Not long had passed before his phone went off. He grumbled, hoped it would go away, then answered the call. "So, how goes the speech?" Expen sounded even more tired than Noah. "It sounds quiet there. Is it already over?"

Noah looked at the time. He gasped, then lunged to his paws. "It just started! I'm all the way across campus!" He smacked a paw against his face. Of all the times to take a nap!

"Sorry I couldn't make it, Noah. You know I wanted to be there. It's the first time I haven't been to one of your campus events." Expen was solemn, yes, but Noah had to go. He made 'uh-huhs' and 'yeahs' the whole way over, before he abruptly hung up. How could he be late to Cooper's first speech outside of debate club?

"To be responsible is to maturely and effectively take care of basic or complex needs for yourself or your community." The panther could now hear the microphone. He could see the crowd. "In Laymann's terms, we have to take care of each other. No matter what. Both herbivore, and carnivore." So far so good. Cooper's voice drew him closer. He squirmed past a dozen or so animals. He just had to get close enough for his friend to know he was there.

"Herbivores outnumber the carnivore population by a huge margin. We aren't as strong. They aren't as fast. We aren't as intelligent. They aren't as agile. Of course, this all varies from species to species. This is just a general statistic." The deer chuckled. "Carnivores are powerful, and loyal. They were created to protect, not to harm. Herbivores are numerous, and have extreme variety. We were designed for hundreds of tasks." The deer glanced at his notecards, before he shoved them in his pocket. He went off-book.

"As I just explained, any carnivore can go feral. I believe it's our duty as herbivores to report these threats as soon as we know they exist. And not only that, but to care for the carnivores after the fact. It's a scary thing, to go feral." Noah finally made it near the front, eyes on his friend. Cooper offered him a polite smile. "As a matter of fact, I've even experienced a feral carnivore attack. The event was covered up. Out of fear from both parties. But now, it's all in the past. Thanks to my friend, who's taken care of me every step along the way." He threw a hoof toward the panther.

Noah's ears flattened against his head. This couldn't happen. His heart beat rapidly inside his chest. A rhinocerous snorted beside him. The malice in the animal's eyes told him to run. He backed into an okapi, who screamed, drew more attention to the area, and fled into the crowd.

Quick as a whip, members of the crowd shoved Noah out of their way. Some were angry. Some were frightened. At one point, he got pushed to the ground. The unrest among the herbivores caused hooves to stamp and a few bleats from the crowd. "Eve-everyone, please calm down. All I'm saying is that the carnivores can recover from these incidents. They are completely out of their control when they go feral. There is no reason to blame the-"

"If it's out of their control, that means they can't stop themselves from eating us at all!" The rhino up front shouted at the deer. He could crush Cooper to death if he wanted to. He was a dangerous herbivore, and everyone around him knew it.

Still, Cooper's ears flew forward, and he slammed a hoof on the podium. "If that's your only logic, then what happens when you go out of control in blind rage? Huge herbivores are known for that, are they not?" His voice raised to a shout, which drew the public eye back.

Noah crept along the ground, out of sight. He managed to stand near a group of tigers, who he knew wouldn't attack. He pulled the hoodie over his head, and ran. "Do you suggest we get a tranquilizer gun and shoot you? Or perhaps put a bullet through your head so that you can never go into that rage again?" Cooper's voice reached the carnivores at last. Tails wagged, whiskers twitched. They were each invested. Noah fought his way through the crowd. They were impossible to escape. They suffocated him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins.

"I thought so. Listen," Cooper held his arms out wide for the audience. "Carnivores are not the only ones who can fall to instinct. They're not the only ones who pose a threat. Forget murder for a moment. More manslaughter is committed by large herbivores than any member of the population. More thievery and common stealing is comitted by all manner of small creatures, herbivore or carnivore alike. Murder is not the only serious crime, and it's not the only one with horrifying statistics. Plus, it's not the most likely crime to occur in our world. We all need to band together and stop the abuse against the carnivores, as herbivores ourselves. This is our responsibility. Just as it is theirs to protect us."

(Was that speech SUPER awesome, or suuuper terrible? Does it depend on who you ask?

I dunno! Have a blessed day!)