"Are you two friends?" The shrike asked with the strangest smile Io had ever seen, and a subsequent chill ran down the back of his spine.

The immediacy of his thoughts were seized by the counteracting nature of his beliefs. There was first the option to lie and second, the content of the latter in relation to the one he was speaking to.

Reux had posed the question to both he and Vaughn and, suppose he take responsibility for the question, determined the shrike's intentions having heard the answer. Therefore, it was apparent to him that the only way to direct Reux's attention (or suspicions, for the matter, regarding whatever that was going on in his mind) elsewhere was to give the exact same answer that Vaughn would.

Knowing the vulture and his lies, a 'no' was the more probable answer to his question. Were they friends? No, absolutely not in a million years—sounded exactly like Vaughn, at least in Io's mind, it did.

So he decided upon the lie.

Within the mere fractions of a second that they had to think, Vaughn had somehow arrived at a similar conclusion and that was to give the answer that Io would in order to make the shrike leave out of lost interest.

To Vaughn, Io was—by far—the most disturbingly honest human being on the island and there was no doubt to this. Considering this and the fact that Reux was aware of his supposed role as a spy among the old Hearts, he was certain that an acceptance of the shrike's conjecture was necessary.

So he decided upon the half-truth.

"Yes." "No."

They turned to stare at each other.

All attention was on the pair who so coincidently sat by one another, tension pulling taut in the air as the smile on Reux's face took the form of something close to predatory—the spotting of a newfound catch.

"Nice, nice. Very nice."

Nice? Victoria, perched above on the gallery where Avians had to remain was having a hard time controlling her anger. The shrike's presence was disturbing and felt to her almost like a fly in her face. Although...well, she never really came across a fly in the first place. This then, would be her first.

"Maybe you two can discuss beforehand before coming to an agreement?" Reux went on in a tone that did not sit well with anyone at the table. He sounded overly-sarcastic to the sensitive few and others, an attempt at mockery. "And Iolani. I heard you like sunflower seeds."

Io blinked, staring blankly as a brown packet of roasted seeds was placed before his tray. Reux had reached past Io's shoulders—a little too close for comfort—to do so and the act had garnered the former some serious backlash.

Mostly in the form of a golden eagle. "Io doesn't need that."

The packet of sunflower seeds were, all of a sudden, subject to absolute scrutiny. It was rare and unlikely that a predator—let alone the leader of their competitors in the coming games—to leave tokens of appreciation.

Obvious to any who had a functioning mind, Reux did not drop by to greet the sparrow out of courtesy and respect for his opponents. His purpose, then, had to be something far off and hence rather unwelcome at the table.

"Thank you for your opinion," the shrike said with a smirk that was primarily directed at Luka. "But it is rather unnecessary, as you can see."

Io was already popping the bag of sunflower seeds open.

"Luka's right, though." The sparrow peered up at Reux. "I don't need it, so I'm going to share this with everyone else over there! If you don't mind."

The predators watched as Io crossed over to the other side of the dining hall and offered his packet of sunflower seeds to the first table of prey. All at once, there were pleased nods and the snack was passed around the table, happily nibbling away.

"This one's tough, huh?" Reux said under his breath, in range of Luka and Vaughn who sat nearby.

It felt as though he wanted to be heard.

"Then leave," the eagle was more than unhappy. Even with his impassivity, Vaughn could tell that Luka was pissed.

"Don't worry, I think it's kinda cute."

Luka burned in quiet rage.

Soon enough, a small circle of prey had gathered around Io and it seemed as though the latter had gained in popularity because of the sunflower seeds. He returned to the table of predators after some time, an empty packet in his hand and a contented smile on his lips. "All gone!"

"That was very nice of you, Io" Jing felt the urge to step in, potentially hinting that Reux had not expected him to do so. The sparrow blushed at the compliment, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

The predators began to return their trays and clear the table at the sound of the bell, rising to leave in attempt to steer their classmate away from a certain unwelcomed guest.

"I'll see you at the games, Io."

Reux had smirked with a wave and while the nickname sounded to the rest a sheer declaration of war, the owner himself had his attention on a different aspect of his farewell.

"Hm. Well I hope I don't see him there."

_________________________

Hi Ma,

This is our second letter. I hope the first one went through. I miss you a lot, Ma. I miss the view from my room.

Luka and I are going to do dangerous things next week, so I thought we should write something first to tell you. Don't worry though. We will be fine and we will look out for each other's safety. Pa does dangerous things too, right? I hope he's okay. Is he still going to the woods every day?

Also, I found out that Luka likes potatoes too. Can I invite him over some time?

Love,

Io

P.S. Dear Io's mother, Io did not grow this week. He's still upset about it but I told him that sometimes I feel he's taller than the rest of the world. Don't worry, he's happy now. Luka.

__________________________

Io carried around with him an armful of chocolate bars as he and Luka combed the convenience store beside the post office that afternoon, searching for hidden treasures.

"Luka," he stopped short in front of the desserts section, tugging at the sleeve of his companion to gain his attention. "There's a new mochi flavor! Sakura flavor. I wonder what that is? Jiro might like that."

He tried to reach for the box but didn't quite succeed since his arms were filled with nutty chocolate bars and there was no space for more. Luka helped him with getting the box.

"Maybe Slayne's got it for him already," the eagle projected after some thought, but figured that Io would be happy to get more for his roommate either way.

"You're right. It looks good, doesn't it?" He led the way to an aisle filled with bags of potato chips. "Let's get two for Pipa. She's been telling me about these honey-butter chips of some sort so I hope they have it here."

The pair split up in their search—surveying the upper and lower shelves respectively. It didn't take a genius to find out which one of them did which.

"You know, I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"How's Pipa going to participate in the games, exactly?"

Luka stopped his search and turned to his companion. There was no direct reference to her disability, but he was aware of what the other was trying to say. "It...would be hard."

"She can't possibly push her wheelchair—all by herself—across an entire forest, can she?" He posited, waiting for more reasons to come. It wasn't easy to think of a solution.

"There will be a lot of prey this time," the eagle added, "because of the new rule. Maybe someone can help her."

Together, they made a difficult expression. Both understood that the prospect was highly unlikely.

"Let's hurry with the shopping," said Io, hesitant as he put the matter aside. "Our classmates are waiting for us."

*

Dmitri the falcon had been sulking the entire afternoon, grumbling something along the lines of not needing extra flight practicals.

"I'm a pretty decent flyer, okay?" He insisted as soon as Shri pointed out his name on the list of students required to attend the remedial class conducted by Professor Viktor. Io and herself included.

"Well—maybe you are," Io agreed after some thought. "You're a strong flyer, Dmitri. Just that...you know, other predators could be stronger."

They were waiting at the entrance to the clocktower, as instructed by the remedial list that Viktor had put up outside the predator's common room just this morning. Why Luka had decided to tag along remained quite a mystery.

"At least I know why I'm here," Io smiled sheepishly, ears red. "I practically destroyed half of the training hall back at the flight facility. And, uh...had to rely on you guys to carry me around because I couldn't shift back into my human form."

He glanced at Luka's hand, recalling how unexpectedly pleasant it felt to sit in the heart of his palm.

"At least it was epic," Dmitri shrugged, receiving an eye-roll from Shri. "Viktor better be here soon or else."

"Else what?"

The Andean condor appeared behind his student with a smirk that was victorious, musing at the reaction he garnered. Dmitri practically jumped and darted behind Shri for cover.

"Sir—only owls fly so quietly!" He protested over the osprey's shoulder, who stepped aside and made him stand in front of her.

Viktor laughed. "Right. Looks your hunting skills are in need of some serious improvement as well."

The falcon was left speechless.

"And Sullivan is here because...?" The professor turned to the added presence, slightly amused.

It was rather comedic when Dmitri and Shri both proceeded to point at Io, who then blinked and pointed at himself. Which caused Luka to point at the sparrow as well.

Viktor snorted and unlocked the door to the clocktower, unsure as to why it seemed like the most obvious reason for Luka's presence but was somehow relevant nonetheless. He passed the eagle a picnic basket.

"Taking the stairs would be a chore. We're flying up."

Luka continued to stare at the basket.

"Tori goes in there," Viktor paused after further explanation. "I'll do it if you're uncomfortable."

The eagle's response was immediate. "It's fine."

"But I can shift and fly up there on my own," protested Io, who didn't seem very keen on using the basket as a mode of transportation.

"We don't want you to be wasting your energy just yet Tori."

"He's right. Flying against gravity is always harder," Shri added to persuade the sparrow—just so that she could get to see him in a basket.

Albeit reluctantly, Io shifted into his Avian form and hopped into the basket. He peered up at Luka, as though waiting for him to do the same.

"All ready? Shift and go. I'll be watching you," Viktor gestured for Dmitri to go first, up the clocktower.

He begrudgingly obliged.

"Sir, is there a trick to shifting?" Shri asked after the former was out of earshot. "While we were at the flight facility, I noticed that most flyers gain a burst of speed when they take off while shifting. Something like momentum."

While the professor addressed her queries and briefed her on the theoretical side of things, Luka remained quite human indeed. He had yet to shift and was staring at the sparrow in his basket. Well, not exactly his basket but now that Io was in it, he was inclined to claim ownership of that too.

Avian-form Io was busy wondering why his friend was not doing anything but staring at the basket. Unable to voice his concerns, the sparrow could only chirp anxiously and hope that this was enough to snap him out of his reverie.

It wasn't.

Luka reached down to stroke the top of his head with a finger, before running it down along his back and towards his tail. He did it twice.

Initially, Io had remained quite frozen in place. He didn't understand why the stroking of his crown felt oddly soothing but eased into it nevertheless.

He did, however, notice that the motion resembled being caressed from head to toe in his human form. The back of his head; down to his nape before the stroking of his spine, then—

He blushed. Was that thought inappropriate? Thank goodness sparrows could not appear embarrassed.

The basket jerked him out of his thoughts, forcing his attention to snap back to reality. Something shook the basket again and Io glanced up to see that Luka had shifted (in a matter of seconds!) and he was gripping the handle of the basket with his feet, testing its safety.

Io chirped, hoping that it would suffice as a plea not to drop him.

"Sullivan, ready?" They were the only ones left and Viktor stood by the clocktower's entrance. "You don't want to drop him."

Of course he didn't. He tested once; twice—then took to higher ground.

*

Dmitri and Shri were waiting at the top of the clocktower by the time Io and Luka arrived; already stripped down to their flight wear and waiting for further instructions. Both appeared terribly amused by the 'sparrow in a basket'.

"It actually looks kinda comfy," assessed the falcon as he watched Io hop out of the basket and turn to Luka with a grateful chirp.

A single glance at his classmates reminded the sparrow that unlike the rest, he was not in his flight wear and there was simply no way he could undress at present since he was, unfortunately, stuck in his current form.

He stared at a speck on the ground.

"Alright let's see if you guys have the skills to...pay the bills," Viktor announced as he shifted—the entire movement and transition so smooth there was no clear line between both forms—back and made a perfect landing.

"Sir? I still don't get why I'm here," Dmitri was known for being relentlessly stubborn regarding such issues. "I'm as good a flyer as Sullivan. I swear."

Almost at once, the eagle shifted and reached down to cup Io in his hands, as though in attempt to protect the latter from Dmitri's words.

"You can say whatever you want Ford, but your opinion of yourself doesn't matter in this context—it's whether or not we can make some improvements to your flight patterns to help you in the coming games against..." the condor stopped short, leaving the sentence hanging. It didn't require a concrete ending.

"I can't tell whether I'm supposed to be happy that you're giving us a hand or frustrated that I'm one of those people who need improving."

"You know Dmitri," Shri couldn't restrain herself any longer. "You don't shut up when you're in a rut, do you?"

The falcon frowned. "No...? I don't ever shut up. Period."

"Fantastic—"

"Listen," Viktor cut in between the two, gaining Luka's attention for a brief second before he was back to looking at the sparrow in his hands—perhaps resisting the urge to stroke it while it remained in its current form. Hm. He wondered what exactly held him back from doing the same when his friend was in his human form. "We're clearly not here for small talk, or I'd be wasting my time."

Dmitri and Shri were somehow able to put aside their grievances for a minute and actually listen for once.

"I was informed a couple of days ago regarding the teams that you guys have been put in, and I'm not sure if you know this but your team's down in numbers because three of your class were not included in the list."

Io chirped, bringing their attention to himself. He hopped once in Luka's palm and attempted to raise a wing.

"Yes Tori, we know you're part of the three."

"Look he's trying to raise his hand!" Dmitri gushed and Shri cleared her throat before slapping him on the back, albeit unable to take her eyes off the tiny bird.

Viktor was about to continue with his explanation when Luka spoke for the first time in a while.

"Io has a question."

Oh...so that's why he was raising his hand, mused the condor to himself. Can that eagle read his mind or something? "I see. Well what is it?"

"I don't know."

Viktor resisted the urge to put his head in his hands and mourn over Luka's impassive humour. "Then I suppose no one except Io can speak for himself. I'll address the question later if he is able to shift back. Meanwhile," he flipped open a folder and scanned a couple of pages, finally arriving at one. "Some bad news."

Dmitri pounced on this at once, demanding the beans to be spilled. Or so that was how he had put it.

"Ford, I know you're in heat but calm your shit will you?" The condor put him in his place before biting into the core of the fruit. "There's only so much I can say," he looked around, as though for eyes. "Even calling you three out on the excuse of a remedial is...borderline against the rules."

"There's another reason why your team's down on numbers, and it's not because they're taking some of you out."

Io blinked, head cocked to the side and embodying the perfect picture of a confused sparrow. Shri was the only one who latched herself to a clever conclusion.

"They're adding people into the other team," she frowned. "Is Vaughn...going to betray us?"

She was correctly almost immediately.

"Ev—Vaughn has nothing to do with this," Viktor clarified a little too quickly. "At least not his individual choice. I can't go further than this."

They stared at him for some time and it was only until Io chirped again when they decided to stop.

"Io says that we should focus on the task at hand," said Luka, oddly in tune with Io's thoughts for the day.

"Yes yes, we understand," the professor nodded in defeat while Dmitri snorted to contain his laughter. "You don't have to translate. Let's get to flying."

_________________________

Dinner time was approaching but Io was lying spread-eagled on a couch in the predator's common room, legs dangling off the edge, completely spent. Luka was nice enough to let him use his lap as a pillow, to which Dmitri complained because he'd like to have some thighs as pillows as well but everyone in the room had refused, including Jeremiah.

"C'mon guys, Io's not the only one tired after demonic Viktor."

"At least Viktor's not as bad as Faustes," Shri pointed out, massaging her shoulders. "Two miles isn't that bad compared to three or four. He was also nice enough to give us a heads up about the games...even though he's supposed to be part of the Order."

Io's eyes were half-closed. He couldn't help but agree, however, with her view.

Before they'd left the clocktower and returned to their dormitories, Viktor had pulled the sparrow aside to make a rather strange...request.

There was a knock on the window to the balcony. Odette who had been reading a book in the far corner—upside down because she had been too entertained by the conversation to notice—rose to check on the sound.

A small part of the curtains were drawn aside.

"It's V's Avian."

"What? It's time already?" Dmitri jumped up all of a sudden, tired-and-in-need-of-a-lap gone and dissipated. "I thought it was tomorrow! Or the day after."

"You used to be the most excited one," Jeremiah commented with a roll of his eyes.

Slayne on the other hand, hadn't changed very much since the previous time—the drawing of their roles.

__________________________

Master, dinner's ready! ^o^

The snowy owl had been sleeping. He woke to the sound of his prey laying out the plates in the dining area and a note by his pillow. He took the note and folded it into a tiny crane—something that Jiro had taught him long ago—placing it inside a drawer where many other cranes resided, hidden.

His feet touched the floor and it was cold. No shoes in the house.

"Pet?"

The sound of clinking utensils stopped and Jiro appeared by the door frame in a matter of seconds. He blushed and hid his head in his hands upon realizing that Slayne was not wearing a robe; peeked through his fingers after several seconds, then hid again.

"Oh, sorry." His master dressed himself quickly. "I wasn't really awake."

"I-it's okay," came Jiro's response, slightly muffled through his fingers. "Dinner's ready."

Slayne walked up to him and removed his hands from his eyes, bringing the nightingale into his arms. "Thank you pet. But what did I say about making dinner for five days consecutively?"

His prey stilled in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't do it."

The previous time he did, it had drained his energy and made it hard for him to keep his eyes open during the day. After all, prey were not meant to smell or touch meat at all and that was the only was Jiro could make his predator's favourite dish.

"Don't do it again, alright?"

"I won't Master," Jiro nodded, holding out his pinky. "I promise." 

His predator hooked it with his own. "Keep your promises, alright?"