Arc 2: Awaken From Reality...
Episode 14: How Many Times the Alarm Will Ring Until the Boy Wakes Up?
Darkness...All he could see was darkness...every bits and part were just a black void as if he was ascending to space, waiting...He wanted to wake up, he didn't want to be in the black void. The figure that floating was a figure of an arctic wolf with icy blue eyes starring straight ahead. The arctic wolf continued to stare straight on with the eyes half-opened. He was not sure what was happening, but he could only stairs forward with a tired expression...
Out of nowhere, he could hear a loud blaring sound, that mimics a police siren...Did something happen? Why was there a police siren...? He looked at his hands, and he could see the brown silky gloves he always wore, but soon everything around his surroundings suddenly had colors instead of a black void that he was staring at...
Now that the black void was gone, he looked up and he was starring at something, or rather someone. He blinked a few times as he finally processed what he was seeing. He was seeing blood...Is that why he was hearing sirens? Was there a murder? But that's what he was paying attention to, he was seeing a figure standing on the blood. He could make out the person that was laying down. It seemed a body of a high school student and their right foot was missing.
The arctic wolf focused his attention on the tall figure that is standing over the body with a menacing growl. The arctic wolf: Leaf, couldn't make out the tall figure. He could tell that the figure stood around 6 feet tall, or even more. The stranger was a canine due to the pointy ears, if the shadow didn't cover their entire body, then he might know who it is. The arctic wolf could only make out the brown shoes and striped pants. They might be a student from the Cherryton academy, but then again it could be a fashionable murderer.
The tall figure made his move, they stepped toward Leaf's direction. The arctic wolf took a step back as he stared at the pure crimson eyes the tall mammal had. It honestly terrified him, but anyone would be terrified if they were experiencing it. But he did not know if it were a dream or real. He wanted to pinch himself, but he was frozen. He could feel his breath going rigid due to the panic. If this was a dream, he wants to wake up now!
The tall figure approached again, this time exposing their fur. It was grey...He felt as if he saw those fur almost every day.
Starring at the arms, he heard a growl. He gulped, turning to the tall figure. Leaf noticed that they were getting closer to him, and he noticed they wore the Cherryton academy uniform . He thought the striped pants were simply for fashion, but he should have thought better than that! No killer wears fashion!
Once the student stepped out of the shadows, Leaf gasped in shock. He knew the student before him...Their mouth was covered in blood, bloodstains on their uniform, and their eyes were pure crimson red as if they were ready to kill...It was Legosi...His friend had a look of anger. He couldn't believe that his own friend committed a crime. Leaf knew that Legosi would never do this! Wouldn't he...?
Why is he doubting himself...? There was evidence right in front of him...He shouldn't doubt himself! But why...? Why is he having second thoughts...
A loud growl interrupted his line of thought. Looking at the tall wolf, he saw that the tall wolf was in a pouncing position. He needed to run, he knew what the 2cd year was thinking. Before he could make a move, Legosi beat him to it. He lounged at the young wolf.
The arctic wolf screamed as he used his arms to protect himself from the assault.
''AHHH!''The arctic wolf screamed as he shot up awake, but due to the low bed celling, he banged his head on a wooden board. Because of how hard he hit his head, he used his good arm as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, he could have sworn he could feel a bump growing on his head.''Ough...''He moaned in pain. Not a few minutes have passed, and his bed curtain has opened. Letting the light illuminate his tiny little cubby hole. He looked at whoever decided to open his bed curtain, he probably woke them up.
His good friend Akechi was there starring at Leaf worried. Others too began to huddle right next to Akechi.''Are you okay? We heard you scream, and we thought something happened...''They explained. The arctic wolf understood their reasons, but he did feel guilty for waking them up.
''I-I'm fine...Just had a dream...''Leaf replied as he could feel his sweat running down his neck.
''ねえ...あなたが寝るとき、あなたはまだそれらの手袋を着用しますか?不快ではないですか?(Geez...you still wear those gloves when you sleep? Isn't it uncomfortable?)''Tai replied, Leaf could tell he was asking about the gloves since he was starring at it, he looked away trying his best to formulate an answer, but the topic was quickly pushed away.''私はそれを尋ねるべきではありません、私たちはバンプがそれほど悪くないことを確認する必要があります。(I shouldn't be asking that we have to make sure that bump isn't too bad.)''The arctic wolf nodded as he stepped out of his small little cubby hole.
''You must have hit your head hard, this bump is quite big.''Owin said as he poked the bump, earning a small yelp from the 17-year-old.''Yep, you might have to go to the nurse tomorrow, you might have a symptom like Bone spurs. I haven't read a lot of head related injuries, so I can't be of much help.''The coyote explained.
''That's fine Owin, you did your best at least.''Akechi replied as he held a pack of ice that was covered in a thick cloth.''Here, you might need this.''He handed the pack to the arctic wolf as Leaf happily accepted the pack of ice, placing it on top of his head, he winced as he felt that sting. But he sighed in relief, it was slowly going away. The gang sat on the floor.''So, what was that dream about?''
''ええ、それはかなり強烈に聞こえます。(Yeah, it sounds pretty intense.)''The german shepherd added with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
''Well...u-um...''The arctic wolf felt really uncomfortable discussing this. Seeing his fried 'supposedly' murdered a fellow student. He was not sure how to respond to it, they might not take him seriously if he were to voice it out.''Y-you see...''
''You don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable.''Owin being the voice of reason somehow saw his uncomfortable expression.''You can tell us some other times.''Leaf swore he could have hugged the coyote if he weren't holding back.
''Y-yeah, I will tell you all someday, it's just really uncomfortable to talk about it.''Leaf explained, and even if he were to voice out his concern about the dream, he wouldn't know how to explain it. Akechi nodded respecting the arctic's wolf personal space, though Tai didn't seem too happy about it, the german shepherd decided to let it slide.
''Well, I guess that's it. We still have classes tomorrow, so we should head back to sleep.''The golden retriever explained, and everyone nodded to that.''Leaf you should go to the nurse's office first thing in the morning, we have to be sure that bump isn't too severe.''
The arctic wolf frowned was he getting babied?''Yeah, sure. I'll stop by the nurse's office before breakfast starts.''
''Okay, we should all head back to bed now, Leaf are you gonna sleep, or later?''The golden retriever asked. To be honest he couldn't sleep now, after that dream he had a lot to think about it. He shook his head indicating that he won't be sleeping for now.''Alright...just don't sleep too late. The last thing we want is to have you be drowsy during classes.''The arctic wolf nodded in understanding.''Okay, good night.''Everyone chimed in their goodnight with only Tai speaking in Japanese. They all entered their bed and closed the curtain. Leaving the arctic wolf alone with his thought.
''What was that? What was that dream about?''He has many concerns now, he didn't know how to process this. Did Legosi really murdered someone? or was it someone else. He knew it was Legosi, but if he were to confront this to Legosi, he would not know how would he react to this. Will he offend him? Will, he shut him off? He may have been his friend, but there is not much he knows about him, there is also the possibility of just being his imagination...Why is he having doubts? He really hated himself for doubting his friend...
The arctic wolf turned to the glowing moon as he stared at it. He could feel something will happen in the coming future.''What will happen now...?''He muttered.
As promised the arctic wolf stopped by the nurse's office before going to the cafeteria. He sat on the chair as he waited for the nurse, he still had a pack of ice on his head and he swore he felt he might have a brain freeze even though his an arctic wolf. It was not a good sign that he was getting a brain freeze. A honey badger came back with a bandage on her hands as she approached the arctic wolf.''どうやって自分を傷つけたのですか?私はあなたにティーンエイジャーが決して注意しないことを誓います。(How did you manage to hurt yourself? I swear you teenagers are never careful.)''The honey badger mumbled to herself. He heard it but didn't comment. He just sat in silence, but...something caught his attention. It was a sound as if it were a hissing snake. He would have moved his head but decided against it. That hissing sound disturbed him. After what seems to be an eternity, she was finally done.''その包帯を外さないでください、あなたはわずかな頭部外傷を負いました。ゆっくりと回復できるように、少なくとも氷を載せてください。(Don't remove that bandage, you suffered slight head trauma. Make sure you at least put ice on it, so you can slowly recover.)''The artic wolf slowly nodded, though he was not paying attention.
The honey badger left. Assuming that he was free to leave. He got up and exited the office. Walking down the hallway his ear right ear twitched, he heard the hissing sound again. Stopping, he turned to his right as that where the sound came from. Walking up to the window, he observed the outside area and he saw nothing out of the ordinary...Scratching his head, he turned away from the window, walking away. He assured himself that it was just his imagination. Though he was unaware that a pair of eyes were at the window.
Classes went by normally nothing too much has changed since he left, though he realized that the lessons were much tougher than last time. He was already stressed out because of that dream, now he has to worry about his grades. He didn't transfer to this school just because of luck. He was accepted to this school because of his high grades, and also he was forced to study in this country. As classes had ended all the students were going about their days, though Leaf remained in classes just starring at the time. He felt his phone vibrate from his pocket as a ding went off, taking out the cellular device. He saw the message, and it was from Legosi. He looked away, unsure if he wanted to respond. That dream he had, he didn't know if it was true or not, and if it were by some chance he would be afraid. Another ding went off, he stared at his phone again, and another message popped up.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the messaging app.
''こんにちは、間違った時間にあなたにテキストメッセージを送った場合は申し訳ありません。(Hello, I am sorry If I texted you at the wrong time.)''
''私はあなたの意見が必要です、私たちは会うことができますか?(I need your opinion, can we meet?)''
Ever since he met Legosi. The tall wolf has been some sort of tutor to Leaf. There were times he would mistake him for any errors he makes, the arctic wolf appreciated the gesture that Legosi was making. Tutoring him a little in his own ways.
Leaf hesitated, he needed time to process what just happened. He slowly typed back.
''すみません、先輩…今日はやることがあります。ハルに聞いてもいいかな?彼女に会うかもしれないので?(Sorry, Senpai...I have something to do today. Maybe you can ask Haru? since you might meet up with her?)''
He closed his phone, stuffing it back in the pocket, he took his canvas bag from other the table as he set foot out of the class. Closing the door, he heard his phone dinged. He didn't even bother to pick it up, he just stood there with an uncomfortable expression. He just ignored it and walked away. He just felt really uncomfortable about it.
It was already nighttime, and almost all the students were asleep, except for Leaf. He was awake browsing through his phone. He was bored out of his mind, he might have told Legosi that he was busy, but in truth, he was not. He closed his phone letting his device slam on his bed as he sighed, normally he would be really careful about his phone since it had some cracks on the screen. His mother wanted to buy him a new cellphone, but he convived his mother that she shouldn't since his device still worked, so he kept it for 5 years and it's really outdated. The arctic wolf ears twitched as he heard fast heavy footsteps, he opened his eyes as he listened. It looked like whoever was there just came now.
Getting off the bed, he walked toward the door as he pressed his ears against the door. He could tell they were running, but he didn't know what. He did catch the students saying something.''それは怪物でした!(That was a monster!)''He could only understand a few of those words, he opened the door as the fast heavy footstep went up the stairs. He looked at the dark hall before his ears caught something once again. It was hissing...
He didn't know what that was, but he's not going crazy. He heard the second time, he needed to find what that was. He heard rumors of a ghost on the place where a student had been devoured. He closed the door behind him as he walked out of the dorms. He will do just a quick check, he shouldn't be out of this time.
It sure felt creepy to walk out the night, but he was already at the place. Looking at the door, he noticed that the doors were slightly open. He tilted his head as he walked forward. He knew that no one should enter this place to respect the dead. Leaf stopped for a few seconds, he began to think. Why would others break into this place? Did someone jump on his death place?. He noticed that it was dark, he went through his pocket, but immediately stopped even if he had his phone he should respect the dead. He figured that this trip was such a waste of time. He turned away from the door as he walked back to his dorms, but he failed to notice that at least 5 eyes were starring at him.
Outside the Cherryton academy walls, a car was speeding to its destination. Two figures were sitting at the back of the car, and a single mammal was sitting at the front seat right next to the driver. Two males, one is a series looking antelope while the other is a Doberman The other one is a female goat with her left arm missing, and she was just simply looking out the window listening to the other two talking. She was not impressed by the conversation they were having, she didn't even know why she was here, to begin with. The antelope dragged his fiance outside the country just for some business. She sighed, the goat looked at her phone. She was really focused on her phone, that she didn't hear her name being called. When she was being called a second time, she looked at the antelope.''Yeah, what is it?''
''I've been trying to get your attention, but you've been ignoring me. Is there something on your mind?''The antelope asked, but his lizard friend just snorted trying to suppress his laugh. The antelope gave his friend the stink eye.''Is something the matter, Aro?''
''Oh, just have a feeling that your fiance is thinking about why you dragged her here.''The Doberman named 'Aro' replied. The antelope sighed.''Personality, I don't mind being dragged out of the city. But the fact that you didn't explain why we are going all the way out here, doesn't add much.''
''I told you, I am here for an important business that father assigned me to.''The antelope looked at the road straight ahead as he continued.''If I were to take over my father's company, I need to know the necessities. I do not want to take over ill-prepared.''He said as he redoes his tie.
''And we are missing a few weeks of school? I don't know why your dad trusts you with this, and how he managed this.''Aro replied.
''Father has his ways, now back to my concerns. Allison are you alright?''The antelope asked, he stared at the rearview mirror, gazing directly at the goat named 'Allison'.
''Yeah, I'm fine Clovis. I just wanted to know why you were dragging me.''Allison replied, even though she might know the reason.
''I simply don't want you to be alone, you are my fiance. There is also the possibility of you being kidnapped. You do remember the day, correct? How you lost your left arm by that good for nothing of a wolf?''Allison didn't commit, she remembered clear and say how her arms were ripped off, her best friend ripped her arms of due to his carnivore side taking over. He didn't want anyone kidnapping her, she understood his reasons, but he's being way too pessimistic about this.
''I understand...''She muttered. She looked back at her phone, and it contains a picture. It was her, and an arctic wolf smiling. She smiled as she saw how happy she was in the picture.''I wish I could see you, but I don't know if we will ever see each other...''
''Did you say something?''Aro replied as he tilted his head.
Allison shook her head.''No, I was just thinking it out loud.''The canine stared at her, but shrugged as he turned toward his window, watching the pedestrian crossing the road. She turned to her window looking at the multiple building that they were passing.
''Leaf...Why won't you answer me...?''
At this moment, in this quiet night
I drive the car aimlessly
You are sitting on my left side
Where your profile is illuminated by the moon
But, as we talk and our words weave together
Like we're searching and walking down the memory lane
Without being able to help it, the memories
Of those days come rushing out
Ever since the day, I decided to live with you
Bit by bit, the world began to change
Back then, like I was strong, like I was hiding my weakness
I performed a persona
Up until one day, your gaze as you looked past my mask
Taught me something that I'd never known
By just something that I want to protect
I'll become that much stronger...
A/N: After such a long time! I welcome you to Arc! I kept this much shorter, than the episode on season 2. I'll be having Leaf shine his moments in this Arc, I can't promise that I can post every Friday or Saturday, it might be at random. These past years have been very busy, so I hope you could respect it and wait for the next episode whether it would take weeks to finish.
I hope you enjoy it! Sorry for the long wait.
TheAuraWolf :)
