Nomad left the warm-up circle, crossing over the well-manicured grass before stepping foot onto the orange-red clay around the home base. He stood just outside of the batter's box to the left of the plate while the ball was thrown back to the pitcher from the outfield. This gave him plenty of time to take one last glance over the diamond, currently filled with his opposition and a single runner from his team on second base.

As the academy did not have a proper stadium, their home games were played at the local minor league arena, and today's game was packed. Sports enthusiasts from multiple cities, even some from other continents, had come to see the Spartan of Cherryton in his first game. Stands were filled up to the nosebleeds, likely more than the professional players managed to bring in during a regular season game. Nomad knew that he should probably be nervous, but something about having so many eyes on him only made the experience more fun. They were already up by two in the first inning, the other team having made a blundersome error when the crocodile second baseman missed a catch during an attempted double play. Now the twin's dingo teammate, Nelson, was a few steps off of the same base, waiting for a solid hit to make his move.

The hulking young man made a warm-up swing, adding a bit of flare to it by letting go momentarily and having the bat do a full 360 before catching it again. In his backswing, he locked eyes with the ostrich pitcher and gave him a wink. Having been shaken by the swagger of such an intimidating creature, the pitcher broke eye contact to adjust the ball in his hand. Nomad just smirked as he stepped to the plate, setting his feet and going through his hitting mechanics the same way he'd been doing at practice for the past few months. Once he was set, his smile disappeared and his eyes locked onto the hands of the ostrich.

The avian shook his head a few times, silently communicating with the catcher before there was a nod of confirmation. His navy blue uniform, a stark contrast to the Cherryton red, was very filled out in the shirt, but the long skinny legs left a lot of room for his pants to sway around as he brought a knee to his chest for the wind-up. With a passionate push-off from the mound, he transferred his kinetic energy from the lower half of his body to the upper. His arm whipped around, feathered fingers obscuring his grip on the ball. Still, Nomad knew exactly what pitch was being thrown.

With the world around him slowing to a near-third of its regular speed, the soldier could see the bird adjust his wrist angle to get his fingers over the top of the ball. A sinker. In his mind, he made some on-the-fly predictions and chose to target the weakest link on the field. As time returned to its normal rate, Nomad dropped his hips as he would need to be lower to make proper contact. When the ball came in just below where his knees had been, his bat was there to greet it with a deadly amount of power. The metal ding could be heard anywhere in the stadium, but tracking the ball after the impact was difficult for the spectators. A hefty thump against the back wall was the main indicator of just how far the ball had gone. The hit had been a line drive seemingly straight past second base. A bewildered croc looked down into his glove, thinking that he had felt a give when he attempted to try and make a catch. Under normal circumstances, he would have likely made it, but a hole torn through the faux leather netting between his thumb and index revealed reality. Had his palm been in the flight path of the ball, his hand would have been broken.

By the time centerfield made it to the ball, Nomad was already pushing Nelson across home, the Spartan's insane speed assuring his safe scoring. The crowd was up in applause, obviously impressed by such outclassing abilities. Durham came out of the dugout to celebrate with his human teammate, the two executing a choreographed handshake. The two simultaneously brushed off each other's left shoulder with their right hand, and right shoulder off with their left hand, did a double dap up, and finished with an explosive chest bump. Coach Chiyonokuni proceeded to yell at them to get inside and they did with rapidity.

The game against Zebuth Academy ended in the third inning with a mercy rule, the Cherryton team not allowing a single run. Some of the players, while happy with their absolute victory, were bummed that they could not play longer. Nomad hadn't even broken a sweat in a literal sense. His uniform still looked pristine as the team started to leave the stadium's locker rooms for the tunnels to head back to their bus.

They came to a crossroads where the team could hear chattering around the corner. When they came to the intersection, they saw a crowd with microphones, cellphones, and cameras. One prairie dog with a BSPN media pass around his neck pointed to the team. "There they are!" Like a single entity, the mob snapped their heads to the Cherryton group and started to race towards them.

"GET TO THE BUS!" Coach Chiyo shouted and the entire team started sprinting towards the exit. The click-clacking of thirty sets of cleats on concrete was just barely louder than the cacophony of questions being yelled their way from behind. They made it out of the tunnel and back into daylight where a squad of police had outlined a path to the doors. Flanked on either side of the route were even more reporters, scouts, and fans that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. The bison stopped just beside the bus' stairs to do one last headcount as everyone boarded. Once everyone was embarked, the door shut behind him, and the driver put the vehicle in gear. Midway down the rows of seats, Durham looked out of the window with Nomad peering over his shoulder.

"Dude! I think we're famous!" The coyote exclaimed as the mob slowly started to disappear behind them.

"Hell yeah we are! Probably all came swarming after that immaculate inning you had." The Spartan gave his teammate a pat on the back for his great performance. In the second inning, he had only thrown nine pitches, each one an uncontested strike. Not a single one had even been clipped by a hitter.

Durham smirked, obviously proud of himself. "As if. They were probably just trying to catch a glimpse of heaven's gift to the sport."

"Whatever man. It's not like I can win alone." The two shared a fistbump and relaxed in their seats as the bus merged onto the highway to take them back to the academy.

After showering and getting back into his uniform, Nomad walked out of the field house with Durham. They found the 701 dorm waiting outside to congratulate them, along with a few other students who had watched the game from the spirit section. The air was full of upbeat energy until the Spartan caught Jack giving him an odd glance out of the corner of his eye. The twin knew why and decided to let the pack enjoy their evening.

"Thanks for coming to watch guys. I'm going to go catch up with my team. You all take it easy." He gave them a wave and started stepping before any of them could make a proper response.

Durham opened his mouth to say something, but just closed it, not sure what he was going to say in the first place. He let out a little sigh before turning to Jack. "You did the thing again didn't you?"

"What are you talking about? What 'thing?'" Jack asked indignantly, his usually welcoming face turned even and passive.

"The thing where you start getting all nervous and weird around the twins."

"I am not nervous, and I am not being weird." His tone was colder than the group had ever heard before.

The gray wolf standing next to his friend bent down to bring his snout closer. He took a couple of strong sniffs, causing the labrador to recoil back in surprise. "What are you doing that for, Legosi?"

Processing the smell for a moment, the glum-looking canine came to a conclusion. "Durham is right. You are nervous. It's in your scent. I've only ever picked it up when you get stressed out or put in an awkward situation."

Having been exposed in front of his entire friend group, Jack just looked down. He wanted to speak, but he failed to be able to collect his feelings and convert them into words. Dogs were notorious for their one-track minds and heightened determination, so it made sense why his friends were concerned. It was just not something he could confront. Ever since the incident between Legosi and Nomad, he could feel his mind at war with itself. Suppressed instinct battled his genetic predisposition. It made him feel sick, and there was no more hiding it.

"I haven't felt right since before the break. When you and he went at it…" He closed his eyes and balled his fist before looking at his best friend again. "You know me, Legosi. I haven't gotten into a fight since we were little, but something about seeing you look so lifeless. I just couldn't stop myself."

The wolf furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean? What happened?" He looked to his roommates for an explanation.

"Oh shit. That's right. You were out cold when Jack punched Nomad." Voss spoke up from Collot's shoulder, the tiny fennec having connected the dots first.

Legosi turned back to the labrador, who had let his gaze wander away again. The taller canine felt a tidal wave of emotion hit him and all at once he had to focus on not crying. His smaller, more kindhearted counterpart, had struck a creature that could have easily killed him because of his concern. He had kept that weight on him all this time. He couldn't imagine the toll it must be taking.

The wolf placed his hands on Jack's shoulders, making sure they had proper eye contact as he leaned down slightly. He was never the best with words, but he'd try nonetheless because this dog was worth it to him.

"Jack. I have never properly thanked you for being my friend. So, thank you. You were the only person my age who would ever consider being with me when we first met. You have been a great person to lean on all these years. I probably would have never made it this far without you. I appreciate what you did for me, but you can let go of whatever you're holding onto. Try…" He searched for a solution to this conundrum and opted for the most straightforward approach. "Try and talk to Nomad. Maybe you two can put it to rest together."

Jack was stunned by the short speech. The usually downtrodden and timid wolf now appeared far more confident and locked in. Is he reacting to me? I've never seen him like this.

"Okay. I'll try." A new feeling of shame came over him as he looked over to the rest of 701. He had killed the mood on such a good day, for the coyote especially. "Durham, I just wanted to say-"

"Save it nerd. Go talk to our big alien friend first, then you can say whatever it is when you come back." He still had his regular cocksure grin on his maw. Either he was unfazed by the heart-to-heart he'd just heard, or he was pretending to be. "Now more importantly, what's a baseball star got to do to get some food around here, eh? Let's hit the cafeteria." He threw an arm around Miguno's neck, dragging the hyena along while Collot followed.

Legosi nodded to Jack one last time. "You've got this." He then brought up the rear for the rest of the pack.

As his friends started to get further down the trail, Jack brought out his phone to pull up Nomad's number. The two hadn't really spoken all that much before the incident, and lately, there had been no reason to. He stared at the keyboard for a second before starting to type.

Nomad had his eyes narrowed on the garden rooftop just below him. "Huh, so that's where it is." He said aloud to himself before looking up and over the rest of his surroundings. Being his first time on the main building's rooftop, or any rooftop at the school, he hadn't really thought about what a commanding position that academy had over the city for some time. He continued to be patient, knowing that the dog's stumpy legs were probably slowing him down on the stairs. His mind started going through how the discussion was going to go. Hopefully, the twin would just give a more sincere apology and the issue would be squashed, but what he'd seen had told him otherwise. The turmoil in Jack's eyes was a sight he'd witnessed many times among his brothers and sisters in arms. Hate. Not as unadulterated and pure as it was in the heart of someone like Ana or him, but it was there. He knew of how dogs came to be in this world. Genetically modified to increase intelligence and suppress instinctual aggression for the carnivore war effort. Poor guy probably doesn't even know what he's feeling.

The metal creaking of a door sounded off behind him, and Nomad turned around to see the canine. He didn't hesitate to start moving towards the Spartan, stopping just before him. The labrador stood straight and tall, trying his best not to waver now that it was just him and the human.

"Nomad, I just wanted to say I am sorry. I have been harboring something against you since your fight with Legosi. I know you were just reacting to what you knew at the moment. I should not hold that against you so…" The dog stuck out his rigid arm towards the twin. Palm open for a handshake. "Let's move on so that things aren't weird between us anymore."

Nomad looked at the hand and then to Jack. He scoffed with a dismissive expression. "Did you really think it was that easy? Not only do you not believe your words, your body doesn't either."

Jack started pulling his arm back down, no longer expecting the handshake.

"Your hand just balled into a fist, your pupils are dilated, your fur is sticking up around your neck, and if I looked behind you I am sure the tip of your tail is pointing at your back in a curl."

The labrador went through the checklist and everything was true. What is happening to me?

"Your instincts are betraying your mind. You don't want to be my friend Jack. You want to fight me. You want to drive me away; to put distance between me and the people you care about." The hulking young man put his arms out. "Well I'm right here. Take a shot. I won't stop you."

The words immediately got Jack's heart pumping. His feet were stuck in place by a mental barrier. It wasn't right to fight. Doing so only causes a scene and reinforces the resentment against carnivores, especially dogs.

"Come on Jack! Stop trying so hard. It's eating you alive." Nomad brought his fist to his abdominals and struck himself. "Hit me!"

"I can't! Not again. I'm-I'm not like that."

"Yes, you are! You know that I'm a danger. Confront it." Nomad took a step closer, curling around to press Jack towards the edge's fence. He leaned down, and his voice dropped to a rumble. "You know we're killers. What are you going to do about it? Legosi couldn't stop me. I could clear out your whole dormitory if I felt like it. So what are you going to do? Just stand there?"

"Stop it!" Jack yelled, finally bringing an arm back to throw his punch.

The attack was so telegraphed and so slow to the Spartan that he could have dodged it several times over. Still, he let the strike connect. Jack's attack didn't even make him step back, the dog clutched his wrist in pain.

"Not good enough, Jack." Nomad stated as he grabbed the labrador by his shirt.

Jack felt his torso jerk forward as he was catapulted to the hard rooftop. He had no time to get his footing and tumbled to the ground. His eyes stung with invisible tears as frustration filled his spirit.

"What can I even do against you?"

"You can get up, Jack." Nomad answered as he indifferently strode to the downed dog.

Jack got to his hands and knees, but he didn't stand just yet. He felt sorry for himself. He couldn't help it. There was no way to win.

"I said get up." A hulking shadow then casts itself over the dog. "Get up!" Nomad brought his leg back before turning his foot lengthways with Jack's body. The blow's impact was weakened by the greater surface area, but it was still enough to drive the breath out of the dog and send him rolling further away.

The labrador sputtered and coughed. Why did this have to happen to him? He hadn't done anything wrong had he?

"Dammit Jack, get up! There is no other way! Do or die, right here, right now!"

Jack got back to his hands and knees once again, this time to draw in the breath that he lost. He then brought a knee up, using a hand to push himself to his feet. His adrenaline was pumping now. He could feel the pain numb as his entire existence focused on the threat before him.

"So what are you going to do now, huh? Mean mug me to death? You can't even do that. You want to protect your pack, but you couldn't even put a bruise on me if you had all afternoon."

For the first time in his young adult life, Jack started to growl. The deep guttural rumble was accompanied by snarling lips and an exposure of his fangs.

There he is.

The carnivore took off into a sprint, keeping his body low and coiled. Once he was within five feet he sprung at Nomad. He opened his maw and raised his claws. Claws? Didn't remember those being that long on him.

Instead of dodging or counter-striking, the Spartan once again let the attack land. Jack's teeth sunk into his forearm. His claws swung wildly at his midsection. While the experience was of course painful, it wasn't the worst the soldier had endured by far. The twin let the dog go off his chain for a few seconds before finally retaliating. He grabbed Jack by the neck and stuck his thumb into the base of his throat, just above his collarbone. The canine felt the pressure on his larynx instantly. He lost his mouth's hold on his opponent to deal with the sudden cutoff of air. Stepping back to cough and wheeze, he never saw the backkick coming from Nomad. The young man only made contact at half-speed, making sure it was his calf and not his shin that drove into the labrador's ribs. Of course, this still rocked Jack and launched him nearly ten feet. He gasped for air once more, bloody drool seeping from his maw as he fought the urge to vomit.

The Spartan ripped his already torn sleeve off and began wrapping up his torn forearm, giving the dog some time to recover. He was almost surprised when Jack threw himself into a sloppy run, desperately charging Nomad again. The human finished the knot on his impromptu bandage just before the delirious carnivore could get within reach. He then sidestepped the attack, sticking his foot out for a trip. Jack went ass over elbows, this crash having really taken the fire out of him. He just laid there, thinking about his friends, knowing how helpless he was. Knowing he would not be able to help them if they were truly in trouble. His vision started to blur. What's happening? Am I dying? He brought his hand up to try and clear his eyes, his fingers pulling away moisture. I'm crying. I'm really crying.

The hulking mass of a young man was soon over the labrador again. His voice was raspy, but he fought through the pain and breathlessness to speak. "Why… why did this happen?"

"Last thing I ever want to do is to hurt people that I care about, Jack, but this is the only way I know how to be real."

"You think… this is right?"

The twin bit the inside of his cheek, taking a moment to organize himself before speaking again. "You're a good person Jack. You're intelligent, kind, and sociable. That's what's expected of you. It's who you've come to be, but that's not all of you. At some point, you told yourself that's all you need to be. You think you're no good if you try to go outside the lines. Now you've been confronted with conflict, real conflict, and your entire being is looking for something to blame." He crouched down next to the crumpled canine. "Life is mean. It's nasty. You're smart. You know this already. You see it in the news, but you try not to keep it in your mind because your instinct will tell you things you don't want to hear. Life has told your mind to keep who you really are down, and it will keep you there if you let it. Nobody, not me, not my brother, nobody will beat you down like your own thoughts, but it's not about how hard the beating is or how long it lasts. All that matters is that you get back up, stand as yourself, and keep moving forward. Just take it and keep moving forward. That is how you win. Attrition. Bend the world to your will, not the other way around." Nomad stood back up to his full height. A new passion filled his chest, renewing itself with every breath he took. He had always had his brother there to speak for the two of them, and now he was surprising himself with how much he had to say. "Now you know who you are, and you know what is right. It's not an easy thing to follow the right path. You have to be willing to take the beating, and not say that it isn't right because of what he said or she said, when you know it's not true. Cowards do that and that's not you! You're better than that!"

He took a breath to calm himself. "I know you are a protector, but it doesn't make a difference if you don't believe you are. So believe it." The Spartan reached his hand out to the labrador. "Now get it up."

Jack was speechless as he processed everything. The looming animosity that had built up in his shadow had dissipated. It was like meeting a new person for the first time. As soon as he understood, he took Nomad's hand and felt himself get lifted upright. The two kept the handshake going before the young man patted the dog on the shoulder.

"We need to get ourselves cleaned up before someone notices. Let Damon know if you feel woozy or anything. Probably got a few bruises, but I didn't feel any ribs pop." He chuckled a little as they walked to the door.

Jack felt his tail wagging behind him. Despite having gotten thrashed, he felt sated, the rage within him dying down. A smile came to his face as he pointed to the bandaged wrist. "You make sure to wash that bite. Haven't brushed my teeth since after breakfast."

This only makes Nomad laugh more as they enter the stairwell. "Will do."