Chapter Text
I’m jolted awake by the alarm ringing on my phone, groaning and struggling to even open my eyes. I feel around the bed until I find my phone, dismissing the alarm before just laying there for a moment, fighting to keep my eyes open. Sunlight streams in through the window and I shield my eyes as I stumble out of bed. As I try to collect myself, I can hear a voice from outside of the room. “And this, kids, is why you don’t stay up past 2 when you have plans!”
“Dude, fuck off,” I groan, turning to my right and getting a glimpse of my roommate standing at the door. Leo, a 20 year old skinny red fox, wearing his usual black tank top and grey sweatpants, sipping from a cup of coffee and scratching the back of his head. He was one of the first friends I made since moving to the city, even though many wouldn’t believe it, his more casual and laid back attitude being a contrast from my usually serious demeanor. He’s quick to make friends while I barely talk to anyone I don’t know.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one here? You were the one talking about starting early…” He grins before entering the room and setting his cup of coffee down on the table. He sits on the bed and lays a hand on my head, petting my fur teasingly. “Are we gonna have to waterboard you again? Last time was just a cup but Jacob does have a bucket laying around here somewhere…”
With that, I sit up, eyes wide open. I can remember that weekend morning, just two weeks ago. Everyone had made plans to mess around in the city, like going to the park and eating out. Ben had mentioned something about the Black Market, causing everyone to go silent and the whole situation to become awkward. I remember hearing Leo and Jacob chuckle before splashing me with a cup of ice cold water. I had to put all of my sheets in the dryer, and on a laundry night too.
“Are you sure about going out today? I heard it’s supposed to storm, and from what we keep seeing in the news…”
“We’ll be fine, trust. We’ll be back before curfew and we won’t stray too far, no going off on our own, we get it. Now get your ass up or I’ll call Jacob…”
“I. Am. Up.” With that, I scramble out of bed, motioning for Leo to give me a moment so I can throw some clothes on. Luckily, most of my casual clothes are clean, and I find an old green t-shirt and some jeans. I get changed before sitting on my bed and checking my phone, the same stories popping up on my feed. Some fabricated story about a mixed couple and their hybrid kid doing something controversial, questions about why a grey wolf turned down becoming a Beastar, and the disappearances. Herbivores being taken in the middle of the night, the return of the Black Market usually taking the blame.
My parents had warned me about the city before I enrolled. The prison riot was all over the news, and even now, the Shishigumi and notorious serial killer Melon are on the loose and nowhere to be found. Or that’s what the media says, they would tell me. The truth is that trying to confront the Shishigumi is like suicide, whether Melon is still affiliated with them or not. They stressed that Melon is the real threat. While the Shishigumi mostly target herbivores and anyone who tries to rival them, Melon can target anyone, anytime, regardless of if they’re a small defenseless herbivore or a powerful carnivore. At first my parents had set the rules for me, until there were more disappearances and there was a campus wide curfew, specific guidelines for anyone leaving campus even during the day, and increased security at night.
Leo comes back in to check on me as I get my shoes on, holding another cup of coffee. He hands it to me and sits on the bed, checking his phone before speaking. “Ben and Jacob said they would meet us at the park. Ellie got called in to work, and Rick well, he’s Rick. Came up with some excuse about his girlfriend. I guess it’s just us for a while. Anything you wanna do?”
“I just… I hope you don’t think I’m scared or too worried. I just keep seeing all of these stories and I can’t help but worry.”
“Hey, it’s cool. And I get it, you’re still getting used to the city, so it’s a lot to take in. You’ve gotta stop worrying about it.” He takes a sip of his coffee before speaking in a more serious tone. “We’ve all thought about Melon. He’s like the boogeyman, always out there and waiting to strike, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We should just live. If he gets me, I don’t wanna die with any regrets, you know what I mean?” He starts to speak in a more teasing tone, lightly elbowing me. “Speaking of living, when will you start? You’ve been here for two months and you still haven’t met anyone? I think I know quite a few people who would be interested…”
“Stop.” I move away a bit, trying to hold in a laugh. “You know I’m not interested unless it’s serious. Like if I meet the one.”
“You say that like ‘the one’ is just gonna show up out of nowhere.”
“Can I just have my fantasies in peace?”
“Have them later, we’ve gotta go.”
With that, I finish my coffee and get up, making sure that I have my wallet, phone, and earbuds. Leo and I walk out of the room and make our way through the dorm, a few people lounging around in the common area, having light conversation while some are on their laptops working and drinking coffee. Leo waves at some of them before we walk out of the door, immediately greeted by the cool spring breeze.
It’s a nice day outside, perfect for this time of year. The flowers have started blooming and there’s green as far as the eye can see. Several students are enjoying the perfect weather, some sitting on the benches, others running around, a couple of wolves rough housing, it was like something out of a TV show. As much as I wanted to take it all in, Leo showed no signs of stopping, and we continued.
Two months isn’t long enough to get used to the bustle of the city, all kinds of species going about their day. It’s a direct contrast to my hometown, where most species stay in their own little groups, and herbivores and carnivores would barely even glance at each other. We pass a mixed couple, a squirrel and a mouse, both full of life and ignoring the few judgemental stares.
“I could only dream of having that kind of confidence,” I mutter after we pass them. My parents both insisted that I marry another raccoon, and back then I didn’t have it in me to tell them differently. They never put too much pressure on me, but I didn’t want to be the family disappointment. It was part of my reasoning for my move to the city. I was going to be the one who made it big, the talk of the town.
After a while, we finally approach the park. We can hear all kinds of noise even a few blocks away, almost like angry yelling and chanting. Leo takes a moment to text Ben and Jacob to update them and ask if they know anything. As we wait for a response, we gradually make our way closer, erring on the side of caution and trying to assess the situation. For a moment, it’s like we can almost hear a child’s cry, and after giving each other a look of confirmation, we pick up the pace.
After we turn the corner we start to make out two males yelling at a child. One is a lion, older but ferocious, and the other, oddly enough, is an herbivore, specifically a younger, well built black stallion. We can hear all kinds of expletives, but they don’t stand out as much as some other insults. Freak, monster, abomination. I can’t get a good look at the child, but they look to be a young sheep, and I can almost sense the utter fear emanating from him.
“Little freaks like you should’ve never been born!” The tiger picks him up, holding him by his collar, his claws out and baring his fangs. He turns to the stallion for a moment, a grin forming on his face. “No one would care if he ended up missing, right? Saves everyone else the damn trouble…”
The stallion cracks his knuckles as he approaches the sheep. “Just let me get a crack at the failed abortion. You carnivores don’t know how to hold back.”
It’s in that moment that I don’t even think about it anymore, and I just start sprinting, Leo making an attempt to stop me. I may not be as strong or as vicious, but I can’t just stand around and watch. I zone out all of the screaming and chanting, not even knowing or caring about what the protests are for. I also zone out the black bear approaching, Jacob tackling me to the ground and holding me there for a moment.
“They’re gonna hurt that kid! We can’t just…”
“I’ll handle them. You and Leo stay back.”
Despite having a mostly gentle nature, Jacob was a powerful beast, and when the situation called for it he never wasted any time in showing it. I watch him rush towards the two men, and it all ends in an instant, Jacob grabbing the more powerful lion by the throat and slamming him into the wall, causing visible damage as broken pieces of brick fall to the ground. Predictably, the stallion tries to attack him from behind, only to get knocked unconscious in a single punch, Jacob’s grip not even loosening.
All the kid can do is stand there, paralyzed in fear. I can barely make out what they’re saying, my head spinning from the tackle, but I can only imagine Jacob threatening the lion with his life. He slams the lion into the wall, watching him fall to the ground. He turns around and looks at the sheep, the kid yelling out of fear and running away, Jacob standing there awkwardly, almost back to his former self.
The kid runs in our direction, and as I finally start to get back up, I get a closer look at her face, awestruck for a moment. Scales, going down her left check. She’s a hybrid, and that moment alone explains so much. The general belief in my hometown was that hybrids weren’t natural, not physically or mentally cut out to survive in this world, and it’s only been worse in recent years ever since Melon. Half gazelle, half leopard, and one of the most notorious serial killers and gang leaders in recent memory. And here I am, staring down another hybrid, a mix of a sheep and some kind of lizard.
However, I don’t respond with any kind of fear. Instead, there’s a weird combination of fascination and sympathy. A little girl, mistreated from birth, not even given a chance before being labeled as a freak and an abomination. I stand there a moment, looking down at her, as Jacob starts to approach with his arms behind his head, yawning.
“Are you okay, little girl? What’s your name? Where are your parents?” That’s all I can think to ask, just the basics. It’s almost like she doesn’t know how to respond for a moment, but slowly I hear her stutter out, “M-Mina.”
“Mina? That’s a nice name. I’m Cori.” I point at the bear approaching her. “That’s Jacob, he’s chill. And the fox next to me is Leo.”
Jacob stands there and waves awkwardly. Leo bends down until he’s on eye level with the girl and speaks to her. “Do you know where your parents are? They’re probably worried sick about you.”
“T-they were in the park-”
“Mina!”
We hear a woman shouting, and we turn around to see a young sheep rushing towards her, her face puffy from crying. “Are you okay? Where did you go?”
As she starts asking all kinds of questions, Leo tries to calm her down. “Some guys attacked her, Jacob here took care of them. We were actually looking for you. She isn’t injured, don’t worry. Where’s your husband?”
“W-we said we would meet up at the tea shop a few blocks away. We were just going to the park together, and then we just…” She’s visibly shaken as she recalls what just happened. “We didn’t know the anti-hybrid protesters would be there and we got separated. A few of them recognized us and he told me to run.”
I chime in, not knowing how to calm her down other than offering my assistance. “If you want, we can make sure you get there safely. It’s not like we can go to the park or anything, and hey, we can always have a cup of tea and wait for everything to calm down.”
“It’s fine. I don’t want you to get hurt or put in any danger-”
“I can go,” Jacob responds, stretching his arms and yawning. “Besides, Ben is running late anyway. You two should head back to campus and plan for another day. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
With that, the woman starts to lead the way with Jacob close behind her acting as a bodyguard. I turn to Leo, still trying to process recent events and unsure of what to do next. “Home?” I ask, wanting to hear his take.
“Yeah, home.”
I can tell from the tone of his voice that we both feel nothing but pure disgust at the protesters. We both think about the same thing, the irony that two people throw out words like freak and abomination while attacking a literal child. We try to keep our distance from the protests, taking a longer route further away from the park and the surrounding era, not wanting to risk getting into an encounter ourselves.
As we make our way back home, not much of note happens. Leo checks his phone every now and then, texting Jacob and then updating Ben and Ellie on the situation. I try to distract myself with our surroundings, nothing out of the ordinary except for what looks like a gazelle in a face mask. I look to my right and it’s almost like he’s looking back out of the corner of his squinted eye for just a moment before he goes on about his day.
I feel a sense of dread for the rest of the trip, which Leo silently takes note of. I remember something about a face mask and the squinted eyes, but I don’t want to make assumptions. It’s almost like I feel a chill in the air, and something is telling me to run but I ignore it, staying close to Leo. Something doesn’t feel right, even when I can see campus and we’re walking back into the dorms. I get a feeling that we’re being watched, and I’m not sure if I should tell Leo or if he’ll think I’m crazy.
I take a moment and drink a cup of coffee in the common area, getting myself a snack and trying to get my mind off of it, but I can’t shake this feeling. Something’s wrong. When will Jacob text back? What is Ben doing? Why do I feel like I’m still being watched? And why can’t I get that gazelle out of my mind? Whatever this feeling is, it’s telling me to stay close and not to go out alone, even more important than ever. And more importantly, it tells me to stay away from that gazelle.