Here it is people. The sequel you've all waited for. Whats going to happen to our heroes this time?

Disclaimer: this thing is really not necessary and im not going to type it every chapter but I dont own epic

Sleep.

It's all that he wanted. More than anything else in the world. He wanted it even more than a kiss good night from M.K.

Well, maybe that's going to far, but it didn't make him desire it any less. Nod was completely and utterly exhausted, drained of all strength and it was only the stirrups and M.K. that kept him from falling out of the saddle. Flitterbite, his blue jay, did most of the flying and had the sense to keep from doing any aerial twists or rolls.

The flight to M.K.'s house shouldn't be this long, he thought. Did we go in the wrong direction? Then his eyes closed even further, the darkness brimming around his vision. It didn't matter whether he was in the air or in a Stomper house. He was going to sleep.

To Nod it may have felt like hours but that was his tired mind screwing with his internal clock. In fact, it had only been five minutes.

"Come on Nod, you have stay with me!" M.K. encouraged him. She could see the lights getting closer. Lights that promised them safety, rest, and some food. Her stomach grumbled at the thought. She hadn't eaten anything since that morning, and too many things were happening at once for her to notice how famished she was.

She noticed that her boyfriend was not responding to her. In fact he was snoring! "Uh, Nod? You need to stay awake. I don't know how to land this thing!"

Over the year they had video chatted and met in the forest, and Nod taught her everything he knew about birds and how to fly them. He told her every sort of signal you could give them using just your legs, and had demonstrated how to take off, turn, fly up or down and land. But doing the feat and being told how to by the expert were two completely different things!

M.K. nudged Nod, trying to rouse him. She called his name several times but to no avail. Well, there goes the gentle approach. She leaned over and started slapping his face repeatedly. "Nod, get up!"

It worked and he woke up with a start. Shaking his head to clear it, he stared at her with bleary brown eyes. "What?..."

"We're going to miss my house if you don't steer this guy to it!"

That seem to shake him out of it. Nod temporarily shook off the sleepiness and grasped Flitterbite's neck feathers. The bird cocked his head and waited for the command. Nod leaned forward, pushing his chest against the blue jay's body. His mount responded and went into a gentle, sloping stoop, pulling his wings in. In his peripheral vision, the rider could make out the dark forms of his friends' birds following him down.

The house loomed like a mountain, and Nod pulled Flit into a hover, trying to spot an opening. M.K. pointed to the side. "There! My Dad always keeps the study's window open until he's gone to sleep."

Nod gently heeled Flitterbite and they swooped to the open window. They were about to land on the windowsill when Flit suddenly veered away and flew back for the trees.

"Whoa, buddy, what's going on?" he asked his mount. Nod was able to pull Flit into a hover. He glanced to the house to see his friends were having similar problems. Ross and Thryn were repeatedly circling back to land on the windowsill, but their birds kept refusing and flying away.

"Oh I see," Nod said as it dawned on him. "They're scared of the Stompers that may be inside. There's no way we'll get them in the house. Is there another entrance to a more secluded room?"

M.K.'s eyes darted around the exterior of the house, before lighting on a small, slotted window near the roof's edge. She pointed to it. "That leads to the attic; you can't get more secluded in my house than that dusty old place!"

"Guys!" Nod called to his friends. They paused in their futile efforts to land their birds. "Follow me, we found another way!"

Nod turned Flitterbite in the direction M.K. had indicated. The window was covered by wide slats but one had broken off and listed to the side, making a perfect opening for them. It was utterly dark inside and Nod didn't want to land with those conditions.

"There should be a beam right below the window," M.K. explained.

Nod didn't like it but what choice did he have? He kicked lightly on Flit's sides and the bird hesitated before flying in. Nod leaned forward as the black consumed them. He relaxed his legs to let his blue jay use his senses to guide them in the darkness. The young Leafman couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, but he felt his center of gravity plummet as Flit landed. The clicks of talons on wood around him meant his friends had found their way in. Sterling's buzzing ceased.

With the darkness all around him, Nod was reminded of how tired he was. Exhaustion hit him like a ton of trees, and he slumped forward and nuzzled Flit's neck feathers. He was done...

There was a flick and a spark of light jumped out of the black and began to glow profusely. Lex had lit a small lantern, illuminating the faces of the teenagers. Their birds were perched in a line on the beam, looking ready to rest and preen.

"We can set up our beds here," M.K. suggested. "Then we can get downstairs and my Dad can give us some food. Nod, do you want to-" she trailed off when she saw he was already soundly asleep. He must have been really tired if he couldn't even get off his bird and unroll his sleeping bag.

"Nope!" Mason chuckled. "There's no waking him up."

M.K. smiled, "I guess we should all get some sleep. We can see my Dad tomorrow."

They relieved their birds of their saddles and bridles, and laid out their bed rolls on the beam. With Ross's help, he and M.K. carried the exhausted Nod to a sleeping bag. M.K. took care of Flit since she and Nod were the only ones he would let near him.

"I'll take first watch," Ross offered. "Mason, I'll wake you up in two and a half hours, then Thryn and Lex after you."

The others agreed but M.K. couldn't help but notice that he didn't include her or Jason in the roster. She bit her lip, thinking it over a little before shrugging, exasperated with herself. It was too petty to question, and anyway, she was tired and would probably be the sleepiest sentry they could ask for.

The redhead looked one last time at Nod, who was sleeping soundly. M.K. smoothed back some of the hair from his face and quickly glanced behind her. They all had their backs too them. The girl leaned down and gave the young Leafman a quick peck on the cheek then made her way back to her bedroll.

M.K. laid down and tucked the blanket around her. The beam was hard and unforgiving but she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep...

again, ive started with a short, first chapter...a bad habit i have. unfortunately i cannot make up for it because in two days im going on a week long beach trip. my self made rule for trips is to not bring my laptop and there probably wont be wifi anyway. you can expect the next chapter to come out next saturday or sunday.

im still working on Just Like You, so dont worry, but it may have to be placed on the back burner for a bit.