The line of incision along Ana's neck went from the bottom of her ear to the top of her larynx bump. The skin was peeled back to expose her carotid artery, the main supplier of blood to her brain. Being that the operation required only local anesthesia, the female Spartan was fully awake and aware of James' presence as he operated on her. Damon and Gohin provided assistance, adjusting lighting and passing along the tools required as needed. While both the brother and the panda lacked experience in this field of medicine, they were the only ones James allowed to assist.

James carefully removed a hollow cylindrical device from its translucent plastic container and placed it on a nearby table's blue mat to more carefully maneuver it. The piece was a centimeter in diameter and another centimeter long, made out of a stiff synthetic polymer. Using a straight needle to enter a hole in the device, he hit a release switch which butterflied it open. James then used a pair of tweezers to place one flap of the device under the artery and close the other flap on top of it.

"Done." The man declared, setting his instruments aside and pulling off his latex gloves. "Gold 5, finish the sutures then prep 6 for his implant."

"Affirmative." Damon threaded the string through his curved suture needle as James left to wash up. He then looked down at his partially numb teammate. "Seems like I'm having to put you back together quite often now. You should really think about paying me." All Ana could do was flare her nose and breathe in an annoyed fashion.

Damon moved his jaw around over and over, slowly recovering the feeling in his face. Looking in the post-op's mirror, he checked over the patchwork his brother had done on his throat. Admittedly, it wasn't bad at all.

Nomad's triumphant smile entered the reflection's background. "Told you my hands were just as steady as yours. Maybe next time James will call me up first."

Damon gave an unentertained roll of his eyes. "Sure, you can be the medic from now on and I'll start dating the local wildlife."

"Yeah, no." Was all the twin said as he began putting on his clothes.

The medic had noticed that he had not seen Nomad speak of the wolf since before the play he'd gone to. "So how has she been?"

Nomad's cheek sucked in as he bit the inside. "Wouldn't know. Haven't spoken since the play. I think it's for the best though. We need to focus on the things that matter."

Damon gave a nod, not prodding any further. "Agreed."

Once they were fully dressed, the brothers took the elevator down and waved to the weasel woman behind the desk as they left.

Ana finished packing her things, bidding the solitary station goodbye as she trotted down the snow-covered steps to get inside. She had all her personal effects in her backpack and all of the stolen goods she had taken in a grocery bag. Making her way into Gohin's office, the pale Spartan greeted the panda with a small wave and a smile.

The beast only peeked over his paper as cigarette smoke rose from behind the veil. "You're looking chipper today kid. Glad to finally be rid of me?"

"Yup. I plan on throwing a party in my room as soon as I get back." She replied with confident sarcasm before setting the grocery bag on the table before him.

He revealed a smirk as he set the paper down and looked at all the things he'd 'misplaced' over the break. "Are all of you commando types kleptos?"

"Only the good ones. 'Anything you don't have, you can find in the field. Anything you can't find, you didn't need anyway.'" She stood tall, but not in a disquieting manner. Just comfortable in herself.

This got a chuckle out of Gohin and he reached forward to look through the bag. He brought out the magazine and tossed it to his patient. "In that case, feel free to keep it since it was so interesting."

Ana caught it and decided to take him up on the offer, tucking it to her body. The past couple of weeks had their highs and lows, but after it all, she had learned a great deal about herself thanks to the doctor. She could not say that she was 'cured,' she didn't even know what parameters to put on such a label, but she knew that she was better. The young girl had never had someone in her life who she could talk to in such a manner. Someone who understood the mind and made it their mission to help rather than manipulate. Even something as little as the cake she got on her birthday a few nights back seemed to stir something in her she had been forced to suppress for the sake of survival. She knew there was no making sense of it for anyone else, but all that mattered was that it did for her.

She felt over the course material. "Thank you." Her voice evenly spoke.

"You're welcome kid, and be sure to keep me up to speed on how school is going. Don't be afraid to come back if you need to. Even the best armies fall back to regroup, right?"

She just nodded. "Right."

"Now get going. You got a lot more important things to be doing than idly chatting."

The girl did an about-face, heading back out into the hallway. The panda was right. It was her first day back and there were a lot of boxes to check off. The first thing was her exams, though that was hardly the most pressing matter to her. What she was concerned about was the first meeting of the semester for the drama club.

Ana kept a hard pace as she made her way out of her last class. She maneuvered gracefully through the crowds of animals out beyond the sight of her fellow Gamma members who had their own fires to tend to. The herds thinned out as she stepped outside and passed by the external buildings that lined the way to the club's spot. The front door had just come into view when she had to stop where she stood. Rounding the corner was the Bengal tiger that had gotten her into this mess. It was more of a team effort. When he also registered who was before him, he too stopped. The two just stared for a moment, neither moving nor speaking just yet.

The girl looked closer at his jaw. It was clear he had undergone reconstructive surgery. There were incision lines that crossed over the areas that had folded from the pressure of her grip. Her eyes must have been telling because the feline's own expression had softened from standoffish to plain unsure. She decided to take the initiative and keep things from being any more awkward than they already were.

"I won't apologize if you don't."

Bill wasn't expecting the proposal, but his growing grin showed he was not opposed to it. "Deal. Now how should we walk in?"

"Doing it together might keep the department heads off our backs. Make them think the bad blood is gone."

"Good idea. Not going to look like friends, of course, just playing it cool."

"Fine by me."

Being in agreement they both looked at the doors. The tiger took a deep breath and made for the handle, pulling it open and stepping aside. "After you. I'd like to have a buffer between me and Louis."

"Tossing me to the most dangerous beast here? Guess I will have to be man enough for the both of us." This got a laugh out of the pair as the door closed behind them. It actually took a great deal of mental effort for Ana to keep facing ahead. You were never supposed to turn your back towards an enemy. He is not an enemy. Just… annoying.

They pushed through the doors to the main floor just to have a flood of white come from the stage lights. It made both the girl and the tiger shield their eyes until it was dimmed. When they both could see again, they found themselves facing all the members of the club on the far side of the room.

"Both of you stay right there." The commanding voice of the red deer rang out. He was standing before the rest of the animals, just beyond the beam of light. "The two of you have brought disgrace to this club with your display of savagery. If it were up to me, I would throw you out." Louis let his words sink into the other members before going on. "However, I have been told this is not a choice I can make alone, so it will be brought to a vote." He walked out into the light and turned about to face the club, scanning over every creature.

Ana and Bill just stood there in silence. Neither of them thought that anything they could say right now would help their case. They just cast a glance between themselves and looked back out into the crowd.

The first to speak up was Sheila with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. "I personally think it would be irresponsible to let them out to run wild. It's as you said Louis, this is a drama club issue and should be handled by us. At least we can keep an eye on them while they're here." She cocked her head upward to where the light was pouring out from, vision locking onto the wolf. "What do you think, Legosi? You were the one hit by Ana."

The large male carnivore wanted to cower back as all eyes landed on him. He brought his hands together as thought, palming one fist into the other. "I think there are a lot of things that go into decisions we make. It's… it's hard to judge someone when you don't understand the full picture. I don't want to kick them out."

Sanu, the pelican president, quickly followed on Legosi's heels. "I don't either. This club is based on the principle of inclusivity. We are all unique with our own pronounced personalities. It is only natural that these personalities can clash if not mediated properly. Now that this event has happened we are aware of the causes and can prevent such an incident in the future."

The input from the three started chatter amongst the members. Unsurprisingly, there was still a looming apprehension from some of the herbivores, but they were assuaged for the most part by larger carnivores who highlighted the points made.

Louis let out an exasperated breath just quiet enough to not be picked up by anyone besides those currently on the chopping block. He then took a few more steps before speaking again. "Does anyone need more time to deliberate, or is everyone ready?" The talking died down and everyone focused on the deer. Taking this as a confirmation of the latter, he started. "We'll vote by a show of hands. All in favor of being rid of the two." The deer kept his own hand down, feeling as though he knew where the favor lay. He was proven right as only a few small paws from outspoken herbivores rose. "All in favor of keeping them." The greater majority filled the space with hands. A few had chosen to omit themselves from voting entirely, including the mongoose who had chased after Legosi the day of the incident. Louis turned back around to Ana and Bill. "They will stay, but as the vote was not unanimous, we will expect nothing but perfection from here on. Any signs of faltering will not be tolerated, especially anything violent in nature."

"Sure thing." Bill said, failing to meet the deer's intense glare.

"Of course." Ana said, making herself tall in affirmation of such expectations.

Louis kept himself honed in on the two before speaking more generally. "Since this is settled for the time being, let's get back to work. The most important play of the school year is coming up, and it will be upon us before we know it. Art team, I want props and scenes taken out of storage. Dance, start walking through the new choreography. Actors, follow me to the office. I've printed out the lines for the auditions. They will be starting at the end of the month and I'll be expecting nothing but the best."

All of the animals started to scramble from the cluster they'd been in to get to their teams. Ana and Bill split off, heading off to take care of their respective assignments. Over the next hour, the Spartan moved with purpose as she hefted stacks of painted plywood scene decorations. The art department then wiped them down with dry rags to pull off any dust, followed by touching up the paint to make the colors more vibrant. As the girl went through the tasks effectively, she noticed no apprehension from any of the other members surrounding her, even Legosi. When they finally took a break, she walked up to him.

"Hey." She greeted him with a smile. She had been trying to smile more to be less offputting, something Gohin had noted. Apparently, it was very common for predators to look mean or threatening when they were just anxious. Active smiles help to dispel this.

While he did not show any fear or insecurity, a still tail revealed a cautious state. "Hey Ana, need anything?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to thank you for what you said. You helped keep me on." She cocked her head to try and get a better look at where she'd impacted the wolf, but she couldn't even see if she'd left a mark. "I also wanted to say sorry for hitting you. That was unacceptable and it will never happen again, to anyone here."

Legosi shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it. You're an important part of our team now… I…" There was a slight curl in the brows of the wolf and his nose twitched before he closed his eyes.

A puzzled Ana waited a moment for Legosi to collect his thoughts. When he didn't continue after a few seconds, she interjected. "You okay?"

His eyes snapped back open as he was brought back into the moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, just spaced out there. Been having trouble sleeping."

"I can talk to Damon if you want. See if we can't get you something to put you at ease for the night. Maybe give you our extra smoothers." She giggled a little before lighting up. "Oh yeah, check it out." The blonde girl shifted her out-of-regulation hair aside as she exposed her neck to the wolf. "Got a new implant that administers our medicine under the skin. Don't have to worry about alarms or needles anymore. Just a monthly check-up." This caught the attention of a few other animals who had missed the incision because of her hair.

"That's great. I'm happy for you." Legosi's eyes seemed to be unable to focus on the scar, he then turned to take off in a jog. "Sorry! Really have to use the restroom right now." Within a few bounding steps he hit the door and was out of the room.

A caught off guard Ana only watched him leave. "Oh, okay then."

A smaller red panda that had been listening in shook his head. He then spoke with a deep nasally voice. "That guy is such a weirdo. Come on, if we can get this stuff moved into the main building we won't have to come back out until Summer. All this dust is killing my sinuses." He snorted before rubbing the tip of his snout. The little carnivore then moved to a large plastic rock that he crouched down to get his claws under.

"On my way." She did not say anything to dispute the comment. That wolf was a strange one after all.

The men's bathroom door burst open as Legosi ran in. He swiftly shut it behind him, making sure to secure the lock. The wolf took a leaping step to the sink and opened his maw. A deluge of saliva fell out as his body started to shake. He looked up in the mirror to see himself. The room was musty and the odor of spittle only added to its humidity.

What the hell is this feeling? Why did Ana's scent make me so… so…

Hungry.

What? No.

Yes, you're so hungry. So hungry you're starving.

She's my friend! She just got back. I need to…

Eat. You need to eat. You have been starving for 17 years.

A growl started up in the back of Legosi's throat. It was a mixture of anger and desperation. He gripped the porcelain with his huge paws. His hair stood on end. He then remembered what had its claws in him now. It was the blood. His very first taste of an animal. Now he understood. His senses had gone into overdrive that day. The adrenaline from the pain of her strike had overwritten his hunting instincts, but they were there. He felt them. He had been feeling them in the night.

"NO!" The wolf balled his fist and struck the glass, shattering it around the impact. His chest heaved with heavy breaths as he tried to bring himself under control. Luckily he hadn't cut himself, but his fist would certainly start to bruise soon. He focused on the pain and slowly the nagging temptations started to dwindle away. With his composure returned, Legosi exited the bathroom, making his way out of the back of the storage building.

On his way back to the dorm, he heard the chime of Cherryton's intercom and the peppy voice of the school's announcer.

"Hello, students! Hope you all enjoyed the Rexmas Break. Feel free to share what you did with your species at today's Biology Hour. Be sure to make it to the basement before 8!"

With dinner on her mind, Ana was already en route to the cafeteria when her phone buzzed and beeped to alert her of a new message. The first thing she noticed about the note was its sender, Principal Gon. She then started to read it in full.

Good afternoon Miss Ana. It is my pleasure to let you know that following the early graduation of our last platypus student, a new biology room has opened up in the basement. You and your fellow humans will have full control of the lights, sounds, smells, temperature, and humidity to make yourselves as comfortable as possible. Apologies in advance if the roof is rather low for your species due to it originally accommodating medium-sized animals. As per school policy, we recommend at least an hour every two days to be spent in your room for decompression and relaxation. Cherryton wishes you the best in your next semester!

The girl hardly finished reading before a call from Nomad appeared on the screen.

"Hey cat-strangler, you heading to this biology hour?"

Ana scoffed at the jab and rolled her eyes. "Not if you're going to be there. I'd rather take a ride with a skunk in a drop-pod than sit next to you for that long."

"Damn, should have told James to double dose that implant for you. Anyways, Damon and I will be there in 5 should you change your mind."

The girl decided to just let it go, feeling proud of herself to take the high road. You don't have to stoop to that neanderthal's level anymore. "I'll be there, and don't raise the temp too high."

"Roger that ice queen. We'll keep it chilly. Six out." The call then dropped and Ana adjusted her heading, following the crowd that seemed to be flowing towards the stairs.

The pale Spartan had to keep her eyes scanning as the crowds started to pack in at the staircase. Nearing the bottom, Ana could start to see several paths that branched out from a main hallway. At the end of each, there was a circular room that had a series of doors lining the circumference. It seemed each splitting hall was marked by the beast's alphabetical order, the name of each species corresponding to their location. Finding the grouping that had the other language's 'H,' Ana strolled down to find her fellow Gammas waiting. The two spotted their last member and waved her on, both had amused grins.

"Come on Four. You have got to see this." Nomad said as he stepped aside to reveal the door to their room.

It was oak, a little more than a half meter wide, and topped out around chin height. On the front was a minimalist depiction of a human visage with a triangular nose, half-lidded eyes, a furrowed brow, and oblong ears. The three stared at it for a few moments before a snicker from Nomad caused a cascade of laughs. This drew the attention of some of the beasts who made their own comments about the door to members of their fellow species. Once they got a grip, Damon opened the door for the other two.

"Ladies first." He said with a faux bow.

"My, what a gentleman." Ana said, her voice dripping in sarcasm as she ducked under the doorframe.

"Chivalry might not be dead, but you do your best brother." Nomad said as he patted his twin on the shoulder, following Ana.

"Jesus, give it a rest for once." Damon brought up the rear, closing the door behind them.

The closing plunged the room into absolute darkness, the human students unable to see a thing even with their enhanced vision.

"Well shit, you could've at least waited until we found the light switch numbnuts." Nomad said as he felt along the wall.

"Oh, I think I found it." Damon said as he extended his balled hand out around waist height towards his brother. There was a thud and an excruciated huff, followed by the sound of someone collapsing. "Wait, no, that wasn't it. Let me try again." The lights then flicked on as the medic actually found the light switch. On the ground, Nomad cupped his groin, having taken a direct shot.

"Fuck… you…" The incapacitated twin said in a high whisper.

"Yeah yeah, not like you were using it anyway." Damon replied as he started to take in what they were working with.

It turned out to be not a lot. There was a divot on the far side of the room that looked like an in-floor bath, though the water had been pumped out. In the center, a pair of benches faced each other with a square table in the middle. Outside of that, the room was completely empty.

"Not much to look at." Damon said as he crossed his arms.

"Not now, but it gives us something to work with. Going to need to patch over that watering hole. Put a few targets up…" Ana said with a mischievous smirk.

"As much as I would love another indoor range, administration might have a problem with it. Though, this might be a good place for a proper gym."

"Yes, please. I need to do some heavy lifting. Doing nothing but cardio and body weight is making me look like a freak."

Nomad made his way back to his feet, taking a more wide stance. "You already had that look down before we got here. Not sure what workouts help to fix a face."

The blonde girl took a deep breath before not responding, only taking a few steps forward to sit on the bench. Damon then moved to sit on the other side, and his brother followed.

Nomad, having not gotten a reaction from his last quip, decided to break the silence again. "I was just kidding Ana. You know that. I'm… I'm glad you're back." The two shared a smile and relaxed into their seats… sort of.

"This bench is way too small." Damon pointed out, and the group all let out defeated sighs of agreement. There was a lot of work ahead of them.