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The Cohen Icosahedron

Epilogue

copyright comidacomida 2022

Time at the White Tail Aerie gave Kaiden a greater understanding of Viddin life because he got to experience it firsthand. While he had the opportunity to learn alongside the Viddin students at the Unity Centre, they had already been explosed to the Humans, Phin, and Oolau of the Programme after having spent a year and a half learning about the other races; the Viddin of the White Tail Aerie, however, were Viddin through and through with absolutely no social compatibility training-- it was exciting and a little frightening all at once.

Throughout his stay, Vetlyk was his constant companion and, as often as not, Haklys too. The two brothers accompanied him everywhere he went, playing interference in the case a Viddin got too curious, or became likely to cause trouble. Nobody was so interested in Kaiden that they would endanger themselves by crossing the Holruk's son or the Aerie's resident 'Ilsit Royalty'. That, of course, was an issue in and of itself about which Kaiden got quite the crash course during the stay.

Considering he had yet to learn much of anything about the Ilsit except the vaguest snippets of information, Kaiden was treated to a much more thorough explanation of their culture and the methods with which they interacted with the Viddin-- a partnership that had extended for nearly two thousand years. While Humanity and the Phin had less than a century with the knowledge of the Cohen Energy Flow, the dragons and gryphons were well-experienced.

Among the Ilsit, it was not an uncommon practice to surrender 'ownership' of a child to an ally-- it was an arranged diplomatic partnering of a sorts, in which separate sects of the serpentine race would strengthen ties. As it turned out, the Ilsit had a lasting relationship with the White Tail Aerie, which was the first collection of Viddin with whom they'd made contact. For the past almost twenty centuries there had always been an Ilsit Major within the Aerie, and Haklys was the most recent to hold that position, which he'd graced for neary twenty five years.

He first came to Plateau Earth just as Holruk Hoklas became an adult, and was given to him as a first unofficial child, despite them nearly the same age. Ilsit aged much closer than Viddin and, according to their biological timescale, Haklys was roughly of equivalent maturity to Kaiden, who was just a little ahead of Vetlyk. Ilsit matured around 40, while humans were late teens and Viddin were early-to-mid teens. It was strange to think that Haklys was another one of the group, and yet was almost twice his own age-- or that Vetlyk was almost two years younger than the Human, and yet they were 'peers'.

It wasn't the only thing that gave him pause-- not when he had more opportunities to experience more of the strange Ilsit memories; they accompanied, of course, much more 'intimacy', which was something Haklys was all too happy to provide, meeting every invitation with a very clear, unhesitating "It would be my pleasure, Kaiden Wilson."

That was the other thing about the dragon; he never instigated. The numerous times Kaiden, Vetlyk and Haklys had shared intimately during the trip always had to be via invitation from the Human or the Viddin. It wasn't fully explained until one evening in which Vetlyk had to spend time with his father at a Viddin event; Kaiden's Takket had made it clear. "My Soltyr can keep you occupied in my absence... but he doesn't--"

Kaiden knew the agreement by that point. "He doesn't get to mount me. I know."

The rest of that night was just the two of them. Kaiden and Haklys spent the time in Vetlyk's quarters alternating between discussing the Human's experiences in the White Tail Aerie and reviewing the snippets of experiences that the young man had snatched from his dalliances with the Ilsit Major. The transferred memories were fleeting and vague but, as Haklys explained, that was to be expected since Humans weren't Ilsit and the memories of one race couldn't always transfer easily to another-- in fact, Humans were the only non-Ilsit who apparently could obtain any portion of them.

The dragon, at that point, was lounging on his side with his legs spread, nearly a foot of smooth, firm flesh standing at attention; he wasn't fully hard at that point, but it didn't take much for Kaiden to fix that. Even as the Human worked is magic with his hands, the Ilsit rumbled in pleasure. He didn't finish his explanation, however. "The more you imbibe the clearer the memories... though, for Humans, the truest way to receive memories is..." he chuckled, "...well... you will have to get special permission from my Soltyar."

Kaiden wasn't about to abuse Vetlyk's trust and, despite being willing to experiment more with the eager Ilsit, he kept things to what had been approved beforehand. Unlike previous times, however, rather than limit his interaction at the moment of Haklys' release to his hands, he slipped his lips around the textured shaft and pressed himself forward, feeling the tapered tip slide down his throat. Haklys let out a true roar at the sudden pressure around his member and his claws dug furrows into the stone from the strength of his contractions; Kaiden's head swam and he was certain he was going to drown-- that sensation only grew when everything went black and he passed out.

The dreams were more than clearer; they were practically a movie-- and he watched everything from Haklys' point of view. Ilsit had been involved with the Viddin for almost two millennia. There had never been a time in which an Ilsit Major hadn't been at the White Tail Aerie-- a diplomatic 'gift' of sorts between the two species. Haklys had been one of the most recent generation to have made the transition; considering he had been presented to Hoklas and was living with Vetlyk, he was on his second generation of Viddin family and would likely live through three of them.

As a diplomatic envoy, Haklys had been adopted by the White Tail Aerie and, when he did, he surrendered his Ilsit name, to be forever more known under a Viddin name. Hoklas had accepted the Ilsit as a great honor and, as a welcome, elected to provide his own name-- with some minor changes. Hoklas' sire had been very displeased by it, and yet the young ai'Holruk had stuck to his decision, much to the Holruk's chagrin; apparently Hoklas had a fondness for getting under his sire's feathers.

All of those realizations and thoughts and memories flashed through Kaiden's mind along with others-- a confusing collection of vignettes playing over one another in the same way a Roost of Viddin talked; it was hard to hold on to and harder to understand-- as many of the young man's dreams/memories were lost as retained... except for the last one. He was Haklys, staring at himself in a reflection of water; he looked almost the same despite it having been more than ten years prior. Kaiden was able to remember it because Haklys was talking to him.

The Ilsit was looking past his reflection, as if forcing himself to peer at someone beyond, speaking in the Ilsit language and, since the dragon could understand it, Kaiden could too. "I do not know you yet, but one day I will. One day we will be Together, and I will share myself with you, and these memories. I do not know who you are yet, but if you are seeing this memory then you will be someone important to me-- you ARE someone important to me. Now that I am Of the Viddin, my name is Haklys, but those closest to me know my given name. I am Ystys. It means 'the Red Sky'. You will be a Human. I know it, and you WILL see this."

Kaiden awoke surrounded by Haklys-- by Ystys. The dragon had cleaned him off and wrapped his body around the Human's, keeping him close and intimate. The young man shifting slightly caused the dragon to lift his head and, hand shaking, Kaiden reached out to rest it on the Ilsit's forehead; in ages past, Humans could bond with dragons-- he wasn't completely sure how he knew it, but was certain it came from the memories he hadn't completely understood. Haklys closed his eyes, entire body vibrating with intimate warmth. The sensation grew when the young man spoke softly "Ystys."

The dragon respond simply with two syllables in the Ilsit language before also saying it in English; Kaiden knew it innately despite without needing the follow-up translation. "Kjyn yy. My soul."

* * * * * *

Kaiden and Haklys were upfront and forthcoming with Vetlyk when he joined them in the room, explaining what had transpired. The young man didn't know if his Takket would be upset, but was pleasantly surprised when the Viddin celebrated along with them. He'd known for the longest time that Haklys had sought to share his memories, and such a thing was all but impossible for him on Plateau Earth since the only other Ilsit Major in the area had absolutely no interest in him.

Vetlyk confirmed that he was more than happy enough to Huu'Stook his allotted time and, being so close with his brother, was overjoyed to think of Kaiden as "Takket'hu". He was still reluctant to ease up on his limitations of when and how the two could be intimate, however. Haklys was able to disarm the tension with a sidelong comment about not wanting to stretch Kaiden TOO much that Vetlyk couldn't enjoy himself. They all knew that Xys would keep that from being a problem, but it just went to show that there was no animosity or jealousy at play, and it helped Kaiden feel a little more comfortable.

With the three of them growing closer still, Kaiden was inducted into the full story of Ystys. As had been said, the dragon hadn't taken a lover or mate on Plateau Earth; in that, he and Vetlyk were alike. Unlike with Vetlyk, however, the Holruk wasn't trying to mess with the Ilsit's love life. Knowing that there was a certain spirituality in the coming together of an Ilsit Major, everyone just let Haklys do his own thing, but he and Vetlyk discussed it often enough; they shared one another's innermost secrets.

Vetlyk once every gave up his jiyjah to show solidarity; his celebacy lasted three days. Both brothers laughed heartily with that reveal, making Kaiden blush. He blushed even more when the two brothers decided that they wanted to further 'bond' in the moment, and Kaiden willingly joined them in more intimacy. It was a common occurrence during his time at the White Tail Aerie, and the time passed quickly. He continued to call the Ilsit "Haklys" in public but when it was the two or three of them, "Ystys" became the norm.

As Kaiden became more and more comfortable around the non-Programme Vidden he took the opportunity to explore more of the Aerie, accompanied by Vetlyk, Haklys, or both of them. It gave the Human more chances to practice his Viddin; some of the language was nearly impossible for his vocal chords but, the more he used it, the better he got at finding alternate words and, in a few cases, creating different ways to create a close imitation of the sounds he needed.

Once the Viddin were more comfortable around him he even got some compliments at his ability to talk in their language-- but he still got quite a few laughs; they were quick to mention he sometimes sounded like a hatchling learning to speak, but it became apparent that they were laughing with him, not at him. Things got even crazier when, on the second-to-last day there, the Holruk called the Aerie together to make an announcement; Kaiden's status as Vetlyk's mate-to-be was made public.

The announcement was the sum totality of the 'celebration'; there wasn't really a ceremony to be had. Kaiden remembered that most Viddin subspecies didn't have 'weddings' of any sort-- in most cases, mating rituals amounted to public performances and, considering the young man wasn't really that much for exhibitionism, was more than happy enough to call it good. What was very reaffirming was that most of the Aerie seemed pleased that Vetlyk had found a mate and didn't seem to care in the least that it was a Human, or a MALE Human for that matter (especially once the Holruk added that Human males could bear Viddin young). Most of the discussion Kaiden overheard, in fact, turned out to be that.

As Vetlyk went off to address the discussions of the many visitors and Haklys went with him to keep the crowd in check, that left Kaiden alone with Holruk Hoklas for the first time since his arrival. Although the young man was wary, he certainly didn't have the same reservations as he had on the initial visit. He did, in fact, hop right up to join the Holruk on the same lounging sofa rather than choosing a different one, and helped himself to leaning back against the lord of the Vidday as if he were a large bean bag chair.

The Holruk took notice. "You seem to have grown much more comfortable around Viddin during your stay here, Lakket'hu."

Kaiden was well aware of it, but he also knew that he was dealing with a politician, so some verbal evasion was perfectly reasonable. He had no compunctions about playing with his 'father in law'. "It helps knowing what to expect."

Hoklas' response was not what Kaiden anticipated. Lowering his head, the Holruk let out a soft whistle. "I empathize, my son."

The older gryphon had used the Viddin word "Uutyr'im", literally referring to him as his filial child. There was something warming about the intimacy the term suggested but Kaiden found himself slightly off-balance from the Holruk's quiet introspection. He reached out a hand to touch the Holruk's talon. "Is something wrong... Holruk'im?"

He was Vetlyk's mate; it was time he referred to Hoklas as his Lord. The sentiment, however, elicited quite a reaction from the older gryphon; his feathery cowl rose immediately and he stared, practically startled by Kaiden's word choice. Grinding his beak, Hoklas looked away immediately and noted gruffly in English "Please... continue calling me by name."

Kaiden gave the Holruk's talon a gentle squeeze. "Alright... Hoklas."

The Holruk's head feathers lowered slowly and he shook out his wings, a soft coo accompanying the gesture. "That is much better, Lakket'hu. You may be family now, but I think I prefer you as you have always been-- you are a Zfielt-- a world apart... in a good way."

The Human chuckled. "In a GOOD way, huh?"

Hoklas' wings extended at the same time, spreading far out in front of him like two mirrored crescent moons. A moment later they folded inward, pulling Kaiden against the enormous Viddin's furry and feathery body. The gigantic gryphon leaned down and rubbed his head against the Human's. "As I have said before, Lakket'hu, you have been outside the scope of our society. Although I understand that you are now my son's mate and will hold a place within the Aerie, you are not a Viddin, and I have come to know you as such... just as I believe you see me in a way far different than the Viddin here."

Kaiden got his shot in while he could. "You don't see me as a Jiyjah?"

The Holruk tensed up at that and his wings loosened and he ground his beak. "When I spoke those words it was--"

The Human slid his hands down on either side of his body, drawing his fingers through the lush, curled fur of the Viddin's underside along the colossal gryphon's abdomen; it silenced Hoklas immediately save for the faintest, high pitched whistle; Kaiden had learned the spot through trial and error with the various members of his Roost-- apparently it worked on the Holruk just as well. "You probably had spies tell you about the rumors from the Unity Centre..."

Vetlyk's father was very good at recovering his composure, grinding his beak with obvious resistance to the stimulation. "Only that some of your more... vocal Roostmates had much to say about Human f-fingers."

Kaiden smirked when Hoklas stuttered out the final word; one of his fingers had traversed the Holruk's belly button and dipped further down to get lost within the masculine Viddin's forest of groin fur. The Human's digit made slow, soft circles amidst the musky tufts. "You didn't mind Vetlyk 'playing' with me as a Jiyjah because rutting without pregnancy doesn't create problems for a Holruk's line... right?"

Hoklas huffed, his wings shaking faintly. "It is a.... c-common enough practice."

There had been many things the huge gryphon had said over the course of their discussions that led Kaiden to believe that the mature Viddin didn't partake himself. "But you have a reputation to uphold yourself... your son finding relief with a male is one thing, but you would never use a Jiyjah yourself... not one that wasn't an object anyway, right?"

Several more fingers joined the first, gently squeezing a handful of groin fur as the Human spread his digits out, the tips tickling along either side of a wrist-thick sheath which was rapidly swelling against the small of Kaiden's back-- a side effect of using the Holruk as a bean bag. Hoklas delayed answering for several moments, his first attempt interrupted by an inadvertent quiver of his hips; his second one rumbled out through his clenched beak. "It would... not be proper for me to take a Viddin lover..."

Kaiden looked up over the top of his head at Vetlyk's father; the older Viddin's tongue was sticking out of the side of his muzzle, eyes unfocused as he panted. The Human smiled up at him. "Your leather Jiyjah must have been ruined several times over by now."

Before the Holruk could respond Kaiden added a second hand behind himself, unerringly locating the gryphon's testicles; he could only manage to hold one since each was easily larger than a grapefruit. Hoklas responded by inhaling quickly; a section of the stone throne broke away in his grasping talon. A soft response rumbled out of the huge Viddin, suffused with no-longer hidden need. He said the word in English, each syllable dripping from his beak like a thinly-veiled promise. "Obliterated...."

Although it should have intimidated Kaiden by all rights, seeing the Holruk's no longer hidden desires and knowing the gigantic Viddin enough to see that he wasn't a threat, the Human wasn't concerned at all; in truth, he came very quickly to realize that, in that moment, he was the one with all the power. Sliding slowly off of the lounging sofa, he turned around to see the Holruk, fully exposed, cowl up, staring at him with a mixture of curiosity, concern, embarrassment, and (mostly) desire. "Poor Holruk... no longer you're so grouchy... you crave contact."

Kaiden leaned forward, resting his abdomen against the edge of the lounging sofa until his face slammed into the bestial musk rising up from the Holruk's exposed flesh. Nearly as long and as thick as the Human's arm, it was as massive as its bearer. The closer the Human got to it the more Hoklas' feathers puffed up. Smirking, Kaiden rested one hand firmly on the Holruk's sternum, the other reaching out to cradle the gryphon's enormous nuts. He concluded the action with an ever-so-gentle kiss, right on the Viddin's pointed tip. The simple contact was all it took to unlock the flood gates.

It took almost a half hour for Kaiden and Hoklas to clean up enough to travel to the baths; the lounge would take far longer but, fortunately, the White Tail Aerie had a large number of Ilsit servants. The Human was led to a bathing chamber reserved for the royal family, wherein their discussion continued in a much less lewd manner. The young man learned that Hoklas was, in fact, very concerned for the future, and the large gryphon made it very clear when he approached the topic of the Gateway trip. "Kaiden'huu... I ask that you care for my son when you get to Land Earth."

Kaiden turned to regard the Holruk; even waterlogged, feathers clumped and dripping he still somehow managed to maintain an elegant, regal demeanor. "Land Earth is safe, Hoklas, and, besides, we're wards of the Unity Programme-- you have nothing to worry about."

Hoklas clucked out a chuckle. "I am a Holruk; I worry about everything, Lakket'huu... but I will worry a little less knowing you are there for him."

The Human smiled and nodded. "I promise. He takes care of me here and I'll be sure to return the favor on Land Earth."

The Holruk leaned down and bumped his head gently against Kaiden's. "Thank you, Kaiden'huu. I am pleased that Vetlyk chose you, and I am gladdened that you are now part of our family and Aerie. I--"

The quiet, subdued discussion concluded with a whuffed Ilsit laugh followed by Haklys' mirthful statement. "That is a second Zofra heart you owe me, Soltyar."

Vetlyk, standing beside the smirking Ilsit Major, looked as though he'd bitten into a sour spleen. "Khwah."

Despite his mate's initial surprise, it didn't take much work for Kaiden to convince the two brothers to join him in the baths. Hoklas excused himself, giving all three of them gentle 'kisses' with his beak before departing, leaving the younger bathers time to themselves. He lingered a moment at the exit, turning his head 170 degrees around to add "There is some Xys on the second shelf."

Kaiden learned that evening that Xys could be used on the throat and mouth as well as other orifices, and he was filled to overflowing even as the two brothers kissed one another while boring into him from either end. It was a good final night at the White Tail Aerie.

* * * * *

Vetlyk didn't object to Haklys carrying Kaiden back to the Unity Programme and, thanks to the coordinated flight plan, they made it back in a single day of travel, leaving the rest of the weekend for them to relax with the Roost. Kytskir had remained at the Centre for the entire vacation while Sokkas had come back a day earlier; Nittik had already returned before the three arrived; Prirn and Hahn returned shortly after them; Tral's family had notifed the Programme that he would be back in the morning before class.

The Roost recovened as everyone got settled and the Viddin began discussing the entirety of their trips all at the same time, except for Vetlyk and Sokkas. The former remained as stoic as usual while the latter spent his time in silent brooding, staring across the distance at Kaiden. After almost twenty minutes of the cacophony of gryphon squawking, the young man had decided that he'd had enough, stood up, and walked across the room to flop down on the same lounging sofa as Sokkas. In front of everyone, the Human snuggled up against the dyed Viddin, whose feathers and fur puffed up in response to the forward and very public action.

It was at that moment that everyone fell silent, and Vetlyk decided it was his time to talk. "The Holruk accepted Kaiden as my mate. This does not change the Huu'Stook. He was also intimate with Haklys... and my sire."

The next twenty minutes was total chaos as all of the Viddin started up talking over one another again and, to make matters even more riotous, the Ilsit also added their voices to the mix. Kaiden honestly hadn't expected the topic to be approached quite so quickly but that band-aid had been pulled, and it was addressed head-on. He knew enough about the Viddin to know that intimate rendezvous weren't any great social concern but he was a little worried what it could mean for the Huu'Stook. As it turned out, his worry was completely without cause; many of his Viddin classmates gave him props for seducing a Holruk, and many of the Ilsit were unabashedly jealous of the Ilsit Major.

Vetlyk excused himself, acknowledging that he and Haklys had traveled a long way; he went to his room to rest before morning in the classes. Kaiden knew his mate well enough at that point to realize that it was the Vidday's way of giving the rest of the Roost some time with the Human who they hadn't seen for two weeks. The Roost, in fact, made very good use of that time and, before the young man knew it, he was at the center of a feathery tornado as his classmates unabashedly made up for lost time.

Nittik, Kytskir, Prirn and Hahn happily gathered around the Human and took turns making use of his many talents from many different angles... and, though Kaiden eventually lost track of who was doing what, he was fairly certain that more than one Ilsit happy offered Xys straight from the source. The Human didn't mind, however, finding himself buried in Nittik, Kytskir, or Hahn just as often as a Viddin was deep inside him. It was a good night.

It was mid-evening by the time their bawdy orgy concluded. Nittik and Hahn ended up continuing with one another while Kytskir lay on his back, dictating some recitation of their act to Hassag-- perhaps for later research or maybe just for posterity. Prirn ended up helping a very spent and very sore Kaiden down the hall to his room. The Viddinur lingered for a moment, raising up to his hind legs and balanced on them with a talon against the wall so he could stand roughly the same height as the Human. He spoke softly, enunciating as if in a performance "It may be summer, but since I'm away from you, my beloved, it feels like winter to me."

Kaiden blushed slightly at that. "Is that... more Viddin poetry?"

Prirn cawed at that in Viddin displeasure before repeating the sentiment in a much more human-like scoff. "Of course not, Takket-- that was from your own people... a man who is supposed to be famous among much of your culture... William Shakespur."

The young man corrected him. "Shakespeare."

The Viddin accepted the correction graciously. "Shakespeare. I studied Human poetry during this break and, while I realize it is Spring and not Summer, all weather around he has been cold without you."

Kaiden chuckled, leaning forward so he could kiss Prirn's beak; the Viddin leaned into it, cooing softly as the Human spoke. "Well... you can go back to being warm now."

Pecking back softly, his classmate made an excellent copy of the sound of a smooch. "I am pleased you had a good time at the White Tail Aerie, that you have come back safely to us, and that the Holruk accepted you as Vetlyk's mate, Kaiden'huu.

Kaiden nodded, embracing the standing Viddin, both to help him stand, but also because he missed his soft, gentle classmate. "I did, and I have, and I am as well... but this doesn't change the Huu'Stook... I'm still your Takket too."

Prirn's pupils dilated and narrowed; he let out a soft giggle and touched his beak to Kaiden's nose again. "I know that, Siik'im... do not worry about us; I am more worried about you as a human trying to navigate this... I know it is not as common among your kind."

The young man chuckled, slowly disengaging as his classmate pulled away. He reached down and ruffled the feathers on Prirn's head. "I'm pretty sure I'm figuring it out as I go."

Offering a beaky smile, Prirn reached out his hind leg and pressed the floor censor, opening Kaiden's door for him. "Be gentle, Sokkas... he's already been through a lot tonight."

The statement confused the Human until he saw the glimmer of a predator's eyes peering out into the hall from the blackness within his bedroom. Wishing Prirn a good night, the Human stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him without bothering to turn on the light. Kaiden put a little humor into his question. "Waiting for your turn again?"

The harsh glare of the low light reflection from Sokkas' eyes softened immediately. His words also lacked its usual hard edge. "I had never thought I could miss someone so much."

The Human moved over to his classmate's side immediately; Sokkas was lounging in the beanbag that Kaiden had brought into his room as a suitable relaxation spot for Viddin classmates. The Viddinich had much better night vision than he and the young man felt the warm, scaled talon gently grip his forearm as Sokkas guided him down to the floor before folding a large wing around him. Smiling, the Human had no trouble admitting "I missed you too, Sokkas."

The Viddin's words were accentuated with a hint of restrained fury. "The Holruk did not hurt you, did he? To know that he--"

Kaiden knew exactly what Sokkas meant; he had been forthright and honest with his Roost, having explained that their initial interaction was 'less than idea'. "No. He didn't force himself upon me... it was all an act, and he didn't make me do anything. Other than-- well... other than that first meeting, he was actually very nice."

Sokkas' dour tone felt far more familiar at that point. "Of course. He wanted something from you."

Rolling his eyes, Kaiden simply lowered himself down until he was laying against the Viddinich. "It's okay, Sokkas... I'm back and I'm here with you. Right now. Just us."

It was a much less eloquent call-back to what Sokkas had once said when the two of them were together that the rest of the world didn't even exist. It was quickly evident that the Viddin realized what Kaiden was getting at. His tone changed once again to pure smooth silk. "I am lost in a crowd but when I am with you I am home. I love you, Kaiden."

It was the most direct and straight-forward that Kaiden could recall Sokkas having ever been. The Human offered up a disarming chuckle, offering up a slightly lighter view of things. "Trying to sweet talk me before mounting me?"

A second talon closed around his second forearm and Sokkas pushed him away just enough that the two could look at one another; although the darkness in the room was too much for Kaiden to see clearly, he saw a very firm will in the glow of his classmate's eyes. "Kaiden Wilson... I would spend all day every day mounting you if not for the need to eat and drink and sleep, but, right now, I want only to ask you something."

The firmness and seriousness with which the Viddin spoke broke Kaiden's inclination to try and joke. "Oh... okay, Sokkas... what's--"

Sokkas's words came quickly and directly. "You are my Takket. I have lived without want for so long... but now, I want you to be my mate. If you want chicks, then I wish to give you chicks. If you do not wish to bear my chicks then I do not wish to put any in you... whatever it is you want, Kaiden Wilson, I want it too. Be my mate."

Kaiden froze; was he hearing what he thought he was hearing. Frozen in place for many long moments, the words that eventually made it to his lips were "I... don't know what to say."

A voice from outside the room spoke up, making it clearly through the door; Nittik was always the eavesdropper. "You say YES, Zfielt."

Sokkas' response was dark, violent, loud, and full of growl as he roared at the door. "I will gut you and leave your corpse out for the Koklin to scavenge!"

Nittik wasn't done apparently. "Hey! I'm on YOUR side!"

Before Sokkas could get up, Kaiden reversed the grip, taking hold of both of the Viddin's talons. "Yes, Sokkas. I'll be your mate."

With Nittik forgotten, Sokkas quickly fell into the act of showing Kaiden just how happy he was. Outside the room, Nittik pushed his luck, offering one more comment before leaving the two to their intimacy. "Nice."

The End