Chapter 15
The sun was getting ready to set as dinnertime rolled around. Many students walked briskly towards the cafeteria, but then immediately slowed their pace as they passed a young lion sitting alone on some stairs by the entrance of the school gym.
No one would've paid any mind if it were any other animal, but the sight of a large, muscular, half-naked feline hugging his knees while sobbing quietly was too outlandish not to gape at.
Rob was too busy cursing himself between gasps to take notice of the stares, however.
"...Nngk—! D-dangit…! What's…w-wrong with—Gasp!—m-me…!?"
It was already frustrating wrestling with those images of death that were constantly intruding in his thoughts whether he's awake or asleep. It was also embarrassing seeing himself always falling apart at the sight of a single drop of blood. He was handling his phobia pretty well prior to Tem's murder, thanks to his therapist's guidance, but it has now become more intense than ever.
The young lion had enough to deal with, but now he has that unfamiliar "rage" that flared up out of nowhere to contend with, too?
Just what in the world was that? In that split second, it was like someone else had completely taken him over. If he hadn't held back at that final moment, Joe would have…
Rob shook his head, not wanting to even entertain that thought.
"...R-Rob? Are you okay?"
He suddenly raised his head in response to a deep, familiar voice belonging to a worried grey wolf, whose hand was reaching out slightly. Peeking from behind him was another canine—a golden Labrador with brown eyes looking at the young carnivore in wonder and amazement.
"L…Legoshi…" Rob mumbled.
"Um, did something…happen? A-are you hurt?"
"I-I…" Rob's bottom lip quivered again as a new stream of tears ran down his face. "I… j-just—unngh—!"
The two canines flinched as the young lion began sobbing once again.
"Oh…! Sh-shoot, uh…where—um…!" Legoshi stammered as he patted himself down. "H-handkerchief, handker… Um, Jack? Do you—?"
"Huh…? O-oh, yeah! I got one!" the retriever responded, frantically reaching into his pocket and pulling out a light-blue cloth.
After Jack handed the handkerchief to his companion, Legoshi tentatively offered it to Rob. Sniffling, the distressed lion took the cloth and proceeded wiping his eyes and nose.
It took about another minute before he sufficiently calmed himself down, but the wolf and dog waited patiently, albeit with nervous glances and slight fidgeting.
"*sniff*...I-I'm okay…n-now. Th-thank you. And…s-sorry…"
"N-no, it's okay…You don't have to apologize."
"...You're name's Rob, right?"
Rob turned to the Labrador. "Y-yes, that's right, u-umm…"
"I'm Jack," he said, pointing to himself with a grin. "Legoshi's been telling me about you."
"Oh…"
Jack walked up a little closer to Rob and bent down slightly. "Rough day?"
"Mmm…y-yeah *sniff* kind of…"
"Hmm. Y'know, if it'd make you feel better, you can talk it over with us? We're all ears. Right?"
The slender wolf stared back a little at his friend and quickly nodded.
"Oh, n-no, I don't w-want t—want to trouble you," Rob replied, quickly drying off the rest of his face. Y-you two were…heading s-somewhere else, r-right?"
"Eh, we got time. It's still pretty early." Jack then proceeded to sit next to the young lion, looking up at him with a gentle smile.
Rob remembered learning that dogs originally were bred for intelligence, as well as for greater degrees of friendliness. Was that why Jack seemed so eager to lend an ear? It was still quite unusual to see an animal that barely knew him so willing to treat him like an old friend.
Well, probably not all that unusual, as there was one herbivore that didn't fear him, either…
"W-well…" Rob put his hands upon his knees as Legoshi and Jack began listening intently. "I-I was s-sparring…with s-someone a little w-while ago…"
"Sparring, huh? So, you're into boxing?"
"A-actually, martial arts…"
"Ooh, so we got a real 'karate kid' here! Nice!" Jack exclaimed while making chopping motions.
Karate…Kid…? The young lion made a face as he turned to Legoshi, who shrugged, equally confused.
"...A-anyway, everything w-was normal. U-until…" Rob trailed off.
"...Something bad happened during the sparring match?" Jack asked after a short period of silence.
"...I-I…don't know h-how to describe it, b-but…he tried g-getting me to fight h-harder, saying th-that I was holding b-back, and then I-I…" The young lion slowly clasped his hands together, attempting to find the right words. "I s-started feeling...h-hot."
"...'Hot?'" The Labrador tilted his slightly, as did the grey wolf.
"It…f-felt like…my b-blood started burning…f-from deep i-inside m—inside my chest. I-it then got b-bigger and bigger…until m-my entire body was o-on fire…"
Legoshi winced, his ears shooting straight up as his eyes gradually grew larger.
"A-after that, i-it was like I c-couldn't control my b-body…anymore. L-like, there was s-someone—something—m-moving it for me."
The grey wolf let out a very small gasp, grabbing one hand that began to shake. Jack sat silently as he continued listening, but even his brow began to crease with concern.
"I d-didn't understand w-what was happening, b-but…" The young lion turned his palms face up as he gazed at his claws, which also began to quiver. "M-my hand…I-it lifted up on i-it's own…and…!"
Rob's mind immediately returned to that exact moment he was recounting, and his whole body started to quake with fear. "I-I was about t-t—about to—! I s-swear I—I didn't w-want—!"
Grasp!
A pair of hands with thin, grey fingers suddenly took hold of one of the lion's. He then raised his head to find himself looking at Legoshi's face. His brows were knitted tightly together while his dark-brown eyes brimmed with tears and profound sorrow.
The large canine didn't say a word, but Rob knew from his gaze exactly what he was trying to say: I know… I know…
Rob's lips pursed together and then he slowly wrapped his own claws around Legoshi's. Soon after, he brought them to his forehead and began crying once more, moaning softly.
"L…Legoshi…" Rob whimpered. "What d-do I do…? W-what happened…to m-m—?"
"—obbie…!"
All three animals' ears twitched from a voice calling from the entryway behind them. A few moments later, the trio saw a large bighorn ram jogging towards them until he halted at the top step, breathing heavily as he stooped down with hands on his knees.
"Haah…Hoo…! Man, I've been running up and down this place looking for you! And here you were—right outside the main door the whole tim—Hm?" Joe suddenly noticed the two canines as he stood back up.
"Oh, hi there! You two friends of Robbie's?"
"Woah…! Is everyone here ripped…?" Jack muttered aloud with his mouth hanging slightly open.
"...Oh, my bad. Am I…interrupting something?"
The two carnivores looked at one another and quickly retracted their hands.
"N-no, it's *sniff* n-nothing…" Rob hurriedly wiped his face with his forearm, with Legoshi doing the same.
"...Okaaaay. Anyway, about what happened back there: I, uh…" Joe began rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh…J-Joe, I…I-I'm really s-sorry," Rob said while casting his eyes downward. "I d-didn't to—to h-hurt—"
"Dude, I said I'm fine. Hard head, remember?" the ram said with an exasperated sigh.
"B-but…I—"
"Rrrgh, will you just quit it, already!? I'm the only one that needs to apologize here—not you!"
Everyone winced at Joe's sudden outburst.
"...S-sorry. That came out wrong," the bighorn said, turning his head in regret. "Listen, can't we just…talk about this?"
While Rob began nervously twiddling his fingers, Jack smiled softly as he stood up.
"Welp, I guess we'll leave you to it, then... It was really great getting to meetcha, Rob! We should totally get together again, sometime."
"O-oh…right. I-it was nice m-meeting you, t-too."
"Heh. Ready to get going, Legoshi?"
"...Hmm? Oh, y-yeah."
The two canines waved and gave a small bow to the other pair and Jack began walking away. Legoshi, however, lingered while gazing at the young lion.
He could see in the grey wolf's eyes how much he wished to remain and speak with him. Rob really wanted him to stay, too.
"Well, I…I guess I'll see tomorrow,"
Legoshi said. "Take care, Rob…"
"Mmm…Y-you, too."
With a slightly saddened smile, the canine sauntered to his Labrador companion who was awaiting him several yards away.
Rob watched them for a while as they made their way to the cafeteria, while also hearing Jack comment about needing to work out more while checking his arms.
"Those dogs seem pretty cool with you—that lanky one, especially," Joe remarked as he sat next to the feline.
"Yeah…"
The two remained silent for a short time after. Rob fidgeted a little while glancing sideways at the ram, who was wearing an atypically serious face.
"Okay...Might as well just say it," Joe finally exclaimed while turning his body towards the large carnivore. "I'm really sorry for pushing you over the edge like that."
Rob was little taken aback by Joe's deep bow. "U-um, hold on. Y-you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do. I was being stupid and selfish the whole time and never once thought about you felt, or if you even wanted to have an all-out fight. I guess…I got a little too excited fighting someone as strong as you."
"J-Joe…"
The young lion looked down at the floor, interlacing his fingers as he grasped his hands together.
"Y-you…you know I'm n-not that s-strong—a-at least when it c-comes to f-fighting."
"Heh, you're really selling yourself there, bud," Joe said after raising his head back up. "I saw how solid that stance of yours was. Even your form was perfect."
"Th-that's only because U-Uncle—I-I mean, your dad a-always told us to p-practice the b-basi—the basics every d-day…B-besides, you were th-the one with the u-upper hand back there. I-I could b-barely read you or l-land any good hits. Wh-wha—what was that, a-anyway?"
"Oh, just something I picked up from a kangaroo kickboxer I met a while ago."
So, it wasn't just the young imagination—Joe really did adopt some of the marsupials' fighting-style.
"It took me like a month to get used to the new footwork, though, but it looked like all that practice paid off. Real glad I got a chance to use it on a real opponent!" Joe exclaimed happily while punching into one hand.
Is he saying he needed someone to be his test dummy, Rob thought, frowning slightly.
"Um…B-But why did you d-decide to try a new f-fighting style?"
"Why not? If I'm gonna be the best, I can't be stuck doing the same old thing as everyone else," the ram answered matter-of-factly. "And I will reach the top, no matter what…"
Rob cocked his head slightly at Joe's declaration. "A-aren't you…already th-the best? Y-you won nationals th-three years in row s-since middle school—s-something they said h-hasn't been d-don—been done in y-years."
"...Hmph. Only because our opponents were a bunch of small fry and amateurs," the ram grumbled. "The matches always end too fast and I barely get a chance to really test myself. And I doubt I can get any real pros to fight me yet…"
The young lion was amazed. Even with all his talent and achievements under his belt, he still wasn't satisfied?
"Not enough…I still need to find…then maybe he'll finally…" The ram mumbled quietly as his brow knitted together and his fists tightening.
"Um, J-Joe…?" This was so unlike him. The ram would normally get excited when talking about B.M.A, but now…Rob wasn't sure he really liked this side of him.
"...Hm? Oh, sorry about that! Got a little lost in my own head there…"
And just like that, Joe was back to his usual, cheerful self.
"Anyway, let's put that whole sparring fiasco behind us. Whaddya say? You forgive me?"
The young lion blinked. "...Mm, y-yeah, I guess I d-do…"
"Thanks, Bro." Joe affectionately slapped Rob's back. After standing up, he stretched and twisted his large body, causing more passing animals to gawk.
"Phew! That last session really took it out of me. C'mon. Let's go hit the showers."
"O-okay…"
As the young lion got up on his feet, he suddenly noticed the moist handkerchief that was still in his hand.
Oh, I guess I better return this soon. He thought. I guess…I could give it to Legoshi after I wash it.
Legoshi…
He went through the same thing Rob did at one point, didn't he? Perhaps…he should ask him about it more.
"Hey, Robbie! You good?"
"Oh! Y-yeah. I'm c-coming." He hurriedly stuffed the blue cloth into his pocket and trotted up the entrance stairs where Joe was waiting.
…
Dusk had long since passed, and the library seemed much more tranquil with the darkness outside the windows. There were barely any sounds to be heard save the scribbling of pens, rustling pages from books, and the occasional quiet voices nearby.
It was certainly an ideal environment for Rob as he concentrated intently on his paper.
"...You almost done?"
"Y-yeah. In a m-minute…" The young hybrid was determined to get this literary analysis paper just right this time.
"*snrk!*"
"...Wh-what is it?" Rob briefly looked up at Maria, who had a closed hand over her mouth while stifling a chuckle.
"Hmhm, it's just kinda funny seeing you struggle with a three-page essay when you've done way more complicated research papers from your advanced science classes, and acing them."
The young carnivore groaned. "Th-that's only because…s-science is more st-straightforward. I j-just have t-t—have to gather the r-right facts and source materials a-and write them…d-down."
"Isn't that what you're doing right now: reading the story and giving a report about what you found?" Maria contended.
"Y-you already know it t-takes me forever to u-understand old F-Florian literature. I-it's hard enough t-trying to find the th-theme of th-the sto—the story w-without all the 'Th-Thee-Thine' speech…"
"...Well, good thing we're only assigned two or three this semester. Anyway, sorry for distracting you. Carry on."
The young lion sighed as he lowered his head once more. He really didn't see the point of literature class, as it isn't something med schools would actually care about. But it'll affect his overall grade if he does poorly, so he had no choice to grit his teeth and bear with it.
A few more minutes went by and Rob finished his paper, at long last. He then had Maria look it over to see if he made anymore mistakes this time around.
"Hmm…Looking good, so far…"
Rob wrung his hands nervously as he waited.
"Alright, I think you got!" the ewe exclaimed.
"Huuuunnnggh…! F-Finally!" The large feline slumped in his chair while allowing his head to flop back. Four grueling days of reading, re-reading, and analyzing that stupid poem finally paid off, and that was after tackling his civics paper.
"It's also great to see that you finally pick up on the fruit tree as a recurring symbol of the lovers' relationship."
"W-well, I did f-find it weird…it k-kept describing how it w-withered and g-grew healthy a-again whenever s-someth—something happened between th-them." The guy still died at the end, though.
Rob wondered why Florian stories always ended in the death of a main character. It felt like such a waste.
"Mmm-hmm. Everything looks great. Still kinda feels like I'm reading a science paper, but I'm sure you'll get a decent grade with this."
At this point, the young carnivore didn't care about the results as long as he wasn't forced to redo it anymore.
"O-oh, right. Wh-what about your r-report?" He asked.
"Don't worry. I managed to finish it a few days ago. Besides, I'd feel guilty if you didn't get into Shibe because of poor language arts grades."
"R-right…B-By the way..."
"Yeah?"
"H-have you, um, already d-decided what y-you wanted t-t—to do after g-graduation?"
Maria exhaled, propping her elbow on the table while laying her cheek in her hand. "I'm still drawing a blank on that one…"
"Oh…" Rob thought for a minute.
"M-maybe…you could d-do art or be a wr-writer?"
"You think?"
"Y-yeah. Your d-drawings and p-paintings are really g-good. Y-your short st-stories, too."
"H-Hold on. Don't tell me you saw my Beastbook posts?" the ewe flinched as her eyes widened.
"U-uh, yeah. E-everyone really seemed to l-like them. H-how many f-followers do y-you—?"
"A lot! I know! Thanks for reminding me! Geez!" She crossed her arms angrily as she turned her head away, failing to hide her flushed face.
Rob couldn't help but stare. He had never seen her get so flustered before. It was actually…pretty cute, he found.
"Seriously, how did you figure it was me?"
"...Huh? O-oh, th-that? W-well, you're always d-drawing pictures w-whenever we're home and…d-don't get mad, but I s-sometimes…peek into y-your room t-t-to see what…y-you were working…on?"
Maria looked at the young lion unblinking, this time causing him to turn away in embarrassment.
"Th-the art style looked e-exactly the same and w-was really b-beautiful…a-and I f-figured that I-I can see m-mor—see more if I f-followed you, too, s-so…um…w-well..."
The sheep's expression stayed blank, and Rob shrank as his ears flattened slightly.
"...I'm…s-sorry. I o-only wanted to…I-I mean…"
Maria chuckled, her mouth slowly creasing into a smile.
"U-uh—?"
"Seriously, Robbie. You make it way too hard to stay mad when you act all shy and adorable like that."
Rob sat straight up as his face began to burn. She thinks I'm… adorable!?
The ewe did everything she could to keep herself from laughing out loud as the carnivore furiously shook his head.
"Hehehehmhmhm…! *ahem* Alright. I'll forgive, this time. Just make sure to ask me next time if you want to see one. Okay?"
"Y-yes, Sis…"
"Good. Now then…" Maria scooched out of chair and began gathering her things into her bag. "It's getting late. Glad I was able to help you finish."
"Oh…y-yeah…"
That's right. This was the last day before his paper was due. So, that means…
"Okay. I'll see you at class tomorr—"
"W-wait…!"
Maria stopped turning her heel. "...Did you forget something?"
"Uh, n-no. Not r-really. I, um…"
Rob hesitated for a bit, and then took a deep breath. "W-would it—would it b-be okay if we…s-studied together l-later on?"
"Hmm?"
"Um, w-well, midterms are c-coming soon a-and…I w-would like s-some advice on h-how t—how to do better w-with language a-arts…"
Maria put her fingers under her chin.
"I-I mean…if you'd be t-too busy, then—"
"No, it's fine. I'll tutor you a little. Rex knows you need all the help you can get."
Rob let out a sigh of relief as he smiled. "Th-then—!"
"Just text me when you want to meet up."
"O-okay, Th-thank you."
With a final nod, the ewe walked out between some bookshelves, disappearing from view.
Rob was suddenly feeling confused. It was true that he needed help with his worse subject and that Maria was the best choice for a study partner, but…why did he suddenly feel so giddy when she said yes?
Even while she was laughing at him, calling him "adorable," his heart was leaping. It was almost like he…
No way. Don't be silly, the young lion shook his head.
He was just burnt out from the assignment from earlier. Nothing more.
He was just happy he got to spend time with his adoptive sister again.
Yes, that's it…
…
Rob had just stepped down from the last flight of stairs when he had the distinct feeling that something was missing.
He quickly looked in his bag and then squeezed his eyelids tight as he groaned.
He left the folder holding his finished essay at the library table.
There's absolutely no way he can afford to lose it now. He was just glad the library won't be closing for another hour.
The young hybrid hurriedly trotted up the two flights and proceeded to speed-walk down the hall. As he turned the corner, he came really close to bumping into a tigress coming in the opposite direction.
"Oop—! S-sorry…! Please e-excuse me!"
"W-wait a second…!"
Rob skidded to a stop. "O—! U-um… Y-yes?"
He turned around to see the young striped carnivore reaching out towards him before shyly retracting her hand to her chest.
"S-sorry, I…um," she stuttered. "W-well…I just wanted to…"
"Hm?"
The tigress fidgeted some more and then took a deep breath, composing herself.
"Here."
She held out a grey folder.
"H-hold on…Is that—" the young lion said as he pointed.
She nodded.
Rob slowly walked towards the tigress. "D-did you come…t-to give it b-back t—back to me?"
"...Yes." She turned her head slightly, as if embarrassed. "I happened to walk by when you were leaving and saw this on the table. It looked pretty important, so I was…hoping to catch you before you left the building."
Rob just stood there, a little astonished that she went out of her way to deliver it to him. He then reached out and gently retrieved his folder.
"Th-thank you…That was r-really nice of y-you."
"Um…yeah. No problem." The tigress began tugging a little at a tuft of white fur at the side of her cheek while she continued to glance sideways.
"...H-hold on," The young lion squinted.
"Y-yes…!?"
"A-aren't we…in the s-same class?"
Her ears perked up as she turned to face him. "Y-yes. Yes, we are…!"
"Oh…I th-thought so. Um…U-uhhh…" Rob struggled to remember her name.
"...Lily."
"Huh?"
"M-my name is Lily," the tigress said with a smile. "And you're Rob, right?"
"Y-yes, th-that's right. N-nice to… o-officially meet you, I-I guess…"
Rob proceeded to put his folder back into his bag. He then noticed Lily gazing at him as she sighed quietly.
"Is s-something…wrong?" he asked.
"Um! N-no…! Everything's great!" she quickly replied, beginning to flush.
"Mmm…o-okay. Well, th-thanks again for… r-returning my f-fol—my folder. I really a-appreciate it."
"Yes…of course."
"W-well, then... I g-guess I'll s-see you tomorrow."
"Right. See you…"
The young lion bowed graciously and then walked down the hall.
Lily, huh?
So, she's named after a flower—just like his mom…
Author's Note
Yeah, I know. It's one day late. So sorry! Things are getting a little busier.
Anyway, really happy with how this chapter turned out. More characterization for Joe and a sudden understanding/blooming friendship between Robbie and Legoshi. More pagetime for Maria and now a new girl has appeared.
Can't wait to see what happens, even though I'm the one writing it! Haha!