"Oh, look, it's Buffy and all her friends." "That's witty." "Do you ever wonder why nobody cool ever wants to hang out with you?" "Just thankful." "Were you this popular at your old school before you got kicked out?" "Careful, she might beat you up." "Hey, Buffy." " You missed it." " Missed what?" "We just saw the zebras mating." "Thank you." "Very exciting." "It was like the Heimlich with stripes." "And I missed it." "Yet, somehow, I'll find the courage to live on." "Where were you?" "Eh, I was looking at the fishes." "Was it cool?" "It was fishes." "I'm feeling that you're not in the field trip spirit here." "Well, it would..." "It's nothing." "I..." "We did the same zoo trip at my old school every year." "Same old same old." "Buffy, this isn't just about looking at a bunch of animals." "This is about not being in class." "You know, you're right." "Suddenly, the animals look shiny and new." "Got to have perspective." "Lance." "How's it going?" "Hey, Kyle." "So, is this, like, a, uh, family reunion?" "No." "I think it's a family reunion." "It's so... touching." "Doesn't anybody have a camera?" "Hey, does your mom still pick out your lice, or are you old enough to do that yourself now?" "Quit it." "Hey, guys, come on." "It's got my notes in there." "What's going on here?" "I've had it up to here with you four." "What are you doing?" "Nothing." "Did I ask you to speak?" "Ok, I guess I did, but I want the truth." "Lance?" "They weren't doing anything." "Really." "We were just playing around." "All right." "I'll be watching you." "You... came through big time." "Way to go, Lance." "Flutie's been looking for a reason to come down on us." "It's okay." "Come on, we're going to check out the hyena house." "But I think it's off-limits." "And therein, my friend, lies the fun." "What are Kyle and his buds doing with Lance?" "Oh, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse." "What is it with those guys?" "They're obnoxious, professionally." "Well, every school has them." "See, you start a new school..." "You get your desks, some blackboards and some mean kids." "Yeah, well, I'd better extract Lance before..." "I'll handle it." "This job doesn't require actual slaying." "You don't think we should follow?" "Kyle and those guys are jerks, but they're all talk." "Mostly." "Why don't we..." "Yeah, why don't we?" "Whoa, hold it, hold it." "Are you blind or are you just illiterate?" "Because hyenas are very quick to prey on the weak." "Uh, we were just going to..." "You're not going in there." "Anyone that does is in a world of trouble." "No, no one's going in there." "Why is it off-limits?" "It's a quarantine." "These hyenas just came in from Africa, so keep out." "Even if they call your name." "What are you talking about?" "The Masai tribesmen told me that hyenas are capable of understanding human speech." "They follow humans around by day, learning their names." "At night, when the campfire dies, they call out to a person." "And once they separate him... the pack... devours him." "Cool." "I don't see any hyenas." "Okay." "Now we've seen it." "It looks cute." "I think it looks hungry." "Come on, Spot, it's supper time." "Stop!" "It's not funny!" "Ow!" "Stop it!" "It's not funny!" "Why don't you pick on someone in your own species?" "What, are you going to get in my face?" "I thought Xander would be here by now." "Mmm, that'd make him on time." "We couldn't have that." "Did he seem upset at all on the bus back from the zoo?" "About what?" "I don't know." "He was quiet." "I didn't notice anything, but, then again, I'm not as hyperaware of him as, oh, say, for example, you." "Hyperaware?" "Well..." "I'm not constantly monitoring his health, his moods, his blood pressure." "130 over 80." "You got it bad, girl." "He makes my head go tingly." "You know what I mean?" "I dimly recall." "But it hasn't happened to you lately?" "Not of late." "Not even for a dangerous and mysterious older man whose leather jacket you're wearing right now?" "It goes with the shoes." "Come on." "Angel pushes your buttons." "You know he does." "I suppose some girls might find him good-looking... if they have eyes." "All right, he's a honey, but... it's just..." "he's never around, and, when he is, all he wants to do is talk about vampires." "And I..." "I just can't have a relationship..." "There he is." " Angel?" " Xander." "Girls." "Boy." "Sorry I'm late." "I just forgot that we were going to be here." "Hungry." "Xander, you still want me to help you with geometry tomorrow?" "We can work after class." "Yeah." "What is this crap?" "Well, it was my buttery croissant." "Man, I need some food." "Birds live on this." "What?" "What's up with you?" "Is something wrong?" "Did I do something?" "What could you possibly do?" "That's crazy talk." "I'm just restless." "Well, we could go to the ice cream place." "I like it here." "Ok, now what?" "You took a bath." "Yeah, I..." "I often do." "I'm actually known for it." "That's okay." "And the weird behavior award goes to..." "Oh, great." "It's the winged monkeys." "" Why are you hiding? "" "" What is the face of all your fears? "" "" Do you find yourself "" "" In a golden world "" "" Dark and desperate "" "" Scared and alone? "" "" This selfish mind "" "" Who never gave to no one else "" "" What are you holding..."" "You know..." "I don't understand why you're sitting at our table." "Yeah, shouldn't you be hovering over the football stadium with "Goodyear" written on you?" "Kid's fat." "Right." "That's enough training for one day." "Well, that last roundhouse was kind of sloppy." "You don't want to do it again?" "No." "No, no, that's fine." "You just run along to class... while I wait for the feeling to return to my arms." "Oh, it looks like..." "Aah!" "Look out!" "It's gotten loose." "Get it, get it." "Naughty Herbert." "Gave Mr. Flutie quite a scare, didn't he?" "Students, I'd like you all to meet Herbert, our new mascot for the Sunnydale High Razorbacks." "He's so cute." "He's not cute." "No." "He's a fierce razorback." "He doesn't look mean, Mr. Flutie." "He's mean." "He's ready for action, see?" "Here are the tusks, a scary razorback." "You're right." "He's a fine mascot and will engender school spirit." "Ah, he better." "Costs a fortune to feed him." "All right, let's get you back into your cage." "This way." "I'm not getting this." "It's simple, really." "See, the bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle at that vertex into 2 equal parts." "It's like a big blur, all these numbers and angles." "It's the same stuff from last week." "You had it down then." "Why do I need to learn this?" "'Cause otherwise you'll flunk math." "Explain the part where that's bad." "You remember." "You fail math, you flunk out of school." "You end up the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says," "" Hey, kids, where's the cool parties this weekend?"" "We've been through this." "Do you have a headache?" "Yeah, and I think I know what's causing it." "Ah, that's better." "It goes right to the source of the pain." "Xander..." "Look, forget it, okay?" "I don't get it." "I won't ever." "I don't care." "We can finish this another time." "See, the problem is you kids today have no school spirit." "Hold on." "Let me get his outfit off." "Today it's all gangs and drugs and those movies on Showtime with nudity." "I don't have cable." "I only heard." "When I was your age, we cared about the school's reputation and the football team's record, all that stuff." "Of course, when I was your age," "I was surrounded by old guys telling me how much better things were when they were my age." "Yeah." "All right." "It's raining." "All regular gym classes have been postponed, so you know what that means." "Dodge ball." "Now, for those of you that may have forgotten, the rules are as follows:" "You dodge." "God, this game is brutal." "I love it." "Xander, what's wrong with you?" "I guess you've noticed that I've been different around you lately." "Yes." "I think, um," "I think it's because my feelings for you have been changing, and, well, we've been friends for such a long time that I feel like I need to tell you something." "I've, um..." "I've decided to drop geometry, so I won't be needing your math help anymore, which means I won't have to look at your pasty face again." "You gonna say something to me?" "Dogs." "Where?" "You're out of your mind." " That's no way to play lead guitar." " What?" " That's hunt and peck." " It's not." "Hey, Xander, you've heard Wretched Refuse play." "What do you think of the guy playing lead?" "Hey." "Hey, what are you guys..." "Shut up." "You're sharing." "Friends like to share." "Good?" "It's too well-done." "Hey." "That is not cool." "Hey." "Let's do lunch." "" I'm sure this rain won't last "" "" I'm sure its time is up "" "" Though it's pourin' down "" "" I'm sure this rain won't last "" "" And it falls on Job's eyes "" "" There's water, it dies "" "" And I'm wading' in lies "" "" It's wearin' me out "" "" But if you want it, all right "" "" I'll buy it "" "" I'll buy it "" "" I'll buy it, I'll buy "" "I've known him my whole life, Buffy, and we haven't always been close, but he's never..." "I think something's wrong with him." "Or maybe there's something wrong with me." "What are you talking about?" "Come on." "He's not picking on you." "He's just sniffing you a lot." "I don't know." "Maybe three isn't company anymore." "You think this has something to do with me?" "Of course." "No." "That still doesn't explain why he's hanging out with the dode patrol." "Something's going on, something weird." "What are you gonna do?" "Gonna talk to the expert on weird." "Xander's taken to teasing the less fortunate?" "Uh-huh." "And there's a noticeable change" " In both clothing and demeanor?" " Yes." "And, well, otherwise, all his spare time's spent" "Lounging about with imbeciles?" "It's bad, isn't it?" "Ahh." "It's devastating." "He's turned into a 16-year-old boy." "Of course, you'll have to kill him." "Giles, I'm serious." "So am I." "Except for the part about killing him." "Testosterone is a great equalizer." "It turns all men into morons." "He will, however, get over it." "I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me." "There is something supernatural at work here." "Get your books." "Look stuff up." "Look under what?" "I don't know." "That's your department." "The evidence that you've presented me with is sketchy at best." "He scared the pig." "Well, he did." "Buffy, boys can be cruel." "They tease." "They..." "they prey on the weak." "I... it's natural teen behavior pattern." "What did you just say?" "Um... they tease." ""They prey on the weak."" "I've heard that somewhere be..." "Xander has been acting totally wiggy ever since we went to the zoo." "Him and Kyle and all those guys, they went into the hyena cage." "Oh, God, that laugh." "Are you saying that, uh, Xander's becoming a hyena?" "I don't know." "Or been possessed by one." "Not just Xander, all of them." "Well, I've certainly never heard of..." "Herbert." "They found him." "The pig?" "Dead and also eaten." "Principal Flutie's freaking out." "Testosterone, huh?" "What are you gonna do?" "Get my books." "Look stuff up." "You four." "What?" "Oh, don't think I don't know." "Three kids saw you outside Herbert's room." "You're busted." "Yeah." "You're going down." "How is Herbert?" "Crunchy." "That's it." "My office, right now." "Now!" "You're gonna have so much detention your grandchildren'll be staying after school." "Wow." "Apparently, Noah rejected the hyenas from the ark because he thought they were an evil, impure mixture of dogs and cats." "Hyenas aren't well-liked." "They do seem to be the schmoes of the animal kingdom." "Why couldn't Xander be possessed by a puppy or... or some ducks?" "That's assuming possession is the right word." "Oh, I'll say it is." "The Masai of the Serengeti have spoken of animal possession for generations." "I should have remembered that." "So how does it work?" "Apparently, there's a sect of animal worshippers known as primals." "They believe that humanity, uh... consciousness, uh, the soul, is a perversion, a dilution of spirit." "To them, the animal state is holy." "They are able, through transpossession, to... to, uh, draw the spirit of certain animals into themselves." "And then they start acting like hyenas?" "Well, only the most predatory of animals are of interest to primals." "Uh, yes." "Yes, that would fit." "Yes." "So what happens to the person once the spirit's in them?" "If it goes unchecked..." "I gotta find Xander." "They are strong." "Xander." "This is ridiculous." "We need to talk." "I've been waiting for you to jump my bones." "I have seen some sick things in my life, believe me, but this is beyond the pale." "What is it with you people?" "Is it drugs?" "How could you?" "A poor, defenseless pig?" "What are you doing?" "Get off of me." "Is that what you really want?" "We both know what you really want." "You want danger, don't you?" "You like your men dangerous." "You're in trouble, Xander." "You are infected with some hyena thing." "It's like a demonic possession." "Dangerous and mean, right, like Angel, your mystery guy?" "Well, guess who just got mean." "Now, stop that." "You're only gonna make things worse for yourselves." "I tell you how this is gonna work." "I am gonna call your parents, and they're gonna take you all home." "Thank you." "I'm sorry." "That is it!" "Do you know how long I've waited until you'd stop pretending that we aren't attracted?" "Until Willow stops kidding herself that I could settle with anyone but you?" "Look, Xander, I don't want to hurt you." "Now do you want to hurt me?" "Come on, slayer," "I like it when you're scared." "The more I scare you, the better you smell." "You're about this close to expulsion, people." "I'm willing to talk to the school counselor, and we can discuss options." "Get down from there this instant!" "Are you insane?" "Hurry up." "We gotta get him locked up somehow before he comes to." "Oh, my God, Xander." "What happened?" " I hit him." " With what?" "A desk." "He tried his hand at felony sexual assault." "Oh, Buffy, the hyena in him didn't..." "No." "No, but it's safe to say that in his animal state, his idea of wooing doesn't involve a Yanni CD and a bottle of chianti." "There." "That ought to hold him." "Where's Giles?" "He got a call to some teachers' meeting." "What are we gonna do?" "How do we get Xander back?" "I'm more worried about what the rest of the pack are up to." "The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage." "They were sent to the principal's office." "Good." "That'll show them." "Did it show them?" "They didn't hurt him, did they?" "They, uh... ate him." "They ate Principal Flutie?" "Ate him up?" "The, uh... official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow." "Heh." "There was no one at the scene." "But Xander didn't." "He..." "He was with you." "Oh." "Yes." "Well, that's a small mercy." "Giles, how do we stop this?" "How do you transpossess someone?" "I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces." "Accounts of the primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground." "There is some talk of a predatory act, but, uh, the exact ritual is... is, um..." "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in... the particulars of demonic possession, which... may apply." "Yes, one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human." "Well, that's great." "Any volunteers?" "Oh." "Good point." "What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena." "But until we know more, betcha that zookeeper could help us." "Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick." "We should talk to him." "Okay." "Oh, wait." "Somebody's gotta watch Xander." "I will." "Are you sure?" "If he wakes up..." "I'll be all right." "Go." "Come on." "Willow." "How are you feeling?" "Huh." "Like somebody hit me with a desk." "What am I doing here?" "You're... resting." "You guys got me locked up now." "'Cause you're sick." "Buffy said..." "Oh, yeah." "Buffy and her all-purpose solution:" "Punch 'em out, knock 'em down." "I'd love to see what she'd do to somebody who was really sick." "That's not fair." "Buffy's saved both of our lives." "Before she came here, our lives didn't need that much saving, did they?" "Weren't things a lot simpler when it was just you and me?" "Maybe." "When we were alone together." "Willow, I know there's something wrong with me." "I think it's getting worse." "But I can't just stand around waiting for Buffy to decide it's time to punch me out again." "Look, I want you to help me." "I want you." "I am helping you." "You're doing what you're told." "Buffy's trying to help you, too." "You know that." "Or Xander does." "Yeah." "Buffy's so selfless, always thinking of us." "Well, if I'm so dangerous, how come she left you alone with me?" " Why?" " I told her to." "'Cause I know you better than she does." "And I wanted to be here to see if you were still you." "You know I am." "Look at me." "Look." "Xander..." "Now I know." "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "The students have been possessed by the hyenas?" "Yes." "Are you sure?" "We're really, really sure." "You don't seem enormously surprised by this." "The zoo imported those hyenas from Africa." "There was something strange about them from day one." "I did some homework:" "That particular breed is very rare." "Totally vicious." "Historically, they were worshipped by these guys... the Primals." "Yeah." "Creepy guys." "Now they had rituals for taking the hyenas' spirits, but I don't see how that could have happened to your kids." "We don't know exactly how the ritual works." "We know that it involves a predatory act and some kind of symbol." "A predatory act?" "Of course." "That makes sense." "Where did you read that?" "Do you have Sherman Jeffries' work on cults and..." "Boys?" "Sorry." "Look, I think we may have enough information so that together we could pull off a reverse transpossession." "What do we do?" "You've gotta get those possessed students over to the hyena cage right away." "I'll meet you there." "We can begin the rituals." "We can guarantee one of them, but there are four more, and we have no idea where they are." "No, I wouldn't worry about that." "After hyenas feed and rest, they will track the missing member of their pack until they find him." "They should come right to you." "Willow." "I'm not listening." "" Willow "" "" Willow "" "Xander... shut up!" "" Willow "" "Aah!" " Run!" " Aah!" "I think they're going." "They could be faking it." "No." "They're hungry." "They'll be looking for somebody weak." "I'm really sorry, Willow." " I didn't know they'd come after Xander." " That's ok." "We must lead them back to the zoo if we're going to stop this." "And before their next meal." "I guess that's my job." "Individually they're almost as strong as you." "As a group, they..." "They're tough, but I think they're getting stupider." "You guys go to the zoo, and I will bring them to you." "I didn't say she looks better than you." "I said she looks better." "I heard what I heard." "Joey, chew." "You have to chew, or you'll choke." "I don't see why we have to have this conversation every time we see them." "I didn't start it." "Damn." "Where are the keys?" "Huh?" ""Joey "" " Rahhhr!" " Aah!" "what's going on?" "Mommy!" "Didn't your mom teach you?" "Don't play with your food." "Come on." "You know what you want." "The pathway to the hyena house." "Where's the zookeeper?" "Uh, he must be inside." "I'll go in and prepare things." "You just, uh, warn us when you hear Buffy and the others approaching." "Doctor." "Um... zookeeper?" "Oh." "Of course, the, uh, Masai ceremonial garb, yes." "Very good." "Are you otherwise prepared for the transpossession?" "Almost." "Oh, right." "The, uh, sacred circle." "Yes, you'd need that to, um..." "Well, this would be here when... when the children first came." "But why would you..." "How terribly frustrating for you, that a bunch of schoolchildren could accomplish what you could not." "It bothered me." "But the power will be mine." "Unh!" "They're almost here." "Giles." "Giles!" "Where are the hyenas for the transpossession?" "They're right here in the feeding area." "Stay back." "They haven't been fed." "Where's Giles?" "He's laying in wait." "They're almost here." "Shouldn't you bring the hyenas out?" "When the time is right." "I'm gonna need your help." "They're right behind me!" "That's Buffy." "Get ready." "What is this?" "The predatory act." "Remember?" "Uhh... right." "You'll pretend to slash my throat and..." "And put the evil in the hyenas?" "Something like that." "Buffy, it's a trap!" "Willow!" "Aah!" "Uhh... did I miss anything?" "I heard the vice principal's taking over until they can find a replacement." "Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal, unless they ask what happened to the last one." "Okay, but I had nothing to do with that, right?" " Right." " You only ate the pig." "I ate a pig?" "Was he cooked and called bacon or..." "Oh, my God." "I ate a pig?" "I mean, the whole trichinosis issue aside, yuck." "Well, it wasn't really you." "I remember going on the field trip, then going down to the hyena house:" "and the next thing, some guy's holding Willow, and he's got a knife." "You saved my life." "Hey." "Nobody messes with my Willow." "This is definitely the superior Xander." "Accept no substitutes." "I didn't do anything else, did I?" "Around you guys?" "Anything embarrassing?" "Nah." "Not at all." "Come on." "We're gonna be late." "See you at lunch." "Cool." "Uh, hey, going vegetarian, huh?" "I've been reading up on my, uh, animal possession, and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards." "Did you tell them that?" "Your secret dies with me." "Shoot me, stuff me, mount me."