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1: News of the Abyss

The day was new, and most of the feline anthro students at Cassime Academy were on a school holiday. Siowa, however, had planned a study group for their exams. The whole Class 15-H was to meet in the school library for a studying session - while no one else was in the Academy.

Alia and Atakiru were walking bouncily down the hallways, books in hand. "Exams, here I come!" Atakiru smiled as she walked, humming to herself as they walked inside the door.

"I must say it's not like Siowa to want to... study?" Alia was cut short in her statement as they were met with the sight of Siowa dancing to her loud music in the middle of the library.

"We are faaamily!" they heard Siowa belt out at the top of her lungs.

"That doesn't surprise me," Atakiru chuckled.

Cayssi and Amarsi were also dancing as coloured lights flashed on and off. Atakiru quickly hopped up on a table and joined them, while Alia folded her arms in front of her chest and smiled thinly.

"Cool! A party!" Theral, one of their classmates, barged in, almost knocking Alia's slim figure over. When she stopped hyperventilating, Alia saw that Theral had joined them.

There were two cats sitting down in a corner, and Alia walked over to join them with her sky-blue textbooks under her white-furred arm. Cantaze's ears perked up when he heard her coming.

"Oh, at last," Cakatu said. "I knew you'd come to study rather than dance."

Alia sat down. "Yes. I should have known Siowa would bring the dance supplies. What're you studying?"

Cantaze was scanning his book. "Natural history," he replied.

"May I join you?" Alia asked politely, opening her largest book.

"Of course." Cakatu flipped around in Alia's book for a moment, then sat it back down on her lap. "Here we are: Chapter 11 - Mountain Formations of Iolana."

Alia nodded. "Are you - including the partiers - the only ones here?"

"Miwese is meditating, over there," replied Cantaze. "Nessha, Liao, Kicou and Kowero are over there studying Natural Phenomenons... Mia's in the chemistry room... and that leaves..."

The music shut off and the four feline anthros looked dejected. "Perru, you party pooper!" whined Theral. "That was my favourite song, too!"

"At least we have a shred of a chance of passing these exams if the music is down to a dull roar," grumbled Perru, slapping his books down on a table and opening his Healing textbook. On the page he opened it to was a rather gruesome diagram of some flesh-rotting disease that most of the anthros grimaced at.

Siowa folded her arms. "Well, we'll throw a party later then... in Starbeam Clearing. Everyone's invited!" She said this loudly, capturing everyone's attention.

Atakiru scanned the room for Alia, but was interrupted by a loud bang. Miatiwa, a petite feline anthro, staggered inside covered in glowing dark purple soot.

"I think I invented a new kind of fireworks! Want me to bring some to the party tonight?" she called, making everyone both sigh in relief and tense up.

"No!" said about six feline anthros at once.

"Your loss," she said, wiping off her textbook. "I wonder what'll happen if I mix those ones together? Ooh!" She disappeared back into the lab, while her peers looked on in the usual shock.

Most of the anthros had gathered in the corner where Alia, Cakatu and Cantaze were studying, except Perru and Miwese, who were enveloped in their own minds.

"How's my hair?" Kowero asked a rather annoyed Kicou.

"Fine. This is the twenty-ninth time, Kowero. Please shut up."

"Sorry," Kowero spat, plunking down on a green bean bag chair.

Liao sat beside his twin sister Alia and peered over her shoulder at the long page of notes she'd written by now. "Good work," he said, then moved lithely around to a large white pillow that reminded him of a cloud.

"Exam season makes my head hurt," Cayssi complained.

"And the blasting music doesn't?" joked Theral, who braced himself wisely after his comment. Cayssi chucked a small book in his direction.

"That's different," she protested.

Amarsi bit her pencil. "Anyone want to study for Martial Arts? One-on-one?"

Her classmates shifted uneasily and said nothing.

"Fine then." Amarsi looked annoyed as she shoved her nose into her Natural History textbook.

"Amarsi, you almost stuck that up your nose," commented Theral with a snort of laughter.

"I don't want to study anyway. I'd much rather be waterfall-diving with my friends in 15-E. If we don't have loud music and funky lighting, is there really a point in life?"

Some of the feline anthros actually had to think about that one. Most of them shrugged. Kicou began to speak.

"Yes, in fact, life is a world of learning and enriching the mind, and also..."

Cayssi clapped a hand over his mouth before he could continue. "We'll waterfall-dive later, Amarsi. Until then, we have to pry Kowero from Nessha and start cracking the books."

Kowero looked up sheepishly from ogling at Nessha. "What? Is this against the law, looking at fine beauty?" Nessha blushed under her burnt sienna fur as he said this.

"No, but if I was in charge, it would be," Amarsi snapped, hitting her classmate lightly on the shoulder. "Now read. Chapter 12, I think."

"Fine, fine," Kowero said, straightening his hair with his paws and peering into the thick textbook.

Miwese had, meanwhile, come over to the rest of her class and began meditating once again on the hardwood floor.

"Mi, we're supposed to be studying for exams," Siowa said, poking the near-sleeping violet feline anthro on the shoulder. "Wakey, wakey."

"I am studying," Miwese mumbled in sheer bliss. "Meditation exam... you should be studying, too."

Siowa smacked herself and slid her hand down her face. "Never mind," she muttered, sitting back down on her orange bean bag chair.

Suddenly the door slammed open, and one of their professors came rushing inside. "Ah, class 15-H - I hoped you would be here... I'm afraid there is very grave news."

"Exams are cancelled?" Theral grinned, while Perru, who had just run over to hear the professor's announcement, shot him a glare.

"No," the professor said, barely acknowledging Theral. "You all know Cotthi, in class 15-A?"

Most of them nodded, while Cayssi bit her lip anxiously.

"Well, she's in the infirmary, and we have much concern. You see... Cotthi seems to have contracted the Abyss Delerium."