Aha. A slow clap for a slow performance. Very droll.

"Thank you, sir," Nem replied, chipper as ever. The kneazle, meanwhile, had decided to take a bit of a rest, and was relaxing at their feet on its side, with the weight off of its belly.

Standing by quietly, watching everyone else and waiting for the lesson to move on, Nem pretty much ignored the fox. Until it ran the course, that was, when their eyes tracked it through the obstacles and out the other end, where it transformed into Eris.

... Anyways.

The kneazle that Nem was working with was still lounging and resting, which meant it was placated enough for them to crouch down and run their head over it's head and down the length of its back a few times. Gentle, friendly, soothing. Eyes on the two wampus kittens, Nem was quiet for a time, face blank, but mind whirring - though not exactly about the question posed. Eventually, they raised their free hand.

"It's probably best to expect the unexpected - if that's even possible - when dealing with a creature like the wampus, professor, even when it's that young. They're very formidable." Nem glossed over those other questions, because they had a question too. "Sir, not to dwell on the past or anything, but I'm confused. You said this was a cat obstacle course. I thought foxes were from the Canidae family. You know, dogs and stuff." For that matter, Eris wasn't actually a fox either, only an Animagi.

Phoebe had Beans on her head as a hat, one paw over each ear, and she thought she looked rather fetching. Those wampuses... wampii? They were really cute, in a really intense sort of way. Like the longer they looked at her, the longer Phoebe wanted to bring them fresh hamburgers and warm milk and cuddle them. Was that a baby thing, or were they HYPNOTIZING her?

Did they want to eat hamburgers? Was that on their diet? "I'm pretty sure they eat Hufflepuffs. Sir. Very tender and delicious."

With a few more treats in hand, Blake was able to get his little kneazle through the course ... they sure didn't break any records in time, but Blake actually had fun considering he wasn't a fan of cats at all. Giving his kneazle a good scratch behind the ears, Blake turned his attention to the Wampus ... uuuggggghhhhh... he hadn't even looked it in the eyes and he felt rather hypnotized by them.

"Well they eat meat right ... soo maybe best to keep that cage closed with all these cats and kneazles around." Blake made sure his little guy was tucked safely behind him, just in case the Wampus could get out.

Faye was so relieved to hear the Professor she and Astrid had done a good job with completing the course. "Thank you Professor!" The redhead bowed her head and smiled graciously in his direction. She couldn't have done it without Astrid's diligence and her patience. Faye hoped to not have to be too strenuous on her like that again. She cuddled her feline close as he continued with the lesson to reveal WAMPUS cats in the hidden crates she'd noticed before. OH how fascinating!

She listened to everyone give their knowledge about the Wampus to the Professor, so unfortunately could not think of anything else to add that wasn't already mentioned. There was one particular response that Wampus cats can walk on their hind legs, which caused her to look down as Astrid as she asked, "Can you do that?" Her response from Astrid being a simple meow, which caused Faye to giggle lightly before putting her attention back to the lesson.

Although Faye did have a slight curiosity as to why they were here at today's lesson.

5th Place!!!!

"We're in the top five Elena! That's so cool!" Cole shared with bubbling excitement with his cat that he lifted up to give another affectionate hug and scratch between the ears. This was the best lesson of the year so far. He had just sat his cat down beside him, to have his hands free to take notes when the covering was taken away from the crates. Inside he saw some kittens with hanging harnesses, why did they need that in there? Obviously there was more to the cat's then met his eyes as Professor Williamson explained that they we're called wampus cats. Cole had heard about this mythical cat, but he wasn't aware that they actually existed for real. The harnesses we're warranted by their XXXXX rating. Taking notes he raised his hand to add onto the other answers "The wampus cat is native to Appalachia in North America and its yellow eyes are said to have the power to hypnos you, if you look too long into them."

Elena was contentedly waiting for more scratches and treats when the air shifted. Looking across to the inhabitants in the crates with alarm she let out several scared meowing sounds as she moved closer and closer to her hooman for protection.

Becoming aware of Elena's meowing and that she was now practically sitting ontop of him Cole asked worriedly "Professor, shall we put leashes on our cats to keep them protected?" He didn't want anything bad to happen to Elena or for her to get hurt. "Erm, i suppose the wampus's fur needs to be combed and cared for like a regular cat's? And um they probably like eating tuna fish too and schrimps?" It was just some guesses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

Like James the Silent One, Williamson had nothing to say about his kneazle!fail. He just... smirked, clearly amused at James' efforts so far in class.

....

"Anything else we should know before we move on? What about their diet? Any care they might require?"

[s]James[/i] Eiji would remain the Silent One since he had nothing to add to the discussion and would argue that he had not exactly FAILED either since the man had just pointed out that the point of the course had been to help form a bond with their kneazle. Something Eiji hadn't even had to lift a finger to do, technically. His mere existence was worshiped by this particular feline that was now sitting ON hit foot and nuzzling his knee.

And drooling. Always drooling.

Eiji knelt down and uncorked another phial to fill it with drool. Count that as three for the class thus far. Still waiting on whiskers.

The wampus cats, while he could acknowledge his own curiosity in wanting to see them closer, were fine staying away from him for the time being. He had more than enough fur to deal with at the moment.

Oh cool! Fourth was okay. Fourth was good for a kneazle who hadn't practiced. "Good job, Cabriole!" Flynn told the fluffball happily, giving it some well-deserved snuggles. The lesson continuing was of great interest to him too. Wampuses!!!! And there were TWO of them! Honestly, it was too hard to come up with an answer when a more pressing THING came to the forefront of his mind, and Flynn put his hand up.

"Professor! I volunteer! I mean.... you know, for a demonstration! I don't mind being hypnotised by cats. I mean, I trust you'd look after me!" Yeah!!!

Since everyone had pretty much answered the Professor's questions and since he didn't really have anything to add, Drew remained quiet. Not to mention he was kind of still sulking that Williamson had taken his wand.

Really!

He had thought that he and Ewan had been very innovative coming up with the idea of charming the toy mice. And quite frankly they'd had no other option since their Kneazles had not wanted to play the game. So he just waited for the next question or whatever was going to happen next.

Now that the kneazle has gone to dreamland, she can focus at notes. She read the list and most of it was something she had read before but the part about that the animal originated from a witch with a cursed skin was new to her. Huh, now she knows at least.

Her eyes glanced over to the 2 wampus cats, they were locked inside the cage and quite frankly some of the cats here are surprisingly chill about it. Maybe it isn't that much of a threat? Perhaps. Jillian was more curious in trying out if these creatures can do legilimency. Are they going to prove this today? Will they wear sunglasses? That'd be awesome if they did.

Thierry was comfortable. This young human of his was warm and the hand lightly rubbing his head and ears was making him sleepy. So sleep is what he shall down. Don't mind him if he purrs like a small motor boat.

Lukas knew there was something he was meant to be doing. Whatever it was, staring at wampus kittens wasn't it. He couldn't help it though. They were small and adorable and a part of him wanted to pick one up and cuddle it! Not that he would, he wasn't stupid and he knew better. And yet he couldn't look away.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted but a loud growl. Had th- no, it couldn't have come from the wampus kitten, could it? Why would it be growling like that. What had happened?

His ears perked at the growl. Disturbing his sleep, did that other cat thing know that? You, yes, you. Thierry opened his eyes sitting up on Lukas' lap as tall as he could. Don't you look at us, wampus. Not at his human boy child. He was his. Not sharing. Hiiiiiiisssssssss!

Nudddddddge. Rubs his head against the kids trying to force him to look away from that yellow eyed demon cat. Purr. Head bump!

Wha-?! Ugh! "Thierry, what are you doing, shhh... lay back down, it's okay," Lukas whispered trying to keep Thierry from nudging his furry head into his face again. He didn't much like getting fur in his mouth, thank you very much. He scooped Thierry into his arms again cuddling the kneazle against his chest. "Better? All my attention is on you now." And the Professor. He was listening now. What type of food did the wampus it. Got it. Looks like everyone around him had that answer under control.

Wait! Nooooo! What was he d- Oooh. Yes, yes this was good. Keeping the cuddles and pets coming. He laid down, his head in the crook of the boys arms, eyes back on that wampus.

"Great answer, Louise," William beamed at her. "They are great hunters." He noticed Lucy's behavior too, but didn't mention it.

Fiona would mention it. She let out a long, lowwwwww hisssss at the domesticated feline. She didn't take her eyes off the other cat either. As far as she was concerned? That white cat could just launch itself off its owner's lap and fall flat to the ground, on its face... and her eyes communicated just that.



Rufus and Fiona were NOT pets, just to clarify.

"They do indeed eat deer and anything else than can catch with their super speed." Williamson nodded to Isla and added her ideas to the board. "Wampus kittens are particularly fond of squirrels, which are good prey as they learn how to balance their speed with their other.... advantages."

He frowned a bit as she said they shouldn't care for them. "I think we should care for all animals, especially ones that we wizards have had a hand in creating." Possibly creating. "We care for dragons, don't we? Wampuses have become pretty rare as the States have become more and more settled." They hardly had any wild territory left, save those few national parks in the Eastern section of the USA.

As for how they'd handle the obstacle course? She'd have to check that out for herself.



"Yes, they do enjoy deer," Williamson chuckled at the Ravenclaw prefect. Was that on their notes already? He'd make sure it was in the notes.



"Yep," Williamson added that to the list of facts. "Deer, squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs, badgers..." Er, no offense to any Hufflepuffs here.



Flying rats... HA! Another good one. Speaking of Hufflepuffs, this badger had a great sense of humor, or a penchant for telling whoppers.

Well, yes, "that's great advice, and you SHOULD stay far away from one, if you encounter it in the wild." He cleared his throat. "But that's why it's important to encounter them in a safe space, like the classroom, so that you're aware of the risks involved in them before you head out into the real world."

Ya know, Willy didn't have to justify the need for this class, but he did. Ugh. The joy of teaching an elective, right?



"Excellent!" He appreciated the Ravenclaw adding on to the other answers. Rabbit, yes, he'd forgotten to add rabbit to the list!



Williamson was definitely not in the business of saving small pets that were NOT on the school-approved list of pets; in fact, he didn't even notice it, as he was turned around and using his wand to write on the chalkboard at the moment.

He did nod to Carsyn and add her answer though.

Rufus, meanwhile, was instantly on alert for the gerbil. If ONLY one of these BLASTED H00MANS had listened to him and OPENED the cage already! He let out a low growl and stuck his paw through the bars of the cage, swiping at the gerbil.

When that didn't work, he turned his large yellow eyes on the other creature, starting to hypnotize it so that it would just walk itself into his cage. It was small enough; the rodent would fit easily through the bars of the cage AND would be the PERFECT snack for him.

Fiona would have to catch her own appetizer.



Neither Rufus nor Fiona seemed to, er, wave back at Mate, but Williamson did appreciate the gesture with an amused half-grin. "They can indeed climb like a mountain lion! Being able to walk on their hind legs means they can get more height to reach trees other cats cannot." Props for her! Was he about to start snapping like Cassie Kitridge? He was just so pleased with their answers today.



"Great," he added Islay's next answer to the list. "Some say they even hypnotize their prey so they don't have to work as hard at hunting." Was this true? It was rare to observe a wampus in the wild, so they'd have to find that out today. Maybe.



Fiona continued her legilimency on the kneazle, starting to purrrrrr as the other feline scratched at the cage. Then she turned her big eyes on the girl, ORDERING her to OPEN THE CAGE THIS INSTANT. She and the kneazle could switch places, and the big oaf who had forced this harness on her would never even notice the difference....

"...Claudine, don't look!" Williamson indeed hadn't noticed the kneazle getting close to the cage until it actually started meowing at it. He bent down and scooped up President, forcing the cat into Claudine's arms.

"Hurry back to your seat and do NOT make eye contact with the wampus, okay?!" He REALLY should have brought sunglasses for everyone. Uh. Anyway.



At the answer about foxes, Williamson let out a small snort and glanced at Eris. "That's true, very true." He added it to the board.



"Excellent," he was pleased with THIS Prefect's answer. "THIS is why we care for the wampus. Now, I don't advocate attempting to domesticate them, because that NEVER works out, but I do think we should respect them and protect their natural habitats so that they can live in peace in nature." They didn't, after all, typically eat joggers and the like.

Rufus was ALSo interested in getting a better look at the cat on the Hufflepuff's shoulders. He locked eyes with the cat and attempted to tell it to claw your owner's hair, scratch her forehead, claaaaaaaaw at herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Why? He was BORED in this cage and would find this small injury AM00SING.



Indeed, yes, that was surprisingly good advice from the third year. He nodded. "Right, and that's not a fox." He nodded toward Eris. "He's actually here to help me handle the wampus."

With this, Williamson reached forward and slowly, SLOWLY, undid the lock on the cage with a few ridiculously complicated taps and swirls of his wand. He grabbed the two leashes, handing the indigo one to Eris and keeping the dark red leash of Rufus for himself.



The cat hat WAS fetching, but not as amusing as Phoebe's answer. WWW let out a loud guffaw before he could contain himself.

"Sorry, Phoebe, I don't know for certain that this is a fact." So he didn't add it to the board. "And we will NOT be testing it today." Hopefully. William tightened his grip on Rufus' leash just in case.



Ope, it was too late for that, mate. "Sorry, Blake," Williamson held the leash in his hand up a little higher so that Blake could see it. "The point of this class is not to observe, but to work with and care for magical creatures. So." Time to channel your inner Gryffindor, kid, before handling one of these wampuses.



Yes, technically no one had mentioned that the Appalachain mountains were where the wampus was found. "Good," Williamson added that to the board, but shook his head at Cole. "I think you'll be okay. They've been fed," well, earlier in the day, "and I don't think they're interested in eating your feline. Plus, this harness is attached to a leash." He tugged Rufus' leash a few times to demonstrate, eliciting a long, low growl from the wampus. But hey, it didn't go anywhere, so.



So....nothing from these few, then? Williamson nodded to them all and made sure they could see the chalkboard.

"I think we have all our facts, then. Make sure you jot these down and then we'll move on."

Wampus Facts
---native to Appalachia
---eyes can hypnotize
---possible powers of legilimency
---can walk on hind legs
---quickly grow to be pretty large
---nearly impossible to kill, once fully grown
---hair is used in wands
---Cherokee of North America are the only ones to use their hair in a wand
---look similar to a mountain lion
---most active at dawn and dusk (crepuscular)
---VERY strong
---VERY fast
---EXCELLENT hunters
---GREAT climbers
---fierce warriors
---represent a House at Ilvermorny
---possibly originated from a witch in cougar skin who was cursed
---should avoid eye contact or wear sunglasses
---obligate carnivores, eat deer, rabbits, foxes, woodland creatures
---use stealth, ambush, and hypnosis against prey

"So, a few things I want to emphasize." The Professor had his dragonhide gloves on, and picked up Rufus, holding him tightly as he set him on the top of the cage for everyone to see. Rufus was NOT pleased with this action, but he was biding his time, casting his yellow eyes about for his first victim.

"This is obviously a VERY small wampus. In fact, it was born at the very end of July, and I picked it up from a friend's sanctuary in the States. Rufus and Fiona, and she was the runt of the litter, will be going back there after our class so that they can SLOWLY be rehabilitated and released to the wild. Both are the only survivors of a premature litter, rescued when their mum was shot by a Muggle hunter." He cleared his throat. "Just because these two are small doesn't mean they won't be nearly grown in a few months. Rufus and Fiona are NOT threats to your cats and kneazles, as far as I've seen. They are, however, WICKEDLY fast." And that was why he'd spent a day and a half casting protective spells and barriers around the fenced-in classroom space, so that IN CASE of an accident, the wampus actually wouldn't be able to escape.

Also. "I want you to experience firsthand WHY we don't attempt to make pets out of animals that are NOT pets." Looking at you, kids who wanted to bring snails and slugs and spiders and snakes and Merlin knew what else to school. "So. Two or three at a time, you're going to come on up and attempt, I say, ATTEMPT, to lead Rufus or Fiona through the obstacle course. YOU WILL HAVE TO HANG ONTO THE LEASH TIGHT. Do NOT use magic on the wampus. Do NOT let go of the leash. I recommend using the bond you have with your cat or kneazle to persuade the wampus to do your bidding. What worked for them MIGHT work for these two..." And uh, good luck for those who never finished the course in the practice round.

But, well, they'd see. "Let's get started. To make things easy, just work with the person you're sitting next to." And who would be first??

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

"Professor! I volunteer! I mean.... you know, for a demonstration! I don't mind being hypnotised by cats. I mean, I trust you'd look after me!" Yeah!!!

"Alright, Flynn, come on up." Williamson chuckled. "Try NOT to make eye contact with the cat, though? We don't want YOU to be hypnotized." But if Cabriole got hypnotized a bit? That would be oKAY, and interesting to see. "Who's working with Flynn?"

AHA. Victim found. So, Rufus would be working with him. But would he be working FOR or AGAINST him? Mewewewewewww....

OOC: OKAY. Main activity time.

1. You and the person nearest you (ie, just grab the post of the person above you, so we don't spend forever finding a partner) will attempt to run the course with the super speedy wampus.
2. Come on up and take either Rufus from WWW or Fiona from Eris. Remember, they're in a harness and on a leash.
3. Start the course. I'll reply to your post, RPing for whichever wampus you took.
4. You can keep RPing for your kneazle/cat, remembering that they might try to help the wampus, or protect your student, or do something else entirely.
5. Please remember to give me a chance to reply to you! I'll be back online in about 12 hours FOR SURE. <3

Right. She shouldn’t look. Quickly, Claudine averted her eyes from the cage and was relieved to soon find President in her arms again. His warmth brought significant comfort to her. “Thank you,’’ she said meekly to Williamson before gladly turning her back on the cage, also taking care to keep President’s gaze away from it. Once back to her original place, she kissed the little forehead and tried to concentrate on the lesson once more.

It was not easy to make her notes as she was also tasked with keeping President occupied. Fortunately, she was still in possession of the toy which helped. Once done, she chanced a peek at Williamson and Rufus. No wampus was going to make her or her kneazle do anything again. Not for a second.

Claudine raised her hand. “I’ll work with Flynn,’’ she offered. She left President on her seat, grateful that he was still chewing on the toy. She approached the front of the class. Since Flynn had volunteered first, she’s let him take the leash. Suddenly, she jumped as something brushed up against her leg.

President was not going to be left behind. He went where this hooman went. The kneazle continued rubbing against her feet.

After finishing off the Wampus facts, Ewan just sat there and watched as the Professor picked up Rufus in his dragonhide gloves. He hoped he didn’t need his because he hadn’t brought them. Even for a small Wampus though, he could see the claws and teeth of the cat and knew it would end up growing up to be a hunting machine. All in all, he didn’t fancy letting go of it so that it ended up running wild around the them.

Partner up? ”Hey Missa, wanna show these kids how it’s done?” a playful smile on his face now as he turned towards his fellow Ravenclaw prefect.

Oh. So, the OTHER cat with the yellow eyes was coming out to get all of the attention? I don’t think so. The jet black Kneazle slinks its way over in between the huuumans legs, demanding attention!

Isla couldn't help but grin just a little when WWW replied to her answer. Seems she'd gotten it right, which meant that she just might stand a chance of impressing him a little after all. But, no. He followed that up with a frown, because apparently a Wampus should be cared for? Which is what she guessed they'd do today without sunglasses. "Sorry... I didn't mean we shouldn't care for them at all, I was just thinking about the fact that they're a wild animal, and we usually don't care for wild animals," she remarked. You know, like feeding and watering them. Things like that. "I get what you're saying, though."

WWW launched into a discussion then, and Isla winced a little at the mention of the muggle hunter. Now she felt like a big meanie for suggesting they not be cared for. Also, it looked like they were due for another trip around the obstacle course, this time with the Wampus duo. Isla had no idea what to do with the beloved pet in her arms, but she decided to let her down to mingle with the others. She side-eyed Flynn, who was volunteering to get hypnotized. Nope. Not her. Good luck, Flynn. We'll visit you in the hospital wing.

So, a partner... Who was next to her? They were all sort of huddled together in a group, so either one of them would do. "Any of you want to partner up?" she asked.

Avalon beamed at Professor Williamson's approval of her answer. At least she didn't make a total fool of herself today - Shadow may have had a rubbish run on the obstacle course, but she had given a good answer, and that was enough for her. She jotted down some notes from the board, glancing up at the wampuses every once in a while. They were just so cute! It was hard to believe that they could be so dangerous.

Oh, boy. They had to run the course again?! She really hoped that she would have a better run with the wampus than she did with Shadow. "I'll work with you, Isla!" Avalon said to the Slytherin, who seemed to have a pretty good run. Although the second year did have the advantage of a kneazle. "Want to take Fiona?" It looked like Rufus would still be busy hypnotizing Flynn. She approached the female wampus carefully, gripping the leash with a tight hold. She was not going to let this one get away from them!

Now, what would their strategy be? "Treats or toys? Or we could use our own felines to help guide them through. Although I'm not making any promises about Shadow!" she said with a laugh, gesturing to her own cat, who was now rolling around on his back in the grass, batting around a toy fish. "Whenever you're ready!" Avalon thought she'd let Isla decide if she preferred to take the leash. She didn't really care either way.

AHA, she had given a GReAT answer. Louise beamed back at the professor, pleased with herself and completely unaware of the staredown that Lucy and Fiona the wampus were having.

Something about those eeeeeeyes, ooooooh, she wanted to GET her. She wanted to POUNCE. Lucy's ears went flat as the wampus hissed at her and something in her little feline body told her to pounce. So, she did. She launched herself off of Louise's lap, but something happened between the launch and the landing and Lucy somehow ended up face first in the grass only a foot away from where she had jumped. With an embarrassed and muffled "mrrrff", Lucy got back on her feet and scampered away to hide between Louise's ankles and the stump she was sitting on.

At the same moment that Louise went to grab her notebook.... THAT happened. "Lucy, what on earth?" she whispered as the cat hid behind her legs. Louise sighed and let her stay there while she opened up her notebook to jot down some more notes about the wampus. The poor wampus kitties were the only two to survive? After their momma had been killed by a muggle? Awww. Louise pouted a bit.

And then it was time to interact with the wampus kitties. It was exciting, but also nerve-wracking. Louise liked cats a lot, so it was going to be hard to try and not make eye contact with the wampus. The Gryffindor stood and headed for the wampus kittens. "I'll take Fiona," Louise said to Professor Eris before carefully taking the wampus from him. Holding onto the leash TIGHT, Louise looked back to Lucy, who had followed her, but was still hunkered down behind her feet. Alright, who was going to be her partner?

Aslan did not like wampus'. They were sneaky and smart. Too smart if you asked him. Too smart for humans at times so he wanted to make sure that his new friend would be protected. His eyes glanced over to the other boy (Kitt) who had joined them earlier too. He also needed protecting too.

Noah glanced down at Aslan after hearing the Professor's instructions. Obstacle course part two. They didn't get to go through it together the first time because of Sparky Spark who wasn't actually called Sparky .. He wondered if he and Aslan could make it through with a wampus? "You ready?" he asked to which he received a nod and purr from the kneazle. He glanced around at the group and was about to ask if anyone needed a partner when he heard a girl (Louisa, right?) asking for anyone to partner up with. OH yeah, that was Louisa. They had met on the train.

"Hey Louisa! Aslan and I can partner with you!" he called out with a happy smile and a wave. He approached her, her kneazle, and the wampus kitten (Fiona) - who was adorable. "Okay, what are you thinking we should use to get them through? Treats or something else?" he asked.

Aslan trailed after Noah over to the girl (Louisa) and her kneazle. He sat patiently, waiting to see what plan they would come up with, and cast his eyes at Lucy. He wondered what she made of all of this tomfoolery? Obstacle courses were fun but this whole event was quite entertaining. Then his eyes darted to the wampus (Fiona). His tail swished and he watched the wampus, trying to determine if it would be friend or foe.

Islay took out her notepad and jotted down the new editions to the list – even tapping her wand against the paper to rearrange the words into an order that seemed more fitting for her…y’know, if something seemed more important she was going to move it and you couldn’t rightly erase ink.

Islay made sure not to give Rufus direct eye contact – hello, what exactly would the wampus do? Make her release it?...and it wasn’t in its natural ecosystem that would ruin the fragile ecosystem of the forest – right?

When Professor Williamson said that Rufus and Fiona’s mum had been – oh, the poor dears she didn’t mean to audibly whimper for them…but she had, okay so maybe she was a little too soft hearted when it came to anything? But that was how she had always been. Okay, they weren’t threats – that was good….”okay, lets do this" she said to whoever was nearest to her.

Oh? Missa turned to look at Nina when Ewan approached her. Was it okay? Would it affect their new friendship?? Why was this class becoming so complicated all of a sudden?? “Nina? Do you want to work together with Ewan?”

Maybe the THREE of them working together would also make this thing go faster since Missa and Nina had not done well in that department. And surely the Wampus would be more difficult than a kneazle had been.

Speaking of, she noticed how the grey cat of theirs was still circling Nina’s feet, and she found herself smiling --- and then sneezing.

Right. She needed to be done with this class now.

“I’ll go and get one of the Wampus” she offered, before moving toward Professor Willamson. “Rufus, is it?” she asked, as she reluctantly reached out for his leash.

Naya was taking notes, notes and more notes. When the professor explained what they would be doing next, she was skeptical. This sounded like a recipe for disaster. How were they going to control those wild creatures? If they were as fast as advertised, how would she keep up. Naya considered herself pretty fast, but not wampus fast. And how would they avoid looking into the eyes of the beasts?

Before she could even deal with all of that, Naya had to find a partner. Looking nearby, she saw her housemate who was also in need of a partner. “You and me Islay? Are you up for an adventure?” Naya addressed Benjie next. “Hey buddy, we’re about to have more fun. Are you ready?” Hopefully they could pull this off. She didn’t really want to think of the alternative.

Teacup was still not listening to the humans and she was still very entranced by the creatures in front of her. She swatted the cage again, but backed up when the one hissed at her. Meowing at it she stepped closer again.

Chloe was listening to the professor and not really paying attention to her cat. The wampus was so interesting and she really wanted to learn more about them. Excitement grew as she heard they would be working with them on the course. They had to be smarter than tea.... wait, where was.. "Teacup, no" She got up and scooped up the cat. 'Sorry professor, she is very stubborn." This was a bad idea to bring her, "You are going to end up eaten if you aren't careful around them."

Setting her on the ground and pulling a little harness out, she stuck it on the cat and tied it to her bag so she couldn't leave again. When the professor started to say about partners she turned to ask Ewan if he wanted to work together, but he had already went over to Missa and Nina. She frowned a bit watching, what was that about...

Trying not to think too much into it she turned and saw someone else, "Hey want to work together?"

After Isla asked the group next to her if anybody wanted to partner up, she looked around for Maleficent as she waited on a reply. Her kneazle was off by herself, but she seemed happy and content. That made Isla both happy and sad. On one hand, she glad to see her kneazle adjusting well, but on the other hand, it made her sad to see Maleficent so content without her.

By the time she turned around, Avalon was taking her up on her offer. PERFECT. Isla loved working with Ravenclaws...for all the obvious reasons, of course. "Sure, thanks!" she said. She nodded when Avalon suggested Fiona. She didn't want to work with Rufus anyway due to his name alone. That was pretty petty of her, but that was the reason. "Fiona's perfect," she agreed, because Avalon was right about the whole Flynn being hypnotized thing. Which, come to think of it, really had Isla intrigued. Could they watch that instead of busying themselves with the course, hmm?

Isla didn't know who Shadow was, but she guessed it was the cat Avalon had been working with. She laughed along. "Well, my strategy did work, and it involved both toys and treats. I pretty much put the scent of treats on the ball and moved the ball through the course. When Maleficent made her way through each part, I awarded her with a treat," she explained. "You already have the leash, so you can take the leash first if you want."

Isla headed back to the stash of toys and remarkably found the same ball she'd been working with before. She grabbed a few treats and headed back to Avalon. Once she got there, she rubbed down the ball to give it a fresh scent of the treat. "The hoops are up first. Get ready to drop the leash for a split second as she runs through the hoop. I'll be ready to pick it up on the other end." She tossed the ball through the hoop then dashed to the other side of it.

Aboli blushed, but merely tried to look like the words didn't bother her. Well. The boy had seemed smart. She SHOT HIM A LOOK like... "You better not cross me after class, PUNK" before turning to listen to more about wampus's? Wampuses? Wampi? Also, she was itching to take notes. She'd have to look up stuff later just to copy something down. In the meantime, she was holding Sparticus protectively as she avoided the gaze of those...Wampus kitties. They were cute....but clearly a little dangerous.

She glanced at the girl nearest her, a seventh year she recognized from around campus. "Hey...wanna' give it a shot?" she asked gently. "I'm Aboli, by the way...." Ahem.

Cue nervous smile.

Carwyn stayed at the back of the class space until he was needed again. His own run had just been a … mock-timing event… A way to show that animagi had more capacity to focus than untrained animals, nothing more and nothing less. As such, he rolled his eyes playfully as William stated that his time was the fastest. Sure.. but just wait. Personally, he wouldn’t have missed this. Well, that was why he had offered his time and was here, after all.

He gave Miss Thiese a smile, although her statement as she answered William’s question gained a chuckle. ”I’m sorry, Miss Thiese, but I’m not a pet for you to own.” He paused and smiled at her. ”However, if you stick in with your classes, perhaps we could look into animagi training in your senior years.”

Carwyn then sent a nod towards Miss Song, as he caught her looking in his direction. Grinning slightly at Mr Donovan’s thumbs up, the Transfiguration Professor gave him a small wave back as he nodded his head and smiled. Miss Blaze got another smile too. Hi, hey, hello.

Standing against the hay, Carwyn ended up grinning at the comment from Mr Nam too. It was true, many animals prefered foxes to be included in their food source, and he gave the fifth year student a nod. It was the way of life, but he was glad that he was a human.

Mr Upstead got a smile as he mentioned that foxes were not cats. That was a fact, however it was also a fact that he wasn’t a dog or a fox, just like the third-year had thought;. It was would become clear as the class continued that he was truly only here to be back-up for Professor Williamson. Simply as another adult to be around the wampus kittens, for security and safety purposes. Mmhmmm. Standing at the back, he did however slip on his sunglasses when his colleague did.



As William picked up the leashes, Carwyn finally stepped forward and into the class proper. Standing to the Professor’s side, he took the indigo leash as it was handed to him, before he stood silently and listened as WWW went over the safety points. When Rufus ended up on top of the crate, he moved to help clip the lead onto the harness - four hands were definitely better than two right now - and stood up as William continued his talk.

When it came time to take Fiona out and get her ready, he held tightly to Rufus’ lead, and clipped Fiona’s. Team work definitely made this job so much easier. Letting go of Rufus’ leave but keeping a hold of Fiona’s, Carwyn was careful not to look down at either of the wampus kittens, even as he held the lead in both hands.

Carwyn watched Flynn and Claudine join them to go first, and he grinned a little as he watched the class get themselves organised into pairs to work with the kittens. Off they went!


When the first couple came towards him for Fiona, Carwyn smiled at them. ”Isla, Avalon.” He held out Fiona’s lead to Avalon and repeated William’s sentiments. ”Remember to keep hold on her lead and don’t look her in the eye.” Responsible and safe. Mhmmm.


Carwyn smiled at the next person to come and get Fiona’s lead from him. ”Hello Louise.” He greeted her as he held the wand tightly. ”Remember to find someone else to work with, and be careful with her lead, okay?” He commented to yet another student. ”Hold tight, and try not to look her straight on.” Got it? Perfect. Carwyn kept an eye on her for a few more minutes, making sure that she didn't try to run the course by herself; but he was satisfied when she saw Noah and her agreeing to work together.

Now, who was next?

Islay smiled over to Naya when she heard her asking her if she wanted to work with her, “I would love to Naya” she gave her a grin as watched Naya speaking to her cat. There was such love and care there – it was brilliant. “okay Kasha, we got this right?” she grinned before turning back to Naya – “how would you want to do this?” she asked as she got ready to line-up for the Wampus’ lead.

“we could use food motivation or just cheering – anything really…anything but magic – right?” she shrugged a bit but really, she was excited to give this another go. Maybe it would work better?