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The Cohen-Kline Icosahedron

Chapter 1

copyright comidacomida 2023

Moving was nothing new to Kaiden Wilson. As the only son of a pair of Unity Centre graduates, he grew up moving wherever his parents' jobs took the family. He was exposed to the various other races of different Earths from an early age--- mostly the Phin and Oolau (the Dolphins and Wolves) who were the racial specialties of his mother and father respectively. During his early entrance into the Unity Programme himself, the Ikali, Otter people who were part of the fourth Earth discovered by famed physicist Nathan Cohen.

By the time he had completed his secondary education at the Unity Centre, Nathan Cohen and his protege Angie Mae Kline found more Gateways-- more connections to Other Earths. Reality had been growing exponentially since the first discovery of Water Earth and the understanding of energy flowing between the Earths became clearer with each revelation. When Kaiden's parents had been born there had been two Earths; by the time he had entered school there were four; when he was ready to proceed to the Unity Program University the 'powers that be' had learned that there were, in fact, twelve.

Far from the front-lines of applied scholastics, Kaiden didn't know all of the Worlds, but he had learned more about the 'shape' of the model being proposed by Angie Mae Kline, Dr Cohen's star pupil. Each Earth sat at the center of an intersection connecting them to five other worlds. Despite the amount of learning the young man had undergone, he was still not privy to all of the secrets of the Other Earths. He knew that one of the five worlds connected to his native Earth was Water Earth, where his mother had spent her internship among the dolphin-like Phin; his father had done his work on Shattered Earth with the canine Oolau.

Two of Kaiden's friends from the Unity Programme had gone to Savannah Earth where great cats reigned and he'd heard stories of Plains Earth where a bovine race rose to dominance, but he himself had spent his time learning about the reigning species on Plateau Earth: the Viddin. Even as he sat pondering the many twists and turns in his life, the huge condo he'd spent months in was alive with activity and the seven Viddin making up his study group were the picture of productivity as they prepared to relocate; after spending six months at the Unity Centre in Plateau Earth, their entire group, their 'Roost', was heading back to Land Earth-- to Kaiden's Earth.

The chaos would have been bad enough if it was only Kaiden moving, but his seven Viddin partners were also going with him, and Viddin were NOT small individuals; even Nittik, the smallest among them was easily the size of large dog and Tral-- Kaiden paused as the horse-sized gryphon paused in front of him, expressive beak quirked up encouragingly. "Getting tired already, Kaiden? Come on! We're almost done!"

The Human nodded; he wasn't tired; he was.... "Sure. Almost done."

Even as he sought an impression of his feelings, Kaiden had trouble identifying them. Tral was not easily brushed off. Plopping his rather girthy hindquarters on the carpeted floor with an audible 'thump', the Viddin cocked his head to the side. "Is something wrong, Kaiden'huu?"

The history Kaiden shared with his Roost was a deep one. In recent months he had become a lover with not one, or three, or even five of his classmates but, in fact, all seven of his Roost. Viddin were very possessive of belongings, territory, and prey, but all that was vastly overshadowed by their relationships... except for instances in which groups made a firm agreement to share, known among them as a HuuStook. Kaiden was a valuable commodity-- a desired companion they all accepted as a mutual 'belonging'; the very word Tral had used to refer to him "Kaiden'huu" translated essentially to mean "Our Kaiden".

Mind continuing to wander, Kaiden didn't realize he hadn't answered Tral's question until a second voice piped up; Prirn was seated next to his massive Roostmate-- the second smallest adjacent to the very largest of their number. Prirn was a Viddinur, a mix between a lynx and a falcon; the feathers of his face puffed out along his cheeks, much like the fur would do on a fully feline face. While Tral's expression was inquisitive, Prirn's looked concerned. "Is everything alright, Siik'im?"

Kaiden was used to moving because wherever he went he was with his family. He was familiar with uprooting and going elsewhere because it had always been part of his life but, as he stood near the hallway of the place that had been 'home' for him and his Roost for the past several months, he finally realized what it was that had caused him to pause. "I... I'm fine... just... feeling a little nostalgic."

Tral looked down at Prirn while Prirn looked up at Tral. Eventually they focused on Kaiden again, but neither had a chance to speak up as Hahn, yet another Viddin partnered wandered by. He paused, looking at the other two gryphons before focusing on Kaiden. "Nostalgic? What's that mean?"

All of Kaiden's Viddin partners were incredibly good students and among the top of their class. While they each had an excellent grasp of at least two Human languages, he sometimes forgot that there were certain concepts that escaped them. Before he could answer, however a black-feathered head with a pink 'mohawk' peeked around the corner. "Nostalgic means to be overcome by nostalgia... sentimentality for the past... usually involving memories of a period or place with happy personal associations."

Another voice joined the discussion as the Roost's cheetah-and-owl gryphon spoke up. Peering down the hall from the doorway of his own room, Kytskir added "Kaiden'huu, it is perfectly reasonable to feel any of several emotions at a time like this. It is not every day one gets to return to one's native Earth."

Looking back to yet another classmate, Kaiden locked eyes with the newest addition to their talk, who peered back at him from behind a huge pair of glasses. "I'm fine, Kyt... just trying to manage the chaos."

Although Kaiden had been doing well at clearing out his room as the rest of his Roost focused on their own needs, Viddin had far less when it came to possessions so it only made sense that they were coming around to join him once they'd finished. He realized the chaos was only going to increase but, thankfully, an authoritative, commanding tone broke through the developing dialogue of four gryphons talking over one another. "Everyone, give Kaiden'huu space. His possessions are not gathered up yet. He still has more to do and we are on a tight schedule."

Vetlyk, the unofficial 'leader' of the Viddin members of the study group was also an official son of what would probably be considered the King of the Viddin. As a lion/eagle Viddin known as a Vidday, Vetlyk was considered nobility and others deferred to him; such was the case as everyone gave Kaiden more space. Ever the time-keeper, Prirn had one more comment to say before departing. "We have less than an hour left."

Kaiden and his Roost weren't the only ones moving out of the huge dorm. Six of his seven classmates had been accompanied by loyal followers: their Ilsit. Just as Plateau Earth was attached to Land Earth, so too was it attached to yet another one of numerous versions of the planet: Saurian Earth. The Ilsit were a varied group of reptilian creatures rangning in size from a small child up to an elephant. The smaller ones were bipedal and known as Drones while the larger ones were known as Majors. Five of the six in their dorm were Drones, with only one Major.

Fortunately, the Ilsit were there to help and had few-if-any belongings themselves. Since each was assigned to one Viddin, they had already finished assisting their specific gryphon and were, based on what Kaiden was hearing from down the hall, organizing everything that would be transferred outside to where the Roost would be taking flight. Vetlyk, whose Ilsit companion was the single Major in the group, had to wait for help from the smaller, more dexterous Ilsit but it wasn't long before his belongings had joined the ones in the central room. By that point, Kaiden was just finishing his own packing.

One of the drawbacks of being the sole Human in a dorm full of Viddin and Ilsit was that he was almost always the center of attention. It wasn't long before the Ilsit and Viddin all got together to help transport his belongings. Ultimately it turned into some kind of competition as to which of his classmates would get to carry what. As usual, Kaiden was required to step in and help mediate. Considering they'd be flying, the Roost would have to be able to carry everything with them, and that meant a distribution of weight that favored lighter loads for the smaller Viddin.

As was common among the Roost, Tral had no hesitation when it came to declaring his physical prowess in a way that was simultaneously humble and boasting. "It's okay, guys... I'm bigger, so it only makes sense that I carry more stuff. Everyone has their strengths and mine is... uh... strength."

Once everyone's belongings had been distributed with equity in mind Kaiden went to do one final check of all the rooms. He returned as everyone started gathering near the door. Closer to the hallway, Nittik and Hahn were talking among themselves in the Viddin language but Kaiden caught enough of it to hear that they were talking about something specific. Hahn was reassuring Nittik "Of course! I made sure that we have a dozen bottles of Xis coming with us."

The Human paused at that revelation, just in time for Hanh to glance his way and offer up a wink. Winks were NOT natural gestures among Viddin, meaning it was specifically for his benefit... not unlike the Xys. While most Humans maintained a cordial, friendly, or even filial relationship with their Viddin classmates, Kaiden was one of very few who had gone much, MUCH further and developed a sexual relationship with all seven. Sometimes he wondered how his libido managed to keep up, but one question he didn't have was wondering how he managed to avoid getting hurt; that answer was the Xys.

A combination of Ilsit saliva and an enzyme produced in a special gland just behind their back-most molars, Xys was slick, slippery, and viscous. It also caused flesh to become far more elastic and stood as the number one method for larger breeds of Viddin being able to rut with smaller ones-- and Humans. Kaiden knew it wasn't exactly contraband, but anyone who knew what it was would obviously have questions if they encountered twelve bottles. As if reading his mind, Nittik spoke up. "Nobody said we COULDN'T bring it."

With far too much already on his mind, Kaiden didn't really have the mental processing power to concern himself with Nittik and Hahn's luggage. Glancing around, he saw that the Ilsit Major was missing. Speaking up, the young man addressed everyone in the room. "Where's Haklys?"

A foster brother (of a kind) of Vetlyk, Haklys had been a constant fixture in the dorm alongside the rest. More than that, however, Haklys had become a companion in the same form of physical intimacy as the Viddin; Vetlyk and Haklys often made it a point to share Kaiden together, and the Human found the experiences exhilarating for the simple thrill of it, not to mention the strange visions that the semi-hallucinogenic Ilsit semen gave him. Moreover, Haklys was enjoyable company, and Kaiden really wanted to be able to say goodbye before parting ways. Vetlyk was by the Human's side in an instant, bumping him gently with a feathery wing. "Fear not, Kaiden'huu... he was fetching his carrier."

As the only member of the group's Ilsit who had wings, Haklys had been incredibly helpful when it came to transportation, both of goods, and himself. "He's helping us move things to the pick up site?"

Zithing, the smallest of the Ilsit (ironic that he served Tral, the largest Viddin) took a gentle hold of Kaiden's leg and gave it a full-body hug. "Wy yry tryvylyng ty Lynd Yyrth wyth yyy."

Kaiden did a double-take; while he still found it difficult at times to understand the accent of the less vocally-trained Ilsit, he knew that they were speaking English. That statement, however, took several seconds for him to be certain he'd deciphered it correctly. "You're coming to Land Earth with us?!?"

Kytskir, standing by the open door leading to the hallway outside their dorm spoke up. "Our entire collection of Ilsit... except Vaskag."

Prirn, who was standing on the other side of Vetlyk elaborated. "Vaskag was approved by the Unity Programme to start his first set of entrance exams. With any luck he'll be given permission to be one of the first students of the Unity Centre starting up on Saurian Earth! We're so proud of him."

A much more mature, almost gravely Viddin voice called from the hallway. "Indeed. We believe he will be a fine representative from the Ilsit."

Every last feather puffed up on Prirn's face. "Grandsire?!"

Completely packed, Kaiden was ready to go into the hallway but it was the exclamation that really encouraged him to do so. Stepping out ahead of everyone but Prirn, the Human saw his second-smallest classmate rubbing his head against an ever-so-slightly larger Viddinur, the same breed of Viddin as he. There was a striking family resemblance and, even though Kaiden could tell by the newcomer's graying fur and duller feathers that he was definitely getting on in his years, the older gryphon still looked quite spry, and was dancing around in response to Prirn's attention.

Although Kaiden already knew the answer, he asked anyway. "Prirn... is this your grandfather?"

Realizing after he said it how silly the question was after his classmate had already confirmed it, the lack of forethought was drowned out by the other members of the Roost coming out in a big rush, encircling Prirn and the newcomer, talking all over one another as Viddin were often prone to do. The only member of the Roost holding back was Sokkas, who seemed neither as enthusiastic nor as excited as the rest. He sat down beside the Human, offering a casual statement. "That is Kanrin, the patriarch of Prirn's family. He is a famous singer among the Viddin."

The chorus of chaos continued for a handful of minutes, making it hard for Kaiden to catch anything except for a few snippets. Apparently Kanrin was there with the rest of Prirn's family to wish him well and see him off. According to Prirn's grandsire, Prirn's family wasn't the only one present, and other families were there to see the students off... and meet Kaiden. When that last statement was made, the older Viddin turned to regard him. Kanrin's dull eyes clearing noticeably as his pupils widened. Although the old bird spoke in Viddin, he did so directly and clearly. "You must be the Kaiden Wilson everyone has been squawking about."

Kaiden smiled when he heard his name spoken by a Viddin unfamiliar with Human words; he'd always enjoyed the Viddin accent. While the young man originally had trouble speaking Viddin because some words were difficult for Humans, he'd had enough practice during his stay on Plateau Earth that he'd long-since learned how to dance around the hard words and choose ones that were more reasonable to pronounce. "Yes, sir. I am. Thank you for visiting."

Kanrin let out a cackling, squawking laugh before theatrically bumping Prirn with a shoulder, switching to a quieter dialect of Viddin but speaking it loudly-- the gryphon equivalent of a 'stage whisper'. "I can see why you like him. Good head on his shoulders. Polite. Does he grip you right when you are mounting him?"

A murmur went through the Roost at the rather forward question and Kaiden felt his face redden immediately; surprisingly, Prirn's response far exceeded his own. Turning into a veritable cottonball, Prirn squawked out indignantly. "GRANDSIRE!!!"

Hahn, as usual, displayed no tact, replying candidly in the Viddin language. "He DOES sir... Better than a skilled Jiyjah!"

Prirn's grandfather shot an appraising glance toward Kaiden while addressing Hahn. "Just how much Viddin does the Zfielt know?"

Kaiden couldn't help himself, responding in Viddin. "Enough that I would be embarrassed if I was not used to a half dozen Viddin mounting me regularly."

Kanrin blurted out a hearty squawking guffaw while Prirn looked like he wanted to shrink down and crawl back into an egg and die. He mumbled in English "Don't encourage him, Kaiden'huu. He'll think you're interested."

Even as Kaiden and his Roost interacted with the newcomer, all the Ilsit had started migrating into the hallway, taking all of the traveling gear with them. Kaiden's attention was immediately on the reptiles. He spoke the question aloud in Viddin. "Question: I thought Ilsit are not supposed to be traveling through the hallways? This too public, yes?"

Prirn's grandfather let out a cluck. "Think, Zfielt... you and your Roost are the last group to transfer out tonight."

Kaiden realized exactly what Kanrin was eluding to. He phrased it carefully in Viddin. "I am the last Human student here... there is nobody around that would be angry if they see an Ilsit."

Vetlyk moved up beside the Human and extended a wing, partially unfurling it so he could press it against Kaiden's back, not unlike an arm providing gentle guidance forward. The Vidday spoke in English, gently rubbing the side of his beak against Kaiden's ear. "Correct, Kaiden'huu. My Sire saw to it that we were the last Roost to be transferred out. It makes it easier for us to bring the Ilsit."

The young man nodded, also switching to English. "All except for Vaskag, right?"

Kanrin's ear tufts rose and he glanced back at Kaiden. The older gryphon spoke in his native language. "What is the Skin-Zfielt saying? He is speaking in their language."

The Viddin word 'nir' translated to 'skin', hence Nir'Zfielt, or Smooth-Zfielt was the gryphon term for Human. From what Kaiden had heard, it went through several iterations as the Viddin learned more and more about them, and were exposed to various other races. That led the young man to believe that Kanrin knew a little more about the Programme than the average Viddin. Prirn trotted to catch up to his grandfather. "His people have many languages, Grandsire. The one he speaks is called English."

Kaiden didn't have much time to consider Kanrin's micro-lesson as he was ushered outside of the building to a large audience gathered on campus grounds. The Centre's outside lighting was on, including the spotlights, banishing the night around the take off area-- the long strip of smooth ground jutting out over the desert over a hundred feet below the plateau. Filling the area were a plethora of Viddin and a few of the higher ranked Human instructors who had been assigned to Plateau Earth. Kaiden also noticed that the vast majority of the Viddin didn't have Programme-issued satchels, suggesting that they were visitors rather than participants.

Kaiden's assessment only increased as happy squawks, screeches, and peeps arose from his classmates; knowing acknowledgement of family that had come to see them off. He quickly saw that most of the visiting Viddin were focused on specific classmates of his; Karin and Prirn went straight to a collection of Viddinur. Nittik, Sokkas, and Kytskir also disappeared into respective groups and even Sokkas stepped away to meet with a slightly larger male Viddinich and Tral trotted over proudly to a mature-looking Viddinire hen; although the area was plenty loud, he did hear Tral's distinct, rumbling greeting of "Koltyr", the Viddin word for "Mother".

The young man wasn't able to focus much on the reunions however as Vetlyk's beak came to rest atop his head as the Vidday lowered it down, using the Human as a head rest. "I am certain this will take some time... everyone's kuutyr have shown."

The word 'kuutyr' was family, both in a singular and plural form. Kaiden noted that, indeed, all of his classmates' families were in attendance... except one. "Holruk Hoklas didn't though."

Vetlyk tensed up noticeably at that but made no other response. Instead, Haklys sat down on the opposite side of Kaiden from the Viddin. Glancing down at him, the Dragon stated simply "The Holruk is not able to travel whenever the mood strikes, Kaiden. They said their goodbyes when Vetlyk last visited home."

Kaiden realized that he may have inadvertently caused his classmate some distress. Leaning against Vetlyk, the young man gave him a gentle side hug; he noticed that Vetlyk carefully hid the show of affection with the careful positioning of his wrapped wing. Kaiden added a quiet apology. "I'm sorry, Vetlyk... I didn't think before speaking."

Vetlyk, as usual, was a master of stoicism, and he responded neutrally while in the company of others. "It is to be expected, Kaiden'huu. The Holruk's burden is a heavy one, and he cannot be expected to step away from his duties just because his son is setting out on a long journey for half of a year."

The young man wanted to provide more of an apology but he was preempted as a loud, boisterous squawk drowned out all others in a Viddin challenge. "Well? Where is this Skin-Zfielt you keep talking about, Nephew?"

The Viddin word uu'soltyr, or literally 'son of my sibling' was most correctly translated as 'nephew', and Kaiden honestly had no idea whose uncle had spoken up until Hahn's voice, equally as loud, squawked out in English "Hey! Kaiden! Come here! My family wants to meet you!"

Vetlyk gently unfurled his wing from around the Human then gave him a light shove at the base of his back with a talon. "They are waiting, Kaiden'huu... the sooner you perform, the sooner we may depart."

Haklys let out a soft, rumbling chuckle. "Throwing him to the depredations of family so easily, Soltyr?"

Offering only a calm, balanced response, Vetlyk confirmed the Dragon's presumption. "He has already met our Holtyr and survived. Kaiden'huu will be fine."

With few options left ahead of him, Kaiden went to where he saw Hahn dancing back and forth on his hind-legs, wings extended for balance, front talon waving him over. As the young man carefully walked the outskirts of the massive collection of Viddin (and a few Ilsit), Hahn came into clearer view-- as did the several Viddin accompanying him. Accompanying Kaiden's Viddinis classmate was an older hen who Hahn resembled very closely, a male and female Viddinis likely only a few years older than Hahn himself, and a cock much closer to the hen's age. It was the eldest male of the group who drew Kaiden's attention the most.

The gryphon Kaiden could only assume was Hahn's uncle was a spectacle to see. Not only were the normally tanish-brown feathers of his cowl bleached, but the smaller, finer feathers around his face and top of his beak were dyed black. Streaks of yellow feathers ran down from either side his beak and throat were a daffodil yellow, which gave way to a rich, forest green fur-- also obviously dyed. The feathers at the end of the Viddin's feline tail created an eccentric pattern of alternating green, yellow, and blue.

Kaiden was so caught up by the 'paint spatter' of a Viddin that he completely missed the introductions Hahn had made until he concluded with "And this is my Kol'soltyr, Squyl."

The words left Kaiden's mouth before he could stop them. "This is your uncle? The Jiyjah?"

Although he'd spoken in English, the single Viddin word was unmistakable. Rather than causing a scene full of filial shame and shushing, however, the only one of the group left embarrassed was Kaiden as every last member of Hahn's family cracked up laughing... especially the uncle. Feeling himself turn redder than Squyl's manicured talons, Kaiden took in a deep breath as Hahn trotted over and gave him a huge wing hug, still laughing as he said in Viddin "Yes, Kaiden... THAT uncle."

The human spent a few minutes talking to each of them; Hahn's mother seemed relatively benign, and even pleasant. Hahn's two siblings were from the same clutch and were two years older than Hahn. The brother was very nearly polite, and only pointed out once that he was jealous of Hahn; the sister was much more mellow than either of her brothers and indicated only that she was glad that someone was available to keep 'Haahn in line.

It took a moment for Kaiden to realize why her saying Hahn's name sounded different until he realized it: she was referring to him in the diminutive-- 'little Hahn'. His classmate responded immediately. "I am NOT a chick anymore! Call me by my RIGHT name!"

Hahn's brother got into it too. "Aww... is poor Haahn late for his nap?"

Hahn shot right back. "Hey! I'm bigger than you, Soltyr!"

His male sibling let out a squawk which translated roughly into "Yeah right." and added "I am taller, longer, and weigh more than you."

Hahn doubled down, cocking his hind leg. "I'm not talking about everywhere, hukt... only where it COUNTS!"

Kaiden had expected for his brother to be as taken aback by Hahn's antics as anyone else but, in that moment of expectation, the young man had forgotten that the two were related... and a LOT alike. Raising his own hind leg, Hahn's brother shot right back. "Yeah right. You may have been gone six months, but you can't have grown THAT much. I bet I still beat you by a head's length!"

The young man let out a long sigh, covering his face with a hand. "I can't believe I'm seeing this..."

A soft-yet-masculine purr accentuated the words spoken up from beside him, surprisingly in English. Turning, Kaiden almost jumped out of his shoes when he saw Squyl. "Still acting like chicks at their age... but they have to get it out of their systems sooner rather than later, hmm?"

Turning to regard Hahn's uncle, Kaiden didn't miss how the mature Viddinis' huge pupils focused on him. Taking a step back, the young man asked of nobody in particular "What exactly did I get myself into?"

Squyl's beak parted in a Viddin grin as he gave his tail a flick. "What would you LIKE to get into?"

Hahn's family was only the first Kaiden would meet that night; it was quite the start.