Ojwang pulled the straps of his new neon green backpack closer to his chest. He focused on the suspension, the sound of his water bottle inside plopping with every step, the faint smell of the recently purchased polyester... trying to use every sense of his to divert away from the spectral, grievous semblance of Koda following him down the sidewalk.

The young boy tactfully peered over his shoulder, pretending to watch a car go by to get a quick glimpse of the hooded figure keeping a wary eye on him and their usual busy surroundings on the walk to school. 

Ojwang bit down on his lip as Koda kept his gaze low and tentatively observed the boy with those dangerous feline eyes. It was the same threat seen within him late last night...bare of clothes... and his amber-toned skin drenched in dirt and dry crimson blood.

"Koda... Koda... What happened?... are you okay?" 

His mother was brave to be asking the stoic young man. The only answer she ever received was that animalistic glare of his golden eyes so broad in a variety of emotions, a certain weakness pulling through the rest, it told her a story that Ojwang couldn't understand. Then without any hesitation at all, his mother once again took Koda into their home and got a hot bath running for him.

Ojwang had no doubt Koda knew of the new apprehension he had to be around him after appearing the way he did last night. The boy secluded himself to his thoughts and didn't lead himself to talk freely to him at all this morning with his mother's words replaying in his mind. 

Although as confusing as they were...it did give him some sense of clarity in his own emotions.

"Mama...he killed them...he can't stay here."

"My boy, is that what your mind tells you?"

"Yes mama, he...he might hurt us."

"But your gut tells you otherwise, doesn't it boy?"

"...I don't understand it...I feel he is good. But he killed them..."

"When it comes to the animal world, the predator will tell you if they want to kill you by changing the way you feel. It's that feeling in your gut...humans have learned to block out gut instinct, but it's always right my boy. If he wanted to hurt us, he would have told us by triggering that feeling within us."

The boy eased himself to a stop, pressing the button of the traffic light and glanced up ahead of the road to see Heathshire Academy. For the first time in a while, he felt safer to soon leave Koda's side, he felt like he could deal with bullies over dealing with the fact his feline friend was now a murderer. 

Ojwang's body shivered when of the hybrid in question silently appeared by his side and he tightened the grip on the straps of his backpack. 

The heavy suburban traffic of the morning began to slow, then stopped completely in time for the crossing. The two crossed the road silently, Koda keeping a cautious gaze on the traffic while Ojwang looked towards the school that becomes clearer in the distance.

Distracted by the sight of the open gates of the prestigious school, Ojwang had caught himself on the curb and started to tumble down to the concrete. But in a swift movement, Koda had caught onto his backpack with one hand and caught the boy from his fall. Ojwang released a heavy sigh of relief, looking at how close he got from landing face-first on the concrete.

...If he wanted to hurt us, he would have told us already...

Koda surveyed Ojwang, inspecting the boy's manner as he could hear his heartbeat rapidly sped up with the scare. When seeing Koda was okay, he then finally paced ahead, waiting for the boy to catch up. But Ojwang held still, immersed in the memory of the first time he saw the Hybrid.

He was weak...starving and injured, shivering in the cold alleyway beside his mother's cafe. Upon being approached by Ojwang, Koda changed into his saddening animal form, his dark fur was matted and dull, bones protruding outward from under his thin hide. The animal strained and hissed at them in fear, with the heavy pulsations of the immobilizing force giving every warning growl. His mother calmed the situation down, and offered chunks of meat from the restaurant's freezer, and slowly through a night of careful convincing. Koda grew to trust the boy and his mother.

"He could have killed us for his own survival...but he decided not to...he was just scared."

Since then, Koda had been popping in and out of their lives, learning from them, trying to blend into society with Miss Lelita's help. It was hard to gage what was on the Hybrid's mind... But Ojwang seemed to suspect that Koda was looking for something or hiding from something... maybe both.

"Koda..." Ojwang muttered under his breath. The Hybrid slightly turned to his left side, just enough to observe what the visibly confused boy had to say. Ojwang squeezed the green straps at his shoulders with his knuckles whitened. "Why... Why did you... kill-" Ojwang stuttered. Without finishing his sentence, he tried to search for some indication of an answer from under Koda's shadowy hood, but the young adult turned back away from the boy and continued to pace along the path. 

Unknowingly, the boy's frustrations began to rise. "I know you can understand me! stop pretending like you don't." Ojwang gasped at his fierce tone of voice, and now his irritation was clear to Koda. The boy took a few steps back as Koda moved on his left side again, this time seeing the glow of his golden eyes. 

"I... I-"

The boy's throat clamored up. He didn't expect such attention from Koda, nevertheless to see the bestial glare of a Hybrid in such a scary way. With this pressurized glare, Ojwang's thoughts blurted out in the open. 

"-Why are you here with us... and did-did you kill those people Koda?" Koda slowly blinked at the boy, continuing to stare as he became more and more frantic with his words. "You know my mother is trying to ignore it, but she's just as confused as I am... you can't just kill people like that! we... we told you that in this world we don't do that! Why don't you understand?!" 

Ojwang shook his head, his mind retracing over everything still struggling to believe what Koda did. 

"Mama trusts you...I trust you...but I'm still afraid of you because I don't understand you!" A stray tear passed down Ojwang's dark full cheeks, growing angry with the struggle to communicate his feelings. 

Ojwang took brave steps forward walking quickly to pass by Koda, but the Hybrid got a firm grip on the boy's upper arm and stopped him from going any further. The young boy reluctantly marked up to his older friend with a shaky gaze, only for his heart to drop at the sight of pure softness in Koda's expression.

"To keep her safe." Koda's husky voice rumbled. Ojwang gasped and stumbled back, astonished by the few words that the Hybrid spoke with such clarity.

He...spoke?

Through rapid blinking and trying to slow his intense heart rate...Ojwang could feel himself grow more comfortable with hearing the deep tone uttered by the otherwise silent figure. Koda slowly blinked once more, then averted his eyes which were subdued with gloom out towards the sky and the horizon beyond the cityscape of Lonhurst and to towards the greenery of the suburbs. 

He appeared as he did last night, the faintness of sorrow fading the color of his eyes.

To keep her safe?

"Who?..." Koda steadily returned to a calmer Ojwang, who with curiosity had settled himself to speak to Koda with regained composure. "Who are you talking about?"

Upon the end of Ojwang's words, he started sensing his body surging with soothing energy that alleviated the stagnant stress of the conversation at hand. Koda's body started emitting rounds of tender vibrations, trills like that of a purring cat. 

He started moving his hand to his jacket and retrieved a maroon-colored fabric from the zipped pocket. Koda then held it close to his face and closed his eyes... Ojwang had never seen Koda act like this, it was so warm and kind like all previous barriers he had up fell under some spell.

With an outstretched arm, he offered the fabric to Ojwang who started to recognize something familiar about it. The boy opened it up to its fullness to inspect further and came to fully identify this as an apron from his mother's cafe. Before asking Koda for more information, he saw the glint of a plastic name tag catch his eye, the boy adjusted it into his view and read the name.

(Y/N)... she's the pretty waitress from mother's cafe...

--

(A/N): 

Eek!

I'm sorry for changing perspective so suddenlyyyy, it's going to make everything all choppy and unevennnnnn.

BUT OOOOOooooOoO little Ojwang called you pretty! isn't that COOT.

I'm glad i finally got this chapter down thoughhhhh.

okay bye  hbsfkzdbgsnzjDVSKm/