Back into the thicket on Care of Magical Creatures

Professor Taransay

October 11, 2016 3:36 PM

Is it a stork? Is it a heron? No, it's a... [Intermediates] by Professor Taransay

“Good morning, class,” called Rory, bringing the students to order. “Now, my plan was to keep things fairly quiet and tame this term, so as to let the third years settle in before things get dangerous. However, tame and quiet sounds a bit too boring.” He chuckled. Rory had never been one to keep things particularly quiet, and working as a teacher was, it seemed, no exception to the rule.

Now for the slight inconvenience to those already seated, although he was sure they wouldn’t object. “Those of you who have already got your books and quills out of your bags, could you please put them away. We’re going outside!”

Making sure everyone was following, Rory led the class out of the classroom and towards the labyrinth gardens. Stopping a little way into the maze, he waited until everyone was gathered round before speaking again.

“Ok, the creatures we’re going to work with today can be considered dangerous,” he warned, his face stern and serious. “They take offense very easily, so make sure you bow to them, and wait for them to bow back before approaching. Keep eye contact with them at all times and, if you’re at all unsure about the situation, back away from them. Obviously I’m here if anything goes wrong, but anyone who puts themselves or the creatures unnecessarily at risk will be asked to leave today’s class.”

Giving up the stern expression, his face broke out into an excited grin. “I now present to you: Hippogriffs!” he announced, leading them round a corner into a large open space, where a herd of hippogriffs were lazing around in a paddock under the supervision of one of Rory’s old colleagues, Janus McGraith, who had kindly volunteered his hippogriffs for Rory's use.

Stopping again, this time by the fence separating the class from the hippogriffs, Rory turned once more to his class. “I’m going to demonstrate, then I’d like a fifth year volunteer to have a go before I let you all loose.”

Rory removed his jacket and then vaulted over the fence. Giving the class a running commentary on his actions, he walked a few paces towards the nearest hippogriff before stopping and bowing, making sure to maintain eye contact. After a few seconds the creature bowed back, and Rory approached, confidently and calmly. He spent a few moments stroking the creature, then turned back to the class.

“Ok, who’s our volunteer? Yes, it has to be a fifth year – I want one of the older students to try first.”

Rory talked the student through approaching the hippogriff correctly, making sure that his instructions had been understood. He was fairly confident that, unless a student did something stupid, there wouldn’t be any horrific accidents in today’s class. McGraith’s herd of hippogriffs were used to being around people, so were perhaps a little more tolerant than many.

“Right, now it’s all your turn! Work in twos or threes, please, and choose a hippogriff to say hello to. I’ll be here watching in case you have any problems, or any questions.”

Learning more about the creatures would be the subject of the next lesson. For now, Rory was content to let the students see these amazing creatures up close. Hands-on experience with magical creatures was, for him, the best part of the subject, and something that just book learning could never full make up for.

OOC: Normal class rules apply. Tag Professor Taransay as needed, and please remember that he would not let a situation become dangerous without being there straight away. The hippogriffs should not be particularly aggressive without provocation, but you may describe their actions. Also, no one would have been left behind on the way without Professor Taransay realising.

If your character is a fifth year, feel free to volunteer them as the test subject (first person to claim it gets the role!). Professor Taransay would have talked them through the process, reassuring them if they were scared and advising them on what to do if anything got a little out of hand (not that it should…). Tag him if necessary.

Subthreads:

Not a dragon, but I can live with that by Gabe Valenti [Teppenpaw] with Kyte Collindale, Pecari

Back into the thicket by Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] with Arne Reinhardt

I'll just stay in the back... by Jax Donovan (Aladren) with Caelia Lucan

Volunteering like a good student. by Jack Spencer, Aladren

I may or may not be a bit of an ornithophobe by Cameron Dempsey, Pecari

9 Professor Taransay Is it a stork? Is it a heron? No, it's a... [Intermediates] 33 Professor Taransay 1 5

Gabe Valenti [Teppenpaw]

October 12, 2016 1:20 PM

Not a dragon, but I can live with that by Gabe Valenti [Teppenpaw]

Probably the very best thing about being an Intermediate student now meant that Gabe was one step closer to seeing a real dragon in class. As a Beginner student, he had been very disappointed to find that the most exciting thing in the curriculum was flobberworms, but he accepted this. You had to work your way up to dragons. It’s not like you could just walk up and approach a sleeping Peruvian Vipertooth without knowing your stuff. Yes, Gabe had upgraded from his feral Beginner’s textbook to a tamer Intermediate one and skimmed until he found some cool dragon facts.

The first day of classes felt so long. It always took Gabe a while to get back into the swing of things, even if his parents did make him do summer school to learn non-magical things a few days a week over the past two summers. At least that didn’t last all day long. Plus, he had to wear robes all the time, which felt goofy. Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration all passed by, and then finally lunch. Gabe practically inhaled two hamburgers at the Teppenpaw table over lunch. And then finally, it was time for his favorite class of all.

He sat down in his seat, although he was hoping he wouldn’t spend very much time in it, today. The third year was more than ready for a practical class. So when the professor said they would be moving, Gabe practically bounced out of his seat. Stuffing his things haphazardly into his backpack, he followed the professor out the door.

“This is great!” he exclaimed to a random fellow student. All classes were much better when they didn’t involve desks. This was basically a scientific fact. As they started to walk through the gardens, he wondered what dangerous monsters they would encounter, now that he was among the Intermediates. Finally dragons? Manticores? Sphynxes? Gabe didn’t know if he would be very good at riddles. Hopefully one of his classmates would help him out, and he wouldn’t be stuck in the gardens forever.

Gabe, whose mind was generally in a thousand-and-five places, listened very carefully as the professor described the creature in question. Magical creatures required every bit of his attention. And as a newly minted Intermediate, it was very important to him to prove that he was mature enough to be in the class. The professor presented the creatures, hippogriffs. Okay, still not dragons, but still kind of cool. Would they all get to go flying on the hippogriffs? Gabe hoped so. Brown eyes watched the professor carefully. Gabe was confident he would master this whole hippogriff-greeting thing.

His hand shot up when the professor asked for volunteers, hoping he would forget that he had originally asked for a fifth year, or that maybe he would forget that Gabe was only in third year. But no such luck. So lame. It had been fun being in the Beginner class and being among the oldest. Now as an Intermediate, he had to start all over again.

Once the demonstrations were over, Gabe placed his backpack out of the way in the gardens. He was sure his stuff would be fine there.

“Heya,” he walked up to a fellow student, grinning with eexcitement, “Wanna work together? Which hippogriff do you think looks the coolest?” He was so excited to get started.

0 Gabe Valenti [Teppenpaw] Not a dragon, but I can live with that 330 Gabe Valenti [Teppenpaw] 0 5

Nevaeh Reed [Aladren]

October 13, 2016 2:56 AM

Back into the thicket by Nevaeh Reed [Aladren]

As much as the break was appreciated, it felt good to be back to classes, getting into the scholastic swing of things. Maybe that was just the nerd in her, but Nevaeh was glad to resume her education. Even beyond that, it was just nice to get back to Sonora. As much as she loved her parents, she also liked getting to spend time with her school friends. And, to her own surprise, when she was away, she kinda missed Isis. She hadn’t expected that.

She tried her best to push that thought from her mind, to swallow the knot in her throat, a bubble of conversation a part of her wanted to have with the Pecari Head of House. Scout could tell she was distracted as she almost missed their turn; he gave a little tug of the harness and a quiet whimper to bring her back to him. “Sorry,” said Nevaeh weakly. “You’re right. Care of Magical Creatures next. I know it’s your favorite.”

Despite the almost-detour, the Aladren and her guide dog arrived precisely on time, sliding into a seat near the front, although she didn’t stay seated long before Professor Taransay announced that they were headed outside. Then it was another trek into the edge of the Gardens. Hippogriffs! Nevaeh had read some about them and could only imagine how beautiful they had to be. The faint grey blurs she perceived obviously not doing them any justice.

To some extent, she envied the fifth year volunteer. Nevaeh wanted to get closer as soon as possible, so that maybe she could see something, anything, to suggest their true beauty. But she knew she’d have to wait her turn; even if she were a fifth year and therefore an appropriate-level to volunteer, she couldn’t because there was no way she could approach one of these creatures without assistance.

She wasn’t super sure why the Professor wanted them to work in groups unless it was to prevent kids from fighting over an insufficient number of hippogriffs, but it did benefit her, at least. “Hey, want to do this together?” she asked. The third year did not really leave enough time for an answer simply because she couldn’t imagine any reason the person would say no. “I want to practice my bow on you first so you can tell me if I’m doing it right, and then when we go up to one of them, I’m going to need you to let me know if it bows back. Is that okay?”

12 Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] Back into the thicket 325 Nevaeh Reed [Aladren] 0 5

Jax Donovan (Aladren)

October 13, 2016 8:41 PM

I'll just stay in the back... by Jax Donovan (Aladren)

Sometimes Jax wished that he had been homeschooled. His mother had contemplated that idea after he and Gia had received their letters to Sonora. The fear of her son being found out and mistreated or that certain people would have found them had been what had edged her closer to homeschooling. However, after having a chat with the school admission and the reassurance that they would keep her son safe, Dahlia had agreed to allow her two young children to attend the boarding school. He had really only agreed to go to Sonora because of Gia. She had been so excited at the idea of going to an American school and making friends. He couldn’t be responsible for that not happening for her.

And now here he was, a fifth year at Sonora. So far, only Barnaby had figured him out. Unfortunately, he had tried to use that information to blackmail people so Jax had starting sharing a room with John last year. As far as Jax could tell, John hadn’t really picked up on anything regarding Jax but that wasn’t because the older Aladren was stupid. Jax just thought that the other male was too wrapped up in his own head to really notice much else. He did feel bad about intruding on him and had he felt comfortable with Louis and Dustin, he might have offered to move down there to them. As it was, he felt like he had a longer shot of John not noticing his absence than he would have with the younger two.

Jax was nonplused by the sudden change in scenery but followed his professor out of the school without any complaint. He wished more lessons were outside. Sometimes being in the school felt so claustrophobic. Since the full moon was coming up soon, Jax was feeling more of his aches than he normally did and the fresh air and sun sometimes made him feel better. At least, they usually did. Finding out that they were working with Hippogriffs. Hippogriffs scared Jax in so much as that they were intelligent creatures that may figure out what he was and not allow him to go near them. He wasn’t really sure how that all worked but it was a fear of his.

He kept his distance from the herd and tried to listen to the Professor discuss the creatures, but Jax couldn’t tear his eyes away from them. What if they attacked him simply because they sensed the wolf in him? Would that give him away? Would people look at him differently because of that? Would he become suspicious to people who hadn’t really paid him any attention before?

Jax attached himself to a couple of other students, not really caring who they were because he was too nervous to notice, and made his way to the hippogriff they were closest to. As instructed, Jax kept his eye contact with the creature and bowed. He stayed low for a few seconds, but the creature made no move to bow. Taking that as a sign, Jax quickly stepped away and took a deep breath. He survived.

6 Jax Donovan (Aladren) I'll just stay in the back... 296 Jax Donovan (Aladren) 0 5

Arne Reinhardt

October 19, 2016 4:04 AM

What are you, Briar Rose’s blind prince? by Arne Reinhardt

The Care of Magical Creatures teacher was not necessarily Arne’s favorite. Both Professor Taransay and Professor Perrault, the Charms teacher, were pretty boys and Arne didn’t really know if he trusted pretty boys. He hadn’t trusted Professor Pye either and then the guy had talked about his days as an auror and Arne had been compelled to step into the library for once and do a bit of research to see if it was even possible for the guy to have done all of that. He did have such a pretty face.

But hippogriffs were pretty cool, Arne thought begrudgingly. He had to give the COMC teacher that, at least. He was in the midst of looking for Louis Valois, his best bro, when that blind third year asked Arne if he wanted to practice with her. He didn’t know if she could see him really or how bad her sight was other that that she wasn’t the sort to see nothing and that she had a seeing eye dog. But that was enough to convince Arne that she was blind enough to not be able to tell if he was doing his properly and that didn’t particularly bother him in the least. Either he was going to do it well and pass the class or he was going to get trampled and then have some awesome scars to show off to the ladies.

“Sure,” he grinned in response. “Go for it, and don’t worry if you can’t let me know how I’m doing. I’m rather growing fond of the idea of leaving class with a scar.”

OOC: It looks short but it's definitely over 200 words, I checked :)

10 Arne Reinhardt What are you, Briar Rose’s blind prince? 319 Arne Reinhardt 0 5

Jack Spencer, Aladren

October 20, 2016 5:57 PM

Volunteering like a good student. by Jack Spencer, Aladren

Going outdoors for a lesson was almost always a good thing in any other class, but in COMC it was worrisome. Usually that meant they would be studying a large magical creature or conducting a dangerous experiment outside of the school's eye or worse, doing something illegal. Jack didn't know what to think of Professor Taransay yet, but by his greeting it was clear he wasn't afraid of danger.

Er, not that Jack was afraid. Of course not.

Jack walked with his classmates into the maze and wondered what sort of mischief Professor Taransay was going to get them into. At least in COMC there was less of a chance of having things explode in his face. Since becoming Prefect, Jack had become a bit more proactive in getting involved and took his leadership position seriously. He wanted to make Sonora proud and be a role model for his peers. If he was going to be Head Boy someday, he needed to prove how reliable and responsible he was.

Jack brushed back his brown hair, fighting against boredom, when their professor revealed the big secret: hippogriffs.

It wasn't that Jack had anything against these magical creatures, but the horror stories he'd heard about them did not make them very appealing. His blue eyes were wide as the professor went and interacted with the hippogriff. He wanted a fifth year volunteer next and Jack didn't think anyone would be so willing to do it. Besides, it would be a brilliant opportunity to show his courage and hopefully impress the witches.

'It's for Head Boy," he muttered under his breath despite his racing heart. When Professor Taransay returned and asked for a volunteer, Jack raised his trembling hand.

He dropped his book bag to the side and approached the hippogriff slowly and carefully as instructed. "It doesn't bite, does it?" he asked nervously. Jack tried not to focus on the hippogriff's large talons and sharp beak as he maintained eye contact. When the professor advised him to stop, he did and bowed just as Professor Taransay had done. After a few seconds the creature bowed back and Jack felt his stomach leap as he approached just as confidently and calmly as his professor. The hippogriff's feathers were softer than he expected and Jack looked over at his professor for approval. "That wasn't so bad." He'd done it and managed to survive! The hippogriff nudged him, as if reminding him to pay attention to him.

Another student approached and Jack smiled at them, feeling like a hippogriff expert now. "Want to join?" the British wizard asked. "It's actually easier than I thought it would be."

40 Jack Spencer, Aladren Volunteering like a good student. 299 Jack Spencer, Aladren 0 5

Kyte Collindale, Pecari

October 23, 2016 9:34 AM

This year is off to a good start by Kyte Collindale, Pecari

Kyte never got out a quill or parchment until he was absolutely instructed to do so, or it became apparent that something was going on that he should (in someone’s opinion) be writing down. Care of Magical Creatures was one of the best subjects in terms of the probability of not-having-to-write-stuff-down, or at least not until afterwards, and so he sat with his writing materials firmly in his bag and his fingers crossed.

“Yes!” he grinned, punching the air, when a double magical sentence was uttered - no books, and going outside. Kyte loved to be outside, roaming around, doing something. He felt like he actually learnt when they did that, and he didn’t get why more teachers didn’t understand that. Learning wasn’t something that just had to be at a desk, stripped of all meaning. He’d learnt plenty before coming to school. How to tie knots. How to juggle. How to trap and skin a rabbit. Most of these skills he knew the Muggle way and had dabbled in the magical as well, when someone had had enough time to let him borrow their wand and walk him through it. He knew pretty well how to lie to law enforcement too. He was pretty sure whatever Professor Taransay taught them today, he would remember.

“Hell yeah,” he nodded, when Gabe - who he happened to be next to - said how great this whole thing was. He kept pace with the other boy as they headed out, speculating on what they might be getting to see that day. He didn’t reach any firm conclusions other than it was probably, definitely, going to be awesome.

He tried to get his focus back as Professor Taransay spoke. Kyte’s family didn’t have animals in their circus but he’d been around enough events with animals, like Renaissance Fairs or random pop-up festivals, that he knew that animals needed respect. And Professor Taransay was here to tell them what that meant for this animal, cos all animals had different needs, and if you met their needs, that was how you showed your respect and then you had happy animals, and that was cool. Animals deserved to be happy as much as people. Maybe more, seeing as animals didn’t do dumb stuff like start wars. Okay, focus... Respect was with a capital R today. This animal literally judged on manners. That made Kyte a bit nervous, cos he wasn’t really the most formal kind of guy. Was the hippogriff going to be able to tell and like… judge him? He wasn’t super thrilled by the idea of a judgemental animal. But when they saw the hippogriffs… They were just so cool. He could forgive them for being kind of stuck-up sounding and needing him to complete a stupid task like bowing.

He watched the demonstration carefully, trying to take notes on the bow as much as anything. He’d bowed before. He’d bowed tons of times, at the end of a show. He just didn’t ever think anyone had been really calculating his worth as a person based on that bow.

“Yeah, sounds great,” he beamed, when Gabe asked him if he wanted to work together. “How about that guy?” he gestured to a nearby hippogriff. It perhaps wasn’t the coolest per se but it had the least haughty look in Kyte’s opinion. He didn’t think hippogriffs could ever really be informal but this one just had… a vibe.

He approached, and tried to bow whilst remembering to keep his eyes forward. That was weird. When he bowed at the circus he didn’t have to do that, he could just do a big flop forward and come up again with a big old grin on his face. It put him off balance a bit and he wobbled.

“Sorry. Sorry, dude…” he apologised to the hippogriff, as he noticed its eyes dart towards his leg. “I… I just lost my balance. I didn’t mean to like… be rude.” The hippogriff relaxed its concentration on his leg but it didn’t seem inclined to bow back. Kyte was a bit put out, and mentally revised his opinion that this one was more easy going. Though it wasn’t clawing at him, so who knew…

“Why don’t you try?” he asked Gabe. “Or maybe we should both practise bowing to each other before we try the real thing. It’s harder than it looks to bow to someone and keep eye contact at the same time.”

13 Kyte Collindale, Pecari This year is off to a good start 335 Kyte Collindale, Pecari 0 5

Gabe

October 25, 2016 3:00 AM

Filled with adventure, I hope by Gabe

Gabe nodded when Kyte agreed with him, always pleased to find a fellow fan of not-boring class. But of course Kyte was on the same page as him. Kyte was cool. Ever since partnering with Raine in Potions last year and learning that the Collindales had circus super-powers, he had been determined to learn their ways. The Teppenpaw looked forward to becoming better friends with his yearmates, and hopefully get some cool trick-flying tips while he was at it, too.

Kyte picked a pretty chill-looking hippogriff, and Gabe followed behind him. Maybe, if they did well enough, this hippogriff would be the type of guy to let them fly with him! Gabe had never flown with a magical creature before, only brooms. Ever since he was a first year, he had always dreamed of flying on a dragon, but flying with a hippogriff seemed like it would be pretty awesome, too. As a circus kid, Gabe felt confident that Kyte would be up for that sort of adventure, and that clearly must be why Kyte had picked this particular creature in the first place. Good job, Kyte. Gabe congratulated himself on an excellent choice in class partner.

“Nice try,” Gabe encouraged, when Kyte gave it the first go. As a pretty normal kid from New York, he had rarely had any reason to practice bowing before, and so commiserated with Kyte on not getting it on the first shot. In fact, the whole thing felt silly, a creature who cared so much about manners. Well, purebloods did seem to have a bunch of strange rules, should he really be surprised that this seemed to have caught on with the animals too?

Gabe decided to take Kyte up on his offer of practice bows,”Well, alright then - Good day, Mr. Collindale,” he said in his best pretend-pureblood tone, making eye contact with Kyte, facing his body towards him, and bowing forward, his arms kind of dangling by his sides, “Erm, what am I supposed to be doing with my hands? Are we allowed to blink?” This being a polite gentleman stuff was harder than it looked. Such was the life of a soon-to-be hippogriff-flying adventurer.

0 Gabe Filled with adventure, I hope 330 Gabe 0 5

Nevaeh

November 02, 2016 1:48 AM

*Princess, thanks. by Nevaeh

The fact that Nevaeh did not immediately recognize the voice that responded to her meant that she had approached someone she didn’t usually talk to, but that was alright, especially since he--even despite being young teenagers, the voice was easily male--seemed agreeable. She smiled at his (probably a joke?) about leaving with a scar. “More like a hoof print than a scar, I imagine, but hey, suit yourself,” she countered playfully.

“Okay, I’m gonna try it now,” she announced. The Aladren lowered her head, bent slightly at the chest, and dropped her knees a little, her motion slow and deliberate, as careful as if she was actually approaching one of the hippogriffs. After all, they would be soon, and the creatures could be dangerous if they were offended. Nevaeh was not one to take unnecessary risk, preferring to be orderly and have a plan, so she wanted to do this as best she could.

“How was that?” she said, straightening back up. “Anything like what Professor Taransay demonstrated? Oh,” the third year added as the thought occurred to her. “Do you think Scout needs to bow or anything?” The German Shepherd's ears swiveled in her direction at the sound of his name. “Like, I bet I could get him to lower his head or something. Or if not and he’d be in trouble, I guess I could leave him over here if you wouldn’t mind making sure I don’t, like, trip on a particularly big rock.”

OOC: That's okay. Mine isn't much longer AND it took forever.

12 Nevaeh *Princess, thanks. 325 Nevaeh 0 5

Kyte

November 04, 2016 9:19 AM

Fingers crossed by Kyte

“Thanks,” Kyte smiled. Gabe was a nice, relaxed partner, which suited Kyte well. He wouldn’t have taken well to someone getting all flustered over his attempt not working. Clearly they weren’t all expected to get everything right first time all the time. That was why it was a school. He didn’t understand people who got so worked up over that, as they were usually the allegedly smart ones, but he thought you had to be pretty dim to still think you could be perfect at everything first time. Most things that were worth doing took a bit of time and effort. That was something that frustrated Kyte. He liked being able to do things right away and got bored quickly with things that took a lot of patience and practice (unless the results were really, really cool) but he understood the principle at least.

He tried not to giggle as Gabe did his bow, but it was funny hearing himself called ‘Mister Collindale.’ He was pretty sure no one even called his dad that, or only when he had to interact with people from outside the circus world. He guessed one day he himself would be Mr. C, given that it was ‘Mr. C’s Fantastical Magical Circus’, but that was about as formal as it got, and that was a very, very long way off.

“Putting your arms out will help you balance better. I think people who are good at bowing can do it with them tucked in but Professor Xavier didn’t say anything about having to and the hippogriff definitely didn’t appreciate wobbling. He was pretty specific about the eye contact. I guess we try not to blink? Oh man, now that I’ve said that I’m like… super aware of it. And my eyes feel sooooo dry,” he sighed as he tried to bow to Gabe, arms out for balance, and eyes wide, wide open. The whole effect was a bit bug-eyed and strange but he probably technically ticked all the boxes.

“Don’t be afraid to be critical. Get into that hippogriff mindset. It’s got to be up to scratch… Or else, our eyes might be up... for scratching,” he joked, although perhaps thinking about eye scratching wasn’t the most encouraging thing...

“One more try?” he asked. "And then I reckon you're ready for a shot with the real thing." He thought Gabe should try first because he hadn't had a go yet, so that made it fairer, and also meant he hadn't already personally offended the hippogriff in question. Kyte didn't want to mess up again and give both them a bad rep with the creature.

13 Kyte Fingers crossed 335 Kyte 0 5

Cameron Dempsey, Pecari

November 26, 2016 4:36 PM

I may or may not be a bit of an ornithophobe by Cameron Dempsey, Pecari

As the fifth year tentatively stepped forward, Cameron watched from the back of the herd of intermediates. Maybe it would be easier than he thought, maybe hippogryffs just needed to go through the ritual, and wouldn't actually attack. Or attack him, specifically. After all he wasn't, as he recently found out, as evil as any of his remaining family. Maybe he wouldn't even have to risk getting close to the birds if the professor knew who he was.

The fifth year had completed the greeting and was now stroking the feathers of the creature. At one point Cameron would have been deathly afraid of appapproaching said creature and blamed it all on the fact that he knew the creature would attack and he didn't feel like dueling with it at the moment. Now Cameron was still scared but not only because birds (and hippogryffs were close enough) freaked him out but because he wanted to be good now. Or at least better. And he wasn't sure that if he was rejected, even by a bird, if he would have the gumption to stick with the path of being good.

He was a Pecari. Supposedly they were supposed to be able to overcome,any obstacle thrown at him. For not the first time, Cameron doubted the sorting potion’s decision. Maybe he would grow into his house. Another, a more worried, part of his mind said he shouldn't belong to any house at all.

He quickly shut the thought down, as he had previously done. He may not be a perfect Pecari but he loved Sonora and was glad to have come here. He was rather fortunate- he had a friend (he hoped), he had roommates that probably were getting at least used to him, and he had a guardian of sorts (though admittedly one that would probably have to fight a hippogryff if she approached one). The thought of Edda fighting a hippogryff made him chuckle. Surely she would give even the ferocious birds a run for their money he thought. His chuckle did not go unnoticed as someone suddenly brought him out of his reverie.

0 Cameron Dempsey, Pecari I may or may not be a bit of an ornithophobe 0 Cameron Dempsey, Pecari 0 5

Caelia Lucan

November 27, 2016 2:48 AM

You read my mind. by Caelia Lucan

Caelia knew she was considered to be a flighty girl. She wasn’t very brave and she sounded a little bit like an airhead when she talked. She had been making efforts away from that, but hadn’t really progressed in showing off that particular side of her in public yet. She was the pretty sort of girl who had a kind word to say about everyone even when she was thinking more malicious thoughts about them in her head and she was careful never to let those malicious thoughts leave her lips. That day’s lesson in hippogriffs, however, equally enthralled and terrified her.

Her first thought when she saw the creatures was What was Professor Taransaythinking when he brought those things here? And her second thought was Just how close can I get to one before it attacks me? She had never really thought of herself as an intellectually curious sort of witch, but for some reason after exposing herself to various readings that she hadn’t tried to read before—always having been reassured by everyone around her that she wasn’t smart enough to understand what was written on the pages she found herself wondering about more and more things.

The scared part of her won out and instead of joining the groups who were more excited to interact with the beasts, she hung back a little, nervous to approach. She moved en masse with them towards a hippogriff lest Professor Taransay spot her and force her to bow in front of the class thus chancing a hippogriff not liking her and smashing her face into the ground in front of about half the school. She watched with large eyes as some of the students approached and bowed, the mysterious Jax Donovan being one of them. He, too, looked uncomfortable and she waited for him to step away before hurrying to his side. She placed a hand on his arm to grab his attention and looked up at him.

“What was it like?” she asked breathlessly, her big blue eyes wide with fright and curiosity. Caelia had a very doll-like beauty, the sort of breakable thing which seemed to make wizards (except for Matthew) afraid to touch her. “Were you scared? Did it—did it like you?” After asking that, she felt immediately stupid. Of course it had liked him. He hadn’t gotten his face pummeled in now, had he?

10 Caelia Lucan You read my mind. 307 Caelia Lucan 0 5

Jax

November 29, 2016 8:29 PM

That's not one of my tricks usually. by Jax

Jax was still looking towards the Hippogriffs when he felt a touch on his arm. He looked away from the creatures and down at the little blonde girl standing beside him. Caelia Lucan, one of the Crotalus girls that he avoided. He didn’t know what it was about them, but the one just seemed really creepy and not quite human. Jax looked around to see if Caelia had gotten herself lost and her friends were nearby to take her back to her rightful place amongst the trophy girls, but he only saw everyone crowding the Hippogriffs and no one seemed concerned for her well-being.

He looked back down at her, his own blue eyes looking her over with a look of indifference to her. She seemed to be mixed with emotions and he couldn’t really fathom why. The Hippogriffs made him nervous just the way dogs did, kneazles did, and basically all other intellectual creature that had the ability to sense that he was more than just a human. But why would someone without anything to hide (or so he assumed, at least it wasn’t a secret like his since she did not share the infirmary with him) be scared of them? If Jax wasn’t a werewolf once a month, he’d probably be just as excited as everyone else to meet the fine creatures.

“Apprehensive.” He replied. He wasn’t sure why she was talking to him and not someone more of her caliber (his assumption of how girls like her think of guys like him and not something he actually thought of himself, he had high praise for his own family). “I was not afraid, just uncomfortable to be around them. The one I approached did not seem too keen on me, so I backed away to allow it more room.” He explained. “I’m sure you can approach one of them and get a bow back.” He advised her. He saw no reason for her to be afraid. She seemed innocent enough, maybe a little naïve and possibly having someone to worry over her, but she did not seem like a terrible person for a Hippogriff to find any sort of evil or deceit in to not bow back to.

“They are beautiful creatures, but most creatures seem to have an aversion to me so I tend to keep my distance.” Jax stated, saying more about himself than he originally intended to but he didn’t think she’d really remember anything he said to her after that lesson anyway.

6 Jax That's not one of my tricks usually. 296 Jax 0 5

Caelia

November 30, 2016 11:59 PM

Mine either by Caelia

Jax was a lot handsomer than he’d been when they first started Sonora. Jax wasn’t the only one she had started to notice, either. Barnaby also was rather good looking as was the other fifth year Aladren, Jack. Caelia had always had a soft spot for Alistair whom she’d always thought of rather handsome, but the blooming of the three Aladren boys had really taken her by surprise. Each had really grown into himself, Caelia thought and felt something funny fluttering in the pit of her stomach. It seemed that ever since Matthew had kissed her, some strange beast had woken up inside her, a strange, unladylike beast who liked to ogle her male classmates even though that wasn’t something that she should have been doing at all since first, she was a young lady and second, she was technically in a relationship with Matthew. He hadn’t written her in a couple of weeks, but she was certain that was just because he was busy with his own school. When one was as smart as Matthew was it was important to study since he would probably go really far in life.

Caelia nodded as Jax spoke. “That’s sad,” she commented when he mentioned most creatures having an aversion to him. She had always heard that animals knew best and to always trust a dog when he didn’t like a person, but Jax hadn’t ever seemed like he was a terrible person. There had been some drama between him and Barnaby Pye which no one really talked about, but Caelia wasn’t sure if she would attribute the blame to either party. Barnaby seemed to hang around Nevaeh Reed a lot and anyone who spent that much time with a blind witch couldn’t be a bad person, and Jax had a solid group of friends all of whom had always seemed like perfectly nice people to Caelia even if they weren’t society so she didn’t think he could be all that bad either.

When it was her turn, she approached the hippogriff, bowing rather awkwardly as she wasn’t used to the action and keeping her eyes forward. She had to force this last bit since staring the great beast in the eye was one of the more terrifying things she had done in her life. Caelia stayed low for what felt like forever when she remembered what Jax said and as she pulled away to move back, the hippogriff simultaneously seemed to move. Startled, Caelia froze. The hippogriff froze. And, in fear of two parts the first being terrified of being trampled and the second being terrified her classmates would laugh at her, Caelia retreated to her place behind Jax. He was much bigger than she was and he had a sister which made her feel more comfortable around him—good brothers always knew how to protect their sisters. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t Emrys and she wasn’t Gia, Caelia still felt some sort of safety near the tall Aladren.

“I moved too soon,” she admitted. She was surprised to realize that she felt disappointment. “I should have stayed down longer. I was thinking about what you said, though, and I didn’t want to make assumptions. I didn’t want to think it liked me when really it didn’t.” Her words weren’t blaming, simply stating a fact in the rather frank way that her older brother had done several times on occasion. “They are rather beautiful though. But I can’t see why they would have an aversion to you, you don’t seem like the dangerous type.” The rest of this was said in the same, frank Emrys tone of voice.

Somethings, it seemed, were passed on in the family.

10 Caelia Mine either 307 Caelia 0 5

Jax

December 02, 2016 10:04 PM

We have one thing in common. by Jax

Jax didn’t know how to respond to her comment. Was it sad? Perhaps a little, but Jax didn’t think about it all that much anymore. Jax used to be the sort of boy who wanted that family dog and a yard to play in. But all of that was before that camping trip with his father. Now he knew better. Dogs would never be his thing and neither would cats or any other animal that could possible find him to be a dark creature. He didn’t say anything about it to her though because he didn’t think she’d really understand unless she knew his secret and he wasn’t about to tell the pretty blonde who had more pull at the school than his mother did that he turned into a werewolf.

He watched her as she decided to take her turn with approaching the Hippogriff. He still had no idea why Caelia Lucan had decided that today of all days that she would talk to him. Wasn’t she into his former roommate, Jack? They went to the ball last year together and he was pretty sure he had seen them chatting from time to time… Wouldn’t he have made a more obvious choice for someone for her to chat with? Not that he had minded overall. She hadn’t made fun of him or spoke to him in a condescending manner the way he was certain her friend would. He wasn’t sure if she was the brightest witch, but she was at least nice, so that was something.

It looked as though the Hippogriff was going to bow but before it did, Caelia moved and then there was a weird pause between them. He thought it was a little amusing to watch because the blonde looked quite terrified about it all and he wasn’t surprised to see her scurry back over to him and practically use him as a shield. Jax gave her a small chuckle and a smirk as he turned slightly to look at her. “It seems like it. But I guess it’s a good sign that it was going to bow to you.” Jax advised, still looking amused. “You can always try again after some of the other students have another go.”

He folded his arms across his chest, looking at his other classmates but looked down at her when she made her observation. “I’m sure your friend would say otherwise.” Jax replied, looking in the direction of Kelsey Atwater. “I’m not exactly the right sort.” He said this as frankly as she had made her comment. He neither cared about what Kelsey Atwater thought about him nor the fact that he wasn’t likely ever going to fit in with Caelia and her group.

6 Jax We have one thing in common. 296 Jax 0 5