The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

Summer is a Dream

    A vast field of flowers lay open, exposed to an open sea of stars. Among the dots was the moon, large and shining upon the field with its light. A figure stood amongst the blooms, head held high as he gazed to the orb with closed eyes. His jacket wavered in the breeze, a deep breath entering his lungs before gently flying out. He clenched his hands at his sides, slowly opening and closing them as he whispered.

"When I count to ten...I'll be ready to start the day."

    He began slowly, the light faintly narrowing its spot as it left the flowers open to the darkness. The breeze faded into silence as he got to five, only a handful of flowers along with himself in the light as it shrank more. He didn't pay it any mind, keeping his eyes closed as he neared the climax. At eight, it was only himself in the light with only darkness around him. When he said nine, the light faded, and silence reigned.

Then he reached ten and opened his eyes.

    He found himself in a bathroom, sink and mirror in front of him. A boy was looking back at him, black hair brushed back as he smoothed over his jacket. After a few moments, he smiled, suppressing the small bit of unease in the back of his mind. With a sigh, he smiled slightly and looked in the mirror.

"I usually try to look at the good things. Friends, grades, and being around other people."

Okay..., he thought as he stepped out. Just go like before.

    It was only months ago that Alan had transferred to Cherryton, but it felt far longer to him. What started out as the result of an exchange program quickly spiraled into something he couldn't control. The human was brought into a crisis of his place among animals, coming to terms with his status as a human/wolf hybrid, and the scattered pieces of his past.

    As he walked the halls in a small stride, he thought back to the night before summer break had begun. He had thought he escaped from a dangerous situation unscathed, but then he realized that he lost his sense of self. When he first arrived at the school, he had a goal of changing the world around him, hoping to bridge tensions between carnivores and herbivores. Though he had no real plan, he kept that goal in mind every step of the way, but then that night came.

    He bare witness to someone taking the initiative and marking a change herself, sowing the seeds for a future with carnivores in a new light. Under any other circumstance, he would've loved the idea, but it brought a mountain of unease into him. The very notion broke his heart, and even more so when he realized it to be true! He was pushed out of his own narrative, and now he stood to the sidelines.

    He soon found himself in the cafeteria, getting breakfast and sitting at a table alone. He didn't mind it, as it's been this way for most of the break. Aside from a few interactions with acquaintances, Alan kept solely to himself. He used the newly acquired free time to refresh, try to make plans for what to do once the break came to an end. It felt like he was constantly pushing himself into things ever since he first arrived, but now he could take a breather.

Well, not anymore, he couldn't. Not alone, anyway.

~~*~~

    The summer was beginning to wind down, evident by the slight chill in the air and the leaves' slow shift in color. It didn't seem to affect Alan as he leaned against a column at the side of the campus, eyes glued to the path that lay a few feet away. His heart was running circles in his chest, foot tapping on the floor as he pulled out his phone to check the time. It was around fifteen after twelve, the sun still floating high in the sky.

Is he stuck somewhere?, he thought glumly. I know he said he was going to take the metro, but—

He snapped out of it when he felt his phone vibrating. Pulling it out again, he couldn't help smiling as he saw a message: "Almost there!"

    The human's heart skipped a beat as he looked to the gate again. It was faint, but he could hear footsteps making their way over. The gate opened with a loud creak, a goat stumbling through with a bag hanging from his shoulder. He perked up when he locked eyes with Alan, a smile crossing his face. The goat started to close the wide gap between them, but the human decided to forgo the time and rush forward himself, giving his friend a brief hug.

    It felt like forever since he saw Todd, even though it was only a few weeks. The goat was the first friend he ever made at Cherryton, and one of the few he felt he could lean on for support. It felt like he was going to lose him at one point due to his own emotions, but the goat surprisingly forgave him—though it took a bit more from him for the human to forgive himself.

Todd chuckled as he returned the hug with one arm, "You miss me that badly?"

"Of course!", the human said as he pulled away. "It was kind of boring without you, but it did do some good for me."

"Did I miss anything big?"

"Not much. I mostly kept to myself the whole break. Now it's your turn, though!", he said with a grin.

Todd laughed, "Alright, just let me get my bag to the dorm, first."

    The two chatted more as they made their way to the dorms. The goat could automatically tell Alan's demeanor had brightened up, due to how excitable he was. Back before they split for the break, he was quiet, but still somewhat bright. After the Meteor Festival, he seemed unsure of himself, possibly even hesitant. Todd did his best to keep his friend's spirits up but knew it would only work for so long. It made him happy to see him energized again, and he didn't want it to stop.

    Once they made it back to their dorm, they recounted their activities. Todd was happy to go back to his parents after the events following Alan's transfer, and they were plenty worried about him. All the while, the human listened with a small smile. He had to admit, he was jealous of the goat in that regard— having parents that cared about him. He was without one, and the other was a touchy topic for him to tread on. He only ever talked to that parent once since he transferred, and it was just after the break began. Surprisingly, to Alan at least, he got some good advice out of the short conversation.

"So, got any plans for what to do next?", Todd asked.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest.", he said as he lied back on his bed. "I spent the past few weeks getting myself back in the flow of things, but I don't really know what to do now. Although..."

"What is it?", the goat asked as he saw his friend sit up with a contemplative look.

"I've been meaning to look into something, and now might be the time for it."

    As much as he wanted to forget some of the events that happened before the break, he knew he couldn't. He had questions that needed answers, and he felt that finding them would give him a new goal. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering a bleak and hopeless night. He could hear his heart pound in his ears, a chill moving down his spine. A low, drawn-out sigh escaped his lips, opening his eyes determinedly.

"I'm going to research human history."

~~*~~

A.N: Here we are: Book 2, baby! I am going to try a new method for this one, mostly in terms of the drafts and how long each chapter is going to be. For right now, I'm keeping each one up to at least 1200-1500 words (not counting the author notes). Last time the chapters were all over the place in terms of length, so I'm trying for consistency here.

Also, I may or may not alter the script for this—in terms of how things go in the manga. It's weird enough with a human in the mix, but there's a lot more than that. With that said, I am excited to see how this plays out for you all.

Updates will be weekly, around noon. I've been in a good flow of things recently, so the update schedule should keep it going.

Anyway, I'm kind of dragging this on. Stay safe and I'll see you in the next chapter!