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

Chapter 43

Sylvia shrilled after the Raptoress' body dropped. Her knees collided with the floor first, the rest of her body following suit, heavy as lead. Her limbs were slack and tensionless. Piper almost dropped the plate at the fall and immediately set it down on a barrel closest to her. She arrived at Nakoto's side before Aerrow had the mind to, kneeling down. She grasped Nakoto's shoulder and shook, calling her name to revive her, but nothing. Nakoto's eyes were partially closed, her visage void of any emotion.

In a matter of seconds a tile on the ceiling came crashing down, and Farida's form shot down into the hallway. Aerrow, alarmed, reached for the energy blades on his back. What was a locked door when there were other ways for them to get out? Straightening up from her landing, Farida's face was contorted with aggressive disquiet. She ignored him outright when she stormed over to her fallen sister.

"Again?" she exclaimed. She reached down angrily and pulled Nakoto's head up by the front of her crown. Piper, shocked by her presence, yelped and leaned away.

"This is getting out of hand, Beta!" she called down again, louder. "Wake up!"

That command, along with her spines yanked at, still did not wake Nakoto. Junko appeared from around the corner, still wearing an undershirt and pair of boxers. He usually slept in a little longer but the commotion summoned him out of bed. A second later, Finn also appeared, although he was fully dressed. Farida snarled down and dropped hold of Nakoto, allowing her head to thud against the floor. Sylvia whimpered and hid behind Aerrow.

"Wake up!"

Nakoto was unresponsive. Farida's teeth gnashed and she reeled her clenched fist up, intending to strike her sister. Piper held her hands up to intercept, palms open and fingers wide. She was going to speak but the Raptoress looked like she was going to break through her bar of defence without a second thought. Not fond of this idea, Aerrow drew his blades at last and confronted Farida with a shout. It was then that Farida acknowledged their attempts and her hostility transferred to him fluidly.

"Hitting her won't do anything!" Aerrow yelled. "Calm down-"

"This happened before, Sky Knight, and I won't have you butting in!"

"We'll have Stork look at her and we'll come up with-"

At that moment, Nakoto jolted awake. She pushed herself from the ground, up onto her knees. Aerrow stepped away apprehensively, suddenly suspicious if she had faked her fainting. The expression on her face contradicted this... it was a look of absolute fear and confusion. Her breathing was shallow and she looked up, collecting the people in her company, those staring back at her strangely.

Her eyes fell on Farida.

"How long?"

That was all she asked.

Farida ignored her question, or rather, she answered it with an infuriated growl. She advanced and seized Nakoto's arm, trying to lift her roughly.

"We're going back to Atmosia. Now."

"We can't-"

"No, this can't! This can't continue!" Farida hissed. Nakoto used Farida to rise back to her feet, but she remained steadfast when the other tried to drag her in any direction. "There is no one else to look at you. Something is wrongwith you!"

Nakoto grimaced, trying to free her forearm from her sister's grip. "I'm fine. It's all due to a few sleepless nights-"

"'A few' is an understatement." The spines on Farida's own head twitched, sending each one along the line toward her shoulders through a wave of annoyance. Her voice lowered and she bore her teeth at Nakoto. "You need a doctor."

Nakoto shook her head and was about to refute the thought. Farida evidently expected it and sucked in breath for a counterattack already. Before it could happen, Piper jumped to her feet and stepped towards them, sending Aerrow back on edge. Her hands were raised in peace again, and this time she was addressed. Farida's eyes landed on her form, narrowed, while Nakoto watched her lethargically.

"We can offer a compromise," Piper started calmly. "Stork knows a thing or two about medicine. He may not know much about Raptors but he might have something that cures universal things!" She smiled, hopeful and nervous. "Let's go to the bridge, yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want to trouble you," Nakoto followed up, her brow quirking up in apology. "I can't-"

"Something is wrong, Nakoto," Piper cut her off. "Your sister's right. We noticed it yesterday and I think it's necessary..."

Nakoto adverted her eyes from Piper and caught sight of Farida's pointed glare and flared nostrils. She also looked at Aerrow, studying his expression, recognizing his own support of the prospect. She wasn't going to continue arguing, given her defeated sigh. A thought crossed her mind and she took on a more alert posture.

"Where's Sylvia?"

"...here..."

The little girl stepped forward from where Aerrow was before he leapt into action. Her eyes latched to the ground and she was clutching her arms. A distraught look flashed across Nakoto's eyes and she leaned down a little. Farida let loose her arm, turning away with the remnants of a doused anger on her face.

"That must have been scary," the faded Raptoress whispered. She forced a reassuring smile, closed-mouthed. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm sorry you had to see."

The little girl was trembling, which visibly unnerved Nakoto. She tentatively reached out her right hand but Sylvia ran into her, wrapping her arms around her waist. Aerrow could see small beads of tears roll down the child's cheeks. Nakoto's claws grazed the nape of her neck, an absolutely gossamer motion before cupping the girl's head. A moment passed before she gently urged the young one to walk beside her, breathing soothing words. Aerrow slowly sheathed his blades again, watching as Piper lead the child and Raptors. Farida followed closely behind her sister's form, presumptively to catch her if need be. Finn and Junko watched, motionless, obviously planning to inquire Aerrow about the current events. His attention started to shift to them.

"I thought you died," he heard Sylvia whimper, calling it back momentarily.

Nakoto's faint chuckle sounded empty.

"It'll take more than that to kill me, sweetheart."

Stork was still highly wary of me, almost dancing on the outskirts of my boundary. I sat down at the table of the bridge once more, just at the end of the bench so I faced outward. The Condor was set on course at a low altitude, auto-piloted. Sylvia, Piper and Farida stood back while Stork observed me, each with their respective moods displayed on their face.

My body was overcome with a strange sensation, and I couldn't decide its nature. I felt displaced, but not enough to avoid the ache. My knees had a tender throbbing to them and my scarred shoulder was sore, all probably due to the fall. The roots of my crown were also sensitive, being a little bit of a mystery to me. Despite all these bodily perceptions, my focus couldn't have been any less concentrated. A constant cloud enveloped my mind and I couldn't shake free of it. I guess I let my health falter after all.

After a moment of silent staring, Stork's hands reached carefully and touched my throat, checking my vitals. I attempted to regain my breathing, looking past him and at the ceiling. Try as I might've to pass off as regular, I was actually a little winded from the walk there. For a moment he didn't alleviate the pressure, and I cast my gaze to his face. He was gauging my mannerisms, I realized, the way he watched me; it wasn't the look of a clinician doing a physical. I elected to say nothing and let him decide for himself if I was going to bite. He felt my heartbeat for a few more seconds, then at last reached for my left wrist, doing the same. He moved on and placed both hands on my ribs, feeling them swell with my breath. Piper placed a hand on Sylvia's shoulder.

Stork, though hesitant, took a step further and touched my face. I stayed still unless he explicitly told me to do something. He pried my right eye wider, peering into my retina. He mildly tilted my head to look into my ear. He paused at one point and commanded, "Ah... Open your... mouth."

I did as he ordered, then stayed static while he held my jaw. He gulped... perhaps the serrated teeth unnerved him. He ordered me to utter an "ah", allowing him to look further to my tonsils. After that examination, he withdrew and I shut my mouth again.

"Sleeplessness..." Stork pondered, parroting what Piper had told him, but repeating it as if to himself. "Is this the first time you've collapsed?"

As much as I wanted to lie, I shook my head. The first time, it was shortly after I brought Sylvia to Terra Deep. It was in the presence of Eyeball, and he said I had only been out for a minute. Another, longer episode followed, during a heated argument with Farida two nights before.

"This is the third time in the past week," I muttered, feeling oddly ashamed. I felt that the reveal of my ailment right after boarding the Condor was a little overbearing, that it placed a strain on the crew's hospitality. Just then, Aerrow joined us with Finn, Junko and Radarr in his wake. The Wallop was no longer in his casual sleep attire. The small animal, absent during my fall, watched me cautiously. Stork hummed to himself, turning away.

"Not often, but close in succession," he murmured. "Not what I consider chronic... but if it keeps going, we're talking narcolepsy, possible cataplexy. I'm guessing we're in the early stages."

"Will the Trance Helmet help at all?" Piper suggested, hopeful. I knew that the medical facility had some stock of that contraption, but I never had use for it myself. Stork shook his head.

"That's only good for inducing relaxation. Something's not... quite right here, and it needs to be corrected." He tapped a finger calculatingly at his temple. "I prefer a more natural approach... I can't guarantee Merbian medicine will do a Raptor any good, but... it's worth a shot." He turned back and threw me a bleak look. "Do you accept the risk of... unsightly side effects?"

I offered a stark smile of my own, resigned. "As long as I don't dream."

I could see in my peripheral that Piper shot me a perplexed look, but I didn't seek her out. Stork dismissed my comment, waving a hand. "Oh, what I'm thinking of should knock you out cold. No dreams...I'll go prepare it."

Before he managed to leave the bridge entirely I called out to him. My voice was constricted.

"There's no rush. I will take it when I come back."

Stork stopped in his tracks, ears twitching. I directed my eyes to the floor, jaw clenched tight. I could already feel the exasperation radiating off Farida before she even spoke. Her voice dripped with astounded aggravation.

"What?"

I inhaled through my nose deeply and said nothing for a long moment, and everyone waited. I exhaled and curled my claws into a fist on the table. I mustered the guts to look up at Farida, her eyes akin to steel. My own flickered to the others in our company and then back to her. I proceeded in a low voice:

"I have to go to Aquanos."

Farida recognized that I didn't want this to be blown out of proportion in front of the Storm Hawks. Such disputes brought out into public eye were poor manners. Normally she wouldn't give a damn, but this time she took the hint and decided to humour me. She marched over to me and leaned in close.

"Like hell you do," she breathed viciously. "You'll fall out of the sky."

"I haven't been able to get in contact with Rio. I need to go there myself and ensure Sylvia has a safe place for the time being." Even though I dubbed this one of the more civil exchanges with my sister, it wasn't necessarily a private one. I could see Aerrow and Piper look at each other. Piper's fingers on Sylvia's shoulder squeezed lightly. "I'll be fine. It's just something I have to do-"

"You don't have to do anything. Luchas is a traitor and a coward, yet you're still sympathizing him." I frowned and was about to interject, but Farida continued, forcing the words back down my throat. "Or maybe it's not sympathy. Maybe you've just found yourself another excuse."

"Excuse for what?"

"To linger."

My brows raised in bemusement at the word. I wasn't sure of what she meant. She wasn't going to tell me at that moment and she shook her head, a snarl curling her lips back.

"You're still going to pull all the stops for that worm regardless of what I say," she told me matter-of-factly. Her face relaxed just a fraction, but it was still displeased. She looked over her shoulder, down at Sylvia, and the child flinched. I had expected the little one to hide into Piper's side after that but she tried to keep my sister's regard. Sylvia surprised me with adult-like features every passing day. Farida spent a moment, staring, and when she turned to me her annoyance had spent itself.

"You stubborn idiot," she grumbled to me. "If it's that important to you... then I'll go."

The words thudded against my skull, unable to process properly at first. "But... you...-"

"But nothing, Beta. You're going to stay here and guzzle down the meds they give you." She stepped away and smoothly turned, her movement powerful and true. "I'll find this gill-faced lout. Rio."

I would've spent the moment feeling touched that she would go in my stead, but I detected a complication. I pushed against the table and stood unsteadily. "He will be less inclined to help with you representing me, Farida." She stopped, her back facing me. "You... threatened and almost hurt his daughter. They'll be with each other by now."

I let her mull over the thought, since I was sure she was sifting through any memory she had with Aquanosians. Just when I thought I had to elaborate, I saw her face tilt up and she spoke.

"...the Blizzarian girl, huh. That doesn't matter. If I have to make amends, fine, I will. You just stay here and do as you're told. If you can't think for yourself, then I'll do it for you."

She turned slightly and faced Aerrow, who observed the exchange with his arms crossed. "As a... fellow Sky Knight, I know I'm supposed to ask you passage off your carrier."

Aerrow's brow twitched up. "And are you?"

I felt my stomach drop in the pause tailing his question. Farida was always in search of power over others, and Aerrow was holding his ground, defying her dominance. Even if he was the sovereign of the vessel, I was sure Farida wasn't going to tolerate such a snarky response, let alone from a human, teenage boy. I inched my Claws across the table to the edge, where they fluently curved down and under to grip it. My weight shifted, preparing to push off of it and interfere.

I proved overcautious. All Farida did was scoff and shrug her shoulders, tossing her hands up.

"I am. I've been polite so far, so why break my streak now?" I saw Aerrow's mouth thin, and I could only imagine he was thinking about her word choice. I suppose this was as close to polite as Farida could manage. "We both know what'll happen if you refuse me, but I thought I'd ask anyway for... the sake of basic etiquette. What say you?"

The stiffness in my limbs did not ameliorate as the two of them held each other's regard. Farida's tail lifted and dropped in a graceful arc, allowing me to notice her spade slightly glowing by the way light trailed after it. Yes, she must have disliked the boy's tone, but outwardly she was cool and collected. I realized I stopped breathing, as if any noise from my lungs or throat could trigger an unfortunate event.

Aerrow unclasped his arms and placed his hands on his hips, letting out a short puff of air. "Alright, I grant you passage. The rules from before still apply... so I'll have Junko escort you."

Farida complied. Without anything further, she made her way to the door leading back the way we came. Junko stepped in after her as she passed, a fascinated look on his face. Even that confrontation had taken a toll on me and I sat back down. My talons twitched from release before I brought them to my face. I recognized the amount of dread I still felt when it came to Farida's sporadic enmity, filling me with a guilt for not trusting her to behave. It would take me some more time to adjust to her, but in any case she was on my side. At least, I hoped that was the case.

I glimpsed her through my fingers and saw that she stopped in the doorway, peering over her shoulder. It was brief, but the look she gave me was... out of place. She left too soon for the expression to last in my memory.

I was a bit put-off that she didn't bid me a proper goodbye, but I was equally at fault for that. As I sat at the table with my face in my hands I wished her safe travels in my mind. In our short time together, she turned out to be the most exceptional at flying. I just hoped that a lone flyer wouldn't attract any Cyclonians. Maybe they would be too busy tracking down two adults and a child to pay her any heed. I convinced myself that, disguised and skilled, she would evade them. With this, I decided to place my faith in her.

Little hands touched my tail draped over the end of the bench. I couldn't help but laugh to myself weakly, unable to even detect the approach of a small child before feeling her. As much as I didn't want to look at anything, or anyone, I pacified Sylvia with my attention. The light in her eyes wavered ever so slightly, and the corner of her mouth was tucked in, presumably between her teeth. My mind churned for something comforting to say, roiling fruitlessly. Even if I had come up with something, I doubted she would have taken it at face-value. I could only reach down and stroke her cheek.

"Hey, uh, Sylvia!"

Finn stepped forward with enthusiasm, beaming. Sylvia turned and watched him silently, blinking slowly. The blonde-headed teen cranked his left arm across is body, flashing a thumbs-up. "Let's give Mai-uh... Nakoto a break. You wanna see the rest of the Condor? I know all the sweetest spots, trust me!"

"That's a great idea, Finn!" Piper joined in. Her addition seemed genuine, but I sensed something of a mechanical nature. She, Finn, and Aerrow must have quickly communicated when I was shut in with my thoughts. Piper simpered at Sylvia and beckoned kindheartedly. "Then afterwards, I can show you my crystal collection. Have you ever held a crystal before?"

Sylvia looked back up at me, as if asking me what she should do. I bowed my head, breaking eye-contact with her. "That sounds like fun, doesn't it?" I murmured. "Go on, sweetie. I'll tell you about Maia's trip to Saharr later, if you're good."

Finn reached a hand down, palm-open and inviting. Sylvia turned completely from me and finally took his offer. The two of them made their way out, the Sharpshooter jittering on about their first destination somewhere. Piper crossed the room and joined Stork, who hadn't moved since my interjection. She whispered something to him and he gave a curt nod before departing. I closed my eyes and leaned against the table with my right elbow. As I did so, I mindlessly drew along the edge of my scar. I was ready to tuck my face into my inner elbow.

Someone sat down in front of me, and I opened my eyes to find Aerrow seated across from me, watching closely. His emerald eyes wandered to the shoulder I was tracing.

"You got that from the Talons chasing you... during that storm." He sounded a little lost, even though his eyes were sharp, convergent. "It wasn't that long ago. It looks a lot worse than I thought it would."

Piper came and sat down beside him, placing her hands in her lap. She also directed her eyes to my healing wound. "You had it patched-up before I could actually see it," she added. "I wish you let me take a look at it after you showed yourself to me. You had nothing else to hide! It probably would've made a difference."

I forced a smile, reminded of how little time had truly passed. "Maybe, but we really didn't have time then. It was right at that moment that Repton and his boys attacked you." Mention of his name left a bad taste in my mouth, still bitter. I tried not to loiter in that feeling in case it seeped into my expression or caught their attention. "No, my shoulder's been through hell, that's all."

Stork reentered the room with a tray in his hands, upon which were three thick, handled cups. Wordlessly he came to our side of the table, set the tray down and placed a cup in front of Piper, Aerrow, and then myself. I thought at first that he already came up with the concoction I was meant to consume but the two additional portions confused me.

"I promised you tea," Piper explained. She uttered a short thanks and Stork left again, the tray tucked between his arm and side. The dark-skinned girl shrugged her thin shoulders and smiled. "Nothing like a cup of tea, yeah?"

My fingers glided around my cup slowly, almost ghost-like. It almost felt like I could phase through the object, but the warmth and solid barrier of the ceramic surface brought me back to earth. I turned the cup around so as to wrap my right hand around it without the ear sticking out uncomfortably in my grip. The tips of my Claws scraped against the glaze by accident and I saw Aerrow and Piper shudder briefly. My cheeks burned momentarily.

They watched me as I brought the beverage to my lips in silence. Piper simply held her cup in both hands while Aerrow left his untouched. The tea was still too hot to drink, but I let the aroma sift up into my nose. It was pleasant, the tea steeped long and thick. I detected some honey, but I didn't mind Stork electing to add it without asking me.

"Nakoto... you know how you said we'd talk later?"

Piper was looking down at her cup. Her eyes were misted over when I looked at her, but they cleared and she shot me a fully vigilant look.

"I think we should talk now."

My shoulders twitched in a short, humourless laugh. "... I know that I sounded real sure of myself before," I breathed, "but in reality I have no idea how to start, or from what point."

"Why are you on the run?"

Aerrow received a sharp jab in the ribs from Piper and he recoiled, hand hovering over the spot. The Navigator looked at me apologetically and was about to speak but I held up my hand, palm open. I looked at Aerrow and smiled crookedly.

"From both Atmosia and Cyclonia? It seems impressive, doesn't it?" I took a moment to ensure my tone didn't sound too resentful. I tried to distance myself and state the facts. "I can't say that it is, no. It's because I'm a monster. Atmosia wants to condemn me for it, while Cyclonia finds some use for it."

Piper shook her head. "Don't call yourself that... please, Nakoto. What happened?"

I was faced with an opportunity to spill out my soul, my guts, my innermost thoughts. I struggled to do so with my closest loved ones. Seth had prompted me to, Tatu had urged me to, even Scabs left hints of his open ear when he detected something was wrong. I didn't have the heart or strength to consult them. Farida was special in the sense that she was both family and stranger; she was distant enough to judge objectively, but close enough to relate with my problems. Still, even she could not bring me closure. As apparent as it was that she had the capability to feel, she struggled showing any forms of affection. It was how she grew up, and part of that was my fault. She was not equipped to help me in this way.

The Storm Hawks, though...

It was difficult to start, having to focus on the question. How does one begin a story like mine? Did it start with Luchas? With Farida? Did it start way back in my suppressed memories, back to my ghost of a Terra?

I felt that a lot of my turmoil started when I officially met Repton, but that gave him too much credit.

"Well... let's start from the beginning, to a time before either of you were born." My hands closed in on the tea in front of me, slightly comforted by its warmth. It made it easier.

"Let's start with Terra Oasium."

Repton was late to rise, finally seating himself on his throne when the sun reached its peak in the sky.

He informed his sentries he wouldn't be seeing anyone that day, so they were ordered to ensure he remained undisturbed. This shouldn't have been new, since he was usually reclusive, but this time it had to do with a lot more than his preference for solitude. It was also normally short-term, but his mood this time lasted days, and even his clueless brothers were starting to notice, lingering in the background. They knew well to abide his request for their own good, but they stayed within a closer distance... it was so minimal Repton could hardly care to chase them off.

He covered the Eye up. He had done so with a thick, velvety cloth he scavanged from a raid long ago, its origin -he recollected foggily- from a rich merchant ship approaching Terra Rex. After Cyclonis was made aware a large piece of her crystal was missing, Repton couldn't take any chances of her finding out where it was. He was paranoid that the witch would be able to alter the properties from afar and transform it into a window, similar to Luchas' pendent. He left it on the mantle in his chambers, carefully placed on a cushion, wrapped up, and whenever he laid down to rest at night he could still hear murmurs from it. The Cyclonian spy was still stationed at the Atmosian medical facility... what was Cyclonis plotting, if she believed Maia stole the piece? He would have thought she'd order Luchas to bail and return to base, but he stayed at his post. It was puzzling to be sure, but Repton found it hard to care about it for too long.

Oppinsaur accepted Repton's offer, and the rest of the Terradons returned and joined the Raptor colony. It was some time before Repton came into rule that they broke away from them, and their absence was so long that it was odd seeing them within the fortress' walls again. He provided workspace and living quarters, not quite fit for guests but not prison-esque either. Oppinsaur seemed satisfied enough, and he confronted Repton to fulfill his end of the bargain. Truth be told, Repton's interest in the archives was partly kindled by Nakoto's enthusiasm in recovering her own Terra's history. The idea of her no longer in Atmos left him distracted and unfocused, and he waved Oppinsaur away, puzzling the Terradon. For the Raptor King to keep his word and then refuse reciprocation? Unheard of. Repton hoped that his sulking was read as related to the current situation on Bogaton.

The beast hadn't surfaced yet, but they could hear it now, feel its tremors. It was awake and burrowing just outside of their fortress, just at the outskirts of the bedrock that protected them. Goading the animal out into the open was the only way they could bring it down. The northern district was finally completely relocated, materials set aside and the Raptor families who lived there taken in by those elsewhere. Some traps they constructed for the monster were already set in place in that area. Some villagers were unhappy with the incoming crowd, and some disagreements already reached his ears, but it was unimportant. His closest underlings turned to him for their next move.

Repton rubbed his brow as he slouched at his post in the empty throne room. It was pathetic. He wasn't even in the right mindset to guide them forward.

Never in his life did he think he'd succumb to heartache.

On the brink of his awareness, he picked up what sounded like some kind of crystal or electric discharge, very similar to a weapon. It broke him out of his thoughts, and he waited to see if another would sound, but it didn't. He had an idea of where the source came from so he stood up and decided to investigate, or at least take a walk. Spending the whole day in the throne room by himself was what part of him prefered, but another part sought an excuse to break from such a miserable routine.

He wandered to where the Terradons roosted and peeked through the open passageway. He wasn't sure why he had expected them to refrain from their tinkering, since their home laboratory was destroyed, but they seemed to take that as a mere shortcoming. It was in their nature to constantly work on some form of revolutionary technology. It was a bit of a surprise though, that what they seemed to be working on were pieces of artillery. He didn't remember ever getting a request for materials so they must have scavenged scraps of metal, wood, and crystals. A few canons similar to Bogaton's defense system were crafted, but a lot of them were hooked up to monitors. A few Terradons were observing these monitors while others, including Oppinsaur, consulted notes and wrote on clipboards manually.

The leader noticed as Repton stepped gingerly into the space, and he addressed him. Repton jerked his head in the direction of one of the canons they were focused on.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"We're currently working on possible approaches for our little pest problem," Oppinsaur started. He gestured to the monitors. "The creature's large, but it isn't able to rise above the treeline, so the Energy Canons of Bogaton have never been triggered by it. We thought we should build some manual shooters and station them in the northern district. On top of that, we thought it'd be an interesting idea to adopt canons with Paralyzers, to restrict the beast's movements."

Halfway through Oppinsaur's rambling Repton had already thought about the next thing he wanted to say. The Terradon wanted to continue his thoughts but Repton interrupted him. He shook his head distantly.

"I didn't ask you to do this."

"No, you didn't."

"I offered you safe haven here with the condition you wouldn't be forced to make weapons."

"That's true. But this is something we're doing freely." Oppinsaur adjusted his goggles. "You seem... out of sorts. You may not admit it, but you could use some of our help. Our Terra could use some of our help. We Terradon owe it that much."

Repton was having a bit of trouble processing what was going on. He was unaccustomed to this kind of kinship. Terradons were willingly trying to give him firepower. He realized that they were mostly opposed to lending their knowledge to Cyclonis. The issue they had now was entirely independent of what was happening outside. This was closer to home, and Terradons and Raptors alone were faced with this adversity. They were alone, but they were together. It just seemed so out of place, so new. Had they joined forces like this once? Not in Repton's lifetime.

A guard shot past the entrance, but retraced his steps. He had been looking for Repton, evidently. The Raptor King shoved his confused feelings aside for a moment and turned to the scout who arrived before him.

"Repton, sir, I know you requested solitude," the Raptor panted, a bit winded from his search. "But you have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"We think it's the mail-carrier, from last time-"

Repton's heart jumped and his posture straightened up. He pushed his way past the guard with some renewed vigor, unaware of Oppinsaur noting this difference in behaviour. The scout trailed after him, though he was having trouble keeping up with the brisk pace. Repton's mind was going a mile a minute, yet when he found himself just before his throne room he had no plan prepared. He didn't know what to anticipate. Did she come, perhaps, for a final farewell, and did she want to properly tell him off? He would have preferred if it was the latter, as long as she stayed, as long as she...

He arrived, and when his eyes beheld her, the series of thoughts came to a halt. It was clear from the moment he saw her. She, arms folded across her chest and her weight supported on one hip impudently, cast her gaze to him when he showed up. No voice enhancer, no mail bag, just a pasty human in a crop shirt and trackpants. Farida's lip curled upon seeing him.

"We need to talk."

End of Chapter

A/N: This will be the last chapter I'll post here.

Hello to those that remain! It's been a while. DO NOT FRET. This being the last chapter here doesn't mean it's the end of this story. I'm actually rewriting Scales and Bones because I find a few discrepancies here and there, and I feel that maybe as I fix those along I'll be able to take this story somewhere. So I've been posting the revision over at Archive of Our Own!

You can hop on over and watch as the story updates weekly. Chapters have been rearranged, ruthlessly editted, and equipped with new content and dialogue. I'm hoping that people like it much more, since I'll be much more satisfied. Since Storm Hawks isn't really as popular anymore, I've decided to advertize the revision here for you, whoever's been waiting for weeks/months/years. This chapter is mostly to combat that previous cliffhanger and to reach out to those reviewers who've graced me with their words of support.

So yes, the story is now on archiveofourown. org. My username is VeranShade, and it's still entitled Scales and Bones. I'm sure you'll find it. I've missed you and I hope you have a good day/night!

~Vix