Christian's P.O.V.-
I must have blacked out on the pavement because the next thing I remember, I was waking up. I wasn't outside, however. I don't know where I am. It seemed like a basement, the room was so dark and constructed out of bricks. I wanted to rub my eyes and sit, but that's when I found that my hands were handcuffed behind my back. That's when the panic really set in. I woke up immediately and tried to wiggle out of my bondage. No such luck. The better look I get that the place, the more I grasped… oh, this is a jail cell. A jail cell?! Wait, I'm in jail?!
"You're awake, are you?" My head instantly shot over to this adult panda in a police uniform coming up to me. When I backed up afraid, he paused to lift up his hand. "Calm down, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya." "W-where…. am I?" But I feared I already knew. "In a holding cell. I've been assigned to your case to see if you're stable enough to release." "R-release?" My voice was shaky as all hell. "A minor in the black market; can't say that's a new one," he took a seat opposite me. "D-did you….. arrest me?" "No. I picked you up before you could be arrested by PDR. I'm an undercover cop assigned with monitoring the black market during peek hours." Should… should he be telling me this? I mean, course I won't tell anyone but how would he know that? As if to be reading my mind, he chuckled lowly. "Don't worry, kid. Everyone around here knows who I am. I have quite a reputation in these parts." Then his face grew serious. "Alright, listen up. I'm going to remove your handcuffs under the condition that you understand that you are not to show me any animosity or bare your fangs at me. Understand?" I nodded without thinking. He believed me as he proceeded to set me free.
After the cuffs were off, he brought me into a much nicer room on the other side of the cell door. This one had flowery wallpaper, calming incenses, and gentle ocean sounds. "Sit," he offered me what was akin to a bean bag cushion. I did as I was told, and he poured me a cup of tea. "Thanks," I grabbed it. "So, you didn't eat an herbivore, then?" "H-how do you….?" "I'm not blind, boy. You think I'd consider setting you free if you had? On top of which, you're a minor. I'm not into destroying kids' futures," he sat down opposite me on the other side of the low coffee table. "Oh…." My eyes lowered, while his sharpened.
"But you have almost ate one before." This made me perk up in alarm, but he kept his stare firm. "Blacking out in the black market- can only mean one thing. The scent of whatever animal you tried to kill set your mind off the deep end. Your guilt was overwhelming, was it not?" Wow, talk about perceptive; and here I thought us wolves were good at that. He chuckled again, leaning back in his seat now. "You're not the first. Carnivores like you put on a mask, trying to hide your true nature not only from the rest of the world but yourself." "I… know I need to tell her one day…." I admitted. His eyebrow lifted at this.
"Her? You mean you're still in contact with the girl you almost ate? What's going through your head when you're interacting with her? You fantasizing about what she tastes like while you talk to her? Or… are you waiting for the perfect time to eat her?" This panda's upsetting me, I had to hold back a growl. "Never. I won't ever attack her again. Not her or anyone." "Oh? You sound so sure but beneath it all, you carnivores are the same." "No, we're not. I'm not like that." "Really? What makes you so different? That's why the black market exists in the first place, boy. But I will tell you that most of the meat there is being sold by hospitals and funeral homes- most. Some just appears but no one asks questions. So, it's not like it's legal but it's better than you carnivores killing someone yourselves."
I watched him for a second, mulling over what he just said. He's framing this practice as a necessary evil- the bastard. Once again, he had the power of mind-reading and sighed. "Look, kid; I'm not saying this to hurt you. I've seen hundreds of carnivores lose their minds over this sort of thing. There are those who can't forget the taste of meat and crave it so badly that they bite off their own arms. They lose all their hair from stress, and some practice self-harm and self-loathing," his eyes then locked onto mine before he continued. "Did you know, that there are even those who have loved an herbivore so much, they ended up eating them?" What? My eyes widened in surprise and distress. They….. ate their loved ones? How is that even possible? I can't even fathom…
"Tell me, wolf. This girl- did you imprint on her?" "I-Imprint? I… I don't know," I gazed down a bit embarrassed for some reason. His stare intensified on me. "You wouldn't; it's a subconscious process. While there's no equivalent for us other animals, you could call it something like unconscious "love at first sight"." Love at first sight? I peered up to him the tiniest bit curious. His arms folded. "Once a wolf imprints on a female, there are no others; wolves mate for life, I'm sure you're aware." "Y-yes, I know that…." He then watched me for a long, long minute, clasping his hands in front of his mouth in a considering fashion.
"I bet you didn't imprint on her. There's only five recorded cases in history where alphas have imprinted on herbivores; it's extraordinarily rare." This caught my whole attention. So… it can happen, then? A carnivore can imprint on an herbivore? Why does this make me suddenly so happy? "Uh, h-how would I know if I imprinted on… er, anyone? Will I ever know?" He didn't answer right away, looking as if he was contemplating what to say next to me. "You won't know for a while, but soon it'll become clear. She'll be the centre of your world, and there'll be nothing you can do about it. But I wouldn't get your hopes up for that herbivore, boy. You wouldn't want to imprint on someone like her anyway." Oh yes; yes, I would.
The panda observed me for a moment longer before nodded to himself. "Alright, I see you're a worthy cause. I'll take you on as my patient and help you through this." My back immediately straightened up. "N-no, thanks. I can deal with this on my own," my hand rose up into the air. "Clearly. You're young and still have a long way to go; you need someone to help you along the way, boy." "I'm not anyone's patient!" "That's what they all say," he calmly retorted. "You….. you're making me sound like a goddamn monster," I felt my anger flare up again. "Aren't you? You almost killed an innocent girl, after all." "Ah, what do you know about me?! I'm slowly but steadily becoming friends with her. That's all I want!" "No, it's not." "Yes, it is! How would you know….?!" "Shut up, you little brat!" The panda abruptly stood up out of his chair. I'll be honest, his size and strength did intimidate me a little, and I bet he knew it.
"Would you give it rest? I'm sure you really do want to get along with her, but that's just your intellect speaking." For some reason, I pictured holding Anastasia in my arms that horrid night right then. "It's your instinct, your desire to devour her alive, camouflaging itself." I remember reaching my hands out to grab her; her soft, soft body… "Listen to me. The romantic feelings you have are just warped hunting instincts. Wolfs mate with other carnivores; that's the law of nature. What's going on with you is the most dangerous kind there is." Her pink, perfect, delicious scent filling my lungs, caressing every part of me…. "Now is the time to give her up. You did not imprint on her, and even if you did, you should love her enough to leave her alone. Stop involving yourself with her while you still can." That sinister voice inside my head telling me to eat her….
Without warning, I stood up and turned towards the door. The panda folded his arms and let out a huff. "I swear, you kids….You've fallen in love with the wrong girl, boy." "I… really don't understand it myself," I freely confessed. "Wolf, I'm telling you…." He started but I cut him off. "Can I go back to school now? I need to find my friends." A pregnant pause in the room. "Fine, but before you go…." I watched as he went over to the dresser to pull something out. Then he brought it over to me. My eyes grew dumbfounded at the sight of a lamb porno magazine being held up in front of me.
"Go on and test yourself." "T-test…?!" Test what?! What am I supposed to do with that?! "Sorry, but I'm serious. Go home and try it out. If this magazine does anything for you, you're just a boy with an odd fetish." Ew….. My eyebrow twitched in revulsion. "It'll be so much better if it is just a fetish." EW! "I don't want that! I don't want to see anyone's body but he-…."
The panda lowered that… that thing, simply staring at me with a concerned expression. "This is bad. You really got it in for her. Ok, boy; you can go now, but take this with you." And throw it in the next trash can I see? Will do! The panda kept a grave look on his face. "If you keep obsessing over that lamb, it won't end pretty." "Thanks for the advice. I'm going now," I angrily snatched the magazine and turned to exit. But before I could, he got one last line in.
"I hope for your sake you did not imprint on her. You'll likely kill yourself, after you're finished eating her."