After a rather troubling shift delivering herbivore meals during a rainstorm—often ending with him soaked and without a single tip—the tall grey wolf walked back to the cheap beast apartment complex, counting the meager earnings in his hand.
"¥8000, huh? Not ideal, but at least I can finally eat breakfast..."
He glanced at his cracked watch.
"At 9 PM..."
He sighed, rubbing his ears in frustration mingled with exhaustion.
"I never thought it could be this hard... Being an adult, having to fend for myself and... man up..."
He stared at the cloudy night sky for a moment, his mind wandering through the possibilities and what-ifs that usually plagued his intrusive thoughts. Haru... Louis... How they marked his life forever, yet he can just focus on how he wished he could say more without feeling like he owes them.
"It's for the best... For me, for the rest, for her... I don't regret it. Louis's leg... It was to stop Riz, i was forced to and he agreed... What I did was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't meant to be for my benefit. But why is it so hard to do what feels right?"
He stared at his claws, lost in thought. Did his efforts mattered at all? Trading one evil for another... Melon is still out there and the thought of it disgusted the wolf to his core. And every time he stared at the mirror, he just saw the very carnivore traits that took his own mother from him...
"...Why?
He pondered for a long moment.