Reaching for the Stars

Chapter 36: Panther in the City

Warning: the second scene of this chapter contains a bloody fight, psychopathic behaviour, blood, and light emotional manipulation.

---

Octo put the last box down and let out a satisfied sigh. He still had some more boxes in the student housing that he'd take later. He looked over the bare room as he gasped with his tongue out. It was still empty, but it was going to be his own home. What a nice way to start a new year.

It was rather hard to convince his parents that he wanted to move to Barrowisle. They didn't accept his decision at first, but he told them that he was an adult now and his decisions are his to make. He told them he'd still visit every month or so, but he wasn't really looking forward to it since his father... had been trying to get him involved with the drug operation of the family. He did not want to do that, no matter how many times his father urged him to at least take a look at the Barrowislander headquarter.

Octo undid the headband and wiped his face, shaking the thoughts away. After lifting those boxes, he was smelly. He'd asked Kevin to help him unpack his stuff and the wolf wouldn't arrive until later. He knew it wasn't a very good idea since he didn't want to disturb the wolf with his thesis, but the wolf didn't seem to mind.

The panther glanced at the wall... only to find that he had not installed a clock.

Chuckling a bit to himself, he took his tank top off and sat down on the floor, taking his phone. It was almost one in the afternoon, apparently. He was getting hungry, too.

Kevin Huntington: "u want sumthing to eat? Im otw now"

Well, that would be nice. "Sounds good, thanks." he typed back.

After spraying the room with some freshener to get rid of his smelly musk, the panther stood up and walked to the bedroom. The bed had already been installed, fortunately. Digging into his suitcase, he took a fresh towel then went to the bathroom. He would put his clothes into the wardrobe later.

As water rained down upon his body, the panther let out an exhausted sigh and leant against the wall. This flat was half furnished, which he didn't mind. He'd like to add a personal touch to it, though it wouldn't really be a lot since he liked vanilla anyway. Grandiose wasn't really his thing despite his family's wealth.

Although this flat was far from a bus and a tram stop, he could walk to Hallestead metro station in just a few minutes. This flat was close to the Ancient Town district. Despite the occasional flock of tourists, he liked it here because it was less dense and quieter than the city centre.

He still remembered the first time he arrived at Barrowisle. He'd taken a train back then. Wolvessye Station was big, as befitting a central station, but sometimes it was not enough. In fact, there were so many people using public transportation that they had to build Legerville Station in the Legerville district next to Wolvessye. He appreciated that Barrowisle kept a strict law about the building height, confining skyscrapers to the Legerville district. That law made Legerville the de facto business district of Barrowisle.

He took the shampoo and applied it to his body. His biceps and triceps seemed to have gotten a bit bigger. Hmm, he didn't do any weight training lately... well, those boxes could be considered weight training. Going lower, he poked his chest and abs. His abs seemed to be a little less pronounced now. Maybe because post-graduation stuff had really been stressing him over, especially that family matter. He needed to get back in shape soon.

He heard someone opening the door, followed by a familiar voice, "Octo, you here?"

Eh, just ignore him. The wolf could hear the shower running anyway... wait, he didn't lock the door?!