Music of the Night

Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Arthur's heart was hammering, drowning out the sound of the clamouring crowd from the Black Market. His ears picked up some information about how the gates to the Black Market were sealed shut so that the carnivores could sort out all of their dark desire away from civilisation.

'Sameer would have field day studying this,' he thought to himself with a smile. Despite feeling nervous, he had to think of something positive from this ordeal. Carnivores and herbivores will have peace; Legosi and him would have a better chance at not hiding their relationship with their rabbit lovers and...

He couldn't think of anything else!

His leaf-shaped nose caught a whiff of something burning. The smell was that of blood and other things that would make him throw up on the spot. Arthur held his breath, praying that he would not vomit while flying above Legosi.

Louis was suppose to head back to a conference while he and the grey wolf would be the ones to stop Melon's madness. Legosi was fast enough to bring the both of them to the centre while Arthur used his clicks and hearing to guide them to where Melon was.

"Alright, Arthur," Legosi's voice rumbled with pride. "Let's light up our torch to show the Black Market what we are made of." The Honduran white bat nodded, his ears drooped slightly. "Although, you MIGHT have to describe to me what's going on. My hearing can only imagine so much..."

Through all of the clamouring chaos, Arthur managed to hang upside down on one of the rooftops, while Legosi was below him with the lit up torch. He may be blind but he could feel the heat's intensity that could singe his fur off. Despite the scent of burning blood, Arthur held on to help his dear friend.

"To end this for both herbivore and carnivore," he vowed to himself as he helped fanned the flames with his wings. He felt his back straightening up, ears perked while mouth slightly opened to estimate his surroundings. "For us, Haru, our families and everything else in this world. Legosi, rage against the dying light!"

He could imagined Legosi smiling when he said, "Yeah, let's do that. Though, I can't really smell him now that the whole Black Market's caked with blood. How about you?"

Arthur's ears tried their best to sift through all of the sounds from carnivores screaming, crunching of bones from sharp teeth and-

His head immediately snapped at the sound of gunshot and a harsh cry that broke out. It sounded feline...

'No...please Nocturna, don't let it be someone I know!' Arthur guided Legosi as he flew into the sound's direction. 

Since he was a small animal, his pounding heart was enough to block out all of the sounds in the background. It was as if his own body was screaming at him to go to the source of the gunshot. Last time he had heard a similar sound was when Genji tried to make him temporarily deaf.

It never crossed his mind that he and that harlequin buck would never encounter each other again. It wasn't like in movies or stories where two enemies would face each other again for a final battle.

When he and Legosi arrived at the scene, Arthur's eyes widened with horror at what his ears picked up:

"MY HAND!!" a familiar voice yowled in pain. It was none other than Hanzo, the leader of the Madaragumi. Arthur wanted to vomit but he pushed those nauseating feelings aside to try his best to aid his friend.

"Get out of here, bat!" the leopard leader growled, Arthur imagined him clutching his wounded hand. The Honduran white bat placed a wing over Hanzo's shoulder. His ears picked up the light steps of something coming close. "That thing's a monster. Go before-"

Immediately he leaped out of the way, feeling the lower part of his body grazed by something sharp. If he was slow, his guts would be spilling out right about now. He doesn't need eyes to know that Melon was in front of him.

"Gotta say, you've lasted long," Melon tutted, Arthur imagining the hybrid to waggle a finger at his direction. "Whelp, this is our fight. You, me and that mangy mutt that's coming close right about...now!"

He doesn't have time to react but used all of his bat instincts to bring Melon down. Legosi may have the strength but Arthur's hearing had saved him from being swiped by Melon's deadly claws. Arthur does his best to smack Melon with both of his wings while he used his fangs to bite the hybrid on the snout.

"You DO know that I don't feel pain, right?" Melon sighed, swatting Arthur away like a mosquito. "This ain't your fight, bat. Hell, you're neither a carnivore nor a herbivore and yet, you got yourself involved with both."

Arthur said nothing, using his clicks to estimate his surroundings. They were somewhere at the centre with carnivores watching them. He hoped Agata was safe, the same goes for Isaiah and his family.

The Honduran white bat flailed his attacks on Melon while Legosi was trying to hold him down. Melon was the scariest animal he'd ever met through his eighteen years of life. When an animal has nothing to lose, they are the most dangerous to walk on this earth. Every injury on Melon's body was nothing more than a caress from a lover.

If he could actually know what that felt like.

Arthur tried not to sympathise with him, since that mistake had almost cost him his life in the past with an ex-family member of his. In such cases, would he ever forgive them for their heinous crimes? No.

All he could do now was take Melon down with Legosi if it meant preserving the coexistence of both herbivore and carnivore. Arthur was starting to experience a sense of déjà-vu the more he held onto Melon's horns for dear life. It reminded him of his first encountered with a bully back in Gryphon Cross where he almost died while doing the same thing.

Closing his eyes, Arthur sank his fangs into Melon's coarse fur, trying to hold back the bile that was rising to his throat. He hoped that Melon was weak enough for Legosi to give the finishing blow. Arthur squeaked when he was snatched away with full force, those claws crushing his insides like a lady's corset.

The Honduran white bat did not have time to react by flapping his wings. Being flung away can be dangerous if you're a small animal such as him. His heart may as well explode from the impact. However, the impact was broken by something or someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Arthur squeaked, trying to feel whoever caught him. "I-I didn't mean to knock you on impact. I will- oh..."

Oh was right because he felt long ears, whiskers twitched with irritation and a loud thump from a single foot. Arthur's face crinkled to a snarl, still mindful of his fangs despite his ears picking up the familiar figure that held him.

"Hello Arthur. My, my... Mizuchi's parents are definitely putting you on the blacklist now."