The snowy owl; his nightingale; and the sparrow spoke little.

The three had met several other Nocturnes on the way to the main building—nothing of danger as it seems; they were simply wandering around the campus. Similar to how others would have done in the day.

But to Io's surprise, the Nocturnes didn't make a chance at them at all.

None of them dared to steal a glance at the nightingale. The sparrow, occasionally, yes, but as soon as Jiro tugged his friend closer and the predator threw a blank gaze their way;

They would look away.

It was then when the sparrow realized that he actually felt relieved, for once, that they had a strong predator around. He made a mental note to thank his roommate later, knowing that his company made things much easier.

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the lobby of the main building; and the first thing that Io noticed was the still, quiet air that reminded him of an untouched blanket of snow.

The urge to make the first footprints would come, and like every other feeling, would pass.

And for Io, he found it so strangely silent that he would have liked to speak—just to hear the echo of his voice.

As if he was a human in a cave, or a mountain perhaps; who would have done so.

Yet, to the boy, there was a hint of pity that existed in that very urge to disrupt the quiet air. As much as he did not want to ruin the calming sight of untouched snow, Io did not want to disrupt such a peaceful silence either.

Again, none of them spoke—simply stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, waiting to Professor Callaghan to arrive.

"Cold?" A voice disrupted the quiet air to ask, and Io turned to see the predator shrugging his blazer off, soft gaze on his prey.

Jiro shook his head quickly, eyes urgent as he placed a hand on top of Slayne's to stop him from taking off his blazer.

He shook his head once more.

"Take it pet, I'm not taking a no for an answer," Io heard the Nocturne say. He felt a little out of place, wondering if this was a natural predator-prey relationship at all. "Besides, Nocturnes are used to the night breeze."

And of course, the nightingale was in no place to disagree.

There was a soft rustling, before Jiro donned twice the original protection against the cold—one, his own jacket, and now, his predator's blazer.

It was sort of silly, really. And Io wondered if the Nocturne could tell that his prey was very embarrassed. If he did, then perhaps he didn't mind at all. Or perhaps he liked it that way.

"That professor is taking long," Slayne noted in an unimpressed manner, turning to Io with a raised brow. "You sure he said nine?"

Io didn't need to look at the time to tell that it was past nine. He knew very well that Callaghan was late, and he couldn't help but wonder why. He also couldn't help but panic—for the snowy owl didn't look like a patient person.

"Yes, nine. It's at the astronomy tower—" The sparrow began quietly.

"If it's the astronomy tower, he should have gone through here. We were early, so unless he was even earlier we'd definitely have seen him pass," The Nocturne explained, his Avian circling above in attempt to spot any oncoming presence.

Then the owl stopped.

White wings gliding soundlessly as it landed on the railings of the stairs, it hooted once.

"Mm? Looks like he's here with someone else."

Io blinked, and Jiro eyes darted around nervously.

It didn't take long for Callaghan and that 'someone else' to appear. They came in through the west entrance of the main lobby, conversing in hushed tones.

Well, Callaghan was, to be specific. His companion didn't bother with the volume of his voice at all.

Io found the voice strangely familiar—and he realized why as soon as the pair entered his vision.

"Sir," Slayne was at attention almost instantly, turning to the Deputy Headmaster beside Callaghan. "Good evening."

"Don't think I don't know you've got philosophy now, Caster," Faustes sighed, too tired to glare at his student. "Despite how I act, I've got a good memory. Now get your ass back to class."

Callaghan was trying hard to keep a straight face. He wasn't smiling awkwardly—which was strange to Io because he had assumed that was the professor's default expression.

In front of Marks, that is.

"Um, language? Quint?" Callaghan laughed hesitantly. And there it was—his awkward smile.

The Deputy Headmaster waved his warning aside. It wasn't exactly a warning in a first place, per se. Merely a question, perhaps.

"Kids these days don't get it unless you put it out there, Wint. This is why you can't keep your students in order," The red-tailed hawk said bluntly. "Besides, students who skip classes don't deserve nice treatment—"

Wint Callaghan pursed his lips, determined to make a point. "The last time I checked you skipped meetings too! A-And, well, you weren't exactly the student with perfect attendance either—"

"You, kid with black hair. What are you doing here past curfew?" Faustes conveniently changed the subject without a care as he approached the students.

Io noticed that Callaghan looked slightly dejected, and perhaps even annoyed—but he deduced it as part of his imagination.

After all, he was sure the only emotion preys could feel towards any predator was only one; and that was—

Fear.

Jiro glanced anxiously at his predator before bowing low in apology. Despite the many layers of clothing, the Japanese boy was trembling slightly.

The sparrow was about to speak up—wanting to admit that it was his fault when someone else spoke.

"He's mine, Sir," Slayne stepped in front of the nightingale, between the Deputy Headmaster and his prey.

There was a firm look in his eyes—a hardness that no one would think was a student looking at his teacher.

Faustes laughed shortly.

"Then be responsible. What—are you going to bring him to class now that I caught you skipping?"

"I didn't think that you'd come with Callaghan, Sir."

"Then think about it next time, Cole. And it's Professor Callaghan," The hawk reminded. "Don't forget your manners even if he's a Mark, kid."

Slayne forced a nod which lacked sincerity.

"Take him back to the dorms. I won't be letting you off the next time, you hear?"

"Yes Sir."

The snowy owl turned to Io for a moment—a dead glare.

The latter gulped.

"Actually, Professor Faustes, I was the one who—"

"Don't have time for that, kid. Wint told me he's running you to the Astrology tower, better hurry before more Nocturnes wake." Faustes interrupted with a quick warning.

He glanced sideways at Callaghan.

"Just because you're a professor doesn't mean you're out of danger either."

"I'm aware of that, Quint. Thank you," The widowbird said rather stiffly. "We'll be taking our leave."

"Tsk, what?" His companion voiced unbelievingly. "You're annoyed already? I swear, your temper's getting worse every time."

Callaghan gestured for the disheartened sparrow to follow him, back facing the Deputy Headmaster. "Come, Tori. Let's hurry."

"You're ignoring me now? Wow, I'm hurt."

The professor and his student began to ascend the grand staircase.

"Seriously?" Faustes called after his friend once more.

It was only then when Callaghan turned around with a serene smile—one that matched the grace of his Avian quite well indeed. "Seriously."

____________________________

"Sir, is it rude to ask someone who their predator is?" Io asked as soon as they were out of earshot, turning a corner after arriving at the third floor. "Will they get mad?"

"No, Mr. Tori. They will not," Callaghan smiled at that question, eyes reflecting the dark night outside as they walked along a corridor with windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. "Are you perhaps asking who my predator is?"

The sparrow smiled hesitantly, stumbling over his words in attempt to hide his intentions.

"No of course not! It's not my—I mean, it's none of my business, really," That, he knew very well. It had nothing to do with Io at all.

He was just...curious.

The professor laughed shortly. "Really? Is that so."

"Yes. Um, Sir," Io added quickly after. "Really. Instead, I was wondering whether predators and preys could be friends. Or..."

That wasn't his question, per se.

But Io felt as if it would lead to that soon after.

As the pair approached the end of the corridor, they met someone else who was going in the opposite direction.

And since all Nocturnes were predators, Io knew that this was going to be awkward.

They had to pass the predator without attracting attention in the least.

It was a girl—she had hazel hair that fell in curls, framing her small face. Her Avian hovered not too far ahead but Io couldn't seem make out what it was. The girl's head was bowed, eyes glued to a particular page of a novel she was so invested in that she had yet to notice the professor and his student approaching.

Perhaps she did.

But even if she did, the predator did not bother to acknowledge them.

They were almost passing each other with less than ten meters apart when Callaghan dropped his head into a bow—greeting the student.

A confused Io followed suit, reminding himself that it would be better to copy the professor's movements than simply ignoring them.

The girl didn't speak.

She merely glanced up from her book—breaking her engrossed mind for a second or two—before going back to it.

Io did not know what to make of that response.

Did she acknowledge their greeting?

Or did she just ignore them?

It was hard to tell.

The sparrow did not particularly want to look at her face.

It was only after passing the girl that Callaghan straightened his back, resuming his position from before.

"I think you have your answer there, Io."

He said after a while, glancing down at his student with a sad smile. "There is a distinction between who we are, and what we want to be. And I think most of us prey realize that sometimes, it is impossible to become friends with those who are above you."

Above?

"In many ways, they fly higher than us prey. They soar in higher skies with no limits, and we—" Callaghan paused. "We see that the sky is the limit."

"But how about Professor Faustes? The Deputy Headmaster. I thought you both were..." Friends, Io wanted to say.

There was no reason for him to prod into such personal matters.

The boy simply wanted to prove to at least one person that sometimes;

Even the sky could fall.

The sparrow wanted to break out of this cage.

Callaghan was silent, his Avian perched on his shoulder with a similar disposition as they passed a corridor of paintings. At the end was a winding stairs going upwards—which Io knew would lead to the Astronomy tower.

"Quint Faustes was my predator," The young teacher said quietly, eyes downcast. "Until someone else stole me away from him."

Io didn't think that predators could (or would, for the matter, due to their impossible pride) steal a prey that already belonged to someone else.

It was an ugly trick.

Of course, the sparrow wanted to ask his professor about his current predator, but was quick to catch his tongue after noticing the expression on Callaghan's face.

The sad smile had surfaced yet again—much like the forgotten tune of a bird's song.

"May I ask what the general plans are for tonight? Will it merely be an introduction?" Io prompted quickly, making an attempt to lighten the mood with a topic that the professor would be happy to engage in. "And, um. I am nothing more than an amateur at Astrology..."

"That is not something you should worry about, Mr. Tori," Callaghan's eyes lit up at the mention of his club, pleased that the student seemed particularly interested. "I myself joined the club without any experience as a first year. I merely enjoyed the night sky."

"And as for the general plans for tonight, I believe—um, that I have many...uh, extraordinary events. Planned. Yes, indeed," The professor laughed awkwardly as the pair made their way up the winding stairs.

Io blinked. "For example, Sir?"

The professor cleared his throat. "Y-You will know soon enough, Mr. Tori."

_________________________

"This, as you know, is our club room. Ah yes, you've been here a couple of times."

"The instruments—yes. You've used this one, I'm sure. But we have several versions of telescopes. Oh, and sometimes we use binoculars for convenience if we were to make a quick excursion to the north grounds for an occasional stargazing session. Telescopes must be handled with the utmost care, you see. They are very fragile—"

The curious sparrow fiddled with several sets of binoculars that were displayed on the old wooden desk, wondering if he could borrow one of these.

His mind drifted to an unexpected image; making his way to the treehouse at night with a pair of binoculars in his book bag.

His heart fluttered its wings—beat loud and clear with every second of the experienced imagination.

"Professor," Io turned to Callaghan, the remains of a fantasy swirling in his eyes. "Do you think I can borrow one of these? Are we allowed to?"

He held up a particular pair of binoculars that he had taken a liking to with a hopeful smile.

"Of course," Callaghan's awkward smile turned radiant with enthusiasm. "As long as you are a member of the Astrology club, you are entitled access to all the equipment and instruments. Ah—but of course, you have to register your name and the model of binoculars under the records so that we can keep track of the possession of instruments."

The widowbird produced a torn and tattered book of records with excess tape poking over the edge after someone's eager effort to piece the cover back to its pages. Callaghan went through the inconsistent tags jutting out of the book to arrive at a page that looked like someone had spilled a brown beverage over it twice.

"Here."

Io leaned over to get a quick glimpse of the page; only to realize that it was almost blank except for a couple of names littered here and there.

He glanced at the date, blinking in confusion as he noted that it was registered almost five years ago.

"Um. Professor—are the members that reluctant to use the instruments in the club?" The sparrow asked with a hesitant laugh.

Callaghan smiled tentatively.

"Ah. Not really. Most of our members are required to have at least one stargazing instrument after joining the club, and are expected to return them before they graduate."

"The page is nearly blank though," Io pointed out in a straightforward manner. Then realizing that it was rude, added, "Sir."

Callaghan cleared his throat.

"That would be...due to the fact that—well, our club. Is not...um, what you would call 'a popular pick', in a sense," He said with a disheartened smile before adding something else in defence; almost like a child speaking up for his favourite TV series that no one ever knew, or liked.

"But! It could be due to the fact that the club meetings are rather late at night, and the large majority would choose to sleep after a long day of classes and homework. A-Also, I do admit that it is quite rare for anyone to take a sustained interest in Astrology. That was why I was rather hopeful that a passionate student like yourself would join us."

The professor had said this very quickly and very anxiously, almost as if worried that Io would opt for the safer option and choose not to join such a troublesome club activity.

Io wondered why.

"Is the Astrology club experiencing some...difficulties with recruitment?" He asked tentatively, smiling so as to reassure Callaghan that he didn't mean anything negative. It was something that he had learned from Pipa.

"Well...not exactly. I mean, yes. We are, as a matter of fact," Callaghan's shoulder dropped as he bit his lip in defeat. "We haven't had a new member for years. Marks are afraid of Nocturnes and most predators find this club activity quite a...bore."

"Is it correct for me to say, then, that the club...has no members? Sir," Io felt sorry for the professor, assuming by the look in his eyes that he had tried to keep his precious club alive despite it being empty for years.

However, Callaghan was quick to correct his student this time.

"Oh, rest assured we do have members! Well, including myself, that would be a grand total of two members," He pointed out happily, as if pleased to announce so. "If you, Mr. Tori, were to join us, the number of members would increase by fifty percent. Quite impressive, I must say."

Io found himself nodding awkwardly, deducing from Callaghan's reply that there was only one miserable member in the club at the moment.

He was curious, though.

Who that person might be—

And why they had chosen this club.

"Are they nice?"

"The current member?"

Io nodded.

"Unfortunately, I have only met him once. He doesn't turn up for club meetings...to my disappointment. Either way, it isn't such a bad thing; spending every meeting alone in the Astronomy tower," Callaghan turned to his student with a smile, and added, "But with an additional member, I was hoping that both of you would spend some time sharing an enthusiasm for Astrology and meeting new friends—"

Again; the professor was speaking very quickly as if in a hurry.

The sparrow's curiosity began to grow, and it ached to know and ask about the lone member of the club.

But the look in Callaghan's eyes told Io that he was focused on the task at hand—getting the student to join his club that was in a miserable state. By then, Io had already made a decision regarding this matter. It was strange how he had made up his mind so quickly for the first time.

Perhaps it was driven by curiosity;

Before he agreed to Callaghan's offer, however, Io was not one to leave without one or two perks in return for his recruitment.

"Do I get to be president of the club?" He piped up with a mischievous smile in his eyes, holding up a particular model of binoculars, "And can I borrow this? Now, I mean."

The professor stood stunned, eyes wide for a brief moment; before regaining his composure with a quick adjustment to his glasses. He made a nervous comment about the lone member being uninterested in any club position, and in this light elected Io as the president of the Astrology club—within mere seconds of his request.

And of course, the sparrow got his very first stargazing instrument.

Perfect for a night at the treehouse.

____________________________

Lyra had noticed that her Winged had been acting strangely ever since he made the wrong turn at the corridor; the boy's feet carrying him towards the west grounds instead of the prey's dormitories—which was exactly where Io was supposed to be.

With Callaghan's relieving dismissal and the loaned pair of binoculars in his book bag, the boy was—to his delight—ready to return to the place where his heart had stayed.

It didn't help the sparrow's curiosity that Callaghan had conveniently forgot to walk his student back to the dorms out of excitement. The former had rushed off to the staff office to register Io as a member of the Astrology club, leaving the latter with an awkward and tentative 'goodnight'.

This only served as a reason for Io to quench his burning curiosity; and retrieve his heart.

There was a catch—something that confused the sparrow as much as it stirred a brewing heat of thrill deep within his chest.

The fluttering bird in his cage seemed to be stolen;

But he didn't know what took it.

Was it really the treehouse that stole his heart?

That, he asked himself.

And as always, there was no answer.

Io beckoned Lyra to follow him into the woods beyond the west grounds, noting the hesitation in her wings as he turned around time and again.

"You're a sparrow, aren't you?"

His Avian sighed at the back of his mind, agreeing shortly before reminding Io to keep his voice down in the dark woods.

"You're not curious?" He continued, stepping over thick slithering roots that crawled above the soil.

Lyra was quick to correct him; claiming that curiosity was a natural state of mind—but, however—could be restrained and controlled.

The boy laughed softly;

For his heart had been stolen.

"The lights from the campus make it hard to see the stars," Io said, brushing aside Lyra's complaint that they had already been dimmed to match the sensitive eyes of Nocturnes. "The Astronomy tower is fine, but...it's not—"

Away, he wanted to say. But that was when Io himself didn't understand the word that surfaced in his mind. For what did he mean by away?

The boy patted the binoculars that was tucked away in a snug compartment of his book bag. "Besides, I can get a better view of the treehouse and the stars with this."

Lyra sighed.

She empathised with the boy's urge to associate with something that reminded him of home, which was to him, perhaps—the sky full of stars. The view that he had always seen at night.

Still, she felt that there were limits to curiosity; and so she made a remark about the inked darkness of the woods at night, claiming that she was close to blind.

"If you fly higher, there'll be light from the moon. And you can give me directions to the treehouse instead of the both of us relying on my poor memory to recall where it is," The boy laughed, relishing the cool mist that tickled the tips of his fingers.

He felt comfortable with it being just the two of them—a strange ease that belonged nowhere. Not to a sparrow, in the very least.

It was moments after Lyra had given in and had started to fly just slightly above the trees that Io could find what he had been searching for. Not once had he thought about how the treehouse looked like, and the difference between what his eyes saw and what he felt from deep within.

The darkness of the night made the structure barely visible. In fact, to Lyra, she could only see the silhouette of it.

But to Io, the sparrow that knew nothing about the limits of curiosity—it looked something like a lighthouse.

He stood at the bottom of the tree that supported the place that stored his heart; rummaging through his bag to produce the borrowed pair of binoculars.

Lyra asked, out of spite, whether he could see anything at all. She doubted that he could.

Io didn't reply; he merely peered through the lens, a fascination that was shown on his lips. He didn't even know how to use the many knobs and buttons on the sides of the instrument—but a little experimentation wouldn't hurt.

And suddenly; looking at the treehouse through those lenses just weren't enough.

Io wanted more—he wanted the view from the top.

What?

He caught himself. No, he didn't. He couldn't possibly want that; the boy was afraid of heights.

Then, just what was this flame within?

And if his heart was one that had wings, was it a moth?

For then why was it attracted to the fire that burned sweetly?

How curious his questions were, and how lost his answers appear—

And then there was movement.

His eyes retreated from the lens of the binoculars, staring at the spot where he swore he saw something move—almost like a pair of wings in the dark night, but;

"Lyra, did you see that?" Io put the binoculars to his eyes once again, but this time searching for the sign of movement he had spotted near the treehouse.

He wasn't looking at the sky no more.

The stars shone down, spark-like.

The moon was nowhere in sight.

His Avian halted, landing on his shoulder with wings as still as ice.

She said no—that she had not seen it.

Through the lens, it was hard to find that spot once again—his vision limited to two circles of the night before the rest was engulfed in nothing.

Before Lyra knew what her Winged was doing; he was putting the stargazing instrument away, producing a pen and stack of sticky notes whilst doing so.

She asked a question.

"Yesterday," He began, scribbling something onto the first note. "Yesterday, I had a dream. I forgot what it was but just now, that movement. It's like I've seen it before—and I think it was in a dream. Was it yesterday? I think it was."

Io turned to his sparrow with light in his eyes and a smile that spoke of child-like excitement.

"I dreamt that there was someone up there!"

Lyra wanted so much to beat some sense into this boy.

"I'm going to talk to them," Io announced in a heated whisper, scribbling faster. He couldn't exactly see what he was writing, but as long as he followed he strokes correctly, he assumed it should be legible. "They might still be up there."

If birds could gawk at humans, Lyra was definitely doing so at Io. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

She told him no.

"Send this up there? Please. Quick, before they go!"

Why? Lyra had asked, very reluctant as she held the slip of paper with her beak. She warned him that it was likely to be a predator—

"Because in the dream, I talked to him," Io breathed as if he was alive for the first time. Maybe that was why he couldn't forget about the treehouse.

He had dreamt about it; night after night—

Something was calling.

His Avian asked how he could simply believe in a dream; something absurd and created and—unreal.

Still, she took the note and took off towards the canopy of trees above.

Lyra heard Io's voice in the distance; which in fact, was spoken through their link. She heard his thoughts.

And she smiled at his response to her question.

Unfortunately for the hopeful boy, the person he thought he saw was no longer there. He did not find what he had been searching for; and it left him quite upset indeed.

After all, the dream;

It had been—

"It's all I have!"

—all he had in the nightmare of reality.

____________________________

Luka wasn't trespassing.

He had convinced himself a long time ago that he wasn't indeed. The word would have implied possession of territory in the first place; and Luka had observed that treehouse for more than a few months before finally claiming it as his own.

It appeared to be abandoned, after all—

Just like him.

The golden eagle quite liked the treehouse.

He was no Nocturne; but for some reason, the room he was given in the predator's dormitories gave far less satisfaction and peace as compared to the sanctuary that the woods in the west did.

The quiet night suited him well, and Victoria did not protest either.

She was his Avian, and on no occasion did she disagree with him.

Victoria knew she had a good eye for Winged.

And to her—Luka Sullivan was a perfect golden eagle.

Thus both were surprised by a strange and very curious trespasser; who had bothered to come back more than once.

Victoria caught the scent of prey as the two neared the place they called home. She mused that it was the same scent she had picked up a few nights before.

Luka was silent, calling upon the bond between Avian and Winged for a brief moment to morph into one—a golden eagle.

His flight was efficient; gliding above with the wind underneath his wings.

Landing quietly on the balcony of the treehouse, the predator was human once again after breaking the bond, carrying with him a gust of wind that swept throughout the structure.

Besides the sound of fluttering maps that were pinned against the wooden walls with tiny nails; there was nothing. 

Not a sound.

A lone feather danced in the air—caressing one of the many wooden planks that made up the floor of the humble treehouse.

"Nothing's changed," Luka said;

Perhaps a little too early, for a slip of square paper swept up along with the wind and almost made its escape out into the night—

Less than a second, the note was in sight,

But Luka's eyes were clearer than light.

He caught the note between his fingertips, a dismissing frown that soon turned into a smirk of amusement.

Was he really a sparrow?

Victoria laughed as the words on the note flowed into the predator's mind, allowing her to borrow his vision for a brief moment.

She commented that he had a good sense of humour—

[The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?]

—For there was no moon in sight.

__________________________

A/N: The games will start next week! ^0^/ So sorry for the delay but I had to write this chapter because I love build-up :> Knowing each other before they officially meet is one of my favorites :D 

Thank you for reading. Really.

-Cuppiecake