Chapter 1: A Day begins

The windows rattled from a thunderous caw as the initial amber rays of dawn crept in.
“Rise and shine, everyone!” Kingsley cackled, full of mischief.

Sebastian dangled upside down from his hammock. His sheep’s wool was all tousled, and his monkey tail gripped tight as he woke with a mix of surprise and a sleepy grin.

“Kingsley, when you wake up at the crack of dawn with the urge to ‘Cock-A-Doodle-Doo’, please ‘Cock-A-Doodle-Doo-NOT’! Why not try counting sheep instead!” joked Sebastian, his woolly arms crossed in annoyance.

“You know as well as I do, my Sheepanzee friend, that we’d never get anywhere without a bit of a jolt. Consider it… a natural alarm clock.” said Kingsley

“Its a wonder we get any sleep at all with your noise and Hubert’s snoring! “

Hubert’s snoring encompassed an impressive range, with a peculiar mix of rumbles and squeaks, a testament to the bizarre blend of his being: a Hippopotamouse.

“Hubert thinks he’s a T-Rex. A Tyrana-snore-us!” quipped Sebastian

Hubert, with his mouse-like whiskers and a big, wide hippo yawn, woke up rumbling like a tiny thunderstorm in the corner. When he changed sizes from mini-mouse to massive-hippo, the whole bed shook.

“Be quiet you cheeky monkey” he said, his peculiar voice an odd mixture of low, earthy grumbles and shrill, piercing tones, filling the room with more than just its volume.

He enjoyed teasing Sebastian with the nickname, aware it annoyed him since, as a Sheepanzee, he was part Chimpanzee and thus an ape, not a monkey. Sebastian deemed apes superior to monkeys, claiming they had “larger brains and were simply superior in every way!”

“And so another typical day begins! Welcome to the school for mixed-up kids. Kids like me. I’m Kingsley, and I’m a Kangarooster. Hi!

When I say mixed-up, I don’t mean we’re confused – well, actually, I suppose most of us are a bit! But what it really means is that our genes are mixed up, you know, our DNA. We come from a mixed-up land where species have merged. Take me, for example. I’m a mix of kangaroo and rooster – all the best bits, of course!  I’ve got the powerful legs and tail of a kangaroo, perfect for jumping and boxing. But I’ve also got the stylish rooster’s red comb on my head, the beak, and that special internal clock that gets me crowing at the crack of dawn. It’s my job to wake the other students and get them ready for classes.

So that’s me, Kingsley the Kangarooster, at your service! “You know, it’s funny how we ended up here, studying in England. It all started when Professor Percival received a mysterious package years ago…”