Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks... Only Roseate, Yuro, Jay-Jay, and HERON!! Woot!

Roseate chapter 7! (Finally, right?)

As dusk started to conclude, the group went inside to wait for Roseate. Piper had remained outside with Jay-Jay, the cool air a relief from the heat earlier today.

"How old are you Jay-Jay?" Piper asked, holding her now sprained arm close to her.

"I turned nine yesterday!" He piped, his navy eyes alight. "Yuro is gonna be eleven in a couple weeks, and Rose is fourteen."

"Me too... how long have you lived here, all your life?" The orange eyed girl was asking as many questions as she could from Jay-Jay.

"Totally. Where did you live?"

"Hmm...I believe it was called Terra Barsha. But I think other people changed its name." Piper squeaked in surprise as she felt something big brush against her leg. "Heron! Jeez... you pop out of nowhere!"

His brown eyes flicked from the stars above and wagged his tail, sitting next to Piper, who was on the wooden bench next to the door. She scratched the dog's ear as Jay-Jay began to hop on his sky board, flipping back and forth, doing a couple twists here and there. The boy let out another laugh and Piper smiled warmly, recalling how Aerrow was as carefree as the boy when Jay-Jay's age. She could remember it now. Releasing her hand from Heron, she leaned against the house and closed her eyes.

Aerrow's eyes glittered wildly and his grin was so big Piper was a little concerned at first.

"You have to see this, Piper!" The boy grabbed her arm and dragged her away from a book she was reading. Piper pushed down her blue sundress.

"Aerrow! I was almost done with that book, you know!" She called to him, but he paid her no heed. The path behind his house ran through a forest, and suddenly he turned between two trees, and twisted to her. Helping her through, he grinned the whole way, eager to share this with her.

"Where are we going?" Piper said as she tucked the book into her bag that was on her shoulder.

"You'll see!"

That was Aerrow, giving her life some surprise here and there, no matter where she was or what she was doing. And Piper loved it.

Aerrow finally halted and released her wrist in his hand. Tree branches were in front of him, and for a fleeting second, Piper thought she had come all this way for nothing, but suddenly she remembered: This is Aerrow we're talking about...

With a final silent grin that spoke a thousand words, the seven year old boy pushed aside the leaves and Piper gasped.

Her face broke into a smile that spread across her face.

"Wow!" She brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear absentmindedly.

The trees had parted to reveal a small field and then a cliff, opening up to show almost the entire Terra below. Piper felt energy fly through her veins, and her childish side was set free in a silent burst. Little Aerrow watched the seven year old girl fly by him, a blur of blue and black. She flung her arms out, spinning and running across the field at the same time, her laughter ringing like music. He quickly joined her, and grabbed both of her hands, and they spun together, whirling faster. Their carefree laughter filled each others ears. Finally, dizziness made them sway and fall apart, Piper's shoes slipping off as she fell into the grass.

Piper couldn't move; her lungs were on fire. Her book bag was beside her, the clouds lazily floating in the sky, covering the sun, streaks of heavenly light bombarding her orange eyes. A shuffling noise made her turn her head and she saw Aerrow, his white shirt displaying a dark grass stain near the bottom. He lay next to her and they decided to sit there, watching the clouds.

"Aerrow?"

"Yeah, Piper?" The red head turned his head as she turned hers, their hair mixing together, foreheads almost touching.

"HEY!"

A voice jerked Piper from her almost asleep state. Her eyes opened as if she was leaving a loved dream.

"How did you do that?!" Jay-Jay's voice called again. Piper could see a faint blue haze, but it soon disappeared and she convinced herself she was seeing things.

"Huh?" Piper cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Your necklace! It was glowing! Do you have a crystal inside you too?" He was smiling excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"N-no... do you? What are you talking about?!" For once in a long time, Piper was totally confused.

"I don't but-ROSE!" Jay-Jay turned to see his older sister flying into the small clearing, hair totally windswept. Coming closer then leaning her board against the wall, she rubbed her bare shoulders in the chill.

"Hey Jay-Jay. How are you, Piper?" Rose pulled her hair behind her, brushing through it with her hand as she spoke.

"Ok. What do you have in your hand?" Piper's orange eyes had rested on the fruit looking item in Roseate's hand. It was a light yellow, and about the size of a grapefruit.

"A luley fruit. Used in the healing substitute that was broken earlier. Where's everyone else?"

"Inside. The chill was too much for them, I guess. But I like it, much better than today's heat." answered Piper. Roseate nodded.

Jay-Jay had run inside, the door banging behind him. Heron circled around Roseate's feet, tail wagging wildly. Her blue eyes brightened and she squatted down to give some needed attention to her dog.

"After you." Piper held the door for Rose with her good arm, Heron basically on her heels. Piper closed the door was greeted by chatter, warmth, and friends. She smiled, and took a seat between Yuro and Aerrow on the couch under the window, whose curtains were parting in the breeze.

"Chilly out?" Aerrow had directly turned to her once she came in, and Yuro had suddenly left the couch to join his sister in the kitchen. Heron disappeared into the other room also. Piper nodded, and froze when he reached out his fingers to her face.

"Your cheeks are freezing." He commented; his fingers rested on her face, hand warm on her suddenly numb cheek. "They're pink too." And Piper didn't know if it was from the cold or not. "Maybe you shouldn't be outside too long."

Cheeks flustered, she turned a bit away from him.

"Don't worry so much about me, Aerrow. It's ok." She met his gaze again, filling her eyes with his green color that resided in his own eyes. Darn those eyes...

"Well, alright, if that's how you want it." Aerrow only shrugged, and turned back to his conversation with Jay-Jay.

Rose came out of the kitchen, the garage door slamming in the other room, presumably Yuro. Heron bounded into the open living room, circling around everyone, unsure of where to sit. Roseate placed a clay pot on the window sill, the pot disappearing behind the cream colored curtains.

"What's that?" Piper asked her friend.

"Oh," Rose looked down to Piper. "Well, me and my brothers are trying to grow luley fruits close to home so we don't have to ride out far to get them. I just took the seeds from the one I just brought in." Rose sat beside Piper. "Do you like the stars?"

"I guess..."

"I mean, like constellations."

"Of course! I have tons of charts in the Condor!" Piper exclaimed, finally understanding.

"Well, I've got something to tell ya. It only happens on the Terras in this area. Tonight is the one night that you can see all the constellations from one point in time! I saw them all on my patrol ride... that's why I took longer." Rose pulled something out from under the glass table in front of the couch. She opened a rolled up piece of paper, and a map of all the stars was what Piper's eyes met.

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe this! All the stars!?" Piper was bubbling with excitement. Roseate grinned and nodded her head with enthusiasm.

"You can sit on the roof tonight if ya want. I'll give you a blanket in case ya fall asleep up there." The blue eyed girl handed the map to Piper, who knew exactly what she was doing tonight.