Yuu was rapidly losing speed, falling behind and about to fall victim to the terrifying pair of twins.
"Shoot! They're chasing us!" Deuce yelped, grabbing Yuu by the arm and running faster, Yuu being both uncomfortable and relieved at Deuce's strength and stamina.
"Hey, couldja stop, friends? Just for a second? We just wanna chat!" Floyd chirped happily, running behind the group with the movements that resembled that of a serial killer. Yuu shuddered, pushing the thought away.
"Hell no." She muttered as Riddle, who was gasping for breath, agreed.
"Decidedly, no! Full retreat!" The group dashed away, ignoring the disappointed groan that resounded in the courtyard from Floyd.
.
.
.
Yuu, Riddle, and Grim didn't have much stamina left, the three of them gasping as the group of detectives stood around in Mainstreet.
"That was terrifying. What is the deal with those guys?!" Grim yowled incredulously and still shaken.
Riddle shook his head, shrugging. "I'm not the one to ask. Those two have baffled me since we were freshmen together." He too was shaken up from the encounter.
"Messing with them seems like a reeeal bad idea." Cater agreed, Yuu nodding along.
"If I were the culprit, I know I'D steer clear." Ace remarked, standing up straight while Yuu sat herself beside Riddle, petting Grim.
"They are... bizarre to say the least." Yuu said, turning to Cater with an expectant look. "Maybe we should move on?"
"Gotcha! Then it's off to the next name on my list! It's getting late, so let's make this the last one for today, 'kay?" Cater scrolled through his phone for a moment, Yuu leaning in to watch as he touched the image of a large dog-eared young man with fluffy white hair.
"Who is it?" Yuu questioned as Cater spoke, leaning into her (somewhat in a brotherly fashion) for a moment as he showed her the phone.
"It's Jack Howl: freshman, Savanaclaw Dorm. Rumor has it that he's a great athlete. Scouts from all the major teams are fighting to sign him."
Yuu's eyebrows shot up. "Damn, kid's got talent, then."
"Classes are over, so he should be at his dorm." Deuce said.
"Oh, is it 5:00 already?"Riddle quickly checked his watch, astonished at how fast the time had seemed to pass. "Rule 346 says that 'croquet must not be played after 5:00 p.m.' I should head back to Heartslabyul and make sure that no one is breaking the rules in my absence."
Grim rolled his eyes at the red-head. "I thought you'd rounded out some, but nope, you're as square as ever."
Riddle turned bright red, although not in his usual anger, but in what Yuu took as embarrassment.
"Th-that's not true! I assure you that I've become much more lenient about enforcing the rules." He stuttered as Yuu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He really has. He's way nicer than before." Cater remarked happily as Yuu nodded.
"I can tell. He's a lot calmer now."
Riddle's cheeks burned red at the compliment, yet he accepted the compliment with a very awkward smile.
"And we all appreciate that Riddle diligence." Cater added encouragingly. "So go do what you gotta do, Boss!"
Riddle nodded, clearly happy with the praise of the two older students as he excused himself politely, heading toward the hall of mirrors.
As soon as the red hair-ed boy was no longer in sight, Ace spoke up. "Then I guess the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw House."
.
.
.
"Huh... So this is Savanaclaw." Deuce said, pulling Yuu behind him as he'd insisted on holding her sleeve (although not really her sleeve as the jacket belonged to Cater) so she wouldn't lose balance.
Yuu had stumbled into a dry and warm environment that she hadn't quite been opposed to. The dorm looked beautiful and majestic in its own right, the elephant skeletons seemed to give the place a wild look.
"Whoa, did they carve this place into a mountain? And check out these huge bones! I wouldn't wanna meet whatever animal they're from." Grim remarked, shuddering at whatever beast he'd imagined. Yuu chuckled slightly at him as she knelt down.
"Those are elephant skulls, Grim. Although, in my world, it's rumored that people believed them to be Cyclops skulls." She informed the cat monster who began looking at her curiously.
"Hey, henchman? What's an elephant?"
"I'll show you later." She said with an amused glint in her eye.
"Wow. This place couldn't be less like Heartslabyul." Ace said with a whistle as he looked around.
"No kidding. Even the air here feels so...primal. It's like we've left the bounds of civilization." Cater agreed.
"I like the wild feel of the atmosphere here." Yuu admitted as the others looked at Yuu in surprise.
"Huh. You'd think a girl would prefer someplace like Heartslabyul or Pomefiore." Ace stated, irking Yuu a bit.
"What's that supposed to mean, Trappola?" She snapped, making Ace flinch a bit.
"Nothing!" He said quickly, changing the subject. "So what's this Jack guy look like?"
"Apparently he's got wolf ears, silver hair, and a big, bushy tail too." Cater said, effectively saving Ace from a death by pregnant woman.
"A big, bushy tail..." Grim climbed the nearest tree, looking over the dorm. "Wait, you mean like that guy runnin' laps over there?" He pointed as Yuu looked over, shielding her eyes from the brightness.
"Whoa, good eye! There's no way that's not our boy."
"And I thought those twins were big! This guy's HUGE!" Ace yelped, looking at the towering boy.
"No wonder all the scouts are after him." Cater said, impressed.
"Woah. Never thought I'd see someone taller than Luke." She muttered, recalling her tall high school friend.
Deuce looked on in admiration. "With that build, he'd be an asset on any team."
"He's kind of intimidating..." Yuu said anxiously, recalling their earlier encounter with the twins.
"Don't worry, hon! Cay-Cay's got your back." Cater smiled kindly, pulling her into his side. "I won't let the big bad wolf bite you."
Yuu nodded as she looked down. "Alright, but I genuinely hope that this doesn't escalate into a fight. Professor Crewel and Nurse Mamani have both stressed that I shouldn't be doing this stuff too often."
Yuu turned, ready to approach the tall boy when Grim once again beat her to the punch. "Hey, you! Mr. Scowls-a-lot!" He called, making Yuu flinch as the wolf man turned with a grunt.
"Damn it Grim!" She hissed to herself as she moved quickly to attempt to catch up to the cat.
"Just wanted to let ya know somebody's probably gonna try and hurt you. But don't worry—Grim the Great will protect you!" He announced, his nose held in the air as he demonstrated his usual cocky behavior.
"What?" The boy snorted before waving dismissively. "Look, don't bother me when I'm training."
Ace sighed audibly as Yuu grumbled.
"THAT'S your approach, Grim? I can't even count all the ways that was terrible. If you were on Magicam, I'd totally unsubscribe from your feed." Cater yelped running over just as Yuu grabbed Grim and placed her hand over his mouth.
"Sorry about that!" She said awkwardly as Grim squirmed in her grasp.
"Sooo sorry about that, Jack. Listen, king, could we have just a minute of your time?" Cater smiled politely, making his body language as least threatening as he could.
"What's all this about? You said you wanna protect me from something?" He grumbled.
"A lot of Spelldrive tournament hopefuls have been hurt in 'accidents' on campus lately." Deuce said, pushing Yuu behind him protectively.
"And we're trying to figure out who's behind it." Ace shouldered his way beside Deuce as the boys formed somewhat of a protective wall in front of Yuu, who almost teared up a bit.
"Go on." The boy grumbled tensely, his eyes fixed on Yuu, who shifted beneath his sharp gaze. A look of surprise and recognition seemed to flash across his face.
"To put it bluntly, our plan is to stake out some of the criminal's prospective targets." Cater smiled, placing himself firmly in front of Yuu. "What do you say? Will you give us a hand in catching this guy?"
He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection."
Yuu bit her lip as she gently pushed through Ace and Deuce, walking up to the tall boy. "Look. Being alone right now could be dangerous. We just want to help you." Yuu stated, the boy backing up from her, his golden eyes wide.
" I told you, I don't need your help." He insisted before turning away from the group. "And besides I doubt I'm gonna be a target. Seeya." He took off again.
Yuu looked after the boy, her gaze suspicious and confused.
"Aaaaand he's gone." Cater sighed, taking hold of Yuu and pulling her towards him.
"Something seemed off about how he spoke... almost like he was certain." She mumbled.
Grim rolled his eyes, tugging on Yuu's pants. "Well, can't say I didn't warn him." He said.
"Yeah well, you might want to reconsider your approach there, bud." Ace snarked.
Grim sniffed indignantly. "You humans are so finicky about every little thing!" The cat huffed.
"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" A voice called, snapping the group out of their conversation.
"You're a long way from Heartslabyul House." One snickered, the group moving forward as if stalking toward a group of helpless prey. Yuu placed her hands over her stomach reassuring herself that the baby was still safe.
It's okay... It's okay. Nothing's gonna happen. She thought, unsure if it was a reassurance to the baby or herself.
"Probably lackeys sent by Mr. Red Baby!" The other cackled, the group closing in, surrounding the group.
"You think you can just barge onto our turf and walk away without payin' the price?" One snarled, his gaze locked on the group that had immediately gone to shield the smaller of the group.
"Wow, anyone else having déjà vu...?" Deuce questioned.
"Fine, we're leaving. Sorry to bother you." Ace grumbled, attempting to move forward, only to be pushed back into place.
"Aww, don't be like that. Play with us first!" The boy in front of Ace smirked, his fangs glinting in the light of the setting sun.
"Let's play Predator and Prey! Guess who gets to be the prey?" The other grinned like an animal, gnashing his teeth as Yuu stared fearfully.
"Ah, shit." She muttered, her eyes flitting between the stones and the boys, considering braining them and running, however deciding against it.
A much deeper voice rumbled out from the dorm building as a familiar man stalked out, his lion tail swinging in annoyance as he stalked forward. "Cut it out, you three."
Yuu looked up to meet the piercing green eyes of the same terrifying Lion.
"Oh hell no." She muttered, backing away.