Alek may have known a lot about mechanics, but Klopp surpassed him in that. And, as Alek was finding out, electrics as well.

The prince watched his friend and Nikola Tesla talk, able to recognize only about one in five words. Tesla spoke German fluently, which meant that he didn't need Alek to translate…

The engines didn't need work. So why was he stuck here, listening to the two men chat about lightning and cannons and how to spiral wire to make an electric gun and a bunch of chemicals and alloys he's never heard of before in his life?

He tried to get up to leave, but Klopp waved him back down. "Not now, young master," he told him, "You should listen to this. It's quite useful."

Alek opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Dylan swinging open the door with a loud bang. "Alek," he called, "the Barlow-boffins need us to take Phillip for a fly, and I can't control that bird by myself."

Not caring one bit (neither about leaving nor about the fact that there was something Dylan needed help with), he leaped up and out the door.

"Wait, who's Phillip?" he asked.

"Helen's bird," Dylan replied, leading him towards the back of the gondola, a big leather bag swinging by his side with every step. Alek realized he'd never been to this part of the ship before.

"She named it? I thought you weren't supposed to name the beasties."

"Helen doesn't care about the barking rules," Dylan said, amused.

"True. Didn't she throw herself off the ship when she arrived?"

"Aye."

As Alek followed Dylan further and further into unfamiliar territory, he finally asked, "Where are we going, anyway?"

"The rookery," Dylan told him, "Phillip has a compartment all to himself."

Eventually, the sounds of bird-song and shrieks of hawks reached the pair's ears. Dylan looked down the long hall.

Sturdy doors with cords on the outside of them lined the hall. A grate covered the small windows, but you could see inside without much difficulty.

"What happens if you pull these?" Alek asked, touching a rope.

Dylan snatched his hand away. "You release the birds, you ninny. Don't do that."

Alek nodded. Dylan jogged towards the end of the hall and started peeking in the windows. "Aha," he said after looking through a few windows, "Hello, Phillip."

A low hawk-noise floated through the window.

Alek looked inside. There, standing straight up but cramped-looking, was the biggest bird he had ever seen. That was the bird that the boffin had flown on… He hadn't had a chance to talk to Helen Barlow yet. Apparently, she was just chatting with her sister-in-law, playing catch-up.

Dylan rummaged in the bag, pulling out a couple of thin, lightweight saddles. It didn't look like a normal horse's. Reaching in again, he grabbed a set of slender reins. "Helen usually rides bareback, she said, and without reins, but she said that it'd be best if we used gear."

"Hm," Alek replied intelligently, "Why'd she want both of us?"

"She said it didn't look like I could control her barking bird by itself, so I should find a small crew member to help."

"I'm not short!"

"You're shorter that me."

"True…"

Dylan shook his head, laughing slightly, and opened the door. Phillip turned around to glare at her. "Whoa, beastie," he said, holding his hands up in a submissive gesture, "No need to get riled up."

The giant hawk turned his head to affix Alek with a bright golden eye. Spotting the reins and saddle hanging from Dylan's hands, he settled slightly.

"He knows what this means," Dylan murmured softly, full of wonder. This bird was smart.

Alek was nervous as he watched Dylan strap the saddles on. Bands around the chest and neck, one set behind the wings. When nothing happened, he relaxed, watching Dylan slip the band around the bird's beak and head. The hawk gave an experimental clack of its beak before twisting its head to look outside.

"Alek, come here," Dylan told Alek.

Obliging, he was quite anxious when Dylan motioned for him to climb on the saddle on the back. "Um, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes, it's fine. Get on the barking bird."

Staring at the bird's huge back, he grabbed the saddle and hefted himself up, scrambling for a hold on the smooth feathers. Finally, he sat straight in the saddle. Dylan started tightening straps around his legs, which made him even more nervous. What could this bird do that needed this sort of safety for its riders?

Dylan grabbed the rope and put it in Alek's hand. "Don't tug until I say so."

He proceeded to sit in the saddle in front of Alek, much faster at getting in and making sure his leg straps were on tight enough. Holding the reins in one hand, he said, "Okay, Alek. Pull the rope." He was excited, a broad grin on his face.

Alek took a deep breath before doing so. The entire far side and bottom of the gondola swung away on hinges, revealing the wide open sky and the expanse of Russian land underneath them. He couldn't help it- he let out a gasp. In front of him, Dylan grinned even wider and told the bird, "Let's go!"

Phillip seemed to understand, crouching down. He looked out, tensing his body and ready to jump. Dylan was able to get out, "Better hold on tight, Alek!" before huge bird leaped into the air.

The humans shrieked along with the bird as they fell. They didn't fall for long, but it seemed like an endless forever of terror for Alek. They were going to die, they were going to die, he could see the ground approaching and the bird was actually pulling into more of a dive-

Fwoosh. With an almighty unfurling of the wings, Phillip was suddenly in control of the wind, heading upwards again in a gentle arc. Dylan paused in his high-pitched screaming to let out a whoop. "Phillip, that move was full of clart," he half-scolded.

The hawk said nothing, letting out a scream declaring that the air was his now.

When his heart had calmed down enough, he was able to appreciate the beauty of being free of gravity. It was one thing to be on the engine pods of the Leviathan¸ pelted with wind and the thrum of the membrane and gears under his fingers.

It was a completely different thing to be in flight on birdback. He could feel the pulsing of the heart, the beat of the muscles, the warmth of the body, and the thud of each wingbeat. So different.

"This is barking incredible!" Dylan cried, his voice oddly high-pitched.

"I know!" Alek called back, smiling now. The initial fear of falling dropped away and he reveled in the freedom of powered flight.

He would've loved to stay like that forever, a friend watching his back, the sun warming the feathers and his face, and the feeling of the air blowing across his face as they wheeled across the sky. But it wasn't that long until he felt Phillip make a subtle shift downwards. He could still see forever, but he was slowly getting closer to the ground.

"Ah, barking spiders," Dylan swore, pulling down his goggles, "He's hungry."

"He's not going to eat us, is he?" Alek was alarmed now, pulling his own pair on.

"Of course not," Dylan laughed, "He's looking for something else… a pig or a cow or something of that nature."

The hawk searched for several minutes. Dylan spotted the Asian deer at the same time he did. She was trailing a bit behind her herd, limping slightly. Beneath Alek, Phillip shifted his feathers and he was suddenly climbing higher again, higher than the high-altitude-cruising Leviathan by several hundred feet.

At the height of the climb, Dylan realized what was happening before Alek did. "Barking spiders!" he yelped as the bird started to tilt downwards, "Hold on, Aleeekkkk!" The last word became another scream as the bird went into a near-vertical dive.

Alek dove forward and wrapped his arms around his friend's waist, suddenly terrified of flying off again. Dylan was leaning forward, making his shape more aerodynamic and staying closer to the neck.

The wind was cutting into his face as the bird accelerated before it seemingly couldn't go any faster… The wings were half-folded, close to the body, and the bird was even more streamlined.

Dylan shouted something, but even though he was so close, the wind whipped away his words. The bird rocketed closer and closer to the deer, which finally realized that she was in danger. The doe started running away with an uneven stride.

Just when Alek was completely sure that they were going to die by being smashed into the ground at insanely high speeds, Phillip's wing shape suddenly changed slightly and launched them into high-speed flight parallel to the ground. His beak ducked down and grasped the doe, slicing into her neck and killing her without losing an ounce of speed.

That done, the huge raptor angled himself up and he started giving powerful flaps as he ascended towards the Leviathan.

Dylan finished resetting the cord before slumping against the wall and sliding into an exhausted heap on the floor. Alek matched his position across the hall. Inside his room, the hawk could be heard crunching on deer bones and meat happily.

It was several moments before either of them spoke. "My God," Alek said softly.

Dylan shook his head. "I know," he replied, as quiet as Alek, "That was… barking insane."

"I've never gone that fast in my life," Alek exclaimed, looking up.

"Aye, me neither," Dylan breathed, taking off his goggles. Circles were pressed into his skin where they had been pushed against his face. His hair was practically straight back, forced that way from the power of the wind. Alek knew that his own hair was like that, and he had circles around his eyes as well.

They sat there for a moment, exhausted from their near-death experience. Eventually, Dylan pushed himself up. Wavering on his feet unsteadily for a moment, he said, "Let's go tell the new boffin that Phillip's fed and happy now."

The pair made their way to Dr. Barlow's cabin, their badly wind-blown hair attracting many stares. Alek heard a snatch of conversation when they arrived, despite the closed door.

"Come on, Nora, you need to wear pants every once in a while."

"No."

"Stick-in-the-mud," Helen complained, cutting off whatever else she was going to say when Dylan opened the door, Alek following him. Both her and her sister-in-law's eyes widened when they saw their hair. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Helen!" Dr. Barlow scolded, nudging her with her foot. Helen rolled her eyes.

"We flew Phillip, like you asked... Turns out the barking bird was hungry," Dylan explained.

"Ooh. He went into a dive, didn't he? I think he might have a bit too much peregrine in him." Helen understood.

"Aye. He's fed now," Dylan finished.

Helen shifted her gaze to Alek. "What'd he get?"

"A deer of some sort," he said.

"That's good. I hate it when he picks up some poor farmer's pig or cow. At least he doesn't eat sheep. Hates the amount of grooming he has to do after he tears off all the wool."

She paused in her little speech to smirk wickedly at them. "Hey, soon I can teach you how to ride bareback. Neither of you is in shock, sooo…" At the sight of Alek and Dylan's horrified expressions, she laughed. "I kid, I kid. So, glad to meet you, Prince Alek," she said, holding out a hand for the boy to shake.

AN: Deryn wanted to fly. She got a little more than she bargained for... Honestly, I would want help myself with a bird that big, which is why she asked Alek.

I hope you enjoyed more on Helen's birdie! More Bovril to come (I completely forgot about her here, I'm sorry!)