Song of the Beasts (Beastars)

Run With Me

"Please let go of me, Legoshi." Mari said as she tried to pull her arm from his grip. But the wolf was not willing to let her go, not like this. 

"No, not yet. We have more to talk about." He said as leaned closer to her height, trying to keep their conversation from being overheard. But the girl still refused, she didn't feel like reliving the pain she felt in her childhood. The constant bullying, being ignored by someone she cared for, and having to live with a secret she could never tell anyone about since it would make her even more of an anomaly than she already was. 

"No, we don't." She glared at him. "I've said all I need to. Now please, let go."

"I know. But," 

"Don't, because you don't know what I've had to put up with in life. You think you have it rough? You have no idea what it's like to be treated like a complete freak." She kept pulling at her arm. "Now let go!" 

"Mari, please. Don't run away from me." He said as he kept his grip.

"What's with you? I said let me go, dammit!"

"No!"

"I want to leave. Let go!" She shouted at him. 

"No way!" He shouted back. By now they had gotten the attention of everyone in the station. A small crowd formed around them. 

"Hey! Are you harassing her?" Someone said. Accusations were quickly thrown at the wolf, none of which were even close to true. Mari simply didn't want to talk about her past and why she was upset. And Legoshi was too dense to get that. He was simply trying to be a good friend by stopping her from running from her problems. "Is there another large size carnivore around?" Someone else said. That didn't sit right with the girl. They were perceiving him as a threat to her.

'We need to leave.' She thought as the crown got bigger. A security guard quickly came into view and yelled at Legoshi.

"Wolf! What are you doing?! Explain yourself!" 

"W-We were just having an argument." Legoshi stuttered out. His grip on her arm loosening. "I-I wasn't going to hurt her-". Mari quickly took the chance to pull her wrist free and take Legoshi's hand, pulling him away from the crowd. 

"Why are we running? We'll be even more suspicious!" Legoshi asked as he tried to even his speed with hers. 

"I don't care! We can't stay here. Carnivore's can get arrested for looking at someone the wrong way. Just run, idiot!"

"H-Hey, be careful! I might kick you!"

Mari just sighed but didn't stop. "I really don't get you sometimes. One minute you're demanding and the next you're considerate. It's very confusing." 

"Actually, I'm just trying to figure things out myself." He panted. "You and I are so different, yet alike in some ways. We really need to talk it out!" 

"That's fine, but we wont be able to talk if you get arrested." She looked back at him. "You want to be demanding? Then use those long legs of your's and get us outta here, quick!" The two pushed past several civilians, the guards hot on their tails. "Come on, hurry!" She tugged at his hand more. 

Mari's lungs were starting to burn and her arm was tired from pulling the huge canine behind her. 'If you're gonna do something, Legoshi, then do it now.' As if reading her mind, Legoshi swiftly outpaced her. He adjusted his hand so that he was now holding hers. Using his full, natural speed, he was now determined to get her somewhere safe. 

'I'm declaring myself as a wolf...in front of the girl I care for. I don't know where this will lead. I don't know how it's going to look. But, a path is opening up for me. I just have to...' He glanced back at her, seeing astonishment and relief in her eyes. A small smile gracing her lips. ' I just have to keep moving forward!'

 The teens had managed to seek safety in a bathroom stall. Both were perched on the seat of the toilet. Mari was curled into herself, trying to be as small as possible, while Legoshi was behind her with both hands on the wall.

"Where did they go?" They heard the guard say. Mari's hands flew to her mouth to keep from gasping. She had never been in a situation like this before. It was both exciting and nerve wracking. If her dad were to find out about this, she would have been better off in jail. As she tried to calm her nerves, she looked back at Legoshi. She took in all the features of his face, tracing with her eyes the line where his gray fur met the cream fur of his face. She also took notice of his sharp, white teeth. Her eyes trailed from his face, down his arm, to the sharp nails on his hands. His whole body was tense as he tried to not to move from his position. 

'Even though he refused to let go of me earlier, now he goes out of his way not to touch me. This wolf is confusing no matter what he does.'

They both froze when they heard a guard stop outside the stall. They both thought that was it, until luck decided to be on their side. 

"Hey! They went over there!" Another guard called out. 

"What? But I swore I-" He grumbled before he moved to the exit. "I'm coming!"

After he left, Mari released a breath she didn't realize that she was holding. 'Damn. That was too close.' She glanced back at the wolf, a blush coming to her face when she saw how close he was. 'Speaking of too close.'

"H-Hey, it sounds like their gone. We should get going." Even as she said that, the wolf didn't move. There was still more to be said between them. 

"Mari," His voice came out in a deep growl. She noticed that he did this often, despite such a gentle look on his face. "Even now, do you feel alone or unsafe? Do you still feel like you don't belong?"

The girl didn't know now to answer. Over the years, she had pushed those feelings out of her mind. She never dared try to confront them. She always told herself that as long as he had her father, her music, and her love for nature, then she would be fine. Coming to Cherryton changed everything for her. She discovered that even thought she was different, mostly physically, there were still people out there who wanted to be around her because of who she was on the inside and not just the outside. She smiled up at him, which he took as a good sign. 

"I wouldn't say that I'm 100%, but I'm getting there." It wasn't the answer he was expecting, but he was glad that he could help her in any way that he could. 

"Good, then let's get outta here. This bathroom is kinda gross." This got a giggle from her, a sound he would love hear more often, especially if it was because of him.

"Sure, that sounds great."