Flight School: Prey

Friendly Foe

Dmitri thought the girl quite resembled his pleasing red-factor canary.

The shape of her nose; the small of her lips; even her chin.

The falcon was amused—very amused.

Perhaps this season wouldn't be so boring after all. He was beginning to feel Kipa's reluctance when listening to his orders. He had needed something...someone to spice things up.

He reached for her arm to tug her upright but Io cut in fearfully, shaking his head as a sort of timid objection. Dmitri frowned disapprovingly, glancing to Slayne with a raise of his brow.

The latter sighed, slipping the crumpled origami paper out of his back pocket and pointing to the words he had written just moments ago.

He will bring your friend to the exit safely.

There were many doubts in the sparrow's head and they seemed to tangle with the others from before but none seemed to point to the possibility of choice at all.

Helpless; he could only watch as his grip on Pipa's arm slackened, and Dmitri hoisted the girl over his shoulders effortlessly. Glancing at Lyra who had Pipa's Avian in a makeshift hammock, the predator beckoned with a finger—transferring the unmoving bird into his canvas bag.

Io was very worried that Sylvester might not even have sufficient oxygen in that stuffy bag or might even get his wing broken in such an uncomfortable position; but he knew not how to break it to the falcon.

Not that he could in the first place. They weren't allowed to speak.

Dmitri wasted nothing more than a second in taking Pipa's charm from her neck, transferring it to his own Avian instead—as if bestowing a gold medal upon a champion.

He did not bother about bidding the pair goodbye; nor did he do anything specific to thank Slayne for the free catch. He simply started in the opposite direction, in which he came from, but now with Pipa on his back and Sylvester in his bag.

And of course, a gold medal on his Avian's neck.

The Nocturne watched his fellow predator's back recede—the silent rule of space obeyed before his eyes. If predators were to meet, it was regarded as proper for them to leave in opposite directions as a sign of a truce. The reverse of this, however, would be a sign of hostility.

Slayne began writing his last note to the sparrow before they would set off in search for the finish.

He handed it to a glum sitting Io, who read it lifelessly.

It's regarded as the third and the final phase now, searching for the exit. We need to stay safe. Is your charm with the golden eagle?

Io nodded. He hoped so, at the very least.

The last thing he wanted was his charm to be in the hands of the vulture.

At that point of time, Io hadn't considered what the possession of his charm really meant. In all truth, he had only thought about the Joker's Mark as a sign of victory. Having spent some time with Luka, he had found it less consequential for the eagle to win. The vulture however—it was clear he had something to do with Pipa's state, but what?