Music of the Night

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Ow!" Arthur squeaked in pain as the nurse was tending his wound. The wound was not that deep but the cool scent of the herbal medicine was like having a knife carving his face. He was in deep thought of what that harlequin rabbit said.

Were the animals who were his 'friends' just pity him because he was different?

He wondered how life would be like if he does have his sights. He would rather not dwell about it too much because he will not get anywhere in life if he allowed the past or grudges to be attach to him. He learnt that throughout his years in Gryphon Cross before coming here.

"Arthur, I'm so sorry about this," Haru held his left hand-wing. "You didn't have to take the hit for me. It was a private matter."

"It's fine, Haru," Arthur assured her, his cloudy eyes slowly blinked. "I'm not going to ask what was the argument about. Sounded very intense to me."

Haru said nothing but cringed when she saw the wound was still bleeding from his cheek. A dab from the cotton with some patching done, Arthur was good to go. But how was Arthur feeling, even without sight Haru could tell that he's really upset.

"Just don't think about what she said," Haru told the bat as they walked to the gardening club roof. "She's always blaming others instead of looking at the problem within herself. You're lucky that you're not in third year yet. She would've beaten you."

Arthur's mind was somewhere else. There were a lot of unwanted noises in his ears and he was trying to focus on walking towards the gardening club. His clicks were becoming louder which in the eyes of other animals, looked like the bat is talking to himself.

"Arthur," Haru tapped him on the back, making him jolt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," The Honduran white bat gave her a toothy smile. "Come on, those flowers need some care before we both leave for the evening. Though, who was that rabbit that was fighting with you?"

"Mizuchi," the dwarf rabbit spat that name bitterly as if it were an endive. "She's the Prima Donna of the third years and always claiming that her harlequin rabbit breed is becoming extinct. She's always with her posse which was that black cat and raccoon."

"I see..."

"You've bumped into her before?" Haru asked as she led him to the gardening club where the sweet fragrance from the flowers had greeted them. Arthur's tone sounded dreamy as if he were in a trance.

"Yes and she really is passionate about hating me."

"She hates most animals if they get in her way," Haru rolled her eyes. "Come on, there's some new seeds I bought for this club to grow. They're your favourite, lavenders."

...

Arthur felt calmer after tending the needed plants and gaining a bit more horticultural tips from Haru. He was debating whether or not to have a little plant inside his dorm room but he wasn't sure with the policy. He remembered eavesdropping on two students while he was in class about how the Felidaes can't have plants because it will set them off.

How? He wasn't too sure about that!

He was thinking of walking back to his dorm when someone tapped his shoulder. The bat turned his head at the source. "Hi Arthur," Aoba greeted him. "I was looking for you after class and- Hey, what happened to your cheek?"

Arthur tapped the patched up part of his cheek. "I became a white knight to my club's president and got a good hit from her bully. It's nothing really, I'll live."

Aoba found it admirable that Arthur was very persevere from everything since he arrived in this academy. He wondered if the bat had accepted his fate once he had graduated? But whatever it is, he is a really good friend to the bald eagle. He wished others could see that there's no harm in him and that he is not a Vampyrum like what he had presented.

Some animals do whisper about Arthur while some stayed quiet as the both of them passed as if Arthur was a plague. Arthur just held his head with those disc-shaped ears high. The eagle was thinking about asking Arthur to hang out with him by going out to town. 

"Say Arthur, have you ever been to town before?"

Arthur had his mouth moving and it was inaudible. Aoba assumed it was a bat's thing and decided to shrug it off. Arthur had an apologetic smile when he looked at the eagle. "Sorry but I have been to town for a bit before coming here. It's just to buy some groceries and I can't recall browsing the town afterwards."

"Then do you want to go to town tomorrow?" the eagle asked. "Besides, it's the weekend and I bet it's good to get out of the school's routine once in a while."

Arthur pondered. He hasn't gone out for a while since he enrolled in Cherryton. Maybe a walk in town could give him a new perspective of things he doesn't know. He can try some new things and there are some stuff he needed to buy for his dorm.

"Okay," Arthur nodded. "Maybe it can give some creative juices for my music."

With that being said, both of them hung out, literally at the Chiroptera dorm. Aoba was still feeling the blood rush at his head if he decided to keep hanging upside down. But Arthur looked relax with his feet clinging to the gap between the bunk bed and having a harmonica in his wings. He was playing a tune he could describe as a lonely adventure in a desolated place where a lone stranger walks into a town with no name. Everybody stared at him and traced his every move.

Maybe the stranger was out for revenge?

The atmosphere on campus was silent as the grave when the wavering sound of Arthur's harmonica was played. It sounded like the tunes of the harmonica was crying in despair and fear with everything that surrounded it.

Is Arthur upset about something?

"Sometimes," said Arthur between breaks. "Playing music is like having a conversation between the tunes you play. You tell a story with the notes that resonate within you..."

Aoba could only listen to the music, loss for words to say.

...

"Dammit! What the hell is wrong with me?!" Mizuchi flops down on her bed. She was thinking back on her encounter with that bat. In fact, she was beyond angry that the bat knows Haru. 

Did she seduce him? Did she try to charm him like she did with her ex?

But when her paw collided with his cheek, why does she feel like throwing up?

The sounds of the harmonica she's hearing is going to haunt her in her sleep. Her mind wandered to what she had said to the bat. Did he mean any harm? No!

She decided not to think too hard about it.

Maybe a small stroll or window shopping tomorrow would do her good. Besides, she would like to visit her favourite stores and probably get a sweet carrot juice afterwards. Yes, she wouldn't have to be so worked up over that blind bat.

Little did she know, Fate decided to play a little game~