The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

Not Too Old

"You're going downtown?", Todd asked. "What for?"

"There's someone I need to talk to.", Alan said as he zipped up his hoodie. "I cleared it up with my teachers already, so I'm off the hook."

Alan didn't waste much time in setting up an excuse for his absence. The secretary didn't pry too much, as he said he needed to take the day to "address a personal emergency." It wasn't exactly a lie, though. It truly was personal to him, and it was as much of an emergency as he warranted it to be. Whether anyone would agree with him on that or not, he didn't care.

"Alan...", the goat grabbed his arm as he went for the door. "I'm really worried about you. First, you go silent for a few days and now you need to go to the city? If there's something wrong, you know you can tell me."

The human was silent, wanting so badly to wrench his arm away. He couldn't, he valued Todd too much to do that. He remembered the Meteor Festival, the goat embracing him from behind as he promised to be by his side no matter what happened next. From the beginning, he was there, and now he was making sure to keep that promise. Alan sighed, looking back at him reassuringly.

"It's personal.", he said. "I'm trying to get through it myself, but I need someone to help me."

"And...the person you're going to can do that?"

"Yeah.", he smiled slightly. "I'll be okay. I promise."

    He didn't know if he'd be okay after what he was about to do, but it didn't matter. It was too late to back out, and he knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to keep himself in check. There was a reason he avoided this, and he never wanted to entertain the idea of it ever happening. Well, now it was happening and frankly, he didn't feel ready for it at all! He'd lose it, he knew that much. For now, at least, he'd keep himself level until he couldn't hold back anymore.

    The train ride was silent, the human's mind trying to formulate how this would go. It had been a long time since he spoke to his father face-to-face, as he always kept his distance. The only reason he called him over the summer was because he was the last resort to his problem back then and he was at the end of his rope. He made sure to keep it brief, though, as he didn't want to end up yelling into his phone in front of other students. That'd make him look more unstable than he already (assumedly) appeared.

    He made his way into the bustling streets of the city, this time ignoring the buildings and atmosphere. It felt so alien to him now, taking into account both the article about An-Man and The Ghetto's existence. One of them made it dark, and the other just shattered the place entirely! It seemed so false to him, like none of it was real. It felt artificial in hindsight, given what he knew now. The pain felt worse the deeper he went, but he pressed forward.

Soon enough, Alan found his way to a cafe. He stepped inside quietly, gaining more than a few looks from the animals sitting around. They were all carnivores, he noted, though he shouldn't be that surprised. It was quaint, a nice wooden interior with booths by the window. He took a seat at a table near the back and waited, tapping his foot gently as his anxiety began to build. He ordered an egg sandwich in the meantime, wanting something to focus on before the now-inevitable.

He had just finished the first half of it when the door opened.

    When he looked over, he couldn't help freezing. Standing at the entrance and looking around, was a large wolf. He was wearing a brown trenchcoat with a dark green shirt underneath. His fur was brushed, especially around his muzzle where the hairs seemed to be pulled back. He wasn't much taller than Legosi, but he made up for it in his physique. His arms were thick, and his body was most likely the same under the coat.

Dulled golden eyes met with the human's, his body still frozen in his seat.

    The wolf made his way over slowly, the air growing more tense the closer he got. Alan followed his movements, face level despite the bubbling froth of emotions inside him. His ears rang slightly, vision shifting and blurring a few times before it cleared up. The wolf sat down across from him, the chair crying out weakly as it took on his weight. The human couldn't help looking him over, watching as the shadowy ears on his head twitched slightly. His nose twitched a few times as well, sniffing the air before looking at him with a small smile.

"Hello, Pup."

Alan looked away in annoyance, "I'm 15. I'm not a child."

"At least to me, you are.", he joked before blinking as the human's scowl deepened ever so slightly.

He sighed through his nose, "I wasn't expecting you to want to meet up. Other than that call you gave me over the summer, I'd have thought you'd never talk to me at all."

"That was the plan, believe me.", the human looked down at the other half of the egg sandwich. "I would've followed through, but things didn't go my way."

"Right...", he shifted a bit. "You told me they found out about you, but that isn't the only thing, is it? You never wanted to meet me halfway, but now it's the reverse."

    They were briefly interrupted by the barista who came over to get drink orders. Alan chose a soda while the wolf got coffee. They stayed silent as they waited for their drinks, the tension as thick as a history book that held every major event in time. Alan stared at the table intently, trying to find the right words to use. He didn't want to lose control— not yet. At the very least, he had to get answers before tossing himself into the fire.

Alan pushed the remaining sandwich half towards the wolf, "I found out about something bad."

He raised an eyebrow as he slowly grabbed it, "Is it something I'd know about? The look on your face says that."

The human let out a low grunt and looked at him, "There was a group of humans that were sent to a city for a program. They disappeared and nobody said anything until I looked it up online. An-Man— do you know about it?"

He hummed to himself as he bit into the sandwich, only adding to the human's annoyance, "I've heard of it before, if that's what you mean."

"It was before I met y—", he paused when he saw the stabbing glare being given from across the table. "...it was a long time ago, so I only know a little about it."

"Do you know why they kept quiet about it?"

He shook his head, "I was as in the dark as anyone else. A lot of us wanted to know what happened, though, but it just...faded into memory."

"What do you mean it 'faded into memory?'", the tone was sharp now.

"What I mean is...", he paused for a second. "A lot of people already had a feeling of where the group went, but they weren't going to say it out loud— it'd cause a panic. You heard about that alpaca student, right?"

Alan stiffened, "Y-you know?"

"Well, I sent you there, after all.", he shrugged his shoulders lightly. "It only makes sense for me to keep tabs on things. I was a little worried, though, since it happened just after you arrived."

"And you didn't ask me about it?"

"Would you've answered if I did?", he countered with an eyebrow raised as he sipped his coffee. "We may not have spoken in a while, but I know how your mind works, Alan. You avoided me at every turn, and whenever I tried to talk to you, you just gave me the cold shoulder. I'd be stupid not to expect that now."

A thump shook the table, making him look to the fiery glare now aimed at him, "You. Don't. Know me."