I wonder what Legoshi is doing right now...

The sun is setting in the sky above you, bidding the day farewell just as you had done to Cherryton Academy only about an hour prior. As you descended the mountain on which the school stands, you felt free. Truly free. Like you've been completely renewed, able to shed your skin with all its scars and horrors.

Or at least, that's what you hope for.

And then, as you watched the apricot-coloured clouds in the sky, your thoughts drift to the tall grey wolf that made your life a lot more chaotic than necessary ever since you met him. You didn't mind that much though; sure, it was annoying when he made stupid decisions like breaking up with you to hunt down a murderer but oh well, that's in the past now. In a way, the effect he had on your life has a certain charm to it.

Even after your text, you hadn't heard or seen much of your boyfriend after yesterday evening when you ran into him and Gosha. Your brain follows that train of thought and soon enough, the face of that hybrid appears before your eyes.

He sure is a strange one, that's impossible to deny. Still, you hold sympathy for him in your heart, figuring that his life as an outcast of society couldn't have been easy in any possible way. You wonder about him, too; more specifically, if he's doing okay. You hope so.

Even if the way he licked your blood was creepy as fuck.

"Man," You mutter to yourself, throwing your head back with an expression of immense exhaustion, "It hasn't even been a week since I left the hospital and yet I'm already drained by all these weird-ass interactions. Is my luck really that bad?"

Many would argue yes, yourself included. Luck isn't known to be in your favour and you doubt it would be in the future as well. But before you can go down that dark rabbit-hole, you discard the thought and instead focus on getting back home to let yourself fall into your bed. You'll figure out what to do next tomorrow; it's not like you're really experiencing any money problems at the moment, thanks to your monthly loan that you received for being a subject for experiments. A lot of that money is still lying on your bank account and from your knowledge, you've received a raise after the Masago incident. At least something positive came from that mess.

A lot faster than you anticipated, the sun has disappeared beyond the horizon; leaving behind a dark sky that begins to gain a few shining stars as time passes. Hands stuffed in the pockets of your jacket to stay warm, you sigh to yourself in delight, basking in the night air while your duffel bag hangs over your shoulder. You're not far from home and due to that, the streets are basically vacant of animals. They're all either at home, still at work or busy parading around the market district at this time of night.

You relax, enjoying the silence.

Until you're startled by the sound of a loud, metallic bonk. Followed by a panicked outcry.

"Zaguan!"

Wait a minute-

At once, your eyes narrow. In the distance, you can make out a pair of two males, one of which is certainly familiar.

I know that voice!

And only a couple yards away from you, a worried grey wolf is bending down to his new friend; a spotted seal that is currently holding onto his head because he just walked straight into a street light. "Are you okay?! This isn't the sea...You have to be more careful when you're walking. The land is full of dangers, you know?"

But before the kneeling seal can answer, they're both taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of a third party. Now standing behind the two, you eye your boyfriend with a deadpan stare and raise your hand to wave at him. "What's up, loser?"

He freezes in place, his brain mildly short-circuiting over the fact that you once again appeared out of nowhere completely unexpectedly. Is this what life is like for adults? Constantly being surprised by people they know when they're no longer confined to the corridors of highschool?

"Y/n!" He proclaims loudly, nervousness crashing into his system. "Hi! W-What are you doing here? It's uh, it's good to see you."

The wolf has no clue how to act. This entire encounter came upon him unexpectedly, unplanned. He's stuck worrying over the fact that he probably smells bad from working at the diner all day, panicked over what you might think now that you're seeing him with Zagun. After all, the seal's a strange character. What if you're so weirded out that you want to cut all ties with him? Maybe you've already found someone way better and- Oh dear, he totally forgot to check in on you after he said goodbye to his grandfather yesterday!

Now, he's screaming internally.

Meanwhile, you can only stare at your wolf whilst his face continues to uphold an expression of slight horror and bewilderment. You're confused to say the least and worried about his well-being, you grab and gently squeeze his hand. "Yeah, it's good to see you, too! Glad I caught up with you, are you on your way home?"

Thankfully, that breaks him out of his stupor and he sends you a shy smile. "Yes. You too?"

You nod, smiling up at him before turning to the seal. "Hey, are you okay? You took quite a hit."

"I am fine, I am fine." The seal responds wistfully and gets back onto his feet. "If I die, I will soon be reborn. And soon I will see you again."

You don't show it on your face, fearing it would be seen as rude, but you're definitely taken aback by his answer.

Well shit, that escalated quickly.

Puzzled, you and Legoshi stare at the seal, the wolf's ear flopping sideways. "Reborn?"

Smiling, the sea animal begins to explain, the sleeves of his fisherman's jacket fluttering in the gentle evening breeze. "Fish lay a vast number of eggs and so, they go through the circle faster than others. The sea creatures believe in the circle of life. The word 'predation' has no meaning. We eat and we are eaten. And the cycle repeats."

Caught in your curiosity, you stare at him, a spark of wonder in your eyes. This is the first time in this world that someone stands for a different ideology and way of life than the one that is practiced in this specific society. Granted, you never thought much about the life at sea, even after suffering through seaspeak in Cherryton. But now that you're hearing this, it wakes your interest.

And frankly, that's not a bad way to view life and death. In your opinion, it actually holds more basic respect for other creatures than the society of land animals.

At once, the seal points towards the horizon and from this street, the ocean is visible as the colours of the evening sky reflect on the waves. Gently, a breeze wisps through your hair as you listen to his words.

"We entrust our lives to the mother sea." He says wisely. "We live calm lives over there."

"You eat and you are eaten..." Legoshi repeats and you can see that unlike you, he has more trouble grasping onto this new concept of life. "And your lives are calm?"

"Very calm." The seal nods. "The sea creatures have feelings."

Distraught, the wolf casts his eyes to the ground. "...What kind of feelings?"

How can that be?

However, it's more like he mutters it to himself instead of asking a genuine question. His ears sag sideways, his eyes forlorn.

How can such a world exist...When I have suffered so much because of my relationship with herbivores and my own instincts.

He quickly turns and begins to walk away. Leaving you and the seal behind; concerned, you begin to trot after him and call out his name, without much luck. Your brows furrow, frustration brewing up inside you at the wolf's ignorant behaviour, not only towards the seal but also towards yourself.

Unlike you, the seal is still smiling. "What's wrong, Legoshi? Where are you going?"

He grabs onto the wolf's hand and in the bright light of the street lanterns, Legoshi halts. His fangs glisten as he opens his mouth. "I can't understand..."

You stop a few feet behind the seal, shocked by the state your wolf is in. His voice nearly breaks, filled with the sound of betrayal and disbelief. Like a hurt child that only now discovered how cruel the world truly is.

"The land creatures are suffering! Carnivores and herbivores have to be distant from each other so no one gets eaten." He exclaims. "Our ideas are too different from the sea."

The seal doesn't show much reaction to his words. Instead, he upholds his tender smile. "Such is the faith."

He continues to hold Legoshi's hand, you standing between the two as he stares right into the eyes of the wolf with nothing but pure sincerity.

"I will not force my view of life on you. So I must ask that you do not reject my view of life."

Astonished, you watch the interaction, your gaze more focused on the seal in all honesty.

Wow...This is probably one of the most respectful discussions about ideologies that I've ever witnessed.

"Oh..." Ashamed, the wolf lowers his ears. "I'm sorry. I don't intend to do that."

The seal nods. Then, he turns to you. "I don't think we've met. My name is Zaguan, I am a spotted seal."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." You greet, holding yourself back from offering him your hand to shake. "My name is Y/n, I'm a human. Kind of...the only human to be exact."

"Really? That's interesting. You look strange."

You sweatdrop, a part of your ego crumbling into dust. "Yeah, I've been told that before."

"Are you a friend of Legoshi's?" Zaguan questions as the three of you begin your way back to the condo, though you do wonder why the seal is tagging along in the first place. You nod as an answer, sending the wolf a telling glance. "A little more than that. I'm his girlfriend."

You have to say, listening to the spotted seal is anything but a drag. His voice has that sort of resonance to it that makes you feel like you can tell him anything without even an ounce of judgement on his part. That he holds a lot of important wisdoms in that head of his and although he's foreign, maybe that's why you feel so easy around him. Unlike land animals, he doesn't hold any sort of unreal expectations towards you because of your species, not that you can tell at least.

It's refreshing and you've only had that sort of treatment from one other person so far, which was Melon. Despite his bizarre behaviour and overly intelligent gaze, the hybrid did not put you on a pedestal or associate any sort of idea with you. You were just you; simple, ordinary you. Nothing else. No omnivore, no human; you weren't defined by your species when you and the hybrid had interacted.

That was nice...To know that for once, someone just didn't care about my species.

"Ah, so you are partners?" The seal asks, forcing you back into reality and you hum in confirmation. "That is good. Love is something to be cherished."

Then, he moves over to the wolf as the hidden condo comes into view, clapping onto his back as a friendly gesture. "Legoshi, I want you to tell me more about the land. Why don't you come to my room for some tea?"

Legoshi hastily agrees and the seal turns back to you, his smile never wavering. "Would you like to join us, Y/n? I want to hear you stories of the land as well."

"Oh? Sure, I'd love to." You agree. From that point, Zaguan leads you to room 302 in the hidden condo and you internally rejoice about the fact that he lives in the same apartment complex. Like Legoshi, you leave your duffel bag, shoes and jacket by the door, sharing an awkward moment of eye-contact with the canine. The knowledge that the two of you still need to talk about both of you dropping out of school without telling your partner weighs down heavily on both of you and you personally cannot wait to get that out of the way.

Stepping further into the small apartment, you're greeted by dolphin posters on the walls, a marine-life mobile hanging from the ceiling, a small TV on a bookshelf, a small round table with an electric kettle on it and lastly, a fishbowl with only water and plants. It's a cute room, you have to admit.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Zaguan says. However, you deeply regret turning your head to look at him because as your luck would have it, the seal had decided to strip completely naked right in front of you and your boyfriend.

What the fuck?!

Immediately, you cover your eyes with your hands, thankful that you didn't see anything drastic. You can only imagine Legoshi is just as flabbergasted as you.

"The sea creatures are always naked." Zaguan explains, as calm as ever. "The clothes of the land are very uncomfortable."

Okay...that makes sense. A warning would've been nice though.

At that moment, Legoshi starts screaming beside you. And Zaguan, an actual cinnamon roll as you've now realized, does not understand the canine's absolute terror.

"What's wrong, Legoshi?"

"You can't take your clothes off! You must always have your clothes on and your body covered while you're on the land!" The wolf shouts and mentally, you argue that he's not telling the entire truth. After all, you don't shower with clothes on, there are certain 'activities' that are done without clothes and sleeping naked isn't a crime either.

"I know it is rude on the land to show the naked body in public or to the opposite sex. But Y/n is your mate, therefore I figured it wouldn't be seen as an attempt to procreate because she is taken." Zaguan points out, clearly confused himself. At this point, you just feel bad for everyone involved because it's simply a clash of cultures. "And you are a male and I am a male and this is my room."

"Actually, most males don't want to see other males naked if they can help it. You shouldn't show your naked body to anyone, no exceptions."

At this point, you have to speak up. "But you've seen me naked, Legoshi."

A moment of silence passes. You can't see but you're sure your wolf is beet-red and utterly overcome with embarrassment, the mere mental image bringing a silent giggle out of you.

"Th-That's different! W-We're in a relationship."

"We saw each other naked before we became boyfriend and girlfriend though."

"Y/N!" The wolf whines, a low grumble added to his voice as he cannot find the words to respond. You chuckle and reach out, deeming the torture enough and patting his shoulder. "It's okay, I'm just teasing you."

However, you decide to explain the customs of the land-dwellers to the seal yourself to make it easier for him to understand. "Clothes are meant to be worn most of the time, Zaguan. But it's totally fine to not wear them if you're alone in the privacy of your own room. And you can remove your clothes in front of other people as long as they told you that it's alright for them if you do so."

"Ah..."The seal hums. "Is that how it works? The I will put my clothes back on...I am sorry if I offended you."

"Oh, uhm..." Next to you, Legoshi struggles to find the right words to speak up, idly fiddling with his hands. But he figures that he shouldn't force his beliefs of when clothes should be worn or not onto his new friend. "You're uncomfortable in clothes, aren't you? You can stay naked if you'll only do it when we're alone."

"Oh, alright. Is that okay with you , Y/n?"

You pipe up at the mention of your name. "Yes, it is. I understand you, clothes can be a bit uncomfortable, especially for sea animals. Your skin is a lot more sensitive than ours. So it's okay for me, as long as you're not offended if I keep my eyes closed."

"It's fine, thank you." You hear shuffling and Legoshi gently guides you forwards and onto the ground, seating you onto a soft pillow before giving you a cup filled with tea.

"Why don't you take your clothes off?" Zaguan questions the wolf, whose swishing tail keeps brushing against your leg every now and then. "It seems more appropriate since you will allow me to be naked, no?"

You also would have no problem with a naked Legoshi.

"Hmm, well I suppose I'm just too embarrassed...I don't think I've ever felt uncomfortable in my clothes anyway. It's so commonplace on the land that I've never really tried to question it." He says honestly.

"You are a bold wolf. Or so I have heard. 'The new resident in this condo is a wolf who was convicted for predation'." Zaguan recites and you finally piece together that the lady that sold you your place was talking about your boyfriend when she mentioned the former convict. "That is what the rumors say. Are you the same wolf?"

Five seconds of silence pass by. You count them in your head as the atmosphere shifts. One...Two...Three...Four...Five...

Then the wolf finally opens his mouth, letting the truth spill from his lips whilst you try your hardest not to spill your tea. Literally.

"Rumours already, I see...It's true. I am a wolf who was convicted for predation."

"...Did you go through something terrible?" The seal asks sincerely.

"Terrible? Well, sure...but it was more terrible for my victim, so to speak." Legoshi admits. Though you have trouble believing that. Louis, from what he told you in the hospital, has no regrets about letting his leg be devoured. Not a single one, which you find astonishing.

"But-" Zaguan starts, his voice as serene as always- "You have accepted my culture. And so, I shall accept you."

The tea touches your lips as you take another sip, a gust of wind sending a shiver up your spine as it blows in through the open window. There's a heaviness in your chest, a truth that you decided to keep as quiet as possible for the sake of your own sanity. However, as you hear Zaguan's honest words of acceptance, something the wolf couldn't do with his own actions, you wonder what he'd say to your confessions. Unlike the animals on land, the seal held no fear or anger towards the wolf; quite the contrary, he only shined with curiosity, wonder and serenity.

As though nothing could tie him down or bring him off-course. Nothing could disrupt his balance.

You smile.

I think I'm growing to like this odd seal.

"Tonight, we shall make a toast..." He announces. "To our new friendship!"

Excited, you raise your cup.

"To our Friendship!"

***

Hello there! I am back with another chapter! I'm feeling better, but damn, I was really dying last weekend. 

But hey, we're getting back into canon! We've met Zaguan! Our favourite seal! 

Not gonna lie, he gives me such Yoda vibes. And I actually really do like the fact that the sea has a different ideology than the land, it makes it more interestig. Also, it makes sense that he'd find clothes uncomfortable. Seal skin is really sensitive, as is the skin of any sea mammal cause it's so smooth to make it easier to glide through the water. For whales and dolphins  and sharks for example, their skin sheds daily so that they remain in best form to move through the water. That's why it's not encouraged to touch them because it is a lot more intense than it is for us. 

Don't touch wild animals. 

On another note, I've been watching the LOL Arcane series on Netflix and can I just say...Vi can step on me and I'd say thank you. The new episodes dropped today with older Vi and just had a gay panic. Almost fell off my fucking seat. 

And SPOILER!

When she kabedoned Caitlyn, I legit died. You can't do this to me Netflix and expect me to survive. Like...Ma'am, hand in marriage! 

SPOILER END! 

Anyways, that's it from me for now. Stay safe everyone.

See you in the next chapter!