The Fall of Soruvis

Deterioration

<- Day 17 | Sect 6 | Year 2 ->

"And so, when you mix the two together and provide a spark..." Pilzi played the animation on the screen for his class to see. The pack of Saekross watched in awe as the two pairs of hydrogen molecules collided with the oxygen molecule. There was a great flash, then there were two water molecules floating side-by-side. "You get water!"

Subtle hissing emanated from the pack as they tried to comprehend his lesson. Pilzi liked to think he was a good teacher, though he could never get rid of the suspicion that he was not. His Saekrosian speech still wasn't polished after two years of intense learning. Sometimes he questioned whether any of his students understood anything, though they seemed to be able to pass his tests.

One of the females sitting in the front row raised her clawed hand, her tail swaying back and forth on the floor behind her. She spoke in her species' typical hissing and growling voice. "Teacher?"

He addressed her with a nod. "Yes, Saeliis?"

"How can a fire produce water?" She tilted her head. "Aren't they incompatible?"

Pilzi smiled as he began pacing back and forth in a teacherly manner. "Ah, excellent question. As we've discovered many times this semester, reality often contradicts intuition. Fire and water are not as incompatible as you think. Next time you see a lander take off to orbit, observe the condensation trail it leaves behind. Yes, that is water, a direct result of the fire shooting out from the engines. It is the fire that provides the energy for the reaction to occur, so you don't have to worry about water forming spontaneously."

A long silence followed his explanation. Most of the students had perplexed expressions on their muzzles. He winced internally. He knew he shouldn't have used that many big words.

"Any more questions before my lecture is concluded?" he asked, his tail swaying back and forth impatiently. There was only the familiar rustling of students getting ready to leave for the next class. Many of them were still pretending to pay attention. "Alright, then. Before you leave, remember our test next week on the metals of the Elemental Table. You have to describe what makes them different from metalloids and non-metals, as well as other properties that distinguishes them from one another. Now you may go."

He stepped back and watched the class swarm out of the wide doorway. He knew their rush wasn't personal to him. They were naturally fast on their feet. And also he could tell that many of them were bored out of their minds during his lectures. He couldn't blame them, as he was bored too. He had tried to get a teaching spot for Advanced Quantum Physics, but there weren't enough Saekross at that level of education yet to warrant another teacher. That was what the administration told him anyway.

One of the last students to exit the room waved goodbye, and he returned the gesture. He made sure to turn off all the systems and lights for the next teacher who would be using the room in a few hours. He gazed out of the building's windows as he strode down the hallway toward his office. The quad of the late school was alive with activity, mostly Saekross moving to their next class. Occasionally one could be seen carrying a Niibla or Grephen. They were a little more wary of Reckrin than the other two Asturnian species.

The clawtrees, as they had been named, were in full bloom in the afternoon sun. They were like giant flowers, their branches opening slightly during the day and closing slightly during the night. They harbored a symbiotic relationship with the native rodents, which was the accepted explanation for their flower-like behavior.

He slumped into his office chair, brought his knees up to his chest, and spun himself around using his tail. An exhausted sigh escaped his nose. It was a hot Soruvisan summer outside, and building's air conditioning was barely able to keep up. He wished he could take his clothes off, but on the off-chance that someone wanted to talk to him right then, he didn't want to get fired. He resolved to get a full-body furcut after today's work.