Stainless

Even before they reached the doorway, her anticipation curdled into sharp anxiety. Char, oil, fat, and cooked meat slammed into her senses. The cafeteria’s suffocating aroma pressed against Lilac’s trembling form and forced her backward. But before Lilac could even consider protesting, the double doors swung open, and she was led inside.

The mugginess made her fur feel greasy. The room was a distorted version of Lilac’s university cafeteria. It was a madhouse. Grey and brown bodies tore into meals with reckless abandon. Without color-coded shirts, Lilac wouldn’t have been able to tell patients from authority figures. Wolves twice her size cleaned flesh from bones with ease. Some ate so fast she wondered if they even chewed. Some ate with specialists. Others filled seats beside them with just an intimidating glance.

At some point, she realized Teddy was no longer walking at her side. A spike of panic tightened her chest. Somehow, Lilac was able to hear a sharp whistle through the crowd. Lilac quickly turned to see Teddy standing at the buffet line, waving her over with two plates ready in her hands.

Gosh, she’s quick.

Along the way, each stare lingered on her. Shame scaled its way up her neck as she kept her eyes down, clutching her empty tray. She felt like a failing show dog under their hard looks. Finally, when she reached the food line, Teddy stepped forward and handed her both plates on a tray.

Nothing could have prepared Lilac for the monstrous buffet. Mountains of pungent meat, stacked on a plastic trough, made her avert her eyes. There was nothing but meat.

A heavy-set wolf in a blinding pink apron offered Teddy a respectful nod before gasping. “Oh, my! You must be that little shiba girl we’ve been hearing about! My goodness, aren’t you absolutely darling!” She turned to her coworkers. “Extra for this little one!” she yelled out, and her coworkers all nodded in unison. Lilac’s face burned as the bodies behind her, impatient and shuffling, urged her to move forward.  

Before she could find the courage to interject, the cafeteria workers sprang to life. Rapid-fire questions trampled over her attempts to answer them. She turned her head, searching for reprieve.

Mutt.

Lilac’s head snapped behind her, she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it. Her heart was beating so loud that most sounds were beginning to blur together. She looked back down at her tray, a half-chicken dripped myoglobin onto sausages bursting through their casings. When did that get there?

The sounds of someone tearing sinew from bone made Lilac wince. She heard it so clearly it felt like her own body. Had her hearing improved? Her eyes focused, then unfocused as she moved down the line robotically.

'Well done? Rare? Chicken or beef?' Distant questions rang out to Lilac from behind sharp-fanged smiles. She shook her head; she swore she did. Still, the tray grew heavier in her hands.

It wasn’t until Teddy cleared her throat that Lilac realized they were seated, and that her tamer was looking at her curiously—not at her eyes, but at the white-knuckled tremor in her grasp.

“You haven’t eaten,” Teddy stated, her voice softer than her expression. The Border Collie’s unwavering gaze pressured Lilac to shift uneasily and lean back, her fingers tightening around the edge of the seat. There seemed to be no one else at their table, thankfully.

Lilac gave a strained, brittle laugh. It was now or never. “Would now... be a bad time to tell you I’m a vegetarian?” she said through a gritted, awkward smile.

The silence was deafening.

Teddy looked her over, her eyes moving between each of Lilac's and skimming her hunched form with a cool, unreadable gaze. Teddy's eyebrows raised, “You’re... serious? Or was that in jest?”

“I was... kind of hoping there’d be a salad bar, if I’m being honest.” Lilac looked aside with a tight-lipped smile. “I probably should’ve told you earlier. My bad.”

“... Are you not half wolf?” Teddy ventured.

“I’m from Koinu. Everyone’s vegetarian. Even my dad.” Lilac pulled back slightly, surprised by the defensive tone in her voice.

A loud growl echoed from her stomach. Lilac lurched forward, clutching her abdomen as if she’d been shot. Teddy tilted her head at the display. Lilac tried to laugh off the embarrassment of being betrayed by her own stomach, glancing at her pile of carnivorous delights but making no move toward it.

"I see," Teddy said, her voice clinical. "I will discuss the feasibility of your preferences with the nutritional staff. I’m sure you know the toll of even small amounts of hunger." Teddy rested her head on her hands, blue eyes analytical. "Beyond fainting spells, reduced bone mass is possible with malnutrition. Your body needs more than it did a week ago. If you shift without enough energy, your body will consume itself. Cardiac arrest would not be unexpected."

Lilac let out a wide-eyed, startled laugh. She was taken aback by the intensity of the woman beside her. “I guess I’ll never have to worry about dieting then.” Without realizing it, she’d clenched the fabric at her chest, subconsciously trying to ward off her hunger from her frantic heart.

Teddy grabbed a fork and twisted it between her fingers as if it fascinated her. She pierced it into the steak on Lilac’s pile of meat. Red juices dripped down into the puddle, threatening to spill onto her tray. Lilac’s stomach gave another treasonous growl, even as nausea crept into her throat.

Teddy gave a sigh through her nose before rising from her seat, “I suggest you weigh those options. We have no salad bar, but I have something that might suffice while we arrange accommodations. Please do not move. I will return shortly.”

“Wait.” Just before Teddy was out of earshot, Lilac reached out, hand extended as if to grab Teddy's, but hesitated. When Teddy's blue eyes turned to face her, one eyebrow raised, Lilac stammered.

“The-the silverware. You said werewolves are allergic, but... how come it doesn’t burn?”

Teddy blinked at Lilac, confusion clear before she slowly opened her mouth to answer. “It... It’s stainless steel.” After a cautionary beat of silence, Teddy turned back and left on her task.

Lilac’s eyes followed Teddy until the Collie disappeared between large, moving bodies. For a moment, Lilac stared at the empty seat her supposed tamer had left behind. She let her forehead drop against the table with a resounding thud and clutched her stomach, pressing her arms tight around her middle.

Gods, why am I like this?

Lilac glared at the tray of unintentionally solicited meat, her warm cheek pressed into the cool tabletop. Saliva welled in her mouth; she swallowed thickly, but a drop escaped and splattered onto the table. Feeling too weak to lift her head, she remained slumped, wallowing in despondency as Teddy’s warning echoed in her mind and her vision blurred from lightheadedness. Dishes and smells tormented her as she waited, trapped in her own body, for a meal she was actually allowed to eat. She could only imagine how pathetic it all looked from the outside.

Closing her eyes in silent contemplation, Lilac tensed her hands. Her stomach growled like it was kicking her insides. Teddy would be back soon. She just had to be patient.

For a brief moment, things were quiet. The sounds of the cafeteria dulled into a low hum. maybe a nap wouldn't be so bad-

“Hello.”

Lilac's eyes shot open and her hand dropped the chicken leg she’d been holding. She looked down at her frozen hand as if she had been caught committing a crime without even realizing she was about to perpetrate one. Lilac rubbed her lips with the back of her hand as an unfamiliar woman sat across from her. The woman—a tall, tawny-red wolf with black freckles—sat upright, her posture radiating confidence and making her presence impossible to ignore. Long black hair flowed down her back. Her fur reminded Lilac of autumn leaves. A gold necklace rested against the woman's black uniform, drawing attention to her sharp brown eyes as she fixed Lilac with an intrigued gaze.

Beside her sat a man so large that Lilac doubted she’d reach his chest. His fur was olive-tinted, with a lighter undercoat and a white patch between large, pointed ears. His biceps were as wide as Lilac’s head. Lilac felt it from across the table when he sat down.

His plate was piled high with sausage, several braised meats, and flame-broiled steaks.

What is the budget for this place? Lilac wondered, half impressed that he managed to fit it all onto one tray. Her hands twitched.

"Shouldn't you be at the kids’ table?" the male wolf asked, curious.

"Huh? I’m a patient too—an adult one!" Lilac waved her hands, embarrassed at the assertion.

"Oh, damn. You’re pretty tiny. What are you, a Coywolf? One from one of those territories down south?" He gestured downwards with a chicken drumstick.

Lilac tried not to squirm as he awaited her response, feeling her cheeks heat. His tamer tilted her head, amused. "No, I’m uh, I’m part Inu. I’m actually kind of tall compared to my mom." Even with the brief explanation, Lilac internally groaned at herself as if she’d overshared.

Noah grinned. "No fuckin’ way. You’re a half-breed?” He glanced at Alexis in astonishment, a snarky grin plastered onto his face. “Is that allowed?” He let his jab sink in for a moment before continuing. "Well, I’ll be damned. You’re a shaman dog. Or I guess, like, a monk? Y’know, those nonviolent types," he twirled his fingers. " Lemme guess, Swirly tail?"

Lilac’s face burned as her discomfort became obvious; her small ears flattened tight to her head. Her hands twitched against her seat, nails digging so hard into the particle board that small divots formed. She hated how he was looking at her. She hated that she could smell his breath when he laughed. She hated that her leg wouldn't stop shaking under the table.

She doesn't like hating things.

"Noah, please," the tamer smacked his arm, stifling his laughter with a grin of her own. "My name is Alexis. It’s certainly not every day we meet a ...mixed patient. You’ll have to excuse him.” She shifted some chicken hearts on her plate. Lilac’s eye twitched. No one noticed. “Tell us about yourself.”

Lilac’s eyes darted, praying momentarily for her own tamer to return. A wavering sigh. Stick to the basics, don’t ramble. "I’m Lilac. I go to Domestica U." Alexis’s eyebrows shot up.

“Oh, you look so young, that’s really impressive! What do you go for?” Alexis smiled politely.

Lilac tensed. How old do they think I am? The vision of her tunneling under the table and out of the room flashed through her mind.  Before she could open her mouth, Noah interjected.

“Let me guess, fine arts?” Noah snickered, “Unless you're a doctor or a lawyer, don’t waste your money. Go to grooming school or something.”

Alexis turned to him and shook her head, “I hear Inus are all super smart. I bet the entrance exams were a piece of cake.”

“Nah, my cousin got in with like a 2.0. He missed like 45 days in high school.” Noah dismissed.

Lilac watched them talk; they spoke as if she were answering them. Talking over her without her even needing to be apart of it. A rumble etched its way up her chest, which she could pretend was her stomach. Even when it reached her ears. Even when it sat at the back of her throat. Even when her teeth started to ache with the urge to bite. It was just her stomach, even then.

They probably think it’s cute. She thought bitterly. I bet I could bite him and he’d laugh.

Her teeth clenched, and her nose flared.

"Yeah, then one day—CRUNCH." Noah snapped a chicken thigh. "Some say she haunts this place…"

“Noah,” Alexis chided with exasperation. "Would you stop spreading rumors."

Lilac blinked, confused, realizing she'd completely zoned out of their conversation. "Pardon?"

“See, she wasn’t even listening,” Noah laughed. Before Alexis could interject or redirect the conversation, a sudden interruption shifted the focus. A large box was dropped onto the table, clattering the silverware.

“I must ask you not to provoke my patient.” While she spoke with an upward lilt, the look Teddy gave Alexis was piercing. Her blue eyes glanced at Noah, and Lilac watched as, despite Teddy’s size, the mountainous wolf accepted her authority and somewhat uncomfortably returned to his meal.

“Teddy?” Alexis raised her brows in surprise. “You’re this one’s tamer?”

"As of today, yes," Teddy confirmed, turning dismissively back to Lilac. “I took the liberty of informing our delivery boy to add an assortment of produce to tomorrow's delivery,” Teddy briefed, brushing her white bangs away from her eyes. “In the meantime, we have a case of meal replacement bars. I apologize if this is insufficient, but it is all we currently have.”

Noah’s face scrunched in disbelief. “You actually eat those things?”

“They don’t look that bad…” Lilac mumbled as she looked down at the box of Canine Crunchies. “Good for…hair and..claw health.” Her brow furrowed at the long, unfamiliar ingredients—most were chemicals she didn’t recognize. Seeing at least 30 bars in the box, she suddenly felt her body ache as if it wanted to lunge forward and eat them all. She made an effort to slow her movements as she unwrapped one gingerly.

Each bite was a colossal explosion of nothing. Saying it 'tasted like cardboard' would've been an insult to cardboard. It felt like, with each chew, her mouth grew drier, and her face contorted into mild disgust. She took a second glance at the box, just to confirm these were edible. It took everything in her to keep her dilemma as inconspicuous as possible, instead of her mouth caught up in the bar of sawdust.

“Produce, huh?” Alexis leaned in towards Teddy with a grin tugging at her lips. “Crime gave you an easy time, I'm sure?”

From her jacket pocket, Teddy pulled out a tall can of Skylight Energy and cracked it open, beginning to sip it idly. “He was...” Teddy paused, considering her words carefully. “...Unenthusiastic about the request.”

“Wait.” Noah stopped the conversation in its tracks. “Does that mean you aren’t hosting anymore? What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

"To answer the question, yes, fetch will be on hold while I get Ms. Kimberlite situated. No one is available to substitute for me."

"You always could give in and join my yoga course. We have space open if you'd like to join," Alexis offered.

"Oh my gods, yes, deal," Lilac coughed out around a mouthful of coconut-flavored sand. This bar was better than the previous one in that it was greater than zero.

“Pass.” Noah leaned back and groaned belligerently. “I’m not eighty.”

"How long have you been here?" Lilac asked, hoping to break the tension.

Noah clicked his tongue. "Too long. This place sucks." As Noah opened his mouth to continue he sneezed violently, “ACHOO!”

One of his eyes had gone dark, save for a pale white sliver of an iris, while his arm muscles pulled tight under thinned skin and fur, veins bulging and distended. His sprouted claws like an industrial hook. The surprise threw Lilac backward off her seat, and her back collided with the floor. Even though he was the compromised one, all eyes were now on her.

“Noah,” Alexis nudged him with a shoulder.

“Girlie, you’re gonna have a hard time if something like this freaks you out. This? This is nothing.” Noah’s face twitched with concentration. Slowly, his claws retracted, and his muscles loosened. He blinked rapidly, his pupils flickered, and with each passing second, the darkness in his sclera lightened.

Lilac was awestruck. She gripped the edge of the table and pulled herself up, her mouth parted in amazement.

"It's just a matter of practice," Alexis answered warmly. "You'll be strong enough to do it, too, before long."

Noah gave a sharp-fanged grin full of pride. While the haughtiness in his smile was a tad off-putting, Lilac couldn’t say that it was unearned. She chewed the granola bars slowly between her teeth, and her thoughts drifted further away from their conversation. Something like relief flickered in the corners of her mind.

Was it truly that easy? If he could do it, surely she could. Maybe it wasn’t that bad, maybe things were gonna be OK, maybe this was going to be easier than anything she had considered.

CRASH!

Noah laughed lowly, “Now that is what you need to be worried about.”

Everyone stopped to find the source of the noise. It didn't take long: a woman on the other side of the room had flipped an entire table over. Every muscle in her body twitched and writhed as she growled ferociously, daring anyone to come near. Her eyes were like black voids and her head hung low with bared her teeth. Floored patients around her scrambled to safety as their tamers moves to engage.

Lilac pushed herself up from her seat trying to get a better look at the situation, but everyone around her had the same idea. From were they sat, she could only hear a cacophony of whispers and gasps. Instinctively, Lilac turned to Teddy for some type of response, a warning, an explanation, a green light to run out of the room like she wanted to.

Teddy was still sipping at her energy drink. In fact, she didn’t even seem to feel the need to address the situation unfolding only a few tables away from them. She sat with an almost bored expression against the silhouette of mild panic behind her. Even Alexis had a hint of apprehension in her posture, but Teddy? There wasn’t a hint of discomfort on her Tamer’s face. It was the kind of effortless confidence that made Lilac question what she was doing in a madhouse like this.

Though, in fairness, she didn’t seem all that interested in it at all.

A side glance stopped her in her tracks. Teddy’s eyes met Lilac’s nervous gaze for just a moment, a silent exchange.

It will be okay. Please sit down.

It made an odd twinge of emotion swirl inside Lilac’s stomach. She gave it an honest effort to pry her eyes away, only glancing back at the door, where the now-sedated table-flipper was being escorted away. And everyone returned to their feasts as though nothing had happened at all. Lilac blindly reached for another granola bar, and her claws scraped a cardboard. At her side, Lilac noticed a pile of empty wrappers. All 30 of them.…Gods, my coats are gonna be glistening by the time I’m out of here. Lilac thought sardonically as she watched Alexis and Noah continue to chat.  

Having survived the assortment of, Lilac decided to count the meal as not only her first trial but also her first tribulation. If she could survive those, she could survive being here.

---

  Page 7-8              [Next page Apr 20th]

[Chapter Artwork]

[Author Notes]

So wolves have a full-carnivore diet, which makes me imagine they have Keto-breath. Kind of a metallic scent. Curious your first impressions of Alexis and Noah, it's 100% okay to dislike any characters for literally any reason.

Next chapter we get to see how an average patient's day goes, I'm sure it's all really easy and nothing could ever go wrong.

Let us know your thoughts on how things are looking so far! We appreciate the feedback :)