Chapter 54

Dr Kirk never thought things would get so stressful.

Not only was he swamped with the datas collected from the observatory but he had to mark a lot of papers from his students' first assignment. There were a total of a hundred students in his class but each of them have their own takes of tackling the assignment.

"I can understand why my old professor almost murdered all of us," he chuckled to himself before adjusting his glasses. "I feel sorry for those who pursue Masters of pHDs at this rate."

Marking the papers are his least favourite things to do but he can't second-guess himself now. He looked at his laptop which presented the progress of the probe that was launched into orbit. Despite being middle-aged, Dr Kirk still felt like a pup.

He wondered if there was any life on another planet or another dimension just like the film he loved so much, Outerstellar. He wondered if there are planets where a minute had passed and it's a year from where he was.

Oh, the universe is such a wonder to explore!

"Dr Kirk!" a deep growled like a distant thunder interrupted his thoughts. It was his work colleague whom he sometimes have lunch with and discuss each other's work. He was a nile crocodile with a missing right claw so he had to wear a prosthetic that matched his murky green scales. His yellow-green reptilian eyes held a lot of emotions, mostly exhaustion and his large tail had a few scales missing from fights.

"I forgot you're here, Dr Connor," the old Honduran white bat laughed to himself. His colleague was not amused. "How can you not hear the sounds of my footsteps or sense my bulky figure?"

He shrugged. "My mind's thinking about something else and I might have blocked my senses. Is that possible? Does your biology class cover that?"

His colleague rolled his eyes but sat opposite the little bat. It's funny how most of the professors and researchers stared at them because similar to the society on the streets, the adult animals at the university have to sit with their own kind: herbivore with herbivore and carnivore with carnivore.

"Typical of bats," Kirk heard one of the raptors scoffed. "Neutral to the end."

"Being neutral doesn't solve anything. You have to choose a side in life."

"Let's hope he doesn't sneeze on us or turn us into Vampyrums!"

The warning bellow emitted from Dr Connor was enough to silenced them. Dr Kirk gave a grateful smile, seeing how much emotions this reptilian colleague of him was expressing. They were finishing some papers at the cafeteria now that it's almost six in the evening.

"Say, have you been seeing someone?" the nile crocodile enquired, making Dr Kirk chocked on his chai tea from his flask.

"What made you say that?"

"Just a gut feeling," Dr Connor shrugged. "I think you deserve to find love again. I know how busy you are with your work and your son but..."

"But?" The old Honduran white bat's ears flicked with anticipation, amber eyes behind glasses gazing at the large Crocodylus whose ancestors were once revered.

"I'd be worth a shot. You reacted differently at the Black Market when our other carnivore colleagues invited us. Then you flew, I never knew you could silenced the place with your presence. But then again, I could be wrong but....You found a female there?"

Dr Kirk became quiet, fur fluffed which was a signal Dr Connor understood. Then again, he wondered if the bat ever heard of the phrase: Never smile at a crocodile, because they would know the answer for a while.

...

"Connor is just being nosy," Dr Kirk grumbled to himself as he flew over to the park. He decided to hang himself upside down on a thick, twisty tree branch of a tree with orange-autumn coloured leaves that reminded him of home.

Even the undecipherable whispered from the tree itself soothed him.

He wondered if his mother was well in her little cottage, still dancing and selling her honey at the farmer's market? Or his old friends who've helped him through thick and thin when he was starting out as a single father?

Manticore University and the new environment was different then his usual hills and glen with the wide moors that could stretched out to the thick forests. Or the giant lake that separated two distinguished schools and how there were different songs sung by the plants around them.

"Hello."

A familiar voice made the bat craned his head down to get a better glimpse. It was Ten, the red box! Instead of wearing her group's cheongsam, she wore a white shirt with a slit short skirt. Her eye patch over her right eye was intact. He noticed a few males were staring at her as she approached the tree.

"Evening, Ten," Dr Kirk greeted, imagining if he doffed a top hat. "Not busy with your group today?"

"Oh we are," Ten nodded, sitting down on the bench. "We're having a small outing later at night."

By outing, she means a heist!

Gesturing to the empty spot next to her, Dr Kirk slowly landed himself onto the seat. Ten giggled and poked his fluffy white fur. "Is that what you learnt in astronomy? How to land safely after a journey to the stars?"

"I wished," he flashed back a toothy grin. "But we leave that to the astronauts. I just handle the research of the galaxies from the observatory. Also communicate with those in outer space. Enough about me! How is your day today?"

When Ten described her day to him, Dr Kirk paid attention to her voice and the way her hands moved. They were so delicate yet so deadly. Her smile was something he will remember but for now, her day was alright.

"So who won that turf war at the market?" he whispered to her, not wanting to scare other animals at the park. Ten leaned over, snout barely touching his ear as she answered back.

"Shishigumi. Then again, I never knew their boss was a young red deer. He could be a Cherryton student for all I know."

Dr Kirk's heart almost dropped to his stomach. Has Arthur been going behind the school just to join a gang? No, he shouldn't jump into conclusion! He trusts his son on his decision because life can be unpredictable.

"Looks like you don't have any new battle scars."

She huffed. "No male is going to touch me while I'm still kicking." Her expression softened when she met Dr Kirk's amber gaze. "So, do you normally cook after work?"

"Sometimes," he nodded. "Recipes from binge watching Hell-Ram Kitchen and some recipes from my family."

For a brief moment, the both of them decided not to say anything. They want to enjoy the chatters from other animals and the gentle breeze of the evening. Slowly, both their hand-wings and claws held each other.

...

"Are you done?" Arthur laughed as Mizuchi's delicate paws tickled him.

"I didn't know you had so many brushes!" the harlequin rabbit giggled. The both of them were taking turns grooming each other. It was difficult for Arthur since he has never groomed anyone before and his constant asking because he was afraid of accidentally hurting her.

She assured him that she trusts him and lets his two fingers stroke her cheek, ears and occasionally her back.

"Alright, I'm done," Mizuchi announced, making Arthur stretched a bit. "Don't you look like a marshmallow."

"Do I?" he smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I never knew."

Arthur never had this much fun with her due to their school timetable and the fact that she's older than him. This moment was something he will cherish dearly.

When it was time to go, he decided to escort her out until they reached the herbivore dorm. Without any warning, Mizuchi pecks the flustered bat on the cheek, thanking him for a wonderful evening.

"Wow," Arthur thought to himself as he wobbled a bit in his walk. He wanted to play a song for this moment and brew chamomile to calm himself down.

Suddenly, he was collided to the brick wall, his heart almost up to his throat. He wanted to use his clicks but his mouth was clamped shut. Arthur had no choice but to use both of his legs to kick whoever attacked him, hearing a groan.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her!" he heard the voice grunted angrily, he imagined getting up.

"Why are you attacking me!?" he cried, clutching his stomach with one of his wings.

"Why the hell would she settle for a raggedy rat like you?" he sneered, grabbing him by the neck again. "I heard that bats are super sensitive to sounds. I wonder if you can be robust without an ear for music~"

"No..." Arthur whispered, cloudy blue eyes wide with fear. He hoped that he's facing the buck rabbit's direction. "No..."

"Oh yes I am!"

With that, there was a loud bang!