Chapter Text
"I'm going to die..."
This was the only thought Legosi could formulate at the moment. Beaten bloody and lying back against a concrete pillar, the wolf tried to do something, anything, but his body wouldn't respond. He gazed up at the bear standing before him, who was casting a look of indifference upon the broken wolf. Once more, Legosi tried to make a move, anything to get away from the monster in front of him, but once more, his body couldn't offer anything, as if it was telling him, "There's nothing more we can do." So, he stared at the beast before him, waiting for him to make his move.
"You're going to die after a few more blows... I'm sorry, Legosi, I can't turn my back on my beliefs."
Kneeling down, Riz got closer to Legosi, causing the wolf to flinch a little and close his eyes. Looking up for a moment, the bear stared off into the cold moonlight.
"Before you die, I want to confess the truth to you. I... I'm a monster."
His eyes flicker back to Legosi, who had opened his eyes once more.
"That's what Tem said to me that night. I was desperate for him to accept me, but I got carried away and gashed his arm... It didn't shock me when he said that, in fact, It made me so happy that I sugar coated my memory of what happened after he said that."
Legosi's eyes scanned everything around, trying to find some hope that someone or something would save him.
"Louis... If only you were here..." he thought.
The deer would probably only be angry over the wolf's current state; that thought almost made him smile.
"And then I ate him alive in an emotional frenzy..."
Legosi stopped searching for someone to save him and turned back to look at the bear in front of him.
"Carnivores are monsters to the core, Legosi. It's sad, really..."
The Bear held his clawed hands out in front of him, staring at the blood staining them. In that moment, Legosi realized that Riz's monologue had come to an end, and it was now time for him to prepare for his death. A tear threatened to escape him as he thought of everyone he knew, memories flashing before him in rapid succession, unyielding. He recalled the time spent with his roommates, playing games and wrestling, as well as nights staying up late, talking with Jack, and having him tutor him in Seaspeak.
He remembered the Drama club performances and all those afternoons spent in the rafters fixing lights and observing the actors on stage. Then his thoughts turned to Haru, and how he almost killed her when they first met, and how he later fought to protect her from the Shishigumi. He cherished the moments they shared and realized he would never again see her smile, hear her laugh, or feel her touch. He thought of Louis, too, how the senior had gone from being the star of Cherryton and a future Beastar to becoming the boss of the Shishigumi.
Legosi’s mind raced, drowning him with a storm of more and more memories and animals he would never see again.
Haru, Louis, Jack, Pina, Els, Bill, Aoboa, Durham, Collot, Miguno, Voss... Gosha...
Years of regret and guilt filled Legosi as Riz raised up his fist, readying himself to deliver the final set of blows...
"Happy New Year's Legosi... I'm sorry."
Legosi once more closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
"Goodbye..."
The first blow struck, slamming him harder against the pillar, leaving an indentation. Another blow followed, pushing him deeper into the concrete. Then came another, and another, and another. With each impact he endured, the world around him seemed to fade away, as darkness began to take over.
* * *
"Well, it's over." the bear thought
Riz stared at the battered form of the wolf before him, covered in blood and unmoving. After a moment of contemplation, Riz realized that the evidence of his fight needed to be eliminated. All he had to do was dispose of the wolf's body and go retrieve Pina from captivity. Once he devoured that dall sheep, he would finally be able to return to his normal life.
He bent over and hefted the limp wolf's body over his shoulder with relative ease and proceeded to walk. There was a port right next to the bridge where they fought. If he could dump the wolf's body into the river, it would most likely never be found. Once he was upon the edge of the port, he threw Legoshi's body into the river. His body made a loud splash as it was caught in the current and washed away. Riz stared at the ripples left by the impact of the beast's body.
"Now it's time to deal with that sheep..." he grunted
Riz began to turn around, but before he could, a searing pain erupted in his chest, accompanied by a deafening bang that echoed in the air. Time seemed to freeze as he glanced down, shocked to see blood seeping through his fur, dark and crimson, trickling from what appeared to be a bullet wound. Panic surged through him, and he quickly lifted his gaze, desperate to locate his attacker.
Ahead of him, standing defiantly, was a skinny red deer whose eyes were wide with a bewildered mix of shock and fury. His hands gripping around a gleaming gun, its barrel aimed right at him.
Louis.
Before he could make another move, Riz felt shot after shot of pain. The deer unloaded his pistol into him, and before the bear could comprehend what was happening, he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
Once his opponent was down, Louis ran toward the edge of the port, distress etched on his face. As he rushed over the bear's bleeding body, he dropped to his knees, peering over the edge in hopes of seeing a sign of his friend.
“Legosi!” he yelled... but there was no response.
“Legosi! Where are you?” he called out again, desperate for any indication in the dark sea below, but there was nothing. Frantically, he pulled out his phone and dialed the police. In a state of despair, he explained that his friend had been thrown into the river and that he had shot the perpetrator. After providing them with the location, he hung up and stared once more at the black river, continuing to shout. The only response he received was the sound of ships' horns at sea, celebrating the New Year.
Tears poured out of his eyes as he continued to shout, but it was all drowned out by the oppressive horns going off around him. After what felt like forever, the noises stopped, but the deer could only gaze out into the blackness below him.
"Legosi... I'm sorry..."
* * *
The police had arrived an hour ago and begun their search. They questioned the deer, checking for any injuries, but Louis remained unresponsive. The only thing he could bring himself to say was to please find his friend. The police informed him that the chances of even finding a body were practically non-existent, but the deer didn't care. He still clung to a shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Legosi was still alive. So he sat and waited, watching as more police units arrived to assist in the search.
Louis sat unmoving, waiting for any news to come. However, after an hour, there was still no word on the wolf's whereabouts. Eventually, an eagle police officer who looked similar to Aoba approached him to deliver the bad news.
"We can't find his body right now," the officer said. "The water is rushing pretty badly, and considering he was dumped in it an hour ago and that it’s ice cold… I'm sorry, your friend is most likely dead."
Although Louis had expected this response, it still hit him like a truck, leaving him feeling as though his stomach had collapsed in on itself. The officer regarded him with a look of sadness before walking away. So, Louis sat there, staring out at the water once more. He could see the search boats' lights reflecting off the water, casting their dim lights over a watery grave.
"I failed you, Legosi... You asked for me, and I failed to show up in time."
Louis wasn't sure how much more he could handle at this point. First, he lost Ibuki, and now he had lost Legosi, two of the brightest lights in his life, whisked away in just one night.
"Dammit! This is all my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid!"
The deer cursed himself, tears threatening to spill over once more. After a moment, he gathered his composure and stared down at the ground beneath him.
"Legosi... I... You always saw me as a shining light, an untouchable figure of good and peace. You placed your trust in me... and I failed you..."
Louis looked up, glancing back at the search team out on the water with a determined expression crossing his face.
"Legosi... I promise, from this point forward, I'll be the figure of light you always saw me to be..."
He stood up, triumphantly, with tears still staining his face.
"I will become the Beastar..."
* * *
A faint dripping sound could be heard above the rushing of water. The air was chilly, and soft glimmers of moonlight filtered through cracks in the concrete above. Next to the flowing water, a walkway was occupied by two creatures, a fox and a donkey.
"Do we really need to be down here? These sewers are disgusting," the donkey said, clearly annoyed by their current predicament.
"Maud, how many times do I have to explain this to you?" the fox replied irritably. "We need to scout out a new location for our operation. That construction project has me on edge; there are too many beasts too close to our workspace. If we don't move soon, things are going to end badly!" He threw his arms out in an exaggerated gesture, then turned back to Maud with a frustrated expression. "All it takes is one careless creature to wander down into a place they shouldn't be, and then bam! We're ruined!" He turned back toward the seemingly endless corridor and continued walking.
The donkey snorted. "Whatever you say..."
"Dixon is always on edge about beasts finding us... This is the second time we've had to move." Maud thought
The donkey continued to walk along the pathway, glancing down at the water flowing into the dark abyss below. He strongly disliked being in this place and was further annoyed by the fact that his new work center would be located even deeper within these unpleasant confines. Unfortunately for him, what Dixon wants, Dixon gets. Maud couldn't really blame the fox; Dixon was passionate about this, and dammit, so was he. That's why he continued to endure these terrible working conditions, because he believed in its purpose. So, they pressed further down into the depths of the city's underground.
Turning a corner, the pair found themselves strolling down another endless corridor. At least one of them seemed happy. The fox was in a decent mood, whistling a little tune as they walked. Maud, on the other hand, was busy pouting and watching the water flow past them, whisking away sewage and other nasty artifacts. He wondered how Dixon seemed unaffected by the stench.
While observing the sewage, he noticed something peculiar in the water, a large, wet bundle of fur.
"Wait a minute... that's an animal!" he thought.
Quickly, the donkey took off after the creature flowing downstream, shoving past Dixon.
"Hey, what's going on!" the fox yelled.
"There's someone in the water!" Maud quickly shouted back. Dixon immediately snapped his gaze to the river of sewage, and he too was able to make out the body.
"Shit, shit, shit! Get him!" he yelled.
"What do you think I was doing?!" the donkey retorted irritably. After catching up to the body, which he could now identify as a wolf, Maud began to panic. However, he slowly accepted what he needed to do. Without letting himself think about it too much, he jumped into the water, plunging into the icy cold sewage.
"Goddammit, this is cold! Wolf! You'd better be alive!" Maud thought.
After struggling for a moment, Maud managed to regain control and swiftly swim over to the wolf. He slipped his arms beneath the wolf's limbs, hoisting the canine above the water. With all his might, he began kicking the water, slowly moving toward the riverbank where Dixon was waiting.
"Here, here! Hoist him up to me!" the fox ordered. With one big push, Maud launched the wolf's body up to the concrete ledge, where Dixon was able to grab hold of the beast. After some effort, they both managed to push the wolf fully onto solid ground. Maud then pulled himself out of the sewage on his knees and immediately vomited.
"Fuck! I'm done! I need a shower!" the donkey shouted, before falling into a coughing fit. Dixon looked like he felt quite bad for the donkey.
"Yeah... that looks pretty awful... But hey! You saved a life! Or at least a dead body..." He glanced down at the limp form of the wolf.
"He'd better be alive after the ordeal I just went through..." Maud muttered, recovering from his cough. Dixon ignored him and began checking the wolf's vitals. To his surprise, he exclaimed, "He's alive!"
Turning back toward Maud, he said, "Looks like your efforts weren't in vain, friend! You're a hero!" Despite Dixon's joking tone, Maud felt a slight lift in his spirits, but that was short-lived when he felt a slimy substance slowly running down his muzzle. While desperately trying to wipe the sewage off himself, Dixon focused on the body before him, a slow smile stretching across his muzzle.
"This is it... Our lucky break!" He whispered to himself.
Walking back over to the struggling donkey, the fox placed a hand on his shoulder. Freezing, Maud looked up at the fox, who was now wearing a wide grin. "You, my friend, have just given us our massive break!" Maud stared at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about? Explaining all of this to the police is going to be a complete clusterfuck!" the donkey said, slowly rising from his kneeling position. But the fox's grin only grew wider at Maud's outburst.
"He's not going to the police..." he said darkly, turning his focus back to the unconscious wolf.
"He's coming with us!"