Jackalopes Lions and Tigers and... Unicorns? Errand

When Kayla heard about the errand, she knew she had to particpate. Care of Magical Creatures was one of the subjects she really wanted to do. But because she was a first year, she could not. Her father wasn't a guy to get all buddy-buddy with animals, no matter how cute or friendly. As a matter of fact, he was relcutant to let Kayla get Squeaky, her ferret, but since he didn't have to pay, her brother did, he was somewhat okay with it.

Now, imagine the delight Kayla felt when she found out she could be interacting with magical creatures as an errand. She was ecstatic. Kayla would've thought of bringing Squeaky to socialise, but thinking that would cause more problems than necessary, left the ferret to sleep on her bed. Kayla had recently bought Squeaky her own bed to sleep on while they were at Hogwarts, but that was a waste of money, Squeaky seemed to find that bed inferior to Kayla's bed.

When Kayla got down to the area, she had no regrets. In front of her, were not only students, but a few adorable looking rabbits.
Wait, not rabbits. Definitely not rabbits. These creatures, which the Proffesor explained Jackalopes, looked like your average hare you'd see on a hike. But these 'rabbits' had antlers like an antelope, which Kayla guessed was where they got their names. Besides the fact that Kayla thought the jackalopes could run her over with their horns, they were one of the most adorable creatures she had ever layed her eyes on. Kayla crouched to the nearest one and held out her hand. What she had learnt when she bougyt her first pet, was if it sniffed you and came closer, that was a good sign! If it sniffed you and backed up or just looked uninterested that was your sign to call it a day. Luckily for Kayla, the jackalope was in her favour. It was hesitant and eyed the Hufflepuff suspiciously, but it came a bit closer and Kayla pet its head fondly.
"You're so cute!" Kayla said to it, continueing to pet it. Kayla stopped for a bit to listen as Proffesor Blumenthal said that they could feed the Jackalopes, but only a bit, as they would most likely get a stomache ache- or they would become hyperactive and not sleep at night. That gave Kayla a conclusion that Jackalopes weren't nocturnal, and were probably mortly hyper enough during the day. Food was their coffee.
"Are you hungry, bud?" Kayla asked, raising an eyebrow at the creature, as if waiting for it to start speaking English and demand a five star meal. A five star vegetarian meal. No response (not like Kayla expected one) and she stood up and went to the table. There were some vegetables and Kayla went for the carrots first. Seeing as normal rabbits liked carrots, or atleast thats what she was taught in muggle school, she thought they would too.

She made her way back to the creatures and went to the one she had been bonding with.
"Proffesor says you can only have a bit," Kayla informed the jackalope, "so don't ask for more once I've run out, okay?" As if it could understand, Kayla talked to it while she fed it bits of carrot. She complemented its fur and the jackalope looked proud. Or atleast Kayla thought it did. Even if she was practically talking to herself, she was quite sure animals could read body language pretty well.

Soon her hand was empty, all that was left were small bits of carrot and jackalope saliva.
"Had to get your drool all over me, huh?" she said, wiping her hand on her robes. She placed her hand upon its head. "Still hungry? Sorry bud, rules are rules."

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The professor responded to me, telling me that the Jackalope could have a little food. But not too much. “Thanks Proffesor, I’ll give him only a little bit.” I told her as I turned and walked powerfully to the bucket of veggies. Not my first personal choice of a snack, but I was sure the little guy would like them.

When I reached the veggies I grabbed three different types, wanting to know which one the little Jackalope would want. I smiled at the little guy as I picked out a carrot stick, celery stick and a leaf of lettuce. My prediction was that he would like the carrot stick the best, then celery, then lettuce. I moved away from the bucket of veggies and squatted down to feed the Jackalope. I started with the carrot, which it munched on happily. I stopped when there was half left, and moved on to the celery. He ate the celery even happier, which proved my theroy wrong. He wouldn’t touch the lettuce which was strange, but I just slipped the lettuce back into the bucket.

When our time was up, I was sad, but I knew that I had to go. “Bye little buddy.” I told the little Jackalope. I gave the little guy a mini hug and kissed the top of his head. We bonded for an hour, but now it was time to leave.

Charlie has left the thread.

Alright! Damion thought to himself. This was going to be a good day. It was a Sunday! What could go wrong...

Well wearing something that he thought was appropriate and yet warm and cozy. He walked to the Care of Magical Creatures classroom. Well he was not sure who he was looking for and which friend of his was where. He couldn't have known any of it till he made his way to the location.

So not knowing who he might meet whether it was Fiona Callahan, Bailey Glade, Kim Sato or Hades Schweighöfer, he still walked into the area where Jackalopes were. Thinking that those creatures were going to be really sweet and pretty. He was really intrigued to see them.

No sooner had he made his way to the Care of Magical Creatures, did he see Hades there. He walked to where Hades was and smiled. "Hello Hades. Looks like great minds think alike." He said giggling. He was glad that he and his best friend or well close friend seemed to have some sort connection. it could be that he knew that Hades would be here. Well, even if he knew Hades would be there how could Damion know which time Hades would be in?

His eyes glanced around and saw another familiar face. Bailey. He smiled and waved at her hoping to catch her eye. He was hoping that he was not intruding in what she was doing. He then looked at the creature there and moved his hand very slowly and gently patted the head of the creature. He was hoping that the Jackalope would not get upset with him. Damion had paid attention to what the Professor was saying. So he had taken care of that while approaching the animal. He moved his hand to pat the part between it's ears and antlers. He didn't want to hurt the creature at all.

Once he had interacted with the animal, and he knew he would interact more with the animal. this is why he was here. To try and bone with the Jackalopes. He wanted to talk to his friend more too. He was not sure what to tell his friend. But he was feeling closer to Hades. He was glad that he had a good sort of friendship with him.

But didn't he have a good friendship with others. Mostly yes he did. But he also didn't have good friendships with other people. He had quite a list of enemies. As for Lovers... ugh he was not going to think about that right now. Maybe because he was a little frustrated or maybe the thought of it made him feel overwhelmed. He was not sure what it was but he didn't want to think about the lovers that he had.

"So who knew I would find you here with the Jackalopes?" He said. "The reason I chose Jackalopes was because I thought they were cute little bunnies who were crossed with deer. Due to them having antlers." He said. His second choice would have been Augureys. He was not sure why. But he thought that Augureys would have been interesting too. He looked at Hades and smiled. "How well did you interact the Jackalope?" he asked. he was not sure what else he could ask him without him really talking to Damion. He was still waiting for him to reply back to what he had asked him. He was not going to bombard Hades with too many questions.

Damion looked at Hades once again before looking at the Jackalope that was next to him. He moved his hand to pet the animal on the head. He was wanting to be close to animals. yes he had some sort of attractions to them except the reptile he was really scared of. He shuddered a little as he thought about the repulsive creature. He shook his head to concentrate on the creature that he was petting right now than the creature that he was thinking of in his mind.

Attire: Usual weekend kit: Slytherin pride, neck ring, kilt, no shoes. Nothing fancy!

Reducio

Colin could not believe he'd never gone down to the care of magical creatures area! Of course, he'd wandered in the forbidden forest a little bit, been swimming in the lake many times, and almost every day ran up to the high meadows above the castle. But for the life of him, he had no idea why henever came down here.

Mostly the other kids were either first years or else older than Colin. Out of all of them, he only knew Bailey. He'd say hi to her in a bit. Right now, Professor Blumenthal was about to introduce them to the jackalopes. He'd never even heard of jackalopes before, but the name sounded cool and the description said they were playful, unlike the shy diricawls and presumably they liked boys well enough, unlike the unicorns who got on better with girls.

Colin smirked. He reckoned that one girl he knew in particular was likely to have visited the unicorns earlier that day. Clair, of course!

"This is soooo brilliant!" he said to no one in particular after Professor Blumenthal finished her introduction. As soon as she pointed out the bin of vegetables that students could feed to the creatures, Colin scooped up a handful. He realised he nowhere to put anything, so he pulled open his half buttoned shirt and tipped the lot inside! Colin reckoned that treats were a good way to get a wee beastie to like you, so perhaps if he smelled like carrots and was stuffed with different vegetables, the jackalopes wouldn't mind so much hopping about with a werewolf!

Anyway, it's not like he was going to actually eat one of the magical creatures!

"Hey Bails!" he cried as he skipped into the big enclosure. She already seemed keen on befriending a few of the antlered creatures, so Colin headed over towards the enclosure fence. He counted four creatures gazing curiously at the strange two legged creatures that had entered the fold. Colin stopped a little bit away from them. "I must seem so strange to you lot," he said softly. "I'm so tall and ye're so wee! But I'll soon fix that!"

Colin decided not to try getting too close at first. When hunting mice and hares out on the grounds, it paid to bide patiently. And while he wasn't hunting today, the same patience might just pay off! So Colin crouched down and flopped onto his back and undid the rest of his buttons. He must have looked quite strange indeed, even to the other kids --- a tall skinny boy sprawled out in front of a warren of jackalope with carrots and celery and leeks and turnips spread out all over his body like a human salad bar!

He just had to wait patiently for them to come along and start noshing! And after a while, perhaps as the other jackalopes sniffed at the other students, one came up to Colin's outstretched arm and sniffed tentatively. "Ayo," he said. "Tis alright, I won't eat you!" Once it determined that Colin smelled okay, it hopped up onto his shoulder, then settled down onto his chest to begin munching a carrot. "Oh, blimey lad!" Colin said. "Ye had to stick yer bawsack right in ma face!" At least the other jackalopes arranged themselves where he could see them better!

After a snack, his little group decided that it was time to play, so they hopped off Colin and two of them chased each other around a bit. He wondered if they weren't playing a game! Then he thought maybe he could join in too! So he rolled over and crouched on all fours. He tried hopping like they did, but he wasn't nearly as good he reckoned on account of them having had more practice! But it wasn't long before all four of them were chasing him along the edges of the enclosure!

He almost hopped right into Bailey's jackalopes, but managed to turn aside at the last moment with a yelp of surprise! Eventually he collapsed onto the cool grass and flopped over, panting and laughing from their antics. Two of the creatures kept chasing each other about, while one decided to hop up onto his kilt and settle down for a nap, and the fourth settled down on his belly, seemingly content.

After a while, Colin felt something warm in his belly button. Surely not blood! Something liquidy, though, ran down his side. "Oh crud!" he said. He knew the scent very well. "Laddie! Why did ye have to go a whiddle all over me, eh!?" The jackalope gave Colin what he reckoned must be a contented look and really couldn't blame the poor beastie. "Och! Tis nothing scourgify can't remedy!"

Colin closed his eyes as the two rambunctious jackalopes decided to chase each other by by jumping all over him! "YEEEOWW!" he cried out with a sudden and unexpected pain! One of the bloody creatures landed his antler right in the most inopportune spot Colin could imagine! His sudden jerk back to full consciousnes scattered the beasties and left Colin momentarily breathless and curled up on the grass until the wave of nauseating discomfort passed. "Oof. Oh, ye're a bastard you are!" he said to the Jackalope. For his part, the jackalope said nothing. He only observed Colin with mild interest, chewing his droppings.

Soon enough, Professor Blumenthal brought an end to the hour. An assortment of groans and protestations arose from the students in the fold. Most everyone was sad for their time with the magical creatures to end. While Colin managed to get jabbed by an antler, he was at least happy to have gotten to know a few of the curious creatures!

WC: 953

Colin leaves the thread.

Tes's biggest problem here at Hogwarts was that she couldn't spend nearly as much time with animals as she'd like! Well, okay, Even in her head that was a bit dramatic, and she could acknowledge that her biggest problem was of a far more lycanthropic nature. But that didn't change the fact that there was nothing quite like feeling the warmth and heartbeat of an animal against your hands, or smelling the unpleasant but satisfying smells of hay and feces and sweat. This was something Tes missed most dreadfully being away from home, and the second she'd seen the Care of Magical Creatures professor put out an invitation to interact with animals Tes had known immediately she had to go.

At first she'd almost gone for the unicorns, missing the smell and comfort of a horse, but remembered the time she'd already met them at an event several years ago with her mums. At the time her momma had been doing something else, and her mum had walked her up to the unicorns, holding her up so Tes could stroke a curious hand down the beautiful creature's neck, looking with awe into the surprisingly intelligent eyes. She'd taken the time to explain that even if she hadn't been born the same as other witches, she still truly was one, even in the eyes of a creature such as a unicorn. At the time Tes had thought it was because she was muggleborn, but later learned it was because she was transgender, and that was her mum's way of telling her.

Since she'd already met some, that ruled out the unicorns, even if Tes hoped desperately she'd have another chance someday in the future, and she looked eagerly at the next time slot. The image provided of the birds drew Tes in, figuring that would be her choice, but upon seeing the recommendation for a quieter witch or wizard, she nearly comically snapped her attention from that slot onto the next one. She didn't want to get her hopes up by reading any more about a creature that wouldn't much appreciate her company, after all. The final creature, the Jackalope, had her eyes lighting up with delight.

They were an American creature, and her momma would most definitely be excited to hear all about this animal that comes from her own home country! Not to mention their twitching noses and funny little horns had Tes nearly dancing in place. With that decided, she found herself waiting eagerly for Professor Blumenthal to let them all in to meet the little critters once February 12 rolled around. She glanced around at the students, catching sight of Colin standing a ways away from her. She'd have to say hi once she had some time to snuggle with the funny little critters she could see hopping about!

Once they were let in, Tes grabbed a couple treats from the provided bucket and found a promising spot with a few of the jackalopes wrestling and headbutting nearby. She'd dressed in her work boots and a pair of sensible jeans, as well as a light jacket to keep any chill away. They were all things that had seen much worse than some dirt and rabbit poo, and with no hesitation Tes plopped herself onto the ground with her legs crossed in front of her. Stretching out her palm flat she made kissing noises at the jackalopes, whispering, "Hi pretty darlings! My name's Tes! I've got some treats here for you, just come on over..." They seemed reasonably interested, and three hopped their way over to sniff and nibble at her fingers, "Those are fingers! Not food! Here, this is food though," she offered a carrot from the small pile she made in her lap, and one of them grabbed it and started nibbling, moving closer to her.

The second one had gotten the memo of the snack location as well, and confidently hopped up to stand on its hind legs, looking her curiously in the face, before hopping up to stand on her knee and snag another vegetable to eat. She was distracted by Colin's exclamation nearby, glancing over to see the Slytherin was a few feet away laying on the ground with his shirt open and full of vegetables, and a jackalope sitting on his chest with its rear end facing him. She took a moment to puzzle what his slightly muffled complaint had been about, before she broke out in riotous laughter at the sight of what most definitely confirmed that particular jackalope as a male stuck almost directly in Colin's face.

She yelled over, stilling chortling in delight, "Looks like you've got an admirer there Colin! It's not too uncommon for animals like rodents and rabbits to have such big- YEOW!" Halfway through Tes's joking teasing over his situation, the third jackalope that had never stopped nibbling on her fingers decided her earlier warning that they weren't food wasn't good enough and she had to see for herself. Thankfully the small animal didn't seem to have a taste for human flesh, as it startled almost as badly as Tes, hopping away with the other two on her tail.

Shaking out her hand and bringing her finger up to take stock of the bite, Tes was distracted from her own misfortune as Colin began hopping around with his own rabbits, no longer covered in several of the small critters. She laughed again at her friend's antics, quickly forgetting her own shock. Her finger was hardly bleeding, and it wasn't the first time she'd been bitten by a critter, and it would certainly not be the last. Wiping the little bit of blood off on her bandana on her wrist, she patiently waited for the jackalopes to come back in search of the treats she had left. In short order all three were back, perching on her legs and resting their paws on her arms to lean up and look at her in curiosity. The one that bit her came back and curled up in her lap, nearly falling asleep once all the food had been taken. Tes pet and played with the three until the hour was up, standing with much regret and watching them run off to go play again. She brushed off the "presents" all of them had left on her, bending to examine a patch of urine left from the one that had been in her lap that was left on her shin. All in all, she hadn't lost a limb, and her clothes weren't dirty beyond repair!

She left with a big grin on her face, and her shoulders more relaxed than she could remember them being in a while.