Song of the Beasts (Beastars)

Lost in the Dark

At the appearance of the she-wolf, the tension in the room seemingly disappeared. Everyone unknowingly gravitated towards her, even the herbivores. 

They all seemed to be doting on her for being late, but she claims that she was helping a sloth friend of hers to get to the bathroom, hence why she was late. As everyone talked to her, Mari took the time to study her. She had an innocent look to her despite being a wolf, but Mari could tell that there was more to her than what she let on. She had heard several of her classmates gossiping about the new freshman, a new wolf in particular. If she was right, then no doubt that Juno has already faced some discrimination since she arrived. 

'How could someone be so nice to the people who put her through hell? No one is that nice, especially after being bullied.' Mari had a bad feeling about this girl, despite never having met her before. She could see Louis was put off by her as well. 

"Oh, but there's no excuse for being late. I'll stay afterwards and clean the rehearsal room, I don't mind." Her eyes wandered around the room, until she found who she was looking for. "Oh, Legoshi!"

'Legoshi? They know each other?' While Juno gave her praises about the Dino sculptures, mostly to Legoshi, Mari looked to where Louis and Sheila were talking. From what she could tell, Louis seemed somewhat threatened by Juno. It was easy enough to see the effect she had. She was able to unite everyone in a way that Louis never could.

"The festival of the meteor is the summer event. Let's all practice hard again today!" This earned a cheer from everyone, well everyone except Louis. They seemed much more motivated to practice from the way Juno said it versus how Louis said it. Despite the tension between them at the moment, Mari still preferred the way Louis ran the club. He was honest at least and strived for perfection, where as Juno's excuse for why she was late told the girl that she was more than likely the last person you should rely on. 

Mari looked back to Louis, the jealousy and distaste on his face very evident. As Louis watched the group crowd around the wolf, he felt a different pair of eyes on himself. He looked up to see the one person who had been occupying his thoughts  as of recent. 

Upon meeting Louis' gaze, Mari quickly looked away and back at her papers. Louis felt his heart ache knowing the current situation between them. He knew that Legoshi was some how involved in this as well. He knew as soon as the wolf had arrived on the roof looking for her. That wolf must have influenced her somehow. He was close with her, and Louis hated the thought. He needed to fix things with the girl and soon, lest he wanted to lose her forever.

His biggest problem was how, how was he going to fix his mistake? She knew his feelings, kind of, he never directly told her. He sighed to himself. 'Maybe I should listen to what she said and give her some space. Maybe then, will we be able to talk things out properly.'

Time skip 

The festival grounds were really a sight to see at night, as well as the day time. It was even more breathtaking with the meteor sculpture all lit up in the middle of the area. It shone like the sun, only less bright and deadly. 

Mari sighed happily as she watched everyone gather round the art piece to admire it. Since it was getting dark soon, everyone was beginning to leave. Mari quickly rushed to the music clubs tent to drop off the finished music sheets to Abbie. She found the Collie fairly quickly and gave her the papers. The canine was thrilled and impressed with her work, capturing the girl in a hug and thanking her repeatedly. 

"Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this helps us out!" Mari giggled at the canine and hugged her back.

"It was nothing, really. If anything, I enjoyed it. It helped to really get my creative juices flowing after so long. If anything, I should be thanking you."

"I really wish you would join the music club, you'd be a great addition!" Abbie said as she released Mari.

"I'll think about it, but I'm still not confident about performing in front of others, especially large crowds." 

"Just consider it, we would love for you to join."

Mari giggled. "I'll get back to you on that." She said as she waved goodbye and headed out. As she was passing by the main area, the lights suddenly went out. "What the hell?!" She could hear everyone around her panicking, mostly the herbivores since they weren't nocturnal. Mari tried her best to remain calm, but something in the back of her mind told her that something wasn't right about any of this. 

Meanwhile, Legoshi was on high alert. After ensuring that the herbivores were safely protected by the carnivores, he ran off in search of Mari. 

He felt like he wouldn't be able to calm down until after her found her and ensured that she was alright. He remembered just catching a glimpse of her as she went to meet the music club, but that was the last time he saw her. She could have been anywhere by now. His heart beat hard against his chest. He needed to find her, he need to protect her. He took a deep breath, searching for any trace of her scent. It didn't take long for him to find it, he knew it well and he could never forget it. He took off in the direction that it led.

Mari was trying her best to not get trampled by scared animals. She wasn't able to see clearly in the dark, but she could see just enough to avoid getting knocked over. She decided it best to get to the trees near the edge of the clearing and stay there until the lights came back on. 

She held on tight to the taser she kept in her pocket, her bad feeling still there. She pressed herself against a tree, her ears listening for any sound that was out of the ordinary. Her breaths came fast and heavy as panic was starting to set in.

'Just breath. It'll all be over soon. Just stay calm. Hopefully someone will find me soon.'

"Mari! Mari!" Legoshi called out as her scent got stronger. He needed to see her to calm himself. He imagined every worst scenario possible. Her getting abducted and mauled, the same thing that happened to Tem. He shook his head to get rid of the thought. 

'I will find her. Focus! Just follow her scent.' He continued to run. 'Mari, please be safe.' Her scent got even stronger. He knew he was close. 'There!' He could see her figure by the tree. He quickly approached her, relief flooding his whole being.

"What a relief-"

This got a shriek from the girl, causing her to fall to the ground and drop her taser. Mari looks to where the voice came from and the lights came on a second later, to see Legoshi standing over her with a concerned look on his face. She was so relieved to see a familiar and friendly face.

"Legoshi, thank goodness. It's you!" She smiled as she stood and dusted the dirt off her bottom and picked up her taser. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"R-Really?" His face flushed. "Well, um, I'm just glad you're alright. Everyone was worried about you. I came look for you since you weren't with the group."

Mari felt slightly guilty for making everyone worry. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to worry everyone." Legoshi smiled gently at her.

"It's fine, as long as you're safe now." He pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her. "Here. Your uniform got a little dirty." 

Mari's heart warmed at the action, she smiled as she took the clothe from him. 

'I can't imagine what she felt when she was by herself.' Legoshi thought. 'I should have been there for her sooner. But that doesn't matter. Right now, I'm just happy that she's safe. Her well-being and happiness, that's all I need.' 

From a distance, a jealous female gray wolf watched the two interact.

'So that's the famous human I've heard so much about? No, impossible. It-it can't be! A wolf...and a human?! There's no way!' 

She watches as the girl laughs at something Legoshi said, his tail wagging happily behind him as he talks to her.

'What? Seriously?!'