"Where the hell are they?! The Play's supposed to start in two minutes, he should be ready by now!"

Poor Kibi has no choice but to watch you pace up and down in the backstage area. The anteater had seen how wrong the rumours about you were from the moment you became a part of the drama club. You barely spoke, much less acted aggressive; you reminded him more of a little lamb in your behaviour; childish and innocent, but willing to kick you if needed. The first time he saw you angry was yesterday, when you scolded the hell out of the tiger and the wolf.

He too had been shaking in his boots but refused to let anyone know that. And sure, you might be quite a bit taller than him with his 3'8" but he still thinks you're cute.

"Don't worry Y/n, I'm sure Fudge and Dom know what they're doing. They should be out any second."

"Worried?" You giggle hysterically, "Do I seem worried to you? No, no, I'm not worried."

"Oh?" He asks surprised, being the gullible soul he is, "Well that's good."

"I am disturbed and distressed! I am ready to cut my fucking head off and become a bowling ball for a living! And I swear to every god in existence, if they don't come out right now-"

"We're done!"

You sigh in relief and already feel your heartbeat calming down. Slowly, you begin to turn around.

"Oh thank baby Yoda, I could already feel the heart attack comi-"

Only to stop once your eyes fall onto Legoshi.

Oh fuck.

You're frozen, unaware of Dom's voice calling your name. The only thing you're able to do is goggle at the tall wolf dressed in his villain costume as heat begins to bloom in your core.

Oh my fucking God....

He's hot!

"Y/n!" Finally, you snap out of your thoughts. "Yes?"

Dom stares at you, confused and weirded out. "You're supposed to see if everything fits the way it's supposed to before we send him out onto the stage, remember?"

"Oh," You answer with a quiet, unusually high voice, "Yeah, totally."

The peafowl only sighs in despair at your reaction before he joins the rest of the members standing by the stage entrance.

It's show-time.

Bill is obviously anxious but he does a good job, you have to admit. He doesn't capture your attention the same way Louis does when he's acting but the tiger's well above average when it comes to acting skills.

You stand next to Legoshi, forcing your eyes to stay focused on the Play.

"Uh, Y/n?" You suddenly hear his deep voice next to your ear, way to close for your flustered self to handle. A startled squeak escapes you and immediately sends more heat to your head. Once he got your attention, the grey wolf points to the play and you take a second to realize what he means.

It's his turn soon.

"Oh, sorry, I was too focused on the play," You apologize and fully turn to the wolf, checking his costume.

The wide cut white Shirt exposes the upper part of his chest and gives him an elegant yet dangerous appearance. His dark, rugged pants create a stark contrast to the clean Shirt and his feet are bare, revealing his sharp claws. The blood red cape falls flawlessly across his shoulders; a bandage covers one of his eyes.

Everything fits perfectly. Too perfectly....

Your head feels like it's about to explode with the amount of blood rushing to your head. "So, uh, does it feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

He shakes his head, effectively loosening the bandage and drawing a giggle out of you. "Come here you big puppy."

As you wrap the bandage back around his head, a little more secure this time, you notice his rapidly wagging tail.

That's the cutest fucking thing I've seen in my entire life!

But only when you glance back up, do you notice how close you and the handsome wolf actually are. He's bent down a little so you can reach his head with ease, your bodies barely half a foot apart. His eyes are staring into yours, his full attention on you.

I'm too powerful, the costume worked too perfectly! Abort the mission, sergeant, Abort the mission!

Of course, you make the mistake of glancing down, basically coming eye to eye with his broad, crème coloured chest.

Don't get a nosebleed.

You can't stop your brain; you're a teenager after all.

Don't get a nosebleed!

You wonder....how far down that crème colour goes.

Don't get a fucking nosebleed!

"Y/n, are you okay?!" Legoshi asks frantically, already getting you a tissue.

You got a nosebleed.

"Yeah, yes, yesn't, of course I'm fine," you chuckle desperately, wishing for the ground to swallow you whole, "It's just the anxiety acting up again, I'm not good with stress."

Gently, the wolf holds the tissue against your nose, which immediately gets soaked by your warm blood.

Her blood, it's so close to me...Her scent is so overwhelming right now.

Dom taps you on the shoulder, signalling that it's time for the fight scene soon. He urges Legoshi forward before throwing a suggestive look back to you with wiggling eyebrows. Shockingly, Legoshi's slouching has ceased to exist in this moment.

With his strong, powerful posture he stands in the darkness, waiting for his turn on the stage like a predator ready to pounce on his prey.

"Hey," You whisper softly to him and he turns to look at you, "Good luck out there."

He nods his head as a thank you before settling his gaze back onto the stage. With every passing moment and unbeknownst to the rest of you, his eyes grow darker and darker, filling with feral rage.

"Ellen," Bill proclaims, standing alone on the stage, "If you're the thorn of the rose I desire to seek, even I, the Grim Reaper, would give up my life! It's okay, there's nobody after you now!"

"Is he okay out there?" Els wonders, worry clear on her face, and Sheila answers to ease her concerns.
"Yeah, I think he's doing wonderfully."

You barely realize that Legoshi's moving forward. But when you distinguish the heavy thuds as his footsteps, you find yourself confused. Maybe he just wanted to be ready to jump out and get that scene over with? Or did you stink because of all the sweat ?

But when you comprehend that he's planning to walk past the curtain and onto the stage, your stomach flips in worry. Stressed all over again, you follow after him.

What the hell does he think he's doing? He's way too early!

"Hey!...Huh? L-Legoshi?" The president tries to stop him but to no avail. The wolf ignores him and continues his crusade.

And like a beast, born and raised in the shadows, he steps into the light with vengeance. Like a cloud of blood and chaos, his cloak trailed behind him.

His goal?

To destroy the false Grim Reaper bathing in the blinding light of Pride.

Okay Bill. If you say that consuming Y/n's blood is justifiable performance enhancement....

Then show me what it does.

"You must be the last demon." Bill draws his sword, ready to face the villain.

I'll destroy every part of you.

Against the script, Legoshi lets his weapon fall to the ground and sprints towards the tiger, using his speed to his advantage. With a thunderous hit, he punches Bill in the face and effectively knocks him a couple feet away.

Struggling, the feline gets back on his feet, the Adler's skull still on his head and turns to the wolf, who's already approaching him with a throaty growl. "Wait, hold on. What's wrong with you?!"

He whispers, as to not alert the audience and holds his hand up in surrender. However, the grey villain pounces on him once again.

Both land further down the stage with Legoshi on top, his dark orbs filled with ferocity.

"I won't ever forgive you," he growls, reeling his fist back.

You flinch as it collides with Bill's face with dynamic speed and power.

"Stop them! Now!" Sheila urges the president, who's far too fearful to attempt such a thing. "Why don't you try?!"

The bloodied skull is ripped off of the tiger's head and thrown back, landing in your line of sight with a sickening crack.

You had moved to stand next to the cheetah, with a perfect view of the stage. Now you regret not staying in the shadows, not hiding in a corner until all of this is over.

"Uh... I don't think so."

Tears begin to roll down your face as Legoshi punches Bill in the face, over and over again. The stomach-wrenching sound of his knuckles hitting the flesh and skull echo in your head, your legs threaten to buckle any second now.

Legoshi's grunts and yells of wrath don't fully register in your mind anymore. You struggle to breath, you don't want to see the violence but you can't look away.

Make it stop! Please, make it stop!

You don't notice that your legs give out and you fall to the floor, crying and sobbing. Sheila, Sanu and Els flock around you and the cheetah wraps an arm around your shoulders, trying to reassure you that everything will be fine.

But you don't hear her; the only thing you comprehend are Legoshi's violent hits. You can't breathe.

Is He killing him? Is he killing Bill?

Death, death, death, so much death! I don't want to see it!

Make it stop!

Please, make it stop!

All of a sudden, the punching ceases and with fog clouding your mind, you glance at the violent scene.

Bill had stopped the wolf's hits with his hand, engulfing the much smaller canine's fist.

There's no more violence, no more looming death; you begin to calm down. Still, you struggle to catch your breath and tears continue to roll.

"That's enough Legoshi," he struggles to speak, his face bloodied.

Trapped in a seemingly never ending battle, they stand up, pushing against one another to see who the stronger carnivore is. Tiger versus Wolf.

"Is this some kind of punishment? Do you think you're the perfect carnivore? Well, let me tell you that you're not!"

In the matter of a single second, Bill overpowers Legoshi and traps him in a threatening, menacing embrace. The wolf's face is illuminated by the spotlight, the tiger's black cloak hiding his back and facing the audience.

"You've smelled human blood before, isn't that right?"

His hold tightens, forcing a gasp of pain from the canine. "Was it your prey? Did you kill it?"

Legoshi is stuck in the arms of the tiger. Flashes of you fill his mind.

You, smiling at him in the garden. You, worrying about his safety after he waited for you in the dark.

I-I......

"Now, silence!" The feline resumes his lines, "After all, remember, you've got blood on your hands, too!"

Pain engulfs the grey wolf as Bills claws drag across his back, cutting through his skin.

D-Damnit.

The first drop of red taints the stage. Your face pales when you see it.

It's so warm... the blood dripping down my back.

"You need to calm down for my sake. This is the proof of our bond. We both have stripes we'll wear with pride. "

B-Blood...No, no no no, he's hurting him!

You don't think straight as you try to run to him, your wail silenced by Sheila's hand over your mouth to muffle you, to not alert the audience. Your head is taken over by white noise, that all too familiar, horrific sound of static.

Legoshi!

More and more blood drips onto the wooden surface and you remember your own blood filling your lungs. Violent sobs rock your body as you struggle against the three animals now holding you back and trying to comfort you.

"I-It's o-okay, Y/n," Els tries to reassure you, "Legoshi's going to be alright, I promise."

No, he won't be!

There's blood, blood, so much damn Blood!

F-Fuck, I can't breathe! Why can't I breathe?!

The tiger's claws dig deep into Legoshi's flesh. The spotlight is bright and hot on his face; it blinds him for a few moments, just like the pain. More red liquid escapes the wound and hits the floor with a nasty splash.

The blood of a carnivore.

I am just like him.

It's warm...yet it revolts me.

I have always struggled with blood...even my own.

"Legoshi," Bill whispers, "You can barely stand. Give up now and the show will be back on track...just fall to the ground."

And when the feline lets go of him, he does. With a heavy thud and weak from the pain and the wound, he falls onto the wooden blanks of the stage. Once you see his body, barely conscious, you struggle harder, more tears forcing their way down your face and burning your eyes. Your already violent sobs increase tenfold.

"Pathetic wolf! Surrender to your fate!"

Leaning in so close, that only the wolf could hear it, he whispers, "I'm the star. Let me land the final blow, understand?!"

With a sick grin on his face, the tiger roughly places his boot onto Legoshi's chest, earning another painful wheeze from the canine. The sword glints in the lights as he lifts it, ready to strike.

NO!

You scream bloody murder, though still muffled by the cheetah.

Then, you go limp in her arms, the panic and terror finally catching up to you. You force your eyes shut.

You stop struggling, letting the static take over your world.

Only by the cheetah's relaxing muscles around you do you realize something must've changed. And indeed it has.

Out of nowhere, Louis stands on the stage without his crutches, sword and skull in his hands. He had knocked Bill's sword from him.

"You are having way too much fun."

You never thought you would cry so much out of relief but your body is so worn out, that the tears now turn into ones of gratitude.

Thank Goodness, he didn't listen to me.

Note to self, bring Louis some cookies during his recovery time.

The audience explodes in awe and amazement.

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to play the villain now."

In one smooth movement, he slips the Skull on and points his weapon at the feline.

"I know who you are!" Swiftly, he attacks the tiger, though purposefully missing him, as the audience squeals in excitement. They circle each other so that in the end, Louis stands by Legoshi's side.

"Let me show you imposter, who the real Grim Reaper is!"

"Legoshi," he whispers, as it's only meant for the wolf's ears, "leave the rest to me. Don't let the audience see your back. "

"Back down if you're not prepared! The many sins you've committed! I know about them all! Why don't you drink my blood, too?"

His fur seems to glow golden under the spotlight, ultimately marking him as the hero of the Story.

"That's how you'll become a true Grim Reaper!"

Bill staggers backwards as Louis words echo throughout the auditorium. "Now leave! I have no time for imposters!"

Then, the feline leaves the stage with his midnight cloak swishing behind him like a shadow. Only the deer and the wolf are left on stage, the predator and the prey. Though ironically, the prey saved the predator, standing tall and mighty above the injured carnivore.

The spotlight focuses on the two. "Now, you'll disappear along with the morning dew. Along with the withering me."

He turns to Legoshi and offers him his hand. "It's okay. You're alright now."

Louis' delicate hands...ordering me to stand tall.

Seemingly effortless, the deer pulls the grey wolf to his feet and the two stand before the applauding, cheering audience.

The audience's cheering is endless....

I wonder how the others felt...about this performance.

"Are you two out of your minds?!"

Surprisingly, seeing as Louis had been sent back to rest and recover, especially after saving the performance, Sheila and Sanu had taken to scolding the two carnivores now being treated for their wounds. Dom was currently wrapping Legoshi's back, whilst Dolph, a male Hippo from the stage crew, treated Bill's beat up face.

"What were you two thinking?! To go out there and to... to rip each other apart like savages?!"

Sheila does most of the speaking, having far more anger in her because she was the one to hold your panicking body in her arms. Although the deer had reluctantly left, you know that he'd give the boys another scolding tomorrow, possibly even kick them out of the club.

"In front of the entire school?! In front of your herbivore classmates?! In front of Y/n?!"

She points to your frail form, sitting on the table with a calming tea in your hand that Els had brought you. Both of their eyes grow wide at seeing your shaken up appearance and your red face, clear traces of your tears and blood visible.

You look like you crawled out of a horror movie.

Legoshi's ears drop further onto his head and he even whimpers quietly when he sees the distant, drained look in your eyes.

I-I'm the Cause of that...

"The poor thing was having a full on panic attack because of you! I had to physically hold her down so she couldn't run in and get herself hurt, do you know how horrible it feels to hold someone while they're screaming like they're watching their entire family die?"

They flinch when she screams at them, "Not fucking good, I'll tell you that much!"

She would've kept going, if you hadn't chosen that moment to set your cup of tea down and hop down from the table. You stand on quivering legs at first, stabilizing yourself with the help of Sanu, who offers you his hand. You give him a short smile before returning to your exhausted, neutral expression.

"Y/n, I- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- "

You interrupt the wolf by wrapping your arms around his torso, careful on the bandages that Dom just finished wrapping, and burry your face in his lower chest.

"Don't you ever fucking do shit like that again, do you hear me?" You threaten but your voice is soft, it's all that you can muster.

You can't help the new tears from forming, "You stupid wolf!"

Behind your back, Sheila gestures to Legoshi to rub your back, glaring at him with a powerful "Do it or you're dead" look. He does so, although hesitantly because he doesn't want to hurt you further.

"I'm sorry."

You sniffle one last time before letting go of the canine and taking a few steps forward. Then, you stem your hands on your hips and glare at them.

"You guys can be lucky that you're injured because I would've kicked both of your asses to the fucking moon. You're cleaning this shit up by the way. "

With that, you turn your backs to the carnivores and down the rest of your tea.

"I'm going to fucking bed. Peace, I'm out!"

This school is going to kill me a second time if this shit keeps happening. 

****

Aaaaannnd we did it! We got past the fight scene! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and weren't disappointed!

As usual, our dear MC can't catch a break from blood and mental breakdowns because hey, what kind of character of mine would she be otherwise ◉‿◉

I don't have a lot to say right now because holy shit, I am tired (it's 3:25 rn where I live), so I'll keep it short.

The next chapter will be more fluff based because the next episode introduces the Meteor festival arc and gives us a few weeks of free time to work with. And seeing as our character is a female and probably more than four weeks pass.... I hope y'all get what I'm hinting at.

All I'll say is that it'll be a lot of cuddling.

Alrighty then homies, stay safe and healthy in this lockdown, don't go around hurting each other like these two idiots 🐺🐯

See you in Chapter 17!