Ilari shook his head ruefully.
But, back to the topic, he rebuked himself. The last big change was after the exam. So what exactly was he doing yesterday?
Ilari frowned, trying to remember his day in detail, but he really didn't seem to have done anything out of ordinary. Maybe aside from trying to count the dark spots on the coat of his brother's cheetah out of pure boredom. Kolya, the leopard, though, had been very patient with him and even helpfully rolled onto his back when Ilari had asked him to. Ivor, who was working on his thesis in the living room, was the one to break the pair apart and sent his brother to do something more productive, preferably in the kitchen.
After all, Ilari's cooking skills were legendary – and it was something he enjoyed very much. There was no one in his entire family that was immune to Ilari's cooking – and it was a testament to Ilari's god-level culinary skills that his overprotective family members even let him near an open flame – no matter how small – to cook. When it came to the kitchen, Ilari was the biggest master in his family and he was awfully proud of it. Cooking calmed his mind and elevated his mood. And he loved it when his near and dear ones ate his dishes with utmost relish.
So, with only a slight implied push by his older brother, unto the kitchen Ilari had gone...
"Any progress?" Alair asked from his spot on the pillow.
"I think that there should be some remaining meatballs in the fridge," Ilari replied, still absent-minded, and thinking of his time in the kitchen earlier in the day.
The silver cat let out an inelegant snort.
"Ilma and Kenya came back in the evening. If you think this black-furred menace didn't check the fridge, you're clearly delusional," Alair pointed out, his voice filled to the brim with disdain.
This made Ilari laugh, at least. All the felines in the family were extremely fond of his cooking but his sister's black panther Kenya ('the black-furred menace' referred to by Alair) seemed to be his number one fan - almost maniacal in her pursuit of anything cooked by Ilari. Moreover, the black panther could also open the fridge on her own much to Alair's great and everlasting displeasure.
According to Alair, Ilari was his human and all possible rights to any food cooked by Ilari belonged exclusively to Alair. He liked to think that he wouldn't begrudge a morsel or two to that big black menace – but that was if she begged him to spare some, of course! And it annoyed Alair to no end that Ilari was almost as nice to the cheetah and the black panther of his older siblings as he was to Alair when it came to cooking for them!
Ilari knew exactly what the silver cat was thinking, of course. So, he simply reached out and scratched his moody cat behind the ears in an attempt to pacify him.
Alair huffed.
"All right, all right," Ilari said. "Don't be angry now, you'll ruin your beautiful fur."
Alair shot his human an accusing glare. "Aren't you the biggest reason that I'm losing my beautiful fur?" he snapped. "You make me worry so much that my fur is starting to become a dull grey instead of the gleaming silver that it's supposed to be!"
Ilari suppressed his laughter with great effort – it was blatantly untrue that Alair's fur had turned a dull grey. It was a lovely sparkling silver, just like Ilari's hair, and their eyes, too, were a matching shade of sapphire blue that reminded one of clear oceans shining under the sunlight.
Of course, he had to pacify his dear cat, Ilari thought, and held out an olive branch.
"I think you are right, Alair. I'll write a quick note, just as you said," he said. "We can leave it for *him* later this week and then I'll do some light reading, maybe. You should go back to sleep."
"The 'water attribute related' note?" Alair asked, ignoring the second part of his human's words.
Ilari shook his head.
"No, just 'it always makes me feel better to write to him after the nightmare, especially now when I know that he's alive' note. Don't fuss," he replied. The olive branch didn't extend to discussing his problems with *him* at the moment. After all, there was so much more to do on that front, Ilari thought ruefully.
"Such a stubborn human," Alair complained. His words were punctuated with a deep sigh as the cat curled into a ball with his back towards Ilari. A very disapproving ball, one could add.
But this was one thing that Ilari didn't want to do at the moment at all. He had his own reasons – and it wasn't as if Alair was unaware of these reasons. Still, Ilari knew that his magical familiar was simply worried about him and his recurring nightmares more than anyone else – after all, it was Alair who had witnessed this problem night after night for many, many years now.
Ilari sighed and stroked the cat's silky, silver fur with gentle fingers in an absent minded manner until Alair gave in and started purring in satisfaction.
"I still think that you should write to *that guy*," Alair said crossly. "Don't think that I will forget about it simply because you are petting me so nicely."
"I know," Ilari said quietly. "And I will discuss it with *him* - but this is not the right time for this, Alair. You know it as well as I do. Let me be happy for a while that he is alive and well, won't you?"
There was a hint of pleading in his human's voice that Alair couldn't bear to say no to.
"All right," the silver cat said, turning up his nose at Ilari. "I'll give you two months. Within two months, I want you to discuss the matter with him."
Ilari fell silent for a long moment. Finally, he could only say, "I'll try."
---
The rest of the night and the next day's morning passed uneventfully until Ivor's cheerful voice rang out from the doorway.
"Hey, little brother, look who we brought home!"
Ilari stood on top of the staircase and looked at his older brother and sister, who had just entered the house. Behind them was a tall, thin guy with untidy black hair, unfashionable horn-rimmed glasses and a tiger by his side.
"This is Kir, your fiancé," Ilma informed him gleefully.
Ilari froze, shocked. What fiancé?! When on earth did he get engaged? And to a guy he'd never even seen before?!