Just a short chapter to move things along. Nothing much to say except that Chapter 11 for AWB is still kicking my butt like crazy. But hopefully, maybe, expect Chapter 11 to come out within a month or so.

Louise huffed as she checked her phone for the tenth time since arriving at the auditorium. It was only 10:28, but the deer grew anxious as the clock ticked the minutes away. Perhaps it was her stickler nature for punctuality, but she half-expected to see Legoshi by now. She did tell him to arrive on the dot, and Louise had no doubt he'd listen like the good dog he is. But that confidence in the wolf was slowly starting to wane as her deadline neared.

Damnit, she mentally cursed. Where is that mutt? Ugh, maybe I put too much faith in him. I should've known that he'd chicken out and—eh?

A faint rustling sound snapped Louise from her thoughts, and she spun around to face a dark, misty, empty courtyard, her ears perked and swiveling, and her eyes wide and alert. The light behind her did little to provide the doe with even the slightest bit of security as it barely lit the area around the rear exit of the auditorium. Louise's breathing quickened as she flicked her eyes to the left and right, unable to make out the moving shadows in the foggy darkness. Her eyes were unlike a carnivore's, preventing her from seeing properly in anything less than low light. Louise cursed herself for being born a weak, helpless herbivore, unable to defend itself if a predator set their sights on it.

But the faint sensation of cold, hard metal strapped to her right thigh reminded Louise that, should her life ever be in danger, she could always resort to the piece hidden underneath her uniform skirt. It was a gift from her mother, the current head of the Horns Conglomerate, on her sixteenth birthday following a close call with a disgruntled rival of the Horns. Chambered in .45 ACP, it packed just enough punch to halt a charging carnivore in its tracks. Louise believed that she was capable of defending herself with such a dangerous tool of death to incapacitate if not downright kill, her attacker. But that self-confidence disappeared instantly when she felt a presence suddenly appear behind her, catching Louise off guard.

She whirled on her would-be attacker and jumped when she saw that it was only Legoshi. Hunched over like he always was, Legoshi was now dressed in more casual clothing, his club attire consisted of a white T-shirt, red track pants, and a matching red track jacket that was left partially unzipped.

With a relieved sigh, Louise glared at Legoshi, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and hissed through her teeth. "You idiot! Don't sneak up on me like that! You should've said something instead of standing there like a statue!"

Legoshi whimpered, his ears folding back and his tail tucking between his legs. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. And you're right. I should've said something to make my presence known. It won't happen again, L-Louise."

Louise was taken aback by the wolf's submissiveness. While she knew he refused to be the "big bad wolf" he was supposed to be, she had never seen this side of him. It may have given her a sense of superiority, but for some reason, Louise felt sickened that she had earned it through the fear of an underclassman. She quickly dismissed the moral concern welling up in the corner of her mind and released the wolf, absentmindedly giving him a tender scratch behind his ear.

"It's fine, Legoshi," she said, not looking at him as she scratched him. "Just be mindful next time, will you?" Legoshi nodded, his eyes closing in contentment before he let out a disappointed whine when Louise withdrew her fingers from his head. "By the way, you're late. So, let's make this quick. I've already wasted enough time out here when it could be better spent getting some much-needed rest. Come on."

With that, she beckoned the wolf to follow her. She opened the door and slipped inside the auditorium with Legoshi behind her.

"If my body disappears into the air, the Water Spirit—"

"No," Louise suddenly cut the wolf off, shaking her head as she approached him. "No, no, and no. You need to have emotion, Legoshi. You've been sounding like a sad robot for the past ten minutes. Try again."

Legoshi blinked owlishly at the doe before sighing and clearing his throat. He began to speak, letting the words he had memorized from two years of silently observing from the shadows flow smoothly from his toothed maw. With her limited night vision, Louise watched as the wolf emphasized his words with his claw-tipped hands. They instilled a sense of unease in the doe, but she quickly pushed it down and focused on the wolf's mediocre performance. He was getting better, albeit at a painstakingly slow pace. The main problem was his tone and inflection on the lines where it was needed. As she said so herself, Legoshi sounded like a robot at times.

"Uh, Louise?" The deer shook her head and stared at the faint, hulking figure of Legoshi standing before her, his hands fidgeting. "Are you okay?"

Louise sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Just lost in thought. And a little tired." She yawned, inadvertently emphasizing her point, and checked her phone. "I think that'll have to do for tonight. Progress is still being made, and we have much work to do. Come, let's get out of here before someone—"

Louise's words faltered as she stumbled along the edge of the stage and lost her footing. Time seemed to slow down as Louise plunged to the ground before a pair of thundering footsteps rapidly approached her, and she felt Legoshi grab her and pull her to him and use his body to cushion her fall. They landed with a loud thud, followed by a pained yelp from Legoshi. Louise opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them beforehand, and found herself sprawled on Legoshi's chest. Making a face of disgust, Louise scrambled off the wolf and stood up before giving herself a quick once over. She was unhurt, thankfully, but she was quick to scold herself for being so damned clumsy, as well as cursing her weak herbivore eyesight and poor night vision.

Then, a quiet whimper shook Louise from her self-loathing. She looked down at the faint shape of Legoshi and suddenly remembered that he had made a sound as they landed on the ground. The deer knelt beside Legoshi and poked him with an index finger. "Legoshi?" she prodded. Are you okay?"

The wolf groaned as he slowly twitched to life and sat up, holding a hand to his no doubt pounding and spinning head. "Wh-what? Huh? L-Louise? What…what happened?"

Louise sighed and rolled her eyes before grabbing Legoshi's arm and pulling him as she stood up. But because of her lack of formidable strength, Legoshi didn't move an inch. He looked up at her, and Louise saw his white eyes almost glowing in the dark. "I fell," Louise said bluntly, releasing Legoshi's arm and putting both hands on her shapely hips. "But your dumb mutt ass saved me and used your body as a cushion. I'm fine, for the most part, but my concern is you. Now, I'll ask again: 'Are you okay?'"

Legoshi blinked several times before grimacing and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm… I'm fine. I guess. Just a little banged up, maybe. And sore. But nothing I haven't felt before." He let out a pained chuckle. "I once fell out of a big tree when I was seven, and I walked away from it with a sore body and some scolding from my grandpa and my mo—" He trailed off and looked away, letting his arm fall away from his head as he stared at the ground. Legoshi then cleared his throat and looked up at Louise. "Are you sure you're okay? I know landing on another person isn't exactly a soft one."

Louise huffed and shook her head. "I'm fine, Legoshi. You made a sound when you fell, so, naturally, I'm supposed to check up on you, a fellow club member and classmate."

Legoshi shrugged as he groggily rose to his feet, using the stage as support. "If…if you say so. Do you…would you like me to walk you back to your dorm? Or—"

"I'll be fine on my own, thank you very much," Louise said sharply, crossing her arms. "If anything, I'll walk you to your dorm, just so you don't suddenly collapse on the spot and leave me to deal with your heavy wolf butt."

Legoshi nodded, unfazed by Louise's insults. "O-okay. Let's go, then."

Without another word spoken between them, Louise and Legoshi left the auditorium and headed for the dorms. The fog had since thickened during their time inside rehearsing and thus hindered Louise's ability to see even further. So, she stuck close to Legoshi but kept enough distance between them to avoid brushing up against him. The towering wolf beside her strolled, his long-legged gait taking Louise at least four steps to keep up with him. He also had a limp, and Louise frowned bitterly. Of course, he gets hurt, stupid wolf, the deer lamented silently. I just hope your roommates don't ask too many questions… Ah, who am I kidding? Of course, they'll be nosy like the dumb mutts they are.

As Louise continued silently cursing Legoshi, the two finally reached the carnivore dorm, and Legoshi stopped at the steps leading inside. He turned to Louise and said, "Well, here's where we part ways. I, uh, didn't collapse? Like you thought I would?"

Louise harrumphed and took a single step towards the wolf, putting her almost face-to-face with him. "We're not done yet, Legoshi. We're going inside together. And I won't take no for an answer. Who knows? You might collapse on the stairs or the elevator."

Legoshi opened his mouth to protest, but Louise brushed past him, climbed the steps, and went inside. The wolf sighed with a slight whine before limping after her. The duo took the elevator as climbing to the top of the dorm building, where Legoshi's room was, would take too long and put more strain on whatever injury Legoshi suffered. Although it was a little loud and could potentially wake the sleeping residents of the building, Louise was willing to take the risk if it meant lessening Legoshi's ailment.

The elevator reached the designated floor with a resounding ding, and the door clattered open. Before Legoshi could step out, Louise grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the elevator. "What is your room number?" she whispered sharply.

Legoshi groaned softly and said, "701. But I can walk there by myself. My roommates are kind of light sleepers, so…"

Louise rolled her eyes as she pulled Legoshi to his room right around the corner from the elevator. Once they reached the door, Louise waited for the wolf to pull out his spare key for the dorm room. But it wasn't needed as the door suddenly swung open, revealing five pairs of eyes glaring back at the duo.