Fandom Missing (Private)

[Syrrith]

"Did ya hear that another carnivore has vanished?" The bell had just rung, but the ferret had already made his way over to the wolf, leaning over the desk in excitement. "That's the third one this month! Carnivores don't just vanish like this, and get this, there might be witnesses of it being a *kidnapping*."

Kojo's ears perked up, taking a second to process what his friend was saying. Oliver always knew the latest drama, important or not. It was just a matter if what he had heard was true or not. Kojo, a person who does not follow the news, could only hope that this rumor was false.

"Even worse, it was someone from Cherryton! That's two from our school now. Three is a pattern! Someone is out for us." Oliver claimed boldly. Kojo wanted to disagree, but whoever was doing this was out for someone. It was a disconcerting feeling. Kojo never had to worry about something like kidnappings. No one ever wanted to go after something that could easily fight back.

"Who was it?" Maybe he'd know and could disprove the rumor. Maybe.

"Noah, that one skater kid. He's friends with a ton of people llllliiiikke," Oliver paused, looking over his shoulder at the rest of the class. Most people were already gone for the day, but some were still gathering up supplies, writing things down, or were just hanging out with their classmates. Kojo saw the moment that Oliver spotted who he wanted to. "him!"

Oliver's voice had never been quiet, but apparently the ferret decided that it needed to be even louder as he pointed someone out. To make matters worse, it looked like the poor soul Oliver pointed out was already listening. Kojo felt terrible. He wouldn't want people gossiping about his missing friend, especially not in front of him.

"Don't point at people," Kojo scolded quietly, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. Oliver took his advice as 'go over to him to talk'. Kojo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled before following his much shorter friend.

"Do you think it's a kidnapping too? Or is Noah the sort of person to go AWOL?" Oliver inquired, his speech going faster than normal as he got more curious.

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi had been forced to attend class, as his grade was dropping dangerously close to failing. The Painted Dog had watched the professor for the hour-long class with a glazed-over expression, as if he were a zombie. The words went in one ear and out the other, never quite lodging themselves into Kofi's brain.

As class ended, however, Kofi packed his bag, swinging a strap over his shoulder when a loud voice caught his attention. It was rather difficult not to hear it, as the black-footed ferret speaking was known to have a naturally loud tone. His topics of conversation were usually heard after class whether you wanted to hear them or not. This time around, Kofi's attention had been captured.

Rather than standing and leaving as he usually would, Kofi glanced towards the loud male, listening to his talk of vanishing carnivores. It was intriguing, certainly, but most likely a rumor taken too far. Just as he was about to stand up to leave, hearing enough of the gossip, the name spoken from the ferret's mouth caused Kofi to pause, his ears perking as he stared over at the small group listening to the rumor.

Kofi's fur prickled as the ferret pointed directly at him, his blaring voice causing a few other students lingering in the class to look in his direction. Kofi didn't like the intrusive feeling of eyes boring into him, and his jaw clenched. As the ferret approached, Kofi gripped the edge of his desk, his claws scraping small rivulets into the wood. He exhaled in a huff, deciding to answer the question despite its insensitivity. After all, maybe this loudmouth knew more information about this supposed kidnapping.

"I talked to Noah just a few days ago... he hasn't answered my texts since. He usually responds right away." Kofi said, his memory churning to think of where he could possibly be at. "He's not the type to disappear without saying anything. He's always posting on BeastBook about some stupid shit he's up to... but he hasn't posted anything in days. He hasn't shown up to hang out, either." The Painted Dog answered, a serious expression on his face. "If you told me it was a kidnapping, I would believe it." Kofi said, standing up from his chair.

 

[Syrrith]

The Painted Dog obviously didn't like being pointed out. Kojo couldn't blame him either, nor blame the way the other gripped the desk so hard that his nails dug in. Everything about this guy screamed stressed. Kojo felt like the tension was practically radiating off of his classmate. The tiredness in his eyes, the tense posture, how he answered the question but didn't let on to how he was feeling felt like some sort of defense. But Kojo wasn't a psychologist. For all he really knew, this guy was completely fine and Kojo was just being a judgmental jerk.

Kojo took a moment to process the information when Kofi finished telling them about Noah, creating a mini timeline in his mind. Oliver, however, did not.

"And you haven't done anything?" Came the ferret's immediate response. Kojo frowned, looking over to Oliver. The shorter male caught his directed look and shrugged, completely unaware of what he did.

"We don't know if it's a kidnapping," started Kojo, matching Kofi's level of seriousness, "but it looks like one. I'm not sure who would go after a carnivore since that doesn't happen often. Have you talked to the police yet?"

If it was getting around school, chances were it was going to be on the news. If it wasn't already, considering that it had been a couple days. Noah was an adult who could make his own decisions. Normally, Kojo wouldn't look into it, saying that Noah got tired of keeping up with relationships or needed a new view on life by moving suddenly. It happened all of the time. However, this was the third carnivore that went missing in a relatively short time and there was not a single person who knew that he was going to disappear. It was off and Kojo was worried. If Kofi had already talked to the police, but still felt like they weren't doing enough, Kojo knew that he would have to offer to help. Even if it were just for a couple of hours, hanging up missing posters like they were looking for a stray cat. Any help was good help, even if it just helped the Painted Dog's mental state.

 

[nonexistent]

The slight growl that sounded from Kofi's throat at Oliver's accusation was a well-enough presentation of his vexation with the ferret. If the rust-furred wolf standing to his side hadn't butted in, Kofi wouldn't have been able to thwart whatever retorts would have exited his mouth in response.

"I'm not his mother. I figure Noah knows how to handle himself." Kofi replied, crossing his arms. Noah was a wolverine, on top of his adaptability. Kofi recalled several arm wrestling battles they'd conducted with friends in the past, and how Noah had always been the winner. Despite being a little on the shorter side, he was naturally bulky.

"I know someone's already made a missing persons report to the police... what else am I supposed to do?" Kofi shrugged modestly. "Not that I trust coppers to get anything done. They'd probably shoot him if they saw him before they'd ever think of helping him." Kofi gave a disgruntled huff, having been nearly shot at himself by those impotent fools. He had firsthand experience of how an experience with the police went for a carnivore. The thought of Noah running towards his potential saviors with hope in his eyes only to have his body filled with lead caused Kofi's skin to crawl. His fur prickled with discomfort.

"I bet a group of us would do better than them any day." Kofi grunted, his irritation settling instead into an on-edge despondency.

 

[Syrrith]

"Of course," Kojo agreed, nodding, "Noah isn't a child. You shouldn't have to watch over anyone."

Kofi continued, talked about his distrust for the police. Kojo didn't understand that part. The cops always helped when things got bad. Of course, there were procedures and the like that made it take longer than it really should, but in the end, didn't they always get their job done? Kojo didn't understand why Noah, a perfectly respectable carnivore, would be shot before being helped.

"We could help! It'd definitely go by faster. Who would know Noah better than his friends?" Offered Oliver, spirits as high as ever. Kojo swore that nothing ever got to him. Even if he couldn't find something to be positive about, he never let anything drag him down. It was enviable as it was weird and concerning. The wolf had long learned that it wasn't that Oliver didn't care because he always cared a lot, but he thought that things would get worse if they let it upset them. Kojo's eyes flicked from the ferret to Kofi. Maybe this was another bad observation, but it looked like Oliver might be right.

"We could ask around, even set up posters if you want," added Kojo. Posters for an adult might be odd, but whatever helped, right? Then the wolf paused, realizing that the other canine never actually agreed to looking for him or anything. They couldn't get too ahead of themselves. His voice got a little quieter, a little more understanding. "Do you want to go looking for him?"

"It'll be like an adventure! We can get gear and everything for it. Then when we save Noah, everything will be kay again!" And there was Oliver's chatter again. "Noah was a popular guy! One of his friends should know where he was last if you don't! That'll be the first place we look."

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi's expression grew thoughtful as Oliver suddenly offered assistance in a search. He supposed moments like this were why people tolerated the ferret's insistent chattering. Kofi could tell that he likely wasn't a bad guy once it came down to it - he was just a tad overbearing from what the Painted Dog had observed in class. Oblivious to the effects of his words, and to what was appropriate to talk about to strangers such as himself.

They weren't strangers though, were they? They were classmates. That changed their dynamic instantly, despite the fact that they had never truly spoken together before. They had a responsibility to look out for each other.

Was? The word caused Kofi's ears to twitch, hooped earrings swinging lightly with the motion. His brows furrowed minutely. Oliver spoke as if Noah were already dead. Perhaps he had misheard, twisting the wording in his mind to reflect the worst? Kofi attempted to brush it off, instead thinking of his last conversation with Noah before his sudden disappearance.

"Last time I talked to him, he was going to Jag's Skate Shop. He was complaining about his trucks and wheels feeling 'weird,' and asked me to come with him, but I couldn't..." Kofi recalled aloud, knowing the shop and owner well. Kofi always thought that the name wasn't made by someone too creative. The owner of the shop was a laid-back Jaguar, whose real name likely didn't even line up with the title of his shop. Nobody knew if it was a nickname or not, and he wouldn't give in and relieve everyone's curiosity. Who would name their Jaguar child Jag? Maybe a lack of creativity ran in the family...

"If we're really going to search, I'd say we should go ask Jag if he's seen Noah. It'll give us a start." Kofi said, glancing between Oliver and the wolf beside him.

"I know who you are, Oliver. I doubt there's a soul in this class who doesn't. What's your name?" Kofi nodded towards the Ethiopian wolf, brown eyes steady.

 

[Syrrith]

Truthfully, Kojo wasn't sure where the skate shop was, but Oliver nodded along like he did. Well that was interesting. But was he really surprised? Oliver somehow knew everyone, so how would he not know it? The other information, the bit about his skateboard feeling odd, didn't seem helpful to what was happening. Kojo was hoping to figure this out quickly, some weird boost of optimism because he felt bad for Kofi.

Then Kofi addressed Kojo, making a comment to Oliver that sounded vaguely negative. But Oliver seemed to take pride in it, so maybe not. Oliver always loved how much gossip he knew, and how almost everyone knew his name simply because, in Kojo's opinion, he was in everyone's business.

"Kojo, nice to meet you..." The wolf extend a hand to shake, trailing off at the end so he could get a name. Said know-it-all ferret piped up again. Kojo, as much as he enjoyed being around Oliver, was ready to be around his quieter friends. If only Oliver was taught insider voices when he was younger... Though it wasn't really the fact that he was loud that bothered him currently. It was that he wouldn't let them have a proper conversation, or even let Kofi introduce himself.

"Kofi! One of Noah's friends, obviously, hates carnivores who are too cocky, and used to play an instrument," Oliver turned to Kofi, seemingly pleased with his knowledge on the stranger, "right?" The shorter carnivore, despite probably having just crossed many lines, smiled a toothy grin, eager to hear what Kofi had to say.

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi shifted to shake Kojo's hand in return, but paused the action as Oliver filled in the gap for him. The Painted Dog returned his hand to where his arms had been crossed in front of his chest, glancing once again at the ferret.

"You know every rumor about everyone, don't you?" Kofi commented, his tone wavering between condescension and being impressed. His gaze remained steely, and he did not accept nor deny any of Oliver's claims. Kofi was used to rumors about him of all kinds-- that's what happened when you were labeled a troublemaker. At least there were some things that he had been able to hide... He'd almost rather have rumors being told about him than the truth.

"Well, this is my last class of the day... if you two are serious about helping out, we could head over to the skate shop if you guys are free?" Kofi quickly changed the topic, not looking to answer any further enquiries from the ferret. "It's only a few blocks away from here, so we could probably walk." He suggested. If he'd brought his skateboard from his dorm room, the trip would have been even faster.

 

[Syrrith]

"You know every rumor about everyone, don't you?" Oliver seemed to take this as praise of his gossiping skills and grinned, completely ignoring the other tone in Kofi's voice. Whatever made the guy happy, Kojo guessed. Though Oliver's skills would probably come in handy for what they were about to do. If Oliver knew enough people, then they could get a ton of information. It felt weird looking at it like that, or knowing that they could possibly dredge up a guy's entire life, even if it was to help find him.

"Not every, but pretty close!" Oliver's tone was happy through and through. Kojo rose a single eyebrow, studying the ferret for a second.

"How exactly do you know that about Kofi though? The carnivore comment was so specific..."

"There's a ton of talk right now because Noah is gone. Everyone who has ever talked to him is being talked about right now. Across a couple of stories I've heard," Oliver looked at Kofi, probably too confident for his own good and continued, "you don't like it when people start stepping out of line. But most of your fights have been carnivores from what I heard. I dunno, some guys were just talking."

Kojo didn't respond to that, unsure of how to go about that. Luckily, Kofi brought the conversation back to the disappearance, suggesting that they go to the skate shop.

"Sounds good," came the wolf's reply. He had no idea where it was, so having Kofi lead them there would be helpful. He never was good with a map. The red furred wolf pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to his friends explaining where he was going so they wouldn't bombard him in worry later on. At the same time, Oliver's phone lit up. He picked it up from the table and read it.

"Actually... I'll have to catch you guys later. I'll look out for supplies while I'm gone though! Bye!" And with that, the ferret was off, not even waiting for a response. With a small shrug, Kojo looked back at the painted dog.

"Ready?"

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi tensed as Oliver mentioned the fact that he was being talked about behind his back. He hadn't been thinking about it, but once the ferret mentioned it... Kofi swore he had felt more eyes on him than normal, but had attributed it to paranoia. Perhaps it was more than just inside of his head.


As quick as the ferret was to speak, so was he to leave. The painted dog's eyes trailed the extroverted male as he went off in a rush, returning his focus to Kojo once the red-furred wolf had asked him a question.


"Yeah. C'mon, I'll take you there." Kofi offered, not pinning Kojo as the skater type who would know where the shop was located. The painted dog slung his black backpack over his shoulders, pulling his hood up snugly over his ears.

-

After about a fifteen minute walk, the two came to stand in front of what was clearly the place of interest. Graffiti was sprayed on nearby road signs, stickers were layered on top of lampposts, and the curbs were slightly ground down from so many boards performing tricks nearby. The store itself was on a street with several others, and it was clear that the populous would not follow any No Loitering signs that the other businesses put up in an attempt to get rid of the rebellious angst that leaked from next-door at the skate shop.

"Well, this is it. Noah comes here a lot, so the owner might know if he's off doing something stupid again." Kofi pointed out, opening the door and leading Kojo inside. The lighting was low and tinted, the LED lights above periodically changing in color. Rock music played somewhere from hidden speakers, a low and constant thrum. Like a heartbeat. It could be felt through the floor. The store could easily have been turned into a night club if it weren't for all the supplies within. On the walls were individual black racks made from sleek metal, each holding a deck. Behind the counter on the wall were a few that were signed-- they were likely worth more money than Kofi had ever made in his life. Besides boards and their parts, there were different merchandise items scattered on clothing racks and shelves. Band shirts. Piercing racks. Stickers and pins. Bags.

Kofi walked all the way to the back of the shop, where Jag sat behind the counter smelling suspiciously of... something. He wore sunglasses despite the dark interior of the store, and wore a black and green t-shirt. The jaguar's ears twitched as the two males approached, and he grinned in recognition of one of them.

"Heyyy, Kofi, you're back. Nice to see 'ya, dude. Somethin' up? Oh-- who's that with you?" The jaguar asked, lowering his sunglasses to look at the red-furred wolf. The painted dog only glanced at Kojo, assuming that he could introduce himself.

 

[Syrrith]

This was definitely not a part of town that Kojo was familiar with. He looked at the colorful graffiti layered over each other as they passed by, took in the sight of the residents without staring. This was far out of his comfort zone, but it didn't seem like a bad place. The wolf dipped into the shop when Kofi held the door out, giving a quick thanks when Kofi let the door close behind them.

Jag's shop was actually pretty cool. Nova would probably like it there more than Kojo did, but he still enjoyed looking around. Kofi looked like he was at home though, with his more punk style and forever irritated or serious face. Kojo wondered if he should give the style a try. Right now, he had on the Cherryton letterman jacket and a white shirt, something far from what the shop had. Maybe Kofi had thoughts on it.

Seemed like Kofi really was at home with how Jag greeted him. Kofi brought out his most polite smile, even with the relaxed demeanor of the jaguar across from him.

"Kojo," the wolf introduced shortly. "Kofi was showing me around a bit. I'm assuming you're Jag? Nice to meet'ya." Was bringing up Noah now too early? Should Kofi bring him up since he was more familiar with Jag? Unsure of which to do, he looked toward the shorter male to prompt him to choose. If Oliver was here, there wouldn't be a problem. The ferret would've probably forgot to introduce himself, instantly jumping straight into the biggest piece of gossip he's gotten in a minute. Jag didn't know how lucky he was.

 

[nonexistent]

"Nice to meet'cha, man. You two need me for somethin'?" The jaguar replied, grinning freely. A lot of carnivores would not do the same, unconsciously ashamed of showing their fangs. It was part of what made them appear violent. Unruly. Jag seemed not to have this unconscious barrier, and smiled fully when he spoke. It did not matter whether you were carnivore or herbivore. He did not restrict his expression. Kofi had noticed this small fact before, and wondered many times how someone could achieve such a relaxed state. With the odd and earthy scent coming from the shop owner, he had an inkling of an idea...

Shit. Seeing Kojo's clear glance towards him, it seemed he was pressing the matter of bringing up Noah onto the painted dog. That was fair enough, he decided. Noah was supposed to be his friend, after all. Not Kojo's. He could take the responsibility to ask.

"Did you see Noah around here anytime recently? He texted me last Wednesday and said he was coming here. Nobody's heard from him since. Did he come in?" Kofi was clear and concise, investigative tone perhaps a little accusatory. He didn't actually suspect Jag of anything-- it was simply how his tone unknowingly came off at times.

Jag's laid-back demeanor shifted slightly. Kofi could feel the change in the air. It sent a shiver through him.

"Yeah, he came in that day. It was late, but I'm here all night sometimes. He knows that, and asked me to fix his wheels after-hours." The jaguar began to explain. Kofi felt the beginning of a story coming on. "You know I can't say no to Noah, right? Little guy's irresistible. I remember replacing them for him right here. They were so worn down I'm surprised he could skate with them at all! He could be a pro with his skills, you know? He practices sooo much." The rambling had begun, and Kofi wasn't sure if he had the heart to shut it down or not. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"He left after a little chat. Said he was gonna try 'em out, but..." Jag's voice grew a bit uneasy. He leaned down and reached under the front desk. What he brought out made Kofi's fur stand on end, eyes widening. He took a step back. It felt wrong to see. Dread pooled in his stomach. Kofi was suddenly convinced that something was horribly wrong.

In each of Jag's hands was a half of Noah's board, split jaggedly as if purposefully smashed into something to split the wood. It was the board he took such good care of. It was practically a part of Noah's body. His identity. If you showed it to any local skater, they would know instantly that it was Noah's. The jaguar's tail flicked. It seemed he had a similar feeling as Kofi.

"I thought the little guy'd have to get real mad to break his deck like that, so I saved it thinking he'd come in again once he cooled off. But you said nobody's seen him since, right? That makes me wonder..."

"He wasn't the one who broke it." Kofi finished Jag's unspoken statement that had been left hesitantly up in the air. Kofi's harshly certain voice made it feel all the more real. Undertones of rippling fear for his friend in his voice.

 

[Syrrith]

As nice as the relaxed jaguar was, he seemed awfully fine with baring his fangs. Kojo realized that there were no herbivores here, no one to take it as a threat nor a challenge. However, it still felt wrong to see. Almost his entire life he had been hiding them and yet this guy was doing whatever he wanted to. It was enviable, in a way, but Kojo thought it best to get in the habit of hiding them for his fellow classmates.

That didn't mean that he was rude though. Kojo smiled a close lipped smile, dipping his head in acknowledgement and respect. Then Kofi started the conversation about Noah and the air changed instantly. Jag seemed a bit more worried, if not just tense. The story seemed logical, lining up with the type of person Noah seemed to be.... until the very end. When the broken board was brought out, Kofi had a visible reaction that made Kojo assume that the broken board was something to be worried about. That was confirmed by the last part of the shop owner and Kofi's conversation. Something wasn't right here.

Kojo hummed a little bit as he leaned closer to the board to study it. It was just a distraction for the sinking feeling in his stomach. Could've been a fight, sure, but Noah hasn't come back and no one else was talking about it. Whatever happened, they hid it well. Easy to do in a place like this, Kojo thought.

"And he wouldn't break it, would he?" A rhetorical question, but it was just to make sure that he understood the situation. "Does Noah have any problems with anyone? He seemed pretty damn popular in Cherryton." It felt like a question that would only be asked in a movie, but what else was he supposed to ask? Noah being popular only meant that there was more people who knew about him, who could possibly have a myriad of problems with the missing person. But Jag seemed to be a friend so if anyone knew of things happening close to there, he would know.

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi glanced at the rust-furred wolf and then back to Jag, hoping that perhaps there was some type of logical reasoning behind this.

"No way he'd break it willingly... he usually takes better care of this than he does himself." Jag shook his head. "That's why I thought it was weird for him to have done this. Don't know what I was waiting for... I was kinda hopin' to see him walk through the door any day now." The jaguar expressed his reasoning for keeping the board safe in case of Noah's return.

"There's no one I can think of who dislikes him. If they do, they've never said it while I've been hanging out with him." Kofi answered the second part of Kojo's question, crossing his arms. "He usually doesn't like confrontation. Noah tries to keep everyone chill and happy." The painted dog described more of the wolverine's personality, his shock replaced with concentration. Kofi looked back up at Jag.

"Where did you find his board at?" He inquired, pupils intense.

"Well, I was on my way back from work and it baaarely caught my eye. If I didn't know the pattern so well, I never woulda' saw it. It was in that little dead-end alley. You know the one I'm talkin' about? With the flickering lamppost that they never replace? Had to search a little for the other half. It was with the trash." Jag retold the exact place he'd found the board.

Kofi looked at Kojo.

"Let's go. Don't know if we'll find anything, but..." He trailed off, giving a faint shrug. Kofi knew they weren't detectives. It was unlikely they would find anything, especially so many days after whatever had gone down. Even though he logically didn't expect anything from it, Kofi hoped there was something there for them to look at.

 

[Syrrith]

The more that Jag and Kofi talked about Noah and whatever happened, the more the pit in Kojo's stomach grew. Nothing good happened, that's for sure. Oliver might've been right about the kidnapping. The broken board seemed a little excessive for a kidnapping, but now that Kojo thought about it, it was entirely possible that the board was a result some either aggression or self defense. Kojo rubbed the back of his neck, hold in a wince. How hard did someone or something need to get hit to break a skateboard? That couldn't be good...

Jag mentioned that he found the board in an alley, and one that was apparently well-known. Kojo had no idea what he was talking about, but Kofi seemed to. Kojo really wasn't being much help here, was he?

"It wouldn't hurt to check," Kojo finished Kofi's trailing sentence. "Who knows? We might. But if the police have already looked here and didn't find anything, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much." The words felt bitter to say and he was aware that they sounded sad. Maybe they would find something that the police checked over? Kojo instantly pushed that thought away since it was so unlikely.

----

Once they got to the alley, Kojo's first instinct was to look at the light. It was still daytime so it wasn't on, but it looked old as hell. No wonder it flickered so much. The alley itself looked like it didn't get a ton of light, even if the light worked perfectly. Kojo looked into the dead end from the start of the alley before looking over at Kofi, just to check up on him.

"We can go home whenever. I don't know what we're going to find," the wolf warned, glancing at where he assumed Jag found Noah's board.

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi led Kojo to the alley in question. He smelled the air with intent. Just the unpleasant odor of trash. He didn't detect Noah's scent at all. What had he been expecting? Kofi felt a little stupid for having a little hope that there would be an easy trail to follow. It wasn't like he were a detective in some cheesy mystery show that played in the timeslots after midnight. He glanced at Kojo. They were just two college kids wasting their time.

Nevertheless, Kofi thought he would at least take a look. He gave in to the stupidity.

Kofi walked slowly down the alleyway, which was dim even though it was still daytime. The shadows from the tall buildings nearby kept it chill and dark. It was definitely a creepy place. Sent prickles through Kofi's skin. He pulled his hood up a little further. He hated little side-roads like this. Told himself to stop being such a huge wimp, but he couldn't seem to toughen up. It was a reminder of what he wanted to forget.

Just... trash. Kofi absently kicked at a can, the metallic thud echoing dully. He repeatedly checked to make sure nobody was at the other end of the alley besides Kojo, glancing there and back to whatever he was focused on. No one magically appeared there, but he continued to check anyways. Just in case.

"You're probably right. Nothin' here." Kofi assumed with a shrug, the statement short and gruff.

 

[Syrrith]

"You're probably right. Nothin' here." Kofi had been so quick to decide that. It earned a look from Kojo, half curious half disbelief. This was Kofi's friend, right? Why in the world did he want to leave already? Kojo took a couple steps further into the alley, peering around discarded trash bags. If there were broken bits of wood, then the board was broken here, meaning whatever happened to Noah probably happened here. If there weren't, it the skateboard was just discarded here and it took place somewhere else.

"Hold on," Kojo started, turning his gaze to the painted dog. With his hood pulled up like that and in a dark alley, Kofi looked suspicious. Just a passing thought. "We may not see anything, but we have brains and noses, don't we? It's been awhile, but let's see if there are any scents to pick up."

Kojo took a step back from the smelly garbage and more toward the middle of the alley. There he took in the scents around him. Unsurprisingly, there was half a dozen, but one was fresher than the rest. Not by much considering it was still a couple days old, but it stuck out nonetheless. It was obviously some sort of prey animal, but there were traces of... Kojo's stomach dropped.

"The Black Market?" The wolf questioned under his breath, trying to calm the rolling in his stomach. He recognized the scent from the meat his parents used to bring home. After he was old enough to learn where they got the meat, their relationship declined quickly, a mixture of Kojo's need to protect and his parent's stubbornness and unwillingness to change their lifestyle. "Was Noah involved with the Black Market?" His voice was louder and directed toward Kofi that time. Hopefully the answer would be "no" and they could continue their search. But if he was...

 

[nonexistent]

Kofi sighed and nodded in agreement. He hadn't sniffed around everywhere, just a general sweep. He just felt a little uneasy lurking around. He felt guilty about it, but a part of him didn't want to find anything. Kofi had a bad feeling about the disappearance of his friend, and any leads would probably mean getting involved in a way he couldn't get out of...

The what? Kofi froze at the small murmur, fur bristling. After a few moments that seemed to go on for too long, he replied.

"Generally, no. Says he has too many herbivore friends. But he got dragged along sometimes, not wanting to reject some of his buddies when they asked." Kofi said. He knew the feeling himself. The painted dog was sometimes dragged along by Rimi and Taki, and felt nauseous the entire time. A fact which they readily made fun of. Thought it was hila-a-a-rious. It was safe to say that Kofi hadn't felt he could ever open up to them about why. They just thought he was a wimpy carnivore-- and maybe he was. "But I've seen him doping with blood-- I don't think anyone else knows. The only place I can think of where he would get it is the Black Market." Kofi revealed the rest of the story. Sorry, Noah, but I can't keep it a secret anymore.

The Black Market was the last place Kofi wanted to go... which was probably why the universe was trying to smite him by having Kojo pick up a scent from there. He silently cursed the universe. And God. Or... Gods? If they were there. And whoever else might have had a hand in his bad luck. Kofi didn't know what was out there, if anything at all. If something existed, Kofi hoped they heard his silent anger towards them.

"It could be anyone's scent though, right? Plenty of people go to the Black Market." Kofi said. How did they know if it had to do with Noah and not some random carnivore stalking around in alleyways?

 

[Syrrith]

A lot of carnivores still went to the Black Market, which made Kojo sick to his stomach, so when Kofi's fur bristled at the mere mention, he immediately found himself trusting the painted dog more. That was something that could make or break a friendship to Kojo and Kofi, so far, had passed the test. But this was about Noah, not something that Kojo was personally against.

The next piece of information that he got wasn't as good. Of course. A popular carnivore was using the Black Market. If only the herbivores at Cherryton knew. Kojo bet that Noah's fan base would turn against him instantly if they knew. ...Maybe not turn against him, but he doubted that they would be as comfortable around him as they were.

That also gave them a place to start looking then. Kojo was both relieved and hesitant. He wanted to find Noah alright and healthy, but he didn't want to go through the Black Market to do it. Not to mention that nothing good ever happened there. If they did find Noah and he was... not alright, Kojo wasn't sure what Kofi would do. The gold-brown eyes turned toward Kofi. Whatever he would do, it wouldn't be good.

At the mention that it could be anyone's, Kojo shrugged. Sounded like Kofi was hoping that Noah's disappearance wasn't tied to the Black Market as well. Poor guy.

"True," the wolf started before taking in the scents again, "but smell it. You can smell Noah here and that scent is the same age. Noah's scent and the Black Market one follow a similar path."

It led toward the street, Kojo now realized. He stepped out of the alley, furrowing his eyebrows when the scent got intermingled with a dozen others from the sidewalk. It was faint as it was, but now he had to pick it out from dozens of other's scents. It went a foot or two, and then cut off suddenly at the road. There was nothing that suggested they crossed. He stood at the curb, disappointed. Cops would've picked it up and followed it if it did go somewhere. Things couldn't be that easy for them. With that, he looked over his shoulder.

"Should we check the Black Market then? If it's not connected then nothing will come from it, so it can't hurt."