Chapter 73

'Do not go gentle into that good night...Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'

Arthur was mentally reciting the poem his has learnt from his dad to calm him down. He was nervous about meeting Mizuchi's family since he knew he can't see his own reflection to tell whether or not his social cues were appropriate.

"Are we there yet?" Arthur asked, puffing out his fluffy white chest. He hoped he could make a good impression as he doesn't want any conflict. He felt Mizuchi's paw grasping his two fingers, curling them.

He sensed she was nervous as well.

"Almost there, Arthur," she whispered, steering him as they walked. Oh, Arthur wished he could fly soon because he had some thoughts about taking her somewhere. A place where they could have tea, the sound of pencil scratching paper and indecipherable noises coming from the trees.

Mizuchi noticed Arthur's stiff posture, poking his ear gently to assure him. She decided to wear her red dress with some matching boots since they are going to a posh restaurant. The harlequin rabbit felt proud of her choice of outfit for Arthur to make him look presentable.

Of course, most of the adults paid no heed to their direction since they looked like a herbivore presenting their kindness onto a blind animal.

When they both stepped inside, Arthur could detect several musical instruments being played, the clinking of cutleries and glass, and the wafting smell of delicious food being rolled on a cart. He straightened his ears and folded his wings tight to his body.

"So...this is the Arthur we have heard about?" a shrill voice sneered. Arthur assumed that to be Mizuchi's mother. "You're five minutes late, Mizuchi. I thought I told you to be on time?"

Arthur would love to tell her mother off but he doesn't want to cause any trouble in public. So, he hoped to steer her mother from reprimanding her even further.

Politely, the Honduran white bat bowed his head. "Hello. Do forgive me if we are late since my wings are a bit big when I walk. Please don't scold her as I wouldn't have got here without her."

There was a pause. He felt Mizuchi tightening her grip on his wing. He wanted nothing more that to hold her in his embrace. Despite being blind, even he knew that embracing her in front of her family would cause an uproar.

He sat at his designated seats, his ears picking up conversations amongst the family.

"Ew, it's a bat! Don't they carry disease?"

"What's up with his eyes? He's blind! Mizuchi, I thought you said blind animals will die first?"

"So our big sister really is dating a bat?"

Now, this made Arthur's ears pin back. Sure, he and Mizuchi had come a long way in their relationship but her family has no right to insult her at the table. In a public dining area on top of that!

"Oh yes, I am a bat. A Honduran white bat even if I can't tell what colour I am," Arthur jumped into the conversation quickly. "And yes, I am blind since I was born and I am very much capable of performing tasks just like any other animal. Well, shall we order then?"

All of the harlequin rabbits at the table were stunned by the bat. As if their words really deflected off him and turned into something positive. Regardless, all bats are deemed abnormal not just physically but mentally as well.

Mizuchi wanted nothing more than to kiss Arthur for trying to steer away her family conversation.

Since she was sitting opposite him, she can't really whisper what's on the menu to him. It was as if her family had planned this before that dreaded message she received. However, she was impressed when the waiter approached her boyfriend, Arthur simply asked if there is anything with cheese and to his delight, there was something called a Croque Monsier.

It's a type of hot sandwich with three different cheese and a runny egg on top plus garlic buttered snails inside.

The rest of the family including her were eating ratatouille, a vegetable dish that is refine and elegant to match their breed.

"So Arthur," Mizuchi's father spoke up from the fourteen siblings and mother. "You're a junior?"

"Oh yes!" Arthur nodded, carefully dabbing the napkin on his chin after a drink. "Member of the gardening club, standard school syllabus and friends."

"Is it true you can hear things far away?" one of her brothers asked curiously.

"How can you cut your food perfectly if you are blind?"

"Do you drink blood?"

Mizuchi thought Arthur might be overwhelmed by the bombarding questions but he answered them carefully, even quipped in some of his jokes. She relaxed a bit when her siblings were getting more curious about him but her parents still weren't convinced.

"What are you planning to pursue once you've graduated," asked her mother. Arthur fluffed up his fur, a sign she has known for embarrassment and fear.

"Well, I'm planning to land myself in art school to learn music so that I can be a composer for mediated soundtracks. If that doesn't work out, I might use my back up which is either in experimental physics. Got to give my dad credit for teaching me the ropes on that one!"

"Great, a homeless bat in the future without a real job," she heard her mother muttered. Mizuchi had a feeling Arthur heard it too.

Mizuchi used her phone to sent a video in the family chat group. It was the recorded performance of him playing the piano, violin and harmonica. She smirked, seeing the looks of awe on her siblings' faces when they watched the videos quietly.

However, her parents still weren't convinced.

After dinner, Arthur bowed his head in thanks. "It was a lovely dinner. Thank you for having me but I have to go. Oh, please I can find my way to the station just fine. I have echolocation, remember?"

"But Arthur-"

"Mizuchi, I will be alright," the Honduran white bat smiled at her direction. "Go spend some time with your family."

With that, Arthur walked away, his wings were out to stable himself. The last thing Mizuchi wanted was to be around her parents but there was a nagging feeling on who might have told them about her relationship with Arthur. All her life, she has followed her family's wishes and promised to have steady work and a harlequin rabbit boyfriend to keep the bloodline strong.

But those ideas changed the moment she met Arthur.

Her sweet, Honduran white bat.

"Mizuchi," she heard her mother sighed. "You better leave him once you've graduated and enter university."

"What?! Why?"

"First off, he's a bat. Second, he is blind which is going to make your child a defect and finally, do you see anyone in this society having a different animal as a partner?"

"Mom, I-"

"Enough!" her mother cut her from speaking. "Focus on your studies and leave that bat as he's not going to make you financially stable. Musicians never make good money, let alone a blind one. He'll die before he can reach forty."

Mizuchi did not say anything as she was tired arguing with her mother. She won't let anyone see that she was struggling to hold back tears.

...

Meanwhile on the other side of the world, Dr Kirk felt useless after Legosi left.

The grey wolf had mentioned moving to his own apartment where he could work at a place that will suit him just fine. He recalled Legosi having certain withdrawal symptoms he has heard every night due to eating meat.

He knew what that felt like during his youth.

Then again, he worried for the wolf just as much as he worries for his own son. But he knew deep down inside he has to trust his son's and Legosi's decision if it helps them to grow and learn how to be an adult. If they are ever in need, his doors are as wide as his wings to welcome them.

Ah, adulthood. Responsibilities, bills and taxes were things that should be taught in school before being thrown into the real world.

He was still a bit culture shocked by how this country has strict laws against those who are inter special-couples or the idea of carnivores walking alongside herbivores. Then again, he grew up in a town where carnivores and herbivores co-exist, even having hybrid offsprings.

Let's not forget the types of animals his father and mother befriended with during the war before he was even born.

"Kirk," a sleepy voice murmured. Dr Kirk gazed down from his hanging position to where his bed was. Ten was sleeping, hugging the pillow close to her. He dropped down gently and wrapped his wings around her to enclose her like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

"I'm here, love," Dr Kirk chittered softly, nuzzling her head. Her giggles were something he would cherish from the Inarigumi leader. What touched his soul even more was when she removed her eyepatch and revealed herself to him.

He wanted nothing more than to love and protect her.

Even if he was not built for combat, there are other ways to fight. But for now, he decided to rest next to his beloved, tracing his two fingers to calm his red vixen down. He paused when his two fingers traced her stomach.

He opened his mouth to use his clicks.

"You two better not fidget so much if you want her to sleep."