The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

An Emissary of Darkness

"Ah, I don't usually get this worked up.", Pina said as he stretched on the roof's railing. "It's bad for my shoulders."

"Pina-kun, you got involved because you wanted to save me, right?", Legosi asked. "That was so risky..."

"Well, if you fought him, you probably would've died."

"I'm gonna protect you from now on.", the wolf held his hand out. "I'm in your debt."

The sheep looked at him for a moment before grasping his hand with his own, "Alright, but first, can you give me your number?"

"From now on, send me a text every night before you go to sleep, that way I'll know you're okay.", the wolf said as they exchanged numbers. "Every night, okay?"

"Mm, yeah, yeah..."

"Also, I'll need to know your scent, just in case. I'm gonna borrow your pen."

"Eh, you can keep it.", he rubbed his face before starting to walk off the rooftop.

Legosi made sure to warn the sheep as he exited before turning his attention to the pen in his hand. As a canine, his sense of smell is advanced compared to other animals. As such, he has an internal vault of recognizable scents acquired over the years. Some he got from being around other animals for long periods, others were more prominent to him— Haru being the first example. Even then, there was one scent that stood out to the wolf the most.

Or rather...two.

He didn't say it outright, but he disliked the fact that Pina brought Alan into the fold with Riz. Like the sheep, he too saw that the human had made acquaintances with the bear. It only became clearer to him the day Pina arrived, when Riz spoke up for Alan when he got called out. Another instance was on that same day, when Alan let out his frustrations about his place at Cherryton and how he blamed himself for Tem's death. Riz was quick to dismiss that, almost like he hated seeing the human in such a state.

Knowing that, though, Legosi had to keep a close eye on him now. He watched him before, shortly after his meltdown on the rooftop, but he had to be more cautious. Based on his reaction, Riz didn't like the idea of Alan finding out he is Tem's killer. The wolf didn't, either, especially knowing that the human blamed himself for the alpaca's death. Depending on how close they are, if he found out...

No., Legosi shook his head. I can't let him find out...even if he is in danger.

~~*~~

The wolf was doing well in his training with Gouhin, being able to take on 'patients' with relative ease. Of course, the panda was with him most of the time, but his fighting was evolving more. With the large variety of carnivores in The Ghetto, Legosi had to apply knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses to beat them. Just tonight, he had taken on a vulture and leopard who were attracted to gazelle meat. The first step was to keep the feline from running, which was solved with a kick to the shin. After that was going for the bird's throat to keep him from using his high vocal range. Once that was done, capturing them became much easier.

Even then, it couldn't compare to Riz's strength. His confrontation with the bear was still fresh in his mind, and he knew for a fact he couldn't face him at his current level! If he was going to fight him, he needed to be able to hold his own against him. That was easier said than done, as Gouhin explained that the wolf's body was beyond the point of getting stronger by heavy lifting. The panda even said that Riz was, in his words, "just a bear."

When Legosi questioned that, it provoked a...reaction of sorts. This mainly involved a bamboo whip (how did he even get that?!).

"You need allies, Legosi!", the panda said. "Without them, you'll be crushed by the pressure!"