Chapter 19 - The Art of Saving Someone

Back at the Hidden Condo, Legosi stared blankly at the Call Ended screen on his phone. Had he upset Louis? Did he think he had gone too far in hurting himself? He didn't want to. He just hurt so bad. Did Louis understand? What was Louis thinking? What happened?

Legosi sat up quickly, dizzy. He looked back down at the futon, which had some blood on it from his second bout of self-harm, despite his attempts to bandage it properly. He felt that same, nebulous pain again. The same pain he felt he could only remedy with his claws. He pressed his hands against his head. No, he couldn't. Two times was enough. Two times was enough. Louis got so upset at hearing about it he ended their conversation. He had to stay strong. For Louis. He had to stay.

Louis kept his mind blank as he sat on the train, keeping focused on the task at hand. He didn't check his phone, he didn't make any noise. He just waited. The only thing he could think about was how hard his heart was pounding.

Eventually, he arrived at the train station and got off, rushing out quickly, speed walking all the way to the Hidden Condo, past the surprised receptionist, up the stairs to the door of 504, where he knew it would be unlocked. He wasted no time thrusting it open and rushing inside.

Of course, Legosi was there, but he looked totally different than he had ever seen him. He looked thinner, his fur dirty and matted to his body, as he was standing atop the blood-stained futon wearing only his underwear. Long gashes ran down each of his arms, and Louis was positive those were not scars he received from Riz. Startled by the noise, Legosi jumped, looking up with frightened eyes. He had his claws to his chest, and his arms were shaking. It looked like he was trying to hold himself back.

The deer ran forward. "What are you doing to yourself?!"

Legosi didn't move, staring at the deer rushing forward. Was it Louis? Or was it his mind again? His scent hit him, overpowering his mind, causing his eyes to flutter. "L-Lou..." His large knees began to buckle.

Louis was then in front of him, grabbing his hand and holding it up, looking at the claws. "Why are you doing this?!"

Legosi couldn't speak. His mouth was too dry. His legs finally gave out, causing his large form to crumple onto the futon.

The buck was by his side. "Legosi!"

"Lou," he croaked. He reached to weakly grasp at the deer's torso. "I-is that you…?"

"Yes, you dumb wolf!" He panted, hurt in his eyes. "What's happening to you!"

Legosi choked, crawling into the deer's lap the best he could and burying his face in his shirt. He let out a long, sorrowful howl, clutching onto him for dear life.

Louis pulled out his phone. "I need to call someone about this. You...need help, too."

"Lou! Lou don't leave! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!" The wolf continued to wail and cry. His tail didn't seem to be able to decide to wag or droop between his legs.

"I'm not leaving you, Legosi! I'm going to get you help...After all, this is all my fault. All of it." He wiped his nose and dialed the emergency dispatcher.

"Hello, do you need a fire truck, police, or ambulance?" The dispatcher asked.

Louis looked down at Legosi's shaking form in his lap. "I need an ambulance. Someone I know is mentally unstable to the point of self-harming..." He tried to hold back the tears.

The dispatcher stayed calm. "Give me your name and address, hon." Louis gave out the info.

"Alright. Can you tell me the name and species of the animal that has the emergency?"

"Legosi and he's a grey wolf."

"Alright, we're sending paramedics out there. Stay calm and make sure he isn't left alone. Do you need anything else?"

"No. That will be all," Louis said. "Thank you." The dispatcher hung up and the deer looked down at his former mate, shaking and in pain on his lap. "Someone is coming. You'll be okay."

Legosi finally looked up at him, tears and snot streaming down his face. "W-why? Let's j-just stay here."

"...I've heard of animals cutting before, Legosi, but you've completely clawed up your arms...I came in and you collapsed! That's not good! I can't just leave it like this...I'm not fit to deal with it on my own."

Legosi pushed his face farther into Louis' chest. "They'll take you away from me!"

"No, they won't. You're just someone I know to them. And I'm not wearing my engagement ring so at most I'm a friend."

"B-but they'll take me away to a hospital and you can't come with me." Despite the wolf's worries, it seemed as if he were calming down at least a little bit, most likely thanks to Louis' presence.

"Only for a few days," the buck explained, as soft as he could. "And I'll come see you."

"N-no! W-what if you leave me there and don't come back? I can't do that, Lou! I just can't!"

"What? I'm not going to just leave you there! No matter what, I'll wait in that place full of carnivores to see you, no matter how much they hate me."

Legosi whimpered. "Wh-what if they screw up my brain? What if they go in and try to fix me? What if they try to make me not love you anymore?" He was rambling, now.

"They don't even know you love me." Louis looked down into his eyes and stroked his cheek, gently. "Even if this is all my fault and I feel absolutely horrible...Right now, you need help. Help I can't give you. It will only be a few days. You can handle that, right?"

The canine took deep, desperate breaths. His eyes were wide in fear. "Wh-where will you be when I get out?"

"I'll be here, waiting." He moved his hand down to his stomach, rubbing in circles gently, his other hand going to his ears. "Everybody needs help, sometimes. Usually, you need to make the choice yourself, but sometimes the choice has to be made for you. They're probably just going to clip your claws and make sure you're okay. That's all."

Legosi's breathing slowed, pushing up into the feeling of the deer's hands. "I'm...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did this to myself..."

"I'm sorry I did this to you," Louis closed his eyes as he thought for a moment. "For being a terrible mate to you."

"I told you. I'll always forgive you." The canine reached up and traced a claw on his cheek.

The buck looked back down. "I'm sorry. I'll never do something as foolish as this again. I was just...blinded."

The wolf said nothing, instead bringing his large hand behind the deer's neck and pulling down softly, bringing their mouths together.

Louis had needed that. He let the feeling wash over him. This was his wolf, no matter what. Any other animal would have abandoned him by that point. Yet, Legosi cared about him so much he...Harmed himself. God, why was he such an idiot to let this happen?!

They kissed and held onto each other silently until they heard sirens outside. Legosi gripped Louis a bit harder at the noise.

"It's okay," Louis kissed his palm. "It's time."

The sirens went quiet. Then the sounds of loud footsteps coming up the stairwell rumbled throughout the old building. Legosi shook and held on tighter as the footsteps were heard down the hall, coming closer and closer to their room at the end.

Louis closed his eyes one more time before they arrived. This was...a lot. Voices were soon heard outside the room.

"This is the right room, yeah?"

"Caller said 504. Positive."

"Hey in there! Is the door unlocked?"

Louis let go of Legosi as the wolf sat up and he moved back. "Yes! Come in!"

Two wolves stepped in, a third waiting outside with what looked like a gurney. They froze when they saw Louis. "Get back, sir! Get away from him!" Their voices were panicked, although it was clear they were trying to stay calm.

Legosi's ears folded back as he crawled forward, clinging to Louis's leg.

Louis looked down at him. "Come on, Legosi. It's time to go." He looked to the paramedics. "He's just a little nervous, that's all."

They looked at each other and back at the deer. One of them held his hands out, approaching slowly. "Hey, it's alright. When did you find him like this? Are you his neighbor?"

While the first one spoke, the other was walking around the other side of the table, reaching into his bag.

"Yes I am. I heard some noises coming from here and I got worried and so I came to check on him. Luckily, he leaves his door unlocked," Louis explained.

"Okay." The paramedic turned to look at Legosi. "Hey, buddy. Easy. Let go of the deer, okay?"

Legosi shook his head, and the paramedic motioned for the other wolf to move faster.

"I know what's going on, alright? I know what your instincts are telling you, and that's why you're scratching yourself. You don't want to hurt your neighbor." He took another step forward, causing Legosi's fur to rise up. He lifted his lips and growled.

Louis squatted down. "Legosi. Go."

"Sir!"

The other wolf that was sneaking up from behind lunged, grabbing Legosi from behind and putting him in a headlock. The young wolf yelped, grasping desperately in front of him for Louis. "NO! LET ME GO! LET ME MPHGH!"

In a flash, a muzzle was slipped around Legosi's mouth, the other wolf still holding him. "Shh shhh. Easy buddy. Easy."

The wolf that was talking to Louis quickly came in with restraints, clasping Legosi's hands together.

Louis watched the whole thing in horror. "Please be careful with him...From what I know, he's sensitive."

The two paramedics continued their work, the one that handcuffed him looking the other in the eyes. "Tranquilize. Tranquilize."

The other one nodded, pulling out a syringe from his pack and sticking it in Legosi's neck before moving up to stroke his ears. "There, there. Shh, shhhhhh."

Legosi continued to struggle, but between being restrained and the drug now in his system, his movements started to slow. His sleepy eyes looked up at Louis. He looked so sad.

"Wow, he's a big one, aye Dent?"

"For sure. Most wolves would be knocked out by now..."

Louis looked at Legosi with a pained gaze. I'm sorry.

Legosi's eyes fluttered, but never fully closed. He was, however, too weak to move. The paramedics took this as a sign to proceed. The other wolf from the hallway was called in, and she helped carry Legosi out to the gurney with the help of the other paramedic. The first one that had talked with Louis stayed, taking out a notepad and pen. "So, you're the one that called, correct?"

"I am, sir." Louis rubbed his arm.

"Your name was Louis, correct?"

"It is."

"And that was Legosi?"

"It is."

He scribbled in his notepad. "Yeah, sorry you had to see that. Wolves can get...intense. We're just glad we sedated him before it got bad."

"..."

"How long have you known the patient?"

"Over a week. He just moved in."

"I see. What's his personality and temperament, from what you've seen?"

"He's shy and keeps to himself, but he's actually really nice. Please be careful with him..."

"Did you get to know him? Are you friends?"

"Not really."

"Mhm. Now, was this in any other part of the city I'd gloss this over, but we're basically on top of the Black Market. I think it's likely that Legosi had his first bout with meat and couldn't handle it. It would explain the self-harming and him claiming you as his." He wrote a few more notes.

"...Okay."

The paramedic sniffed the air. "Yeesh, it reeks in here. Might want to open a window. We'll let staff know they should clean up here." He moved over to the futon, noting the dried blood. He flipped it over, revealing an even larger stain underneath. "Jeez...this is probably a few days old by now."

Louis felt sick at the sight. "...I think I'm going to go back to my room."

"Understandable. Thank you for being so brave, sir. I don't think I've ever seen an herbivore act so calm like that around a meat-hungry carnivore."

"You're welcome. Take good care of him." He moved past the paramedics and the gurney, getting one last glance at Legosi as he walked out, down the hall and disappearing behind a corner where he proceeded to slide down the wall and sit, waiting.

A bit later, when he was sure they were gone (hearing the ambulance drive off), he got up and went back into the room, thankful it was still unlocked, which must have been an oversight by the paramedics.

Nonetheless, he went inside, looking around, knowing he had to clean...But first, he went to his suitcase, kneeling down and unzipping it, going to the pouch that held a small baggie in it that was given to him by the herbivore hospital. It held his engagement ring, which he took out and slipped back on his finger, where it belonged.