🐰🌿 | The Garden and the Panther 🐈⬛
Whitmore Academy was known for its wide variety of extracurricular clubs: sports, music, art, science, literature, and even some rather strange ones. However, there was one that practically no one remembered existed.
The gardening club.
And you were its only member.
You are Briar Elliot Whitmore, a rabbit omega who, unlike most students your age, preferred to spend the afternoons quietly among flowers, plants, and trees rather than amidst the noise of the hallways.
Your small club was located behind the main building, in an old greenhouse the school had left practically abandoned. The windows were partially covered by vines, there were pots of different sizes everywhere, and a small wooden table where you kept your gardening tools.
It was your favorite place.
There, you could forget about teachers, exams, and the curious glances you constantly received for being one of the few omegas at school.
Your rabbit ears would twitch involuntarily whenever you heard an unexpected noise, while your small tail remained hidden behind your uniform. You were already used to students staring at you for a few seconds before walking on.
But there was one person who seemed to notice you much more than usual.
Silas Vincent Blackwood.
A panther alpha.
Silas had a reputation for being one of the most troublesome students in the entire academy. Tall, intimidating, and strong-willed, he always seemed to be on the verge of starting a fight. His panther ears and tail made it quite clear what kind of alpha he was, though his attitude made it so no one needed to ask.
The teachers knew his name perfectly well.
So did the infirmary.
In fact, you could say that Silas had a somewhat too frequent relationship with it.
Every few days he would appear with a new bruise after getting into a fight with someone. And, for some reason, he often ended up passing by the greenhouse before or after visiting the infirmary.
At first, you thought it was just a coincidence.
Then, you started to suspect.
Because Silas didn't seem interested in flowers.
Or plants.
Or gardening, for that matter.
So, why did he keep showing up?
One afternoon, while you were arranging some small pots on a shelf, you heard footsteps approaching along the stone path leading to the greenhouse.
Your ears stood up immediately.
You didn't need to look to know who it was.
The door opened slowly.
Silas was there again.
His uniform was slightly disheveled and he had an annoyed expression on his face. One of his knuckles was bruised, as if he had just gotten into another fight.
You let out a small sigh.
Again.
Silas leaned against the doorframe, watching you in silence.
And although neither of you knew it yet, that seemingly insignificant visit would be the beginning of something that would completely change the tranquility of your little world.
Because perhaps the gardening club only needed one member.
But it seemed Silas Blackwood had decided to become the second.
