Chapter 81

"Alright, new members!" Arthur announced excitedly. He was hanging upside down, ears listening to excited murmurs and the whispers amongst the plants. Ever since Haru is in university, he has take upon the role of becoming the head of the gardening club.

Even if it consists of six members including himself.

Hearing nothing but the chitter-chatter of the flowers, the Honduran white bat smile. "First activity of the day is an icebreaking session and a small test I'm about to do. Oh, don't worry! It's not like what the teachers throw at us or need a textbook."

"Oh, I hope I don't get kicked out..." a voice murmured with a gulp.

"He better not be pulling tricks on us!"

Arthur cleared his throat, getting the new members' attention. "You do know I can hear you, right? I'm blind but my hearing's well-off. Now, please put your blindfolds on and I will be sure to check."

In order to check, he asked his members to queue up in a straight line to where he is hanging. Using his clicks, he was satisfied that the students followed his instructions. A lot has changed ever since his trial with Genji.

He could feel each member tensed up when he was feeling their faces for the blindfold. Besides checking the blindfold, Arthur wanted to estimate what sort of animals are going to be part of the club.

"Well done! Now, let's break the ice, shall we? I can start first and then follow suite with the macaw in front of me. My name is Arthur, a third year and a Honduran white bat. Don't ask me about colours though!"

He smiled when he heard the bewildered gasps amongst the members.

"Hey, how do you know I am a macaw?" asked the bird in front of him. Arthur giggled, angling his body so that he is approximately at everyone's eye-level.

"While I was checking your blindfold, I was also feeling your face for features I should be aware of. Macaws have a distinct beak for cracking shells without using a nutcracker, yeah? However, it's just a guess since my lack of sight is stopping me from guessing what sort of macaw are you."

"I- Yeah, I do have a strong beak for that! Alright everyone, name's Tulio. I'm a hyacinth macaw and a second year."

"I'm Lusa...." the next member spoke shyly. Arthur was surprised by how rough her voice sounded despite the shyness that encased it. "Second year as well and I am a moon bear."

"Wow! I thought you were a shaggy dog but a bear? You must be very small for a bear," the third voice gushed excitedly. Arthur could imagine Lusa crossing her arms to protect herself. "I'm Yuri, a Sunda pangolin and a first year! What are we doing to do after this? Are we planting something new? Are you going to teach us something the biology teachers don't know? Why do you have a silver band on your right wing? I-"

"There will be plenty of that," Arthur stopped the excited pangolin. "But today, I want all of us to introduce each other before I can plan the activities for our next meeting. Don't want to keep everyone waiting."

The fourth member was silent until Arthur heard one of the members shoved him, judging by the sound, to make him talk. He might be the most interesting member to work with. Despite his noncommittal noise, Arthur could hear the name 'Kane' uttered out.

"It's very nice to meet you, Kane," Arthur smiled. "You remind me of an old friend of mine whose not much of a talker himself. So from checking your blindfold, are you an iguana or a horned lizard?"

"Fiji banded iguana," said Kane. "Second year."

Now everyone's attention was on the final member. Arthur blinked when he heard the sound of leathery wings unfurling themselves. "My name is Kalliste, a first year and a Livingstone flying fox."

He could hear the members gasped in awe. Arthur smiled, knowing that Cherryton has allowed every Chiroptera to enrol into the school. Ever since the trial, most of the animals at school has been treating him differently. He didn't mind the sudden change but he still has his guard up.

After all, fear has been the sole ruler of survival, right?

"Right, shall we start our first activity for today? The reason why I asked all of you to wear a blindfold is to understand if you could identify the flowers without sight. This will help especially if we are going to be working in the dark."

Arthur only took a deep breath as he started the club with their first hands-on activity.

...

"Mr Yafya, I have spotted the ghost!" one of the mouse spies squeaked through a walkie-talkie.

Ever since the trial, the Beastars himself has been monitoring the Honduran white bats. He insisted that both father and son must wear a silver band on their wings so that he could at least know their whereabouts. Both of them were referred to as ghost due to their white coloured furs and Arthur's cloudy blue eyes.

Bats were not known to be present in news or any media outlet until now.

He has some bats in the police force but those beady-eyed freaks are more nervous than his mice squad. So far, Arthur and Dr Kirk has been making the stallion question his views about them.

Both of them have been visiting the Black Market for some odd reason. He knew the father's flying to meet the head of the Inarigumi since rumour has it that she has given birth to twins. What monstrosity has the parents created?

Can't they understand that a mixed-species child would limit their chance of having medical care, car insurance, pension, and maybe home simply because they are not the same species?

"Like father like son," Yafya muttered to himself. "Their blind optimism must be their pathetic trait. Literally and figuratively. Okay, I will check on the boy while you spy on the parents. Over and out."

It was a bad night for him since a mission failed and now his personal sidekick, Legosi is in hospital after getting shot. Now a hybrid murderer is on the loose and the police force is as useless as ever.

The stallion followed the bat, careful as he treads on top of the roofs to see where he was heading: The Shishigumi hideout.

"Boss!" one of the Shishigumi members called out. "He's here and Agata's steering him in."

Yafya lowered his body on the roof, his ears flicked at the sound coming from below. He was shocked when he realised what this bat was doing. It's also eerie how well he could play the violin as it sent shivers down his spine.

He was playing a tune that sounded similar to a chant for a funeral.

"Hmmm, very nice," he could hear the figure below nodding. "Well, I don't have to pull your whiskers again if I need a little music in the room, Agata. Odd little fella, ain't he?"

"Arthur's been in this hideout before," Agata, he assumed was talking in a hushed tone. Clearly, the lions are afraid of their boss. Yafya knew he has to act fast and yet...

His mind would tell him to wait and listen. Like a carnivore about to pounce his prey....

"I bet he can't hear a thing if he's so warped up in the music," their boss commented above the violin tune. "Would be a waste if I just used him for target practice. Oh, I know what to do!"

The music abruptly stopped at the sound of Arthur yelping in pain. The small clattered sound indicated that the violin was dropped too. Yafya inched closer to the edge of the roof to listen while preparing himself for a fight.

"I didn't ask you to stop playing, bat," the boss chuckled. "What's wrong? Cat's got your tongue?"

"Well, you caught my fur," Arthur replied, a quiver in his tone. Yafya has never met such an idiotic animal in his life. Then again, bats are not known to take sides as far as history is concern. Stopping a war is one thing but to avoid war and conflict for such a long time really irritated him.

'Those that don't want to get involved are often the most useless members of society,' he thought to himself.

"Isn't it wrong if I keep pulling them?" he asked, playfully. "I've never seen a white bat before so I gotta have some samples out of you. You've got enough fur to last you before winter! Hey, I bet you taste like a lamington cake with an orange aftertaste."

He heard the bat laughed lightly. "You can but I can't guarantee that it will taste like coconut. Ow- Oh, please don't pinch my leaf-nose! I might actually sneeze...."

The boss' laugh made Yafya clenched his teeth. A growl of a leopard's with the high pitch tone of a gazelle's.

"It's almost time so keep playing, little lamington~ I'm not going to ask you again if you want all of your fur or that silver band ripped off. Miguel! Dolph! Fetch us some melons and the money. Unlike most professions, musicians don't care about who they are working for so long as their tunes are heard."

Yafya was tempted to snort in indignation.

Arthur resumed playing his violin, this time the song was accompanied by sharp sounds of pain he was receiving, from getting his fur plucked.

"Also, go and check the roof. I hate those that eavesdrop."