Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or any of its characters. I do, however, own my own characters and plots.

Chapter 36

Repton looked like he wasn't sure what to do, focused on me. I gestured to one of the chairs by the table and waited patiently until he decided to approach. He slowly took a seat, rubbing his hands carefully.

"Will you share a drink with me?" He looked up at my request. "Scabs' got some whiskey and I need some fire in my belly. I would like it if you joined me."

The Raptor King nodded, grunting affirmative. I simpered before venturing toward the desk, where Scabulous had his assortment of alcohol in a cupboard. I claimed a half-empty bottle, the glass a cloudy honey-colour. With that in my right hand, I also claimed two glasses with my left, my two fingers in each and pressing them to my palm. I returned to Repton and sat in the chair beside him, setting down my spoils on the table. He watched as I worked the cork out of the bottle and poured the liquor into our glasses respectively. I set his in front of him and held mine, beckoning. I was pleased when he picked his up and knocked the glass into mine gently. He didn't say anything, nor did he betray any expression, but the action counted for something. I leaned back in my chair and brought the drink to my lips.

"You look exhausted."

I recovered from the taste of the alcohol, scrunching my face a little. The spines on my head had flexed at the unpleasantness of the taste. "I haven't had the best couple of days."

"Evidently. Although apparently getting abducted by pirates is not the worst thing to happen to you."

I managed a weak, toothy grin, staring at the liquid in my glass. "No, no it isn't. I'm sure Farida filled you in?"

Repton closed his eyes. "She told me how you got here, and that everything's not as it seemed. I wrote you a letter expecting a more... tame resolution." He opened his eyes again and cast them on me. "She said the two of you were confined, and that was the reason Scabulous intervened. What happened?"

Of course he would ask. I exhaled through my nose, still feeling the ache from getting my face slammed by the door. I laughed at that, but my laugh came out a bit bitter, and I sent my gaze downward.

"I guess you could say I overstayed my welcome among humans."

"I find that rather hard to believe." I looked up and found that he was watching me closely. He held the glass with both hands, elbows resting on his knees and leaning forward. His face inclined to the side, not breaking eye-contact with me. "What could you have possibly done?"

I pressed my lips together tightly. I was reluctant, for I was rather shamed about the whole thing. I was contemplating whether I should just paraphrase it more, but Repton's gaze wasn't helping me with that decision. They were hard to read, for sure; I mean, what would you expect from the King of Bogaton? Despite their difficulty though, I detected some invitation, some interest... some concern. Maybe I was over-thinking the last bit, but it was probably in my best interest to talk about it. I suffered a terrible repercussion for keeping feelings to myself.

"Well... I'm sure that you've figured out that Farida is my sister, or at least it shouldn't come out as a big surprise..." I watched for a change in his expression, but saw none. I found it a little odd, but it may have been that he discovered the fact when he arrived here. "We never had a very stable relationship before. You know that she thought very poorly of me. Shortly after our meeting on Saharr, she came to visit, and our conflict ended up causing a lot of damage..."

I laughed weakly and gestured to myself. I was fitted with the same bandages that Seth bound me with, over my shoulder and around my abdomen. I had returned to base with the intention to change them at last, but I noticed an abandoned Bonewing on the dock and went to investigate. The only bandages I changed myself daily were the ones binding my Dragon Claws, a wound caused by my own abuse and therefore one that needed more maintenance. Farida was going to teach me how to gain control over my crystal makeup and prevent future meltdowns.

"Not only did we end up nearly killing each other, we destroyed a bit of Atmosian property. By the end of it though, I realized that I could not follow my own advice..." I was suddenly overcome with emotion and I could not continue without regaining my composure. Repton waited silently. I shook my head, closing my eyes tightly. "I... I was completely convinced that I was alone, and that belief isolated my sister. She had so much anger, so much hate, simply because I didn't think she understood, nor that she would ever understand, when she did all along."

The glass of liquor trembled in my right hand and I had to set it on my lap. The liquid inside would not still, I could feel it even with my eyes closed. "I didn't find out about what I had until it was taken from me. For some terrible amount of time, I thought that my sister was killed, and I intended to tear apart the man who made it so. I ended up breaking his arm and bleeding him out before he could die at my hand. The only thing that stopped me was the twist that Farida was actually still alive. The damage though... it had already been done."

I thought the rest of that story was self-explanatory, so I did not continue. I opened my eyes and fixed them on my glass, then took another swig. Growing more accustomed to the taste, I only let my tongue toil behind closed lips before letting out a strong exhale through my nose. I didn't look up at Repton, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"That is... quite the ordeal."

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Quite. Farida was put into confinement, and although I didn't start off as such, I was, too. We were scheduled for a trial but... your letter changed things."

I finally found the opportunity to look up and smile at him fondly. Repton seemed confused by it, straightening a little.

"I had my doubts about you, you know," I said softly. "All that talk of being an "enemy of the Atmos". I was feeling such distress in my immediate life that I was starting to believe you. I thought I'd never see or hear from you again."

Repton's expression hardened and he snorted. His eyes flickered away. "Don't give a letter so much credit," he grunted. "Cyclonis was going to deploy Nightcrawlers to capture you, and I didn't want that happening just yet."

"'Just yet', huh."

"You heard me."

I chuckled, having expected that kind of response. "In any case, I still owe you one." I ran my left hand over my head, stroking down the left path of my crown and imitating the act of running fingers through hair. My spines simply flicked back in place once my hand retreated. "I was locked up in Atmosia, and if you didn't intervene, I would've been locked up in Cyclonia. Now I'm with my uncle and half-sister, away from both Terras and free."

"Yet you risked it all when you decided to fly out there," he growled. Was he reprimanding me? "Why in the world did you go to Cyclonia? Did anyone see you? At the most crucial time to stay hidden, you go off and do that."

"It was just a bit of reconnaissance, honest," I said simply. This was true; along with arranging my 'escape' from Atmosia, Tatu had Scabulous steal both Cloud Nine and Farida's Bladewing from government security. Inside Cloud Nine's bunk were Maia's things, along with a new Cloaking crystal and my voice- altering collar specially tuned-up by Brett. Maia was still a persona I was able to take advantage of, even if I could no longer actually deliver letters anymore. The rest of the Atmos didn't have to know that. Besides, the Cloaking crystal was helpful in disguising myself as a Cyclonian, and I was able to venture into their territory without detection. I just had some things to look into, for my next visit...

"In all the commotion, Cyclonis hasn't really been observant of any intruders within her borders," I continued. "I have ways of staying hidden, so nobody noticed. I just wanted to see if I could dig up any helpful information."

I detected unease in Repton's posture. "And... did you?"

"Mm, just a little. Found the perfect passage under some warehouses; it will make for a great get-away if I need it."

"Anything else?"

As much as I had started to trust Repton, I did not wish to divulge that information. I felt that what I was looking for was under my own responsibility, and no one else's. I was going to tell Farida later, since she was my family, but Repton? It would be too much to bring him into it. He had already done enough, and any more involvement would endanger him if he was found out.

I shook my head solemnly. "No. I'm going to have to wait for another chance to go in again."

Repton stared at me for a long moment, searching my visage. His drink was still fairly untouched, save the initial toast we had at the start. I hoped he wasn't going to interrogate me for what exactly it was I was there for, and I was relieved when he leaned back and lifted his glass, almost distancing himself from the conversation. I took that as a conclusion to the topic and lifted my glass as well for a sip.

"I... can bring you the Oasium archives."

Thank goodness I didn't take a sip yet, for I nearly inhaled the contents. He himself had just gulped down the entirety of his drink and I happened to get a chance to watch his throat swell and contract as he swallowed. He appeared unfazed by the taste, the only reaction I could catch being a guttural noise of satisfaction. He didn't look at me as he set the empty glass on the table firmly.

"You could ask me to bring them to you," he started. "...instead of jeopardizing yourself. No one would be any the wiser, since they're so busy with the Murk Raiders right now. I still probably have access to them."

I could not believe my ears. It really didn't look like Repton could make up his mind about how he should behave with me. He was awfully fickle for a rogue working for an evil empire. He put a lot of effort in walling himself off, but there was something that betrayed... compassion. I'm not sure if this was because he sympathized me or actually grew fond of me. Both of those concepts were hard to believe, as he and I only met each other twice. He acted as if he had known me for much longer than that.

The offer was tempting, but I shook my head instead. "I couldn't possibly ask that of you," I declined. "As distracted as she is, Cyclonis would notice. She is probably consulting them often, to devise whatever it is she wants to do with Farida and I when the time comes."

Repton's eyes shifted slightly, plainly considering my words. His head made a subtle nod, but he did not voice any affirmation. He seemed lost in thought in general, and I didn't see it in my place to interrupt him right now. I went and filled his glass again, leaving the bottle with only a little whiskey left. I decided to fill my own glass again with the remainder, to bring it to the brim and declare the bottle finished. I set that on the floor beside my chair and disappeared into my own thoughts.

Repton, he... was very all over the place, or so it appeared to me. He was experiencing his own share of conflicts. As I'm sure I've mentioned, he was very clearly, one-dimensionally an angry and impatient ruffian whenever I encountered him as Maia. There was no amount of complexity to his character when he embarked on Cyclonis' errands or his own selfish endeavours. As Nakoto, I was left to make sense of why he acted in particular ways. His personality stayed fairly true to what he showed the world, but now I considered what went on in his mind... about his home Terra, about his loyalties, about his values. I thought that I was starting to decipher him pretty well, but then he would contradict it in some way. I could have sworn he showed signs of concern or affinity for me, but then he would withdraw himself, as if what previously transpired never happened. As much as he may have wished it though, he could not take back his letter, the written words that ensured the safety of my sister and I. There was literally physical proof that he could be kind! Did that exist before he had known me?

"...Cyclonis threatened you and your Terra, right Repton? "

I was staring at the glasses on the table, my face leaning left and into my open palm, my elbow propped on the armrest. I could feel Repton turn his regard to me. After a moment of consideration, he spoke.

"Yes."

"What would you do, if she decided to attack you? Would you fight back, or ask for mercy? "

Repton grumbled under his breath. "Well, of course I would fight. A losing battle, I admit... but a battle I would die fighting for. "

"You would share the same fate as Oasium, then."

I held my head upright, freeing my hand to rub the other. I stroked my right knuckles through the gauze cloth, very lightly, to trace the contours of bones thoughtfully. I suppose my mutation was my Terra's remaining legacy, along with Farida's tail. Our bodies in general were hatched more relative to its native crystal, despite our biological origin. What would remain of Bogaton? Would there also be scattered survivors? Would the Terra itself be forced to topple into the Wastelands?

"If that were what it came to, then so be it."

He was unbelievably proud. "Don't you have anyone to help you?"

"Like who? You don't mean the Terradons? " He laughed at the idea with scorn. "Don't be ridiculous."

"No, other Terras. Other squadrons. "

Repton leaned forward to collect his second glass, causing my eyes to seek him at last. Before he served it to himself, his voice carried a dark and hostile edge.

"There are no other Raptor Terras."

Had my story caused a stronger resentment for Cyclonis in Repton's heart? The defenses he built around himself were starting to fail. I could tell that where I was leading the conversation was antagonizing him a bit, but I continued.

"I mean Terras in general, Repton... "

"And who would side with the Raptors? Hm? " After his swig, he ran the back of his free hand across his mouth and gave me a skeptical eye. I didn't have an answer to that, and he didn't give me enough time to come up with one. His tongue flickered passed his lips irritably with an automatic hiss.

"Why are you bothering yourself with this?" he demanded me lowly. I tilted my head reproachfully, but he overlooked it. "You've got your own problems. There is nothing you can do, and I'm not asking you to—"

"I can't help it, Repton." I moved forward to the edge of my seat, bringing myself closer to him. He in turn shifted further away, observing me carefully. "You're a Raptor, of course I'm going to try and help you. And we're..."

He gave me a warning look. Don't say it, it seemed to say. I didn't listen.

"...friends."

It was as if Repton wasn't aware of what was occurring, and when I called it out, he was alarmed by it. Any attempt to keep himself out of that kind of relationship was suddenly useless. It was evident that many things were rushing around in his mind, and he broke eye-contact with me for a second. He brought them back to me to try and reclaim the coldness he possessed before.

"Don't say such things. You should keep your distance from me..."

"I can't help that, either." I didn't mean to, but I laughed, earning myself an infuriated glare. "Besides, it was you who found me. "

He glanced away from me yet again, turning his torso from me. He started rubbing his hands cautiously, and a little bit nervously, too. Why was the idea of a friendship so unnerving to him? He had flown all the way here to see if I was alright. I let out a gust of slightly exasperated air.

"It wouldn't kill you to ask for a little help. There will be someone to hear the call."

It was then that he turned on me snidely; "And I ask you again, who? "

"Well, I would. "

His sneer died almost instantly. His expression turned incredulous and he was at a loss for words. I found it oddly entertaining to render the Lord of Bogaton speechless, however I also found it a bit ludicrous he expected me to just stand by when he needed help in any way. This was beyond his stubbornness, beyond his rejection of anyone's help. We had gone this far together. I started to take this friendship seriously, and he was surprised I'd be willing to aid him? That was just not my style.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Sure, I'm just one person, but... a living crystal's gotta count for something, right?" I reached for my glass and I held it up to him. He was still holding on to his, but he was frozen, looking at mine numbly. I smiled at him tenderly and gave him a wink.

"Come on, Repton. I've told you some of my woes. I want to know how Bogaton's doing."

He met my eyes with his and inspected me, almost as if he was trying to make sense of what was going on. I waited, and just when my arm was getting tired, he reached over and tapped the edge of his glass to my own. My smile widened and I hummed in contentment.

I had never set foot on Bogaton, but I didn't want it to disappear, too.

Repton couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth.

Having finally found Nakoto and seeing her in the flesh, he found his previous ambitions laughable. He had gone far too ahead of himself. He meant to come here, break out the sisters and return with them to Bogaton. Sure, the reality that they didn't need breaking out at all made things disorienting, but that wasn't the problem. The facade dictated that he and Nakoto have only interacted twice. How could he justify his proposal to take them back with him -a proposal that would make sense for close friends-, when they didn't know that he had been spying on them? That he had been watching Nakoto without her consent? That was an act of voyeurism he was not proud of. Even if he told her that it was under Cyclonis' orders, he doubted she would be so forgiving. Luchas had arrived in the medical institute before their meeting on Saharr. He lied to Nakoto that he knew nothing of what Cyclonis was planning, which indeed included Luchas and the Eye.

He was thus extremely unnerved when Nakoto openly acknowledged their friendship. He did not fathom the sheer intensity of the guilt he felt; never had he felt this magnitude. It had to take himself ruthlessly pushing their previous conversation from his mind and putting all his focus on Bogaton. It didn't help being in close proximity with Nakoto, but he had to deal with what he was dealt with.

Nakoto listened to him intently as he described the current situation in Bogaton, and her eyes sparked when he mentioned a beast. He had a feeling she would know, and it felt a little assuring that she also thought it was a sandwurm, a creature that plagued Oasium long before its demise. There was a bit of excitement in her voice, which he understood to be in reference to some sort of uncovered nostalgia. She recovered herself though, since she recognized the havoc it was causing his Terra, and she told him what she remembered about them. She said they were disastrous and highly versatile, but easy to outwit. The best chance to conquer it was to provoke it and lead it to ground that was too dense for it to dig through. That, however, meant leading it to the safest part of the Terra... the fortress and the surrounding village. This required a lot of planning when he returned. Nakoto said that maybe these preparations would help kindle a bond between himself and his people, but she obviously put too much faith in Drellian.

It was time for the Bogaton Raptors to leave, and Nakoto suggested gathering his brothers and meeting her at the port. She said she needed to freshen up her bandages before she showed them how to traverse the depths. Apparently there was a safe way to do it, since Leugey managed to find his way into the grotto himself. Repton found his way back to the shipyard through some trial and error, having taken some wrong turns and forced to backtrack. He found Leugey and Hoerk lugging some rusted turbines for scraps there. Farida was nearby, lounging on top of a massive crate, keeping an eye on their work. She looked like she was chewing on something, which she expelled from her mouth onto the floor. The brothers had tossed the turbine into the pile they reached when Repton arrived.

"It's time to leave, boys," he told them. "We've got a lot to do when we get back."

"So is Nakoto gonna ride with you, Boss?" Leugey piped up. Repton cast a glance in Farida's direction, who was watching them attentively. She was too far away to have heard... Repton turned back to the youngest Raptor.

"If you didn't catch on yet, a rescue mission was unnecessary," Repton hissed back. "She and Farida are staying here."

"When will they come to Bogaton then?"

"Shut up, Leugey."

Leugey's eyes snapped in Farida's direction and Repton followed it back again. Nakoto, having possibly changed her mind about the bandages, had entered the room and stood by Farida now, sharing an exchange. Farida looked down at her and quirked her brow at what the eldest supposedly asked. She shrugged her shoulders, and Nakoto looked down at the ground quizzically. She herself then rolled her shoulders and passed something up to her sister, apparently on a different topic. Farida took the object, a necklace of sorts, and slipped it over her head with a disgruntled expression, the twine passing over the spines of her head to reach the base of her neck. It looked like Nakoto had her own around her neck.

Nakoto made her way over to Repton's group while Farida hopped off the crate and left for the port. Nakoto flashed a little smile and pointed to her neck. Being much closer, it was revealed to be a Cloaking crystal.

"Forgive the precautions, but my sister and I are going to have to use these," she said. She commenced pinching the stone and transforming her visage. "The crew hasn't detected anything for miles around, but better safe than sorry."

She took on the appearance of one of the Murk Raiders Repton had seen accompanying Scabulous the day of the attack. It was amazing how both of the sisters were in plain sight of him, but he didn't register the thought that they would disguise themselves. At that time, of course, he was under the impression they were prisoners. Nakoto's mirage hardly looked anything like her, highly unsaturated and dirty. Instead of her crown, she had tightly-wound dreads of hair pulled back, away from her lime-green eyes and in a side pony-tail angling to her right. An array of captive-bead rings lined the bridge of her shorter snout and continued along her left brow- it was hard to believe they weren't real at all. She had no deformities, both hands the same size. The disguise still incorporated her bandages and current clothing however, which could have been because her crystal wasn't designed to transform clothing. She must have stolen Cyclonian uniform to complete her semblance on her... secret mission.

He was pleased that Nakoto had a means of hiding herself, but he was unfortunately reminded of Maia and how she changed her shape to evade his grasp. The way Nakoto had cloaked herself... the resemblance was uncanny. It set an annoyance ablaze in his gut, but he found that the thought didn't evoke as much rage as it had done before. In light of all that was going on, the infuriating tricks of a shape-shifting mail-carrier held no power over him. If he saw her again, maybe the rage would return, but the thought of her now held no weight.

Nakoto lead them out of the storehouse to the outside, the Solaris lanterns casting down their light upon the mildew-coated dock. They made their way to where Leugey's Bonewing was discarded, although now it was propped upright. Farida appeared around the corner with a ride of her own and a Murk Raider wheeling in Nakoto's. The Chancellor of Atmosia must have arranged their vehicles to be stolen by Scabulous as well.

"There's a little trick when it comes to taming the depths... at least in order to get in and out of here." Nakoto slapped Repton's shoulder with the back of her hand and pointed into the abyss. He leaned his face beside hers in order to share her vantage point and followed her gesture. "I usually like to aim for that little rock jutting out."

Just before the toiling clouds was Nakoto's beacon, a peak of stone that curved like a horn, to their left.

"The winds are really temperamental, and they always win. So what you just have to do is let it carry you. Farida and I will demonstrate."

Farida spat again, and it turned out that she was chewing on minted leaves. She activated her Cloaking crystal and mounted her ride fluidly as a Murk Raider. Her guise had darker skin and less hair on its head, styled with one side of the scalp clean-shaven. It was bizarre seeing her tail completely disappear. She bore her teeth at Hoerk and jerked her head.

"Get over here."

Hoerk looked at Nakoto, puzzled, and she grinned.

"I figured Repton would like to fly solo, so you boys can ride with us."

Repton had to jab Hoerk in the back in order for him to move. The large Raptor loped over to Farida and climbed onto the back. Farida was settling herself comfortably, her hands on the handles, when she suddenly turned and hissed over her shoulder.

"That's my tail."

Hoerk pulled his knees up as far as he could. Repton had heard a gruff apology leave his lips and the older brother shook his head, a little mortified. While he was watching that exchange Nakoto was encouraging Leugey to her bike, which the Murk Raider had left at her side. She was much more patient than her sister and Leugey was far from intimidated. He sat and watched as Nakoto got on in front of him.

"Be sure to hold on tight, sweetie," she said. "I'm not the most graceful flyer."

The younger Raptor followed her instruction and grasped the metal beneath him. Nakoto brought her ride to life and let it roar, and Farida revved hers in turn. The sisters rolled their rides as far as they could from the edge to extend their runway while Repton went to the edge to observe with Leugey's Bonewing.

Nakoto went first. She pulled the throttle and her Skimmer's back wheel screeched in place before propelling them forward, a quick start. Leugey held on tighter in apprehension before they reached the edge. Nakoto pulled on her handles to angle their nose upwards, but she did not deploy her wings. She made sure that once they went over the edge that they stayed upright. Repton watched as they made a curved descent toward the target, but before collision, Nakoto engaged her wings and they spread instantly. It didn't look like she initiated any boosters, but her ride shot forward, level, her front slightly tilting. She disappeared into the clouds that collected at the mouth of the grotto.

Farida didn't even ask if Hoerk was ready and raced after them. She jumped off the edge and pulled off an impressive backflip before the fall. Repton could hear a scoff in response to Hoerk's yelp. They, too, plunged toward the jutting rock, but Farida's wings spread and they were carried off by an air stream. They vanished out of sight into the dipping cavern toward the outside, where Nakoto and Leugey had undoubtedly attained.

Repton circled to where they had started to follow suit. Before he left, he glanced up, feeling someone's gaze fixed on him. A collection of Murk Raiders were flanking Scabulous further down the deck, watching him. The captain had his arms crossed, glowering from a distance. It seemed that he wasn't entirely convinced with Nakoto's trust in Repton. The Raptor rolled his eyes and called;

"You'd best be prepared for Cyclonis' next attack. They plan to blow themselves a new door with more firepower!"

"We don't need a bloody heads-up!" Scabulous seethed back. Repton smiled scornfully and prompted the Bonewing into full acceleration. His tires shrieked in place before he advanced toward the edge at top speed.

He followed the sisters' example and pulled up, feigning lift-off but flying wingless. The rush of plummeting at an exponential speed nearly overwhelmed him and he waited for the right moment. The horn in the rocky wall was only a few meters below when he decided to distribute the wings, and when fully extended a tense force took hold of them. He fell lower in momentum but still missed the rock as the wind swept him up in a current. It took a lot of effort to heed Nakoto's advice and refrain from taking control of his ride. He let the gust carry him into darkness, holding tight in a rather graceless flight. He could not see where it was taking him and he feared he would collide with one of the stone columns Terra Deep was known for. It was also hard to breathe in the depths, and as he felt his lungs strain he lengthened his breathing rate.

He hit light and open air fairly quickly, his ride sent spiraling. It was at this moment he felt he needed to gain control, and thus he blasted his thrusters to right himself. Gathering orientation, he looked around to where he and Hoerk stashed their rides. He had to fly a little bit around the circumference to find it, and he saw that both Farida and Nakoto had landed there, obviously under his brothers' direction. Hoerk and Leugey were already off and reclaiming the Bonewings from the shadows. The sisters watched as he brought himself for a landing, in which he touched ground and swerved the Bonewing smoothly. Nakoto, leaning back in her seat, nodded with approval.

"Well done," she complimented, throwing him a thumbs-up with her left hand. Repton dismounted and wandered over to her. She gestured to the way he came. "If you ever need to get back in, you just enter in to your left. Granted, it's a little trickier to land, but it's doable when you know the trick."

Hoerk and Leughey appeared with both rides, the latter bringing Repton's Bonewing. He kicked the stand for it and went to his. Reminded suddenly, Repton reached into his back pocket and retrieved the bottle of Aquinosian water he took earlier. Nakoto's eyes met his offer and she laughed.

"Oh, so it was you who took it? I thought I was gonna have to beat up one of the ship-mates; they really like to nick shiny things."

"I happened upon your room while I was searching." Nakoto reached up to it, touching the glass tentatively with her right hand. He could feel the tip of her Claws rap against the glass before the mirage of her hand could. "I noticed it's damaged."

Nakoto laughed again, this time sheepishly. "Yeah, Scabs wasn't too gentle with me that day... "

He expected her to take it from him, but she instead placed her fingers on the back of his and made them curl over the object. He felt a fire wash over his skin at contact, a pleasant sensation. He looked into her eyes questioningly and she smiled warmly in response.

"It's your turn to keep it. Give it back to me the next time we meet."

Expressionless for a few seconds, a small smile had also inched onto Repton's lips. He noticed Farida looking at him from behind Nakoto and he banished the smile away. He left Nakoto's touch and went to his vehicle, slipping the bottle back into his pocket. His brothers were ready to leave and were watching him expectantly. He seated himself and kicked the Bonewing to life, and before leaving he bowed his head in the sisters' direction. Nakoto returned it with a relaxed salute. With that, Repton lead his brothers to the skies.

There was a lot to do back home in Bogaton, and now that Nakoto was actually safe, he felt a lot more focused. The guilt he felt shuffled back into the deeper regions of his mind to deal with another day, a day where he would meet Nakoto again.

Dread and yearning felt almost identical to him.

I watched the brothers climb higher in the sky until I couldn't see them anymore. I had crossed my arms and leaned back a little, still keeping Cloud Nine balanced. It was nearing sunrise now, and it would be mid-morning by the time they reached Bogaton from here.

The state of Bogaton did worry me, as much as Repton insisted it wasn't my business. I suppose a part of it was that it was the last remaining Raptor Terra in the known Atmos, and I felt like I was obligated in making sure Cyclonis kept her dastardly grip off of it. The other part was for concern of the people, their struggle with famine and the beast. I wanted to do something for them. After all, I owed Repton for getting Farida and I out of Cyclonia's reach. I would have to see to a suitable gift to pay him back with.

Also, a letter. Unfortunately carrier pigeons between our positions was not possible. There however was someone whose life was all about delivering letters...

"Is Repton always that scatterbrained?" Farida sniffed, breaking me out of my thoughts. She spat the rest of the mint out of her mouth and ran her forearm across her lips. I looked over to her in mild amusement.

"Why do you say that? I'd be confused too if my friend got kidnapped by pirates and it turned out they're actually buddies."

"Yeah, but you should've seen the fuss he made when we told him you went to Cyclonia. He was convinced you were in danger and wanted to find you."

My crown flared in intrigue, even though no one could see it. "Is that so?"

"If you ask me, he isn't as tough as stories make him out to be." Farida sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. "I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Your dreams have been broken forever."

"Don't sass me, Beta."

I flashed her a weak smile, flexing my shoulders as I got comfy. "Come on, let's get back in. Now I've gotta ask... have you ever met the Storm Hawks?"

End of Chapter

A/N: Update day, update day!

Another chapter for you guys before I go out for a busy day catching up with old friends. One of my buddies has a son that I haven't been formally introduced to yet so I'm really excited for that.

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, and I await to hear your opinions. If you catch any errors, please let me know!

~Vix