They could see the Shishigumi's hideout through the treeline where they hid. The pouring rain and creeping darkness of the night thankfully masked their presence from any of the guards. Lions in black suits walked up and down the pathways leading to the large building.

"The guards have set patrol routes. Luckily for you guys, I have a pretty good idea of what they are. This isn't my first time being here. While I've never been here with the intention of infiltration, I've always kept a watchful eye nonetheless." Gouhin peeked his head out from the trees, scanning the front yard. The others watched intently.

"If we decide to go in stealthily, we could avoid alerting them," proposed Legosi.

"That's the plan, kid," Gouhin remarked.

"If we go in and they get alerted, they'll rush in and swarm us in no time," added Juno, already thinking of an exit strategy.

"If that happens, we fight our way through." Bill cracked his knuckles, ready for a fight.

Legosi scanned his surroundings, his nocturnal vision allowing him to properly taking in the yard they were in. It was mostly pathways leading through upkept gardens, there were very few bushes or trees to hide behind. Another feature was a large canal flowing through the middle of the yard, dividing it. There was one large bridge connecting the gate area to the main building. Other than that, they'd be completely exposed.

"We need to get them away from that bridge somehow. We need a distraction," said Legosi, thinking on how to achieve said distraction.

"Hey guys, take a look at this." Juno pointed to a sign not too far from them. "They got a garage not too far from here. I bet if I ran over there, I can get you that distraction."

"I'll take care of that. You guys just focus on getting inside," said Gouhin.

"Uhh, no offense Gouhin, but I'm pretty sure wolves can run a lot faster than a panda."

"Oh please, I've been training my body for years now. I should be more than fast enough."

"But-"

"Just let the panda go, Juno," ordered Louis. "He's right, we just need to focus on getting inside right now."

"You're a brave lady for sure, but leave this one to me."

"Okay..."

Gouhin nodded at them and took off, sneaking towards the garage. He reached there in no time.

"Wow, he really wasn't kidding when he said he was fast," said Bill.

Louis starred intensely at the building as if it were his own prey. "Alright, the moment those guards out front leave, we book it. Is that clear?"

"We all got your back, Louis."

"I know..."

Louis's thoughts circled around Haru. What have they done to her? Did they hurt her? Was she even still alive?

The sudden loud noise of car alarms howling pulled him out of his thoughts.

As expected, the lions who patrolled around the bridge ran towards the sudden noise, leaving the bridge completely open and unguarded.

Just as they had discussed, they immediately made a break for the entrance. Just as they reached the doors, however, Legosi stopped in his tracks.

"Wait a second guys, I'm smelling something..." Legosi sniffed around the air for a moment, trying to make sense of what he was smelling. "Do you smell it too, Juno?"

"Yeah, I do."

"She's alive," they spoke in unison.

"Well then, we can't waste any more time," Louis said, pushing through the door with all his might.

Once the doors flew open, they were met by three very surprised lions.

"Who the hell?" The lions approached them slowly, each of them taking their own fighting stances.

Bill raised his fists, taking in the boxers pose. Legosi joined their line, presenting his claws. Surprising to him was that Juno was standing beside him, just as ready to attack as he was.

Legosi took a moment to sniff the air again. "Two more floors... we're close..."

Louis walked past them, now standing in front of his friends.

"Where is the rabbit!" He demanded to know, yet the lions began to chuckle.

"That little thing? You might need to ask the boss to belch her up. I doubt she'll be any recognizable, though."

Louis walked backward, standing still next to Legosi. His fists were tightly clenched in anger.

"Legosi... keep these guys down here busy, will you? I need to find Haru. Bill, on my mark, tackle these guys and follow me."

Legosi looked confused for a moment. "W-wait what are you-"

Without a moment's notice, Louis sprinted forward, the extreme speed letting him slide under the lion's attempt to grasp the herbivore, distracting them from the incoming tiger. Yelps of surprise were all Louis heard as Bill tackled them and ran after Louis up the stairs.

The lions turned their attention back to the remaining two. Legosi instinctively reached an arm out in front of Juno.

"Dammit, Louis..."

Juno and Legosi began slowly walking backward.

One of the lions pulled out a knife. "C'mon, don't be shy... I promise not to carve up that pretty face too much."

Upon hearing those words, Legosi felt something bubble up inside of him. "Don't you dare touch her..."

Legosi lunged forward, the lion barely having time to block his face, leaving bloody claw marks on their arm. He stumbled backward against the wall, grasping his arm in pain, leaving open a window of attack.

Legosi attacked again. The lion was desperately trying to block the multitude of kicks, scratches, and punches. His face and arms, slowly turning into a bloody landscape of wounds and bruises. With the next attack, the lion lost his last strength, falling unconscious.

The other two lions were still in a state of shock but were quickly forced out of it when Legosi began running at them.

Juno was in her own state of shock at Legosi's sudden outburst. It was as though some switch just got flipped inside of him. She could only watch in awe as Legosi made easy work of the other two lions. They were simply no match for the instinct-crazed wolf.

Unbeknownst to all of them, however, the lion from before had already gotten back up, knife in hand.

"Legosi, look out!"

"Take this you son-of-a-"

Suddenly a massive black fist crashed into the lion's face, knocking him out once more.

"Gouhin!" Legosi and Juno both shouted.

"Looks to me like you had this all taken care of, huh Legosi?" The panda's fur was wet and matted with blood.

"Gouhin is that your blood..?"

"Of course not, those stupid cats didn't stand a chance. I did end up having to use up all my ammo, though..."

"Ammo? What're you-"

"Where's the other two?"

"They went upstairs without us."

"Alright. Let's go."

Fuck... Bill was starting to tire as he and several lions constantly exchanged blows. Several lions lay unconscious on the floor while four others circled him. Only moments earlier, Louis once again left him behind to find Haru.

"Bill!"

"It's about time you guys got here!" Bill rushed back, regrouping with his friends.

The lions that Bill was fighting all turned their attention to the newcomers.

"Shit! Now there's more of them."

"Don't worry Jinma, we got this. It's just a couple of pups and an old man."

It was now four on four. Their odds were even now. With a powerful rallying cry, both groups clashed with each other.

Gouhin and Bill both had no problems fighting off their respective opponents. Bill fought with strong singular attacks, utilizing the strength of his arms, knocking the comparably weaker lion down after slamming him against a wall.

Gouhin's fighting style was similar to Bill's, but with more precision and timing. The panda was, of course, more experienced than the Bengal tiger and made quick, easy work of his opponent.

Gouhin and Bill, having already defeated their opponents rushed over to help the wolf couple. "Legosi, Juno! We got these guys covered, go find Louis!"

"On it!" The wolves darted up the stairs, ready to face whoever stands in their way and find their friend.

It didn't take long until Gouhin and Bill defeated the last lion on their floor. Bill was breathing heavily, the adrenaline had given him a needed energy boost.

"You got yourself, good friends, there," said Gouhin, patting the tiger's back who was still catching his breath. "I'll admit it. This wasn't the first time I've seen you or the wolf boy. I saw you guys some time ago... when that wolf persuaded you not to eat meat..."

Bill looked away, embarrassed, and ashamed.

"Try not to let your instincts blind you like that... but if you do, do it like the wolf. Use them for good, protecting others like you are now," He reassured Bill, the tiger still wearing a shameful expression on his face.

"I'll do my best..." Bill replied.

A load roar from above reminded the two where they actually were, and they proceeded to follow the noise.

As Legosi darted through the door to the next room, a powerful jab threw him and Juno to the floor. This lion was much bigger than the ones downstairs.

"What business do you little pups have here, huh?" Legosi tried to stand up, a powerful kick sending him sliding away. The large lion walked over to him and placed his foot on his chest. He slowly pressed down, forcing the air out of Legosi's lungs.

"Not so tough now- AAAAAARRRGH" A reddish-brown blur had lodged itself on the lion's shoulder, making him stumble off Legosi.

Juno had bitten in his shoulder, driving her claws into his shoulders. Her own protective instincts had kicked in.

The large brute grabbed her and threw her to the floor, a chunk of his shoulder flying across the room, as Juno had spat it out. She landed on the floor hard, but instead of showing fear, she raised herself off the floor, crawling backward, away from him. She bore her fangs, the lion's blood dripping off them.

"Damn wolf... got my good throwing arm too..."

He slowly made his way toward her, reaching into his suit and pulling out a silver blade. Legosi went into overdrive. The prospect of the lion stabbing her, making him go into another blind rage.

Legosi leaped at the lion, tackling him to the ground and knocking the knife from his hand.

Before he could recover, the grey mass had already gotten on top of him, throwing wave after wave of punches. The lion returned a strike upwards, hitting Legosi square in the face, throwing him off him. Legosi landed on the ground, his mind setting priorities. The Beast roared again as the lion raised himself off the ground slowly. Juno quickly returned to her boyfriend's side.

Legosi extended his arms, presenting his claws to his opponent. Juno composed herself, adrenaline still in her system she again bore her fangs, the shine glistening out from behind Legosi, visible to the lion.

The door flew open, Bill and Gouhin entering.

Legosi was heavily bruised, Juno's uniform had blood stains on it, her fangs bloodied. The lion himself wasn't doing to good either, blood pouring to the ground from his shoulder. He scanned the room, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"What the hell is this supposed to be... a rescue mission?" The lion said before using the moment of calm as an opportunity to attack. The intended hit he was hoping for never came to fruition, however, as he had slipped in his own newly formed puddle of blood.

He landed on the floor, the pain in his back slowing him down.

Gouhin was quick to react using the vulnerable situation to hit the stunned attacker on the head, knocking him out cold.

"Are you alright?" Bill walked closer to the two wolves.

"Yeah, I think so..." Juno took a deep breath, the situation exhausting her.

Legosi couldn't help but hug her. Love coursing through his veins.

"I have one hell of a girlfriend." He said, breathing just as heavily as her. He kissed her. Somehow the taste of blood calmed him down. He was almost disgusted with himself, but he justified it with her using her fangs to protect him.

After they separated, the door flung open, even more guards entering the room.

"Reinforcements... great." Gouhin got into his fighting stance, walking towards the door.

Bill and Legosi looked at each other as they smelt something else. Louis's stress...

"Go Legosi! Louis needs you. I'm pretty sure the panda and I will be fine down here. Now go! Hurry!" The tiger shouted, joining Gouhin in the fight against the incoming reinforcements.

Legosi grabbed Juno's hand and ran up the stairs, honing in on Louis's scent.

A Few Moments Earlier...

I'm going to die soon, aren't I... Haru was being forced on to the ground, her rear on clear display for the powerful lion behind her. He says that suffering and humiliation pumps an animal's blood, thus making them taste better. Despite this, Haru really didn't care anymore. All she cared about was the fact that in possibly only a few minutes, her short and pitiful life will come to an end.

Her thoughts were scattered around her miserable life. She couldn't even make it to twenty years old... but this was to be expected... she was the runt of her litter, after all, the litter of an inherently small species.

She thought back to the words of her parents, as they always warned her, "You have to always be careful! We dwarf rabbits are very disadvantaged among herbivores. If anything were to happen, it wouldn't take long for you to die..."

But the most prominent thought in her head was the unfairness of it all. She hated to see others pity her, but in her last moments, she couldn't help but pity herself.

She was kidnapped right as things started to go right for her. She finally had a boyfriend that loved and cherished her for who she really was and not as the world saw her.

She smiled, her love for that deer still flaring up even when nearing the literal jaws of death. However, a sad realization occurred.

When she dies, Louis would just end up settling down with his fiance, promised to him for a long time already. Haru would be nothing but a memory to her family and Louis...

*click*

Chief Lion slowly turned around, only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun. The finger resting on the trigger belonged to none other than Louis.

"From now on, you'll never be able to touch her or anyone else ever again..."

Haru watched in disbelief. Louis was here, and he's come to rescue her.

„By my hands, you will pay for your crimes. For in this world, there is no mercy..." Louis's finger began squeezing the trigger when suddenly... nothing. Absolutely nothing happened when he tried to squeeze the trigger. You've got to be shitting me right now...

He tried again and still nothing. He was only greeted by the distinct sight of a jam. His eyes widened and he briefly made eye contact with Haru.

The lion smirked and immediately swatted the gun out of his hands.

In the years Haru has known Louis, not once did she ever see him look so terrified...

Chief Lion slowly began to stand up. Only now did Louis realize how tall the lion actually was. He practically towered over him.

"How fortunate that another meal dared to enter my lair... and a seemingly brave buck as well, or perhaps you're simply an idiot."

The lion lunged at Louis, who barely had any time to dodge. Chief Lion ended up crashing through one of the thin walls leading to the balcony. Seemingly in a rage, he ripped off a part of the metal railing, wielding it like a club.

He took a swing, barely missing the deer's antlers. Louis stumbled backward as he tried to figure out how in the world he was going to fight this lion.

Chief Lion raised the pole above his head ready for another swing. Once again, Louis dodged it in the nick of time, but, what Louis didn't notice was Chief Lion's other paw hurling towards him.

Louis yelped in pain as the lion's claws slashed just above his right eye. He began to feel a trickle of warm liquid dripping down the side of his face.

Chief Lion grinned smugly as he licked his bloodied claws. "It's nice to in advance know that you taste good..."

"L-Louis!"

Haru was still in absolute disbelief that Louis had come for her. And yet... a part of her wished he'd never came. Because now, she was sure Louis was going to die.

"Haru get out here while you still can!"

"But-"

"Just go! Find Legosi! He'll help you!"

She didn't want to leave Louis here, but every part of her body told her to run away as fast as possible. In the end, she gave in to her instincts and tried to make a break for it.

"Oh no, you don't!" Chief Lion reached out and yanked her by the ears as she tried to run off.

"Haru!" Suddenly, Louis felt another rush of adrenaline, and he immediately rushed at the lion. Grabbing Haru was all the distraction needed to leave Chief Lion open.

As he ran, Louis angled his head down and presented his antlers. It took a moment for Chief Lion to realize what was happening. Unfortunately for Louis, however, that one moment was all Chief Lion needed to defend himself. The impact Louis was expecting never came. Instead, two powerful paws gripped his antlers, just barely holding him back.

"You got guts, kid. I'll certainly commend you for that, but, unfortunately for you-" Chief Lion began applying more pressure on Louis's antlers as the deer desperately tried to free himself. "-You're guts are what's going to be draping these walls soon..."

*Crack!*

Suddenly, without warning, Louis's antlers snapped clean off. Chief Lion tossed the remains of his antlers to the side and picked up Louis by the collar. The powerful carnivore threw the young buck across the room, slamming him against the wall.

"Now then, I guess I shouldn't just let my first meal go to waste now, should I?"

"Louis! Please get up! You have to get u-" Haru released a bloodcurdling scream as the lion picked her up by the ears.

Louis stared helplessly from where he now laid. Haru, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you...

"HARU!"

The deer looked back to where the sudden voice came from. Within the doorway stood the shadowy silhouettes of two familiar wolves.

The Present...

Legosi had enough of these lions, he had enough of people attacking his friends... He had enough of carnivores devouring herbivores... The wolf let out a loud howl of agony and rage, catching the lion's attention.

"How many more of you twerps are going to interrupt my meal today!?" The lion was angry, annoyed, and... exhausted.

"Let that rabbit go..."

The lion sneered. "If you want her so badly, you're gonna have to pick through my stomach first!"

Legosi's eyes widen as he realized what the lion was about to do. Both wolves sprinted at the lion as he began to open his maw. Legosi reached him a moment before Juno and was just barely able to jam his arm into the lion's jaws begore he could clamp them around Haru.

Legosi winced in pain as the lion's teeth sank into his arms. His pain would soon be shared with Chief Lion, however, as Juno sank her own teeth into the lion's forearm, causing him to let go of both Haru and Legosi.

"Stupid brats!" Chief Lion swung around with his other arm and forced Juno off of him. He tried to take another swing at her when Legosi grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Juno, get Haru out of here! I can take him!"

"Okay! Just make sure you come back alive!" Juno sprinted off and scooped the small rabbit in her arms, continuing to run out the door.

"No, NO, NO, NO! You're going to pay for ruining my meal!"

The lion ran towards Legosi, the first punch he threw didn't even connect. It turns out, he was more exhausted than he thought. He once again swiped at the wolf, who once again dodged with ease.

"DAMN-IT!" He swung a few more times, the wolf dodging and blocking. He didn't let a single punch connect.

Chief Lion was frustrated, roaring at himself, throwing wild punches. The few that had actually come close were once again blocked by Legosi. "COME ON, FIGHT BACK YOU DUMB DOG!"

The quip was all Legosi needed. Punches, scratches, and kicks rained from all directions in quick succession as he forced the Shishigumi boss onto the floor. The lion grabbed at the wolf's fists, trying to shove him away from himself. Suddenly, he jammed his knee into the wolf's stomach and finally pushed him off.

Their roles were now swapped with Chief Lion being on top, holding down Legosi.

"You know, I've never had wolf meat before, but tonight I'm going to relish every second of eating you and your weak deer friend as well."

"Don't you dare screw with my pack..."

"Yeah? Well, you and your little 'pack' are a pain in the a-" His head suddenly jerked violently as a loud bang silenced the room. The lion collapsed off of Legosi, his expression easing into that of a dead husk. Blood began to pool around him.

Louis had finally found the strength to stand up, a smoking gun in his hand. When the lion had thrown him earlier, he just so happened to land near where his gun had fallen.

Louis was breathing heavily, his trembling hand still outstretched with the gun. He began to let out a violent scream as he emptied the rest of his bullets into the lion's corpse.

Louis's hand sank, dropping the gun. His head was pointing at the ground, exhausted breathing being the only audible sound left in the room.

Suddenly, Bill and Gouhin busted through the door. "Are you guys alright! We heard a gunshot and screaming and-" Bill suddenly went silent as he noticed Chief Lion's dead body lying in a pool of blood.

"Did you do that Legosi..?"

"N-no. It was Louis..."

They all turned their heads towards the deer. Louis had a blank stare on his face when he suddenly collapsed.

"Louis!"

I did it Haru... You're safe now... The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the arms of Gouhin lifting him...

Louis scrunched his eyes at the light forcing its way through his shut eyelids. His mind felt groggy and his body was sore and weak. He finally tried to open his eyes.

He was in an unfamiliar bed in an even more unfamiliar room. He looked around. There was a lamp to his left, the source of the light from earlier. There were windows on the far side of the room and from the looks of things, it was still dark out.

"Louis! Thank god you're awake!"

"W-wha-" A ball of white fluff ran towards him and immediately embraced him.

"H-Haru? Y-you're okay! You're okay..." Louis had never once been happier to see her face.

"Haru, what happened tonight?" Louis still had a difficult time trying to recall everything.

"Well, you guys came to rescue me, and you- you killed that lion."

Memories of Haru's rescue flooded back into his mind. Chief Lion, the gun, his antlers... Louis tried to feel the top of his head. As he feared, he was met with nothing but empty space.

Haru noticed this. "Louis... I'm so sorry about your antlers..."

For a moment, he felt a deep pit open up inside him at the realization, but that space was immediately filled back up when he looked back at Haru.

These antlers were lost for you... So that you could be here right now by my side... In the end, losing his antlers didn't matter. All that mattered was that Haru was safe and sound.

"Don't be sorry. I'd be willing to lose my antlers permanently if it meant keeping you safe..." The two embraced once more, and for the first time in years, Louis openly wept.

Gouhin stood at the head of the table where everyone was eating yaki onigiris and soba. "I want you kids to know that you did the seemingly impossible today and that I'm proud to have met you all. Your sense of justice and righteousness is something that I haven't seen in many years. Now be sure to eat a lot and get some rest because trust me, you'll all be hurting tomorrow."

"Thank's for letting us stay here for the night," said Legosi. The others quickly repeated that statement.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, you probably won't find too many trains or buses operating at this hour. Now get back to eating, I'm gonna go check on your friend in the other room."

The rest of their group ate mostly in silence. They were all incredibly exhausted and eager to get some rest.

When Gouhin arrived, he found Louis still embracing Haru.

"Glad to see you're finally awake."

"Thank you Gouhin, for everything."

The panda returned a caring smile. "Don't sweat it, kid. I'm just glad everything worked out for you. I'll bring you guys some food. Just sit tight."

With that, Gouhin left the two to themselves.

Louis stared into Haru's dark eyes once more. "I told you I wouldn't leave you behind..."