Song of the Beasts (Beastars)

Running From Shadows

The meeting itself was pretty boring. They left city hall and stopped at a fast food place and got veggie burgers. Mari sat next to Legoshi and read over the papers they were given.

"It's the same details as last year." The wolf said.

"I don't mind." Aoba said. "We got to go out atleast."

Mari hummed in agreement and looked back at her phone. She kept her promise and texted Louis to let him know how things were going. She could hear Bill telling some story about his girlfriend and their sex life. Mari was by no means interested, so she tuned them out and scrolled though her phone. She glanced at Legoshi and saw that he wasn't really into the story either.

She was watching a craft tutorial, so she nudged his side to get him to look. He glanced down at her and saw that she angled her phone so that he could see it. 

"You looked bored." She whispered to him. "Figured this was better than nothing." Legoshi smiled at her gesture. She was a right, he wasn't very interested in what Bill was talking about. He was suddenly pulled away by said tiger. 

" So, Legoshi. When are you gonna lose your virginity?" Bill asked as he threw his arm around the wolfs shoulders. Mari rolled her eyes at Bill's immaturity. "I can smell that virgin stench from miles away." Legoshi didn't answer him.

"Hey, what about that cute wolf girl that just joined?" Tao said. Mari looked at him confused. She must have joined the day that Mari had garden club. 

"You mean Juno?" Legoshi said. He didn't understand why they were making a big deal out of this.

"Hey, you already know her name!" Aoba said. Mari didn't know why, but she suddenly had a tight feeling in her chest at the mention of this female wolf.

'Must just be the fries I ate.' 

"What about you, Mari?" Billed asked as he smirked at her. "You lost your v-card yet?" The question made Legoshi uneasy for some reason, yet he was also somewhat curious.

Mari rolled her eyes at Bill for what felt like the millionth time. "Last I checked, that's none of your business." She scoffed and looked back at her phone

"Woah, easy there sweet face, just curious is all." Bill chuckled before turning back to the others. Mari just ignored him. 

'This is gonna be a long trip.' She thought

Timeskip

"Uh, so which way is the train?"It was already nearing night and they were trying to follow the directions on Aoba's phone back to the train station, but with little success. Mari was becoming more anxious the longer they were out in the open. Her father always warned her that night time was dangerous time. She found her self sticking very close to Legoshi. The wolf could practically smell her anxiety. He didn't mind at all when she moved close to him.  He noticed a guy on the ground, wearing some huge robes.

"Let's ask him." Legoshi said. As the wolf got closer, Mari got a strange feeling about the guy. Legoshi bent down to talk to the man. "Excuse me, can you help us."

"Of course," He said and held up his hands. But you really couldn't call them hands anymore. Legoshi reeled back in shock and pushed Mari behind him. The girl felt very sick all of a sudden. The old goat was missing several fingers, and the remaining ones all had a price tag hanging from them. "Pick the one you want."

While they stared in shock, a truck drove off, giving Aoba a clear view of where they were.  "Uh, guys." They all turned to see a hidden market, filled with booths selling all kinds of meat. The Black Market.

Legoshi could feel his mouth water at the smell and sight of the place. He snapped out of it when he felt a tug on his shirt. Mari looked pale at the sight before her and was trying to pull him away, not wanting any part of this. He put his large hand on her's to calm her. 

Mari could feel her heart rate increase the longer they were there. 'Is this were Bill got that blood from? But I thought Humans were rare, extinct almost.'  Her thoughts were cut off by Bill.

"Hey, old man." He got in the old goats face. "It's seventy for the finger, right? If I pay for it, that means its mine to eat, right ?" He growled at the goat. He turned to the others. "How about it? Let's all get a bite! That way we can all split the cost." That made the wolf snap. He slapped Bill, causing him to stumble. Aoba and Mari had to step in to prevent a fight.

"Calm down, it's not worth it." Mari said as she gripped Legoshi's arm.

"Yeah, besides, this is different from school." Aoba said as he stood in front of Bill. 

"We shouldn't be here at all!" Mari said, her temper starting to flare. "Are you guys seriously that stupid that you'll risk getting in trouble?"

"C'mon, it's not even that big of a deal." Bill responded. Legoshi was shocked.

"Are you really gonna do this?" He asked in disbelief.

"Face reality, Legoshi." Bill spat. " You saw all those animals on the Main Street today. It was peaceful. Everyone was happy. And it's all because the Black Market exists. It's time you grew up and accepted that!" Legoshi growled.

"An adult...is that what it means to become an adult?!" He yelled. Mari flinched at his change in tone. She had never heard him yell before. He clenched his fists and took off.

"Legoshi!" Mari called for him, but he didn't stop. She gave Bill a deadly glare and took off after the wolf, thankfully his tall stature made it easy to keep up with him.

Legoshi ran, the sounds of the human girl's footsteps following him. The smell of all the meat surrounding him was too much. He finally stopped in an alley, away from everyone. He was drooling like crazy. The smell of the market brought him back to that night, when he attacked Mari and his instincts screamed at him to eat her. 

"Legoshi!" The girl rounded the corner and ran to his side. His breathing became heavier as her scent joined with the smell of the market. What was he kidding? He just criticized Bill when he was no better.

"Legoshi, look at me." The girl forced him to face her. She grabbed his face, gently stroking his cheeks in an effort to calm him. "Just breathe, your fine." As Legoshi looked at her, he recalled all the times they had spent together, hanging out and just enjoying each others company. He could feel himself calming down, thanks to her. She had this calming effect on him and he wouldn't be the first to admit that she was beautiful. But, his biggest fear was hurting her. His feral side wanted her blood and he was nearly helpless to stop it. 

' Why do you stay near me? I'm dangerous.' M-Mari..." Black dots began to invade his sight before the world went completely dark.

As the wolf collapsed, Mari tried her best to steady him. Key word: tried. It was a real job to hold him up since he was so much bigger than her. She managed to get him leaned against the wall. She sighed, not knowing what else to do.

"Geez, Legoshi. Of all the places for you to pass out." Mari knew it was a risk staying in the alley. With the Black Market so close, who knows what kind of predators were lurking. She couldn't call her dad or Louis, that would mean getting into a lot of trouble, and she didn't have Aoba's number to find out where they went.

"Well isn't this a nice mess?" She grumbled to herself.

"Seem's like it." A rough voice said behind her. She gasped as she turned to see a large figure standing at the end of the alley, he looked like he was carrying a stick or something.

"W-Who are you?" She glared at him while shielding the unconscious wolf. The figure stepped into view. He was a large panda, a bamboo stick rested in his hands.

"Around here, I'm the guard of the Black Market."