Flight School: Predator

Human Value

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...