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"Good morning, Verseres! And what a beautiful morning it is! The sun's shining and we're getting up to a pleasant twenty-two degrees across the Wetland Triad! A great way to start the week if you ask me! It's the second week since the kids are back in school and I'm sure all you parents out there are extatic to have those little animals out of the house. And a reminder to all the horned and antlered cyclists, new laws no longer permit you to bike without an appropriate helmet, so make sure you file down your natural headgear or get the appropriate safety equipment strapped to your nogan! Let's have a look at traffic-"

"Fuck you," Roland muttered as he turned off the radio. The white-tailed deer organized his pack for school. His antlers were growing strong moving into autumn, the velvet still in tact, and he had no intention of filing them down - he'd never hear the end of it. Roland had always enjoyed his ride to school, it was also his only source of exercise but he'd procrastinated on getting a custom helmet to comply with new laws. This morning he was taking the bus.

Verseres was a small city that sat on the shore of one of the largest fresh water lakes on the planet, Lake Verseres. The lake bordered a wetland system with two other independent municipalities nearby, hence the name Wetland Triad. Once very much a working class town, Verseres had slowly transitioned to a tourist destination as the factories closed and the restaurants opened. His family had been there for generations and had been priced out of the city centre. He had a long busride. There was a lingering resentment towards many of the wealthy newcomers yet no one could deny that the influx of money had brought new life into the city.

Roland had turned eighteen over the summer and was just starting his final year at highschool. He hated it. He was top of his class and bottom of the social hierarcy. He looked forward to moving onto university where could affiliate with intellectual equals. The cervine strapped his pack to his back, took in one last breath and sighed it out before locking his door and making his way to the bus stop. Until then, he would have to endure.

A Call to Arms

The bell rang and students began filing into the room and taking their seats. The teacher, an eastern moose, ushered them in in her usual motherly manner. The chatter dipped in volume as the students got settled. The moose stood at the front of the class accompanied by a new face wearing the same familiar uniform.

He was a white lion, a rare species as is let alone for the Wetland Triad. His fur was more of a cream colour than actual white. He had light silver-blue eyes, a notably symmetrical face and a blossoming mane that graced his head with a gentle cascade of hair that went down to his chest. He had a square jaw, refined posture and a physical demeanor that showed both ease and grace.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Zavvy," Mrs. Gable instructed. The students mumbled an unorchestrated greeting. A few girls whispered amongst each other not so discreetly. Other students were less impressed and somewhat intimidated - a new player in the game was a rather unwelcome development.

Zavvy was indifferent, his expression remained neutral and somewhat disinterested. He surveyed the class. He knew his rare colouring garnered attention, he let them look.

"Starting in a new school is always hard, so I'd like you all to make Zavvy feel as comfortable as possible. Zavvy, would you like to tell the class a little bit about yourself before we get started?"

"Hi, I'm Zavvy. I'm new. Nice to meet you." The students were unsure how to receive the pleasant and curt yet peculiar salutation.

There was a moment of awkward silence, "Okay," the teacher said. The moose quickly sumarized the introduction, "Well, if that's all why don't you take that empty seat at the back next to Roland, there. And Roland," she addressed the lanky, tall white-tailed deer with a narrow muzzle and big glasses, "maybe you'd be kind enough to show Zavvy around during break, today."

"Uh, yes, Mrs. Gable," the deer replied with a bit of uncertainty.

Zavvy made his way to the back of the class past a smelly muskrat with giant headphones around his neck and took the desk across the aisle from the white-tail. Zavvy looked to the right and caught the eye of the female mink next to him, he gave her a charming smile, she responded with a shy one, before he looked to his assigned escort.

"Hi, I'm Roland," said Roland.

The muskrat in front of them turned around and gave him a good look from head to toe. "So, you're new, huh? That sucks."

"This is Tody," Roland introduced the curious rodent.

"And so you know," the muskrat continued, "this school sucks."

The teacher bleated from the front of the room, "Thomas, I moved you up so you wouldn't talk to Roland. Do I need to move you somewhere else?"

"No Mrs. Gable," replied Tody, who quickly turned towards the front.

"Good. You can get acquainted with Zavvy after class, and put your headphones away, thank you! Let's get to it..."

***

"You're the first white lion I've seen in these parts," Roland said to Zavvy as they exited the room, Tody a step behind. Plenty of lions here, at least plenty enough for me - no offense - and lots of other feline species. But you're the first of your kind."

"You're going to get a lot of attention!" Tody threw in.

Zavvy smirked, "It's okay, I'm used to it."

"Is it true that white lions are all inbred? I heard it was a problem." Tody asked.

"Tody!" Roland exclaimed, "that's a racist question? You can't ask that!"

Zavvy flashed Tody a menacing glare. "No," he said coldly.

"So, your parents aren't related? And you won't marry your sister?" The muskrat wore a stupid grin.

"I don't have a sister," Zavvy said, his jaw tightened.

"Shut up, Tody," Roland told his friend. The deer turned to Zavvy, "Tody's a little messed up in the head."

"Hey, guys!" A voice rang from down the hall. Coming towards them was the fattest serval Zavvy had ever seen. In one hand he carried a trumpet case and in the other he dragged along what looked like a much smaller version of himself. "Who's this?" The big feline asked, looking the lion over.

"This is Zavvy. It's his first day," Roland explained.

"And we're showing him around," Tody jumped in. "This big boy's Ohman," the muskrat smiled slyly at the serval. "And his younger brother, Ano."

Ano had checked out of the conversation and was playing something on his phone. The younger Serval seemed tiny in comparison to his brother. The boys rummaged through their lockers and repacked their bags accordingly.

"Did you get a class schedule?" Roland asked Zavvy.

Zavvy pulled a folded up sheet of paper out of his uniform's breast pocket, it listed his class schedule for the semestre. He read over Monday's classes, "I have English next. Then phys-ed."

"Whoa, you're in advanced math, too." Tody and Ohman crowded around to read over the lion's shoulder.

"Right after lunch?" Roland asked. "Me too!"

"Nerds," Tody added. "He's in your English class, too." Tody kept reading over Zavvy's schedule. "Looks like our lion here is an over-achiever like you, Roland." Tody elbowed Roland in the ribs, "Better looking though."

"Shut up, Tody," Roland muttered.

"Ano, what class do you have now?" Ohman asked his brother. The younger serval ignored the question. "Ano!" Ohman shouted.

"I have gym," the young serval responded.

"Then go!" His brother commanded. Ano pocketed his phone, shouted goodbye and ran off. "I have to keep an eye out for him. We think he might be on the spectrum," Ohman explained. " The bell rang signalling students to get to their next class.

Tody turned to Roland and Zavvy, "Have fun in English! We'll meet you two in the change rooms for gym."

The serval and muskrat turned and headed towards their class. Roland finished rummaging through his locker. "Follow me," the cervine said.

"How do you know Tody and Ohman?" Zavvy asked as they walked to class.

"Tody, I've known all my life. Our parents are friends so we grew up together. Ohman we met in primary school. We all like the same things and we get along pretty well. That's what friends are, right?"

"I guess," Zavvy replied.

Zavvy and Roland made there way to English. It turned out they shared many of their classes. Roland was surprised that despite his looks and too cool for school attitude, the lion also had functioning brain between his steeley blue eyes. Roland was thankful, there were too many idiots roaming the halls.

English finished when the bell rang and the students quickly gathered their possessions and headed out into the hall. Roland noticed a couple of the girls giving Zavvy quick glances. Roland couldn't help but admit he had a beautiful face, and the colour of his fur gave him an almost angelic look. His silver-blue eyes reminded him of an early morning fog, one that shrouded the world in mystery. The lion's thin, sly smile gave the impression he knew more than he was letting on. Roland was very curious about this newcomer.

They stopped by their lockers to dump their books and grab their gym uniforms, then made their way towards the gymnasium and boys' changeroom. Ohman and Tody had beat them to it. More boys began filing in.

The four started undressing, first removing their blazers, untying their ties, and unbuttoning their shirts before getting to their undershifts underneath. Zavvy peeled his off his body to reveal a well toned, athletic torso. A stark contrast to Roland who looked all skin and bones and an even starker contrast to Ohman.

"Whoa, you must work out," Ohman said to Zavvy.

"I guess you could say that," Zavvy said.

"Hey losers! I'm looking forward to kicking your asses again today. I don't know why you even bother coming. Oh, yeah, 'cause you're too pussy to skip class! Ah, well, more cannon fodder for me." A large bull was taunting the four of them with a group of other boys behind him. He looked like a water buffalo-mix of some sort. "Who's your friend?" The bull looked to the shirtless Zavvy, the lion seemed out of place.

Roland, Tody and Ohman didn't really know how to respond. They weren't used to queries, only insults, taunts, and the occasional physical abuse. Zavvy stood undisturbed, he looked upon the new group with a cold neutrality. The boys surveyed him suspiciously, an unusual addition to the biggest losers in senior year.

"I'm Zavvy" he said matter of factly and held out his hand. The bull slapped it away.

"Well, Zavvy - stupid name by the way - if you want to be a school loser you're hanging out with the right crowd. You might want to make some new friends." The bull scoffed and walked away with the other boys, one giving Tody a proper shove.

"That's Marcus and some of the rugby team. They take turns calling us names," Ohman explained matter of factly.

Roland usually tolerated the harassment but today he was embarassed. "I hate gym," he said.

Zavvy watched as the other boys walk away. He knew their type, they found security and confidence in numbers, propped up by their apparent physical prowess. And not too smart, either. Deep down, they were as insecure as the boys whose company he currently shared. It wouldn't take much to piss them off, he noted.

The four boys continued to get changed. Roland looked almost comical in his gym clothes, the loose fitting clothing only accentuated his slim physical characteristics. Ohman on the other hand seemed almost to burst out of his. Tody was the least fortunate of all, for the most part he was thin like Roland but was starting to deposit fat in strange places, giving his body a lumpy, sack-like look.

Zavvy lowered his sleeveless-T down his body and Roland snuck another glimpse of his toned chest and abdominals. He filled out his uniform quite well and looked as athletic if not more so as any of the school athletes. Another curiosity Roland wanted to explore.

"Guess what we're doing today?" Marcus was back, this time shirtless, he wrapped his arm around Roland's shoulder, pulling the deer in close to his chest. Roland got a big whiff of the bull's odour. They were similar heights, but Marcus' wide chest and massive biceps around Rolands lanky upper body made the white-tailed deer seem tiny. He kept Roland pulled in close making a mockery of an otherwise friendly gesture. "I hear it's dodgeball. This is going to be fun." The bull laughed and walked away not before giving Roland a hard slap on his rear.

"I hate gym," said Roland as collected himself.

The four walked into the gymnasium where the gym teacher, a stalky otter, organized them against the wall. "Okay, boys. It's Monday and we're just going to have some fun and let out some steam with a game of dodgeball. Everyone to the right of me you're on one team, everyone to the left you're on another."

Roland was relieved he wouldn't be split up from his friends, but less relieved when he noticed Marcus' regiment on the opposing side. The coach grabbed a net bag of rubber balls and threw them across the gym. "When I blow the whistle, the game starts. Rules are simple, you get hit and the ball touches the ground, you're out. You catch the ball you bring a player back in. On your marks, get set..."

The whistle blasted - the students ran to the centre line to grab as many balls as they could and then chaos erupted. Missiles were launched and Ohman got hit within seconds. Resigned to his fate he slowly walked to the side bench getting pummelled along the way.

Roland and Tody's strategy was to stay at the back and avoid any and all projectiles. Zavvy didn't care much for sports but he agreed with the coach, it was an excellent opportunity to let off some steam.

Zavvy cautiously approached no man's land, he surveyed the other team and who was in posession of the balls. He saw a hand fly to his right followed by a ball flying directly at his head. With ease he caught it and ushered to Ohman to get back on the court. Ohman of couse wasn't thrilled. Zavvy wound up and fired the projectile back at the enemy combattant, whipping it hard and hitting the other boy in the shin. Another ball came at the lion who effortlessly ducked underneath it.

"Fuck!" Tody yelled from behind having taken the shot in the lion's stead. Roland watched Zavvy from a safe distance. He ran back and forth, dodging and jumping with catlike grace. He danced around incoming balls, his mane and tail constantly trying to catch up with the rest of his body.

Slowly, the other team's numbers began to dwindle until there was one player left. The remaining boys fired at their last standing opponent, sucessfully striking him out and winning the game. The winners cheered and a bunch of the boys surrounded Zavvy, the clear MVP, who congratulated him on a game well played.

Roland, Tody, and Ohman regrouped at the back to watch the celebration. "Well, I guess he's not going to be our friend anymore," Tody remarked.

Roland didn't want to agree with Tody but his silence was telling enough. Ohman felt the same.

The whistle blew and the teacher yelled, "Okay, boys! Back against the wall, we're playing another game."

"I hate gym," said Roland.

***

Ohman, Tody and Roland sat around the locker room waiting for the other boys to finish their showers. They always waited for everyone else to finish, otherwise they ended up dealing with taunts, verbal jabs and sometimes welts from wet towels. Since lunch was next there was no rush to get to another class. They chatted under their breath to one another waiting for the rest of the boys to finish. Roland looked around for Zavvy but the lion was nowhere to be seen.

As the locker room emptied the boys got ready to shower. They ditched their gym clothes and headed into their respective shower stalls.

"Hey, guys!" Zavvy's voice echoed through the shower bank. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

Their spirits lifted. "We thought_you'd_ left," Ohman yelled over the sound of rushing water.

"No, I was with the coach. He wanted to know if I was interested in playing some sports."

"And what did you tell him?" asked Tody.

"That I'd think about it," Zavvy replied.

"What's there to think about? You get to be popular and you get all the attention from girls!"

Zavvy laughed. "I already have those things," he said.

The boys showered, changed and made their way back to their lockers where Ano was waiting. "What took you so long," he complained.

"We were busy winning dodgeball!" Ohman proudly told the younger Serval.

"And busy waiting for Zavvy to blowdry his mane..." Tody complained.

"Whatever," Ano muttered back.

"The line at the cafeteria should be gone by now, it's a perfect time to go!" Roland said.

"I'm starving," said Ohman.

"Me too," Tody replied.

The boys headed down to the cafeteria, the smell of food wafting down the hall. Roland gave Zavvy a drive-by tour on the way. By now, word of the new exotic student was spreading through the school seniors. As they entered the cafeteria heads turned and whispers spread as many of the students wanted to get a glimpse of the new kid. Tody, Roland and Ohman all noticed the increased attention, too, an unusual development in their lives. Roland and Ohman were clearly uncomfortable, however Tody appreciated being part of the main attraction.

They got in line, grabbed their food, and on Roland's suggestion made their way to eat outside. They found a place in the grass under a tree and started chowing down. Zavvy pulled out his cellphone to quickly check any messages.

"Whoa, is that an XR-8?" Ohman looked at Zavvy's phone. Zavvy confirmed. "Can I have a look?" the serval continued. Zavvy passed him the phone.

"Me too!" Ano exclaimed.

"How can you afford one of these?" Ohman asked. "I want one so bad but my parents told me I'd have to save up."

"I don't know, I just bought it" Zavvy said.

"Do you know how much space this thing has!" Ohman delicately explored the phone in his hands like a nervous lover, "It feels so light and nice."

"And the camera is awesome!" Tody added.

"Let me see," Ano demanded.

"No, Ano. You'll break it and you can't afford to replace it," Ohman scolded the younger serval.

"It's fine," said Zavvy.

"So, you're a rich kid, huh?" asked Tody.

"You could say that."

"What do you parents do?" asked Tody.

"My dad owns some businesses and my mom does contracts for governments," Zavvy vaguely explained.

Ohman handed back the phone, the lion stashed it in his jacket and turned his focus to his lunch. The carnivores had their lab grown meat and were chowing down on sausages with lemon grass. Roland was eating a leafy stirfry. Tody, an omnivore, had a smaller serving of stir fry with a side of fish. Their conversation shifted to the latest edition of some comic. Zavvy enjoyed the banter, he had no idea what they were talking about but was happy to no longer be the centre of attention. He focused on eating his lunch, ignoring the furtive glances Roland kept sending his way. Unbeknownst to the deer, the lion was on to him.

After lunch they brought their trays back to the cafeteria. On their way back to their lockers a table was set up in the main hall of the school. Zavvy surveyed the scene, two girls, a tawny lion and another bovine-mix, were handing out information of some kind and chatting to interested students.

"Who's that?" Zavvy watched the lioness.

Roland began to explain, "That's Sierra! She's president of the school council. She does lots around the school and the community. Probably one of the most active school presidents we've ever had, she's really good."

"And really hot," Tody added distastefully.

Roland continued, "We have a couple of classes with her, actually. And she and I are also run the homework club."

"The homework club?" Zavvy asked with an eyebrow cocked.

Roland chuckled abashedly, "Yeah, the club offers tutoring after school hours to students who are having trouble with their studies."

"She's smart and also really nice," Ohman added.

"Nice?_"_Tody protested. "If she was so nice why won't she go out with me?"

"Because that's not how that works," Roland explained, "and she has a boyfriend." He turned back to Zavvy "You guys would probably really get along."

"There's only a few female lions in school but she's by far the hottest," Tody explained to Zavvy, Ohman nodded in agreement. "Either way, I'd love to get between her legs," Tody bemused.

"You'd love to get between everyone's legs," Ohman said.

"Well, between every girl's legs at least. But Sierra has a boyfriend in university," he said sarcastically.

Roland filled in the gaps, "Yeah, she's dating some hotshot who graduated last year, another lion that got a sports scholarship at the University of Ottersway, apparently. They've been dating for a couple years, now. They're pretty serious."

Zavvy smirked, "I'm sure they are." The lion understood the fragility of high school relationships.

"Except they're in a long distance relationship, now," said Tody. "The dumbest thing ever. She'd be happier with me."

Zavvy looked over the lioness, she looked like a southern lion. Her fur was the colour of gold, she had a warm, kind smile that she shared with everyone who approached. She had broad shoulders and good posture. Unlike most of the other female students she chose slacks instead of the school's uniform skirt, her choice in attire gave her an aire of authority and her pants showed off the musculature of her legs.

"I'll introduce you," Roland suggested, "I'm sure she'd want to help a new student get acquainted, especially a fellow lion like yourself."

"Tell her her boyfriend's a cockwad," Tody suggested.

The group made their way up the stairs and towards the information booth. Sierra was distracted by her conversation with another student, it was the bovine who greeted them first, Zavvy shot her his signature smile.

"Oh, hi," she said shyly. "Did you want to sign up for our volunteer drive or get information about upcoming events or sign our petition?" She rambled.

Zavvy indulged the cow, "I was told you were part of the student council and it was recommended to me I introduce myself. I'm Zavvy. What's your name?" He gazed deeply into her eyes, he could see her cheeks flush.

"I'm - uh - Annabelle!" Just getting her name out seemed like a victory. "What's your name?" She asked mindlessly.

Zavvy laughed, "Zavvy," he repeated. Annabelle blushed even more having realized her mistake.

Sierra finished up with with the student she had been speaking with and noticed the male lion mack on her colleague. Roland caught her eye, "Hey Sierra, I wanted to introduce you to-"

"Oh, I know who this is," Sierra interrupted coldly. Turning to Zavvy she continued, "and I have no interest in talking to you."

The other students were taken aback.

Sierra continued, "You're Xavier Inosi, son of Zias Inosi, am I right?"

Zavvy's charming smile vanished.

She leaned across the table, her muzzle hovering near his ear. He could smell her perfume and beneath, her natural scent. She spoke softly under her breath so only he could hear, "I know a lot more about you and your family than you think, and if everyone around here knew, too, you probably wouldn't be so welcome. So, I'll make you a deal. You stay away from me and my friends, you stay out of my business and that includes school business, too. You come to class, you go home. I want nothing to do with a spoiled brat like you. Do this and we won't have any problems. Do you understand?"

The bell rang. The lioness leaned back, the other students baffled by the nature of the interaction. Sierra spoke up, "Roland, you might want to stay away from this one. You're better than this." She gave Zavvy a final look of disgust. The lioness gathered the papers, piled them up in her arms and with a free hand swiped the table cloth off the table. "Let's go," she said to Annabelle. She marched off angrily, the bovine struggled to keep pace.

Zavvy stood there, his face had gone stone cold, the other boys could feel the anger radiating from within.

"Whoa, what was that? Not much of a ladies man, eh, Zavvy?" Tody joked. Zavvy shot him a murderous glare, silencing him.

Roland, not sure how to handle the enraged lion gently put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, let's get to class."

Zavvy stared at Sierra until she turned a corner and walked out of sight, he snarled before turning to head towards their lockers.

***

Zavvy hadn't spoken much since since the confrontation, Roland could see his mind working behind an emotionaless stare. Roland wracked his brain for something to bring the lion back. When the day's last bell rang Zavvy and Roland exited class in silence.

Tody, Ohman, Zavvy, Ano and Roland met up again at their lockers, packed their bags with the necessary homework and headed towards the doors.

"Hey, Zavvy. Tody and I are going to hang out, want to come?" Roland figured his new friend could do with a distraction.

"No," Zavvy said automatically. The lion then paused and reconsidered his answer, "I can't, my parents are expecting me."

"Or, is your mom's pussy expecting you?" Tody laughed at his not so clever joke.

Zavvy reacted as fast as lightning, he grabbed the muskrat and slammed him into the locker. His muzzle centimeters from the rodent's, and through bared teeth he growled, "you talk about my family like that again and I tear out your throat."

"Okay! Okay! Zavvy, I'm sorry!" Tody pleaded.

Roland stepped in, "Zavvy, it's just Tody, nothing he says is important. He's not worth it."

Zavvy agreed, with one last shove against the lockers he let Tody go. The muskrat looked shaken.

The sun was bright as they exited the building, Zavvy pulled a pair of thin rectangular sunglasses out of his breast pocket. The five boys made their way in silence through the parking lot when a voice rang out, "Ohman! Ano! Over here!" A grey minivan pulled up with an middle-aged Serval at the wheel.

"That's my mom," Ohman said, stating the obvious. He ushered his younger brother towards the van and said his goodbyes to the deer, muskrat and lion.

Zavvy stopped by a sleek, black sedan and in a mild change of manner said, "I can drive you guys home, if you like."

Tody and Roland were awestruck. "That's yours?" Tody asked. The car was gorgeous, it was in perfect condition and its glossy paint shimmered in the sunlight.

"It's mine," Zavvy said. "Do you want a lift or not?"

"Shot gun," Tody's voice rang out.

Zavvy stopped him, "No, you sit in the back."

Roland hid his smile and carefully sat in the front seat, conscious of his rack and the height of the roof. Zavvy jumped in the driver's seat and grimaced a bit when Tody closed the door, the muskrat definitely carried an unpleasant odour with him. Roland noticed, too. "Tody, how can I smell you when you showered just hours ago?"

"It's my natural scent," Tody joked, "I put the musk in muskrat."

"Yeah, or the sewer in sewer rat," Roland retorted.

"Oh, come on Rolly, don't be like that! Zavvy, back me up here!"

Zavvy stayed quiet.

Tody looked hurt. "Whatever," he mumbled as he put his headphones on.

Zavvy started the engine and rolled the windows down to get some fresh air, an orchestra was quietly playing through the car speakers. Roland provided some directions but otherwise their journey started in silence.

Both boys lived outside the city centre and it was a bit of a drive. It was Tody that eventually broke the silence. "What have you got going this weekend, Zavvy? You want to come hang out with us Saturday night?" Roland perked up at the question, sometimes Tody's lack of inhibition had its benefits.

Zavvy contemplated the invitation, "Sure, I have no plans." Roland worked to contain his elation.

The car stopped in front of a quaint two story house with a plane, simple yard. "Sweet! Thanks Zavvy!" Tody said jumping out of the car then paused for a brief moment of sincerity, "And I'm sorry I pissed you off... I didn't mean to insult you." Zavvy nodded.

Roland took a bit more time getting out, "Thanks for the ride," he said awkwardly, "let me give you my phone number, you know, in case you need anything." Zavvy smiled and exchanged numbers with the deer, then rolled up the half-tinted windows and drove off.

"We have to be friends with him," Tody explained to Roland. "Did you see the way all the girls were looking at him, today? I bet half of them went home wet! And how he bested Marcus and those other douchebags? If we have him with us, it will only be a matter of time 'till it's starts raining punani! He's the master key into all the girls pants!"

Roland rolled his eyes. Tody meant well but the sex obsessed rodent was sometimes a bit overbearing. He too wanted a friendship with the lion. He felt his heart flutter at the notion but warned his friend, "you better stop making incest jokes then."

"He's got a temper, doesn't he?" Tody said. Roland stared at him. "But yeah, yeah, I'll stop making incest jokes."

***

Roland and Zavvy quickly developed a rapport, Zavvy noticed Roland open up when Tody and Ohman weren't around. Like Roland, Zavvy found the goings on in the daily lives of their student collegues to be rather trivial. And Roland found he was more and more drawn to Zavvy, he felt confident around him - and relaxed. It was a nice change from having to be so silent and guarded.

Friday afternoon came around, it was hot. Roland and Zavvy made their way to their last class of the week, biology. Sierra sat at the back of lab. Zavvy marched in after Roland who took a seat beside her. Zavvy sat on the other side of him.

"Hi, Sierra," Roland said. As it turned out, the deer and the lioness were lab partners, a detail Roland failed to mention. Though this wasn't the only class Zavvy shared with Sierra - the two lions actively ignored each other otherwise - this was the first class where they were in such close proximity.

"Hi, Roland," Sierra acknowledged her partner but said nothing to Zavvy.

Sitting between them Roland could feel the tension. As the class settled and the teacher was about to begin, Sierra's hand shot into the air. "Mr. Somlin," she said. "Zavvy doesn't have a lab partner."

"Hmmm," said Somlin, he looked around. "Turns out, we have an odd number."

Roland blurted out, "we can be three!" Not only did he want to be partnered with Zavvy he also thought he'd be able to smooth relations between the two felines.

"Sure, Roland. That's fine."

Sierra huffed, Roland had his work cut out for him.

An awkward biology class ended, but no fights broke out so Roland considered it a success. Sierra muttered a bye to her cervine partner then quickly vacated the room. Roland and Zavvy left afterwards and headed to their lockers for the last time that day.

"Well, that was fun," Zavvy said cheekily. "You could have told me you two were lab partners."

"I don't understand why you two hate each other."

"Neither do I," Zavvy replied.

Roland remained unconvinced. Instead, he said, "You're still coming to Ohman's tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Zavvy replied sarcastically.

***

Zavvy pulled up in front of Ohman's house, a typical suburban carbon copy that looked well lived in. He was the last to arrive. The big serval greeted him at the door wearing a jersey and basketball shorts, then escorted him into the basement where Roland and Tody were haphazardly playing a video game.

The boys were dressed for the weather, all wearing shorts. Tody wore a ratty tank top and Roland in a plain T-shirt. They felt under dressed compared to Zavvy, however, who wore loose slacks and a light blue button-up shirt that matched his eyes, the buttons at the top undone letting his mane fluff out. Even his casual attire showed his class.

A big TV sat on a bench against the far wall surrounded by well used couches. The basement looked as though it existed outside the aegis of Ohman's parents - a bunker of adolescence. Roland and Tody greeted Zavvy enthusiastically.

"I'll get some snacks," Ohman said before he hurriedly made his way back upstairs.

"Alright, Zavvy. We'll start you off with this one. It's a racing game, all you gotta do his hit the gas and turn the wheel!" As if it was no obvious enough. "Easy!"

Ohman returned with a bowl of pretzels, a big bottle of soda and four cups. He poured the boys a round as the rest settled onto the couch. The TV came to life and the room was filled with the sounds of engines and racing cars. The boys gave Zavvy a run down of the game mechanics, the lion listened politely and pretended to care. As the first round began Zavvy demonstrated there were in fact some things he just wasn't good at.

Minutes turned into hours, Zavvy lost count of the amount of times he'd been lapped. "I think I need a break," he said, his soda untouched.

"Me too," Ohman said. The group relaxed.

"You guys want to see something crazy?" Tody asked pulling out his phone, the question was rhetorical.

"Probably not," Roland responded.

"Here. I'll cast it." Before anyone else could get a word in the muskrat displayed a photo onto Ohman's television.

"What is that?" Ohman asked innocently.

"This," Tody began to explain, "is Gina. It's a perspective shot." It was a messy photo, but two inner thighs were perfectly visible and in between were thin white panties which showed a perfect outline of the girl's vulva. "Art!" He exclaimed.

"How did you even take that?" Roland asked.

Tody smiled slyly, "inconspicuously! I for one never knew she had such a gorgeous pussy!"

"She does have a gorgeous pussy," Ohman repeated. Roland noticed Zavvy also appreciating Tody's photography.

"I'd much rather kiss those lips than the ones on her face!" The muskrat laughed. The boys took in every detail of the girl's sex, her most private parts displayed in high resolution for the adolescents.

Tody wasn't finished, "Okay, now check this out."

Tody tapped around on his phone then cast a video up the big screen. Everyone's eyes went wide. A massive mottled rhino cock plunged half way into a waiting antelope's backside. Even Roland who was used to Tody's choice of entertainment couldn't look away. Zavvy too was transfixed. Maybe it was the angle but the man's girth seemed as thick as Roland's forearm, the woman's moans resonated from the speakers. There were no faces just a closeup of the mating couple's genitals. The woman's inner lips gripped his cock as the man pulled out again . He plunged back in dangerously close to dragging her entire vulva in with him.

"This is Big Benny, he's got the biggest dick in porn right now." Tody's introduction took Roland out of the cock induced trance.

"I need some fresh air," said Roland, who made his way up the stairs and out the back door of the landing.

The Rhino pulled himself all the way out and leaving a gaping hole into the bovid's body. Some nonsense porn banter was exchanged before a giant dollop of saliva landed on the rhino's erection. Unceremoniously, the giant shaft bore back into her with an audible squelch followed by lusty moan. Ohman stared at the TV, no longer registering anything from the outside world. The first man down.

"Yeah, I need some air, too," Zavvy said.

"Aw, you're going to miss the best part," Tody exclaimed disappointedly.

Zavvy went up the stairs and out the back door of the landing. As he exited the house he was hit with the sweltering heat. Roland had taken a seat on one of the benches in the shade, he was on his phone but put it down as Zavvy joined him. Zavvy took a seat beside him.

"Not a fan of rhino cock?" Asked Roland.

Zavvy laughed, "Oh, boy. That was something!"

A moment of silence lingered in between the two boys. "Did you have a girlfriend at your last school?" Roland finally asked.

"Not really," Zavvy explained cautiously. "I've always had bad luck with relationships. Girls always treated me like some commodity." Zavvy rarely divulged this kind of information, and though he hadn't known him long, he felt like he could trust Roland. "Being an exotic species and a rich kid, I get lots of attention, just never the right kind."

"Well, you're beautiful -" Roland froze, realising what he said. A moment of awkwardness was held between them. Then without warning Roland broke it by leaning in, touching the tip of his narrow nuzzle the lions broad one and kissed him as he held onto the side of the lion's face.

A moment passed before Zavvy put his hand Roland's chest and pushed the deer away. "Roland," he began, "I'm sorry. I like you, but not like that. I'm not interested in other guys."

Roland looked like he wanted to die. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." His eyes glossed over and panic began to take over the flustered deer. "I should go."

Roland darted up from the bench but Zavvy grabbed his wrist, the lion stood up and pulled his friend into a tight embrace. Roland burst into tears and held onto Zavvy. "Zavvy," Roland said through sobs and sniffles, his arms still wrapped around the lion, "I think I'm gay. I've never told anyone. The way I felt when you showed up in Mrs. Gable's class and when she sat you next to me, I thought it was meant to be. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you, I'm just..." he sobbed, "I'm just so lonely."

"Hey, it's okay," the lion consoled the deer. Zavvy released Roland and took a step back, he kept his hands on the white-tail's shoulders. Keeping eye contact, Zavvy told Roland, "There's nothing wrong with that. We can still be friends. And I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Roland nodded, grateful for the lion's compassion. "You know you're fucking hot, right?" Roland spoke through laughs and sobs.

Zavvy didn't respond in words but flashed his deviant smile. Of course he knew.

"You're not bad looking yourself, you know?" Zavvy consoled the deer. "Have some confidence. You'll meet the right guy one of these days."

"OoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Yells could be heard coming from inside the house. Minutes later the door opened and two pent up boys came out. "...so much cum..." one of them said.

Roland quickly wiped his eyes of any excess moisture in an attempt to hide his tears. Ohman and Tody gravitated over to Roland and Zavvy, they were too distracted to notice anything was amiss.

"All his videos are that good," said Tody.

"Wow," Ohman said, it looked like words weren't coming to the serval easily, the protrusion in his pants clearly visible to the deer and lion.

"My dick's almost that big," Tody went on.

"Not sure that's true," Roland said sceptically, adding himself to the conversation.

"The trick with girls is you got to act like an ass hole," Tody explained.

"Really?" Ohman asked.

"Not sure that's true, either" Roland said.

"But that's never worked for you," Ohman said, realising the flaws in Tody's logic.

"Shut up, Ohman. And yeah, it has," said Tody.

"No, it hasn't," Roland contested.

"Shut up, Roland!" Tody was getting uppity. "I swear! Why would I lie?"

"Because you're a liar," Roland retorted.

"Come on, Zavvy, what do you think?" Tody desperately sought an ally.

Zavvy regretted being brought into the conversation. "I agree with Roland."

"Yeah? And how many girls have _you_had sex with?" Tody demanded of the lion.

"Well..." Zavvy took a moment to think, "half a dozen, I guess."

The boys balked.

"You guess?" Tody said in disbelief. "I would have filmed every single time!"

"What's it like?" Ohman asked Zavvy.

Zavvy was getting dragged down the rabbit hole by a bunch of horny virgins. "I mean, it's good. It feels good."

"Zavvy," Tody pleaded, "you gotta help us get some pussy! I don't want to be a virgin anymore! What are your secrets, other than being rich and good looking?"

"Well," Zavvy began, "if you want to get a girl you've got to get to know her, first. You have to let her know you're interested."

"And how do you do that?" Tody was getting impatient. "I've let tons of girls know I'm interested!"

"For starters, don't be an asshole. You've got to put yourself out there. You've got to show her you're interested in her, more than just in fucking her. You need to be subtle and slow. You have to make her feel comfortable...and curious. You have to make her feel like she wants to be a part of your life instead of trying to just work your way into her pants. You have to pleasure her psychologically and emotionally before you can pleasure her physically."

"Whoa," Ohman said, he hung on to every word, his pants tenting even more. "That's hot."

"But girls won't talk to me, Zavvy! This is my problem! All you have to do is smile and they melt in front of you. That doesn't work for me!" Tody lamented.

"Because you are an asshole and you say gross things to them," Roland pointed out.

"My first suggestion would be to go out and have fun on a Saturday night instead of holing up in a basement drinking soda and playing video games." They reacted to Zavvy as if he said something blasphemous, the lion shrugged it off. "You can't get into bed with a girl if you don't have a girl to get into bed with."

"Fine, Zavvy," Tody said. "We'll play it your way. Next weekend, you're going to show us how it's done."

***

Monday came around with its usual tenacity. The weekend's heat finally got its release as heavy rains set in. Ohman, Tody and Roland having survived another gym class headed out to nab a spot in the cafeteria while the coach attempted to convince Zavvy once more to try out for some of the ailing sports teams. Afterwards, he rushed into the showers.

Zavvy hit the tap and the water cut off. He stood there and let the excess water drip down his body, he ran his hands through his mane, up and over his head, squeezing out any excess moisture. He opened the door of his shower stall to grab his towel only to find it not within his reach. He looked to the hook where he left it, it was gone.

The lion looked around the shower bank suspiciously, uncertain he was alone. Wearily, he walked into the change room to find his clothing and bag also missing. He heard a snicker and saw a foot fly out the door into the hallway.

"Hey!" Zavvy yelled and started in a sprint towards the door. He stuck his head out into the hallway only to see a fellow student from his gym class racing off with his things. Zavvy smirked, it was a cute attempt to embarass him. Without further hesitation Zavvy started off after the other boy, stark naked and in all his pride, leaving a trail of water droplets on the floor behind him. Students stopped and stared as the naked lion sprinted past them at an impressive speed.

The thief turned the corner at the end of the hall, he was fast, and Zavvy pushed to keep up his speed. He hit the corner hard, his wet mane fell over his eyes and momentarily obstructed his vision. He was running blind, then collided with something hard. The lion fell backwards landing with a wet smack on the hard hallway floor. The ceiling spun above him.

Shellshocked, he slowly raised himself onto his forearms. His muzzle ached from the impact, he could taste blood. He cleared the hair out of his eyes, only to be face to face with the school principle, who had taken out the young lion with the door of a utility closet. The big male moose had been knocked backwards onto the ground in a similar fashion. Beside him was Mrs. Gable who, too, wore a look of surprise. Wide eyed the principle stared back at the soaking wet lion who had a bloody muzzle and whose manhood was in full view between the boy's splayed legs.

"Mr. Inosi!" The bull yelled!

"Sir, one of rugby kids stole my clothing from the shower room," Zavvy pleaded. "I was trying to get them back!"

"Here, dear," Mrs. Gable helped the lion off the floor, "we'll sort this out."

First, the two moose escorted Zavvy back to the gym to get a towel to hide the lion's indecency. On route he cupped his genitels in his hands as best as he could as an act of modesty, while he explained what had happened. He wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked it in at the front, high enough to cover the base of his shaft but low enough so the thicker hair of his crotch stuck up and out. The chevron of his abdominal muscles pointed towards his manhood, just in case anyone didn't know where to look. There was going to be chatter about this incident and his plan was to work it to his advantage, he took the opportunity to flaunt his physique.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gable, I'll handle this from here," said Mr. Thundurik, dismissing his colleague.

The principle escorted the lion back to the boy's locker for a change of clothes. Students gazed upon the curious site of the half naked lion and visibly irate principle. "Hi, Zavvy" a familiar mink's voice sang out. He looked to see a group of girls smiling and giggling at him. Zavvy pretended to be embarassed and discreetly smiled back. The moose and lion arrived at Zavvy's locker only to be in for another surprise. Scrawled across the lockers were the words INBRED BABY EATING FREAK. Zavvy went stiff and the bashful grin that had covered his face vanished. Fury overtook the young lion and he knew exactly who to blame.

"Get your clothes and we'll deal with this after," the principle ordered as he surveyed the slander.

Zavvy grabbed his lock only to find it had been covered in glue. "I can't, Sir. My lock's been tampered with."

"For fuck's sake," the principle muttered under his breath. The principle's demeanor towards the lion softened, the last thing he needed was this getting back to the boy's father. "Come wait in the office, we'll get your lock cut."

Zavvy brooded in reception, still in nothing but a towel until one the custodians brought his locker's contents to him. The principle waited with him. "Take this key, next door is the accessability washroom, you can clean up and get changed there."

The lion left the rest of his belongings in the office except for his uniform. He walked next door to the bathroom, fumbled the key in the lock, opened the door, backed in and let it close behind him. He turned around to see Sierra sitting on the toilet, her pants and panties around her ankles, headphones in her ears she hummed to herself and contentedly tapped away on her phone. He froze.

After a moment, the lioness looked up, eyes wide, she quickly pulled her headphones out and fumbled with her phone, it fell to the ground and the screen cracked. The two lions stared at each other. Zavvy wore nothing but a towel, his damp, matted mane and bloody muzzle gave him a sinister look. Sierra sat there with her pants all the way down to the ground. Meteres apart, the two locked eyes and stared each other down.

It was Sierra who broke the silence, "Xavier, get out!" She placed her hands over her croth to hide herself from the intruding male.

It took a moment for Zavvy to react. Instead of obeying her command, he turned the bolt of the lock and with a click, he locked them in together. Sierra's heart jumped into her throat and started beating double time, she hid her fear behind a fierce, fiery mask. "Get out!" She snarled.

"Actually, now that we're alone," Zavvy began, "I think you and I need to talk."

Zavvy undid the towel around his waste and threw it to the floor along with his uniform. He turned to face her head on, his maleness on full display for the compromised lioness. Shocked, Sierra stared at the fully nude lion. She was completely taken aback, the way he stood there, strong and fully naked, the way he exposed his manhood to her and stared her down all the while, left her feeling small and insecure. She could feel her body respond to his presence, a flushness crept over her, it started in her groin and moved up, over her breasts and into her mind. She tried to shake it off and redirected her gaze up to his cold piercing predatory stare. She remained on the toilet, her hands still splayed across her lap.

"It seems you didn't uphold your end of the bargain," Zavvy began. He walked over to the sink beside Sierra's seat. He turned on the tap, wet his hands and tried to rub the blood out of his fur. Zavvy's penis hung less than a meter from Sierra's face, a fact she actively tried to ignore. Zavvy looked down at the lioness, then down between her legs but his view was blocked. He brought his focus back up, "I stayed out of your affairs like you asked, but you couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sierra defended herself. She wasn't one to scare easily but now she was nervous. She'd heard rumours of Xavier Inosi, he had been in the news a few years ago after allegations that he'd raped a woman almost fifteen years his senior. Sierra feared what he might try with her.

"You don't?" Zavvy asked skeptically. Sierra felt like his eyes bore down into her soul, his cold blue-grey stare held her captive. "Are you sure? Annabelle's Marcus' sister, right? Well, whatever you told her, guess who she told? That's right, Marcus. Do you know what he's been up to?" Zavvy could see her brain doubt her own account. She desperately scanned her memories trying to confirm her side of the story, but Zavvy could see the apprehension sow in her eyes as he connected the series of events.

"I'm not the boss of Annabelle," Sierra was frustrated. "She's free to say whatever she wants to anyone she likes."

"But it was you who planted the seed," Zavvy explained. "That's fault enough for me."

Zavvy gave up on his face, some of the fur around his mouth stained pink. He bent over and picked up a white singlet. He casually slipped the garment over his head. He could see Sierra's mind racing. She fumed inside but kept her anger from boiling over, she did her best to supress a temper only a lioness could have.

Zavvy in nothing but a singlet looked down at his manhood, it gave him a sense of power and control, the same way a soldier feel's about his rifle. Sierra's gaze darted between his eyes and his legs, weary of the threat.

She realized he was right. She hadn't said much about the Inosi family but Annabelle must have investigated further, and then told her brother whose very actions lead them to their current predicament. She would have attempted to explain or apologize but her contempt for Zavvy, and her pride, wouldn't let her.

"We all have our prejudices," Zavvy explained. "I know you tawny lions need to compensate for your inferiority complex but you think all this is going to stay directed at me? What about Roland? Tody?"

"Tody's a pervert," Sierra snapped.

"Ohman? They all think very highly of you. Their lives are hard enough as it is, do you really want to make it worse?"

Zavvy grabbed the button-up shirt, "You might run this school, but I can make your life miserable, too. You seem to have a lot of preconceptions about my family-"

Sierra snapped, "Yeah, they hurt a lot of people in this town and it's sick that you think you can just show up like you own us."

"Well, if we can ruin a whole town without consequence think of what I can do to some poor, working class girl, like you?"

She swallowed hard, her fear and anger battled each other for control. "The same thing you did to that tiger?" Zavvy's head cocked as he threw on his blazer, fully dressed except for his still nude lower half. He knew the tiger she was referring to and the ensuing media scandal, he also knew that whatever Sierra thought, she was wrong. Sierra snarled "I know you raped her and had your daddy pay her off."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zavvy responded sternly.

Sierra tickled a nerve and was not about to leave it unexploited, she gave up hiding herself and stood up and growled at him, "You have no business here. Not you, not your family. If you ask me, you deserve to be miserable. All people like you do is suck the joy and happiness out of people's lives."

Zavvy took the opportunity to look between her legs and made no secret of it. Her pussy was magnificent, framed between muscular thighs her labia neatly folded to hide the rest of her femininity, her clitoral hood delicately nestled above. Sierra let him look but at this point her confidence was nothing but a smoke screen. Her pants still around her ankles, she scolded the male even more, "You're just a neglected inbred little monster from a fucked up family!"

Zavvy snarled, he grabbed the lioness by her blazer and shoved her against the wall. Her ankles shackled by her pants and panties prevented her from balancing herself and she fell backwards, now held up by the wall and Zavvy's firm grip. He held her and leaned in, the tips of their muzzles almost touching. He stared into her eyes, dilating in fear. He took one step closer then the tip of his sheath made contact with her vaginal lips, electrical signals shot from their groins to their brains, taking them both by surprise. The sensation caused the lion's penis to stiffen - along with the lioness' body - and slowly protruded from his sheathe. Sierra began to moisten between her legs, she felt ashamed of her body's response to the uninvited guest. The two lions reveled uncomfortably in the new sensation. Had it not been for the animosity between them they may have both given into the tension.

Zavvy did his best to ignore his own sexual arousal, he shifted his muzzle to one side of her face and whispered in her ear, their whiskers dancing in between one another, he spoke softly yet menacingly, "Yeah, unlike you, huh? Ms. Popular! President of the school council. I know you're a try-hard do-gooder. I know that you work at a shelter on the weekends and that you help with charity events at the community centre."

Zavvy's cock continued to stiffen and press into the sensitive flesh between her clitoris and her vaginal opening, he could feel her secretions preparing her for sex. "Though I do wonder what your motivation is. You love the spotlight? Or maybe it's just a constant search for validation since your dad, well...you know."

"Don't you dare!" Sierra's anger turned to shock and disbelief. Her eyes began to tear up, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yet her wetness increased, the pressure of his thickening member against her folds kept increasing and was becoming harder to ignore. Zavvy's right hand released the grip on her blazer and slid sensuously down her torso until he came into contact with the bare fur of her hip. He leaned in and ran his lips up her neck, a few muscle movements away from actually kissing her. He began to think maybe he should just fuck her, right then and there. He moaned from pleasure, Sierra shuddered.

Zavvy brought the tip of his muzzle to her ear, "That's right, I can do research, too." He breathed her in, she smelt incredible.

Sierra's voice began to shake, "he took his own life when your father took away everything from us!"

"My father had nothing to do with that."

"It was his company! He left hundreds out of work!" Zavvy's cruelty won out as he continued to stimulate her along with reminding her of her father's suicide. Sierra began sobbing, tears began to fall, soaking the fur under her eyes.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Zavvy demanded. "Your father was a drunk, an addict, a failure! All he left you was a massive inferiority complex and now you constantly try to please people just to have a fleeting sense of affirmation."

Her body softened as the grief of her father's death consumed her, a feeling she had long repressed. She looked into Zavvy's eyes with as much strength as she could muster and said, "if you're going to rape me, just get it over with." She closed here eyes and tilted her head back against the wall, leaving Zavvy to do what he willed with her.

"You sure it would be rape? You seem pretty eager...down there at least." Zavvy stared back at her, his hardening shaft was leaking preseminal fluid onto her most sensitive parts, he couldn't deny the pleasure he felt from her wetness. He contemplated his next move, all he needed was to change his angle, apply pressure with his hips and he would be inside her.

"No, I'm not going to do that, it's too easy." Zavvy released her and stepped away but they stayed connected by a bridge of their combined sexual fluids. The head of his cock was slick with her arousal. He stared her down, penetrating her soul. Sierra stayed against the wall as if he still pressed her there. "When the time comes, you're going to beg me to fuck you."

He reached over and picked up his underwear, looked at them thoughtfully then looked back into the warm, yellow eyes of the lioness. "You think you're miserable now, keep this up and you'll see how miserable I can really make you."

Through gritted teeth Sierra spat, "you're terrible. I'll tell everyone who you really are."

"We'll see," Zavvy said. He stepped one leg through the hole in his briefs and then the other. He slowly slid the undergarment up his legs and gently adjusted it and as he pulled it over his testes and swollen member, it gave him a rather impressive bulge. "The truth is, your popularity is contingent on how you make others feel. Maybe you really are just a nice girl who wants to help people, but I guarantee your friends aren't. This is high school, people are so self-concious they'll do anything to prop up their self esteem. If you get in the way of that, they'll toss you aside. Your good intentions won't save you."

Rocked with grief, fear and anger, Sierra cried out, "Your kind are sick! You pretend you're different but you're really just a big incestuous cult. I will tell the principle about what you did here."

"I'd maybe wait about talking to Thundurik. He's pretty angry that someone scrawled racial slurs all over my locker. He's afraid of what my father might do. I don't think now is the best time to be bringing me up with him.

"I'll be honest with you, not much bothers me; snotty high schoolers usually are the least of my concern; stuck up school president's I don't really care for either, but this white lion incest stuff does. You know why? Especially amongst tawnies like you, it's always a reputation that precedes me and everyone of my species. You assume the worst of us but then expect us to apologize for it. You tawny plebeians need to get over the fact that you're just inferior." Zavvy paused as he doned his slacks. "You know, I was really hoping we could have been friends, but you made it quite clear how you feel about my kind.

"I hope your friends aren't as selfish as I think they are. Otherwise, you should enjoy what semblance of a normal life you have before it comes crashing down." Zavvy finished dressing by buckling up his belt. He gave the lioness one last look over, admiring her face and the glistening sex between her legs one last time before collecting his towel. "You really are beautiful. I look forward to our next encounter." Sierra winced at the remark as if it caused her physical pain. Zavvy turned exited the bathroom.

Sierra slumped down against the wall. She picked up her phone and ran her finger's across its shattered screen, she knew she couldn't afford to replace it. The lioness bowed her head into her hands and gave into her grief.

***

Zavvy arrived back at his locker with his things and a new lock. "What happened here?" Tody's voice came from behind.

Ohman, Roland and Tody had finished lunch and returned to grab their afternoon class materials. Zavvy turned around to fully reveal his dishvelled still wet mane and pink-tinged muzzle.

"And what happened to you? You lose a fight with the blowdryer?" Tody joked.

Zavvy grimaced, "Sierra decided she couldn't keep her feelings about me to herself."

"You think she did this?" Roland asked suspiciously looking at the vandalized lockers. "That doesn't sound like her."

"She's always so nice," Ohman concurred.

"No, she didn't write this," Zavvy stated as if it were obvious, "but she instigated it."

"Well, Zavvy. It looks like you've been initiated into the loser's club!" Tody, deaf to the lion's frustrations, wrapped his arm around the lions shoulders in an act of jest. "We meet every Saturday in Ohman's basement."

Zavvy threw off Tody's arm.

"What are you going to do?" Ohman asked.

Zavvy paused, "I'm going to ruin her life."

There was a moment's silence before Roland spoke up, "Zavvy, you can't do that. That's cruel." The cervine feared Zavvy would actually follow through on his threat.

"Why not?," Tody spoke up. "Roland, look around. We've been treated like shit for years and she's now the queen of it all. She's only nice to you because you're lab partners and has something to gain. But when was the last time she actually stood up for you? When was the last time she stuck her neck out when we were getting pushed around? I can't remember!

"You might be fine at the bottom of the food chain, but I'm tired of being treated like shit! I'm tired of getting walked over by all these cunts. Fuck Marcus! Fuck Sierra! Fuck this school! I'm with Zavvy."

Roland spat back at his friend, "You think things are going to suddenly turn around for you? You think some rich kid is going to revolutionize your life? Face it, you're a loser and that's not going to change."

The bell rang and students began to fill the hall again, the bullies' scrawl brought attention to the boys arguing beneath it.

Zavvvy through gritted teeth brought himself back into the conversation, "No, you guys are losers because you choose to be. You hide away and then resent people for ignoring you. Ohman, you can't think for yourself, instead you follow around these two expecting them to make all your decisions for you when they can barely make decisions for themselves. Do you want to live in Tody's shadow for the rest of your life? He's a disgruntled little pervert that can't even maintain basic hygiene, how far do you think that's going to get you? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life masturbating in front of a computer screen like him?"

"Zavvy! That's enough!" Roland looked irate. He was embarasshed enough as it was as Zavvy berated his two only friends in front of the other students. Both Tody and Ohman stood there stumped, both trying to avoid the truth of Zavvy's words. But the lion was not finished.

"And you..." Zavvy turned to Roland and stared him down. Roland could see the predator through the fog. "...are so much wasted potential. Tody's right, you planned to just slink through senior year - and it's pathetic. So unless you want to spend you're time as another lonely nerd you seriously need to re-evaluate your life. If you weren't such a coward you'd admit you're gay and own it. You just might have a better life!"

Roland felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He couldn't believe what Zavvy said, not only in front of his friends but in earshot of dozens of passersby. He could see his life falling apart before his eyes.

"Roland, your gay?" Ohman asked innocently.

"Oh, come on," Tody spoke up. "Roland's not gay!" Tody looked at Roland, he read the cervine's expression to realize how wrong he was. "Oh..."

"How could you?" yelled Roland, visibly upset. "Zavvy, you promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"You knew?" Tody exclaimed. The muskrat felt ashamed that Roland had divulged that information to some new kid as opposed to his best friend.

"Yeah, well, you can thank me later," the lion had had enough. "I'm going home. You all have a choice, to keep living your comfortable life as losers or to finally step up. It's up to you. I have no intention of putting up with this shit, you can fight back with me or you can keep wallowing in your own self pity. It's up to you."

Zavvy turned and headed towards the main doors of the school, he pulled out his sunglasses and made a quick descent of the stairs. The three boys watched him go, all feeling ashamed of themselves and their relationships with each other.

Epilogue

"Mr. Thundurik, you wanted to see me?" Sierra entered the principle's office, the moose towered behind his desk.

"Yes, Sierra! Come in, sit, please."

The lion sat across from the large man, she sat tall and upright.

The principle continued, "It's about Xavier Inosi, you know who that is, right?"

Sierra measured her response, "Actually, yes. I wanted to talk with you about him-"

"Good," Mr. Thundurik interrupted her, "You may have noticed he's been the recipient of some bullying here at the school. And as you know, we have a zero tolerance policy for both subspecies and interspecies discrimination."

The blood drained from Sierra's face.

"As student president and as a leader here at the school I'm going to need you to make sure the student council and the student body are aware that any form of discrimination is not okay. I know you're well informed when it comes to these sorts of issues and I'd like you to organize a sensitity training for some of the students. It's important that our student body is educated on these issues. I know you're the right person to help combat this kind of discrimination. Can you do that?

Sierra couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her muscles tensed as she ground her teeth. She stared straight ahead.

"Ms. Intaba? Can you do that?" The principle asked again.

"I, uh, yes. Yes, sir. I can do that." The words stumbled out of her.

"Good. Was there something else?"

Sierra was utterly dumbfounded, she swallowed hard, "Uh, no, sir."

"Excellent," Mr. Thundurik said, "Oh, and if you could, keep an eye out for Xavier, I don't want him feeling that the school doesn't care about these sorts of things. I want every student here to feel comfortable."

Sierra forced a nod.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you. That's all for now, and could you please close the door behind you?"

Sierra, mortified, stood up, exited the office, and closed the door behind her - now terrified Xavier's prophesy was coming true.