The German Shepherd took a stride towards the bear. It seemed carefree, but there was a hint of apprehension in his approach.
The dog sniffed and sighed until he finally sat down in the chair across the couch. The dog groaned in satisfaction.
"Sorry, I have the common cold. You know, runny nose.", the dog stated. "Let's start with introductions: my name is Jan Gorter. I am a detective at the local P.D."
He held out his paw for a moment insinuating that Sam should shake it. After a little while he relented; shaking his paw politely.
"My name is Sam. You probably know that already though.", the bear mused. "I am curious: what am I doing here?"
The dog smiled coyly and took at a bundle of maps from a bag he was carrying around. He let the folders fall on the table making Sam frown a little. They all had the police insignia.
The detective opened one of the maps on the first page: "Brutal Devouring in Eastern Park Province leaves two Dead". The frown on Sam's face started to hurt his muscles. What did this dog want? They never found out who was responsible for that.
"I don't mean to be rude but-" The dog cut him off. "You're pretty big for a bear aren't you?", the shepherd smiled. "218 cm, 17 years old. What do you kids eat these days?"
The relevance of this conversation was totally lost on Sam. If this was all to make him uncomfortable it was working.
"What do you mean by that?" The bear stared at the dog blankly. The dog gave him a sideways glance while opening the other folders. "I have no idea why I am here."
The officer snapped his fingers. "Let me put one thing out in the open for you.", he glared. "Don't patronize me with the dumb bear act. I know you're smarter than you let on."
The weary officer was not about to be fooled by some student. He's been doing this job for far too long to just take things at face value.
"I know you killed one of those poor herbivores in the park last weekend.", Jan said dully. "However, what I am curious about is why you only ate one of them. I could tie the female back to you, but the male was the one eaten. What was her name again?"
The bear let out an exasperated huff. "Khyra, her name was Khyra. She is a good friend of mine." Sam's face looked solemn and regretful. "I won't deny I didn't kill that freak who assaulted her with a knife. I-I lost control. By the time I was... finished... she died. I killed her by being what I am, for not getting her help when she was bleeding out on the floor."
The German Shepherd couldn't deny his story but he could also not prove it. It seemed highly implausible, but it made sense somehow. Even so, if he were arrested and convicted now his life would be in shambles. It would be such a waste of potential.
Depending on what the bear may have said the detective would choose out of certain scenarios. Even if the teen did intend to eat her there would be no way to prove that now. He's more useful to Jan out of prison than in.
"Fine, I made my decision, Mr. van der Ooster."
The tension in the room rises as the silence festers. The dog reached into his bag; getting out a notebook and red pen.
The dog cracked his fingers and let out a shallow breath before eventually facing forward. He snickered in spite of himself. "I'd advise you to stop recording. I wasn't born yesterday. We need something for the record, play along." This took the bear by surprise. He started recording before he entered the room so how did he know?
"For both our sakes, just lay that thing out on the table or the deal is off. Delete it now.", the shepherd demanded. Grunting Sam complied.
"Alright, you must be wondering why I am here today with my collection of the macabre." The bear looked at all the headlines and the rest of the unopened folders. "The reason I am here is not to scare some teen. I am here to confirm an alibi."
Sam looked at the shepherd confused. "Whose alibi?" The dog scribbled something on the pad making no effort to keep eye contact. "That's not much of a mystery. Your dad's."
At the mention of his father he knew where this was going and how he managed to find out about him in the first place. "As you may know: whenever there is a predation in a certain area, done by a certain species we check in on ex-predators matching our information." The dog sniffed. "We already went by your dad's and he said that you were with him on the weekend of the attack."
Sam growled in annoyance. There is nothing strange about an officer following up on an alibi, but he had a feeling that's not where this conversation was headed.
"You know in my years as an officer I've seen a lot of weird stuff.", he continued, scratching his ears. "However, I have never seen a single ex-con's biological next of kin not having a named species on his birth certificate."
Jan gave the bear a loathsome stare. Keeping his feelings in check he straightened himself and rummaged through his bag getting some mints. He popped one and offered the bear one, which he promptly refused.
Sam sat uncomfortably in his seat adjusting himself and trying to remain calm. The detective gave him a toothy smile. "You know where I am going with this. You're not a wolf.", viciousness lacing his voice.
Sam couldn't keep his anger at bay anymore. What does this bastard want? "Answer me something, would you? How does a hybrid get into one of the most prestigious interspecies schools without anyone-neither staff nor students noticing?"
He didn't need an answer. He found out the reasons for himself. Hiding in plain sight and being nice is the best way for people to neglect your shortcomings. If you make your mannerisms normal to others: you can rule the world.
The bear dropped his act. "You know how. Cunning of a wolf and the facade of a bear. People gurgle that shit down like honey." The dog gave him a self-satisfied grunt. "Clearly that has worked wonders for you."
Samael's patience was running thin. Whatever games the detective was up to; he was not playing. He gave him his best smile. "I think we're done here."
The teen stood up. The dog shut him down with a clap of his hands. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I think you very well know the consequences of going through that door." Sam has never had such an urge to break someone's face before. It's time for the last resort: bear your teeth and stretch your claws. "You have some guts, detective. Coming here all alone." The officer smiled unimpressed giving him a challenging stare that said: 'Do so at your own peril'.
The fucker was expecting that all along. How could he have been such a fool? "Look at those pearly whites. No wonder you keep half of your mouth closed while talking, that's a dead giveaway." Jan continued scribbling, clearly unbothered by the idle threats. "Your fur is so thick and grey. You let a lot of fur grow around those ears and hands of yours. Summer must be hell! You're pretty good at hiding in plain sight."
The detective turned the page. Sam was constantly gauging his movements. They were slick and controlled. He looks like he has many openings, but truly he doesn't have any. "Although, the fact that your tail doesn't show also settles your fate. How has nobody questioned you about that? Does it wag?", he snickered.
"Quit the nonsense, what do you want from me?", Samael demanded. The shepherd licked his lips momentarily showing his teeth and stopped writing. "Believe it or not, I am not here to blackmail you." Jan leaned forward. "I was just trying to see if my suspicions were correct."
The bear grimaced, seriously doubting the German Shepherd's intentions. "What suspicions?", Sam growled. The dog's face turned stone cold. "That you are the most dangerous animal I have ever seen."
Before Sam could react he had a gun drawn on him. He gulped down the saliva that has been forming at the back of his mouth. The dog attitude changed in a split second. "If it wasn't for the fact that you are a kid. Buddy, you'd be dead where you stand."
Whatever good ideas the bear had about trying to get out evaporated in thin air. They stood there like that for longer than anyone would be comfortable with. That damn dog truly wanted the 'lesson' to sink in.
Jan sighed pulling the gun down. "This isn't working. I'll offer you an ultimatum: either help me catch monsters who devoured people or get outed to the world. Good? Deal."
There really wasn't anything Sam could've done but accept. It's heaven or hell. The damn dog gave Sam a burner phone with his contact information and told him to be ready for when he calls.
The interaction barely lasted ten minutes; the most exciting ten minutes of the bear's life. He feels like a just sold his soul to the devil. A true Faustian bargain in the flesh, but with a cop twist. Not really appealing to anyone.
The rest of the day just seemed so slow. Riding on the edge of danger seems to do that to you. Seems like the high is not wearing off anytime soon. The dog has a noose around the teen's neck; the only thing he has to do is flick the lever.
"What got you so gloomy all day? You haven't been very talkative ever since you left the faculty lounge.", Theo inquired. The bear sniffs and looks at his friend. "Oh, it was about my dad. Apparently he got sick from some kind of stuff he wasn't supposed to breathe in at the site. It's nothing lethal, but it does put a hamper on our contact.", the bear lied.
"Sorry man, I hope he gets better. Now I kind of sounded like a dick. Of course, such things can get to you." The bear patted him on the back and let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about it. It just happens sometimes. If you ever get the same energy from me just tell me alright? I know that I can talk about you with this kind of stuff."
Theo's tail wagged excitedly. "Yeah! Of course, I am your closest confidant and friend! I will always be at the ready for you!", he said theatrically. Sam let out a bolstering laugh making sure not to show too much teeth. "That's good to hear! Come on, let's get some dinner."