Without a doubt, the class was an arena of waiting predators. The new boy was late, and this was itself the first sign of a rule—broken. Predators were meant to be early; meant to lay in wait; wait for a time; wait for the kill, but Iolani Tori was late. He would have no worms to catch.

He was, in their eyes, not a predator.

Eyes fixed themselves on Faustes as he began to conduct the first of his administrative matters: season. The new season—the mating season. This was all rather familiar in the minds of the hearts. Long familiar with the procedures, his words were regarded as a mere reminder of their primal instincts. Of lust and appetite; of human nature.

"For the sake of official procedures, I will be reading out these instructions which I believe you must have heard at least three," he glanced up, "or four times. This isn't your first season but I am aware that not all of you mate for life and neither is having more than one mate an uncommon thing, so." Faustes sighed. "I need to read this shit out in case it slips your narrow minds in the near future."

Everyone appeared to be listening but that was all. That was it.

Though eyes were fixed on a thing, their heart was with another—and now, it was the door.

The door, the door: was it going to open?

There was a knock. Then it opened.

Immediately, it was the doorway that they had their eyes on and in their minds the repetition of an appearance—his appearance—haunted the image and seemed to project itself onto reality. Iolani Tori was standing at the doorway...no. No, it was just Sullivan.

Several scoffed, looking away and some others returned to Faustes. Of course, the class of predators hadn't yet taken Luka's height into account and considered, for a moment, that his towering frame would reasonably obscure the person behind him.

And so, Io entered his new class with...quite a bang.

"Um, morning sir," the sparrow greeted as he entered the class. "Sorry we're late."

There was an immediate tension in the class. Students were trying hard not to pay any attention to the ordinary-looking boy who they had expected to be much taller, have a mightier presence, broader shoulders; outstanding features, the greatest stride—but all they got was this, this tiny little...thing!

"Lunch is over Tori," Faustes paused to look up from his folder. "I'm sure it's no longer morning. Take your seat at the back...yes, the extra table over there."

With their expectations entirely ruined, the hearts were obliged to stop and reconsider their prospects; the misconceptions that had led to such an image painted in their mind. Such great things they have heard of this Iolani Tori: the first prey who had taken—stolen—the champion spot in the season games; his desire for a rematch (such a bold and disrespectful to do), and by doing so defying the rules that they, predators, had grown so accustomed to—the rules that they had spent their lives adhering to; all this...this order, ruined by an all-too-ordinary boy with brown hair and brown eyes and looked like the human form of a tree sparrow.

It was ridiculous.

They had assumed that the revelation of his dual nature, him being predator and prey, would have brought a distinct change in...in something, in the very least, his appearance. There was a rumour going on that he now had hair that glowed like the moon and eyes that were of a similar, silvery shade. Surely, him being a predator would have meant...

He looks exactly the same, Dmitri was blunt in his Link with Lucienne. Slayne was sitting in between them but he couldn't quite care that they were throwing looks at each other; for all he knew they were fond of flirting, and it was none of his business. Besides, he was not an afternoon person and was barely awake at present. All he wanted was for this to end and for him to return to his treasure.

What did you expect Dmitri? Fireworks, then? Lucienne rolled her eyes, even though she, too, had expected some form of a change.

No, stupid. I saw him this morning when he came 'round to look for Sullivan. It's a figure of speech that we use to strike up a conversation with other humans, no? You lack tact, Luci.

If you wanted to know my opinion, Dmitri, you can just ask.

The harpy eagle spun the pen in her hand, watching from the corner of her eye as Io took a seat at the far back. She saw that he had paused to marvel at the sheer quality of his desk. Lucienne found herself mildly amused, but nevertheless miffed by the overturning of her expectations and the fact that Io was never close to meeting them; or that he had never intended to, in the first place.

Did predators necessarily have broad shoulders; greater strides or a stronger presence? By what means did Lucienne come to have this misconception in her mind? That the stronger they were, the better they looked?

Certainly, Iolani Tori defied this all.

Yes, he was now a predator, but no...he did not change at all from when he was prey.

Little did she know that the greatest change often came

from within—

unseen.

___________________________

Vaughn watched with wary eyes the sparrow who squinted at the blackboard that was an apparent distance away from where he was sitting. He had his reasons for detesting the boy and an answerable set of excuses for the fear that crept within his cage. Fear? No. It must have been a slight unease, so mild it scratched but left the heart unscathed.

He turned away.

"No courting in public, no fighting in corridors, go to Starling when it comes; make sure you're registered, get your mate registered as well whether it's one, two, five or ten of them, just do it," Faustes scanned through the entire folder and summarized a chunk of text. "Simply put: control yourselves—yes. Someone has a question."

Vaughn could feel himself shrink with a sigh as eyes turned and fixed themselves on the student who sat a seat away.

"Yes, Tori."

"Sir um, why is it that registering...I mean—why does one need to register their mate? Is anyone eligible to be registered? Are two people still mates if they are not registered? Does registering make them mates or does mating necessitate registering?" What? Was Vaughn's very first response to the barrage but he couldn't say that he was surprised. In fact, the vulture scoffed to himself.

"Yes, anyone is eligible. Although it is uncommon and discouraged to mate across ranks. Your latter questions are irrelevant, and I still have many other things to go through so perhaps you can meet Miss V privately and confirm the reason behind such procedures," Faustes responded in a blunt and tactless manner, the urge to end an administrative class growing particularly strong.

Io raised his hand once more. "Sir, why is it discouraged? What are ranks? I'm assuming it's—"

"Yes, you know what it is and Iolani Tori I think you know the answer to your questions."

"Oh," the sparrow said quietly.

He hadn't wanted himself to be correct.

Faustes breezed through the rest of official mating formalities, summarizing and skipping when deemed necessary. "Symptoms...yes, you're familiar," he held up a hand just when Io was about to point out that he as a first year was not, "someone explain to Tori after class."

If the professor assumed that each and every heart was aware of the symptoms of heat then he was highly mistaken. Luka for one, had never bothered to pay full attention regarding such details. Even if he was aware of the symptoms, it wasn't as if he would make the effort to piece together meaningless words and sublime desire. It was far too abstract, too disruptive, too disquieting to exist in line with his mind that preferred the peace, no.

He would separate both—the heart from the mind; instinct from rational thought.

But then there was...

Iolani Tori hurried to take down notes on his small jotterbook, penmanship becoming increasingly illegible and round. Things were progressing quickly—far faster than what he had expected but perhaps this was it. This was how things were as a predator: a fast-paced social order that was short of cracking under pressure with a concentration so precise and sharp, almost like a blade that sliced through sheets of paper; clean and thin.

He turned to glance at his friend only to see that the eagle was already looking at him. Io made a face. A pout.

Everything was fast.

He wanted to slow down, to process and understand the reasoning behind things but nothing was allowing him to do so. Perhaps this was why it was best not to think—in fact it was easier not to. To eliminate all thought and individual agency; to work and conspire as one, to adhere and obey without comprehension or understanding. Did any of them even understand why they were abiding by the rules?

A blind, unthinking faith was as good as a light that ran on batteries: it would not last.

There was a difference between Io and such a light that was false. Luka was the only one who could see it besides the owner. The evening was approaching; the night was early, and the moon would soon rise.

An urge to lengthen their time spent together surfaced and Luka made a mental note to invite Io to the treehouse that night for some company. Just company—no words, no actions; just being.

His mind dwelled on this and never came close to Faustes' words, even though they were perhaps...the most applicable to himself.

*

The air was frightened with a chill by the time class was over and although there was barely anything for Io to learn, his mind had lost its usual sharpness from the boring words that blunted his purpose. The world around him was suddenly hard to register; difficult to conceive; too large a picture and he was a little afraid.

"You're dismissed. I will disclose the details regarding next week's field trip on Wednesday. When Jane is here," Faustes announced shortly, minutes before the bell. While students began to pack their things and drag their chairs across the floor, the professor fixed his gaze on his new addition. "Tori—a minute."

Oh.

This was it then; it must be. His first punishment for being late and disrupting the class with his questions. Io hadn't meant to create so much trouble for others, but he was beginning to understand what Jing meant by Faustes being strict on several things, and that it was best to leave a good impression on his first day. Thankfully, he had listened. Had he not done so, he would have been at least thirty minutes late.

He braced himself.

"Yes sir," the boy went up with his hands behind his back, aware of the several stares and stray ears that lingered behind, eager to latch on to a single word of his punishment. "Sorry that I was late, sir."

"Three times and you're up for detention," Faustes laid out simply, "but that's not the point. The council's coming in two days, do you know that?" Io blinked. Jing had mentioned something along the lines of important—very important—people coming to scrutinize, inspect, survey his performance but was that not all it would ever be? A performance. An act.

A staging of a self that was false to hide

A truth.

Io paused, surprised that the professor had not the intention to berate him of his mistakes. "Yes, a bit. Jing—I mean, Jane. Told me about it."

"Do you know why they are coming? The council isn't an organization that has the time every now and then to send people down to the school. They have other things to take care of," Faustes folded his arms and passed a short but effective glare at a girl who was staring openly and trying to listen. She turned at this, leaving the class.

Io bit his lip. "They want to see me?"

"Yes, and no. They want to see your Avian. You know which one I'm talking about."

Yes he knew. Yes, yes.

Io turned slightly, noting that Luka was waiting for him outside class. He could see the edge of his coat from the corner of his eye.

"Tori. This is important," Faustes emphasized with a hand on the sparrow's shoulder, guiding the latter to face him. "Do you understand your situation? Dual Avians is one thing but one of them being a predator—not just any predator, the highest-tier Nocturne," He tossed a lightweight text into Io's arms. "You need. To focus."

A Short Introduction to Avians. "Will this help me?"

"There's a section on dual Avians. Read it before coming to see me tonight. Wint's not too happy with me taking your time when you're supposed to have club responsibilities but I've taken care of it."

Io blinked. "Wint?"

"Professor Callaghan for you," Faustes gathered his administrative folders. "Eight at practice hall two. Don't be late."

"Wait, sir...is this detention? A consultation? A crash course? What is it, exactly?"

The professor couldn't seem to find a suitable answer for Io that would satisfy his lack of knowledge. It was his duty to look after his students, but for some reason this duty paled in comparison to his desire to meet someone else.

"Something like that."

"Please sir, I have to know," Io insisted, and his eyes were resolute. The gaze itself was enough to tell Faustes that this sparrow was not one to be treated with little caution. He was disarming—dangerous.

"V is probably conspiring with some people to get you...eliminated."

"Expelled?" Io prod, but was already paling at the prospect.

"No. Eliminated," was what he meant exactly by the meaning of the word. "She pushed the date forward so that you are going to fail the test. The council is going to confirm whether or not you are who you claim to be, and yes I know you don't claim to be anything," Faustes corrected as soon as the boy opened his mouth to interject, "but this is what V thinks, and no one can change it. I'm just the second in line, I don't have a say against her."

Io took this in with a startling of his cage. Was Luka listening? This was beyond what he had expected—beyond any extent he thought someone would go for him. Surely, he wasn't worth all that effort? Was he really that important?

"But sir..." The deputy headmaster held up a hand.

"We will continue tonight. Read the text, and come alone," his eyes drifted to the eagle standing it wait outside class. "Your friend would be a distraction." Io felt his cheeks warm, a little embarrassed that a teacher had noticed Luka was always around him.

"Sir, wait. It's not really regarding the matter," the sparrow stopped him at last. "Why are you helping me? Do you disagree with Miss V?"

Faustes had nothing on his face for Io to read. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. "No. V's business is none of mine."

"Then why would you...?" Care? Help?

The professor snorted, turning away and starting in the direction of the front door. "Someone asked me to."

_____________________________

A stray droplet fell on Luka's shoulder. The sensation as it slid down his back was like a finger of ice but Luka didn't know because he didn't feel it.

"This is bad."

Yes it was. At this rate, the eagle would have less and less time to spend with his friend and the first step—the night out—was already ruined by both the weather and Io's extra classes.

"I don't have my coat yet," Io lamented, fairly pleased by the prospect of a coat with a hood and slightly upset that he would have to wait further for one. "That way, I'd be able to avoid a drizzle like this easily."

Luka had to pause and register the direction of Io's thoughts, correcting himself that Io wasn't at all referring to the talk with Faustes being 'bad' but simply the weather. Could the sparrow be that naïve to not see the weight of his situation? The tight corner that he had been forced into and the lack of alternatives that he could make? Was he really, really not concerned at all about his own survival?

"Are you okay, Luka? You've been strange all day," the eagle inclined his head slightly to meet the prying gaze of his friend, peering up at him. "You can tell me if something's troubling you. Pipa tells me everything. She even told me the size of her shoes which are...quite irrelevant," Io laughed, his hands outstretched to catch a few droplets of falling tears. "But who knows! Even the most insignificant things aren't entirely insignificant, are they? There's nothing wrong with knowledge that has no utility. It's still knowledge."

A tiny smile crept on the eagle's lips and it was on instinct that he reached out to mess with Io's hair. "Not shoe sizes."

Io ducked, moving out of his reach. "That's not true! Alright tell me your shoe size then."

Suddenly, it meant a lot. Yes—all of a sudden, shoe sizes meant the world.

"Forty-three. I think."

"What? That's! Oh right, you're tall. Okay, fine," Io pursed his lips before looking away with a sigh. "Can't believe I have to go for extra classes and read a textbook before doing that. I don't think I ever read my textbooks at all."

Victoria who had come to pick her Winged up after class marvelled at the plain confession. Lyra wasn't surprised one bit.

"How many hours do you have?"

The boy craned his head to look at the clock tower that rose above buildings of lecture theatres and classrooms. He squinted for a better view. "Three. Or three and a half, but I'm a slow reader so I probably won't be able to finish it. Was professor Faustes always so..."

"Strict?"

"Er, not exactly but..." He couldn't find the word for it. "I don't think he's strict. Neither is he a bad teacher at all, actually he's really nice but for some reason I wasn't able to keep up during homeroom. There was basically nothing to keep up with, even. He was just talking about stuff that I wasn't aware of, so it's probably just my fault."

Luka nodded, allowing Victoria to add that Faustes, unlike Tenner, was not one to slow down the class for a minority who could not catch up. It's not efficient—is what he would say.

"Do you think what Miss Tenner does is right then? Slowing down for others to catch up," they had reached the prey's dormitories when Io posed this question to the eagle that insisted on walking the former home. Luka however, was constantly telling himself that he would not have to in the weeks to come because Io would have a room in the predator's dormitories which would make everything easier.

"I don't think she's right."

Io glowed. "Mm! I don't think she's completely right either. And what professor Faustes did isn't entirely wrong also. Then what do you think is?"

Both could tell that neither wanted to end the conversation where they were at but simply lingering outside the prey's dormitories was slightly suspicious and would arouse curious looks if the prey inside their homes had seen such a sight. Io didn't particularly want to cause any trouble, or unnecessary worrying for the matter.

The pair were quiet for a moment.

"Another time?" The eagle suggested with reluctance.

Io nodded, clutching the textbook that was given to him to study. "Okay. We'll think of a solution next time, alright?"

Luka nodded, watching as the sparrow retreated into the warm lights of the prey's lobby, up the stairs, turning the corner; disappearing—all while looking backwards with a wave.

*

I heard you have extra classes ;A;

Jiro wrote immediately upon receiving his roommate, offering a slice of banana cake on a saucer. Io appreciated the thought, especially after a taxing day of new experiences and bizarre encounters. He made a mental note to visit Pipa later at her side of the dormitories.

"In about three hours' time," Io sighed with a face. "I don't even know how long it's going to last. And I'm supposed to read this before going!" The textbook was presented and Jiro made a face as well. "Oh wait, how did you know?"

Ah...my predator told me /.\ he thought I would like to know

The nightingale wrote sheepishly. More food was passed around, including a packet of milk and a jar of macadamias.

That's okay, I'm sure it's all to prepare you for when the coun Wednesday (' . ')/

Ah, so he knew as well, Lyra noted with regret as soon as her eyes set on the cancelled words. Some things were not meant to be hidden but certainly, did the rest of the school know that the council was coming just to assess him? What trouble he must have caused. Such a stir, and yet Io himself seemed to be the last one to know. If this was the truth that Io was terribly disappointed. It was as though the world around him had conspired to make him a fool.

"Thanks Jiro. Faustes kind of assured me it's going to be something like that as well, so. How was your day?" He directed the conversation differently. "You weren't at home the entire morning, and you didn't come back last night either, did you? Or did I sleep too well," the sparrow laughed.

His roommate began to blush furiously. A persistent red tickled his ears and his message took longer than usual to write.

I was over at sleeping over at my predator's dorm /.\

Io laughed. "You most've been tired! The whole morning? At Slayne's? Wait—is his injury alright?" He remembered all of a sudden, stopping his smile with a frown. "His eye..."

Jiro waved his hand.

Don't worry! It's recovering well. Mrs. Goldfinch gave him some ointment and medication. I just have to help him with the cleaning of the wound and replacing his bandages ^-^/

"Sorry about that..." The sparrow said, but it was far from his first time. The apology was ongoing—perhaps forever, even. He would bear the guilt of having someone protected him. It was a harsh burden.

The nightingale shook his head.

I told you before right? It's okay ^^

It wasn't. And Io was well aware that it wasn't. Yes, both himself and Slayne were important to Jiro but that didn't necessarily mean that they were both of equal importance. In fact, Io was not blind enough to leave their relationship unseen. After listening to Faustes' announcement of the season procedures and the details of what makes a 'mate', Io was certain that Slayne and Jiro were exactly as his teacher had described.

Those were feelings that differed and rose above the rest in a manner that he would never understand; romantic feelings—a supposedly eternal, transcendent, unconditional love.

He would never know. And of course, what he didn't know necessitated questions that needed to be answered but it was Jiro who reminded the sparrow that there was reading to do before his extra lesson and brought him back to the correct state of mind.

*

To Io's surprise, there was more than sufficient time for him to complete his reading—even for someone with an attention span as short as his—and that was saying a lot. Faustes had probably taken into account the boy's...condition and searched for a book (perhaps through the butterfly, Sylvian) that explained things in a simple manner. With the aid of detailed pictures and well-organized diagrams, Io learned about the supposed mythical creatures that flew. Such was the dragon, the phoenix of the sun, and then Luna, the moon.

He was surprised however, that he had never been able to search for a text so easy to comprehend from all his Saturday afternoons spent at the library with Pipa. It instilled in him an understanding about the rarity of dual Avians, that only one in a decade—once even a century back in the seventeen hundreds—had the prospect of wielding two spirits and even then, they might not manifest. It was a mere possibility.

Given that Io had completed his task at a fairly early time (and Jiro was so kind to share the rest of his snacks and authentic green tea), he decided to skip dinner and read a little more. Naturally, this came as a surprise to both his roommate and the boy himself.

"Mates within ranks are chosen by the one who receives an act of courtship during the season, either by accepting or declining the show...what about mates across ranks?" Io mumbled to himself. "What does mating mean?" There was no exact definition. Had the book assumed that everyone knew what it meant? Perhaps another trip to the library in search for a more suitable text (after all, this was merely a short introduction to Avians) was due. Or perhaps this wasn't something books could depict, after all?

He put the matter aside and looked at the time. Practice hall two...he should get going. There was always the possibility of getting lost.

*

Luna was by his side before he knew it. Her time to rise had come, eventually, as certain as the sun would rise and that it would set—or was it?

Good evening, Io, the moon phoenix materialized by his side as he was crossing the grounds. The clouds are thick tonight, a storm appears to be approaching.

"That's alright, I have an umbrella," he presented said object from his bookbag, quite prepared. In it also contained a jotterbook and his writing materials, just in case. A Short Introduction to Avians was amongst these things. "Looks like we're in for hard work today, Luna. Professor Faustes—uh, and some other people, a lot of other people—want to see you."

Is that so? Rather flattering, but we both know how that it impossible, Luna pointed out with little effort to conceal the truth. In fact, the moon shed light on it. I am sure Sol would understand. Only a select few can see him as well.

"I guess," Io nodded with a sigh, leaving Luna to nestle in the grounds outside the building. She couldn't fit into the relatively narrow entrance of the practice halls, and being in the building itself was an uncomfortable squeeze for her wings. Do you think Faustes will believe me?

I surely hope so dear. Oh, hello Lyra, Io heard the voices of his Avians interact, and it was a bizarre moment. He felt as though he was listening in on someone else' conversation regarding the days events.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Io found the room with fair ease, proceeding to knock on the double doors tentatively before giving pause.

It opened, and the one who received him was not Faustes but Callaghan, the widowbird.

"Iolani, you came!" He looked thoroughly pleased and this differed from how Faustes had relayed to him of the dissatisfactions regarding his duties as a club president. "I was just about to leave. Are you ready? I hope you have come prepared with the reading," Callaghan said nervously, as though he was the one taking the class.

"Yes sir, I have," Io nodded with a thumbs-up. Cheesy as it was—and simple—the teacher accepted the gesture with a sigh of relief.

He wished him the best of luck, and ushered the boy inside. "Learn well! Miss Tenner would be proud of you. Oh, and professor Faustes isn't so bad." The widowbird smiled sheepishly, and with that closed the door.

Naturally, there were no seats in the practice hall that consisted of a small stage and nothing else. Behind that was a full panel of windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, allowing maximum light (during the day) to enter the room. Also, it was far bigger than Io had thought it would be.

"Good evening sir," Io began. "I've read the—"

"Your hair's not white," the hawk noticed immediately with a frown. "I heard from Callaghan that it was at your arrival after the games."

The boy reached up to touch his head before realizing that it wasn't as though he could actually see it. "Oh, uh. That..."

"If there was an obvious physical manifestation of your change—more specifically, of you being the moon phoenix then it would make things easier, you see what I mean?" The deputy headmaster approached his student, his Avian, a red-tailed hawk, on his arm. He jerked his head in the direction of the stage. "Get up there."

Io stared at his homeroom teacher as though the latter had suggested for him to take off his clothes.

"Don't waste my time," Faustes snapped, and the gaze that his hawk fixed on Io was beginning to render him uncomfortable, so he did as he was told. Now that he was on an elevated platform, something else was pointed out to him. "This is where you will be standing during your night of evaluation. The council will be seated at the high table with V, and only half of the school staff will be present. Since it is dinner time, the rest of the school will be there as well—you see Tori, there is no room for mistakes."

Io nodded.

"They will read out some long-ass declaration. It's like a speech, only more boring and a further waste of my time," Faustes could feel himself age as soon as the thought of sitting through a council declaration came to his mind. "They will propose a deal for you as a dual Winged. Most likely it's going to be along the lines of you being able to prove to the council that you are the moon phoenix, or face expulsion or having committed an act of perjury, a crime which they can use against your sorry self to get rid of you. Simple as that."

Not really, not that simple to Io at all and in fact a whole lot of questions but that was alright. He was used to it—complicating matters that appeared simple was his specialty. Of course, merely hearing this was all quite frightening. "How do I...how do I prove that I'm...?"

All of a sudden, the night that was dark did not align itself with the incredibly bright interior of the hall. Io looked over his shoulder. Luna as outside the window.

It was so bright.

Value? Could value be seen? Was there any number at all to the value of a human being?

Luna laughed, and her being at the window made it seem as though it was daytime.

Stardust on windows.

"What are you looking at?" Faustes frowned; he appeared disappointed that Io wasn't listening. His short attention span, then.

No one could see it—no one could see how bright it was; how the moon was right there beside him.

But perhaps that was precisely it.

No one could see his light;

It was within.