Your brush flows across the canvas, a river of golden brown and burnt sienna trailing after it. Instrumental music sounds from your phone as the rays of sunshine travel through the white, unstained glass-windows. Three new flowers sit on the window sill as decoration, enjoying the warm light of the sun.

The atelier still holds its rustic scent, recounting to you its long history like a lonely veteran. Louis sits next to you, quietly observing your progress on the portrait. He doesn't criticize you, as far as you know he's more than happy with the results so far. Every time you glance at him, his eyes are filled with awe, like a child discovering snow for the first time and you can't help but softly smile at the stag's expression.

You're lucky to have two free periods today and you had promptly asked the deer about his own schedule, only to find that he too was free during that time. So you told him that you would use that time to work on his portrait and if he wanted to, he could hang around again like he did last time.

Taking any chance to hide away from his very persistent fan club, he happily accepted.

It's kind of ironic how close you and the buck had become, after the terrible start you two had. He did assault you after all, you wouldn't forget that, but you've forgiven him for it. The time you spent with the red deer gave you enough time to understand the basics about him, like his major inferiority complex and his hatred for carnivores that stems from it. He strives to control, to have everything go just as planned and for him to know about every single detail.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he had a complicated upbringing.

However, simply being 'misunderstood' and having a hard childhood doesn't excuse one's own actions, it merely explains them. It's the reason why you kept bringing up his first interaction with you, to show him that he could cope with his own demons in other ways. Ways that didn't include shoving others against a wall and sticking your unwashed hand into their mouth.

"You're really talented," his amazed voice sounds from behind you. You peer over your shoulder at him, only to find his chin basically leaning onto your shoulder, like a child ready for a nap.

"Thanks, "you reply softly, "but it's less talent than it is hard-earned skill."

He stares at you for a moment, "Elaborate, human."

"I shall, Bambi, "you snicker, "One's not born with a talent to perform a certain skill. An individual is born with a passion for a certain subject, whether it be art, gardening or history. I wasn't born with an understanding of shapes and colour theory; I was born with an interest in those things and that interest made me determined to develop this particular skill and learn more about it."

With a childish grin, you swiftly lift your paint brush and place a small, light brown dot on his nose. A giggle escapes you when his brows furrow and he crosses his eyes to see the dot of paint, his ears twitching as he rubs it off.

"Let's take you for example, "you continue, turning back to the canvas, "I don't think you were born as a great actor. You had to learn, just like everybody else, but you have so much passion for it in your heart, that it gives you the ability to captivate the audience in the way that you do. Or let's take the small dwarf rabbit, that takes care of the gardening club-"

"Haru," he interjects, realising his slip-up too late. You raise your brows at him and send him a weird look.

"Yes, Haru. How do you know her?"

"We're just friends," It's clear to you, that he's hiding something, "Nothing more."

"Okay, uhm..." You make a mental note to ask him about it further in a few minutes, "Anyways, Haru's really good with flowers but not because she has a talent for it. She has a passion for plants, they're important to her. That's why she invests a lot of time to understand them and learn about each plant."

"Overall, an individual isn't born with a special ability or a talent. They're born with a passion to develop a certain skill and that'll shape them as a person. "

Louis hums, nestling his head further onto your shoulder. His warm breath grazes your skin and your nose twitches as it tickles.

"So...," you start, hesitant to approach the matter but too curious to let it go, "are you and Haru just friends or friends as in 'We're sleeping together with no strings attached?"

"Why do you care?" he responds harshly, his body tensing behind yours.

"I don't really care to be honest. I'm just curious because you're kind of my friend as well and Haru and I...well, we have history."

Confused, he lifts his head off of your shoulder, "Wait, I thought you and her were close friends. Like the 'Let's talk about males and girly things' type."

An idea strikes up in your mind and you suppress your sly grin. "Let's strike a deal, Golden Boy. I'll tell you my story with the wonder rabbit and you'll tell me yours."

He hesitates for a moment, unsure whether to trust the gleam of mischief in your eyes. Then, with a defeated sigh, he agrees, "Fine. But only if you start."

"Alright, "you chirp, "First off, I don't do 'let's talk about males and girly things' stuff, I am offended that you even dared to think that of me. Anyways, I met Haru on my first day here, shortly before you assaulted me-"

"I'm sorry."

"-I am aware, Bambi. I told you before that I've forgiven you for it. Just don't do it again, not to me or anyone else," you hum, re-tracking your train of thought, "Where was I? Oh yeah, uhm, after you assaulted me, I ate dinner with Haru and kind of took the fall for her when a group of bullies decided to bother her. My uniform was all wet and stuff, so she took care of me and we became friends that day. "

A dry chuckle leaves you and the memory burns in your chest. You decide not to tell him about the attack.

"What a friendship it was because the very next day, it ended just as quickly. I was a part of the gardening club for like two hours before she decided to try and sleep with a guy with me right outside the door and not even warning me. Not to mention that she basically forced herself onto him and then refused to take responsibility."

You exhale slowly, ignoring the compassionate gaze of the male behind you.

"Long story short, I didn't want to be treated like a fucking doormat and cut ties with her. I tried to talk it out with her a couple days later but she...she had no interest in dealing with it like a reasonable person. I didn't care that she slept around; I just hated that she just forgot about me so easily and didn't even care enough to get consent from the guy. Honestly...I don't think she even saw me as a person."

"Well that..." he says after a moment of silence, "That sure is a lot."

"So what's your story, Golden Boy?" you're quick to bring the attention back to him, the memories leaving a bitter taste in your mouth.

"We're just having casual sex," he replies, his voice emotionless, "Nothing more. She's available, she doesn't ask questions and she's not after my popularity and status. There's nothing more to it."

"I respect your honesty, Bro," you nod curtly and the deer sends you a strange look.

"Eww, "he remarks, "Do not 'Bro' me...ever."

"Noted, "You snicker, "...Bro."

"I hate you."

"You know you love me, Bambi."

"Stop putting paint on my nose!"

"But you look so cute when you cross your eyes! It's adorable!"

With an annoyed groan, he settles back onto your shoulder, hiding his face in your hair. "Just paint the damn portrait, Y/n."

You giggle and with one last glance at the stag, you focus more on your painting. Comfortable silence settles between the two of you and you enjoy hearing his relaxed breathing in tune with your music.

"Nice fake antlers by the way."

"How did you know?!"

"I have eyes, Bambi!"

***

Time flies by quickly; you managed to finish most of the painting, only the details needed to be added. But that would be done at another time, seeing as now, you're shamelessly gaping at the beauty of the lights in the field of the festival.

Lanterns decorate the sky, weaving past the illuminated statues of the dinosaurs and drowning the field in their warm glow. In the heart of the field sits a large, round sculpture, glowing a bright golden-yellow.

It's the meteor.

You're unsure why exactly someone thought it would be a good idea to honour the spirits of the dinosaurs with a statue of the exact thing that killed them, but you're not really complaining. It's pretty and certainly an eye-catcher. Colonel Bucket was more than happy to help with the painting process.

Your roommates had told you about the legend of the meteor at the festival; more specifically, Eden had told you about it because despite her tough personality, the girl's a hopeless romantic. According to the legend, if a couple lit a candle together inside the meteor on the day of the festival, their love would prosper and they'd stay together for the rest of their lives.

As doubtful as you are of it, it's certainly a cute idea.

You've finished your duties for today, leaving you to wander through the field in order to stash Colonel Bucket away with the rest of the supplies in the shed while waiting for the rest of your club to finish. To the best of your abilities, you ignore the strange looks you get from other animals, mainly because you've grown used to the staring. It's annoying but as long as they don't touch the merchandise, it's all good.

Humming, you weave your way through the crowds, eyeing the sculptures or the small booths. Your gaze flies over the many faces, before eventually landing on that of a familiar white rabbit.

Haru.

The dwarf rabbit and you make eye contact, holding it even as other animals pass by. You're frozen in place when you realize that she's making her way towards you, her eyes determined but not any less angry than you remember. When she reaches you, she sneers up at you with scarlet cheeks.

"Here! This is yours," she says sassily, holding your switchblade disguised as a key in her hands, "Thanks for lending it to me."

"You're welcome," you answer, quite taken aback by her sudden approach," Hey uhm..."

"What?" She snaps, her ears twitching furiously. Her vicious tone brings you back to reality and you glance around as you bite your lip in frustration. Your eyes catch sight of Louis and an idea forms in your head, mainly because you know that Haru will most likely go home alone again otherwise. With a cool, collected head, you ask, "Are you done for today?"

She eyes you wearily, "Yes...why?"

"Seems like Louis is done, too. I'm friends with him, I'm sure you can go back together. You'd be safe on your way back to the school, at least."

You notice the flash of hurt in her eyes when you mention your friendship with Louis, before it's once again replaced with a mask of fury, "If he's friends with you, why would he even go near me, you dummy? Besides, why would you care?!"

"Haru," you sigh, "I don't hate you. I don't want you to be in any kind of danger; I've told you this before. I...I also know of your...relationship...with Louis."

Her small, obsidian orbs widen in surprise, but before she can interrupt you, you continue. "If you want an alibi though, just tell him I sent you and that he needs to make sure you get back to school safely. Or else, I'll tell everyone that his antlers are fake."

"But...shouldn't you be going home with him? He's part of your club, after all?"

"Nah, Louis' kind of a loner. I'll go home with the rest of the crew, "you answer honestly, before lifting your trusted bucket, "But before that, I'll need to put this one back into the shed."

She nods and shifts her gaze to the stag in the crowd. But before she leaves, her hand reaches out to yours and gives it a small squeeze.

"Take care, Y/n."

"You too, hunbun."

You hear her scoff before she hurries away, stopping in front of the buck. She says something to him and he lifts his head, making eye contact with you and nodding seriously. You give him a short wave and a smile, before continuing your way to the shed.

I should probably hurry a little, I'm sure the rest are already done as well... Or else I'll be forgotten again.

Meanwhile, with the rest of the stage crew and a few other drama club members such as Bill and Aoba, they're eagerly waiting near the tent reserved for the actors and dancers. Legoshi, in all his gloomy glory, sits on the ground next to Kibi with Fudge and Bill standing behind him. The anteater gently holds the wolf's tail in his hands, unaware that the grey canine's mind is elsewhere. More specifically, he's wondering where you are and certainly regrets not accompanying you to stash away your equipment.

"Legoshi,"Kibi says, catching the wolf's attention, "you have a split end on your tail."

"Don't pull it out," he protests childishly, "that'll hurt."

"Quit whining."

From a distance, a female grey wolf observes the scene with insecure eyes and dropped ears.

Wait a minute...does he...have a girlfriend?

"Alright, let's go back to school, "Dom announces once he reaches the group, "Shoot, it's so late! Louis is already gone?"

Confused, he looks around as Fudge tiredly eyes the vibrant bird," Dom, how do you have so much energy?"

"Excuse me, Art department friends?" Juno joins the squad, coming to a stop a few feet away from Legoshi and timidly hides her hands behind her back.

"Oh, Hey Juno!" Kibi greets her as the attention shifts to her. The female wolf bows in gratitude, "Thanks for your patience, the actors team is ready to leave, too. Legoshi, the rehearsal went really well today. It was all thanks to you! I'm very grateful!"

All eyes instantly fall onto the oblivious, unbothered grey wolf.

"No uh, "he stammers, not used to the attention, "you're the one we should thank."

Juno stares at him for a moment longer, the light in her beautiful eyes dimming slightly.

That face...it's the same one he shows everyone.

"Alright, let's head back," the grey wolf grabs his backpack, mentally wondering where the hell you are. Still, he's sure that you'll join the group sooner or later, seeing as they'll have to pass by the shed to get off of the festival grounds. Kibi agrees with a quiet "Yeah" and the members of the drama club begin to take their leave.

"Ah, uh, "Juno stutters, desperate to get some alone time with the male of her species, "So I see that the meteor is already finished!"

"Huh?" Perplexed, his gaze focuses on the illuminated sculpture in front of him, "Yeah, you're right."

Juno moves closer to him, her hands still clasped behind her back, "Legend says if a couple sets a candle on that meteor, their love would prosper. Do you believe in that, Legoshi?"

"Mhm," he murmurs, his mind immediately wondering how you would feel about that kind of legend. Is she a hopeless romantic...or does she not believe in love at all? What if she thinks all of this is stupid? "I don't really know. It would be cool if it's true though. A love would prosper, huh?"

For a moment, neither of the wolves say anything, whilst the rest of the club is already walking a few yards ahead of them. Then, Juno speaks up.

"Uh-uhm, Legoshi,"she stammers, "If it's okay with you, will you be able to-"

Suddenly, all the lights turn off and screams of terror sound from the darkness around them.

"What's going on?" Juno questions, slightly scared but not frightened, seeing as wolves are nocturnal and able to see in the dark. Legoshi on the other hand, is anything but calm. "It's a black out. Oh no!"

As fast as his legs can carry him, he rushes to the other members of the drama club, the female wolf following suit. On the other side of the meteor, a circle has formed around the herbivores, the carnivores forming a protective barrier around them.

"Hey, is everyone okay?" he calls out once he reaches them and Dom's frightened voice answers, "Legoshi? Where are you?!"

"I'm here, I-I'm going to put my hand out." Slowly, he places his large hand in front of the herbivore and the peafowl takes it, unable to see a single thing in the darkness.

"What is going on?"

"I think that it's a black out. Don't worry, us nocturnals will protect everyone!"

Beside him, Bill turns to the small goat behind him, "Els, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

It's clear how terrified the herbivores are; it's a reasonable fear.

After all, every time a devouring happens, it's always in the dark of night.

***

Heya homies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I'm on time today, yay! I already have the next chapter written, so that'll be up on time as well!

France is pretty chill right now, I am sunburn in very awkward places and I have fallen out of my very small bed every single night up until now. However, no spiders yet, so we're still good.

We'll be moving on further down the Coast to the next camping spot tomorrow and that's the one where all the big, scary spiders were last year. So fingers crossed, homies! ʘ‿ʘ

Also, from what I can see, Roy from Tencent Literature deleted his message so I have no means to contact him and/or Webnovel about that weird contract they wanted to do. Fine by me honestly but it seems sketchy┐( ∵ )┌

How did y'all like a little platonic bonding time with Golden Boy? Louis is a complicated character honestly, I like him platonically, like I want to protect him, but nothing more than that. Still, this is for y'all Louis fans out there.

Anyways, I hope y'all are safe and not stuck in some Blackout somewhere!

See you in Chapter 30!