"We've all heard the expressions." A jaguar's eyes narrowed sharply. "Kill or be killed. Hunt or be hunted." Those eyes honed in on the deer before it. "But how often do we truly have to face a situation, of life, or death?" Its whiskers twitched with anticipation.

"Noah, I said that they made me the president of the debate team, not that they're sending me to war." The deer rested his chin upon a hood, an amused grin on his face. The jaguar realized he'd been speaking aloud, and corrected his tone. "Right! Sorry. I guess I'm not used to you stepping into important roles." That didn't come out the way he wanted it to, either. "No, I didn't mean-"

"No, I get it. I'm the shy, skittish deer. A meek little prey animal who stays glued to a panther. They probably think you've captured me and I'm trapped forever." The young buck tapped a hoof against his drink.

"But debate is different from the real world. It's just me and indisputable facts, clawing toward the truth. I can direct others to the truth that way, too." He'd explained it all before. The panther already knew that the deer was in debate so that he could face the world behind a glass wall. "I guess the only problem is that fact and opinion blend so easily." The deer hummed. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

The stag was about to say something else, but an announcement over the loudspeakers cut him off. "Integrated lunch hour is over. We ask all carnivores to leave the area. Herbivore lunch is beginning." The pair looked at each other, then around the room. They were the only two in this enormous cafeteria. "We ask again that all carnivores leave the cafeteria for the herbivore lunch."

The deer quickly slurped down the rest of his drink, and tossed away the trash. He knew Noah felt left out without a drink of his own, simply because the panther refused to eat or drink anything during the integrated lunch hour.

"Careful, Coop. You wouldn't want all your herbivore pals to catch you walking with me." Noah played it off as a joke. However, Cooper, the deer, knew that his friend's words sprouted from years of judgment. "Oh please. Give me a little credit." The buck grinned. "You're safer than any herbivore alive, housecat."

The cafeteria was abandoned when they'd arrived, but herbivores of all shapes and sizes filled the entrance when they left. "You're just trying to get me to talk about how great you are, you con." Cooper teased. The only herbivores that gave them second glances were the ones who glared at Noah for so much as existing.

"Ha! You got me." The panther purred. It was entertaining, being buds with someone like Cooper. The deer was well put-together. He wore a red bow tie, always tucked in his shirts, and never got into any trouble. It helped that he was a small herbivore, too. Nobody could find him suspicious. Noah, on the other hand... he just wanted to dress and act like any other creature his age without getting judged for it. If a carnivore stepped out of line around an herbivore... Well, they were seen more as wild animals than anything.