Thank you for waiting and continued reading. Thinking of closing out the season in four or so chapters. Please Enjoy.

-MalMetal

CHAPTER 48: What is Regained and What is Lost

Louis awoke to a soft white overhead light right above his bed. The rest of the room was dark and empty. His stump sent a shock through his body.

"Don't move around too much," Cosmo said softly. "They were able to take care of your leg fine. The cut was clean."

"Good. You're the first one to tell me that." Cosmo stood to her feet and leaned over Louis in his bed.

"Doesn't surprise me, you're a trust fund baby and perfect in every way to everyone. I've seen all of your flaws, and concerns. Now I've seen you when you were about to die. Thanks to you I was able to find a new place to work but I'll be owned by another carnivore. I'll miss being owned by a cute deer." Cosmo kissed Louis on the cheek. "Don't come back to the Black Market. You're free now, if I see you again I'll tell the Shishigumi."

Louis looked at the okapi; she was completely serious. He smiled. "My time there is over—every last bit of it. I'm sorry I couldn't help you get what I promised."

"You did. Miso offered me a place to work. I'll be meeting him tonight. He respects you." Louis felt satisfied and a little surprised with this outcome. The two shared one more gaze before Cosmo left him to his thoughts. Several eyes were drawn to her while she walked out of the hospital where a car with tinted windows waited for her. She got inside and was greeted by a lion.

"How was he?" Ibuki asked, handing her a bag.

"He's gonna make a full recovery." Cosmo started changing. Her figure was particularly attractive with a few small scars on her upper torso and shoulder that blended in with the brown of her fur. Ibuki tried his best to keep his eyes to himself.

"Good. Is the Shishigumi finished?"

"If Miso isn't lying, then probably yes." Ibuki quietly accepted her answer.

"I wish he'd stopped when we told him to. That buck is always trouble. Did you get what you wanted out of this little stunt? The both of you I mean."

"Louis' free of the Black Market and I'll get a job, who could ask for more?" Cosmo sighed as she finished her question.

"Does that mean you're not gonna be providing extra services then?"

"Keep it in your pants. I don't need to use carnivores to mask my scent anymore, I'll strictly be a dancer from now on." Cosmo finished dressing herself in a set of grey sweats.

"Were my intentions that obvious?"

"You're a male so it's natural. I spark your desire and hunger."

"So you manipulate carnivores that way. With a body like that it works extremely well." Cosmo chuckled and smirked.

"I don't sleep around with previous owners or employers. Sorry." Ibuki chuckled softly.

"Of course not. You are a professional." Ibuki drove onto a back road that led to the Black Market. He dropped Cosmo off where she wanted to be left and made his way back to his base. It was around 12 am by the time he returned. Stepping into his base, Dolph waited for him.

"By the look on your face, he'll be alright."

"Yeah, he will. The girl is no longer our concern either. The Shishigumi is finished, Dolph."

"About time I guess. Nikushi drove us to the edge and Louis pushed us off."

"That's one way to look at it and a pretty good way too. We should take off into hiding before the police get their claws in us."

"Where do you think we should run? Regrouping with Sony and the others isn't a good idea, but the Dokugumi's territory is our best bet for safety until the heat dies down a little." Dolph said, walking alongside Ibuki.

"Well we can move underground for the Dokugumi if we can but I don't want to work for lizards for a long time if ever. It'll be odd jobs in the market or changing our manes, and names and operating on the outside for security." Ibuki sounded a bit gruff, offering Dolph a cigarette.

"Nature's Best, huh?"

"It's good for old animals who don't care about flavor."

"Last one on the shelf?"

"Yeah." Ibuki sighed while Dolph laughed a bit, still happily smoking with his old friend.

"Who'll stay for the exchange of territory?" Dolph asked. The two sat on the somewhat worn couch.

"I'll handle it. This is my fault after all."

"We need someone to keep us together if we ever get the chance to make a comeback. Whoever goes to finalize the deal might be killed after and I won't let them go alone." Dolph said, feeling the air.

"Then we die together."

"I guess so."

"You two trying to go onna suicide mission?" Free appeared behind the two. "If that's the case we're all goin' ain't no debatin' or arguin'. Got it?"

"Why don't you mind your own business for a change?" Dolph said half-heartedly.

"Looks like we're back to square one on all of this," Ibuki smirked, he listened to Free and Dolph chat for a little while longer until he focused on the stars far away. "I'm sorry for wasting your sacrifice, Louis. Doing what you did must've been hard for you but this is the way we lions do things. We are loyal to a fault and die for it. That's how all of this works. I wish you would have understood that."

"I take it that your business is done now?" Ogma asked his child who looked at the soft comforter in his hands. He straightened his posture to give a direct answer.

"Yes."

"Now you can focus on being what you were made to be."

"Being your heir has always been my role." Louis' eyes looked empty, swallowed by a certain kind of sorrow undeniable by anyone. Ogma walked closer to his son and patted his head softly.

"Did it hurt?"

"... Not that much. I was in shock and fell unconscious afterward." When Louis looked up, Ogma saw a small fawn and the deer in front of him. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around his son. This moment of silence nearly fried Louis' brain but it pushed him to hug back tightly. The small, comforting whirring noise of the lights straightened the moment. An undoubtable reality painted a mundane, nerve-wracking room in a warm brown and green colored mixture. Beyond the savagery of the Black Market. Beyond the loss in business.

"For this one moment, all I had was… you." Ogma wiped a tear from Louis' face and flicked to the floor.

"Be sure to follow everything the nurse says. He and the doctor told me you've got a strong body so you'll be out tomorrow with some pain medication you'll need to take twice a day for the next few weeks. Remember, you have a job to do." Ogma gave his son a serious look. Louis returned the gaze, leaving Ogma a feeling of comfort before he left. His son looked out of the window, seeing the bare trees stained by winter's power. He watched the cars move, animals move, and leaves move. It was ten minutes before a gut punch snapped him from his trance. There wasn't any particular power to it, it just… hurt.

"You really are a dumbass, huh, Shi?" Kyuu asked.

"Ugh… why'd you hit me?" Kyuu punched him again.

"Because you almost got killed like a dumbass."

"Stop hitting me already! I'm injured enough as it is!"

"Thanks to your own actions. You didn't owe those lions anything." Louis rubbed his left side.

"I owed something to myself and every herbivore who died thanks to me. Now I can move on from some of this. I'm done in the market."

"Yeah, we know!" San came in with a smile fully prepared for Louis. He picked up Kyuu who immediately started trying to break free. "Good to see you Shi, I'm glad you're still in one piece."

"Put me down, San!"

"This is your punishment for hitting Louis. Sorry, but you have to deal with it. And keep your voice down, we're in a hospital." The two continued to bicker back and forth with one another. Louis remembered how hopeless their faces used to be waiting for death. Now it seemed like–

Louis smiled. "... Hah. You two really are still alive." Both of them froze and smirked, at least San did.

"We've got the day off so we'll be here with you for a while." Kyuu said. She found her way onto the bed and San squeezed in with her. Despite feeling a bit cramped, Louis was still comfortable. The bed was a decent bit bigger than the average and his cellmates were careful not to touch his stump. San, Kyuu, and Louis shared a whole bunch of stories with each other. The small laughs, memories, and quirks that never left made the three feel right at home. After all the talking they fell asleep. Back in that dark, dark place, Louis would always lay in the middle because Kyuu and San liked his fur texture on their faces. When the doctor walked in, it was like she saw three kids sleeping on top of each other.

"Are you ready?" Pina asked Legoshi while equipping a small mic to his undershirt in the locker room.

"...Yes."

"Great. Now go get 'em!" Legoshi led the way back to the drama club room. Riz was waiting on the practice stage when he saw the two.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Riz! We're ready for you to act out the scene with us!"

"I thought you wanted me to help you to move something?"

"Sorry, change of plans!" The bear looked at his friend who just shook his head. Riz stood up to face Legoshi who met him up there. "Alright, it's the final demon and Adler clash–"

Pina's phone rang, he answered it and stepped out of the room "Hey, mom. How'd Dad's surgery go?"

"The investigation is going fine," Six-Eyes answered while watching over a crime scene with an elephant in a pool of its own blood. A ram colleague held the phone to her inner ear. "Things have gotten messy but getting an ID of the perp is going to be difficult."

"I still can't believe they left me here alone with these monsters. I could use your strength to handle them if they get aggressive."

"Joking at a time like this isn't wise," Pina smirked.

"Is it ever?"

"Not in our field."

Pina sighed, sitting next to a small radio in a nearby classroom. "When I close this case I'll be over there to help you out."

"We'll see… I have to go." Six-Eyes hung up the phone and left Pina to adjust his headset's volume as he heard the sound of two voices.

"The semester's going long isn't it?" Riz asked.

"...Yeah. Everything's been happening." Legoshi replied almost reluctantly.

"So much is such little time. It feels like adulthood's gonna hit us in no time. Do you have any plans for after?"

"...I try not to think about it too much."

"I don't have any sort of plans. College just doesn't feel like it fits me but going out into the working world seems scary at times."

"Like you're weighed down, right?" Riz looked at Legoshi who seemed tired and out of his body.

"You look more weighed down than I do." The bear leaned to try and make eye contact with his friend. "Are you doing okay?"

"Why is this so hard? All you have to do is ask him what happened. Even if you have your suspicions you need to go through with it. Stop waiting, just do it!" Legoshi closed his eyes and took a breath.

"I wanna ask you about the night you and Tem saw the stars." Riz sat up straight.

"Why?"

"You never told me what happened."

"Right. We went to see the constellations. That was it."

"What happened after?"

"It was past curfew so he left for his dorm room."

"The alpaca was said to have not gotten back to his room after he went to see the stars with the bear. His roommates were asleep before he said he would get back. In the event of a devouring, a carnivore's body will boost its digestive organs to process "natural" food faster which means the culprit would've gotten his remains out of his system faster too." Remembering Pina's words, Legoshi continued

"He didn't make it back to his room that night."

"Of course not, he was killed after we left and he was going back to his room."

"There weren't any signs of damage on the gates or that there were any tracks left behind. He only saw you that night, didn't he?" Riz's face twitched slightly. "You were the last one to see him, nobody else."

"Like I told that detective, I didn't see what happened to him after he dropped me off at my dorm."

"How'd he get to the auditorium?"

"He must've run there!"

"Why is your voice trembling?" Legoshi made full eye contact. "Carnivores show physical reactions or aggressive tendencies when they are guilty of devouring, especially when it's someone close to them. The bowl, the auditorium door handle, and your strength when you passed materials or handled props during the meeting. All of that because we talked about Tem. Controlling our physicality is the first thing carnivores are told to do so we don't hurt herbivores-" Riz dug his claws into Legoshi's arm, pulling him closer.

"Stop talking. For your sake." Riz's eyes were empty and full.

"You take muscle suppressants. All large brown bears do."

"Where did you- Ugh!" Legoshi elbowed Riz in the throat, freeing his arm which was bleeding a little. He stepped off the stage. He studied Riz's face while he coughed. A dangerous thought across his mind.

"Tem." Legoshi reached under his shirt, pulling the microphone off his chest. Riz watched it get crushed and fall to the floor from the wolf's paw.

"This is between me, you, and Tem." Small black paws moved his jaw and paw in that split second. "Tell me the truth. You haven't been using those muscle suppressants for a long time. That's what led you to kill Tem. That's what led to you eating him!"

"Shut up! You don't know what happened, you weren't there! This has nothing to do with you, leave it alone, Legoshi!"

"He was my friend too! That meal, underneath the trees! I remember it all, Riz!" The bear focused on Legoshi's face. He knew it. He knew why he looked…

"Don't hide. Be honest." A white voice whispered.

"So… tired." Riz stood straight and walked closer to his distant friend. "I can't convince you."

"Tell me something. Anything that'll make it impossible to believe." Legoshi asked. "Riz, I don't want to. I can't–I can't turn away from this."

"I know." The two stood there, witnessing the truth. "He was the only one who I felt like I could reveal myself to. He never judged me. Not even in the end."

A wave of pain, an undercurrent of anger, and a shore of sorrow established itself in Legoshi's mind. He lowered his head. Riz walked over and stood a foot in front of him. "I'm only here because my freedom is my punishment. Turning myself in isn't something I think Tem would want." Legoshi punched Riz in the face, sending him backward.

"What would you know about what he'd want?! Do you think he wanted to die?!"

"No. That's a part of my punishment too." A set of white paws moved Riz's jaw and throat. "Living with guilt freely. I will experience everything he couldn't after that night for him and live out my life with this secret."

"... You don't get to decide that."

"This is my punishment, the punishment Tem gave to me. No one else." Legoshi looked at Riz completely lost. "I'm happy though."

Riz wiped the blood from his left nostril. "Carrying this weight on my shoulders alone was… hard. You knew Tem the same way I did. He trusted you the same too. I'm glad it was you who forced the truth out of me."

"You won't get away with this. I won't let you."

"You destroyed your only leverage against me. That's why you lured me here for that question, right?" Legoshi grits his teeth. "This is our secret. The last one the three of us have as proper friends." Riz showed no happiness. No smile, smirk, or grin. Even though he understood, he felt no sense of advantage or ease. All he could do was take a step closer to Legoshi, forcing one foot in front of the other to escape his presence. Legoshi had one thing left to say, but he didn't have the guts–

"You're nothing but a monster whose relationship with Tem was a complete lie from the very beginning." A dark wolf head came from Legoshi's through to speak with a calm voice and loving smile. Riz turned his head, no mouth, eyes only.

"I don't care what you think. I won't stop until I reveal what you did. Whatever guilt that's left you doesn't matter because I know what you did. If I tell anyone else about it, they'll believe me." Legoshi spoke this time. "I don't want to tell anyone else. This is between me and you!"

"You won't stop?" Riz extended an arm forward and flexed out his fingers. "Then I'll have to kill you."

"I can beat you."

"If I'm trying to kill you then you should do the same. Brown bears are innately stronger than grey wolves, y'know."

"I'm not a killer."

"Then let this go. If you aren't willing to kill me then you have no right to judge me."

"I won't stoop down to your level and kill a friend." Riz and Legoshi shared a similar surprised feeling. "Let's make a deal. The last one we'll make as friends."

"... Okay."

"We'll fight each other. If you win then you kill me and live out your life with your "punishment". If I win then you agree to be brought into the police and confess to eating Tem!" The wolf was completely serious. The bear took a moment to think about his deal.

"Sounds fair to me, what about you?" A small white voice asked Riz.

"He can't prove anything. This is a completely useless risk!" Riz answered back.

"So long as someone is alive who knows the truth it'll always be a risk."

"... I'll agree under one condition. Pina worked with you on this didn't he?" Legoshi kept his muzzle tightly shut for a second.

"Yes."

"Okay."

"If you try to attack–" Riz raised his paw to stop him.

"I'm not some serial devouring monster everyone thinks I am. No other herbivore I've met is as pure as Tem was. Definitely not Pina." Riz chuckled nervously. "When should we do this?"

"Sunday. Under the railroad bridge by the shipyard. We'll ride on the train over there at 7."

"Alright." The two stared at each other. The cold room encases them in ice.