Book Club: Red Rising

Prompt:

(creature) jackal

Word Count: 2775

1987

"Look, Father, a jackal! I've read about those!" Theo exclaimed, pointing at the large black-backed jackal slinking around the enclosure. "This one's a black-backed jackal, and it's said that they're very vocal. I don't know what that means, but isn't it great?"

His father hummed absentmindedly as he scrutinized the jackal with a furrowed brow. It stood near them, its brownish-black ears pricked up. His father tapped his foot on the side of the compound twice, waited for something, and then scowled at the jackal as though it had disappointed him. "Come, Theo, let's go look at something else. This one is very… lifeless."

Theo's lower lip jutted out in petulance and he shook his head. "No, I want to look at this jackal. Why can't we—"

"Because I said so. Now, come." His father turned around and stormed off in a huff, and Theo sighed, aware that he needed to go after him. But he was more interested in watching the jackal than obeying his father.

Although his father had claimed they were there to look at the animals and bond with each other, Theo didn't believe him at all. He had a feeling his father wanted to meet someone at the zoo, which was why he had brought Theo along.

"Can't I stay here until you return?" he asked hopefully, and his father gritted his teeth but nodded and walked off.

Theo turned back to the jackal and grinned as he watched it flick its tail from side to side. It even stuck its long pink tongue out at Theo, who laughed at the sight. Just then, he heard a little girl's voice. "Mum, did you know that black-backed jackals have ways of communicating with each other?"

"That's nice, dear," the girl's mother replied offhandedly, and Theo turned around to look at the girl, excitement rising in his chest.

The girl was short, yet she held herself with confidence. Her brown curls were tied with a red ribbon, reminding Theo of the jackal's own bushy tail. Her pink dress was crease-less, and her little shoes were shiny. But it wasn't her neat appearance that caught Theo's attention.

It was the large book in her arms that made his heart pound erratically. None of his friends had ever been interested in learning about animals and their habits, but the little girl was holding the same book he had read five times in a row. And by the looks of the worn cover, it seemed like she had read it many times, too.

Theo couldn't help himself. He walked up to the girl and said, "Did you know that the black-backed jackals mark their territory by using their pee, and they wail to call to each other, too?"

The girl's eyes widened, and a grin formed on her face. "Did you know their enemies are usually humans and leopards?"

Theo beamed at her reply. She seemed to know as much about animals as he did, and he was delighted. He extended his hand towards her, ignoring the fact that she was most likely a Muggle. "Hi, I'm Theo. I'm seven, and I love animals."

"I'm Hermione, and I love animals too!" she squealed, clutching the book to her chest as she shook his hand without restraint. Her grip startled Theo, but her excitement was contagious. "Have you read this book? I love this—it's got so many facts about animals and—"

"I love this book, too!" Theo blurted out, unable to stop himself from interrupting her. He was just so excited to share his knowledge with her. "Did you know that a jaguar can see in the dark—"

"Six times better than a human? Yes!" Hermione shrieked, almost bouncing on the spot. Theo almost wanted to bounce along with her. "And did you know that jackals only respond—"

"To the sounds of their family members and ignore the rest? Yes," Theo said, preening with pride when Hermione's eyes widened. "Maybe my father is a jackal. He doesn't listen to anyone."

Hermione giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. "My mum's the same. I know! We should be friends!"

Theo's heart warmed at the hope in her tone, and he immediately nodded. "Okay, friends. Now, tell me… how long is a baby jackal blind?"

"First ten days of its life!" Hermione answered immediately. Soon, the two children were engrossed in a riveting conversation about regurgitated food. Neither knew what the word meant, but they both agreed that it meant something disgusting.

When Theo's father returned an hour later, a beautiful young woman was by his side. Theo ignored his father giving the woman a quick kiss; he was used to it by now. Hermione, on the other hand, noticed it and asked Theo, "Is that your mother?"

Theo quietly shook his head and whispered, "No, I don't know her. She must be Father's friend."

Hermione scrunched up her nose and murmured, "Your father isn't a jackal, then. Because—"

Theo smiled and finished her sentence. "Because they bond with one female for life. I think I'll be a jackal when I grow up. What about you?"

"I want to be a jackal, too," Hermione said, giving his hand a small squeeze. "Of course, I also want to be a pilot, a teacher, a doctor, but a jackal too."

Theo didn't know what a pilot or a doctor was, but he made a note to study more Muggle things in the future. His father walked over to him and grabbed his shoulder. "Come on, Theodore, we're leaving."

Hermione gave him a sad smile as she waved at him, and Theo sighed forlornly. He waved back at her and mouthed, "Bye."

He knew it was almost impossible for him to meet the Muggle girl again, but he would always remember her. He was sure of it.

1991

A few loud thuds sounded behind him, and Theo quickly pivoted on his heels to see what had happened. A brown-haired girl was on her knees, trying to gather her fallen books. Theo decided to help her; after all, it would be a sin to not pick up the books.

"Let me help you," Theo said as he crouched down. He began to collect the books that had fallen on his side, and the girl whispered a quiet, "Thank you."

Their fingers grazed as they both reached for the last book, and Theo saw the girl's cheeks tinge pink at the contact. He caught sight of the Gryffindor crest on her uniform and almost grimaced. Still, his mother had brought him up to a gentleman, and so, he stood up and offered her his hand. "Here, let me help you up."

The girl looked up and smiled gratefully at him, and Theo was suddenly reminded of a little girl in a pink dress. When the Gryffindor witch took his hand to stand up, Theo caught sight of the red ribbon in her hair, and his breath hitched in his throat.

The girl thanked him politely before walking over to the table and placing the books on it. She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed, shooting him a shy smile. Theo was rooted to his spot, unable to move. Could it be…?

To test his theory, he cleared his throat and blurted out, "If you dyed the tips of your hair black, you'd look like a black-backed jackal." He immediately winced at the words, realising they sounded offensive.

The girl's brown eyes widened as she blinked at him slowly. "You mean my hair would look like a black-backed jackal's tail? Would that mean my face looks like its—"

"I didn't mean that! I'm sorry," Theo stammered, his face turning red. He had made a mistake; she wasn't who he thought she was. And now, she probably thought he was a weirdo. "I'll just go…"

The girl suddenly burst into peals of laughter, tears of mirth spilling down her face, and tried to muffle it by hiding her face in the crook of her elbow. They were, after all, in the Hogwarts library. Theo awkwardly tried to escape, but the girl reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait," she said, still chuckling. She wiped her tears and grinned up at him toothily. "By any chance… are you going to start cackling like a fox now? That's what the black-backed jackals do when they're trapped."

Theo's nervousness disappeared in an instant. He grinned down at her and said, "No, but I might make some high-pitched whining howls to communicate with you… Hermione."

Immediately, her eyes filled with recognition. "Theo!" She let out a squeal of delight, and the next thing Theo knew, her arms were wrapped around his neck. He couldn't help but blush at the contact, not used to being hugged by people, but he grinned and wound his arms around her waist, delighting in the way she fit against him perfectly.

When Hermione pulled away, she beamed up at him, her buck-teeth visible to Theo. "I can't believe you're here! You're a wizard!"

"I thought you wanted to be a pilot, a doctor, and a teacher," Theo teased her instinctively, and she threw her head back and laughed.

"You forgot the jackal," Hermione said, and it was Theo's turn to laugh.

He was filled to the brim with delight at the thought of getting to know Hermione all over again. They had been seven years old when they had first met, and now, they were older, wiser, but still head over heels for animals.

As the two long-lost friends made their way to the table, Theo said cheekily, "By the way, I finally found out what regurgitated means."

Hermione grimaced and shivered in disgust. "Me too. And yes, it is just as disgusting as we thought it was back then."

Theo's grin was plastered to his face, and nothing could change his mood. Although Hermione was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin, he wasn't going to let it stand in the way of their friendship.

1999

Theo swallowed the lump in his throat as he waited at the jackal's enclosure in the zoo, his heart pounding in his chest. He watched the animal lift its leg and drench the tree in its fluids, and Theo snickered as he thought back to his first conversation with Hermione. They had met at that same zoo almost twelve years ago, and Theo knew he needed that jackal behind him if he was going to propose to Hermione.

He took a deep breath in and glanced at his wristwatch. It was a present from Hermione on his fourteenth birthday, and he had never taken it off ever since she had put it on him. Theo smiled as he ran his fingers over the engraving on the side of his watch, thinking of his girlfriend.

They had started dating in their third year at Hogwarts, and it hadn't surprised anyone who knew the two of them. They had spent almost all of their free time together, and their friends hadn't even realised they were dating until they saw Hermione climbing Theo's lanky form and kissing him passionately. Naturally, it had been right after they had received news of their exam results.

Like any other couple, Theo and Hermione had their ups and downs, too. Both of them were competitive individuals and didn't like the other surpassing them in anything. Still, they had made their relationship work and had spent the past six years as a relatively happy couple.

And now, Theo wanted to make it official.

"Stop smiling. You look weird," Blaise said, interrupting his musings. He stood nearby, leaning against the fence and making obscene gestures at the flamingos standing in the water. Theo glared at him, but it was ruined by the goofy grin on his face. Blaise shook his head. "Really, Theo. Stop it. It's freaking me out."

"I can't stop smiling," Theo protested, still grinning. "When is Hermione getting here, anyway?"

"Potter and Weasel are probably the reason she's delayed. You know how they get when she says she's going out with you," Draco said from Blaise's other side, rolling his eyes. He flicked Blaise's ear and hissed, "Stop it, Blaise. There are children nearby."

"Those things are staring at me, D," Blaise cried, pointing at a flamingo standing nearby. "That one—I'm sure it flipped me off."

"All flamingos have three toes, Blaise," Theo said, shaking his head. "And the colouration of the feet and—"

"Legs are the same," Hermione called out from behind them, and Theo pivoted on his heels to face her.

"You're here!" he cried, hurrying over to her side. He bent his knees to reach her height—which mildly irritated but mostly amused her—and picked her up by her waist. He straightened up from his crouch, cupped the back of her head lovingly, and kissed her.

Blaise and Draco pretended to gag behind them, and they were soon joined by Ron and Harry, who gave the Slytherins a quick nod in greeting. The four boys liked to pretend they were enemies, but Theo and Hermione knew they had often met up on their own to complain about how nauseatingly sweet Theo and Hermione were.

When they finally parted from their kiss, Theo stroked her cheek with his knuckles and whispered, "You look beautiful. I love the way you look in that dress."

Hermione beamed at his compliment and glanced down at her dress instinctively. "Thank you. So… is there a reason our friends are here on our date?"

Theo grinned and said, "They wanted to come along. Said something about never having been to the zoo before."

"I've been to the zoo before, but I got punished later for setting the snake on Dudley," Harry piped up with a shrug. As Hermione and Ron knew about the incident, they didn't react as loudly as the Slytherins.

"You what? Why didn't you tell us you were evil?" Blaise demanded, and Draco nodded in agreement.

"It was an accident," Harry argued.

"Can we stop talking about setting snakes on people?" Theo asked. He turned back to Hermione and said, "I have something to tell you."

"Okay…" Hermione trailed off when Theo took her hand in his and tugged her towards the jackals' enclosure. "What are we doing here?"

Theo cleared his throat to calm himself. He didn't want to mess his proposal up—especially not in front of the boys. He said, "Hermione, do you remember the first time we met?"

"Yes…" Hermione looked at him with a furrowed brow, trying to figure out what he was up to.

Theo grinned and raised her hand to kiss her knuckles, his eyes shining with adoration. "Do you remember I wanted to be a jackal when I grew up? I know being a jackal isn't right—because of all the moral reasons and whatnot—but do you remember that?"

Hermione nodded slowly, and Theo released the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. And then, he got down on one knee in front of Hermione.

Her breath hitched audibly as Theo pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket. Behind him, the jackal made short yipping sounds, and Theo hoped it was agreeing with his decision.

"Hermione Granger," Theo said, gazing up at her with hope evident in his eyes. "A jackal mates for life. And as I, too, want to be monogamous with you, I think I'm finally embodying the jackal's spirit."

"Oh, brother," Ron muttered under his breath, face-palming himself. "Such nerds…"

"Weirdos, both of them," Draco grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just get on with it already!"

Theo swallowed and continued, "Will you be my mate for life, Hermione Granger?"

"As long as you don't start marking your territory and me, yes," Hermione said cheekily, her eyes shimmering with tears. She reached up to wipe her eyes and sniffled softly.

"You don't have to worry about that. This is my way of marking my territory," Theo teased, and he was awarded for his lame joke with a choked laugh from Hermione.

Theo's smile could have been visible for miles as he slid the diamond ring onto her finger. He knew his father didn't like her, but his mother had always stood by him to support him. And he had his best friends by his side.

But most of all, he had his girlfriend — no, fiancée — and he couldn't be more delighted. Life was good for Theo Nott, and it all had started with a simple black-backed jackal.

The same jackal that was standing in its enclosure behind them watching the couple with its dark eyes.