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Louis had another nightmare that night. He sat at a little plastic table and stared blankly at the crayons lying on it. His tiny body shivered as a polar bear slowly ran a paw over his soft fur. It was like being stroked by King Kong, and just as unnerving. "Go on," the bear urged. "Draw something nice. Why don't you draw what you want to be when you grow up?"

Another grown-up leaned in through the door. "The fuck are you doing now, Kora?"

"Mind your own business," the bear said. "We're playing. Isn't that right, Four?" He watched Louis with those beady black eyes, and his dopey-looking face suddenly transformed into a nightmare. Lips peeled away to reveal the sharp teeth beneath. It was supposed to be a kindly smile, but Louis screamed so loudly that he hurt his throat.

Kora didn't react well to his special friend rejecting him. He never did. This time it was Number Eight that bore the cost of Four's cowardice. He'd been sitting on the bear's lap, and in his anger the brute squeezed him too tightly.

The sickening pop of tiny bones breaking rocketed him out of another deep sleep. Louis stumbled out of bed and hobbled toward the bathroom, not even bothering to grab his leg along the way. He made it to the toilet and threw open the lid, only to dry heave several times and collapse. His panic and disorientation weren't as bad tonight. His frustration, however, had multiplied a hundredfold.

Why was this happening to him? Why now, when he was finally getting his life in order? He was out of school, president of a multinational conglomerate, and engaged to the most attractive red deer he'd ever met. His upcoming marriage, arranged though it was, should have filled him with excitement. Why was an old trauma rearing its ugly head when things were going so well?

The memories weren't even very clear. Kora was nobody to him. Louis could barely remember the bear's name, let alone give half an ounce of civet feces what had happened to him. Compared to some of the other horrors he'd endured as a child, the weirdly-obsessed livestock tender wasn't even a footnote.

Louis was pretty sure that most of his tormentors were dead by now. He knew better than most how dangerous it was to do business in that hidden world. The carnivores that ran the livestock program lived dangerous lives, and the tower had been shut down ages ago. It couldn't have been peaceful when it went out of business. Even if Kora had somehow survived all this time, which was unlikely given his size and temperament, what were the chances of him ever getting close to his "special friend" again?

The head of one of the most powerful business empires on the planet shouldn't be afraid of a small-time criminal that had probably gotten himself killed years ago. Louis leaned against the counter and washed his face, then peered out into the main room. His fiance was watching him with the dispassionate concern he'd come to expect from her. This was the fourth time they'd slept together. He wondered if she was happy with his performance, or just telling him so to make him feel better.

Azuki was brilliant at the negotiating table, a shrewd business partner that would solidify the Horns Conglomerate's already firm grasp on international trade. The doe was beautiful, talented, and somewhat fond of him as a person. In many ways she was the perfect partner for him.

And yet, when he thought of telling her about his dream, Louis wanted to laugh. What a terrible imposition on her that would be. It wasn't as though she didn't care for him, but she hadn't signed on to babysit an emotional wreck. It was one thing to comfort him when he was throwing up, but quite another to shoulder the immense baggage that came with such an unpleasant childhood. A woman that immediately asked if his male parts were intact when he lost a limb wouldn't be eager to hold his hand and comfort him after a nightmare.

He closed the bathroom door and slid to the ground, leaning back against the sink. Being strong all the time was exhausting. Sometimes he wondered how Legosi managed it. Louis grinned and shook his head, amused that his old friend always came to mind when he was feeling vulnerable. The big dope could probably suffer through anything without a word of complaint. He had a quiet grace to him that was absolutely infuriating sometimes.

Thinking of Legosi brought to mind Juno. It felt wrong to dwell on her after a night with his fiance, but he couldn't help it. Louis remembered her touch from earlier in the day and thought back to the first time they'd held hands. Her strength as she pinned him to the ground had been astonishing. A declaration of war, she'd called it. Today had been different. The way she held onto him as if cradling an egg, afraid to break his fragile fingers, made him angry. It was just another reminder of carnivore superiority. He had too many of those in his life already.

The urge to call her was overwhelming. Louis had to remind himself that he was due to be married soon. Even if the grey wolf was a close friend, she wasn't someone to be approached carelessly. He'd become something of a media darling in recent weeks, and people would talk. He could easily bear the scrutiny, but getting her involved in a media circus would be a terrible thing to do.

Besides, Juno was a carnivore. Approaching one out of weakness was generally a bad idea. Louis knew nothing of Juno's eating habits, but most of her kind made trips to the black market now and then. She was old enough, and healthy-looking. Meat was surely a part of her diet. Once they got a taste for it they had a much more difficult time controlling themselves around herbivores, especially wounded ones.

Thinking of someone like her eating a corpse made him immensely sad. Louis meekly returned to bed and shrugged off Azuki's questioning look. He rolled onto his side and tried to go back to sleep. It took a long time to succeed.

****************

The scents of the meat market were intoxicating during the night. By day they were muted, though still tempting. Most predators were nocturnal or crepuscular, so the shops did less business while the sun was up. The smell still made Juno's mouth water as she reached up to press a buzzer mounted next to a thick metal door.

There was no answer. The grey wolf looked at a small slip of paper, double-checking Legosi's message: "Big Bear Cat Psychiatric Hospital. See Gohin." There was no mention of a time she should come or a phone number she could call ahead of time. All she could do was hope that she got lucky.

Juno hit the bell again, then started to pound on the door in frustration. The intercom buzzed loudly and scared her half to death. "What do you want?" a grumpy voice demanded. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Juno checked her watch and frowned. "Um, do you? It's almost noon."

The door was suddenly thrown open by a muscular panda with a scarred face. He looked rough and haggard, but his voice was gentle. "Sorry. Time got away from me. I was with a patient last night and then went out drinking." He held a hand out to her, which she accepted and shook. "Gohin. Come in, I'll make some tea."

The lower levels of the hospital were in a sorry state, but the panda's office was much nicer. Juno sat in an armchair while Gohin made do with an upturned bucket. He served her tea, then listened as she laid out the purpose of her visit. When she mentioned Legosi he raised his eyebrows, but let her finish without interrupting.

"You do realize that I'm not a _date_doctor, don't you?" Gohin asked when she was done. "I don't know how to tell you this, kid, but it sounds like you've already lost. This guy's engaged to a beautiful, intelligent, wealthy woman of his own species. You, on the other hand, could end up ripping his throat out in a moment of weakness. Seems like a pretty clear choice to me."

"He doesn't love her!" Juno insisted.

Gohin snorted, sending the smoke from his cigarette drifting across the distance between them. "Hah! That's a good one, kid. You think he's the first rich jerk to marry someone he doesn't love? Hell, I bet he's already decided where to keep his mistress."

Juno leaped over the table and grabbed Gohin by the collar of his shirt. "That's enough!" she snarled, fangs bared and eyes burning with fury. "Enough, you hear me? Talk about me however you want, I don't care! Just don't talk about _him_like that. He's different!"

The moment passed, and she came to her senses. "Oh god," Juno whispered, and quickly stepped away from the panda. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper."

Gohin calmly smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt, looking annoyed at the new holes left by her claws. "I know you didn't," he said. "That's sort of the problem. You can smell it, can't you? The scent of cooking meat down in the market permeates this whole area. It has a powerful psychological effect on all predators, especially young and passionate ones. Look at yourself. You're drooling at the thought of a deer that's already engaged to someone else. You've convinced yourself that you love him, but why? Because you kissed him once? Because he's agreed to have tea with you a few times? That doesn't sound like love to me. It sounds like you're hoping he runs so you can chase him."

The truth of his words hurt more than Juno could stand. She was so sure of herself in coming here, so filled with righteous purpose, that she hadn't second-guessed herself at all. Now she felt her resolve crumbling. "I have to try," she said quietly. "Legosi said there was a way to beat this. You helped him figure things out. I need you to do the same for me."

The wolf's stomach growled, and her tail drooped. "You're right, you know. I'm starving even though I just ate. The smell is driving me crazy." She coughed to clear her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes. Why couldn't she be stronger like Louis and hide her feelings? Why did she always find herself wearing them on her sleeve? "I have to know for sure. Maybe you're right and what I feel isn't real. Even if that's the case, I still have to find out."

Gohin sighed and took a long drink of tea. "What is it with kids these days?" he wondered aloud. "Bunch of hormonal idiots. What a pain in the ass." He put the cup down and tossed his cigarette into the ash tray, then stood up to tower over her. "If that's what you want, I'll consider it. Let me show you something first. Then we'll see."

The panda opened a door and pushed Juno inside. It led to a small , dimly-lit room with photographs pinned all over the walls. A thick column of bamboo stood at one end of the room with steel chains wrapped around it. "This could be you," he said. "Look at each one. Remember it. Etch it into your mind as hard as you possibly can. If you chase after this guy like you are now, you're going to kill him. It's not a question of if, but of when. If you can't accept that, this isn't going to work."

He waited while she looked over the horror show that he'd pinned to the walls. Every image was more gruesome than the last. Some predators had gone savage and were straining against the heavy chains that bound them. Some were missing huge patches of fur, while others had lost entire limbs. Blood and viscera were everywhere. Juno felt her stomach turn, but at the same time it made her desperate for food. It was a cycle of revulsion and desire that fed into itself, becoming stronger the longer that she looked. "Who is this?" she said after a few minutes. The smiling face of a leopard woman had caught her eye. "She's a lot happier than the others"

"She's you a few years from now. She fell madly in love with an herbivore. He loved back, too. Real cute couple. Can you guess what happened?"

Next to the leopard was another picture, this one of a pile of shredded meat sitting in an otherwise pristine bedroom. The scene was so gruesome that it was impossible to tell anything about the victim, even his size. "I can," she said quietly.

"I want you to picture this guy you're so in love with like that. I know it hurts, but you need to do it anyway. Think about his face being ripped off by your fangs. Think about his limbs being crushed and his guts spilling out on the floor."

"That's enough," Juno whimpered. "I understand. Please, stop."

Gohin nodded. "Alright, kid. Just remember the way you feel in this moment. Things will only get harder from here. Are you sure this is what you want? If not, the door's right over there." He waited while she composed herself. Her answer hadn't changed. "I guess that's all there is to it, then. Oh, and there's one last thing I should mention. You don't get to bare your fangs at me. Ever. You got away with it once, but that's the only warning you're going to get."

"I won't," Juno said. "I promise."