Carnivore, Animal | Louis

4. Adler

After tending to Haru's arm, Kisa waved goodbye to her friend and headed down to the drama club. Since she was running late, she knocked on the club door and entered through. The other students paid her no mind; they were too nervous watching Louis and Tem's stand in. Climbing the scaffolding to Legosi, the white tiger found the grey wolf cowering over a light.

Legosi's tail was rigid and he looked incredibly confused. Kisa nudged her friend.

"Rabbit got your tongue?" Kisa smirked.

"H-h-h-h-h-how did you know that?" Legosi jumped, scratching the back of his neck and bumping the light.

The spotlight swung about, straying from the stage.

"Hey!" Louis yelled. "Watch the spotlight!"

Legosi stammered out an apology, grabbing at the light. He refocused the beam and turned back to face Kisa.

"I'm friends with that rabbit." Kisa said.

"The one with the bandage on her arm?"

"The very same."

Legosi looked over at Kisa.

"What?" She asked.

"Can I have her name?" Legosi pleaded.

"Nope!"

"No!?" He wailed.

"Wolf up and ask her yourself." Kisa sneered.

Kai ascended the stairs and took his post at the other spotlight. Kisa turned to him, confused.

"What-" Kisa started.

"I got laid off the acting team. Louis wants you on stage management now." Kai rolled his eyes.

Kisa nonchalantly moved down the staircase as the director called for a break. She drew closer to the stage and saw Louis' antlers move behind the scenes. Thinking that she should probably check in with him about her new role and his ankle, Kisa jumped up onto the platform. As she stepped closer to the side wing, Kisa saw Louis on the floor. She stopped slightly behind him.

"Louis?" She called.

"What?" He snapped.

"I wanted to check on you. You seem to be pushing yourself even harder on your ankle." Kisa pushed back.

"I need to be able to play Adler, even through the pain. This performance means too much..." Louis sighed.

"If you want to perform and you're going to be too stubborn to go to a doctor, at least let me bind it again."

"Fine."

Kisa stepped into the shadows of the wing and knelt down. The sight in front of her horrified her; Louis' ankle was purple and swollen.

"Louis, this should be better – not worse." She whispered.

Louis remained silent.

Feeling his ankle, Kisa pinched at a few points and Louis grunted in pain.

"I think it's broken." Kisa stated unemotionally. "No, it is broken. You can't be pushing yourself this hard on a broken ankle."

"You think I'm that weak? Just because I'm a herbivore." Louis barked.

"It's got nothing to do with that Louis, this is just basic physiology." Kisa rebutted.

"Just bind it like you said you would. Let me worry about my body." Louis shook his head.

"I'm going to worry anyway. You will go to a doctor after this performance."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kisa bound Louis' ankle and the deer attempted to walk away normally.

It frustrated Kisa that Louis seemed to ignore her concerns. He pushed himself harder than before in some personal protest that herbivores could fight through the pain. Partially giving up on talking sense into Louis for the moment, Kisa went back to her medical kit and took out a strip of painkillers. She then slipped the medicine into Louis' bag.

Tomorrow was the opening night.

Kisa hoped Adler was worth it.