The city never truly sleeps. The faint hum of the night carried on the cool breeze, weaving through the streets where carnivores and herbivores cautiously coexisted. It had been months since the tension between species had reached its boiling point and then subsided, thanks to the courage of Legoshi and his friends. Peace had returned to the city—a fragile, tentative peace. But even in the calm, unease lingered in the shadows.
Recently, that unease had grown into something tangible and terrifying. Abductions. Individuals vanishing without a trace, leaving behind nothing but broken routines and shattered lives. At first, it had been written off as isolated incidents. An overworked alpaca failing to return home from the night shift. A reckless young wolf disappearing after a weekend party. But the numbers grew, and the disappearances became impossible to ignore.
There was no pattern—no logic. Species didn't matter. Neither did size, status, or diet. Carnivores, herbivores, omnivores—it seemed no one was safe. The only certainty was the silence left in the wake of the missing. Families devastated. Friends left questioning. Fear creeping through the city like an unseen predator.
For Legoshi, it felt personal. After everything he had fought for, to see the city sliding back into chaos stirred something restless within him. It didn't help that Haru had begun to grow distant, her own fears pulling her into a shell he couldn't seem to break through. And Louis? The deer who once radiated confidence now seemed distracted, almost haunted. Even Jack, Legoshi's ever-optimistic friend, carried a weight he tried desperately to hide.
The media had dubbed it the Silent Prey phenomenon. Reporters speculated endlessly, but their theories only stoked the fires of distrust and paranoia. Carnivores feared they'd be blamed. Herbivores feared they'd be next. The thin thread of unity the city had clung to after the Melon incident was fraying.
Late one night, as the city's lights shimmered against the starless sky, Legoshi sat on the roof of his small apartment, ears twitching at every distant sound. His thoughts raced, replaying every news report, every missing poster he'd seen plastered on street corners. Someone had to do something. Someone had to stop it before the city tore itself apart again.
He looked down at his phone. No new messages. No calls. Nothing to anchor him in the present. With a deep breath, he steeled himself. He didn't know where to start, but he knew one thing for certain: he couldn't stay idle. Not while the shadows of the city threatened to consume everything he cared about.
As he descended from the rooftop, his claws clicking softly against the fire escape, Legoshi made a silent vow. Whatever this was, whoever was behind it, he would uncover the truth. Even if it meant stepping back into the darkness he thought he had left behind.