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Cherryton School, Year Two

The news shocked everyone and shook the entire school to its foundation. One of the students, an herbivore, was the victim of a 'devouring.' The incident was as harrowing as it was concerning, as it meant that a fellow student had committed such a heinous crime. On top of that, the suspect was a carnivore, bringing massive tension between all the students at Cherryton. None more so than the ones that were part of the Drama Club.

Els and some other herbivores remained wary of their carnivore classmates, specifically the larger ones. But one in particular came to Els's mind.

The female Angora goat slowly raised her gaze to the upper balcony, where the foreboding silhouette of a gray wolf loomed in the shadows. Els could see his predatory eyes, partially hidden by one of the spotlights he was operating, looking down from the dimly lit balcony. But she couldn't figure out if he was staring at her specifically or the other girls around her. Either way, the way he stared down at them brought Els a sense of unease. She quickly shook her head and returned her attention to her small friend group and whatever conversation they were having.

Later on, after the drama club meeting had concluded with the herbivores and carnivores separating into their respective, conflicting groups, Els continued to chat with the girls on their way to the locker rooms. Gossip this, gossip that; there wasn't anything exciting besides the events that had occurred earlier this morning. Having had her fill of the locker room gossip, Els finally changed into her uniform and left the building with a slightly annoyed huff, tugging at the hem of her cropped top as it struggled to cover the bottom swell of her bountiful breasts.

The primary uniform for female Cherryton students was borderline scandalous, with the tops cropped to such a degree that some well-endowed girls couldn't fully cover their modesty. But that was only for school grounds. For school-sponsored activities, particularly ones held in the city, the female students were granted permission to wear more conservative and casual attire for the festivities. Then, it was back to wearing skimpy clothes for the remainder of the school year. It was a massive shock for new students to wear such improper clothing in a school environment. But, as evidenced by the older and more 'mature' students, the disdain for the attire would soon come to pass and develop into indifference or even a desire to show off their bodies. Els, a second-year, was growing irritated by the second with her ill-fitting top. At least the skirts weren't as bad, reaching down past their knees only slightly. But Els couldn't help but fume at such a mind-boggling decision Headmistress Gon made for the female students at Cherryton Academy. However, there were a few exceptions if the students felt uncomfortable showing off that much fur or for some other personal reason. In this case, they would be given the male uniform specially tailored to the females.

Granted, Cherryton was originally an all-female school, and it wasn't until a few years ago that the city and the school district council voted on including a small number of males in Cherryton at any given time. There was no real reason other than that some boys wanted to attend the prestigious school for its higher-end academics and the famed Drama Club but were prevented/refused from attending because it was a female-only facility. There were fears and doubts that the males would be rambunctious and too forward towards their female classmates, but such assumptions were all debunked in a relatively short time.

As Els walked out of Building 3 with a ring-tailed lemur, Hannah, the goat reflected back to the predatory gaze of Legoshi from the lighting balcony. She visibly and audibly shuddered at the seemingly distant memory. "I'm scared," Els voiced her worries aloud. "It's like those eyes were looking at prey." She shook her head slightly. "I swear that wolf is telling me I'm next."

The female lemur at her side chuckled softly and tried to reassure her clubmate. "Oh, come on, Els. Legoshi's a bit strange. That's all it is."

Maybe, Els thought to herself. But still. She put her thoughts on hold as the two reached her dorm. She then turned to the lemur and offered a weak smile, to which Hannah responded by taking Els's hands in her own and giving a friendly piece of advice. "If there's anything you need, feel free to drop by my room at any time. Okay?"

Els slowly nodded, her nerves still on edge, if only slightly. "Y-yeah. Thank you."

"Good night," Hannah chirped before she spun around and walked away toward her dorm.

"Good night," Els whispered forlornly, turning to the steps to the building in front of her. Then she heard a rustling behind her, and she froze. Slowly, Els craned her head just enough to barely look over her shoulder, and what she saw made her heart pound in terror: There, lurking in the dark behind a tree, white eyes glowing ominously, was Legoshi. Els gulped and fully faced her would-be attacker/killer, her pulse racing as her flight-or-fight response kicked into overdrive, her golden-yellow eyes widening and pupils shrinking to near pinpricks. She slowly began to back up as the much larger carnivore emerged from his poor hiding spot and approached her. Els could almost hear her pulse in her ears as her heart further quickened its pace.

"G-go away!" she screamed, but she knew her words were futile and had no effect on the wolf closing in on her. Then her heel struck the bottom step, and Els knew this was it. But if she was going to go, she wouldn't do it without a fight. As the wolf drew closer to her, his features were gradually revealed, bit by bit, by the lights of the building behind Els. Legoshi's eyes were half-lidded, his facial expression either neutral or indecipherable. He was tall, even by wolf standards. His main coat of fur was mainly bluish-gray, with parts of his face and presumably underbelly being cream-white. His attire consisted of the regular male uniform for the winter: gray pants with a darker shade of vertical stripes, black suspenders, a white shirt with an indigo vest, a gray tie, and a pair of brown loafers; he was also wearing his backpack.

When Legoshi stopped short, standing a mere few meters from Els, the goat let her fear-addled brain speak her thoughts aloud: "You pretend to be my friend just so you can eat me when you get hungry?" It was a harsh statement that Els was not proud to make known to her former, supposed friend. But it didn't matter at the moment. However, the wolf remained silent, unmoving, and hunched over ever so slightly, not showing any reaction to her words. Without a second thought, Els reached into her pocket, brandished a pair of scissors, and wielded it with both hands with blades pointed directly at Legoshi.

"Don't underestimate me!" she shouted, her hands shaking from the adrenaline pumping in her veins. "I-I'll use this! Tem and I are tougher than you think-ah! Aaah!!" She flinched and shrieked in terror when Legoshi grabbed her hands and ripped the makeshift weapon out of her grasp. Her eyes screwed shut, and she waited for the inevitable to happen.

But it never came. No claws tearing her clothes and flesh apart, no teeth sinking into her neck for a quick, merciful death. Instead, there was only silence. Until a soft, masculine voice that sent not-so-unpleasant shivers down Els's spine broke it.

"You should have this." Els slowly opened her eyes to find the wolf holding something out towards her. "It's a love letter." Indeed, a piece of paper addressed to her and signed by Tem was held in Legoshi's hand. Immediately, Els felt guilt creep within her conscience for assuming her friend would ever hurt her just because he was a carnivore. The fact that it was an instinctual impulse to jump to such a conclusion was not an excuse Els could or would make. But that didn't stop her body from hesitating, regardless, as she reached out to take the folded letter into her hands.

"I-I was waiting around out here until you were alone." Legoshi's demeanor remained unchanged when Els looked up at him with nothing but guilt and sorrow in her eyes.

A moment later, the two took seats on a pair of small benches, with Els holding the letter in her lap as she stared at it. 'To Els, From Tem' read the front of it. The Angora goat didn't know whether to cry or...something.

"You wanted to give this to me?" Els asked, looking over at her lupine friend.

"Mm," Legoshi hummed. "I knew he never got the chance to give it to you himself." A short pause. "I'm sorry; maybe I shouldn't have said anything to you at all."

Els quickly shook her head. "Mm-mmm. I appreciate it." She watched the wolf as he sat in silence.

"Well," he said finally, rising to his feet. "I gotta go." He gave her one last look before shuffling past the goat, her eyes following his every step. Els felt an ache in her chest as she watched him leave. A part of her wanted him to stay, to talk to her about Tem and maybe even read the alpaca's love letter together. But the other screamed at her to run, to avoid the danger this tall, shy wolf evidently never presented. Els didn't know what to do, but she had to try something, anything, to get Legoshi to stay for just a while longer.

"Hey!" she called out to him, stopping the wolf in his tracks. Els got up from her seat and took several steps towards him. "I...I said some pretty bad things about you, Legoshi. But they're not true. I should've known better than to assume that you would devour me. The truth is, you're a very generous wolf, and I'll make sure that everyone else knows." She sighed and folded her hands in front of her, bowing her head in shame. "Please forgive me, Legoshi."

"Forget about it. No need."

Els looked up at the wolf in surprise, her mouth opening slightly. "Huh? But...but why?"

"I feel sorry that Tem's first love was...revealed after he died."

"Oh," Els said, bowing her head again. But then she looked up and closed the gap between her and Legoshi until she stood directly behind him, just inches from his hunched figure. "Okay, fine. But you shouldn't feel sorry, Legoshi. Yes, Tem was our closest friend, but he wouldn't want us to grieve for him like this."

"How can you be sure?" Legoshi asked, not facing the goat.

Els remained silent, at a loss for words. She shook her head as her mouth moved up and down, but no sound came out. "Look," he continued, finally acknowledging her as he looked over his shoulder. "I appreciate your concern, Els, but no matter what you say or do, it won't change anyone's opinion anyway."

"But that's not fair to you, Legoshi!" Els nearly shouted, startling both herself and the wolf before her. Legoshi only sighed and fixed his gaze on the ground, avoiding the goat's eyes.

Then he said, "I'll be fine, Els. Feared and hated." Legoshi shook his head and turned away from her before sauntering off toward the predator dormitories on the other side of campus. But not before adding, "That's the story of my life."

Now Els felt devastated. Was she about to lose another friend? One who really cared about Tem? She couldn't let this happen. No, Els wouldn't let Legoshi walk away without resolving the conflict inside her. She had to get him to stay, at least for a bit longer. "Wait! Legoshi, please!"

The wolf stopped in his tracks again and turned towards the goat running up to him, Tem's letter left forgotten on the bench behind her. "Please, don't go. There's so much I want to say, but I don't know how to say it. I'm sorry I said all of those nasty things about you. Like I said, none of them are true. But I can't help but fight this guilt that's been bothering me since you gave me that letter mere moments ago." She put a hand to her ample chest and continued. "You're my friend, Legoshi. And I hurt you even though you were trying to help me. I can't live with that horrible feeling."

Legoshi tilted his head at her, his expression remaining unreadable. "If that's the case, Els, what can I do to help?"

Els sighed and shrugged, unable to come up with a viable answer. "I don't know." She looked away and rubbed her arm thoughtfully. "I honestly just wanted you to stay a while longer. But you can go back if you want, and I'll-"

"Okay."

Els stared at the wolf with wide eyes. "Huh?"

Legoshi sighed and nodded, gesturing to the benches they recently sat on. "I said, 'okay.' I'll stay if it makes you feel better. Plus, we still have plenty of time before we break curfew."

Els released a breath she didn't know she was holding and sighed in relief. "Okay. Thank you." Legoshi only grunted as he followed the goat back to their seats, where they sat in another awkward silence. After a while, Els said, "I really am sorry, Legoshi."

The wolf smiled softly and looked at the Angora goat on the next bench. "I told you, Els, it's fine. I'm used to it by now."

"But you really shouldn't, Legoshi," she said with a bit of defiance. "You are a very kind and generous wolf. It doesn't matter how big and scary the others think you are. They need to know you are more than willing to help at any opportunity."

"That's pretty much easier said than done, Els," Legoshi countered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm a wolf, a carnivore. Like I said, it wouldn't matter how hard I try or how often you speak highly of me: they won't think otherwise of me."

"Legoshi," Els began, rising to her feet and standing before the seated wolf. "You're only holding yourself back and bending to the whims of others. Cherryton Academy, especially the drama club, is meant to be a place where herbivores and carnivores can get along with little to no problems. You shouldn't listen to those naysayers when they speak ill of you. Tem and I know you, Legoshi."

"Do you?"

Els was slightly taken aback by his words. "Why...why, of course! We've both known you for almost a year now. I'm sure there's nothing you're hiding from us." she offered him a friendly smile as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Right?" When Legoshi didn't reply, opting to stare at her silently, Els lost her smile and took a step back. "R-right? Legoshi?"

The wolf then sighed and shook his head. "See? That's what I'm talking about, Els. You say all these positive things about me, yet you do the opposite. You're afraid of me, Els."

The Angora goat scoffed and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "I am not!" she stated defiantly, scowling at the wolf.

"Yes, you are," Legoshi countered, giving Els a knowing look.

"No, I'm not!" she said through gritted teeth and putting a foot down, frustrated with the wolf's stubbornness.

"Then prove it," he said calmly, not once losing his cool, unlike Els, who was now taken aback.

"Huh?"

Legoshi leaned forward ever so slightly, bringing his muzzle just inches from hers, and repeated softly, "Prove it. Prove that you're not afraid of me like you say. Otherwise, we should return to our dormitories and forget this happened."

Els blinked at him in disbelief. "But...but how am I supposed to do that? What exactly do you want me to do?" She sighed and lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry, Legoshi. Forgive me for my outburst. And you're right. I am afraid of you. But," Els looked up at him and placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a warm smile. "I meant what I said, Legoshi. You're a very kind and generous wolf. Sure, you mostly keep to yourself, but you and I both know that - when it comes down to it - you'll do anything to protect those you care about." She then did something neither of them expected; the goat brought her face closer to his until their lips barely touched. And then, she kissed him.

It was very brief, but the bizarreness of an herbivore kissing a carnivore made it seem longer. When Els pulled away, the Angora goat awkwardly stepped back with her face redder than a tomato and ladened with shame. She quickly apologized before racing over to the other bench to gather her stuff and then making a beeline toward her dorm, leaving Legoshi behind with his conflicted thoughts.