Chapter 170: Roost Report 2

THE ROOST REPORT

Penned by Lord Plumage & Lady Mimic

"We don’t spread rumors. We simply give them wings."

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Lord Plumage: Good morning, Bestiaris! We have survived yet another day.

Lady Mimic: Most of us.

Lord Plumage:Must you?

Lady Mimic:Accuracy is the backbone of journalism, Plummy.

Lord Plumage:You write anonymous gossip for an academy newspaper.

Lady Mimic:And yet we profit from their curiosity.

Lord Plumage: Oh well, moving swiftly along.

Lady Mimic:Very swiftly. Preferably before another building collapses.

Lord Plumage:Yes, well. What began as an unusual semester has officially become quite a show. Humans are being fed, dragons are defending them, and somewhere in all of this, Bestiaris Academy has misplaced an entire dining hall.

Lady Mimic: Sharpen those claws, straighten those feathers, and if you happen to be standing inside a school building...

Lord Plumage: Locate the nearest exit.

Let’s begin!

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BREAKFAST WITH THE PREDATORS

When the three ruling Houses accepted humans into their ranks, we assumed the gesture was largely ceremonial. A show of unity, maybe.

A convenient opportunity for the two princes to prove that they were more progressive than everyone else while the unfortunate humans attempted to survive the semester.

Then they brought them to breakfast, and the arrangement became serious.

Humans were seated among beasts, fed alongside House members and, most surprisingly, watched over by the very creatures who barely acknowledged their existence two years ago.

Even Prince Caelis Cobryn appears to have developed opinions regarding human nutrition.

Yes, that Prince Caelis.

The same serpent who usually looks as if the rest of us are inconveniencing him simply by breathing within the same space. Witnesses claim the Ophidian Prince personally ensured his humans were eating properly.

It is often said that beasts are territorial creatures. Apparently, that territorial instinct now extends to humans. Bestiaris Houses now claim, feed and protect them.

We eagerly await the collars.

Even Prince Rhydian Drakhar couldn’t escape the trend. Although, in his case, he may have taken hospitality a little further than necessary.

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BREAKFAST FOR TWO?

While Prince Caelis concerned himself with the nutritional well-being of his humans, Prince Rhydian was witnessed doing something considerably more interesting.

He served one human.

Aria Aspen. A Therion human.

Which raises several questions, beginning with the most obvious: Where was Prince Maverick Nightshade?

The wolf prince was noticeably absent from our unlikely royal reunion, and while we’re certain House Therion is perfectly capable of keeping its humans alive without him hovering over their plates, perhaps Prince Maverick should pay closer attention to where his humans are wandering.

Dragons are notorious hoarders. We would hate for Therion to misplace one. As for Rhydian, we remain undecided.

Was this an innocent act of generosity?

A calculated attempt to tempt another human toward House Aetheris?

Or has our favorite dragon prince rediscovered an old habit and developed a taste for humans?

Before anyone begins sharpening pitchforks, we mean that figuratively.

We hope.

Either way, Prince Maverick may want to count his humans before bedtime.

Or, more precisely, one of them.

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REST IN PIECES

We would now like everyone to observe a respectful moment of silence for the Bestiaris dining hall.

...

Thank you. Once, it had tables, chairs, and years of history. Now it has excellent ventilation. Anyone who hasn’t heard about the collapse of our dearly departed dining hall must have spent yesterday living beneath a rock.

Which, coincidentally, is now one of the few structures on campus we trust.

Unfortunately, no one appears capable of providing an accurate account of what happened. Not even the humans present during the incident seem to know how an ordinary meal ended with half the dining hall becoming an architectural memory.

Rumors, however, have been multiplying faster than rabbits during mating season.

The facts we can confirm are these:

Prince Rhydian Drakhar did corner Aria Aspen in the restroom. Professor Maverick was indeed nearby. Shortly afterward, things went terribly wrong. Dragons are possessive creatures and Wolves aren’t exactly famous for sharing either.

Perhaps Professor Maverick objected to a dragon making advances toward one of Therion’s humans.

Perhaps Rhydian objected to the objection.

Perhaps someone simply insulted someone’s mother. At Bestiaris, all three are equally plausible.

Whatever happened, the aftermath involved a furious dragon, several terrified students and the premature retirement of one dining hall.

To think we once worried the arrival of this year’s humans might be uneventful.

How embarrassing of us.

Until Professor Maverick, Prince Rhydian or the human unfortunate enough to find herself at the center of this increasingly suspicious drama decides to speak, we may never know exactly what happened.

Aria Aspen, if you’re reading this, our office accepts anonymous statements.

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AETHERIS HAS GONE SOFT

We never expected to write that headline.

Frankly, our feathers resisted. Yet of all three Houses, Aetheris appears to be suffering the most dramatic effects from prolonged human exposure.

Only hours after the dining hall incident, another disturbance broke out inside dragon territory. This time, there was a human hunt. The human in question?

Charlotte Greenwood.

The reason?

We would explain what she did, but our readers have suffered enough academically this semester. What matters is what happened afterward.

Thamas Draco was witnessed carrying Charlotte Greenwood in his arms while actively protecting her from his own dragon brother, Quest.

We repeat: A dragon defended a human against another dragon.

Has everyone recovered?

Good.

Never has House Aetheris been particularly famous for placing human welfare above draconic loyalty, yet here we are.

First, Rhydian accepts humans into Aetheris. Then he feeds one belonging to another House. Now Thamas Draco is apparently willing to stand against his own kind for one. At this rate, dragons may discover empathy before graduation.

Still, strange things are happening inside House Aetheris, and the humans appear to be at the center of every one of them. The question is whether this change will last.

Are humans genuinely becoming part of the Houses that claimed them?

Should they finally relax? Unpack their bags? Begin believing that perhaps Bestiaris isn’t quite as determined to kill them as previous years suggested?

Or is this merely the calm before everyone remembers exactly what they are?

Humans, our recommendation remains unchanged.

Enjoy the hospitality. But keep your running shoes nearby.

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TONIGHT, WE BLEED

Now onto the event everyone has been pretending not to obsess over.

Tonight’s fights.

And unless half the academy suddenly develops morality before sunset, the arena is going to be packed. All eyes, naturally, are on one particular match.

Maverick Nightshade versus Rhydian Drakhar. Wolf against dragon. Professor against Prince.

Following yesterday’s dining hall disaster, this fight may have become considerably more personal.

Whatever tension existed between the two before has undoubtedly grown teeth. The question now is what exactly they intend to settle inside that arena.

Their pride? A grudge? Or perhaps a certain blue-eyed human who has developed an alarming habit of appearing whenever powerful males begin behaving irrationally.

Aria Aspen, we hope you’re prepared. There is every possibility someone bets you before the night is over.

Either way, Maverick and Rhydian’s match is shaping up to be the biggest fight Bestiaris has seen this semester.

One of them will walk away victorious, while the other will walk away with considerably less dignity.

Assuming they walk away at all.

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AND THEN THERE’S THE SNAKE

Prince Caelis Cobryn has been suspiciously quiet. Which, admittedly, is much like saying water has been suspiciously wet.

Still, while wolves growl and dragons destroy perfectly serviceable architecture, the Basilisk Prince has remained comfortably removed from the chaos.

Perhaps he is simply anticipating tonight’s fight. After all, an arena packed with students means bets, and bets mean money.

Considering the attention surrounding Maverick and Rhydian, tonight may prove exceptionally profitable for his serpentine pockets.

Or perhaps Caelis is planning something else entirely.

That is the unfortunate thing about snakes.

By the time you notice them moving, they’ve usually already decided where to bite.

For now, Prince Cobryn appears content to watch.

So will we.

Tonight, Maverick Nightshade and Rhydian Drakhar enter the arena with an entire academy waiting to see which predator comes out on top.

Caelis Cobryn watches from the sidelines.

Somewhere between all three of them stands one human who probably wishes everyone would stop saying her name.

We would apologize, Aria. But that would require remorse.

Quite unfortunate.

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Lady Mimic: And that concludes today’s report. One dining hall dead, one human hunted, several dragons experiencing suspicious moral development, and two powerful males preparing to beat each other senseless tonight.

Lord Plumage:When you summarize it that way, this academy sounds deeply concerning.

Lady Mimic:And yet enrollment remains open.

Lord Plumage: Before we leave, remember: if you see something suspicious, tell a professor.

Lady Mimic: And then tell us what the professor does about it.

Lord Plumage:Preferably us first.

Lady Mimic: Now you’re learning, Plummy.

Together:

"Until next edition, keep your feathers above the wreckage, your claws out of the evidence, and remember, secrets may survive the night, but by morning, they always find a perch."