Chapter 29: Meteor Festival Part 5: The Wolf and The Hound!
It was now mid-way through the festival and the fair grounds were filled with visiting animals. It was clear that the Drama club's efforts shined as the number of guests continued to grow.
This made things somewhat difficult for Legosi and his friends. They couldn't decide on what to do next. Some of them wanted to play quiz and knowledge type games, while others wanted to play games that tested physical skills.
"Ugh, we're never going to agree on anything," Kai snarled.
"Well sorry that some of us don't like guns," Legosi stated.
"What's the big deal anyway?" Bill asked. "Jack and Kibi, we're playing with them earlier."
"That's different and you know it Bill," Jack barked.
"Yea!" Kibi said as he joined the argument. "Those were just water guns. The shooting gallery has actual guns."
"They're just BBs, they aren't real," Kai said as he facepalmed.
"They look real enough," Kibi argued.
"So then what do you suggest?" the mongoose asked.
"Let's play trivia," Jack said cheerfully, his tail swaying back and forth.
"NO WAY!" Bill, Durham, and Miguno yelled in unison.
"You only want to play that game because you know you'll win," Miguno accused.
"Yea! You already kick our butts when it comes to grades," Durham said in an annoyed tone. "So obviously you'll cream us at quizzes."
"They're right! Everyone knows you're the biggest egghead in school," Bill argued. "The last thing we need is a game to remind us of that!"
"Oh, but we need a game to remind us how big of a muscle head you are?" Kai asked in an aggressive tone as his tail flared up. "Why else would you want us to play the bell ringing game?"
"Because it's a classic!" the tiger exclaimed. "Everyone plays it, even little kids. Sorry if I want to be inclusive."
"I actually wouldn't mind that one," Collot said softly.
"ENOUGH!" Legosi shouted. "Look, this is getting us nowhere. I know that none of us wants to spend the night arguing, we all just want to have a good time. So why don't we all take a minute and think, ok?"
Voss, who was riding on the wolf's shoulder, tapped his friend's cheek.
"Hmm, is something wrong?" Legosi asked.
Voss made a series of hand gestures explaining that since they couldn't agree on anything, they should split up and play the games they wanted to play and meet up after.
"Hey, that's a good idea," Legosi barked, his tail wagging happily.
"Um, what's going on there?" Kibi asked.
"Oh! Sorry I guess we didn't tell you," Miguno responded. "The big guy there is mute, so he can only talk to us through sign language. Well that and tail language, but that's a given."
"MUTE?!" Bill, Kai, and Kibi shouted in surprise.
"Yea, he is," Jack replied. "But don't let that fool you. He's got a lot of good advice and he's easy to talk to."
"Wow, I've never met an animal who was mute before," Kai said in disbelief.
"It took us by surprise too when we first met him," Jack said before turning to Legosi. "So Legosi, what did Voss say?"
"He suggested that we all split up into smaller groups and play what we want to play, then meet up later," the grey wolf explained.
"Oh, I guess we could do that," Miguno said disheartenedly, his ears folding back. "I was hoping we could all do something together, but if it's all we can do then-"
"I know what you mean," Kibi said as he reached up to the hyena's arm. "But it would be better than us arguing."
"He's right dude," Durham barked. "We'll go play our games, then we can all do something together."
"Alright," Miguno said with a soft smile.
The group nodded and split up into groups. Kai went with Miguno and Durham to the shooting gallery. Legosi, Bill and Collot went to the bell ringer game. And Jack, Kibi, and Voss went to play trivia.
Jack, Kibi, and Voss made their way to the booth and watched the contestants try their luck. They laughed as the animals were hit with water balloons everytime they answered wrong. Despite this, the participants looked like they were having fun and many of the questions were things Jack knew, making him even more excited to play.
As the trio waited in line, the labrador felt as though someone was watching him. He looked around, but didn't see anyone other than the other festival goers.
"Hey, are you alright?" Kibi asked with a raised brow.
"Huh? Oh, yea," Jack answered. "Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous."
Voss wanted to make sure his roommate was fine, but before he could, he noticed that they were already at the front of the line.
"NEXT!" the carni yelled.
The three friends went on stage and took a seat at each of the tables, with Voss standing on top of his. Jack then explained to the male black rabbit that Voss was mute, but still wanted to play. He reassured him that it would not be a problem and called out a female harlequin rabbit who would be the fennec fox's translator.
The carni asked them all sorts of questions, such as the five elements of art, questions regarding science and math, and even some literary questions regarding authors of books and interpreting poems.
Jack easily answered the science and math questions while Kibi flexed what he learned about art thanks to the club. The biggest surprise came from Voss, who had so much knowledge on poetry, something that none of his packmates knew about him.
By the end of it, Jack managed to win with a one point margin. The male rabbit gave the trio some towels to dry off since they were all hit with a water balloon at least twice before handing out a prize.
Jack received a coupon with a 50% discount for a clothing store. However, because it was such a close game, Kibi and Voss received prizes too. Kibi won a cute plushie, while Voss got a set of headphones.
Upon leaving the game area, Jack and the others decided to take a break. They walked over to a tree and sat down beneath it's branches.
"That was a lot of fun!" Kibi said cheerfully.
Voss nodded in agreement.
"Yea, it was," Jack said in a somewhat somber tone.
Voss put his hand on Jack's knee and looked up.
The labrador looked down at his friend before he turned to the side and let out a sigh. "Sorry Voss, I guess I'm just a little disappointed."
"Yea, that coupon wasn't exactly a great prize," Kibi said sympathetically.
"Oh no, the coupon is great and I even have an idea of what to do with it!" Jack said happily. "It's just, I wish Legosi could've seen me win it. I wanted to spend the festival with him and we've hardly had any time to."
"I see," Kibi said as he looked to the side. "Then I guess I owe you an apology. I wasn't there, but after what happened with those herbivores, the guys kind of stole him away."
The labrador shook his head. "I'm not blaming them for that. If anything, I should be thanking them for helping Legosi. The real problem lies with me. There's something important I wanted to talk to him about, but I haven't made any real effort to do so."
"So what's stopping you?" the anteater asked.
"Well it's… it's something private and if I'm being honest, kind of… embarrassing. It's not that I don't trust my friends to give me and Legosi some privacy, but I don't want to just bring it up out of nowhere and make things awkward," Jack explained.
Voss Jumped up onto Jack's leg and gave him a punch to the stomach.
"Ngh, what was that for?" the yellow dog asked in an aggravated tone.
Voss crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly. He then signed to Jack how ridiculous he was being. He was making things more complicated than they needed to be, just like with the bullying.
"This is completely different Voss," Jack barked.
The fennec fox crossed his arms once more before raising a brow to show scepticism.
"Well it is," the labrador growled.
Kibi raised his hand. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you guys are talking about."
Jack's ears and tail jumped as his face turned red. "Oh it's… it's nothing," he said as he recomposed himself
The herbivore shook his head. "Listen, I don't really understand what's up, but if all you want to do is talk to Legosi in private, then it should be alright."
"I know," Jack said with a sigh. "But it's not so much getting him alone so we can talk, but more what we have to talk about that's making it hard."
"I get it," Kibi responded. "But you're probably just overthinking it. I think you should just take a deep breath and go talk to him. You know how understanding Legosi is, just bring him somewhere quiet and get whatever you need to say off your chest. You'll feel a lot better afterwards."
"Yea, maybe you're right. Just get it over with, right?" the yellow dog asked.
Voss nodded to him and gave him a thumbs up.
"Alright, I'll go," he said as he stood up. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck," Kibi said as he and Voss waved goodbye.
Jack continued walking until he was out of sight from his friends. He wanted to take their advice, but he was still doubting himself. He needed to figure out how he would tell Legosi his true feelings for him. With this in mind, Jack left the fairgrounds so he could think.
"Ugh, why is this so hard?" he asked himself. "I know he's the one for me and I know he wouldn't hate me if he said no to have a relationship. So why, why is it so hard?"
"Maybe if I- mff"
Suddenly, Jack's mouth was covered with a cloth as he felt someone bring him into a tight headlock. He struggled, but couldn't break free. As he kept fighting for freedom, he felt himself getting drowsy until finally, everything went dark.
"Did you get him?"
"Yea, did you give the wolf the note?"
He should be getting it as we speak."
"Good! Finally, things will change around here!"
A few minutes later, Kibi and Vos met up with Kai's group at the food court, where they began comparing their prizes.
"Wow, looks like you guys got lucky," Kibi said.
"Ha! Luck had nothing to do with it," Kai answered as he put down his little fox plush.
"Got that right!" Miguno barked while playing with his new yo-yo. "Those first person shooters are better trainers than people think."
"Definitely!" Durham said happily, his tail wagging with joy. "It was a lot more fun than I thought, I even won this video game!"
Voss gave Durham a thumbs up and asked him if they could play later. The coyote nodded of course and let the fennec fox ride on his shoulder.
"Hey guys!" a voice called out.
The friends turned and saw Legosi running towards them with a giant penguin plushie that was almost as big as him, along with Bill and Collot right behind him.
"Sorry for the wait," Collot yelled.
"Holy cow! That is one big plush!" Kai said in amazement.
The 3 larger animals sat down at the table next to their friends.
"How'd you win that!" Durham asked.
"I won it by hitting the bell," Legosi answered.
"Yea, despite it being rigged," Bill said in annoyance.
"Don't listen to him," Collot barked. "He's just mad cause he couldn't do it"
As everyone laughed at the pouting tiger. Kibi looked around and noticed that someone was missing.
"Hey Legosi, do you know where Jack is?" the anteater asked.
The wolf raised a brow at his friend. "No, wasn't he with you?" he asked in confusion.
"Well he was, but after we won our game he said he needed to talk to you," Kibi answered.
Legosi's ear flickered. "Really, what about?"
"I don't know, but he said it was important," the herbivore replied.
"Geez, I hope it isn't anything serious," Collot said with a hint of concern.
"I don't think it was serious per say, he just said that it was important and that it was also a little embarrassing. In fact, Voss and I had to convince him to go look for you because of it," Kibi explained.
"Really, well in that case he should be fine," Miguno said optimistically. "If it's embarrassing, then he's probably off somewhere working up the courage to say it. I remember this one time I had this rash and-"
"AT AT AT AT AT, they don't need to know about that!" Duram said in a panic as he covered the hyena's muzzle and pulled him to the side.
The rest of the group looked at the pair with confusion as a bead of sweat fell down their faces.
"Wait, what happened with the rash?" Bill asked as he chased after the two canines. "I want to know!"
Legosi, unable to even think about how to respond to all this, simply shook his head and spoke. "Kibi, you said that Jack needed to talk to me about something both important and embarrassing, right?"
Kibi nodded. "Yea, that's right."
"In that case I'm gonna go look for him," the wolf responded. "You guys keep having fun, Jack and I will come back when we're done."
"Sure dude, let us know if you need anything," Kai responded. "And be careful not to run into any more of those jackasses from earlier!"
"I will," Legosi barked.
Just as the wolf was about to leave, Voss threw a ball of paper at him, getting his attention. The fennec fox then gave his large packmate two thumbs up and a wink.
Legosi smiled and gave him a thumbs up right back. He waved goodbye to his friends and ran off to look for Jack
Having left the fairgrounds and returned to the area around the dorm buildings, Legosi looked around for any signs of Jack. With everyone at the festival, Legosi knew this would be a good time to track down Jack's scent.
Just as he was about to begin, the wolf felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there standing behind him, was a short, yet intimidating pitbull.
Legosi jumped back from the surprise. "Uh-um, is there something I can help you with?" he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Hmp, so you're the guy, huh?" the pitbull said. "Well, you certainly look tough enough."
Legosi put his hands up. "L-Listen, whatever it is you heard, I promise I'm not someone who tries to cause trouble."
The pitbull rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "Look, you're Legosi right? The wolf who stood up to both a tiger and an alligator?" he asked.
"I-I guess," Legosi answered. "But I swear there's more to those incidents than you might have heard. I honestly didn't start those fights. I mean I did technically start the fight with Bill, but there was a really good reason for it and-"
"WOULD YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN?!" the pitbull yelled, interrupting Legosi and getting his full attention. "I just came to give you this," the large dog said as he handed an envelope to the wolf.
Legosi took the letter and upon reading the message inside, the color drained from his face.
"W-What is this?" the wolf asked in horror.
The pitbull grinned.
"An invitation to a party," he mocked. "And I suggest you come, otherwise the pup in that picture may not be in the best of health when he gets-"
Before the dog could finish, Legosi punched the pitbull with all his might, sending him crashing to the ground. He then jumped on top of his foe and pinned him to the ground.
"WHERE IS HE?!" the wolf snarled as he shook the pitbull by his shirt, his tail standing up.
The large dog started to laugh. "Hehehe, so it's true. As soon as you know one of your pack mates is in trouble, you go ballistic. Just like the savage wolf you really are!"
"TELL ME WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW!" Legosi yelled in an intimidating voice.
"Heh, and what are you going to do if I don't," the pitbull said in a cocky voice. "Come on wolf, show me your true colors."
As Legosi continued growling at the pitbull, he found himself thinking about his foe's words and remembered this happening before. Hee was brought back to scenes where both Louis and Gohin said the same thing.
With Louis, Legosi was called a savage and that he was just hiding his true self, much like this pitbull. With Gohin however, the wolf was seen as someone worthy of acknowledgement who just needed guidance.
Legosi didn't know which of these were true, but he knew it was a result of giving into his instincts.
Legosi took a deep breath and let go of the pitbull's shirt, causing him to fall back to the ground. The large dog looked up and saw the wolf looking down at him with disgust.
"What's the matter, aren't you gonna torture me so you can find that stupid labrador?" the pitbull asked with a smirk.
Legosi turned his head, not even bothering to answer. Instead, he took a step away from the still grounded pitbull and looked at the picture of Jack. He then closed his eyes as he brought the picture to his nose and took a whiff.
"Three scents," the wolf thought to himself. "The pitbull, the film itself, and… a husky?"
Legosi opened his eyes as a fierce look covered his face. He turned back to the pitbull who stood up while he was sniffing the photo.
"Wow, quite the look you have there," the dog mocked.
"I know where to find Jack now. I don't need you anymore," the wolf growled.
"What," the pitbull said in surprise.
Legosi ran past him and disappeared into the night, leaving the pitbull on his own.
After a few minutes of following the scent, Legosi found himself in front of a dorm that was a little further away from the campus than most. He found it strange that the building would be so far out of the way and even stranger that it was poorly maintained.
The dorm wasn't rundown, but it certainly seemed to be in need of some repairs. There were cracks in the outer walls and some of the windows were damaged.
Legosi approached the entrance and just as he was about to enter, he heard someone call out from behind him.
"HEY! WOLF!"
Legosi turned around and there were two large and muscular dogs growling at him.
One was a boxer and the other one was a bulldog. They weren't as large as legosi, but were almost as muscular, which made the wolf wary.
He could tell that if it wasn't for all that heavy lifting Louis made him do for the club, he would've had a serious disadvantage. That's yet another thing he would have to thank Louis for.
"Who are you?" Legosi asked as he brought his fists up, his tail becoming agitated.
"We could ask you the same thing," the boxer barked. "This is a private get together, invitation only!"
"Listen, I don't care about your party, I just want Jack back. Tell me where he is!" the wolf demanded.
The two dogs looked at each other and smirked.
"So you're the one alpha told us about," the bulldog said with a grin. Well, we were instructed to bring you to the boss… but how about we rough you up a bit."
"Heh, I was thinking the same thing," the boxer said as he cracked his knuckles.
They slowly approached Legosi, making their intention very clear. Legosi however wasn't about to play their game and charged right at them, surprising them both.
He dashed between them and using his momentum grabbed both of their faces and slammed them into the ground, knocking them out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do that, but I don't have time to deal with you," the wolf said to the unconscious duo.
Legosi turned back to the entrance and ran inside, hoping that his best friend was alright.
At the top of the building, Arthur was watching the whole thing unfold from his office, smiling to himself with anticipation.
"I honestly didn't intend for that to happen, but I'm glad it did. Now I have a better idea of what you're capable of," the husky said to himself as looked down at the wolf.
"Hey Arthur," Lester barked as he entered the room. "That labrador is finally coming around."
"Excellent! Just in time for our new guest," the husky replied as he turned to face his doberman friend. "Make sure he's treated well alright, I don't want to see a single mark on him."
"Right, I'll be sure to tell the others," Lester said with a nod. "By the way, have you seen Oscar? Dude's gone M.I.A."
Arthur pinched the base of his muzzle as he let out a sigh. "Oscar, I honestly don't know what to do with that brother of mine. I truly love him, but he's just too soft hearted for what needs to be done."
"Yea, I can agree with you on that," Lester responded. "I'll see if I can keep him busy while you take care of things."
"Good," Arthur barked. He turned to his desk and opened a drawer. He reached inside and pulled out something that even startled Lester.
"W-Whoa man, is that… a gun?" the doberman asked in a nervous tone.
"Of course it is," the black and white husky answered. "Why are you so surprised when you know what we're doing?"
"I know, it's just… guns make me nervous is all. I thought we were going to handle things a different way," Lester explained.
"I understand your concern, but this is the best course of action," Arthur responded as he loaded the gun. "With this, it'll be quick and easy. No need for him to suffer, no need to drag things out. As long as things go as planned, that's all that matters."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. I'll just go get everything ready," Lester said.
"Right. Oh, and one more thing," Arthur barked. "Whatever you do, do not let Oscar catch on. So long as he's in the dark, he won't have to deal with what comes next."
The two continued their conversation, unaware that someone was listening from the shadows.
"Too soft hearted huh? Well, you're right about that. But then again, maybe that's why I can still tell the difference between right and wrong. Now that I know what you're up to, I'm gonna do everything I can to stop it."
Back downstairs, Legosi burst through the door, fully expecting a fight. What he found was a different scene altogether.
Instead of a den full of gangsters, he found a huge party filled with all sorts of different dogs.
"Is-is this really the right place?" Legosi thought to himself as he watched the party goers enjoying themselves.
As the wolf entered the room, he immediately started getting looks from everyone.
"Hey guys, check it out," a poodle whispered to her friends.
"Wow, I didn't think a wolf would be here," A beagle from the other side of the room said in amazement, his tail wagging with excitement.
Legosi continued making his way through the room only to be stopped by the crowd of dogs. "Um… if I could just get through."
The dog students kept staring at him while having big smiles across their faces, all of their tails swaying back and forth.
"Um, excuse me, are you a real wolf?" one of the smaller dogs asked.
"I uh… I am," Legosi answered awkwardly as he tried to separate himself from the crowd that had started surrounding him.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Everyone went, their tails wagging with excitement.
"You're huge man," a German shepherd said as he wagged his tail.
Black labrador: "That's what she said!"
German shepherd: I mean you gotta be-"
*Pause*
Chow Chow: "Thank you Fred!"
German shepherd: "Motherfucker!"
Everyone laughed while Legosi's ears and tail jumped up as he blushed.
One of the dogs grabbed Legosi's tail which made the wolf instantly turn his head in surprise. "Your tail is so different then mine," she said as she brushed it with her fingers. "It's soft, but like, bushy too, and it has so much fur that I could lose my hand in it."
Legosi's face turned an even deeper shade of red and he quickly took his tail back from the female dog student. "S-Sorry, but I don't like it when my tail is grabbed so suddenly like that."
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," she said as she covered her face in embarrassment. "It's just that you're the first wolf I've ever been this close to and I couldn't help myself."
"Same goes for a lot of us!" a male dalmatian shouted. "A lot of us have classes with wolves, but only a few of us ever hang out with them since we're always so busy with school work."
"Oh… I see," Legosi yelled back at the dalmatian that was on the far side of the crowd. He then turned to the others. "Listen, I'm flattered by all this, but I just came to look for a friend of mine. Have any of you seen a labrador with pale yellow fur?"
The dogs all look at each other and talk for a moment before turning back to Legosi and shaking their heads.
"Sorry man, none of us have seen a labrador like that," a male akita barked. "There are a few labrador's here, but none with pale yellow, or even yellow fur."
"Oh," Legosi said disheartenedly.
Just as he was about to think about what to do next, he felt a tap on his shoulder. The wolf turned and there beside him was a husky with brown and white fur.
"Hey, you're Legosi right?" he asked.
"Y-Yes," the large canine replied.
"I know where your friend is," he whispered. "Come with me."
Legosi's eyes widened. He wanted to question the young husky, but knew that now wasn't the time to cause a scene. He instead followed the stranger away from the crowd and up some back stairs.
"Who are you?" Legosi asked as he trailed behind.
"I'm Oscar," he answered. "I know your friend and right now I need to get both of you out of here!"
Legosi wanted to know why this guy was helping him, but knew that his questions would have to wait. Right now the only thing that mattered was saving Jack and he was prepared to do whatever it took to do that.
They arrived at the top floor and stopped in front of Arthur's office.
"Ok, this is it," Oscar whispered.
"What is this place?" Legosi asked. "And what on earth is going on here? When I showed up, I was attacked by these two big dogs and when I came in, everyone was partying like nothing was wrong."
Oscar looked to the side and let out a sad sigh. "It's because they're being used, for this at least."
"What do you mean?" the wolf said curiously.
The brown and white husky looked at Legosi, but quickly looked down as if he was unable to look the wolf in the eyes.
Legosi's ears folded back as he watched the saddened husky struggle to speak. He then grabbed the dog by his shoulders and turned him so their eyes would meet.
"Oscar, I don't know what's going on, but Jack is in trouble and I need to know why," the wolf barked as he bent down to meet Oscar at eye level.
The husky, unable to stop looking into Legosi's eyes, closed his own and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll tell you everything," he said, meeting the wolf's gaze once more. "Just, please understand that my brother isn't a bad person."
"Your brother?" Legosi said in surprise.
"Yes, my brother Arthur is the one running all this. See, as dogs, we were both bullied mercilessly because we were 'artificial' and the same goes for every student here," Oscar explained.
"As you can imagine, the teachers weren't any help so we had to take matters into our own hands. My brother started a group for dogs that were all going through the same thing so they could meet and talk about their problems. It ended up going a lot better than we hoped and soon, we were able to get this old dorm as a sort of sanctuary."
"That said, it didn't do anything to really hit the cause of our troubles. Everyone was still being bullied and even beaten. Sure it managed to give the dog students some relief, but at the most, it was like a patch job on a broken tire."
"Then one day, Arthur said he thought of a way to change all that. He told everyone that all we had to do was show everyone what we dogs can do and that'll make the jackass back off and of course, we believed him."
"The way he said it made us think that he meant showing off our talents, but then I learned what he really meant."
"Oscar, what does Arthur want?" Legosi asked with pleading eyes.
"He wants to kill you," the husky responded, small tears beginning to form under his eyes.
"What!" Legosi said as he took a step back.
"Arthur believes that if he kills you in front of everyone, he will show that a dog can take down a wolf, our ancestor, then people will stop comparing us to you," the husky explained.
"But that's… that's insane," Legosi barked.
"I know, and that's why I need to get you and Jack out of here as fast as possible. Now come on, let's go!" the husky responded.
While all this was going on, Arthur was sitting on the couch in his office. He turned to his 'guest' who was still asleep. He smiled at him and decided to wake him up.
"Hey, wake up dude. We have work to do," the black and white husky said softly.
"Huh, wha?" the visitor asked as he rubbed his eyes. "Where am I- Arthur?"
"Glad you're finally awake Jack," Arthur said in a comforting tone.
Jack looked around and quickly realized he was in the husky's office. He then turned to his new friend. "Arthur?" he asked. "W-Why am I here? I was just at the festival."
"Oh well, some of my friends went looking for you to see if you wanted to join the party when they found you sleeping on the ground." Arthur explained.
"Really?" the labrador asked. "I guess I must've conked out when I was looking for Legosi. I can't remember anything after that."
"Well good news, Legosi's here too," the husky said with a smile.
"He is?" Jack asked.
"Mhmm," he came looking for you after one of my friends explained that we brought you here. "Right now he's downstairs talking with everyone." Arthur explained. "So what do you say we go and get him?"
"Yea!" Jack barked, his tail wagging happily.
The two stood up and headed for the door. Just as they were about to leave, the door swung open, hitting Arthur who fell back.
Jack turned his head to see if Arthur was ok, but then looked back at the door.
"Jack!" Legosi shouted with relief.
"Legosi?" Jack said in a confused tone.
Legosi ran inside and suddenly brought Jack into a tight hug. "Jack, I was so worried about you!"
Jack, still confused by everything, simply returned the hug. He closed his eyes as he allowed himself to feel the warmth of the wolf he had fallen for.
Legosi then let go of the hug, but still held on to Jack. "Jack, listen, it isn't safe here, we need to go!"
"Why, what's wrong?" the yellow dog asked.
"Nothing, as long as you do what you're told!" a new voice said.
The two turned and saw Lester who had Oscar in a tight grip. "You two aren't going anywhere."
"I suppose I should say good work," Arthur said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I was hoping to keep appearances a little longer, but I guess it's pointless now."
Jack let go of Legosi and turned to Arthur. "Wait, I don't understand," the labrador said.
"Jack! You and Legosi need to run right now! You have too- grk"
"You've talked long enough," Lester said as he punched Oscar from behind and knocking him out.
"Oscar!" Legosi shouted.
"Don't move!" Arthur said as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Legosi who's back was turned. He turned to the doberman. "Lester! You didn't have to do that!"
"Sorry man, but Oscar betrayed us. He led Legosi in through the back way so I didn't have a choice," Lester explained.
Arthur let out a sigh. "Just as I thought," he said as he looked down at his little brother. "You really are too soft hearted. I'm sorry you had to be a part of this."
"Arthur please, tell me what's going on," Jack said in a concerned tone.
"Jack, stay back," Legosi shouted. "This guy has been lying to you!"
"What are you talking about?!" Jack asked. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?!"
The grey wolf put his guard up, his tail agitated. "Your new friend has been using you Jack. He only wanted you in his group because you were friends with a wolf. See, he thinks that if he kills me, it will make everyone stop looking down on dogs for being artificial."
"So, you figured it all out." Arthur responded. "Or was it Oscar who told you?"
Legosi simply looked back at the dog, refusing to answer.
"I see," the black and white husky said as he slowly shook his head. "Anyway, you're coming with me wolf," he said as he walked closer.
"Arthur, wait! You don't have to do this," Jack barked. "Listen, I know what it's like, I even told you about all the bullying before. But this isn't the answer!"
"I'm sorry Jack, but this the only way," Arthur said with a stern look as he continued pointing the gun. "Lester, you know what to do."
"You heard him boys, come and get this guy ready for the show," Lester shouted.
Suddenly, two large and muscular dogs came in, grinning with excitement.
Legosi took a deep breath and was about to surrender himself when suddenly-
"NO!" Jack yelled as he lunged at Arthur, surprising everyone.
"What the-"
Jack tackled the husky to the ground and fought for the gun. He grabbed Arthur's arm and slammed it against the ground, forcing him to let go of the gun. With the weapon out of the way, Jack headbutted the gang leader, rendering him unconscious.
"BOSS!" Lester cried. "Get 'em!"
The two larger dogs rushed Jack, giving Legosi the opening he needed. He ran in front of one of them and delivered a swift kick to the gut, stunning him.
The other dog, surprised by the wolf's attack, changed targets and went after Legosi instead. The gray canine was ready however and delivered a strong right cross to the gang member's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
Lester, now the only one left, started to growl. "I knew you were trouble!" he said as he pointed at Jack.
He lunged at Jack, ready to rip him apart. Jack put his hands in front of him in a panic, but before Lester could get to him, Legosi grabbed the doberman's arm and threw him over his shoulder.
"Stay away from him," Legosi said with a growl. He then stomped on Lester's face, knocking him out.
The wolf, having stopped the assault, turned to Jack. "Are you ok?!" he asked.
"Y-Yea, I think so," Jack replied.
"Come on, let's get out of here! Help me with Oscar," Legosi barked.
"Right."
The two picked up the younger brother and headed out. They made their way down the hall to the back staircase when suddenly-
*BANG*
Legosi stopped. Everything suddenly went cold. He looked at Jack who was frozen in place. Just as he was about to check on him, the labrador fell to the ground and started bleeding.
"JACK!" the wolf yelled in a panic.
Legosi dropped Oscar and kneeled down to take a look at his friend. He rolled him over and saw blood coming from the side of his abdomen.
The wolf started to breathe heavily. He felt a wave of despair come over him as the labrador bled out.
"Damn, I missed," a voice from behind said.
Legosi looked and saw Arthur pointing his gun at them, his head bleeding and a hand over his right eye.
"That bastard got my eye! It's his fault I shot him instead of you," the husky snarled, his remaining eye filled with rage.
Just then, the two heard voices coming from downstairs.
"Was that a gunshot?!"
"Oh my gosh!"
"Get out of here!"
"EVERYONE, RUN!"
They heard the panic of the dog students as they raced out the door, calling for help.
"FUCK!" Arthur yelled. He turned back to Legosi. "Well it doesn't matter. I wanted this to be public, but as long as I kill you, I can still make this work. Of course, now I'll have to kill that idiot Jack for messing everything up. That is, if he isn't dead already."
"Jack… dead?" Legosi thought. "No, no... he can't be."
He turned back to Jack who slowly raised his hand.
"Jack?" Legosi said in a terrified tone.
"Huff… L-Legosi… huff… it, it hurts. Legosi, it hurts real bad," Jack said with tears in his eyes. "Am… am I gonna die?"
Legosi's eyes widened as he kneeled down and began to cry as well.
"Yes! Yes you are," Arthur taunted. "And so is your stupid wolf."
Legosi, ignoring the husky, held Jack's hand and brought it close to his face. "No! No you're not. Please… just hang on a little longer."
"L-Legosi… it hurts… it really hurts… I, I can't mo-" Jack then collapsed before he could finish.
Legosi, now with a horrified look covering his face, started crying even more.
"Well, looks like he's gone. At least I won't have to waste a bullet," Arthur said as he readied his gun.
Legosi's ears jumped and his tail stood up as it became agitated. He leapt up and turned to the black and white dog with a look of unbridled rage.
That look made Arthur hesitate. He watched as the wolf's eyes turned red and his claws sharpened.
Legosi could feel it. With each whiff of the iron from Jack's blood, Legosi could feel the anger building. He started to growl uncontrollably and his face wrinkled, revealing his sharp fangs. Legosi had allowed the demon within to take hold once more.
The wolf dashed at Arthur at a blinding speed. The husky fired the gun in a panic, but only grazed the wolf's face. Legosi tackled Arthur to the ground and opened his mouth as wide as he could, ready to bite down.
"No, don't" Arthur yelled.
But it was no use. Legosi bit into the husky's shoulder, hard, causing him to scream in pain. Legosi dug his fangs deeper into the dog's shoulder before ripping a chunk of it out. He spat it out of his mouth, leaving the husking to faint from the pain and shock.
Legosi, who's muzzle was covered in blood, panted as he looked down at the pinned and unconscious husky. Every instinct in him was telling him to finish the job. To unleash every last dark thought that was going through his head.
Just as he was about to give in, he heard Jack cough. Legosi turned to look at the labrador who needed his help, he felt his inner rage die down a bit. He then closed his eyes before they shot open with realization.
"Jack," the wolf said as he stood back up. He ran to the labrador and held him close. "Jack, JACK! Please… stay with me." Legosi moved his head to Jack's chest and heard his heartbeat, signalling that he was still alive. "You're going to be ok, I'll… I'll get you somewhere safe!"
Legosi picked up his childhood friend and ran downstairs and out the door as fast as his legs could carry him.
Back at the fairgrounds the 701 roommates were starting to get worried for their friends.
"What's taking them so long?" Durham asked.
"I don't know, but I have a really bad feeling right now," Collot said as he paced around in concern.
"Maybe we should go look for them," Kibi suggested.
"It sure beats sitting here doing nothing," Kai interjected.
"I was thinking the same thing," Miguno said.
"But where should we look?" Bill asked.
Voss, who was riding on Durham's shoulder, made a big square shape with his arms.
"Hey, that's a good idea, big guy," Miguno barked. "We should see if they're in their special place."
"Special place?" Kai asked.
"They have a sort of hideout here at school. They go there when they want to be alone," Collot explained.
"Alright, lead the way guys," Bill responded.
The group left the fairgrounds. They arrived at the entrance of their school when Collot got a whiff of something.
"Hey, do you guys smell that?" he asked.
Everyone, except for Kibi, sniffed the air and after a few whiffs, the colors drained from their faces.
"What? What's wrong?" Kibi asked.
The group dashed away from the building and into the direction of the scent.
"HEY! WAIT UP!" Kibi yelled as he ran after them
"This scent, I know this scent," Durham thought as his pace picked up.
"The smell of iron in the air. It can only be one thing," Collot screamed in his head as he started to panic.
"Blood! There's no way it can be anything else," Bill thought to himself as a concerned look covered his face.
They continued sprinting for another minute until finally, they saw a shadowy figure in the distance.
"THERE!" Miguno yelled.
Everyone made a mad dash for the figure and as they approached, their faces filled with horror. They stopped from the shock of the scene before them. The figure revealed himself to be Legosi carrying Jack in his arms, his face covered with blood.
"HOLY FUCK!" Kai yelled.
"OH MY GOD!" Kibi shouted. He pulled out his phone and called the hospital while the others raced to Legosi's side. "Hello, 911, we need an ambulance at Cherrington High right now. Two of our friends are hurt and are covered in blood."
"Legosi what happened?!" Collot said in a panic as he held his friends close.
Legosi didn't answer, He just clutched Jack tightly and tried to keep himself from falling over. "Help Jack. I need to help Jack," he mumbled.
"Everyone, get them back to the school," Kai shouted.
Everyone held the wolf close and slowly walked him back to where it was safe. They tried to get Jack, but Legosi refused to let him go.
A few minutes later, the ambulance and police were on the scene, sending the entire festival into a frenzy. As the crowd started to panic, Miguno ran up to the officers and showed them the way. They arrived at the school where they found Legosi and Jack covered in blood and all their friends holding onto them.
"They're over here!" one of the officers shouted.
The ambulance drove up to the school building and two paramedics came running out with the stretcher.
"Come on, let's get 'em in," one of the medics said.
They tried to get Jack onto the stretcher, but because Legosi was gripping him so tightly, they had to pry him off. They managed to do it with the help of the police and the wolf's friends and they loaded the labrador into the van.
"Wait!" Legosi shouted, making it the first time he spoke since his roommates found him. "Please, he's my friend and-!"
The paramedics looked at each other before looking back at the wolf who was barely able to stand.
"Don't worry kid, we won't let anything happen." the ambulance man said with a soft smile.
As the van drove off, Legosi tried to stand up to follow, but almost immediately collapsed from exhaustion.
"LEGOSI!" everyone shouted.
They ran over to the wolf and lifted him up. They immediately realized that Legosi had fallen asleep and with no other options, they carried him to the nurse's office and hoped that their friend was alright and that they would find out what happened this night,
Here's this chapter's secret.
Did you know that Legosi inherited his fighting instinct from his grandfather? It's thanks to this that Legosi is able to hold his own whenever he got into a fight.