class, first subject, history, war doodles and love life
The sun filtered through the high arched windows of the old lecture hall, catching the dust motes suspended in the air. Sableth sat in the third row, slouched in her chair like she was auditioning for the role of disengaged student #1. Her notebook lay open on the desk, half-filled with cursive scribbles that might've passed for notes if anyone bothered to inspect them. The other half? A chaotic collection of doodles, her pencil flying across the page as she sketched a scene of musket-wielding sheep locked in battle with a cavalry charge of horned deer.
"—and it was during the War of the Foul Wool," droned Mr. Buckley, the grizzled ram who had been teaching history at the academy since, it seemed, the Renaissance itself. His thick glasses perched precariously on his snout, and his tweed jacket carried the faint smell of mothballs. "This conflict marked a turning point in musket warfare. Grazing rights were the pretense, but the real battle was over dominance among the hoofed clans of Europe. The sheep clans—Mérinos, Suffolks, Cheviots, and other wild sheep—faced unprecedented alliances of deer, goats, and wild boar."
Sableth stifled a yawn, her pencil tapping the edge of her desk. She added a little puff of smoke to one of her sheep soldiers' muskets. The cartoonish deer in the foreground now sported exaggerated antlers and a ridiculously terrified expression.
"Sableth," whispered a voice from her left. ,Kari, the arabotar, leaned in conspiratorially. "You're drawing again? What if Buckley sees?"
"He won't." Sableth didn't bother looking up. "He's too busy trying to remember what century he's talking about. Was it the 17th? The 18th? Who knows?"
Kari giggled softly but turned her attention back to the lecture. Sableth resumed her sketching, adding a triumphant sheep officer standing atop a pile of defeated hoofed animals. She was halfway through giving him a ludicrously oversized feathered hat when her phone buzzed against her thigh.
Frowning, she slipped it out of her pocket, her eyes darting to Mr. Buckley, who was still muttering about "flanking maneuvers." The screen lit up with an unfamiliar number, but she recognized the sultry tone of the message:
"Hey Paris ;) Miss me?"
She rolled her eyes. Of course.
Sliding the phone just under the desk, she plugged in a pair of earbuds, fitting one into her ear while attaching the mic to her collar. She hunched lower, whispering into the mic, "What is it? Who is this?"
The reply came immediately, rich and playful. "Don't play dumb, babe. It's me. Who else has your number saved as 'Queen Piggy'?"
Sableth froze. "Oh my god, Howgie." Her voice dropped to a hiss. "What do you want?"
On the other end, Howgie—a pink piglet with curves she wasn't shy about flaunting—lounged on her bed, half-covered by a tangle of silk sheets. She twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger, her lips curling into a lazy smile. "You didn't show up for our morning playdate. I was expecting you, Paris. You know how lonely I get."
"I was tired," Sableth muttered, lowering herself even further in her seat until her chin almost touched her desk. "And you know how I get when I'm in one of my moods."
Howgie pouted dramatically, even though no one could see her. "Aww, poor baby. You must be so pent up today, then. No outlet for all that tension? Half a day without… unloading your reserves?"
Sableth felt her cheeks burn. She pressed a hand to her forehead, groaning under her breath. "Please, please stop calling it that."
"But it's true!" Howgie teased, her voice taking on a sing-song quality. "I bet you're all flustered right now, aren't you? Come on, sneak in a quick one between classes. I'll make it worth your while."
Sableth pulled the phone away and glared at it, snapping a quick selfie of her deadpan expression. She sent it with the caption: "This is my face right now."
On the other side, Howgie giggled, holding her phone above her and snapping a picture of her bare chest. The photo arrived with a cheeky message: "This is my face right now ;) All perky and ready for you, babe."
Sableth's eyes widened, her ears flicking backward as heat rushed to her face. "Oh my god," she whispered harshly, quickly turning the screen away from Kari.
"What are you doing?" Kari whispered, her tone suspicious.
"Nothing," Sableth snapped, shoving her phone face-down on the desk.
"You're always so cute in that disguise," Howgie's voice cooed through the earbud. "I love when you play the serious student. It's adorable."
Sableth pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're killing me, you know that?"
Howgie's laugh was soft and teasing. "Oh, don't be mad. Hey, have you seen Antelope around? She hasn't been answering my texts since last week. Do you think she's avoiding me?"
Sableth frowned, straightening slightly. "She said she was busy with family stuff. I haven't seen her either. And I don't exactly have access to the wild hoofed animal section of the school."
"You don't?" Howgie asked, her voice laced with mock surprise. "But you're so good at sneaking into places you're not supposed to be. Or is that only when you're chasing boys?"
Sableth's hand curled into a fist on the desk. "I'm working on getting keys to that section, okay? Right now, I only have access to the gates for sheep, wild sheep, and the barn animal mixed classes."
"Hmm," Howgie mused. "And what about the dogs? You're not interested in sniffing around their turf?"
Sableth stiffened, her grip tightening on her pencil. "Don't start."
"Oh, come on," Howgie purred, her voice a perfect balance of teasing and sultry. "You can't tell me you've never thought about it. A big, strong good boy punishing a naughty little sheep like you… isn't that in your DNA?"
The call ended abruptly as Sableth yanked the plug from her phone, her jaw tight. Her fingers trembled slightly as she shoved the device back into her pocket.
"You okay?" Kari asked, eyeing her cautiously.
"Fine," Sableth muttered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Her gaze flicked toward Mr. Buckley, who was now rambling about tactical retreats.
Her mind, however, was elsewhere. The dog comment had struck a nerve, digging up memories she'd rather not revisit. It wasn't just about Howgie's teasing—though that was annoying enough. It was about the boy.
The boy she'd run into last week. The boy who made her skin crawl and her stomach twist in equal measure. She needed something from him, and the thought of it made her blood boil.
"Sableth," Kari whispered again, nudging her arm.
"What?" Sableth snapped, her tone sharper than intended.
"You're doodling over your notes again."
Sableth looked down. Sure enough, the sheep officer on her page now had a speech bubble that read, "Why are boys the worst?" She groaned, flipping to a clean sheet and scrawling: "How do I fix this mess?" at the top of the page.
Her phone buzzed again, but she ignored it, focusing instead on Mr. Buckley's monotonous voice. The war of grazing rights could wait. Right now, her own battles were far more pressing.