Me: Everyone ready to get to know Antauri's great, impressive, clever, adventurous, dangerous, exiting, c...
Melody: What did you just say?
Me: Exiting?
Melody: Before that.
Me: Aventurous?
Melody: (groans) After that.
Me: ...uh...oh, Dangerous.
Melody: Dangerous?
Antauri: Why don't you just tell her, it's not like i would die.
Me: You secretly read the chapter already, not?
Antauri: (nods) Yes and i like it far more than most of the chapters before.
Me: (sniffs) That-that is s-s-so wonderful...(cries and hugs Antauri)...'Tauri i love you!
Antauri: (blushes nervously)Uh...EvA could you...well...
Melody: Oh my gosh, Antauri i didn't know you could blush.
Antauri: (barks) I'm not.
Melody: Sure you are.
Antauri: (makes a thoughtful face, then shrugs it off and hugs me back)
Me: Antauriiiiiiii...
Melody: (shakes head) those two...Well, Neither SRMTHFG nor Harry Potter belongs to EvA.
Antauri: But the Oc's do.
Me: (in tears) I hug you all like Antauri when you give me reviews.
Melody sighed while she tried to listen what Professor Longbottom was telling them.
"Melly what's wrong? That's the fourth time in ten minutes you sighed", whispered Metal.
With a new sigh she answered: "Antauri left this morning, short after the Blizzard started, to find the monkey team. I'm just worried."
"He went into that storm?", gasped Metal back, his brown eyes wide.
Melody nodded and whispered: "What if he freezes to death out there."
"He won't", assured Metal suddenly.
"Uh?"
"Melly, he's strong, you know that. And he's clever. If someone can survive out there it's him."
A small smile made its way over her face and she answered: "I guess you're right. Thanks." The boy smiled at her, then his attention went back to the teacher. Antauri, thought Melody before she concentrated on her lesson again. Please be alright.
"That's never going to work", stated Gibson after Antauri had explained his plan.
"But of course it will. It wouldn't be the first time I do that", argued Antauri.
"You've done that already", gasped Sprx.
Antauri nodded with a smirk and said: "It was quite a stormy night, but I needed to get my head clear so I climbed up there." He looked at the team. They all looked quite uncertain. With an amused purr he promised: "Team really, it will be alright. You said by yourself that the wind stopped."
"Well, yes but…", Gibson trailed off and tried to find an argument, but failed in finding one.
"Antauri just promise you'll be careful", begged Otto.
Smiling happily the tom placed his right paw over his heart and said: "I promise it Otto. I'll be careful." The three male monkeys nodded and walked off to get the fist-rockets ready, Nova stayed in the command-centre with Antauri. Suddenly she screeched and jumped atop a chair. Antauri stared at her dumbfounded and she squeaked: "Mo-Mouse!" The tom went wide eyed when he saw the small black mouse.
Nova is scared of a mouse?, wondered the tom while he crouched down. Mandarin and he hadn't trained hunting for nothing. Carefully he approached the mouse, which nibbled on a crumb. He felt Nova's gaze on him, but pushed it aside and jumped. He landed on the mouse's tail and it squeaked and tried to run off, but Antauri quickly sunk his fangs into its neck and bit. The mouse died with a quiet screech and then Antauri picked it up and walked up to one of the dustbins. He dropped the mouse in there and asked: "Better?"
Climbing down from the chair Nova nodded and asked: "How did you learn to do that?"
Antauri smiled and answered: "Mandarin and I used the whole season of autumn to learn how to hunt Nova."
"Why?"
Shrugging Antauri sat down and answered: "Just to be sure we are able to do it if it's necessary sometime." Then he resumed grooming his fur, trying to get the sticky hair smooth again.
Nova watched him, then she asked: "Isn't it kind of disgusting to clean yourself like that?"
Raising an eyebrow he asked: "Why would it be?"
"Well, you can't know what would be in your fur."
"I wouldn't do it that way when it would be mud, that is disgusting, but it's just dried snow Nova. And, I'm a cat, the only more the less disgusting thing are the hairballs, and even that is quite rare."
"How rare?"
"Well, I only threw one up once, and that was because Melody was so busy with school, that she didn't find the time to brush my fur and free it from lose hairs."
"You have to rely on her a lot, not?"
"Not really, I could get along on my own quite well as well, however I enjoy her company and she enjoys mine. Actually, I truly need her to not lose my sanity or, though I think she's distending there, commit suicide, but no, to physically get along I wouldn't need her."
Nova nodded, then asked: "Antauri how was it being all alone? How long did you travel?"
The tom hesitated, then looked away and said: "You'll hear at the meeting. I have to tell the whole story, otherwise Professor McGonagall wouldn't understand."
The female nodded, then Sprx, Gibson and Otto came back and the red monkey called: "All done. Antauri, you and Nova should come with me. Brainiac is taking Otto." Gibson glared at him, but kept his commands, which Antauri was thankful for. Fast he followed Sprx and memories rushed through him while he was sucked through the robot to the fist-rocket. Sprx started to fire the Fist-Rocket up, when Gibson contacted him through the intercom.
"Ready Sprx?"
"One sec Gibson, the Fist-Rocket 3 needs to warm up, I've been out already today. The engines froze a bit during the storm…
...all done. Let's get going!"
They started and unison the rockets blasted into the sky, still covered by invisible. Antauri dug his claws into the bottom and prayed for the flight to be short. He didn't really have something to hold onto at the moment. Nova seemed to have seen it, since she placed her arm around him and held him tight. "Thanks", whispered the tom. She just smiled. The flight was short, but for Antauri, who hadn't been in a rocket for months, it seemed to take ages. Soon Sprx and Gibson circled above the border between the forest and the school-grounds and Gibson asked through the intercom: "Where exactly are we supposed to land?"
Antauri glanced out of the cockpit and asked: "Can you fly silent enough to get close to the school."
"We could land in the school without a sound."
"Then fly to it." The fist-rockets took off into the direction and Antauri instructed: "There is the Quad, it…"
"The what?", cut Nova in.
"That big courtyard down there", answered the tom. "Land near the North Tower. In that way we can get to the Grand Staircase Tower easily. Then we just have to climb up to the Headmistress-Office."
"Roger", said Gibson and started to land. Sprx followed his lead and soon they were on the ground again. Antauri jumped up and padded up to the North Tower. "So, what now?", asked Nova, who shook snow from her legs.
Antauri laughed and said: "Well, if you can fly silent enough, then you use your jet-packs. Otherwise", he looked at them daring. "You are monkeys. So climb."
With that he leaped upwards and dug his claws into the small splits and hollows between the stones. Agile he climbed up the wall swiftly, resting once on a window-ledge to look down at the monkeys. The stared after him with wide-eyes and he purred amused, then called: "Are you coming now or not?" With that he climbed on and soon heard their Jet-Packs when they fired them up. They reached the top of the tower before him, however he'd never intended to climb that high. The moment he reached the beginning of the roof, he turned, gathered speed and jumped away from the tower. He landed on another roof, but that was icy and he started to skid down. Fast he dug his claws deep into the ice and saved himself from a high fall.
The others followed him and Nova asked: "Are you alright?"
Antauri just nodded since he panted exhaust. After a short pause to gather his breath, he padded forward slowly, always making sure his claws had a good grip on the ice so he wouldn't slide off. The others flew over him patiently. Only once Sprx complained that they could just carry him, but Antauri acted like he hadn't heard him. Climbing up there was a test for him.
A test to see if he finally was able to truly face Chiro.
That was a test he needed to do alone.
After a while they reached the Grand Staircase Tower and once more Antauri leaped upwards. He clung to the stone and pulled himself upwards. The snow had finally stopped, but the higher he climbed, the more wind blew against him. Halfway to their goal he had to use all of his strength to pull himself onto a window-ledge and sat there, panting heavily. Nova flew closer and asked: "Antauri are you really okay, we can carry you if you can't anymore. We won't…"
He growled in a truly cat-like manner, then climbed on. One time a hard gust of wind hit him and his hind-legs lost their hold. Then he hung there, swinging in the wind. With all his strength he forced himself to regain his hold and continued climbing. He gasped hard, but continued. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the beginning of the roof and pulled himself up and collapsed there.
Though it was a Cone, it was flat enough for him to lie on it without falling down again. After a while he shook his fur to free it from the snow that was up there and continued. Now he already saw the lights from the windows of McGonagall's office. It wasn't far anymore.
Melody nibbled on her lip nervously while she walked up to the headmistress office with Metal and Synphony. Antauri wasn't back yet. Suddenly Metal said: "Calm down Melly. Antauri can handle it. I'm sure he's alright. He's either already there, or will come soon after we started." He gave her an encouraging smirk, and Synphony smiled. Thankfully she looked at her friends then they reached the gargoyle that guarded the staircase to the headmistress office.
"Recall Individual", called Melody nervously, hoping that the headmistress hadn't changed the password.
It still worked since the gargoyle started moving upwards, revealing stairs. Melody took a deep breath, focused on what was going to happen and stepped onto the stairs. They took her and her friends to the headmistress office and Melody swallowed a nervous gasp. Chiro was already there, however Antauri and the monkeys weren't. Professor McGonagall offered him some "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans". He politely declined.
Taking another deep breath Melody walked forward and greeted: "Professor McGonagall. Chiro."
The boy glared at her confused and with distrust. She smiled innocently and she and her friends sat down after Professor McGonagall asked them to and offered them some "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans". Smiling brightly Metal accepted immediately and took one. Smiling Melody and Synphony did the same and the three thanked the headmistress. Melody was about to eat it when Metal jumped up and spit his bean into a dustbin.
"Yuck Rotten egg!"
Melody couldn't help but burst out in laughing, followed by Synphony. Metal came back and Professor McGonagall said: "Well Mister Stevens this sweet is called 'Every Flavour Beans'." Metal smirked and said: "I know that Professor, and I still eat them, though I also already had vomit once."
"Yuck", exclaimed Chiro and Synphony unison. The headmistress for once didn't correct them for their language and looked at Melody.
"Aren't there still some guests missing Miss Jackson? Where is your friend?"
"He left this morning to find the others. I just hope he is alright."
Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes and asked: "He went out into that storm? He could very well be…"
Suddenly they all heard a scratching noise from one window and slowly Professor McGonagall opened it. Immediately Antauri fell in, breathing heavily. Melody rushed up to him and asked: "You climbed up the walls again, not?" He smirked slightly at her. Angrily she scolded: "I told you not to do that anymore! You could fall and die. There is no one there to catch you."
"Well actually", cut a new female voice in. The yellow robot monkey appeared in the window. "Actually Antauri had for persons to catch him if he would have fallen."
She jumped into the room, followed by the other three. The headmistress stared a few seconds, then she turned to Antauri and said: "I see what you meant when you warned me." Antauri smirked once more, then meowed pleadingly. Nodding Melody cast the speaking-spell on him and then everyone took places, the monkeys, except for Nova who stayed near Antauri, with Chiro.
"Well then", said Professor McGonagall. "Let us begin."
Melody: Are you sometime going to let go of Antauri again.
Me: Maybe.
Antauri: There is no rush. It actually feels kind of good.
Me: (smiles brightly and hugs Antauri tighter)
Melody: Again i can just say: Those two...Well, like EvA said at the top already and she hugs you like Antauri...maybe she even gets to convince Antauri to hug you.
Antauri: She already managed that.
Melody: Really?
Antauri: (nods)