A creature in need Finished

"Yup!" Jake replied, his face lighting up at the mention of Newt's book. "Have you read it?" the boy gushed, the shyness in his face replaced by an eager excitement that so rarely graced his face - such as at times like these when getting to talk about one of his new heroes. "He writes about so many animals. I read it all the time. Plus, wanna know what? I live in the Scamander dorm in Hufflepuff. I bet when Newt was our age he was kinda like you..." Jake said, a bit of shyness creeping into his voice again.

When Ruka moved to stand at his side, Jake let his shoulder touch the other boy's. To tell the truth, Jake was still a little bit shaken up by the experience they had just had. Now that he was getting used to Ruka's presence the physical contact was comforting, and not so foreign or strange.

"Awww, you grew up with animals...? L-Like...like on a farm or something? You're so lucky...!" Jake said, envy in his voice. "I only got to go to the zoo..." He wished he had grown up like Ruka had, all surrounded by animals that he could have helped care for. You could only learn so much through books, or befriending local animals, or feeding ducks at the park. "Could you teach me some time...? More about how to help them?"

Jake blushed. Why had he said that? He felt suddenly shy again - he had only met this boy just today...he didn't know if he could ask things like that. Most of the friends that Jake had made had come to him - it had only been by chance that a friendship had formed. He practiced brooms with Ruthie, but she was the one who had asked him to come. Asking somebody himself was much harder, especially a stranger. After what they'd just been through Ruka didn't feel so much like a stranger after all, and maybe that was why Jake had asked. Still, having asked the question made him feel vulnerable, and he squirmed uncomfortably before moving away and walking towards the bunny. He didn't move close enough to scare it...just close enough to make sure that it was doing alright and watch as it began to regain its confidence. It also provided a convenient distraction from waiting for the chance of rejection.

"We should name him," Jake said suddenly, not waiting for an answer to his question. "That way if we see him again, we can say hi..." Jake had a tendency of naming most animals that crossed his path - like the pets he never had. Even Professor Browne's bee patronus had been named by Jake (and he considered himself and Buzz to be very close).

@Jake Morris

Ruka chuckled lightly at the sight of Jake seemingly deciding that his excitement for Fantastic Beasts was far stronger than whatever shyness had been there before. With a small smile on his own face, the Gryffindor listened patiently, nodding occasionally as he was told that Jake even lived in the Scamander dorms.

"It's a great book," he agreed, eyes drifting to the bunny for a second just to make sure it was still doing alright. "I read it last year. I really like Kelpies." He shrugged lightly like it didn't really matter, but it was one of the few things he was actually able to contribute to the conversation, and the way Jake seemed to fall back into his shyness a little bit again as he compared Ruka to Newt...

Well, it felt good, in a way, to feel like someone was looking up to him. To be around someone who didn't just recognise him from the Tea Party. He didn't feel like leaving that conversation just yet.

Ruka couldn't help a small laugh escaping him as Jake questioned whether he had grown up at a farm or something smilier, and mentioned that he wished he had had the same kind of upbringing. "Something like that," he said, offering Jake a small smile. "But hey, I've never been to the zoo, that's a whole bunch of animals you've seen already that I haven't yet." He nudged the other boy's shoulder encouragingly as if to tell him to the the bright side of his own circumstances.

If he actually knew the extend of Ruka's upbringing he would probably be far less excited to share in it, but the Fire Dancer was quite happy to stay clear of his own past for now.

Just as Ruka was about to answer Jake's question on whether the Gryffindor would consider showing him more about helping wounded animals, the Hufflepuff changed the topic, as if suddenly scared of the response he might get.

Ruka could almost smell the fear of rejection.

"Uh, yeah," he agreed to naming the bunny, tilting his head to the side to watch the little rodent slowly hopping from one side of the book fort to the other. "What about Hopper?" It wasn't the most creative of names, but he strongly hoped it was enough to either pacify Jake or spur his own creativity into coming up with a brilliant name. "And after everything we've done for him, I'm pretty sure he'll come to greet us next time he sees us around!"

Jake smiled when Ruka recognized Fantastic Beasts and even praised it. It was hard not to feel proud at the common ground they had between them. Jake had already started to look up to Ruka quite a lot, and the praise of a bigger kid always made you feel good. Kelpies...Jake tried to remember if he had read about them yet. There were so many new creatures that he was learning about that he had never dreamed of in the muggle world. "I...I don't remember...There's so many animals in the book that I still haven't remembered all of them. And sometimes I take a long time because I really like looking at the pictures. And I have other animal books too that I got from the library."

Ruka nudged Jake's shoulder, and Jake was shocked to hear what Ruka told him. To never have gone to the zoo? He wondered if Ruka had ever seen a giraffe, or a monkey. Jake had seen those and many more, including animals that less people knew about too, like Bongos and Okapi. There were some animals that you could only see at the zoo. (Or, if you could see them in other places, you probably wouldn't want to). If Ruka had never gone, then he really did feel lucky.

"You haveta go some time...it's fun. There's um, this place in Wiltshire, called Longleat? And when you go in there you can see so many animals in their habitats. They have petting zoooos, and farm animalllls, and you can feed the biiirds, and they even have a safari where you drive through and the animals are right there: even lions and tigers. My Mum thinks that part's too dangerous...but my uncle took me once when he was visiting. My Mum was mad about it," he said guiltily. "But it was so cool!"

Once again, Jake realized just how long he'd been talking for, and quieted himself right down with another blush. He didn't really know where it had come from. The words had just begun to pour out of him, in a way they seldom did with strangers. He just couldn't help himself when certain things got brought up like Newt Scamander, or Longleat Safari Park. Luckily, the bunny gave the little Hufflepuff something else to focus on. A distraction from such things as the heavy feeling of shyness, or the fear of what Ruka might have said if Jake had dared to wait for an answer on whether or not he could learn more about helping animals.

When Ruka finally suggested a name, the boy looked up to consider this new suggestion that had been put onto the table.

"Hopper...? Yeah, that's perfect," Jake agreed, a small grin lighting his face Now that Ruka had said it, it seemed that the bunny could never have been named anything else. Jake's own stuffed bunny was named Patches, but he had had him for so long that he couldn't remember where the name had come from or why. Hopper was a great name for a bunny. Bunnies were really good hoppers after all. And it sorta reminded Jake just a little of Thumper, the bunny from Bambi who could ice skate. That wasn't enough however, since there was still somebody else that had to weigh in.

"What do you think Hopper? Do you like it?" Jake asked, crouching down by the side of the makeshift fort that the bunny was now beginning to hop around. "Do you want to be called Hopper?" he asked him slowly. Because it didn't really matter what Jake and Ruka thought of the name, if the animal didn't like it. Luckily, Jake was good at telling what animals were thinking, and he could tell that Hopper liked the name just fine.

He watched the way Hopper's little nose twitched and it began to slowly test the boundaries that the boys had created for it. It seemed much more lively than it had when Jake had arrived. He felt relieved, proud, happy, all in one. He really was going to be ok and he thought that Ruka was right that it would come to greet them the next time they were over by the forest. He made sure to take in every detail, all of the specifics of its brown and white color markings, so that he would have no trouble recognizing him when next they met.

"Um...I think we can let him go now, right?" Jake asked, eyes looking up to meet Ruka's and his expertise. He thought that it was time, but Ruka knew more than he did, and he wouldn't do it if Ruka didn't give the say-so.

@Jake Morris

Ruka hummed thoughtfully as Jake's words about taking a longer time to remember things as he enjoyed looking at the pictures. It reminded him of Alan for a second, who seemed to prefer staying away from books unless there were pictures to look at, but he realised quickly that he didn't really know his fellow Gryffindor well enough to say with certainty that Alan only liked books for the pictures in them.

Additionally, Jake hadn't actually said that he didn't enjoy reading books, only that he liked the pictures of creatures, and who was Ruka to blame him? There were some pretty incredible magical animals out there that someone who had grown up without knowledge of magic could barely even start to imagine without some visual aid. "You should give me a list of recommended animal books sometime," Ruka encouraged the other boy gently, nodding along with his words. While the request was more for Jake's sake than his own, he was actually quite curious about which other books there were and whether they actually contained more information than Fantastic Beasts did.

As Jake occupied himself with talking about the zoo he apparently liked to go to, Ruka focused his attention on the bunny in its book fort confines for a little moment, tilting his head to the side as he watched the little rodent hopping back and forth, clearly much more confident in its movements again.

"That sounds really cool," he told Jake with a smile on his face. He couldn't really imagine what the other boy was talking about exactly, but a part of him was genuinely interested to see animals like lions and tigers, animals that one couldn't encounter in the countless fields of Ireland, up close. Zoos, however, were not exactly on top of his bucket list when he barely even knew where exactly to sleep throughout his summer holidays; Maybe, some day, when he had managed to build himself a life off the streets, he would be able to visit a place like that and join Jake in his excitement about it.

The well of words from the smaller boy was followed by more silence as Jake seemed to slowly retreat into his shell again, the shyness returning once more. Fortunately it seemed that the bunny was giving the other boy sufficient distraction and Ruka didn't need to frantically search for a topic that would keep Jake entertained.

Once Ruka had suggested a name for the bunny, Jake seemed to brighten again, immediately agreeing with the choice of name before... Asking for Hopper's approval.

It was almost a little ridiculous, but there was something kind of endearing about the fact that Jake was considering the bunny's feelings in the matter rather than just deciding that they had every right to name it whatever they wanted to. Most people barely took the feelings of other people into consideration, much less the feelings of animals.

Nodding happily, when Jake confirmed that Hopper was happy with his new name as well, Ruka moved a little closer to the small fort as well, reaching a hand out to start moving the books out of the way and create a little gate for Hopper to get through. "Yeah, he should be fine to go now," he agreed gently, tapping the grass outside the book fort as if to lure Hopper into the direction of the sound.

It took a moment, but eventually Hopper was able to find the newly made exit, and he carefully made his way through the doorway. "Well, then, Hopper," Ruka said as he put a hand on Jake's shoulder as if to give the other boy some emotional support during their farewell from the bunny. "Take good care of yourself, and come say Hi when you see us." He felt a little silly to be talking to a bunny like this, but who exactly was he to say that Hopper wasn't able to understand every word? And aside from that, he was quite sure Jake would appreciate this type of engagement.

Some bunny talk at least got his mind off of his own worries.

@Ruka Tân

Ruka wanted a list of animal books...? Jake had never expected that. For a moment the words took him aback. It somehow seemed a very important task, to be able to help Ruka - to be able to share something with him. It was something Jake could do, too. He had gone to the library a million times since he'd been at school. It was one of his favorite places to be in the castle. He'd taken out so many books on animals that the librarian smiled when she saw him and even sometimes had books ready or pulled aside. It was something he knew about. "Um, okay..." Jake said, with a nod and shy smile. "I'm gonna make a list," the boy declared. "There's one I'm reading now that's all about hippogriffs, and how to take care of them. And...I have like a hundred about muggle animals at home, too, if you wanna know more about those," he said. He wondered whether Ruka would like one with a lot of art, or ones with a lot of facts. Jake's favorites had both.

Jake nodded his head when Ruka agreed that Longleat sounded cool. He really wished that Ruka would go there, and see it for himself. He hoped he had said enough for him to consider it.

Then it was time for Hopper to go free. Jake watched closely as Ruka reached in and began to move the books out of the way - watching his posture, and the gentle way he moved. You could always tell when somebody was good with animals. Not everybody was. And so when Ruka said Hopper was fine, Jake believed him - he was somebody who would know. Even though he'd been assured things were alright, Jake watched Hopper closely too as the bunny found his way out of the secure structure they had built for him to make his way back into the world. He felt the hand of the Gryffindor boy on his shoulder, and exhaled. He gave a small wave to Hopper. Ruka told the bunny to take care of himself, and Jake chimed in. "Yeah Hopper, be careful! Goodbye! Go easy on your leg!"

Watching him like that, hopping gingerly away, Jake was struck by the sudden certainty that this was what Newt Scamander must feel like. The feeling inside was impossible for him to describe. It was good though - mostly. Like the feeling you got from doing a good deed, but stronger. The bunny had needed their help, and they had helped him. He would be alright now. He'd go off to live his life. Jake didn't know when he'd see his new bunny friend again, but even if he never did, Hopper would be able to be happy. That was really all that mattered. If they hadn't been there, who knew what could have happened?

He watched Hopper hop away, felt Ruka's comforting hand upon his shoulder, and decided to remember this. All of it. There was sadness too, saying goodbye to Hopper - Jake had never been good at farewells - but when he looked up to face Ruka his face was a smile.

"I'm gonna go back to my common room," he said finally. "I wanna draw this, before I forget anything. Um, thank you for helping Hopper. And me too," he said, meeting Ruka's eyes. He couldn't express in words how grateful he was, but luckily his eyes told the story. "I'm gonna get those animal books. Um...Could I come tell you at breakfast...?" he asked. He looked hopefully to the older boy for an answer.

Who knew? Maybe he might have made two new friends today.

@Jake Morris

Ruka had to chuckle lightly at Jake's determination when given the task of making him a list of animal books. The Gryffindor nodded along with the other boy's words, a slight smile ever present on his face as he kept his focus on Jake. He had assumed the slightly shorter boy to be excited about the prospect of being able to share his knowledge with Ruka, but he hadn't quite expected this level of determination; It was cute, in a way, really.

"Yeah, I'd love those too," he assured Jake with a short nod when asked about whether he also wanted to know about animal books from the Muggle world. Maybe that could actually prepare him for visiting one of those Zoos he had just been told about.

As the time came to set Hopper free, Ruka kept his hand on Jake's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly as he other boy wished his Farewells to the bunny. The smaller boy seemed so in awe of what they had done, so genuinely delighted about having helped the injured creature, that Ruka could help but feel his own problems and worries drift in the background as well, if only for a short moment. It felt nice, really, to focus his energy on doing something helpful and kind rather than on his own self-pity for once.

An almost sad smile crossed Ruka's face as Jake's words brought him back from his thoughts again, reminding him that there were other things around them than just helping out injured bunnies by the edge of the forest. "Oh, yeah," he said quickly, taking a small step to the side and letting go of Jake's shoulder. The other boy looked so genuinely grateful, Ruka almost wanted to pull him into a hug.

He didn't.

"Yeah, of course, anytime," he just said as he lifted a hand to readjust the fedora on his head slightly in a sheepish gesture. "I should probably head back too." He wasn't sure what exactly he would return to the castle for, but he didn't want to seem quite as purposeless as he felt.

Jake's question about sharing his book list with him at breakfast made Ruka startle for a moment. "I don't really -" he started, trying to express to the other boy that he didn't usually join everyone else for meal times anymore, but there was something in the way Jake looked at him that made him swallow heavily and shake his head at himself. "Alright," he said, offering Jake a nod and a smile. "Yeah, I'll be there. At breakfast."

There was no harm in getting himself out of his dorm room before classes already this once, right? What was the worst that could happen? Maybe he'd actually manage to eat something again for a change.

He gingerly touched the fedora again; Jack would probably approve of that.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Jake," he said before turning towards the castle. "Take care!" With that he distanced himself with quick steps, waving a goodbye over his shoulder.

He needed to get back to his dorm room, fast, before he could meet anybody else who was able to guilt trip him into showing up for meal times.

End of Thread