The next time he saw his mommy and daddy wasn't for another week. In the mean time, he'd had so many people in uniforms ask him the same questions, 'what do you know?' 'what did you see?' 'did you bite anyone?' 'did you see your parents bite anyone?' 'who was the canine?'. It was a stressful time. He was so confused.

He did finally see his parents, though. They were separated. They were in orange clothes, and he could only see them one at a time. He couldn't hug them. He only spoke to them through a phone. "We'll be out of here soon, Tyrone. Keep grandma company until then, alright?" They both encouraged him. They both assured him that everything was going to be okay. They were both wrong.

Liars. Cheaters. Killers. Carnivores. Reptiles. Innocent or guilty, they were incarcerated. They may not have killed the herbivore, the one the canine had half-eaten, but they were treated as though they had. They were both dragons in the story, too. All reptiles were dragons.

It took too many years for Tyrone to realize that he would never be treated as the animal he wanted to be. So instead... he became the monster they wanted him to be. He filled the mold they placed him in. A criminal. A hide trader. A killer. He was the perfect reptile, with a frozen heart.

This interesting revelation came about in his favorite class. His ex-girlfriend at the time, a saltwater crocodile, had left him only a week before. He'd learned that his father had just been killed in prison, and he would never be able to see him again. His grandmother who'd raised him had fallen sick, and couldn't take care of herself without his help, even in the bathroom. All this, coupled with bullying, with the struggle to keep his grades at peak performance, and with the reality that adults shared the same judgement and segregation as kids did, finally caused him to snap.

Most animals his age might've pulled the fire alarm to get suspended or expelled. He once knew a bear who clawed a teacher's car. Others vandalized the school mascot and spray-painted a huge mustache on it. Not him. When the dragon inside of him finally opened its eyes, it spewed flame over those who had tormented it while it slept.

Tyrone was arrested that day, straight out of his biology class. It was the giraffe who sat beside him who caused it. It was also this creature's long neck that ended up saving it.

"You know, Tyrone, you can't keep up this act forever." The giraffe whispered during class. It was the best class out there. Biology.

"What do you mean?" Tyrone asked, filling in answers to the test. He aced it, but that had no importance after today.

The giraffe flicked the glasses straight off Tyrone's face. 'Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about'. "Your family is in ruin. Your grades aren't going to lead anywhere, because you don't have a future. You can't even have kids because you're, well, mixed up inside."

Tyrone did his best to ignore the bully. It wasn't the first time all of this had been said. He wanted to forget him. His neat lettering on the paper turned to scribbles and doodles. He couldn't focus. "Your grandmother is about to die, isn't she? That's why they had us making 'get well soon' cards like children."

The giraffe slid a half-hearted hoof-made card to Tyrone. It said 'Get better' On the cover. On the inside, it said 'Or don't', with a doodle of a dead old crocodile.

The fire inside Tyrone boiled in his chest. "Why do you hate me so much, again?" He growled. It wasn't a noise he made often at school. The herbivore scoffed in response. As though he were appalled that anyone would retaliate. "What gives you the right to come after my family? She's the sweetest animal alive. She's had a long life full of wisdom and love. And sh-"

"And she won't anymore. Simple as that. Let's just face the facts, alright?" They glared at each other. The giraffe lowered his long neck, eye-to-eye with his prey, the carnivore. "Where are you going to live when she dies? You can't afford college as it is. You guys don't even own a car, right? How are you going to survive? I just want you to stop living a lie, Tyrone. If you do, you're going to die trying." He snorted. "Be grateful. Maybe you can die with your grandmot-"

He didn't even realize he snapped. Not until it was too late. The class had fallen silent. Then there were screams. Not just from the girls, either. When Tyrone's eyes opened, his jaw had encased the giraffe's neck. The herbivore gasped for breath. The only reason he wasn't already dead was thanks to that ridiculous neck.

Tyrone felt hooves beating down on his head. It hurt, but not for long, as the motions quickly weakened. He could taste the blood. It was warm, like a cup of hot chocolate, and sweet like the whipped cream that would go on top. It was delicious. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. Then he blacked out.

(Was Tyrone more violent, or was the giraffe? DON'T BULLY PEOPLE, PEOPLE! YIKES!?!?!

I dunno, but you best have a blessed and fantastical day!!)