Slayne had heard the barn owl's screech in the dead of the night.

It pierced the air, reaching the ears of Nocturnes that were miles away—and Slayne showed little hesitation to follow the call for help. Naturally, he did not mean to help Mauri; but perhaps establish the unofficial alliance that he deemed necessary at some point of time.

After all, they were the few who knew the identity of the Joker.

His appearance; his scent—

Everything was in their favor; and this advantage had to be utilized as soon as possible...that is, if Slayne wanted to help the Joker in the first place.

Which he did not.

He certainly did not want to involve himself in something messy at all and yet—

Yet the snowy owl found himself taking off in the direction of Mauri's call, his nightingale's smile surfacing for a brief moment to sooth the burn in his chest; then fading as if it was never there.

Slayne couldn't believe himself.

Attachment—

Concern—

Care—

They were things that made one weak as a fledgling.

But despite so, Slayne couldn't believe himself.

For it had been a mere night; just one—one night.

And he was already beginning to miss his voice terribly.

___________________________

Luka, Victoria's voice was faint at such a distance, someone's coming.

The predator tensed on instinct, instructing his Avian to continue her watch from the river and that he'd be there soon.

He stole a glance at the sparrow, indifferent eyes igniting with a spark of amusement at the sight of him still trying to master the trick of popping a berry into his mouth.

Luka noticed that the trajectory of his toss was too far off—resulting in berries often flying past his head or hitting his forehead with a dull sound.

He didn't say anything.

The eagle snapped his fingers before Io's eyes to gain his attention, but in a way that produced no sound. Raising his gaze from the pouch of berries, the latter returned his stare with curious eyes.

Luka signed; pointing first at the sparrow.

You.

He held up a hand as if to say 'stop'.

Stay.

His index pointed to the ground beneath.

Here.

The Mark nodded once, and—as if his attention span lasted for those mere few seconds—resumed his newfound interest of learning this peculiar way of eating.

One could say that Luka was...thoroughly amused.

___________________________

The eagle emerged from the shadows quietly, as if morphing from darkness itself. He stepped out into the moonlight; watchful eyes searching upstream for the oncoming presence that his Avian had warned him of—silent with caution.

It wasn't upstream, however, that required his watch; but a little along the rocky area downstream that Luka found his target. A solitary back that turned his face away from the moon as if in a disheartened state.

Neither spoke, but the eagle made a move to approach the other.

He wasn't surprised, and nor was he disturbed by the one-eighty turn of the Nocturne's head.

Luka's eyes remained unfazed by the uncanny sound of cracking bones—before he met the glowing eyes of the stranger whose body remained still.

Neither spoke.

A snowy owl swooped down, landing on a low branch with an acknowledging hoot. This allowed Luka to identify the other male, but it helped little in lowering his guard against him.

After all, he had begun to recall the sight of a snowy owl back in the Predator's Dormitories. And he, too—had gathered in the room of twelve high-ranked predators.

Neither spoke.

And neither seemed to be eager to.

So they decided to leave the talking to their Avians—until they deemed necessary to allow the other into their Predator's Link.

Is something the matter? Victoria asked, straightforward as usual but with a stirring charm that garnered little dislike.

The snowy owl seemed almost reluctant to answer; her tone nipped with impatience. Not really. We heard a call for aid from a fellow Nocturne, but it appears that he is nowhere to be found.

Ah, the screech? Victoria replied in a quipped manner. Indeed, there was one. But we had no idea it was a call for help.

The man with his back facing Luka had turned around with narrowed eyes, and his Avian adjusted her position—feathers ruffled. How long have you been here?

Not too long, Victoria replied vaguely. Long enough, however, to see a small one running into the forest beyond the river.

That seemed to catch Slayne's attention.

He let his mind open for the other—an invitation.

Luka didn't take it.

My Winged is tired. I hope you understand, Victoria spoke for Luka.

Slayne clicked his tongue impatiently, knowing that it was a mere excuse. The first-timer disrespecting his senior, huh?

I'm afraid not, the moon highlighted a shade of gold in the eagle's eyes as it twinkled in amusement, just too polite to speak informally.

How did he look like? Slayne asked next, waving away the careless tone that Victoria was quick to craft.

Rather slim in build—brown hair. The rest was a blur. Victoria spun a believable tale that was not entirely a lie. Mauri was petite, and not tall in the slightest. His hair was a shade of hazel, resembling Io's. Looked as if he was in quite a hurry, she added for extra measure.

The snowy owl bought the story without hesitation; and this only served as an indication to Luka how desperate he was.

He could only make a wild guess at the former's intentions—whether he had truly come to help the barn owl or spin a tale from a call that he did not understand.

After all, Luka was no owl. He knew not the code behind each call.

Let us pray you are right, Slayne had replied instantly, his Avian taking off into the dark skies. And that the strange scent on you is merely a figment of my imagination.

The eagle's eyes narrowed.

Fuck, he cursed mentally; relieved that the other could not hear his thoughts. Luka did not stop to think that there was a slight possibility of him carrying the sparrow's scent. An obvious slip and yet he had the nerve to miss it out—

I've never come across such a weird scent before, he continued. Then, he disappeared. As if the wind had carried him away and left a white feather in his stead.

The eagle was left quite alone, gaze fixed on the spot that Slayne had stood just moments before.

He was still.

For there the slight possibility that he was being watched from afar remained ever present.

.

But when there was nothing to be heard except the gentle lapping of flowing water and nothing to be seen but the veil of pale moonlight against the odds of the land—Luka left the river behind and made his way quietly back to the shadows underneath the rock.

To his relief; the cave was as silent as he'd left it to be, drawing no attention at all.

But to his curious amusement; he found a determined sparrow—still, without a hint of doubt on his face—trying to toss a raspberry into his mouth. He failed once, pouted a little, only to resume his effort once more.

Luka didn't know how long he stood there watching his useless effort.

For all he knew, it could have been an eternity of stupidity.

But as he knew—

Bravery often came with foolishness.

And perhaps it was such brave foolishness;

That made Io such a curious sparrow.

Not fearless;

But daring—

To question.

____________________________

[Io]

Oh for the sake of the skies, stop! Lyra groaned in his head, exasperated by his effort. Now's not the time, Io.

I rubbed the top of her head as she hopped onto my knee, feeding her a blueberry as she did so. Why? It's so cool. That eagle did it really well so I'm a little jealous.

No, dear. You're hopeless.

I poked her fluff of feathers with a pout.

Speaking of him, he's taking pretty long. I wonder what he is up to. Why wouldn't he let me go?

I wanted to go too.

Lyra said something about my killing curiosity, but I wasn't really listening. The berries were really good.

Just then, the eagle's Avian landed silently by the entrance of the small cave—folding her wings as she spoke to me in my mind.

She had told me before that her name was Victoria.

Sparrow? Let us go; it is unsafe here. Mauri's call will attract other Nocturnes to scout the area so we should move while we can, Victoria spoke urgently, her voice calming but confident. It felt like it belonged to someone dependable.

Someone to be relied on.

I nodded, hurrying to my feet before grabbing our bags.

The eagle was waiting outside, arms crossed as if deep in thought.

My eyes glanced to his back pocket—the one that contained my charm.

I looked away quickly, before he could catch my gaze.

Our fingers brushed slightly when I handed him his bag—but he didn't seem to care. I cared a lot though, because it was the first time I touched a predator.

Well, aside of the times when I was attacked by one...which was basically every other time—but the curious thing was; it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

It did not hurt.

There wasn't a fire; nor was there an abyss of darkness that loomed ahead, just—nothing.

I felt nothing.

It was a little cold; the tips of his fingers were.

But aside from that, it felt as if I was touching a fellow human. Nothing else.

Lyra reminded me not to lower my guard. It was a mere fleeting moment, after all.

I knew that.

Yes, but knowing you, you'd probably wonder whether the second time would feel the same way! Or the third, or the fourth, and before you know it you—

I grumbled silently. She was right.

There was laughter in my head; but it wasn't the tinkling sound of bells that resembled Lyra's. It was quiet laughter—an amused sound that could have easily been mistaken as mocking.

You are a funny child, Victoria commented lightly.

As we tailed the eagle and Victoria, walking quietly among the shadows of the trees along the river; I asked if she would like a berry.

She laughed, yet again.

I do not eat berries, sparrow.

I blinked, then flushed in embarrassment—heat dusting my ears fiercely. I had forgotten she was a carnivore.

The eagle didn't seem to be paying much attention to our conversation. He walked ahead—solitary back seeming quite lonely indeed.

I recalled how Pipa said that no one really liked being lonely. Sometimes they did, but most of the times they did not.

Increasing my pace slightly, I caught up with him—raising my gaze and holding out the drawstring pouch filled with berries to catch his attention.

Mr. Eagle? You should try some, too. It's weird if I them ate all, I thought hard, hoping he could hear me just like he did before.

I also wondered how he did that.

Was it me? Or him? Or both of us...?

It did, however, seem like a question that was hard to answer. Thus I kept it locked in another cage, hoping that someday it would be opened once again.

The eagle glanced down briefly—meeting my gaze for a second.

His eyes really did seem like liquid gold; a molten color that darkened to a fierce amber as it neared his pupils. I swore I heard the crackling of a fire, as if those eyes were embers of a fireplace itself—whispering into the night.

I held the pouch higher; right before his chin as we moved quickly towards the unknown.

The eagle seemed to have sighed internally, giving in to my awkward insistence before reaching into the now half-full pouch and retrieving two berries.

I smiled happily, but he didn't see.

He can hear me!

I wonder why I can't hear him anymore.

Makes me nervous—I don't know what he's thinking.

Victoria seemed uncomfortable flying amongst the trees—her wingspan far too wide for the dense forest—and perhaps she was tired, since eagles weren't active at night; or desired little attention (which flying above the trees would give), but she decided to rest on her Winged's gloved hand.

The glove was a strange thing.

He wore it on his right hand, and it didn't look like any ordinary glove he saw back in the village. It looked like it was made out of leather, and the part that covered the wrist looped into a large opening.

I asked Victoria what it was. She didn't seem to mind my questions.

It's a falconry gauntlet. So that I can rest on my Winged's arm without accidentally drawing blood.

Lyra seemed particularly interested as she perched on my shoulder, and made a quipped comment that she, too, hard sharp talons that could potentially hurt me.

I laughed quietly.

The eagle turned around with a sharp glare as a warning.

I looked at my shoes sheepishly.

The journey was silent and efficient; as expected of a golden eagle. Each step seemed to be leading us to a particular destination—although I was too chicken to ask what it was after that mean glare he shot at me.

For some reason, despite the absence of a watch, I could tell that it was past midnight. My eyes seemed to have adjusted to the darkness but with the moon's aid, everything seemed a little easier.

It felt assuring to have company—a reliable one at that, and I no longer felt the fear of the unknown; perhaps believing that I could brave it as long as I wasn't alone.

But there came a point where the eagle stopped abruptly, as if there was an invisible wall preventing him from moving forward.

We had to have walked for at least an hour, and the soft lapping of water from the river could no longer be heard.

I wasn't quite sure which direction we had been walking in, but for some reason I was so sure—

That we weren't lost.

I stopped beside the tall figure, sharing the view that had stopped him in his tracks.

Mr. Eagle?

He was frowning; as if making an important decision. I asked Victoria what it was.

It appears that there is a fog settling ahead. It would be difficult to go in the same direction, and so my Winged is thinking of turning southwards instead.

I nodded in understanding, raising my gaze to the gaps between the canopies of trees above.

Moonlight filtered through in a gentle shower, offering its guidance and hope—and though I had left the eagle to make the decision on his own, I suddenly felt inclined to give my own opinion.

I think we should continue in the same direction, it was a silly opinion—one that seemed absolutely nonsensical and perfect coming from a clueless sparrow like me. I think.

Mr. Eagle lowered his gaze to look at me with an indifferent expression. He didn't seem disturbed; amused; angry; or mocking despite my selfish and stupid opinion. He merely looked on.

Then I heard his voice; giving away slight emotion.

Why?

He asked, sounding quite surprised.

I thought for a moment, searching for an answer to his question.

And just like the thousands of times before—the heart remained silent with the absence of a reply.

I'm not sure Mr. Eagle, I scratched the back of my head in a sheepish manner. I just have a feeling that it's going to be okay.

Trying for a smile then realizing that it was only going to make me sound sillier, I looked at my shoes.

Victoria laughed—her sounds of mirth filling my mind while Lyra merely sighed before mourning over how hopeless I was.

It took a moment for me to realize that it wasn't as silent as it was before, for the crunching of dead leaves were heard and the snapping of branches under someone's weight was clear at a short distance.

The eagle was no longer beside me; he was ahead.

He turned behind, beckoning me with a finger.

And for some reason;

I followed.

___________________________

The fog wasn't heavy, but it was enough to cripple our vision.

I recalled that the ones back in my village were much denser, so to a certain extent I was used to such bad weather.

We were moving at slower speeds and it didn't occur to me that we would meet anyone in this blur of white—simply because everyone would avoid it, but the eagle thought different.

Victoria reminded me (and Lyra) that just as others would have a hard time spotting us, we would experience equal difficulties. Mr. Eagle had shrugged off his blazer at some point of time and held it out to me.

I was puzzled, since I already had a blazer on.

You have a strange scent, sparrow, Victoria explained. It is strong, and my Winged does not want to attract any unnecessary attention from wandering predators. Please wear it to cover your scent.

Oh, I thought, taking the blazer with an awkward bow of my head. Thank you.

I was quite sure that I smelled like an ordinary...sparrow, I let slip a sarcastic remark in my mind—then slapped myself internally.

What did ordinary sparrows smell like anyway? I brought my wrist to my nose. Well, I smell...human, I guess.

Thankfully, the fog had started to ease as we traversed the forest, and just when I thought things were turning up for us—

The ground stopped.

There was nothing beyond; just a sharp drop downwards.

I hadn't looked down yet—simply turned to Mr. Eagle with an apologetic expression, ready to repent for my useless opinion that only led to more trouble and a dead end.

But then I saw the hint of a smirk upon his lips, and I paused in confusion.

Um...Mr. Eagle...?

He turned to me and spoke directly in my mind.

Didn't think a sparrow like you had such luck.

I nodded sadly, thinking he was referring to my horrible luck. I know, it's been like this since forever—

We're going down.

W-Wha? I almost cried out loud.

Um, what? Mr. Eagle...um, are you okay?

The eagle frowned, not understanding.

There was a pause in time until I realized that the silence was filled with the faint sound of flowing water.

I dared a quick glance below the ledge.

It's a creek!

Oh, it's the kind with tiny waterfalls! Did you know? That you can find gold in creeks?

But there was something else that caught my attention—a camouflage tent hiding in the shadows of a tree.

...there's a resting point!

Backing away, I turned to face the eagle and Victoria with an excited grin.

Mr. Eagle was walking along the sides of the edge, inspecting it with the intention of finding a way down. Victoria had gone ahead to check the tent I had spotted (or everyone else did, apparently).

She announced soon after that it was empty, which Mr. Eagle nodded in acknowledgement—

A strange wind picked up, wrapping itself around the tall figure and then, as if carrying him along with it—disappeared.

There was a brown feather left in his stead, and the silhouette of a man shifted into one of a bird.

An eagle.

There was a familiar stirring—nostalgic. As if I had seen this before.

The eagle dived, landing beside the creek before it morphed back into human within a flurry of dark feathers. He craned his neck to look at me with an indifferent expression; as if waiting.

I panicked.

W-Wait. You left me here? I can't...go down—

You don't know how to shift? He asked, yet another hint of amusement in his voice.

I pouted, grumbling internally. Of course not. I just learnt about all this a month ago!

He shrugged.

My mouth hung open in disbelief. He's just going to leave me like that?

Lyra was beginning to voice her protests, saying that we shouldn't have trusted him in the first place and that since he'd taken my charm he didn't actually need me anymore—

Sparrow, Victoria voiced as though she was trying to contain her amusement. Someone built a set of makeshift stairs using rock. It's on the far right.

...

Tell me that sooner! I said quietly to myself, but apparently Victoria had heard it because she laughed.

____________________________

I was pleased to find a kerosene lamp inside this resting point. It was a fortunate plus—apart from the sleeping bag; clean clothes; matchbox; and energy bars instead of biscuits.

Placing my bag in a corner, I tottered over to light the lamp.

Mr. Eagle didn't stop me—so I assumed that it was alright to do so. He glanced through the contents of the tent with little emotion while I snuggled close to the fire, relishing at its warmth.

My eyelids began to feel heavy; weighed with exhaustion from the long day, but it appears that it was not time to rest just yet—for Victoria's order came from the back of my mind.

Sparrow, take your clothes off.

Oh, I had forgotten about the eagle's blazer.

Sitting up and shrugging it off carefully, I apologized for the blunder with a stifled yawn. I was about to lie down again; curl up, and fall asleep when—

All of them.

My eyes flew open and I bolted upright—wide awake. Um, wha? W-Why?

Your scent is too strong—it'll attract unnecessary attention. Wash it off by the creek, Mr. Eagle explained stiffly, revealing as little emotion as possible before he threw something in my direction.

I caught it on the whim before it landed in my face, noting that it was the shirt from the one set of clean clothes. It was the exact same size as the one back at the previous resting point; so I naturally assumed that there was a standard size...but still.

I glanced down at my skinny arms and twig-legs, as mother had called them. Hmm...maybe I did look like a sparrow after all.

Before I had noticed, the eagle had left the tent with Victoria, a pair of camouflage pants over his right shoulder that were definitely not my size.

He turned back briefly with a raised brow, as if urging me to hurry up.

I sighed internally, transferring Lyra to my shoulder before straightening up—leaving the warmth and light of the lamp behind.

Albeit reluctantly.

.

I spotted a flash of silver near one of the tiny waterfalls of the creek.

It was a fish, and curious; I stepped closer—

An arm held me back, and I turned around in disappointment only to see the eagle shaking his head, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

I pouted, backing away from the creek.

Mr. Eagle began to take his clothes off.

I asked whether his scent was strong, too.

No, sparrow. He is washing your scent off his clothes. Someone informed us about it.

Who? I pried, curious.

A little bird, Victoria quipped lightly. And if birds could smile, I was sure she did.

I turned away; looking down at my stained clothing that had a couple of tears and blotches of dried-up soil and mud from being pushed down one too many times. Not to mention that it was drenched with sweat from running the entire day.

The simple thought of it sent my limbs crumbling slightly—tired and sore; numb with exhaustion.

What are you waiting for, sparrow? Victoria asked.

I moved further away from Mr. Eagle, wondering whether he had finished undressing and was washing his clothes. My intention was to wait till he was done with his then undress and do my own.

Oh, nothing. Just...thinking.

I can hear everything you think, sparrow, she cleared her throat with a stifled laugh.

Don't be embarrassed; he has whatever you have. Just—bigger.

I positively paled at that.

That's all. I suggest you hurry up, Victoria finished with a ruffled flap of her wings.

Lyra said she pitied me.

.

Undressing in the speed of light (as fast as I deemed possible—ever, in my whole entire life), I pulled on the clean shirt and began to wash my hands and face before finally moving on to my soiled clothing.

I dipped, scrubbed, and wrung it in water several times; trying to wash out any hint of my scent that attracted danger. If Winged and Avians could communicate just like how Mr. Eagle and I did, news would have spread that I was the Joker. The charm—though not within my possession at this point of time—would be an obvious find and it would be difficult for me to get it back once it travelled from player to player.

So many possibilities.

I wrung my blazer dry, the last of my clothing; watching as a baby trout swam by.

Is Mr. Eagle not hungry? I wondered, daring myself to steal a glance at the figure beside me.

He had slipped on the pair of clean trousers provided at the resting point and was in the process of hanging the clothes that he washed over a low branch of a tree.

But if we were to catch fish, we might also risk catching a cold along with it, I smiled to myself—silently proud of my own pun.

Also, if we were to catch fish, that means we have to cook it. And starting a fire would attract attention because of the smoke and light.

I'm not hungry—but I wonder if Mr. Eagle is...

I'm fine, he answered in a firm voice.

Oh God did he hear my pun? Was all I worried about, really.

But he didn't reply—merely signaled me to hurry up. I mimicked his movement, reaching up on tipped toes to toss my clothes over the same branch and hoping that they would catch nicely on it.

I tottered after Mr. Eagle, following him back into the resting point where I promptly collapsed with a contented sigh. Groping around for an energy bar with my eyes closed, I accidentally hit Lyra in the face—where she squeaked indignantly.

Ugh! Manners, dear. I was sure I had groaned; but no sound came out. I was too tired.

I heard the crinkle of plastic wrapping before something was stuffed between my lips.

Forcing my eyes to open at least half-way, I registered an energy bar in my mouth.

It tasted like cranberries and milk.

Somewhere—in the back of my head—I thanked him.

I rolled over next; and felt something soft and smooth underneath, which was probably the opened sleeping bag.

Unconsciously, I wriggled under the cozy polyester—far too tired for the inflatable pillow.

The sleeping bag was quite large for one person, so I moved over and squeezed all the way to the side. Just in case someone else wanted to pop in.

I couldn't be selfish.

I wasn't the only one who was tired.

Mm...

Wonder what we're going to tomorrow.

Wonder if I'm even going to be alive.

I'll thank the skies that I lived today.

I'm glad.

___________________________

[X]

It was before dawn when Luka woke the sparrow up.

He had leaned close to check the other's scent—and it was only after confirming that it belonged to the eagle that he felt they were safe to move on northwards; and thus prodded him till he was awake.

Io rose in a drowsy manner, rubbing an eye. He noticed from the gap in the entrance that the sun had yet to rise. He protested.

Luka made no effort to respond—leaving it to Victoria; who told the sparrow that it would be dawn soon and thus was the best time for them to set out. Her Winged parted the flaps to go outside, intending to retrieve their dried clothes.

When the eagle returned, he was surprised to see the sparrow marveling at Victoria's wingspan. She had, in the heat of the moment or spur of pride, spread her wings as wide as the tent allowed her to—revealing a set of splendid feathers.

Luka raised a brow, asking privately whether she was in a good mood.

Victoria laughed.

Perhaps so.

He did not know what to make of that. The sparrow, however, found himself busy examining every feather and shine of Victoria's talons wile Lyra jumped at the sight of them.

The plastic wrapping of a finished energy bar lay neatly by the side while three uneaten ones were stacked beside it.

That's yours, Mr. Eagle.

He heard the sparrow think, and he turned to see a shamelessly glowing smile on the other's face.

Luka tossed the clothes in his direction, turning to change into his own.

Mr. Eagle? Should we exchange names?

The sparrow's voice wasn't something special. It sounded just like how a sparrow would sound—soft, a little cheerful. A voice that talkative people would usually have.

Victoria agreed lightly.

The eagle looked outside, noting that first light had begun to wash away the ends of the night—a cloak of darkness fading into a dreamy cornfield yellow.

Luka. Luka—Sullivan.

He had thought clearly; and quite quickly—for he did not like his name.

It was a strange moment for the predator. He thought he felt the pleased smile of the other, but how could he?

Smiles could not be felt.

Yet, the eagle had his back facing the sparrow.

There was no smile that could be seen.

Luka?

That's a nice name!

The prey's voice had changed.

I'm—

The air was silent. Luka was dressed, and his mind was blank. Free from thoughts.

He frowned, turning and lowering his gaze to meet the sparrow's.

The sparrow was smiling.

But for some reason, Luka could not hear him.

The air was silent—

And the predator could no longer hear the prey.

__________________________________

A/N:

Hwello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^ It's really long haha so I hope it wasn't tiring :'D Also, I won't be updating next week because I've got to catch up on Beyond Love in which I have not updated in 2 weeks ._. uwa...

But if you can wait for 2 weeks, I'll promise a good chapter :D hehe thank you so much for reading as usual *bows* and I really appreciate the effort that you guys put in to comment and wonder and infer. I think that's what this story's purpose is, either way. To be thought-provoking ^^

Thank you again!

-Cuppiecake.

Creek up ahead.

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