Author's Note: Hello lads and lady's.
I Hope your all holding up well. a lot of things have been on my mind lately, so many things that it's been hard to name a single one of them with out going on a much longer tangent. Things are complicated is what I'm trying to say, and I hope that this here will calm you down from the conundrum of the outside world. Christmas is coming up with incredible speeds, (Cyberpunk 2077 Hype!) I hope all of you have a good time.
I hope all of you like Barkley. He's one of the original characters that will now start to show up and take central roles in the arcs that will go over this season. Not all OC's will take central roles, but some will. I want to keep a few plot points and arcs from the manga that can't exist the way they do in the original, due to this AU having different outcomes and character relationships than the original. So i will have to use stand ins which will become their own full fledged characters that might even add new things to the story. View it as adaptation exclusive characters. There are Manga exclusive characters, Anime exclusive characters and Rewritten exclusive characters. So with that, here is Chapter 3.
(For this one I actually have to give spoiler warning to all that haven't read the manga, as Legosi's family is heavy spoiler territory.)
Editor: SuperAverageFoxyboy
Enjoy!
-Portal
Chapter 3: Doctor's work
Gouhin took another drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke into the air. The alleyway was empty, a cold wind blew fallen leaves down the street. Gouhin looked down at the ground before him, only half an hour prior flooded by the police, the white chalk outline of a body remained.
It was the third devouring in two weeks, a new record that unsettled the police department. Rarely did devourings occur in such quick succession. There were usually weeks of quiet before they struck again, but this one was young... and healthy... and lusting for blood.
The first one in this string of events was not divergent from any run of the mill blood lust incident. The victim was a herbivore of general size, with large bite wounds indicating the work of a large breed carnivore. What was interesting about the first was that there were no claw marks on the body. But heavy bruising due to very tight squeezing, almost as though the assailant hugged the victim to death.
The second one became an immediate problem, happening not longer than a week later in front of the school gates. A male cow student was ambushed on his way back from a city trip in the late evening, the body being found by a janitor in the early hours of the next day. The torso was almost entirely eaten, an empty rib-cage being the only leftovers. The police managed to clean up the crime scene with incredible speed, being finished before the school day even started, at the cost of losing evidence due to rushing a tight schedule.
They avoided public unrest at the cost of losing evidence that could efficiently identify a culprit. It was a detail in the police department that Gouhin grew to despise, the precious public needing to be saved from any unrest.
They handled public information as cautiously as a hand grenade. To them, the notion that the public knew that a killer was roaming freely was more dangerous than the killer itself.
This third one made it a code red top priority. A mere day after the last attack, the next victim was found in an alleyway that connected a side road to the black market. The reaction wasn't based on an overabundance of violence in the nature of the act or the speed of the killer striking again. It was a much simpler fact. The victim was a red fox, a carnivore.
Only the most severe cases of blood lust caused carnivores to lose all preferences in meals, wildly killing anything that moved. It often leads to a complete character change under the influence of hunger, characterizing like dissociative identity disorder. The subjects afflicted by such were rarely able to remember anything the day afterward, experiencing the episodes of lack of control in a dream-like state. They were meat drunk after the said episode for days following the incident, being disoriented and often feeling hazy.
Gouhin himself knew better than the police how bad it would become, the alleyways, vacant bus stops, and streets overflowing with crime scene after crime scene. It was something that the police chief hadn't fully clued in upon.
The sound of a car parking at the alley's opening reminded Gouhin of the contact that he was waiting for. The car's door opened, the driver exiting the vehicle. Gouhin took another drag and tossed his cigarette to the ground, extinguishing its remaining embers with a stomp of his foot.
"Doctor Gouhin." His contact had stepped closer, now standing behind him. Gouhin turned around, looking at the cheetah police officer who held a folder under his arm.
"What exactly have you got for me, Strightman?" Gouhin looked expectantly at the cheetah who in turn handed him the folder.
"As you speculated, the bite ratio indicating the assailant's jaw size lines up with the last two cases... this is more likely than not, the same killer." Gouhin flipped through the few pages of the folder, reading the documented information gathered from the crime scene:
No claw marks were found upon the initial inspection. More information is expected after the full medical evaluation of the forensic pathologist.
It is noteworthy that, again, severe bruising around the chest and arms were found, along with what appeared to be several fractured ribs. All suggesting the victim having been squeezed with tremendous force.
Saliva was mixed with blood as well as an unknown secondary agent. Samples are too contaminated to be properly assessed/identified at this time.
Bite marks show teeth ratio in line with large breed carnivores. Examples include Caniforma (Dog), Feliformia (Cat), and Choridatiere (Reptile).
"When will the autopsy report be available?" Gouhin asked, now inspecting the small collection of crime scene photos. Most of them showing the red wounds of the newest victim.
"This is a top priority case. The pathologist started his inspection just before I left the precinct. I'll get the preliminary tomorrow."
Strightman observed the panda, still looking carefully in the police file. Gouhin closed the folder and handed it back to Strightman, looking down the alleyway.
"Anything else useful?"
"The likelihood of reptile involvement is very low. Under such excitement, large breed reptiles would normally excrete their venom, rotting and tainting the flesh. But it was too red and healthy in the photos." Gouhin kneeled down next to the white outline. He inspected the ground and walls, hoping to find any clue to what caused the extreme episode of aggression.
"I would check the surrounding area, look for triggers... An episode of such severity doesn't just happen out of the blue. There has to be a trigger for this." He stood up, once again turning to the officer.
"Did you get any bloodhounds to see if there were any specific smells?"
Strightman's eyes moved from left to right, his hand scratching his jaw.
"I don't think so... it was a busy morning, and most of the workforce was from the day shift, so they were tired." Strightman's answer annoyed Gouhin. He already had little respect for the general police force, but to hear them make such a pathetic mistake was disappointing.
"Great..." Gouhin looked down the ally again, growing irritated at the loss of vital potential evidence.
"As they put it, too many people have walked through here now, making a distinction between the smells hard, even for bloodhounds... Since when have the police standards fallen so deep?" Strightman looked away, disappointed in his colleagues.
"I'm sorry, doctor. That's all I have."
Strightman's apologetic tone made Gouhin feel sorry. Who's ever fault it was, it definitely wasn't the cheetah. Strightman was, in most ways, the ideal police animal. Attentive, friendly, helpful, and well maintained in physical and mental aspects.
"...Your help is appreciated, Strightman. Just get me that report tomorrow... And if you somehow get anyone to listen to you, try to activate the bloodhounds unit. They'll need them." Strightman looked happier when he raised his head back at Gouhin.
"I will do what I can, doctor." The cheetah smiled and went to tip his hat in a gesture of goodbyes. Instead of reaching his hat, he grabbed his forehead, an expression of clairvoyance on his face. He cursed himself a moron under his breath.
"I almost forgot to tell you, but we need to find new meeting spots."
Gouhin's expression turned serious upon hearing Strightman's sentence, turning his head down the alley, trying to spot any onlookers or spying animals.
"Have they gotten wind of our little cooperation?... Should we-"
"No, no... they know jack-shit."
Gouhin relaxed as Strightman assured him that their contact had remained secret. Gouhin had first met Strightman when the cheetah was still at the police academy. A young carnivore buying meat from the black market in order to boost his training quota. Gouhin was walking his usual patrol route through the black market, spotting the young and hesitant carnivore picking meat. The way he stood there, looking like a lost cub that had stumbled into the wrong aisle of the supermarket on accident.
Gouhin saw himself in that lost cub, still untainted by the grim truth of a carnivore-herbivore society.
The panda still vividly remembered the conversation he had with him. Strightman stumbled through words, trying to explain the reason behind his black market visit, only managing to get out half of what he wanted to actually say.
Gouhin's reaction was sympathetic, helping him pick out a few cuts of meat that were more suited for training purposes, some that boosted strength. He remembered how Strightman absolutely refused to eat any deer meat, explaining how he was severely allergic to it.
When Strightman graduated from the police academy, the cheetah visited the back alley doctor at least twice a week. The cheetah had to come to the same realization that the police department was riddled with problems halting a lot of efficiencies that they could logically have. Most of the workforce was overworked, the shift management having not been changed for a good fifteen years.
Animal species were most often poorly mismanaged for their individual abilities justified with species-specific treatment rules. A team full of dogs that were created to appeal to the dog's sense of pack-mentality left other units without any smell based tracking abilities. Night teams were often made up of only one nocturnal. This because it was deemed too stressful for herbivore officers to be accompanied by so many carnivore ones. Plus, herbivore citizens perceiving carnivore officers as untrustworthy. That choice left an entire team blind when the only carnivore member engaged in a chase with a fleeing assailant.
Five possible suspects escaped that night. Another problem was a miscommunication between teams. The medical examiners working the morgue consisted of a couple hyenas and a badger, the forensic pathologist himself being a wolf. The person in charge of getting information between the medical examiners and the detectives, the detectives once again consisting of mostly carnivores, was a young sheep software technician. The sheep relaying information being the only software technician currently employed, made him one of the most sleep-deprived animals of the entire department. Plus, suffering from severe nervousness and a fear of large breed carnivores made the badger the only way to relay communication further.
If the badger wasn't on shift, no information was getting relayed from one point to the other. The email system was out under server maintenance for more than a month now, the very same software technician working on the system practically alone.
In hopes of helping with glaring problems in the police department, Strightman found a trustworthy friend in Gouhin. The careful and trained eye of the veteran in carnivore tracking always noticed discrepancies and evidence that was helpful in so many ways. Strightman saw that breaking the rules of evidence confidentiality was worth the helpful tips and advice of Gouhin, his observant gaze often spotting incrimination evidence that solved cases entirely.
"They are setting teams together to be stationed at the schools," Strightman explained the reason for the necessity of new contact spots. Gouhin's eyebrows shot up in curiosity.
"So they are upping student safety, not a bad choice for a change." Gouhin chuckled to himself, grabbing another cigarette from his pocket.
"I'm going to be another guard at the Cherryton school. They only have one night guard there that apparently seems to be exclusively active at night." Gouhin held the lighter under the tip of his cigarette, putting it away when the end began to burn. He exhaled the smoke to the side and looked at the cheetah in front of him, remembering the little adventure six weeks ago.
"There are some good kids at that school, a few great ones in particular." Strightman's looked at him with obvious confusion, questioning what the panda meant. Although the doctor was quite respectful and formal, he didn't seem to have the required patience to interact with younger animals.
"You know kids at that school?" Gouhin smirked, taking another drag of his cigarette.
"I helped them a little while back, might tell you about it the next time when you come by for tea." Strightman looked at the smirking panda before him; a mysterious veteran that had more sides to him than he let on. Strightman might be younger than the doctor, but he wasn't stupid.
"Well, I'll keep my eyes out... Now, about new meeting spots."
Strightman grabbed in his shoulder breast pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. "These are my schedules for the first few weeks." He handed the panda the photocopy of the schedule. "Do you have any meeting places in mind?"
Gouhin studied the time table on the small piece of paper. He breathed smoke through his nose, blowing the remaining wisp into the air.
"The train line of the metro runs right past the school grounds. The train drives over a pretty calm bridge." Gouhin explained, Strightman already jotting down the panda's explanation. "Drive down the Yironu drive, a small street behind the school back entrance. It's the staff only one, besides the employee reserved parking spots. Easy to see, the sign is neon yellow so that the mostly feline residence will see it. You should feel right at home."
Strightman nodded, closing his small notebook, letting it sink back into his pocket.
"Well." Strightman tipped his hat again, gesturing his leave.
"I will meet you tomorrow for the coroner's report. I think I'll be open for tea next Saturday. Until tomorrow doctor Gouhin."
"Goodbye, officer Strightman." With a small wave of the panda, the cheetah turned around and got back into his car. Upon hearing the car drive off, Gouhin took another drag of his cigarette, turning around to look at the white outline on the ground again. This case was one that was troubling. Something just wasn't right, like a detail that made him uneasy, one that didn't let him rest...
Juno drew her pencil over the piece of paper. A small wolf figure smiled back at her as she let out an irritated huff. This class was even more boring than usual, the moose at the front talking and talking about the biological characteristics of Ligers and Zorses. It was talk about an increase in the rate of hybrid births that Juno couldn't care less about.
She was never really interested in biology or fields of that matter, preferring English or economy. Juno knew enough about canine biology, being in touch with the characteristics and mannerisms of her own species. But she could never bring her interest to anything beyond that. The anatomy of other species or the build-up of an animal cell never interested her in the slightest. Even though she had to admit, the section on male wolf features was her current favorite reading material. Ever since meeting Legosi, she felt the need to know more about the specific signs of admiration that dogs gave off. The spikes in smell, or the pattern in tail swings while talking.
She had learned many more details than she thought even existed, and yet, her Legosi seemed to differ in multiple regards to general wolf behavior. It was like he was a wolf while not being one at all. That unique sense was what made her swoon so often, the caring side of his being more than instinctual action, but a conscious desire that he followed. It was sweet to know that he was so in love with her, not because his hormones or instincts forced him to, but because it was a genuine feeling.
The sudden ringing bell awoke the students from their bored slumber, exciting Juno for the break. The moose concluded the class, leaving the students to leave the classroom to enjoy their own free time. Juno walked down the hall with the usual spring in her step. She planned on going to the cafeteria to eat lunch but, as she rounded a corner, she was stopped by a familiar white rabbit.
"Juno!... I was looking for someone big to help me." Haru looked up at the she-wolf, a kind smile on Juno's face.
"Sure! I can always help."
Haru smiled brightly up at the wolf. She had planned on trying to cheer up the wolf's mood after lunchtime of yesterday. She understood how bad nightmares could be.
"I was looking for someone to help me... but I'm still being avoided by others." Haru's serious expression made Juno feel a deep-seated sympathy for her. Legosi told her about the bullying she's had to endure, especially from that Mizichu.
That self-centered harlequin rabbit still blamed her for her not-so-recent breakup. Based on the fact that Juno had heard rumors of 'a pure white succubus' in her carnivore friends group meant that Haru's reputation had spread far. Herbivores and carnivores had their own circles of rumors and gossip. If something slipped over, that meant nothing good. So many girls, even carnivore ones, blamed Haru for their breakups, the rumor of her sleeping with carnivore males having established itself before Juno joined the school.
"I'm really sorry."
"Don't be." Haru looked up at the she-wolf, a much happier expression on her face.
"I need help lifting a few pots that are a tad too heavy for me." Haru lifted her hands, presenting her bruised palms. She was a bit embarrassed by her stubbornness, only looking for help after managing to injure her hands in the attempt of lifting a pot that was over half her size.
"Oh... does it hurt?" Juno expected her palms carefully, crouching down to her level. When she went to hold her hand, Haru pulled them back, bringing her arms to her side.
"Not as much as it used to." Haru's expression turned to one of shame, having realized that anyone's immediate reaction would, of course, be pity. Juno smiled faintly, understanding the embarrassment of accepting one's own weakness. She still needed to work that out with herself.
"You lead the way." Juno stood up, looking at Haru with kind anticipation. Haru simply smiled warmly and turned around, leading the she-wolf to the gardening club.
Haru felt irritation flush up inside her when Juno moved the pots from the shadows of the gardening shack into a sunny spot beside a few others with such casual ease. When she had tried shortly before, she had moved maybe a couple inches, her hands showing burning bruises afterward. Haru always tried to ask as little as possible for help. She wanted to avoid any form of anyone pitying her just because of her being smaller than the average height of her already small species. Pity was one thing children or sick animals got, but not a young healthy eighteen-year-old, dwarf rabbit or not. But to see someone younger than her lift the pot with ease, felt like life was mocking her, laughing at her weakness.
Haru's ears puffed up noticeably, Juno noticing the sudden change. She placed down the last pot and turned to the rabbit, her ears seeming to have grown a few inches almost.
"Are you really ok?" Asked Juno innocently, the reaction of Haru's body worrying her. She knew that when a dog's tail puffed up, they were under stress and fear. The faces of her bullies came to mind when she thought back to the last time her own tail puffed up.
Haru looked up at Juno, irritation ever so slightly seeping into her expression. Does everybody have to coddle me just because I'm a small herbivore?
"No! I'm absolutely fine!" Said Haru with an overtly wide smile, her mind trying to smother the growing anger and annoyance. The she-wolf would smell it, surely.
"If it hurts too much, we could go to the nur-"
"No, it's fine. It's not as bad as it was before anyway. It's just very light bruising." Haru looked down, holding her wrist up to her chest. She felt like she was caught doing something bad, like being caught stealing food from the kitchen or not returning books past their due time. It was an ugly and exposing feeling, to be so ashamed of yourself. She didn't even mean it that way. Why am I... so mean...
Haru looked back up with a much more relaxed smile.
"Have you had lunch yet?" Asked Haru, her arms now at her side again, looking like how you'd envisioned a pitch-perfect student. The kind you'd see in a catalog for clothes or the cover of a magazine. Juno couldn't help but find her cute. It was no wonder why every boy fell for her. She was quite beautiful.
"I planned to, but you needed my help," replied Juno.
"Well, then let's go get some!" Haru turned towards the door, walking ahead, Juno following with the feeling of awkward tension beginning to build up.
"So... um... how are you and Louis doing?" Juno wanted to distract herself from the previous situation. She knew nothing about how rabbits worked. She never did. Maybe puffed up ears were a sign of relaxation or something entirely different. So this is what Legosi must feel like all the time.
"Really well! Others might still avoid me, but now I'm happy... I can't thank all of you enough for all you did." Juno smiled at the gratefulness of Haru. She had only met her a short time ago through Legosi's drastic help, but she started to like the rabbit more and more. She was so kind and wise, so mindful of herself and others.
Juno stared ahead with a blank stare as they stepped onto the ground floor, the circumstance of her meeting Haru coming back to mind. The images flashed through her head, the chief lion's fangs, the dead stare of Legosi, the splatter of blood. She could almost smell it, the thick metallic scent.
"Juno?" The she-wolf's fur beneath her nose began to turn red as a small stream of blood crept slowly out of her nose. The she-wolf finally noticed what was happening, holding her hand to the tip of her muzzle.
"Oh! Damn it... Do you have a handkerchief?" Juno looked helplessly at the rabbit. Haru pulled out a herbivore sized handkerchief, the small fabric being about as big as Juno's palm. Juno took it with appreciative glances. She began to dab at her nose carefully, wiping the small stream of blood off her fur. Haru observed the she-wolf, now holding Haru's handkerchief to her nose, blocking any further blood from flowing out.
"Does this happen often?" Haru asked the she-wolf. Juno shook her head slightly in response.
"Not really… must be stress. I've been thinking of school the entire day." Juno didn't like to lie, but she just couldn't bring herself to admit how deep her wounds went. Especially not to Haru, not her. She was the true victim of that night, helpless against the desire of a predator.
Juno was a predator. Even if she was a bit smaller than the average female wolf, she still had enough bite force to bite through a rabbit's neck without much effort.
"I need to go to the bathroom and clean myself up." Juno walked down the hall towards the cafeteria, remembering how just yesterday she had already gone there to cry. What a pathetic excuse for a wolf…
"I'll spend you company!" The rabbit walked beside Juno, having to take quick steps in order to keep up with her.
"Oh, it's fine really…" Juno accelerated, hoping to just leave this persistent bunny behind.
"I know how lonely it can be!" Haru had increased speed too, trying to keeping up with the she-wolf.
Juno was surprised time and time again at the determination of Haru. Her size didn't do her character justice.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Juno was almost jogging now, wishing that her speed out-bested Haru's determination. She didn't want to cry in front of her. She had no right to.
"I do- Hey!" Haru was running behind the she-wolf now, noticing how the wolf was picking up speed. She looked onward with great focus, running as fast as she could to try to keep up. But even with her greatest efforts, she noticed Juno gaining distance. She huffed with determination, not giving up. I know how it feels. I won't leave you alone!
"Slow down!" Juno came to an instantaneous halt, Haru subsequently crashing into her. The sudden stop flung her onto the ground. Her back hurt upon impact with the ground. She laid still for a few seconds, contemplating her choices of the day.
Haru breathed out a sigh, being broken off by a pained groan, her hand landing on her aching lower back. Am I just out to get hurt today?
Juno knew what Haru just did without even realizing it. When you asked a canine to do something, they had to. It was an instinct, a voice, a directive. If they were a friend, it was as though you were simply forced to do so. Juno's arm sagged to the ground as her head sunk as well, Juno still holding the handkerchief to her nose.You win this one… you persistent bunny.
Juno turned around, immediately starting to feel awful for having caused her fall.
"Are you ok? I'm so sorry..." Juno knelt above Haru, the rabbit laughing internally. Haru simply had to revert to being an injured weakling in order to get her attention. You over compassionate, caring dogs...
"I'm fine." Haru lifted herself off the ground into a seated position, looking at the kneeling she-wolf. Her hand still held up the handkerchief, the small fabric having started to turn red at its center. She seemed so gentle and peaceful while being ready to cry at any moment.
"Are you ok?… You shouldn't have to be alone… I know how terrible it feels to be left alone." Haru spoke with a serious tone, a tone that adults had when speaking to a hurt child. A caring tone, one that Juno hadn't expected from someone like her. She often forgot that Haru was, in fact, older than her by two years. The tone of understanding came naturally, even from herbivore to carnivore.
"I…" Juno choked on her first word, swallowing the sadness that started to rise into her eyes, ready to open the flood gates with no hopes of escape.
"...Don't want to burden you with my problems…" A tear rolled down her eye. Her head sunk, as well as her hand holding the tissue, the blood flow having stopped.
Haru understood every tear that the wolf cried, as she had cried those same tears herself. Haru understood the dark trauma that had materialized in her, more importantly, Haru knew that the first time you felt it, was the worst one.
She leaned forward, lightly brushing over Juno's arm, bringing the she-wolf's eyes to her. Haru mustered a smile, a sympathetic, and understanding one. It was the warmest smile that she could give, one she needed when she was feeling low, one that she was happy to be able to give.
Juno looked at the small considerate mammal she had in front of her. So much consideration for something that she no right to be sad about. For a white succubus, you have a golden heart.
"Thank you," Juno whispered. Her hands brushed over her eyes, removing all wetness from them. Haru noticed how she noticeably turned brighter, the life returning to her features.
"Let's go clean you up. Your nose is still bloody." The way Haru said it so nonchalant made it seem as though nothing had just occurred between them. No running away. No tears.
The sudden comment surprised Juno, the she-wolf tilting her head in slight confusion.
Haru began to giggle at the dumbfounded wolf, soon the she-wolf herself starting to laugh. Juno stood up reaching out her hand to help Haru stand up, but the rabbit insisted on getting up herself. The two continued their talk, walking to the bathroom, leaving the sadness behind them…
"I also got this one!" Jack held the card out in front of them, Legosi sitting beside the Labrador Retriever on the staircase to the main building. The small card showed the western hero of one of Jack's favorite manga, the bull pointing his revolver into the air. He adorned a silver cybernetic arm in strong contrast to the rest of his mostly black attire. The name of the character at the top of the card read: "Quincy, the Deathslinger."
"How rare is that one?" Legosi grabbed the card, the dog excitedly watching his best friend examine it. His tail wagged just as much as the Labrador's, being happy to see his friend so excited.
"Under the top fifteen rarest ones!" Jack's eye sparkled at Legosi, who handed the card back.
"And how many are there? Your collection seemed quite large the last time I checked." Legosi had to think of the official collection book that Jack owned. Last year's main study book provided by the school was probably about 500 pages long. But even that was smaller than the official card collection folder that Jack owned. A tiny note written in pencil in its lower right corner read "fifty percent complete."
"More than one thousand!" Jack opened his notebook, the page showing a complex calculation that Legosi struggled to comprehend. He was often impressed with the dog's intelligence and persistence. Jack responding to compliments about it every time that it was an instinctual feature bred into the dogs a long long time ago. Legosi was always confused afterward, but Jack was quick to change the subject.
"If you count the different expansion packs based on the spin-offs, it amounts to one thousand one hundred and fifty-two. I also calculated that based on how high the chances of certain cards are, that I need to buy at least three hundred and fifty more packs." Jack explained, looking through his notes.
"Sounds expensive… that many cards…" Legosi scratched his head, thinking about how he used his allowance every day. Most of his money went into the school lunches, the little extra going either into his saving can in his wardrobe, or into buying the newest installment in Jack's favorite manga series from the school tug shop. He loved seeing the excitement of the Labrador every time he did it.
Legosi grabbed his egg sandwich from his bag as Jack shook his head at the wolf.
"Nah, they are dirt cheap. Either way, every time I visit home, I get a few from my parents as a reward for the good grades. And my grandmother gives me a bit of money too." Jack explained following suit in grabbing his own lunch from his bag.
"When was the last time that you called your grandfather?" Jack asked the wolf innocently, Legosi stopping mid-chew. His eyes shifted from side to side, thinking back to the last time he called him. It must have been a good year already. The two have had a rocky relationship since that awful day of his mother's death. He swallowed, sighing loudly.
"I don't remember really… too much has happened recently." Legosi looked off into the trees, wondering how lonely his grandfather must feel, having not talked to his grandson in way too long. Jack looked at Legosi, worry about the wolf's emotional state once again rising in him.
"You should really do it sometime!" Jack patted his shoulder, the wolf smiling at his friend trying to cheer him up. The dog smiled happily and continued. "You made so many new friends, you got closer to Louis, closer to Bill… and you got yourself a girlfriend!"
Legosi froze upon hearing the last word In Jack's sentence, realizing a fact that he had pretty much forgotten about. His eyes widened, his heartbeat faster as he began to shiver slightly. Jack pulled his hand back, looking at the shocked wolf with surprise.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked the wolf, his grey fur turning lighter.
"Juno… She doesn't know my grandpa…" Jack looked at the wolf, now more confused than ever.
"Why does that mat-" Jack froze as well, now staring ahead just like his friend beside him, realizing what he was implying. "Oh, I see.."
"I don't know how I'm gonna tell her..."
Jack put a hand on his best friend's back. "Well, no matter how you decide to go about it, it's not like that'll change anything in your relationship with her, right? She loves you. Like, a lot. So much so that I doubt learning the truth about him would be enough to ever put a wedge between you two."
Legosi continued to stare onwards. "I hope you're right..."
