AN: Before we start, I'd quickly like to give you guys a backstory on that lion, Bruce, since it wouldn't fit into the story itself in any natural way. In his youth, he had a crush on some herbivore girl. She approached him for sex and he was ecstatic. After the fact, she ghosted him. When he finally got her alone, Bruce voiced his confusion at avoiding him after starting up a relationship with him. She laughed in his face. It turns out she was just an adrenaline junkie looking for a momentary thrill. An herbivore having an actual relationship with a carnivore, in her mind, was suicidal and stupid. In his anger, Bruce attacked and devoured her. This set him on the mindset of being the one in control. It sure as hell doesn't excuse his monstrous ways. Anyway, for this chapter, I'd like to warn about a brief moment of light sexual content at the beginning (not enough to warrant that warning method I used in the previous story) and a couple quick moments of violence.

Ch 7: Discoveries Good and Bad

It's a few days after his nightmare and Melon is using a hand to support himself against a wall in the shower room. 'I can't believe I just did that.'

The hybrid has considered himself lucky to get what's basically solitary confinement. He barely ever interacts with the other prisoners, which includes getting his own private shower time to himself. Today, he's especially grateful for that.

While showering, Melon's mind wandered, eventually settling on Sebun. Thoughts about her smiles, her amazing mind, her gentle hands that day in the infirmary, and her voice all served to cause something that he wasn't even aware was a possibility. They gave him an erection. The hybrid had assumed his whole life that his mixed up biology made him incapable of arousal. The closest to pleasure he ever felt was when he put his body through severe pain, especially when he visited his sloth tattoo artist. Experimenting, Melon tried masturbating, something that had never really done anything for him in the past. With only thoughts about Sebun in his head, the hybrid found his body thrilled at the idea of her. Melon's tongue hung out as he grunted and moaned in pleasure. He steadily felt something build up until he reached his peak and came with a scream. As he panted in the aftermath, the hybrid watched the results go down the drain.

Now, his mind catching up fully to what just happened, Melon feels distress. He finishes washing up, dries off, gets dressed, and exits to meet with the guards waiting just outside.

"You have fun in there?" a familiar voice asks with a sneer.

Melon looks over to see that the leopard guard has an unpleasant grin. 'He heard. I was too loud in there.'

"Don't start, Rick," says the other guard (a rhino). "Let's just get him back to his cell."

As the three start to walk in the direction of Melon's cell, Rick decides to ignore what the other guard said and keep talking. "You thinking about the little ewe? You really think someone like her would let a mix and match creature like you touch her that way?"

Melon keeps looking straight ahead. 'Don't do anything. Ignore him. He's talking shit.'

Rick looks thoughtful. "For a sheep, that woman actually doesn't look half bad." He lets a wicked grin almost split his face. "If claws and fangs excite her, maybe I should pay her a little visit."

Knowing what'll happen, the rhino guard restrains Melon's arms just as the hybrid lunges at Rick.

"YOU TOUCH HER, YOU'RE DEAD!" Melon screams at the leopard.

The rhino glares at the other guard. "Stop messing with him, Rick!"

The leopard once again ignores the rhino. "So violent. Behavior like this warrants a nice big extension on your sentence."

"I don't care!" shouts Melon. "Stay away from Sebun!" The hybrid sees a collie guard is coming over to investigate. He forces himself to calm down.

"What's the matter? Don't got it in you to take a swing or a swipe at me?"

"I'm choosing to spare you. Believe me when I say I could easily end you. After all, I've slaughtered an entire gang of leopards single handedly."

Rick suddenly growls and becomes filled with rage.

The collie rushes over to try restraining the leopard, but he gets clawed for his effort.

The rhino releases Melon out of shock.

The hybrid takes a defensive stance to take on the leopard.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER HERE!" a booming voice shouts over all of the chaos.

Everyone standing sees a hippo in a suit is storming over to them. They recognize him as the warden of the prison.

The rhino points to Rick. "He was antagonizing the prisoner. Things got out of hand and he was ready to attack." He points to the collie. "He tried stopping Rick and got himself clawed in the process."

The warden glares at the leopard. "Your behavior and your decisions recently have been unacceptable. I've put up with a lot of crap from you, but enough is enough. This is the absolute last straw. You're fired."

Rick stares at the hippo, his earlier rage still in his eyes. Suddenly, he straightens himself up and looks completely at peace with everything that happened. "Understood, Sir. I'll hand my things in and be gone within an hour." He walks away.

The warden watches Rick go until the leopard turns the corner. He then helps the injured collie to his feet. "Let's get you to the infirmary." The hippo glances at the rhino. "Please escort the prisoner back to his cell."

The guard salutes. "Yes, Sir." The rhino leads Melon away. Once the two have put some distance between them and the warden, the guard leans over to speak quietly to the hybrid. "You know, between you and me, I'm glad Rick's gone. He was a prick."

For the hell of it, Melon chooses to engage in the conversation. "Yeah. I never liked that guy. Turns out the feeling was very mutual." 'I didn't like his tone as he left. Too calm. That is a tone I've used before. A tone that…Mama used.'

A few days later…

Sebun is walking with Zaguan to the prison to visit Melon. 'I've been having the greatest time. Gouhin got me some medical leave from work, living with Legoshi and Haru has been such a blast, and babysitting Goshen has been a delight. For a five year old, Goshen is a pretty quiet and easy to watch kid. It was a shock to see that news report on that lion who attacked me being caught trying to eat his therapy animal. I know Legoshi and Yafya were behind the investigation. Thanks to them, Lily's okay. Although, it really sucks that Bruce got away and went into hiding.' The sheep's mind switches over to Melon and she smiles. 'Talking with him recently has been so amazing. Our conversations have gotten so deep. It's too bad chess games were suspended after that stunt I pulled, but I don't think we'd be in that much of a playing mood anyway. Melon's still thinking I shouldn't be visiting him for my own safety. He even tried to go into detail about all of his crimes to scare me away. It might have worked if he didn't look so guilty while describing his past actions. Whatever Melon might have been back then, that isn't what he is now. He's…nice.'

"It has been some time since I last escorted you," Zaguan says with a smile.

"It really has. While I do miss the independence of going myself, I understand why that's not such a good idea right now. I'm just lucky Yafya is busy with patrols."

"Are you not a fan of his rooftop escorts?"

"Not one bit. I'm also worried his knees will give out. He has complained about them all the time with me."

"That is not good."

"It's not. Legoshi's with Haru picking up Goshen from school."

"You could have waited for Legoshi."

"I was feeling impatient to see Melon today. Besides, it's nice to be hanging out with you again."

Zaguan smiles. "I feel the same. By the way, I forget, is Goshen still in day care or is he in kindergarten now?"

The ewe is about to answer when something catches her attention. 'I'm seeing things. It must be my imagination. Then again…'

"Sebun?"

The sheep starts running. 'It can't be! What's he doing out here?!' She weaves her way through a crowd chasing after a familiar pair of horns. Seeing the owner of the horns turn down an alley, Sebun rushes after them. Breaking through the crowd, she grabs the arm of this horned individual. "Melon!"

The owner of the horns turns to Sebun, revealing them to be an older male gazelle who's wearing glasses.

The sheep, feeling embarrassed, releases the gazelle's arm and backs away. "I'm sorry. I saw your horns and mistook you for someone else."

"Sebun!" Zaguan shouts as he enters the alley. Seeing his friend with the gazelle, the seal understands what happened. "You must have Melon constantly on your mind, Sebun." He takes his friend's hand. "We should go see the real him."

The pair starts walking away.

"How do you know Melon?" the gazelle asks out of nowhere. The way the light's hitting his glasses, it hides his eyes.

Sebun lets go of Zaguan's hand and turns back to the older herbivore. "I visit him all the time in prison. Have been for the last five years."

"By your tone, it sounds like you care for him."

"I do."

"That's a bad idea."

Sebun frowns. "Who the hell are you to say that?"

The gazelle sighs. "Guess there's no hiding it now. I'm Melon's father."

The sheep stares in disbelief. "No. His mother ate his father."

"Is that what he thinks? Explains why he never went looking for me."

Sebun shakes her head. "I don't understand."

"It's simple. Being with Melon's mother was a mistake. I hated all of the looks we got in public and all the shit they were saying. I knew she wanted to eat me and it only got worse after Melon was born. The first opportunity I had, I got the hell out of there."

"Why did you leave Melon with her?"

"You mean me being stuck with a freaky looking child?"

Sebun's hands curl into fists.

"I never wanted to play the part of someone's dad. Besides, I saw Melon once years ago right before he got arrested. A serial killer who looks like he came right out of the pits of hell? I dodged a bullet there."

"Shut up! He never would've gone that route if you'd been a present and supportive dad to him!"

The gazelle scoffs. "I don't buy it."

Sebun starts shaking with fury. "You still abandoned a child. You left him to her. All the things she did to him!"

The gazelle shrugs. "Better him than me."

With that, Sebun snaps. She charges at the gazelle and tackles him, knocking his glasses off his face. The sheep gets in his face and starts punching.

Zaguan stares in shock for a moment before rushing over and getting Sebun off the older man. He struggles to hold back the flailing ewe. "Stop!"

The gazelle grabs his glasses and gets up. "You psycho bitch!" He runs off.

"BURN IN HELL!" Sebun screams after the gazelle. Once Zaguan puts her back down on the ground, the sheep looks over at the observing crowd with a glare. "What are you looking at?!" After the crowd goes back to its own business, Sebun starts walking. "Let's go."

Zaguan feels worried. "Sebun—"

"Melon needs to know."

With a sigh, the seal follows the sheep.

Later…

Melon is sitting on his bed fidgeting. 'Come on. Show up.'

A pair of guards appear outside Melon's cell. "You have a visitor."

The hybrid springs up to his feet and follows the guards with a big smile on his face. 'It's official. Sebun has become the best part of my day. Ever since that day in the infirmary, I really can't get enough of her.' His smile slips for a moment. 'That doesn't change that I'm dangerous and she should be smart enough to realize that's grounds for getting the hell away from me.' His smile comes back. 'Well, while she's still being too stubborn to see reason, I'll keep enjoying our time together.' Melon feels eager and excited as he's brought closer to the visitors' room. When the door opens though, his happy mood vanishes at the sight of his favorite visitor.

Sebun is visibly upset. The weight of what she has to tell Melon is incredibly distressing for her.

The hybrid rushes over and yanks the phone off its receiver. "What happened?!"

The sheep looks up. She suddenly finds herself unable to even open her mouth.

"Did someone attack you?! Tell me what they looked like! I'll bust out and get them!"

"Don't!"

Melon groans out of frustration. "Fine. At least tell Legoshi or Old Man Yafya. They'll take care of it."

"Stop. It wasn't about me. It was about you."

Surprised and confused, the hybrid sits down in his chair. "Me?"

Sebun takes a deep breath. "On my way here, I saw a pair of horns that looked like your horns. The man they belonged to turned out to be an older gazelle."

Melon laughs. "Aww. Did you think it was me? I'm still in here."

"He knew you."

"Knew me?" The hybrid feels dread. "Oh no. Was he related to one of my victims?"

"Melon—"

"You shouldn't have had to deal with that. I'm the one who committed the crime. Look, if I'm ever let out of here, I'll take whatever they have to dish out. You don't deserve it. I do."

Sebun feels worse now about what she has to reveal to the hybrid. "It wasn't anything of that nature. Melon…that man…he was your father."

The hybrid stares at the sheep. The silence lasts a long time. Then, he laughs really hard. "That's a good one!"

"I'm serious."

Melon smiles. "I can understand wanting to break the tension with a joke, but both of us know my mama ate him."

"No. He wasn't eaten. He walked out."

The leopard-gazelle hybrid frowns. "Okay, Sebun, this isn't funny anymore."

"He didn't want to deal with the hardships that came with being in a carnivore-herbivore relationship and he didn't want to be a parent to a hybrid."

Melon starts twitching. "That's enough."

"He was afraid your mother was going to eat him, so he ran away, leaving you with her."

"Stop it!"

"He even said that as long as it didn't happen to him, he didn't care what she did to you."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Everyone on both sides of the glass are staring at the sheep and the hybrid.

"How could you?! How dare you?! All these lies!"

"I'm not lying."

"No! Stop talking!"

Sebun starts crying. "Melon…"

"Enough! Get away from me! Don't come back!" The hybrid slams the phone back into the receiver, stands up, and demands to be returned to his cell.

After Melon is gone, Sebun's hand shakily places her phone back in its receiver. She gets down from her chair, takes a deep breath to keep herself from sobbing right there in the visitors' room, and walks out.

Seeing his friend's tear stained face, Zaguan rushes over to try comforting her. "Sebun?! Are you okay?!"

The sheep shakes her head, really not ready to talk about any of this with anyone. "Let's just go. Please."

Understanding she needs time, the seal just walks quietly beside the ewe as they leave the prison.

Meanwhile…

Yafya is standing on a rooftop, surveying his surroundings. 'Tonight is frustratingly slow. Not even a hint of a crime. The worst of it is no new leads on that group of carnivores. At least, no new ones since the rats told me they call themselves the Long Live Meat Society. Why has this taken me so long?! Even with Legoshi's help, years have gone by with very little to go on! Does this mean…I'm starting to lose my touch as a vigilante? I know I retired as Beastar because my age was telling me so, but do I need to retire from this too? My knees have felt like they've been at their limit for years now. Am I seriously just waiting for them to give out?' Hearing his phone vibrate, the horse answers. "Hello?" He recognizes the voice of the warden, which instantly sets him on edge. As the hippo informs him about what happened with Sebun and Melon, Yafya feels panic grip him. He's able to keep his composure as he signs off. "Thank you for telling me this. I'll be there right away." The moment he hangs up, the horse starts sprinting towards the prison. 'Shit! This is bad! This wasn't supposed to happen!'

Later…

Yafya hurries through the halls of the prison to Melon's cell. Upon arriving, he finds the hybrid huddled in the far corner with his back to him. The horse opens his mouth to speak.

"Go away, Old Man. I'm not in the mood."

Yafya is only momentarily surprised. 'Hybrid senses. Right.' "Melon—"

"Leave me alone."

The horse ignores this. "I heard about what Sebun said to you."

Melon looks back with a glare. "Then you know to drop it."

"I will not. Listen…"

The hybrid jumps to his feet. "I trusted her!"

That makes Yafya pause.

Melon walks up to the front of his cell. "I've committed so much murder. I terrorized so many. Somehow, despite all that, Sebun found a way to look past it. She talked with me, played games with me." The hybrid shakes. "She smiled at me, like I was…worth it." He takes a deep breath. "I told her everything. My darkest secrets. Even when I was scared about how she'd be reacting, a part of me always thought she'd find a way to feel okay about it all and still like being around me. I felt so happy having her in my life." Melon's face contorts with fury. "What does she do with all that? She hurts me! She hurts me with lies!"

"Sebun was telling the truth."

"Don't you start too, Old Man!"

"Your father is alive! I've known since before I brought you in!"

Melon stands completely frozen upon hearing the old horse's big revelation. "What have you…just said to me?"

"The day you fought with Legoshi in the Back Alley Market, my old friend, Gosha, and I met your father by chance. What he revealed fits with what Sebun described. He walked out on you and your mother, believed being with her in the first place was a mistake, and had no interest in establishing any sort of connection with you."

The hybrid stands still for a moment before swaying. He catches himself from falling on the nearest wall. "So…Mama saw me as her plaything and Papa left me completely at her mercy without regret. I really won the lottery on those who give a damn about me."

Yafya knows he has to stop this thought process from spiraling further down. "Have you ever wondered why I started this rehabilitation program for you?"

"Shits and giggles?"

"No. While not aware of the full extent, I knew you didn't have a good relationship with your mother. Combine that with meeting your father, I gained a strong urge and desire to attempt to undo the damage they did. I wanted to make you into someone better."

"You realize you were saying that about a serial killer?"

"On paper, rehabilitating somebody like that sounds impossible and pointless. Still, even if it took the rest of my life, I was willing to try."

Melon feels a burst of emotions. 'What is this?! Respect?! Gratitude?! Admiration?! I feel so weird!'

"Don't forget that I wasn't alone in this endeavor. You know Legoshi would help literally anyone."

The leopard-gazelle hybrid can't help but roll his eyes. "He can really be too selfless for his own good."

"And Haru has always done her own thing."

Melon chuckles. "I met her before I was arrested. I was hiding out as a part time History professor at a university back when I could pass as an ordinary gazelle. Haru was a student. She was the first time I felt an actual desire to eat someone. Hearing she had a boyfriend upset me."

"That seems to establish you having a type."

"A type?"

Yafya looks almost exasperated by the question. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? Do I have to go into detail about what Sebun has done for you?"

"No. I already covered the basics. She makes me feel alive in a way I never felt before." Melon face palms. "And now I screwed it all up."

"This can be salvaged."

"I told her to never come back and I can't exactly go to her…not without consequences at least."

Yafya sighs. "I'll talk to her."

The hybrid can't believe what he just heard. "Really?"

"Yeah. I can make time to fix this. She's good for you."

'Crap. Now, I'm really feeling the gratitude. I have to act on it.' "Thank you."

Blindsided by these words from Melon, the horse can only nod in response.

"YAFYA!" someone shouts while audibly running towards them.

Melon and Yafya look to see Legoshi approaching at a sprint.

The wolf comes to a stop right in front of the horse. "I've been calling you for the last…I don't even know now!"

Yafya blinks. "I shut my phone off before I came in here." It finally dawns on the horse just how panicked and upset the wolf looks. "What happened?"

Earlier…

Sebun is walking to Legoshi and Haru's place with her eyes looking down at the ground.

Zaguan has been silent beside her all the time. The seal can't stand the quiet anymore. "I was wrong."

"Hmm?"

"When I told you to stay away from Melon five years ago. I was wrong."

The sheep looks up at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"I assumed he was evil and wanted to hurt you. Maybe he started that way. He is not this man anymore."

"How do you know?"

"I may not have heard what was said, but when he first saw you earlier, his face showed a look of worry and fear for your safety."

"He did assume someone attacked me."

"I believe I can predict something. If Melon was a free man, he would stick by your side and do anything to make you happy."

Sebun smiles at the thought, but it doesn't last. "After what just happened, I don't think I agree."

"This is temporary. You told him something big. He just needs time and space."

The ewe feels her heart ache, wanting to believe, but scared to be proven wrong. "What's got you so sure?"

"I could tell in the way that he looked at you. You mean everything to him. He can never really let you go."

Sebun smiles again.

Zaguan hears a chime on his phone, so he pulls it out. "Oh! Legoshi and Haru made you dinner. They invited me to join."

"Glad you'll be there."

Suddenly, Zaguan senses danger. He texts 'Help' back to Legoshi and Haru. "Sebun, run away."

The sheep doesn't question it. She takes off.

Right after, a bunch of masked carnivores appear out of nowhere and charge at the pair.

Sebun looks back to see Zaguan is fighting off the attackers as best he can. However, she knows he's no brawler.

Seeing the ewe's looking back, the seal shouts, "Keep going!" Right after, claws slice his neck.

"Zaguan!" Sebun runs into the legs of a carnivore standing in wait, making her fall down to the ground on her back. Seeing the carnivore about to grab her, the sheep gets her taser out of her pocket and fires. She doesn't even wait for the guy to hit the ground before reaching into her other pocket for the pepper spray. Hearing footsteps coming from a carnivore, the sheep quickly shifts so she can spray the guy in the face.

Unfortunately, the carnivore's mask protects his eyes from the spray. He picks Sebun up (her taser and pepper spray falling to the ground in the process), stuffs her in a bag, and jumps in a nearby van.

All the other masked carnivores except the one Sebun tasered get in the same van, which speeds off.

A few seconds later, Legoshi rushes onto the scene. He runs over to his seal friend. "I'm here, Zaguan! Hold on! I'll get help!"

The seal, gasping for air, grips the wolf's sleeves. "They took…Sebun." Those were the last words of Zaguan.

Now…

Legoshi finally allows himself to cry over his friend's death. "Zaguan's dead. Neck was sliced by sharp claws. Whoever killed him took Sebun. I tried interrogating the guy that got left behind, but he took cyanide before I could get anything out of him. I tried using my nose to find them, but they must have masked their scent somehow."

Yafya is left stunned by such an elaborate abduction.

"What are you saying, Legoshi?" Melon asks while gripping the bars of his cell. "Please, just…answer me."

The wolf shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Melon. Sebun's gone."

The hybrid falls to his knees. Something inside breaks at the thought that Sebun might be dead. Remembering his last words to her were said in anger, guilt consumes him. Melon lets out a wail of despair.

AN: Oh no! Sebun was kidnapped! Now, I'd like to speak briefly on the subject of Melon's father. When Paru Itagaki revealed him to be alive, I assumed there were going to be some far reaching consequences in the manga. That didn't end up happening. She essentially used him for a brief moment of drama, to set up the reveal of how Gosha's wife died and how they differed in their views on family (which didn't feel as powerful of a moment in execution as she seemed to try to make it due to their lack of connection), and then he vanished. Perhaps it influenced Yafya and his decision to take him into custody in the original story, but that was left ambiguous by the way the whole story ended. Anyway, find out what happened with Sebun next time!