Chapter 32 - Grit Your Teeth and Bear It: Part 2

The couple woke up for the first time next to one another. Bill first, surprisingly. Even so, he took the time to rub his boyfriend's body and curl his fingers in his wool. He had no desire to eat him, which made him feel relieved. Plus, he didn't eat him in the night, which was also wonderful.

Pina's hands and foot rubbed all over the big mass of a tiger that was holding him as he was roused into a half-asleep state. He mumbled nonsense while he tried to drift back into slumber. It was the best sleep he had gotten in a while.

Bill kissed his neck and back, rubbing down to his thigh, softly. "Babe..."

Roused once again, Pina's limbs flailed, his right leg stump hitting uselessly against one of his legs.

The tiger shook him. "Wake up..."

"Mmm, nah." His boyfriend batted his hand away.

"Come on..." Bill whined. "I wanna look at you."

Pina turned over and peeled his eyes open slightly, glaring. "You can look at me while 'm sleepin'..."

"Not your face. My favorite part."

The sheep snorted. "You wanna see my ass? Why do I have to be awake for that?"

"No, your face is my favorite part. I meant I can't see it if you're turned around."

"But...you said not my face..."

"You're getting confused, shut up..."

"Cuz I'm sleep deprived." Pina rolled onto his stomach and hugged the pillow with his chin rested on top of it.

Bill rubbed his back muscles. "Deprived?"

"...Well, that was a really nice sleep. Like, really really nice. Super good." Pina's tail swished back and forth happily.

"It was. I didn't have any nightmares this time!"

The dall sheep looked over at him in concern. "You have nightmares a lot?"

"Uh, what? No...Nevermind, just get up."

Pina groaned and stretched, kicking Bill slightly as he did so. "Oh yeah, we're gonna try to visit the ol' leg eater today. See if he's eaten any more legs."

"Uh, yeah...He probably hasn't, though."

"Maybe they give him little gummies shaped like legs. But the gummies are strawberry flavor instead of blood flavor." Pina seemed amused at his own jokes as he swung his legs over the bed. "Wait, no, it'd be honey flavor for him."

"I never liked honey," Bill said, keeping a hand on his back. "You look pretty in the morning."

The unkempt animal looked down at himself, trying to think of something witty to say. Instead, he recalled their conversation last night before they fell asleep. "And that's another reason why I know you really love me. You can appreciate me before I'm all made up."

"I can appreciate you at any time of the day. I'm a Pina lover, 24/7."

"Gonna start a Pina fanclub?" he smirked.

Bill chuckled. "Maybe. No one could stop me."

Pina suddenly jumped up, falling back down on the account of having only one leg. "Oh my god! I totally forgot that some crazy girl actually started a fanclub for me! It soon became a hateclub filled with my exes, but...WOW, I completely forgot about that." Pina laughed and held his head as the sun from the window illuminated his soft wool.

"Weird..." Bill blinked, looking at his stump. "I didn't know that prosthetics could be detachable, cause nerves and stuff..."

Pina gawked at him. "You...Did you think my leg was an actual robot leg?"

"W-well, yeah!"

"I even mentioned it was detachable at my parents!" The sheep laughed more. "You didn't see me take it off last night?"

"I know, but it's still weird. Science and shit, blegh."

"It's literally just like, a hunk of plastic and metal I strap to it. The ankle moves and that's about it." The herbivore held his stump up for Bill to see. "So, you never really seen this yet? All healed up?"

The tiger looked down at it. "Well...You definitely need to flaunt it to Riz. Show him you're still alive and going strong."

"Heh, don't know if the guards will like that. Speaking of leg, where is leg?" Pina scanned the ground. "I forgot where I laid it."

"Did you name it?"

"Leg." Pina crawled to the other side of the bed, looking down.

"Just leg? Hm...what about Kai? It would be so funny if both Kais were in the room and you were talking about your leg and..."

"Oh my god that would be funny," his mate agreed. "We need to all get together again sometime soon, seriously."

"Yeah. Okay, grab Kai and put him on, and let's get the day started. Some tough stuff ahead. I mean, we don't even know where he is."

"Eh, someone should." Pina flumped to the ground and reached underneath the bed, pulling his leg out from under it. He popped back up and cradled it, giving it kisses. "Bill, does this turn you on?"

"No? Fuck off."

"But I'm making out with one of our friends!"

"It's not the saaame."

Pina stopped kissing his leg and strapped it on. The two of them got dressed after. "Alright, so who do you think would know where Riz ended up?" he asked.

"I literally have no idea."

Bill scratched his cheek. "Maybe...Legosi and Louis no someone? But who..."

"They don't know everything." Pina thought for a moment. "But...I know someone who does know everything."

The feline blinked. "What kind of animal knows everything?"

The sheep held his finger up. "Kai!"

"Your leg?"

"No, the flesh and bone one. Fucker's got an encyclopedic knowledge when it comes to things that aren't his business." Pina grinned evilly.

"But do you think he'd know, honestly?"

Pina's phone was already pulled out. "Worth a shot." After a few rings, a very grumpy voice answered. "Mnngh, Pina...what the fuck?"

"Heyy, Kai! Good morning!" the herbivore greeted in a singsong voice.

"...Shouldn't be morning cuz it's a Sunday...should still be sleeping..."

"You can go back to bed after you tell me something. Do you know where Riz went to jail?"

There was a pause and an audible yawn from the mongoose. "Yeah, why?"

"I knew it! I want to visit him. Tell me where it is."

"He's at the Large Breed Carnivore Juvenile Detention Center. Just zoozle that and you'll get the address."

Bill was already on it, typing in the name on his phone and repeating it slowly as he did so.

"Kay. Thanks a bunch, Kai! We all need to get together soon."

"Oh, have you guys been in touch with Legosi and Louis?" Kai's voice seemed to pick up in interest.

"Yeah. We should all coordinate something sometime."

"Yeah. I'll ask Dom if he has any plans or ideas." The mongoose paused for a second, thinking. "Do I wanna know why you want to visit Riz?"

"Just feel like it'll give me some closure, that's all."

"...Okay, well, I'm going back to sleep."

"Sweet dreams~"

"Yeah, yeah."

Bill held up his phone and wiggled it. "Got it~"

"Thanks, babe. We probably have to call ahead and set something up. It's not gonna be like visiting a patient in a hospital." Pina squinted at the phone screen, trying to find a number.

"Oh, here," the tiger handed him the phone. "I trust you with my phone, unlike your exes, I assume."

Pina paused. "So...you don't trust my exes with your phone?"

"I meant your exes probably didn't trust you with their phone. No, wait. I mean you probably didn't trust your exes with their phone. No, wait! I mean! Your exes probably didn't trust you with your phone!"

The woolly animal waved his hand. "All of the above." He smiled at his boyfriend's blundering nonetheless.

"Mine never trusted me," Bill frowned. "I think they always thought I was cheating or something. This one girl talked about how I was only focused on pleasing myself during sex and that made her feel empty and sad. Women are so tough..."

"Glad ya switched over?" Pina nudged his side.

"Only cause it's you, probably."

It was a mixture of anticipation and fear that Pina felt as he was lead into the room where he would see the animal that ate his leg again. Bill had stayed behind, as he said he would, but the sheep found himself craving the company of his boyfriend at that moment.

"He hasn't gotten any visitors yet, although most of the animals here don't. I don't think I've ever seen a herbivore here either." The guard eyed him with a glint of suspicion.

Pina smiled at him and lifted his right pant leg. "I'm his third victim. Just thought I'd let him know how I'm doing."

The guard stared wide-eyed and nodded. "Well, we've already restrained him, knowing a herbivore was visiting, and he'll be behind a thick wall with plexiglass. We'll take him away if he starts getting agitated, but I don't believe that will be the case. Riz has been mostly docile since he got here, and due to his vocal cords being damaged, he's unable to speak."

"Oh." Well, that'd make this easier. Part of Pina was anxious that hearing his voice again would trigger something in him.

"Alright. I'll let you in now."

The room Pina entered was cold and sterile. A chair sat in front of him, and in front of that was, as the guard described, a wall with a square bit of plexiglass. And on the other side sat a brown bear, who's expression barely even registered the sheep's entrance.

The dall sheep stared at Riz, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he did so. He ignored it and walked forward to take a seat. He stared at his predator, trying to dig past the blank look on his face. His fur was a bit messy but still clean. He looked a lot better than he did the night of the incident, that was for sure. He held his head in a way that Pina couldn't see his neck, but he imagined a visible scar would be there. It was hard to think Bill did that.

Pina eventually lifted his right leg up and pulled his pant leg down, revealing the metal and plastic to the bear. "Got a new leg. Still miss my old one, but I have a feeling you don't wanna give it back to me." He gave a smile, oddly wishing to get a similar reaction from the bear. Riz remained deadpan. The herbivore didn't get to know him too well at club, but he did remember he tended to be jovial on most days.

He cleared his throat. "You're probably wondering why I'm here. Well, I figure it was something I had to do. As an herbivore. I needed to see you again."

Riz shifted slightly, but otherwise remained still.

Pina pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Bill's waiting outside. I think he was too mad to come in. I don't blame him."

The ursid looked to the side.

"So...three predation incidents and two of them ended in death." Pina crossed his legs and sat back. "Guess you're not getting out of here ever. I'd say it serves you right, but I get the feeling you wouldn't have it any other way."

Riz continued to look away.

"You know, I was ready to come in here and rub in your face how I survived, and you were stuck in here and I still got to live my life out in the world, but seeing you..." The sheep sighed. "Guess I have a heart, after all. And I guess you do, too. Bill told me about the things you said. How you deluded yourself into thinking predation was the natural way things should be between carnivores and herbivores...but in reality, you just wanted to be Tem's friend."

At the alpaca's mention, the bear visibly stiffened.

"Sometimes, I wonder what the carnivore that ate my little brother is doing now. Did he end up going to jail, too? Or is he still walking the streets?"

Riz turned to Pina finally after he said that, eyes wide.

"I kept trying to compare the two of you...hell, I've tried to hate carnivores ever since that happened, but I realize you're all just animals, too. You're all going through your own struggles. I wish we could all just learn to coexist properly." He chuckled.

"Guess that's what me and Bill are trying out. Learning first hand how carnivores and herbivores can be together. I feel like it's our generation that's really going to find out how to do that."

He gazed sadly at the bear. "I wish you could have gotten help before you did what you did. I wish I could have met Tem and I wish Els were still here." A pause. "I wish you were still here, too. I know we never talked much, but the drama club appreciated you." Pina felt his eyes grow wet. Woah now, back it up. He stopped talking after that, simply watching Riz, who blinked away some moisture in his own eyes.

Finally, the sheep cleared his throat. "Well, that's it, I guess. I don't know what else to say since you can't talk and I wanted to keep this short." He stood up and motioned to the guard that he was done. "So long, Riz. Maybe we'll meet again...someday."

The bear simply nodded while the guard escorted the sheep out.

Bill yawned as he waited outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He wanted to go in and give Riz a piece of his mind, but...he had really thought about killing him and that still haunted him. His nightmares and his dreams, which then became nightmares. There was no escaping how guilty he felt and he didn't understand. Riz fucking deserved it! He brushed the fur on his head back, grunting.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, tearing him from his thoughts as he turned to face his wooly boyfriend. "Heya. How did it go? What did he say?"

Pina nuzzled his nose into Bill's shoulder. "He said nothing because you tore his vocal cords."

"...Oh."

"Well!" Pina exclaimed, walking off and swinging his arms enthusiastically. "Now that that's done, the day is ours until we have to go back to school! C'mon!"

Bill looked to the door, frowning. "..."