I've been working on Chapter 33 and this new angle with Louis is something I enjoy but I wanted to give more inform you guys about my approach to his story when I get to the author's notes. Thank you guys for reading.

-MalMetal

CHAPTER 33: What Now?

"Thank you very much, Mr. Dolph!" A small crocodile smiled at the lion who finished restocking the meat on a high-up shelf.

"Don't worry about it. Next time be sure your mother's here to help you." Dolph accompanied his advice with a wave, leaving the store. He looked around to see apartments, a sizable amount of convenience stores, and a couple small-scale clothing stores around him. He waited outside the nearest clothing store, anticipating someone.

"No problem Ivory! Have a good one!" Agata smiled at a Shih Tzu around his age. She had brown hair around her eye and white hair down to the collar of her shirt. Agata made it to the entrance of her store before whispering to himself. "How does a girl like her end up selling clothes in a place like this-"

"Yeah, she's a pretty woman." Dolph leaned past Agata to see the girl he was gushing about.

"Dolph!" Agata let out an embarrassed cry loud enough to get the woman's attention. He flashed a fake smile before walking away.

"I wasn't trying to embarrass you but you know what we do."

"Can't a guy flirt from time to time? A woman like that doesn't come around often, so window shopping for what you can't afford ain't so bad every once in a while. I know she's a canine and a dog at that but I don't know she's just- pretty. Plus she gave me extra again, check it out." Dolph counted Agata's money.

"A whole fifty thousand yen bonus. She seems to like you."

"You think so? Ehm, I don't think so."

"We always get a bonus when you go to her. She's just asked for our services recently and from what Free told me she's more serious when he comes around than when you come by to work for her." Dolph's calm explanation massaged Agata's imagination. Dolph gave him a hardy slap to his back.

"Stay focused, we're going into Dokugumi territory."

"Ow, sorry." Agata straightened up and stopped a short way into Dokugumi's territory where the two opened a door to their left. A stairway leading downward led them to another door. They heard nothing coming from near the door's entrance, only seeing some light leaking from the cracks in the doorway. Dolph placed a hand in front of Agata and nodded his head at him. He pulled out a knife while Dolph stepped closer with his pistol in hand. Dolph quietly opened the door, seeing no one but the scent of blood stunk up the area.

Dolph walked into a wooden cellar-like room. Wooden shelves containing meat and alcohol were sitting all around. Overhead, wires holding meat slabs gave this room a somewhat fresh scent. Soft yet bright lights illuminated the room shining down on the horror in front of Dolph. The shop's owner was laid across a table stained with his blood. Drops of blood were still dropping to the floor so his death was recent, his eyes were open and slightly hazy. Dolph used one of his knives to move the tortoise shopkeeper's head slightly to inspect the shopkeeper's slit throat.

"Clean run-through, no amateur," Dolph concluded, inspecting around more he saw a handgun next to the body, something he'd never thought the butcher carried.

"So what do we do? We need his payment." Agata asked.

"That's the least of our worries, the Dokugumi provided for this vendor frequently. Without him, the Dokugumi's grip on circulation will take a hit."

"And because we guaranteed him protection… his death falls back on us. Great." Agata sighed with a sincerely worried look.

"There's nothing we can do except have Sabu and Dope clean up this mess. You call them while I get in contact with the Boss." Agata followed his senior's orders. Dolph studied his surroundings a second time. Something about this didn't feel right.

"Under our protection not only will you be safe from other gangs but know that our price will be less expensive than what the Madaragumi is offering you," Louis spoke to a small rodent in a nurse's uniform who thought to herself while preparing some surgical utensils. During this brief pause, Louis took another look around. Several rodents ran about the place bound by metal walls all around. The room was outfitted with medical supplies, anatomy diagrams of several different types of carnivores, and clear tanks filled with naked carnivore corpses. Each tank has a metal tube linked to a system on the room's ceiling and wall. Whenever Louis saw something akin to the scene in front of him he couldn't get used to it.

No matter what he knew about the Black Market, he would always find some corner of it where carnivores and herbivores alike were treated like commodities. Ibuki gave him a sense of this perspective but in the rare event he would go out to see corners of the Market like this he never felt comfortable. Despite his unsettled feelings, he spared no sympathy for any carnivores or herbivores he saw.

"Hm, well I guess it should be fine to use your services. However, the Madaragumi is our distributor so you'll have to negotiate with them as well." The small rat said while cleaning a scalpel for a live chained-up wolf behind her.

"So, the Madaragumi don't offer you protection?" Louis asked.

"Ah, did I say that?"

"No, but you mentioned them being your distributor, not that they protected you from potential raids by other gangs. I'm sure you know that smaller gangs have gotten bolder since the Shishigumi fell from glory, so protection is a priority of yours, correct?" Louis stepped closer to the small herbivore, grabbing her full attention.

"I've tamed these wild lions, so I want to utilize them to better this place for its business owners and residents. You are one of those many, under the Shishigumi's protection we can offer you a far more lucrative and secure business." Louis' eyes pierced the nurse's divided attention, multiplying it twice toward the deer in front of her. His eyes were intense and fiercely beautiful, she smiled, fanning herself with her hand.

"Woo. You make an old rat wanna be a young deer. I suppose it would be far more reassuring to have your protection but you'll have to explain to the Madaragumi of this change. I presume you know how Miso can be." The nurse carefully filled a syringe with clear liquid, preparing to inject it into a white wolf behind her. The wolf had different words split into sections written all over his body. Louis made eye contact with the wolf's single gray eye. He was completely at fate's whim, however, this carnivore made the choice to take up loans he could not pay back. Naturally, his ensuing disfigurement made him look quite pitiful. In that wolf's eyes, Louis caught a glimpse of himself from that day on the festival grounds. A glimpse of what Legoshi saw.

"I understand. Thank you for your agreement." Louis bowed his head and then turned up slightly his gaze as the wolf was about to undergo the procedure. His sight is obscured by Ibuki covering his eyes so he only hears a scream almost comically, his hand follows Louis' eyes as he lifts his head.

"I'm not a child anymore you know that."

"I know." Ibuki still kept his hand up watching silently for a few more seconds.

The three left shortly after the screams started, entering the crowded Black Market streets. Ibuki and Free stuck close to Louis obscuring his face as best they could. Ibuki and Free could almost hear Louis' annoyance especially since it was boring a hole into their backs.

"Listen, Boss, you're still an eighteen-year-old. You shouldn't have to see such violence at your age." Ibuki spoke so only Free and Louis could hear him.

"You've told me that several times now, so I'll ask what I always do. Do you remember that I killed Nikushi?"

"And as I have asked you, what does that matter? A boy your age shouldn't be seeing stuff like that. End of story."

"He's an adult at eighteen Ibuki so give it a rest already." Free chimed in. Ibuki shot a look at his friend who shrugged at his frustration. Louis couldn't help except sigh to himself, restrain his annoyance, and answer his phone that was vibrating in his pocket.

Answering it, Dolph's information shook his boss' composure badly. He knew an event like this was always a possibility since the beginning. However, he could not know how would react to an attack like this, he couldn't freeze up all he could do was go to one place and one place alone.

"Free, Ibuki, we're heading back to the club," Louis said, turning to leave.

"Huh? Boss, we already got our- agh! What the hell?!" Free couldn't finish his sentence before Louis ran off. He and Ibuki had to give chase, they ducked and moved around everyone as fast as they could.

"Damn why'd he go running off like this and how is he so fuckin' fast?!" Free complained. Ibuki's uneasy expression made him freak out a little bit. Louis' mind was racing just as fast as he was now, trying to connect all of his thoughts into one train. He kept moving until he side-swiped a huge animal wearing a white hoodie. Before he could kiss the ground a strong hand grabbed his tie, bringing him to his feet.

"I hope you're not here to sell yourself." A deep voice spoke looking at Louis with eyes black as night. Gohin pulled the herbivore back onto his feet.

"I don't have time for this, excuse me!" Louis left Gohin behind who watched Free and Ibuki following him. A small frown formed on Gohin's face as he remembered those three from the photos he'd received only a short while back.

After a few more minutes, Louis burst through the club's entrance. Not much attention was drawn to him because of the loud music. In front of him, he saw Cosmo dancing under a cage with well-spaced bars so carnivores could see her clearly but not be able to touch her. Louis watches her movements, distracting him from his surroundings. Three individuals were spread at different places of the club, all of them had seen Louis' entrance. Ibuki and Free arrived right behind him, completely out of breath. Their scents caught the noses of some nearby carnivores who turned their heads after looking.

"Boss, please tell us why we're here!" Free asked between breaths.

"Dolph called me, he said the butcher had been killed and that it wasn't some accident that a capable beast did it. That butcher was a valuable source of revenue for the Dokugumi and they knew he was under our protection and payroll. So I thought of one reason why he would be murdered. Using the Inarigumi's service to kill the butcher to direct the Dokugumi our way once they find out about his death all while hitting the Shishigumi's funds simultaneously. I came here because this club is our biggest asset thanks to Cosmo." Ibuki looked at Louis in stunned silence.

"You figured all of that out from one phone call?" Louis shook his head to Ibuki's question.

"Something felt off the closer I got to clearing our debts. Savon and Ten rarely contacted me and Miso attacked us. Then he spoke about me becoming his "cash cow". That's when I knew I had to prepare for an attack, I had to protect our assets." Ibuki gave Louis a look of near admiration, this deer was truly dedicated to the betterment of this gang despite how he became their Boss and what they turned him into. Ibuki softly grabs his Boss' shoulder and Louis a smile that stunned him for a moment. Louis felt comfort with Ibuki he'd never felt before from any carnivore except Legoshi. A carnivore he saw as an equal.

Cosmo's dance came to an end, and her eyes moved about her cheering audience until they landed on Louis who was being approached by a tall lanky fox who wore a mask.

"Louis!-" Cosmo is cut off by a strong hand gripping her muzzle, tilting her head to see her coworker, a female bobcat with a knife in hand preparing to stab her in her chest. Suddenly, a bullet from Free's gun pierces her left shoulder.

"Get the hell away from the Boss' bitch!" Free yelled as every customer began sprinting towards the exit.

"Cosmo, run!" Louis shouted as Free pulled his arm to a somewhat open space where they encountered two masked assailants with knives. Free pulls a knife out to block an incoming attack while Ibuki dodges other. However, a third attacker approaches Ibuki's flank.

Louis pushes Ibuki out of the way and takes a knife to his stomach. his back is left wide open to be attacked by the third masked attacker, Louis gets to his feet. He couldn't explain why his legs moved as fast as they could. He couldn't explain why he wanted to protect that lion, not at all. He pushed Ibuki away, taking the knife to the outer part of his left abdomen. Ibuki felt his heart sink into his stomach, Louis froze up but so too did his attacker, they jerked back the knife acting as if they'd made a mistake worthy of pause. Another gunshot rang, and again Ibuki fired, hitting the assailant dead in the chest.

Louis fell back into his arms while the other two assailants ran for their fallen ally. Free looked to Ibuki who held his Boss tightly to him. The lions did not pass up their chase for escape, dashing into the Black Market's streets. Ibuki could feel Louis' blood coating his hands and one strong whiff of it made him salivate. He felt a strong urge to eat, building up inside his heart. His fingers curled, digging into Louis' body.

"Ibuki! Control yourself dammit, he's still the Boss, not a piece of meat!" Free's yell snapped Ibuki from his trance. "Where can we take the Boss?! The base doesn't have the supplies!"

"Wuh- We have to um- we have to go to the clinic with the panda!"

"Are you still drunk off the Boss' blood?! There's no way he'll take in the Boss!"

"We don't have any other choice, it's there or nowhere, Free!" Against his reservations, Free ran toward the clinic towering overhead only a small way away. By the time they arrived at the clinic, Louis'd lost quite a bit of blood. They quickly spotted a mountain goat working at a desk next to an elevator, wearing a green medical uniform.

"Hey, we need a doctor for our Boss!" Ibuki shouted.

"I'm sorry but this clinic doesn't service gang members of the Black Market, Doctor Gohin's orders! You'll have to leave."

"We're not going anyway, now open tell that damn panda to prepare for our Boss, we don't have any time for this!" Free pointed his gun at the deer.

"You're on camera! You won't get away with this-"

"Let them through." The three animals turned to see Gohin walking toward them and tilted his head at the elevator. Ibuki and Free followed him without a word.

"Move your hand." Gohin checked over Louis' wound. "The blood isn't clotting because of Komodo Dragon venom." Following this he sent a message from his phone to his aides and nurses to prepare a room with the necessary supplies. Not long after Louis was placed in a bed, hooked to an IV. One nurse tended to the stitches on Louis while Gohin injected the antivenom. Ibuki rubbed his hands together as he waited for Louis' operation to finish, his hands were still covered in blood that taunted him constantly.

"You want to eat him?" Free casually asked.

"... I don't know."

"After tonight there's no way we can be sure of his safety or the gang's for that matter. Knives coated in Komodo Dragon venom, the butcher, now you too? We've gotta call it quits. Ten, Miso, and Savon just wanted to get the majority of their funds back that Nikushi stole from them, then cut us off once they could recover the rest themselves. That's what Dolph warned you about, right? Before things got "too messy" he wanted me to run for the hills, Agata too. He's really soft hearted ya know?" Ibuki felt those words biting him hard, he couldn't bring himself to reject this truth. The entirety of this past month was just the Shishigumi working for Miso, Ten, and Savon. Their glory days were long behind them no matter what they could say. Although "glory days" were a stretch at best, nothing Nikushi did could be considered good.

"Ibuki. It's over. We've been used as tools for Ten, Miso, and Savon. We've been playing dress-up for an entire month. After Nikushi died we lost everything we had. I might be "newer" than the Boss but I know just as much as him if not more. We've been holding this whole thing together with nothing except luck."

"We'll make that decision when the Boss is back with us. That's all, Free. I don't want to hear another word about this until then." Ibuki's voice was drenched in frustration and a tone he'd only take when he was dug into. Free let out a sigh before giving Ibuki another look, one of disappointment and pity.