The cold evening air brushes against his fur, the far away chattering from the streets surrounding the ominous area filling his ears. Though with how long he had spent training under Gouhin, the young wolf had learnt to ignore it.

Legoshi, dressed in his track suit, leisurely leans against the massive glass window of Gouhin's clinic, a carton of juice in his hands as his lips nip at the straw. His mind is elsewhere, stuck in the attempt to conduct a strategy to defeat Riz. His hand is stuffed into his pocket, his legs crossed over one another as his foot occasionally whips to the rhythm of a soundless melody.

"You need Allies, Legoshi! Without allies, you'll be crushed by the pressure!"

I can't afford to be crushed by some stupid pressure. I had an ally once, who gave me emotional support...but I don't know where he is right now...

His thoughts are brought to a halt by the sound of the window opening behind him, a smaller figure joining him on the platform with a pat on his shoulder. "How's it going, Wolfie?"

He merely nods, his eyes following every move of yours as you sit down beside him and let your own gaze sway over the streets of the black market. You look tired, though there haven't been as many bandages on your body as there had been a month ago.

It's been about a month since you had declared that you wouldn't react to his advances in the future, at least not the way he'd hope. Of course, he had been crushed by that confession but he couldn't hold it against you; you've got enough on your plate as it is, you shouldn't need to worry about him as well.

And yet here you are, still offering him support simply through your presence and friendship. If it meant that he could continue to have you in his life, he'd accept any boundary you would lay out for him.

"Where's the feline?"

"Val's got a job in another district," You answer nonchalantly as you steal his juice box, "She'll be gone for another week or so, at least that's what she told me. Till then, I'm apparently Gouhin's responsibility, like a hand-me-down grenade."

Quietly, he watches as you take a sip from the beverage, letting your eyes sway upwards to the sky. There are barely any stars visible due to the blinding lights of the city surrounding you. Handing the drink back to Legoshi, you stuff your hands into the pockets of your jacket, copying his pose without meaning to.

You just finished your therapy session with Gouhin, a habit you continued to uphold during the past few weeks. You're making a little progress when it comes to your mental health, though your body is still numb to a multitude of emotions and even sensations. When Valentina taught you how to use a combat knife two weeks ago, you accidentally cut the palm of your hand; you hadn't noticed the injury until Val pointed it out. Even the thought that Val is out there right now, most likely murdering people in cold blood for money, leaves you cold.

Not even the occasional thought of your own murderer awakens anything in you.

The current situation you're in hadn't changed a lot though. Apart from the fact that you've somehow convinced the Scientists back at the lab to reduce your visits to once a week, your overall condition hadn't gotten better. Instead, another little problem was added to your long list.

You're beginning to forget.

About your family, your friends, your school; about all of it. To be honest, you don't even remember how your parents looked like or what their first names were. All that is left in a blank slot where your memories once used to reside.

It's another issue to tackle with Gouhin. The panda was aware of your unfortunate death, which is also why he's the only one qualified enough to be your therapist in this matter. Val had told him everything about it because frankly, you couldn't bring yourself to at the time. Not the words themselves hurt you, no; more so, it's the damn pity in his black eyes. You can't stand it.

Pity's not going to get you anywhere, it won't change anything.

"Have you studied for the math test next week?" You quietly ask the wolf beside you, who lets out a long sigh at the question and shakes his head. "Yeah, me neither."

Due to being Gouhin's unrelenting charity case, you and the grey wolf have grown to support one another like you did in the old days, when the drama club was all you two were concerned about. Not weird five nights at freddy's rip-offs or the inconvenient consequences of mental illness.

You meant what you said back on that rooftop. Every fibre of your heart loves the wolf beside you unconditionally, but for your own sanity, you can't allow yourself to let your own troubles suffocate you in order to save him from his.

So, you decided to remain friends for the time being. That way, you could support each other whilst simultaneously focusing on your current duties in life.

"How was your session with Gouhin?" He gently asks, tilting his head to look at you. A loud groan sounds from you as you roll your head back, a cringe-worthy crack coming from your neck at the sudden movement. "Weird, as always. I swear, sometimes I forget that he has eyes because of those markings, you know? So it just feels like he's constantly staring and never fucking blinks."

Legoshi chuckles quietly and you follow suit before the two of you fall back into comfortable silence.

"Hm?" That is, until two large-breed carnivores down on the street catch Legoshi's attention. Setting his juice box down, he puts on his muzzle and gets into position to follow them to inspect their suspicious behaviour. With quirked eyebrows, you watch him until you roll your eyes.

I'm gonna have to follow him to make sure he doesn't die, don't I?

Quite frankly, it wouldn't be the first time that you'd have to take down a meat-crazy carnivore in order to save Legoshi's skin. About a week ago, Gouhin had requested Val's assistance with capturing a Siberian tiger couple, who had recently devoured an older goat neighbour of theirs. And seeing as Valentina thoroughly enjoys the theory 'learning on the job', she brought you along to test your skills out in the field.

You didn't disappoint.

Whilst Gouhin and Legoshi tackled the male tiger, you and Valentina had been left to take care of the female, who had fled from the scene. And whilst the tigress surpassed you in strength and had a far better sense of smell, hearing and sight, you possessed the wit of a human and that wasn't something to be messed with. A few well aimed kicks to the head, as well as using the pressure point on the back of her neck, you and Valentina had captured the meat-crazy female without much difficulty.

So of course, you're now prepared to repeat the process in order to stop the large grey wolf from dancing with death. That's your thing. 

Legoshi expertly leaps down from the platform and lands on the ground, asking you with his eyes 'why are you following me?' when you climb down after him, your hand resting on your combat knife that is strapped to your leg. With a silent glare, you tell him to shut up.

"How much did we get?"

"Two million...they were a bunch of saps."

The two lions, probably in their early twenties from their young appearances, huddle in the corner of a dark alleyway while you and Legsoshi peek around the corner. Though it merely takes a minutes for the wolf to tap your shoulder and nod his head to the back, quietly informing you that the two of you should head back to Gouhin.

Huh, guess it was just a false alarm then.

Rolling your eyes at this silly little interference, you turn on your heels to head back to the clinic. Fate seems to have other plans for you though.

Both you and the grey wolf halt in your actions, your gazes locked on the imposing stag in front of you. A cigarette is neatly placed between his fingers, his lean body dressed in a black suit. A puff of smoke comes from his lips as he peers down at you, the rest of the Shishigumi standing behind him.

"You don't have to say a word," Louis says flatly, a menacing gleam in his honey-coloured eyes.

Are you fucking kidding me right now?!

"That's the spies who've been following us around, boss!" One of the lions yells, his mane kept in neat dreadlocks. Another one adds, "These two might've stolen some information regarding the Shishigumi. What do we do with him, Boss?"

From Legoshi's wide eyes, you can tell that he cannot believe what he's seeing right now. Neither can you but thanks to Juno, you already knew that the red deer had taken over the same gang that tried to kill you. In an attempt to calm the usually quiet carnivore down, you let your fingers take a hold of his, squeezing the digits once to remind him that you're right beside him. You've got his back.

"You need to be more careful with making our contracts! Don't embarrass the boss!" Another lion shouts at one of the young lions you've been following.

"Sorry."

"Don't make a scene, fellas." Louis reprimands them coolly, clearly demonstrating his dominance over this group of overgrown wildcats. Then, he grabs Legoshi's muzzle. "Leave everything to me."

His hand leaves the metallic material, causing it to snap back against the young wolf's sensitive nose. A quiet whine of pain sounds from him and you glare at Louis' back as he walks back to his group. In that very moment, the darkest part of you wants to see just how easy it would be to slit his throat with your combat knife.

"Want us to search them?" One of the taller felines, a pair of glasses sitting on his nose, questions Louis as he passes him. You recognize him instantly; he was there when you were kidnapped.

"Sure, why not." The stag answers nonchalantly. "Do as you please."

"Hey, you kids...you've been acting awfully suspicious." Your glare hardens when the Shishigumi begin to approach, a flame of rage igniting in your chest when you spot the lion whose eye you ruined back then. The large cross-scar that adorned his face on that day is now joined by another one that passes over his right eye. It's evident that he lost his sight on that one. "Tell me why you're spying on us. Did the Madaragumi order you to do it? Or maybe the Dokugumi?"

Even though you're fairly certain they don't recognize Legoshi, it's evident that the lion in front of you knows exactly who you are. Back then, you would've been consumed by fear from his presence alone. But now, all you do is meet his stare with your harsh e/c hues.

You haven't felt fear in a long time after all.

"No! Look, we're sorry. We were just passing by..." The wolf tries to remedy the situation, removing his muzzle and waving his hands in front of him. "And uh, we were tailing you because I was curious...she just came along to make sure I don't get into trouble."

"I'm...really sorry." A repeated gust of wind rushing against your legs causes you to glance down, only to mentally face-palm when you do. The Shishigumi stare as well, dumbfounded by the fact that Legoshi's tail is literally wagging in a predicament like this. "So, uhm, could you let us go?"

"What's with this guy?"

"Why's he wagging his tail right now?"

Because he's a moron.

Louis coughs awkwardly whilst you stare at the wolf's tail, wondering how he hasn't turned into a helicopter yet because he could totally make a propeller out of that tail of his. It goes round and round; faster than sonic, you presume.

He sighs heavily before a constipated expression befalls his face, his ears standing up as straight as ever. You're guessing he's using the same method boys use when they get a surprise boner, which is thinking of something unpleasant like your naked grandma. The lions turn to each other, though the one with the scars lets his gaze linger on your form.

"Don't canines wag their tails when they're happy?"

"I dunno."

"He pisses me off." The scarred feline growls, stepping closer to you and Legoshi. However, you don't miss the way his eyes flicker to you every couple of seconds, a predatory gleam within them. "Let's find out more about these two. They're way too suspicious."

For just a split second, you're distracted by another lion that speeds towards you, but that second is long enough for the scarred feline to grab the front of Legoshi's track jacket and raise his fist threateningly above the wolf's head. "I don't like the way you've been looking at our boss."

"Hands off!" You yell, dodging the second lion before taking out your combat knife. Swinging the weapon at him, he lets go of your friend, who tumbles to the ground, and backs off. Soon enough, a knowing smirk etches itself onto his face. "I knew it."

"You're the female that took my eye!" He exclaims, running a hand through his mane. "I knew you looked familiar. I still owe you payback for that!"

"I'm literally the only human around, buddy! Did it really take you this long to notice?" You chuckle, blissfully ignoring the threat, "And here I thought you pussycats couldn't get any dumber."

A ferocious growl leaves the feline at your insult.

Your back is turned to Legoshi and you feel his burning gaze on the back of your skull while you twirl the knife in between your fingers. To be fair, the canine hadn't seen you fight before, at least not after the night at the Shishigumi hideout. Glancing at Louis for a single moment, your glare filled with burning hatred, you wait for the Lions to attack.

They've got the advantage when it comes to numbers but apparently, you're the only one that is armed. And although their claws are nice and fancy, your knife is definitely the superior weapon. Still, no matter how much you want to let them feel every ounce of rage you carry within you, every nightmare you've suffered since then, you also know that you can't fight properly with Legoshi behind you.

He knows how to fight, you don't doubt that, but simply because Louis is here the wolf doesn't seem interested in defending himself.

"Alright, fellas!" You call out, standing up straight but continuing to hold up your weapon as a warning. "I don't want any more trouble, got it? So why don't we all just forget this happened and move on? I've got better things to do than turning you guys into some ugly lion rugs."

Are you being overly confident? Yes. Do you care? Absolutely not. You're guessing that when it comes to being reckless and stupid in terms of fighting, both you and Legoshi are experts in that matter. That is probably why you two get along so well.

The felines scoff at your comment but make no move to attack you again. Leisurely, you stuff your hand into your pockets, letting your face turn blank. Turning back to Legoshi, you help him up, brushing the dust off his jacket. A quiet 'tsk' sounds from Louis and as charismatic as ever, the stag makes his way over to you. "That's enough. They're not spies. This female is a good acquaintance of mine."

"Why don't I make it up to you with some food, you dogs?" The male smirks, though unbeknownst to him, you're gritting your teeth at his insult. Once more, you're filled with the urge to slit his throat but you contain yourself for Legoshi's sake. "I'm going to have dinner with the leaders of the Shishigumi. You come, too."

Dumbfounded, Legoshi flaps his ear. "Huh?"

And that is how you found yourself sitting at a large table next to Legoshi, surrounded by the gang that tried to end your life only four or five months prior.

Honestly, you only stuck around to make sure the wolf didn't get himself into even more trouble because frankly, you don't know why this moron decided to agree to the dinner invitation. Knowing him though, his reasons are probably stupid. To make matters worse, you're also sitting next to the lion who lost an eye thanks to you. Not that he didn't deserve it, he should've just kept his hands to himself.

"So what's your name?"

"How old are you?"

"What's your job?"

"What's your relationship with this female human?"

"Why were you wagging your tail like that?"

One by one, the members of the Shishigumi throw their questions at the tall wolf beside you, who is gingerly drinking from a straw. "My name is Haruo...I'm 27 years old and I'm a night worker...As for my tail, um, my body was just really excited..."

You don't miss how he completely avoids talking about his relationship with you, not that you mind. No matter what he says, it wouldn't change the situation you're in. A loud 'oof' sounds to your left when one of the lions, one with three scars across his right eye and a funky-looking mane, slaps his back. "Oh, so you're a masochist! You're so weird!"

"I get that a lot."

"Haruo, Y/n." Louis addresses the both of you, blowing out the smoke from his cigarette. "Eat to your heart's content."

"Yeah, this is the black market, where you can eat as much meat as you want. Oh wait, do you have any herbivore friends?" The lion with the three scars explains with a smirk. "Well, you'd be pretty dumb to reject food from the Shishigumi-"

"No thank you." You say promptly, cutting off the feline. In turn, the older male loses his smirk. "What?"

"I'm a human, not a monster," You tell him, taking a sip from your drink, "Knowing the Shishigumi, this meat was probably not from a willing animal, nor from someone who wasn't murdered just for their meat. You know, like you tried to do with me?"

Finally, your gaze settles on Louis and you hold his stare, letting your fury shine through your e/c coloured orbs. "I haven't forgotten that night. Not one bit."

Silence befalls the table, the other animals glancing between you and Louis as you continued your staring contest. In the end, you won. You're pretty sure the Shishigumi is about to attempt to murder you again, but a slight raise of Louis' hand stops him.

Oh cute, at least he doesn't want me to die in front of him.

This fucking traitor.

After a quiet growl, the scarred lion turns to Legoshi. "What about you?"

"I can't eat this."

"Oh come on."

"I'm sorry, but I'm a fox. Bigger than most, I must add. I can only eat fried tofu." You resist the urge to roll your eyes at the idiotic lie. Legoshi didn't look one bit like a fox and unless these felines are even dumber than you think, they're going to see right through him. "Foxes don't have the best diets, you know..."

The lion with the glasses bursts into a fit of deep, echoing laughter. "I don't understand you. Our boss is a fine young deer, as you can see. But he likes eating meat."

"Ain't that right, boss?" The lion to your left inquires and Louis avoids the wolf's baffled gaze. "Of course, I'm fine with cannibalism."

To prove his point, the stag takes a big bite from the meat in front of him.

"Good going, boss. You're nothing like these wimps! You should learn from him, Haruo!"

Straightening your back in your seat, not caring about how threatening you may seem to those around you, you observe as Louis continues to stuff more bites of meat down his throat. It takes everything in you to not laugh at his prideful stupidity. He's a deer, a herbivore. Sure, deers tend to eat small animals like birds in times of extreme hunger but a herbivore cannot sustain themselves on a pure meat diet.

And the fact that he seems to think that he can, that this somehow makes him stronger, might be the most pathetic thing you've seen in your life.

Apparently, your first impression of Louis had been right all along. From the day he assaulted you in his office, going on and on about your carnivorous aspects, you should've known he's not a good person. Now that you think about it, the difference between him and Juno is astounding. Because whilst Juno doesn't care one bit about what the world sees her as, Louis seems to constantly try to live his life in favour or rebelling against the views of society. Juno has always been herself but no matter where he is, this herbivore has always worn a mask. May it be subconsciously, but the deer is still as weak as before.

Whether he is or isn't in charge of the Shishigumi wouldn't change that.

"I'll excuse myself for a bit." The deer mutters as he wipes his mouth and rises from the table, disappearing from the room. Not soon after, Legoshi excuses himself to use the bathroom, sending you a worried look that urges you to leave as well.

But to avoid suspicion, you remain seated. Smoothly drinking your refreshing beverage, you don't acknowledge the burning stares of the felines.

"So what have you guys been up to?" You finally ask, breaking the awkward silence. "You've been good kitties, I hope?"

"You should be grateful you're still alive." The buff lion with the glasses growls, scowling at you like the other felines.

"Why?" You snicker, emptying your drink. "Because I now get to live with the fucked up consequences of you guys trying to murder me? Yes, that's definitely something to be grateful for."

"If it weren't for the boss-"

"Your boss is a traitor and a coward," You state sternly, your grip on the glass tightening. "But what did I expect from someone like him. I should've known better so I can't even fault him for that. Still, I would've liked to think we were friends, close enough for him to not work with you guys. But we all make mistakes."

It's clear that they're fighting with themselves, especially the big guy with the glasses. He seems to be the closest one to Louis and with a calculating stare, you take in every single one of his movements. They're torn between their urge to maim you on the spot and Louis' orders. Though you doubt he'd really care.

"Get your act together, kittens." Rising from your seat, you give them a respectful bow. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. Then I'm going to leave and hopefully, we'll never have to see each other again."

With confident steps, you cross the room to the hallway and leave the group of lions behind as you search for your idiotic canine. Though only after a few feet, you lean against the wall when a short sob rocks through your body.

A few tears roll down your cheeks and you're quick to wipe them away.

You knew that Louis, the person you considered akin to a brother, had aligned himself with the people that tried to kill you for enjoyment.

But that doesn't mean that seeing it with your own eyes is any easier to bear. 

****

Heyo homies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

It's three hours later than preferred but it couldn't be helped unfortunately. Also woohoo, Louis is back in the game!

But before you cheer too much, you must know that the MC is still salty.
What do y'all think about Y/n fighting with a combat knife? Too simple? Too cliché? Too much?

We could upgrade and give her a chef uniform with a pan or a kitchen knife so she can impersonate Gordon Ramsay. That's always an option.

Online school is a mess, our website is bloody dead and today, our biology teacher just forgot about us in the video conference. Sad life. Though I don't really care much now, I'm mentally done with school now that my final exams are done. I only have the oral exams in a month but until then, my brain is dead.

So occasionally, I just lie and tell someone to tell the teacher I can't join the video call because my internet is dead. Listen, I don't encourage lying or skipping school but I need sleep. And we're not doing anything useful in those calls either. And quite literally, they can't hold me accountable for it because nobody cares that much for my existence in class😌

Anyways, I hope y'all are safe and sound and healthy during this entire corona mess! Stay safe guys, gals and nonbinary pals!

See you in Chapter 59!