Chapter 2
#3 of A Wolf is Born
Chapter 2 of my Beastars story.
Four days earlier
'I...I don't think now's the time. Again. Ohh! Why is it so hard to do something that seems so simple?'
Tem sighed and shook his head, gently setting the piece of paper down inside. He closed the door to his locker; his eyes cast downward at the floor. "Back to the drawing board?"
The alpaca gasped, looked at the wolf standing beside him, and gave him a sheepish smile. "Heh, it's...it's just not the right time, Legoshi. But don't worry," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll wait for the perfect moment to tell her my feelings."
Legoshi stared at the alpaca with an unreadable expression before saying, "Well, if you insist, I won't pressure you. But you know this is, what? The third or fourth time you've put it off?"
Tem lost his smile and rested his head on the locker, moaning in despair. "I know. It's just...it's so hard to approach a pretty girl like her and say something like that, you know?"
Legoshi shook his head, opening his locker to grab the deodorant from inside. "No, I don't."
Tem looked up at the wolf in surprise. "Really? But...what about Jack? Or the other..." He paused and searched the room for any eavesdroppers before continuing in a hushed tone. "Girls in your dorm?"
Legoshi shrugged, taking off his suspenders and lifting his shirt up and over his head. "Jack is just a friend. A really good friend. As for Collot, Voss, Miguno, and Durham? I doubt they're that interested in someone like me."
Tem could only shake his head in disbelief. "That's crazy, man. And here I thought all the girls, herbivore and carnivore, would be chasing after your tail." He chuckled. "Guess I was wrong."
"It doesn't really matter to me, Tem," Legoshi said, applying the deodorant to both armpits before replacing the cap and putting it inside his locker. "I'm not really interested in getting a girlfriend at the moment. Too busy with school and Drama Club."
"Oh, don't be like that, Legoshi," Tem remarked with a friendly punch to the shoulder. "I'm sure there's plenty of girls out there waiting for you. You just have to meet the right one."
"Hmm," the wolf hummed, closing the door. "Maybe. But who can say for sure?"
Present Day,
Lecture Hall 2, Cherryton Academy
Legoshi knelt before the altar for his friend, Tem. Flowers surrounded a picture of the smiling alpaca that was taken just weeks ago. The wolf's face was neutral, showing no signs of emotion. But on the inside, he fought hard to hold back the tears that wanted so desperately to break free. On top of that, there was guilt, something Legoshi never thought he'd feel. He sighed through his nose and closed his eyes. Last night's chaste kiss with Els lingered on Legoshi's mind for the rest of that night, preventing him from getting a decent amount of sleep. What prompted the little goat to do that? Was it a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing? Or did she genuinely feel that way about him despite being told who her secret admirer was? Legoshi sighed again, though it came out as a slow exhale through his nose.
Either way, the wolf made a promise to himself and to Tem. He'd take care of Els in Tem's absence and make sure no harm would come to her. Legoshi even prepared somewhat of a mental speech for when he'd be able to visit Tem's memorial, and no time was better than the present:
'Tem,' his mind echoed, pausing briefly as he tried to recall the exact words. I told her. I told Els how you felt about her. I also betrayed you. At least, that's how I feel right now. I honestly don't know how or why it happened; it just did. I'm so sorry, Tem. But whether or not anything comes from what occurred last night, I'll protect Els no matter what. And that's a promise.'
As the wolf remained where he was - lost within the confines of his subconscious - catcalls, wolf whistles, and a couple of excited squeals rang out in the hall behind him. Legoshi couldn't care less about who or what was causing the commotion until the sound of approaching footsteps drowned out the quieting crowd. They stopped beside him, and the wolf saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly to see who it was and immediately froze.
Louise, a female red deer and the most popular student in Cherryton, knelt next to Legoshi, setting down another bouquet of flowers amongst the many others. Legoshi could only stare at her; his mouth parted slightly as he took in her appearance.
Unbefitting for most female deer, Louise sported antlers on top of her head. She'd be mistaken for a buck if it weren't for her apparent body shape. Her attire consisted of the modified male winter uniform with a green blazer and the school's insignia stitched on the left breast pocket. And speaking of breasts, Legoshi couldn't help but let his eyes drift to the doe's generously sized bust, complemented by her curvaceous figure despite the uniform hiding most of it. As he stared, Legoshi's thoughts drifted:
'Her gestures, her voice, her gaze. She must have it all down. Of course, she does. She's Louise. She's only a year older than me, is the lead actor, and pretty much runs the school. It must be nice to come from a wealthy family and not be afraid to show it, unlike me.'
"You're staring." Legoshi froze and looked away, uttering a swift apology. "Is staring something inherent in wolves?" the deer asked calmly, although the question was quite condescending to Legoshi. But the young wolf hid his discontent with Louise and gazed at the memorial before him. "Hmm, no matter. You're the pup from the art department, right?" Legoshi looked at Louise in mild surprise. He didn't expect the most famous person in school to take notice of him, let alone engage in conversation with him.
Legoshi swallowed back his apprehension and nodded slowly. "Y-yes, I am. I'm Legoshi, if you're wondering."
"I wasn't, but thank you anyway," she remarked in that calm, condescending tone. "I don't feel like calling you 'pup' or 'wolf' for our future interactions."
Legoshi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. Gee, thanks. Are you always this rude? Forget what I said. You're just a big ol' bi-
"I have a task for you, Legoshi," Louise said suddenly, looking at the wolf with brown eyes. "Please, come with me. I'll explain when we arrive at my office."
With that, the deer rose to her feet and slinked away, the clicking of her shoe soles echoing in the somewhat crowded hallway. Legoshi watched her go before he finally stood up and followed after her. 'Just what is it you want from me? Hah, I just hope it involves backstage or the lighting since that's pretty much all I know how to do. Well, only one way to find out.'
Els couldn't shake her mind from what happened last night. Just what was she thinking? Kissing a carnivore, kissing Legoshi of all people? The young goat couldn't handle the embarrassment and wanted to do nothing except curl into a ball and make herself disappear. But it'd be pointless to run. Els had to confront the fact that she kissed Legoshi. But why? Why did she do it? That was the 'million dollar question,' as the English would say.
Els didn't know what prompted her to press her lips against a wolf's, however brief and chaste. The goat moaned in despair and pulled at her ears in frustration. It was just a 'friendly' kiss. At least, that's what the goat kept telling herself and subsequently not believing. And it wasn't like she was trying to get with Legoshi, right?
Interspecies couples, married or otherwise, weren't unheard of. But that was only because they were mixed carnivore or herbivore couples, e.g., wolf and cheetah or pig and sheep. However, carnivore/herbivore couples were looked down upon because of the unpredictable consequences that would arise within their offspring, with some being fatal to either the child, the parents, or both.
Els was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone in front of her, and she bumped into them. The goat swiftly apologized, only to be pulled aside just as a bunch of textbooks and paper landed where she previously stood. Els looked up to see a white dwarf rabbit grabbing hold of her, panting heavily with her dark eyes widened in terror. "Are you okay?"
Els nodded slowly, wondering what was going on. Then her question was answered when a round of shrill giggling came from above, and both she and the rabbit looked up to see a black-furred cat and a tanuki looking down on them from the balcony.
"Sorry!" the tanuki called out, although her apology was not genuine, given the smug look on her face. "Are you okay? The wind must've blown them over!"
Then the cat piped in almost immediately after the tanuki had finished speaking: "Of course, you're fine! There's always a boy who will come along and rescue you, right?"
Els narrowed her eyes at the bullies, wondering what in the world they were talking about. She looked down at the garden lining the dorm wall, seeing that the fallen textbooks had ruined some of the flowers. "Aw, your flowers." Els turned to the rabbit, who spared a forlorn glance at them.
"They were pretty blooms," she murmured before looking up and calling out to the girls above. "I'm fine! There's nothing you guys can do to hurt me! So I don't even know why you even bother trying!"
The Angora goat looked at the rabbit in bewilderment. 'These girls are trying to hurt her on purpose? But...but why? What did she do to earn their ire?' Then she saw the rabbit's eyes widen in horror and pulled Els to the side as a mattress fell where they were just standing. "Then maybe you would like to move out! Hahahaha!"
Els was at a loss. Twice, this rabbit girl saved her from a couple of bullies who had it out for the small but well-endowed lagomorph. But why? Why was this rabbit the target of their violent antics? She'd find out later, as now said rabbit was having difficulty with the mattress due to her more petite frame and the object being almost twice her size. "H-here," Els said, stepping beside her and lending a hand. "I'll help."
To her surprise, the rabbit looked at her with a bit of confusion in her dark eyes and shock, as if she was not expecting assistance from Els. But it was quickly wiped away from her face, and she gave Els a soft, if not relieved, smile. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
Els reciprocated her smile. "You're welcome."
The two started dragging the furniture around to the front of the dorm building, grunting and panting as they struggled despite their combined efforts. Eventually, a male tapir approached them to offer additional help, only to have a miniature horse hold him back and comment about the rabbit. 'Haru' frowned slightly and said, "No thanks. I'm fine. Besides, I have her to help me." She gestured to Els with a quick jerk of her head before returning to the task at hand.
It was a massive struggle, but Els and Haru returned the mattress to the latter's dorm, where a squirrel sat on her bed, occupied with a crossword puzzle. After Haru replaced the mattress in its rightful place, she glared at the squirrel and said, "You know, you could've stopped them since you were here, Sally. What gives?"
Sally shrugged and ignored Haru in favor of her puzzle. But she finally said, "Mizuchi's kinda pissed off right now. I think it'd be best if you avoid her for now."
Els looked at Sally with a confused expression. What is going on here? Why does everyone hate Haru? And who is Mizuchi? She glanced at the dwarf rabbit, who sighed and bowed her head slightly before saying, "Whatever. Wanna grab dinner, then?"
Still not acknowledging Haru, Sally replied, "Like, with you? No thanks. I think I'll pass."
Haru shook her head. "Okay. Fine." She turned to Els and gave her a knowing look.
While she felt slightly pressured here, Els felt bad for Haru and all the animosity she received for no apparent reason. And she was feeling a bit hungry as well. Spending almost all day on that chaste kiss with Legoshi worked up her appetite. She could definitely use some kind of distraction from all that. Els smiled and took Haru's hand in hers. "I'll go with you. You could use the company, especially if those bullies or this 'Mizuchi' girl shows up."
Haru returned the Angora goat's smile, almost relieved to have someone who didn't hate her for once. "Alright. Let's go."
Legoshi stood outside the door leading to Louise's office, his heart pounding in his ears. Just what could she possibly want from/with him? He was just the stage hand, working the lights and making sure the scenes were given the proper amount of lighting. Some might think that it was a mediocre and meaningless job and didn't give one time in the spotlight. For Legoshi, it was perfect for him. He could pretty much stay out of sight and out of mind. For the most part, at least.
The gray wolf sighed, shaking his head before he raised a hand and rapped it on the door. Louise's smooth, calm voice rang out from within, granting Legoshi permission to enter. He opened the door, finding the red deer herself and a goat named Zoe, another member of the Drama Club's actor team, inside the office. "There you are," Louise said, her eyes looking Legoshi up and down. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't show up. Close the door behind you, please." Legoshi nodded wordlessly and did as she told him. "Now, I'd like you to meet Zoe. Officially, of course. He'll be Tem's replacement. We selected him during yesterday's leader's meeting. I need him fitted by tomorrow's rehearsal."
"O-oh," Legoshi said. "Okay."
Louise rolled her eyes at the wolf's timidness. 'Come on. You're a big, scary, meat-eating carnivore. Why are you trying to make yourself small? Ah, no matter. I'll get to the bottom of that later. For now, it's time to see if Zoe knows his stuff.'
"How ironic to see you here, Odie the Water Spirit," Louise said, speaking in a grand voice. But when she didn't receive a reply from the goat, she turned to him and gave him a disapproving look. "Tem's lines. Give them to me."
Zoe appeared taken aback, and he hung his head and said, "I-I'm sorry, Louise. I haven't learned them yet."
Louise approached Zoe and, to Legoshi's surprise and horror, grabbed his face and tilted it upwards to look her in the eyes. "What is it, Zoe?" she asked with a menacing tone. "Don't tell me? You ate the script for Tem's lines?" Louise shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Of course, that's all what you goats are good for, right? Eating paper? This isn't the time nor place to show off, you know."
Zoe struggled to form a coherent sentence when his face was squished in Louise's grasp. But he did manage to say, "I'll learn them by tomorrow! I-I promise!" before the office door burst open, and Kai the mongoose stormed inside.
"Louise!" she shouted, eyes narrowed at the antlered doe. "Zoe doesn't deserve to be Tem's replacement! I was the runner-up in the auditions, so-"
Louise cut her off with a soft growl and glaring side-eye at the mongoose. "Don't you knock!?" She sighed and shook her head before returning to Zoe and saying, "Go on. Get out of here. And memorize the script, got it?"
"O-okay," Zoe squeaked out.
With that, Louise released the goat, and he quickly left the office, closing the door behind him as he massaged his sore face. Now it was just Louise, Kai, and Legoshi in the room. The gray wolf could feel the tension rising in the air, and a part of him wanted to get out of there and avoid conflict with the fuming mongoose. But he had little to no choice when she turned her attention to him. "Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you just work for the stage crew?"
Legoshi stiffened as he felt himself backed into a corner. He attempted to excuse himself and leave, but Louise told him to stay put before addressing the mongoose. "Kai, you and Legoshi will need to get along. You'll be working together in the art department." Kai and Legoshi stared at Louise in disbelief, but the deer wasn't finished yet: "We made a decision during the meeting yesterday. You're off the actor's team." Legoshi felt the anger radiating from the mongoose increase exponentially, and he knew something terrible would happen soon. He hoped Louise wouldn't push Kai's buttons further and provoke her.
But the deer continued to do just that, as she told Kai what her new position was: the Public Relations sector of the Art Department. As well as listing off a couple of 'blunders', as Louise put it, that the mongoose committed in the past while on the actor's team. Legoshi didn't know what happened precisely during those two events or the ones after that (as Louise mentioned, there were several, more minor mistakes afterward), but he knew they were bad enough to hurt Kai's pride and ego, especially when Louise brought them up again, judging by the furious expression on the mongoose's face.
Legoshi tensed when he saw Kai twitch in anticipation and told himself to get ready to move as quickly as possible. He could feel the full fury of the approaching storm on the horizon and waited for the right moment to act. Then, it came:
"I am curious about one thing, though," Louise continued belittling Kai, not looking her entirely in the eye. "What makes you possibly think you're the one who could replace Tem-"
It all happened so fast. If Legoshi hadn't been prepared moments prior, Louise would've taken a blow to the face. But the wolf made sure that never happened. Putting his larger, lankier frame between Louise and Kai, he absorbed the mongoose's right hook with his shoulder. He felt a light sting but nothing more since he was much larger than Kai. The mongoose gritted her teeth, baring her fangs at the wolf. Silence fell in the room as the two carnivores struggled against each other until Legoshi broke it.
"Actor's safety first," he said calmly, his eyes half-lidded and piercing through the mongoose. "That's the job of the stagehands, right?" Kai growled softly at Legoshi but said nothing. "Kai," the wolf continued. "She's the star."
"Grrr," the mongoose snarled. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Unexpectedly, a new sound filled the office, and Kai and Louise were taken aback when the source turned out to be Legoshi. The wolf's chops were quivering, lifting upward slightly to barely show off his fangs. A deep rumble from deep within his gut escaped his mouth, striking a sense of fear into the smaller carnivore and the red deer with him. Legoshi's newfound aggression diffused the intense scenario, and Kai backed down almost immediately. She put on a sheepish smile and let out an awkward laugh as she stepped away from Legoshi, who had ceased his growling once Kai was no longer on the offensive.
"Ah, I guess I'll let it go, at least this time." Kai gulped and slowly shuffled her way towards the door. "It must be nice, being rich. Nothing ever harms you, does it?" With that, the mongoose turned to the door, flung it open, screamed, "What are you all looking at?" and slammed it shut behind her. Now, it was only Legoshi and Louise, carnivore and herbivore, male and female, alone in the deer's office.
"Huh, interesting," Louise said, her gaze fixed on Legoshi. "Showing your fangs as a means to avoid a fight? And here I figured you for a calm, silent tree bending whichever the wind blows." She cracked a slight grin, her eyes boring into Legoshi's back. "But, it appears you have a savage beast within, just waiting to be set free."
Legoshi shook his head, trying to rid it of Louise's words. "Excuse me," he said, stepping towards the door before something stopped him. That something turned out to be Louise, who had managed to grab the tip of his tail and hold him back. She looked at him with her signature smirk, along with a tilt of her head. Legoshi stared back with wide eyes, his body on edge as it felt the touch of someone other than himself.
Louise's smirk grew as she added, "Excellent. You'll fit right in, Legoshi. Listen, we're sneaking into the theater to rehearse the lines and scenes with Zoe later tonight."
Legoshi's ears perked up, and he straightened his hunched posture. "W-what? B-but what if we get caught?"
The deer chuckled softly, a faint twinkle in her brown eyes. "That's where you come in, my dear wolf. You'll be on the lookout. If you hear, see - or Rex-forbid - smell someone coming, alert us immediately. We'll sneak out the back exit and head back to our dorms before they spot us." Upon seeing the downcast expression on Legoshi's face, Louise couldn't help but tilt her head and adopt a mocking tone. "What's wrong? You gonna turn it down, put on a 'good boy' act, and go on your merry way?"
She released his tail, reached out, grabbed Legoshi by his tie, and yanked him towards her. "Disappointing," she breathed huskily, her hot breath brushing Legoshi's fur and left ear, causing the wolf to shiver. "And what if I were to offer you one of my legs? Or perhaps, my body to do away with as you please?" Louise chuckled again, a little louder this time. "Oh, I bet you'd salivate and happily accept, wouldn't you?" With her free hand, the deer traced the outline of her healthy, generous bust barely contained within the confines of her shirt and blazer. "Am I right? Or am I wrong?"
Legoshi gulped and avoided Louise's piercing gaze, a shade of red dusting his cheeks as images of the deer, naked and bearing herself to him, flashed across his mind. But he otherwise remained silent, obedient, and submissive to this female deer who had him in the palm of her hand. When she didn't receive an answer from the wolf, she sighed and said, "Either way, you're a wolf, Legoshi. Take advantage of that, will you? Let's see your dark side."
This was not how Els expected the rest of her evening to go. A part of the Angora goat assumed that if it weren't for that Haru girl, things wouldn't have gone the way they did. But she immediately pushed those thoughts aside and told herself that it was worth it in the end. Even if she and Haru had soaked uniforms and had to wait for them to dry in the girls' locker room. After all, seeing the look on Mizuchi's face after commenting on "If a boy gets really excited over a simple thing such as a kiss" took the cake. Thinking back on it now made Els chuckle a bit, drawing the dwarf rabbit's attention with a curious tilt of her head.
"What's so funny?" Haru asked, furrowing her eyebrow in puzzlement.
Els sighed and shook her head, her muzzle bearing a grin. "Oh, nothing. Or just perhaps a little bit of something." She looked at the rabbit and said, "But seeing the look on her face was just too much to ignore."
"Oh," Haru mumbled, a slight frown tugging at the corner of her lips. "That. I'm sorry I dragged you into that. And that you know who I really am." She looked away ashamedly and hugged herself. "I understand if you want to ditch me like all the others who claimed to be my friend."
Els lost her cheerful mood and gawked at Haru in disbelief. "Whatever do you mean, Haru? Do you really think I care about some nasty rumor being spread around school by an equally nasty person? Come on!" She scooted closer to the underdressed rabbit, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Besides, today was more exciting than I thought it'd be. That, and it helped me clear my mind a bit."
Haru gave Els a side-eyed glance. "R-really? You mean that? But what if I told you that the rumors were true? That I've slept with pretty much every herbivore male in school?"
Els gently squeezed the rabbit in reassurance. "I'm sure you have your reasons, Haru. Besides, it's not really any of my business to get into your personal life."
"Yeah," Haru said sadly, bowing her head. "You're right. I do have my reasons for being as promiscuous as I am. But it's rather personal, so I'd rather not get too into it."
"I understand," Els said sympathetically before glancing at their uniforms hanging over the stall doors. "Hey, I think our clothes are dry. What do you say we leave here and return to our dorms?"
Haru nodded once, not looking at the Angora goat. "Yeah. Okay."
'We're going to get caught.'
Legoshi was anxious as he was restless, standing out here in the foggy darkness while Louise and Zoe rehearsed inside the barren theater. 'If they find us out here, they'll shut down the Drama Club for good, and then mom will kill me once she learns I've been suspended." He sighed as he paced back and forth on the landing leading to the theater's rear entrance. 'Come on guys, hurry up. Security has been patrolling the grounds more frequently since the incident. And I don't want to be-'
Crack!
Legoshi paused in his frantic musings and looked into the courtyard behind the theater. His eyes scanned through the fog for signs of life, but the light posts that illuminated the landing rendered them ineffective, making it impossible for the wolf to see in the dark. But that only put him on edge until a faint rustling at his feet drew his attention to the ground. Legoshi relaxed when he saw that it was only a grasshopper hopping about and got down on one knee. A small smile cracked at the corner of his slender, lupine muzzle as he was briefly reminded of his pet beetle, Beetley, and lowered his hand for the green-pigmented insect to climb on.
"What are you doing out here, little guy?" he asked, even though the bug couldn't reply. "Ah, that's what I should be asking myself." As Legoshi inspected the bug, watching it sit on his right index finger, his nose twitched as a new, enticing scent tickled his senses. He set the insect on his hand down on the ground and slowly turned to face the courtyard, where the smell was originating. But to his surprise, the scent didn't have one but two sources. Not only that, but they both belonged to a pair of herbivores, female herbivores.
At that moment, something awakened inside Legoshi; something terrible:
His body went rigid, his six senses flaring as they kicked his mind and body into overdrive, forcing his heart to beat frantically as it flooded his system with a sensation Legoshi had never felt before. It was so...so...invigorating! And yet, it was also painful. The wolf grimaced as sinew and muscle strained to accommodate the overwhelming hormones bolstering their mass, and the fog of war clouded his sound mind. He lost all self-control, and now, only his instincts remained: 'Prey...food...breed!'
"Grrrah!"
'Of course. The ones who are victorious, are those who can act on their instincts, bare their fangs and claws, and are still allowed to thrive within this society.'
"H-Haru?" Els's quivering voice squeaked out next to the dwarf rabbit. "Do...do you feel that, too?"
Haru remained silent, her ears swiveling left, right, forward, and back. She then turned her head toward the source of the imminent danger as if to address it. 'You should just take me. I don't really care anymore. I'm just a loser...heh, I'm not even good enough to be that.' Haru tensed and prepared to run for it, with Els following her fellow herbivore's movements. The goat was whimpering in fear, but she was ready to run at the same time as Haru. And when the dwarf rabbit broke into a sprint, so did Els. But the predator, who had their sights set on the two girls, also moved.
'Even though it was brief, I enjoyed my time with Els. She was the first to see me as an actual person and not judge me based on my 'cute and innocent' looks. I'd hate to see her die like this, though. And so, I did the only thing I could think of so she could keep living her life to its fullest while I was left behind to face my end. And even with my sad, pitiful life, I still had a reason to run from the danger.
'But I only cried because I was scared.'