeling awkward after all the shouting from his outburst. It was a miracle that Hannah didn't come out to toss him out the door.
"Look, I don't even believe this to be safe at all." Durham said after the excruciating moment of silence. "But I love her! I won't let something dark take over me so easily. How many times will I have to say that?! I know you care about her, and me to an extent." He added with a chuckle, but the attempt of being humorous felt out of place. Durham sighed. "I'm trying my best to keep everything in place. Yet, I'm just a teenage coyote trying to move forward in life. I want to go far in the job I got, I want to go to college. I want to have a long relationship with the girl I care so much about. Yet, I don't want to risk the love, or friendships, I made simply because of fear of the 'what ifs'. That's not how you live! Being careful doesn't hurt, but I won't stop doing what I do simply because it's risky. Say, do you like Haru?"
Legosi nodded quietly, the wolf wasn't feeling confident on saying anything after what happened.
"That's alright, you two are quite different on height tough, you may have to do a lot of adjust- the point is!" The coyote berated himself internally for getting off topic. "I know people will be judgmental. I know people will harass her to stay away from you or whatever. I know other Carnivores will ridicule you for dating such a small Herbivore. But! . ?"
Durham crossed his arms, awaiting for a reply. Yet, Legosi was muted, seemingly incapable of responding at all.
"Figures. I will take my leave, but next time you wanna hang out with us, make sure to not bring anything about that Carnivore stuff again. Now, if you excuse me, I have a certain wolf girl that needs some advice."