[Jaykobell]

Far to the north of Vast Plains, even past Roraldi Forest, and even beyond Nori Volcano. A faraway place: Tuun Mountains, the vast and massive mountain range of the continent, and the only one with a climate where creatures could live comfortably. There were not only ranges, but also solitary mountains, the one peak left on its own across the plains. As the mountains started to move up north, a certain area near the heart of the mountain range was covered in clouds. Whether only mist or real clouds, it seemed like the mountain was abandoned and didn't host anything in particular. Some of the mountains in this area were filled with caves and treasures to explore and to find, but this one patch of mountains hidden in the cloud-mist seemed lackluster compared to everything else.

That is, in order to find the true treasure of that particular range, one simply had to keep searching, and to pierce beyond the clouds.

Above the veil of mist, an entire community of birds — creatures known as Soveris — lived there. They were a small clan, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in intelligence and strength. With swift and graceful wings, sharp and piercing claws, and brains that completely invalided the degrading term "birdbrain". They were intelligent and brave creatures, living in a world constructed on tight discipline and an unbreakable structure. It was a prestigious clan of birds, and many smaller Soveris clans had tried to defeat it and claim the mountain range for themselves. Never in decades had the small clan fallen against the invaders; they were at a point where their relationship with rival Soveris clans was relatively peaceful. To be sure, they were a clan of proud, powerful fighters with hearts of steel and unbreakable spirit.

That's what the other clans believed. For a clan so small to be able to fend off invaders so easily and so powerfully, every single Soveris of the clan had to be trained harshly. They were probably all no-nonsense soldiers, working day and night to perfect their skills. Working day and night to come up with new battle strategies, and working restlessly to perfect every single new tactics they came up with. To a lot of the rival clans, the Soveris of that mountain range were fearsome beasts.

That was true, for the most part. For whatever was left, they weren't quite so different from anyone else.

[Jaykobell]

The mountains above the clouds hosted a whole bunch of small caves, all of which were dens for the clan birds. Although some had a hard time adapting to sleeping in rocky caves, no one could deny that the mountains fit their needs perfectly. Some areas of the mountains were wet and muddy enough to allow grass to grow, so the area felt less like just a mountain in some places.

The routine was simple. The top-tier Soveris would train the rookies, and then everyone would enjoy some time off, and then they were off to sleep. Rinse and repeat, and the two leaders allowed no procrastination or negligence from their birds. They weren't as intimidating as all that, but the two leaders were the top figures of the clan: disrespecting them could result in exile if a Soveris wasn't careful. Everything was structured, and everything had to be done according to the structure.

Thing is, the routine and the structure got boring after a while. Always the same story, always the same tasks, always the same routine. Everything was always the same. It was difficult to come up with bright and original ideas to make the routine less tedious and monotonous, but he managed well enough.

He squinted at himself in the mirror; he had to preen every single feather. If any of them were off, he'd get lectured on his lack of proper presentation. He squinted, stared, waited for any one of them to dare to spring back out of place. Oh, one of them was a little crooked on the chest. A little preening with his beak, and...

"Perfect," the Soveris chirped as he slipped a scaled foot over his head feathers. Slick as a wet bird, and rather dashing, if he said so himself. "Now to go get ruffled during look-out duty," he told himself, rolling his eyes and sighing. Why did he have to look so ridiculously presentable every morning if he just got his feathers ruffled all over the place after his duties were done?

[Jaykobell]

Once he was done preening himself, the Soveris stretched a little and headed off his den, away to go into the nature beyond. He made his way around the deep rocky tunnels that lead to everyone's dens, up until the mouth of the mountain that lead outside. The sun had just risen up, and it was a beautiful sight to see the dawn in full force. Well, that's what he would've said if hadn't been for the fact that he'd seen this exact picture a million times before. Ever since he'd opened his eyes as a baby. And ever since then, things hadn't changed one single bit.

He rolled his eyes again and sighed a little, but his energy came back when he reminded himself of his bright idea for the day. Of course, he wasn't going to do it alone; he had to go get his buddy first. If there was one consistent thing that he didn't mind, it was having his one true buddy always with him. Because of his attitude towards the boring and monotonous structure of the clan, most of his relationships had been rocky, at best. At worst, they'd been a literal rock avalanche. Still, he could always find comfort in the fact he had one good buddy in the clan.

He spread his wings and flew up to another entrance into the mountain, the one that lead to his friend's den. He crossed a few Soveris along the way, as they all started to head off to practice. He noticed that there were less Soveris than usual, but then again, he'd woken up much earlier this morning. He had to share this great and exciting idea with his friend, and he would need time to do just that. He wouldn't be able to tell him while they were doing their duties, so before the day started was the only time he could get.

He gave a small polite smile to all the Soveris he passed, out of respect for his clanmates. He knew some of them didn't quite like his "rebellious" attitude, but that was fine. He could live with that; they could remain stuck in this endless loop of structure for all he cared.

As he reached his friend's den, he whistled a particular song, one that every Soveris recognized as their doorbell sound. When a bird cried out that particular little tune, the Soveris inside knew someone was here to see them. That, too, he did out of protocol, but he didn't wait for his friend to invite him to walk right inside the den. "Nogah!" the Soveris called out, grinning as he walked in and stared at his friend's back. "Hey! You gotta listen to this! I have the best plan for today."

[Jaykobell]

The other male was staring at himself in the mirror, his feathers still fairly messy and sticking out in all kinds of awkward angles. He blinked when he noticed the green and orange Soveris behind him from his view in the mirror, but he didn't bother to look behind him or turn around. "Hey, Darijo," Nogah greeted, sticking his beak in his feathers shortly after. He stopped, and then he looked back up in his mirror. "What are you doing here so early? What idea?"

"Just the best thing I've come up with in months!" Darijo replied excitedly as he jumped inside Nogah's nest of feathers and made himself comfortable. "It's so simple and easy, too! I can't believe I never thought about it until now!" he continued, spreading a leg to display how grand the idea was. He was looking up as well, even though the rocky ceiling was the only thing he could see. Later, he would be seeing much more than just the same rocks and the same things he saw every single day. "You gotta listen to this, Nogah," he added, looking up at the paler Soveris who was still preening himself diligently.

But at those words, Nogah seemed to grow a little uncomfortable. "Oh... that kind of idea," he mused mostly to himself, but his worried expression in the mirror was hard to miss for the green bird. He loved his friend Darijo, for sure; much like the other bird, the clan gave Nogah some grief at times for being quieter and a bit less battle-interested than his clanmates. Although no bird truly had anything against him per se, like they did with Darijo, he still didn't have very many friends. There was just one problem with Darijo...

"What do you mean, 'that kind of idea'?" the green Soveris asked, raising an eyebrow and looking a little indignant. "Don't you wanna break out of this boring routine too? Hey, won't you stop preening even for me?"

[Jaykobell]

When Darijo called him out for preening while he was talking — although Nogah could tell the green Soveris was mostly just teasing him — the white bird pulled his beak out of his feathers and turned around to face the other one. Although, "face" was a little pushing it; more like he was tilting his head to the side, and looking in that same direction. He was timid and a little bit of a pushover; actually, he was a pretty big pushover. He wasn't very good at putting his foot down over anything, and Nogah was too passive and forgiving to let things really bother him for long. He could definitely be more expressive than just that, but he had to be with the right people in order to get into a different mindset. "Well..." the bird started, but he couldn't quite find the courage to continue.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Darijo asked, mimicking the other bird's position to try to get a good look at him. "Don't you wanna hear what I have in mind for today? Come on! We'll have a blast, I promise you that!" Although Nogah wasn't the most assertive Soveris of them all, his paranoia and his inability to make quick decisions often made him difficult to convince. He often ended up agreeing with whatever Darijo wanted to do, but it always took a little bit of pushing.

"Oh... I-I'm not sure, Darijo," Nogah whimpered quietly, turning his head back to look at the other Soveris, the two meeting beak to beak. "Boitumelo was furious last time we tried one of your great ideas," the white Soveris pointed out, and the fear could be seen in his eyes.

Unlike his friend, Darijo wasn't fazed much at all. "Didn't know Melo could get that expressive," he joked, giving a little chuckle. Ah, comedy gold right there, courtesy of yours truly.

But his dismissive attitude only agitated the other bird all the more. "That's not the point!" he cried out pitifully, feeling his heart beat the more he had to argue over this whole thing. "Don't you remember? He said he wouldn't let more of this go on. There's no telling what kind of punishment he could give us if he finds out!"

Despite Nogah's whimpering arguments, Darijo just rolled his eyes. "Nogah, please. I don't think Boitumelo was that serious when he said he'd punish us if we continued," the Soveris argued, shaking his head. "Why would he, really? I doubt the King and the Queen would let it pass. We're not hurting anybody, right?" The other didn't answer him, so Darijo insisted a little more. "At least listen to my idea before completely dismissing it."

[Jaykobell]

Nogah knew that Darijo was one of those impulsive and excitable types. He considered everything to be a joke, and he didn't let a lot of things get to him. That was why he had no problem getting on the nerves of some of the top Soveris in the clan, including a bird like Prince Boitumelo, the male second-in-command of the clan. Nogah, however, hated the idea of getting strikes with them, so it was a wonder why he always continued to stick with the green Soveris's outlandish ideas.

"Oh... Fine," the white bird agreed somewhat half-heartedly, turning back to his mirror to keep preening. "At least let me get ready for today. The last thing I need is for Boitumelo to point out I forgot a feather," he whimpered as he fluffed himself up and started nipping here and there with his beak.

There was a massive grin on Darijo's face, and the Soveris spread his wings in excitement. "Okay, listen to this," he replied as he started prancing about the den, going from one side to another. "It's so simple, no one will know we 'broke the structure'! Okay, so it goes like this: you ever wonder what's beyond the mountains? I mean, beyond our territory?"

Nogah stopped preening for a few seconds in order to answer. "Uh, I dunno. More mountains?"

Darijo stopped prancing and rolled his eyes. "No, there's more than just mountains! There's got to be! Don't you ever wonder about that?" he asked the other again, but the white bird was too busy preening to answer. "Well, I do. And I bet there's a whole world out there, waiting for us to find it," he continued, looking up to the ceiling with shining eyes. He could imagine skies beyond their own, clouds different from the ones they knew, sceneries that were much more breathtaking. So many new wonders! "And that's when it hit me. All we have to do in order to discover what's beyond here is to just... go there! Fly there! So while we're doing Look-Out duty, all we have to do is go beyond our territory! I bet we could see so many things in just a few extra hours!"

[Jaykobell]

Nogah stopped preening when he heard Darijo's idea, and admittedly, this had to be the first time one of his ideas sounded legitimately possible. They typically always involved them doing things out of order, or doing things they weren't supposed to do by clan standards. A notable example was how the clan kept the genders separated. The males taught the males, and the females taught the females. It wasn't because of sexism or anything like that; it was just because the two genders typically focused on different skills and assets, in order to keep the clan even. Both genders learned how to battle, but females focused a lot more on organization and diplomacy, whereas the males typically bulked up. Fact of the matter was that genders were kept separate, and it was forbidden for either gender to interact with the other out of courtship season. Darijo would have none of it, and he'd often tried to hang out with the females, which wasn't allowed.

For once that his idea seemed like something they could pull off under the radar, Nogah tried to give it some thought. There was just one thing that bothered the male. "I guess that sounds like a good idea..." the white male started, but he had no time to continue as Darijo interrupted him with pride.

"I know! Isn't it ingenious?" the green Soveris beamed, literally shaking with excitement. "I can't believe I never thought of it!" It was one of those times when the simplest of all ideas was right under your nose. No need to look beyond all the nooks and crannies: just right under your pillow, and voila! Idea.

There was a pause, and then Nogah looked a little more worried. "But you forget we have to go with a Warrior. I don't think they'd want to go along with your plan." Darijo and Nogah were known as Look-Outs: birds who had the responsibility of keeping the clan safe by scouting the territory and making sure that no one suspicious was trespassing. Since Look-Outs weren't specifically trained for battle, a Warrior, a Soveris specifically drilled for battles, had to go on patrol with them. Granted, not every single team of Look-Outs had to go with a Warrior or two, but typically only seasoned patrollers could be excepted.

Darijo grinned and shook his head when Nogah pointed out the flaw in his plan. Oh, but the green Look-Out was ready: he'd thought of that part, too. "Don't worry, I have a plan for that too! Not every single group of Look-Outs needs to be with a Warrior."

[Jaykobell]

"Yes, but we're not nearly experienced or seasoned enough to be eligible for that," Nogah cut him off right away, but with that came some guilt at interrupting his friend so suddenly. "Oh, Darijo, you're going to get us in trouble again," the white bird whimpered, giving a wary sigh.

"Hey, don't be like that! Listen to me," Darijo called out as he turned around and put a wing over his buddy, the two of them staring in the mirror together; the white Soveris looked terribly worried, whereas the green one had a large grin across his face. "It's been really peaceful lately; no one's tried to attack or even trespass in the last months. Even the King and the Queen have been saying that things are pretty chill." His grin only got larger, and he patted his friend with his wing. "So my suggestion is... All we have to do is suggest to Boitumelo that we'd like to go on our own. Try out our skills for ourselves, and prove to him that we can be reliable and battle-ready with or without a Warrior," he explained, puffing his chest out and putting a foot over it. "Why would he say no?"

It took Nogah a few seconds to muster the courage to reply. "Um..." Then there was a pause, as Darijo remained immobile next to him. "He knows we're always getting into trouble?" he finally suggested, although even he didn't sound certain if that was a good reason.

"Yes, well, I guess there's that," Darijo admitted, but his excitement hadn't diminished a single bit. "But if we play it cool and talk to him seriously, I'm sure he'll be proud to see us try our very best to adhere to the precious structure." He looked back at his friend, this time just by staring right back in the mirror. "So? What do you say? You in?"

Nogah was conflicted as to what he should do. Part of him wanted to tag along because he knew he needed a push in order to do anything. He knew that he was submissive, and a coward to boot: he needed other Soveris to push him along. Then again, the other part of him was screaming for him to not agree to this. If Prince Boitumelo kept to his word and truly wanted to punish them next time they did something wrong, there was no telling was kind of punishment would fall on their heads. Still, if they weren't hurting anybody...?

[Jaykobell]

"Well? What do you say?" Darijo urged on, shaking the white Soveris just a little bit to motivate him to reply. "Don't bail on me now! Imagine all the things we could see if we just go beyond the mountains! Just imagine if we find something no one's found before us? They'd welcome us as heroes!" Well, maybe heroes was pushing it a little bit, but the clan would certainly be impressed if they found something valuable. It could be something simple like new prey, or something valuable like precious metals. The clan could certainly use some new metals, considering how often they used and needed armor.

With all the peer pressure he was getting and with his inability to really put his foot down, Nogah just sighed and whimpered a little. "Oh... Oh, all right. Fine. But I hope you know what you're doing, Darijo." He didn't want to get punished for trying out new things, nor did he want to get punished for shaking up the routine. While it didn't bother him as much as it bothered Darijo, it was nice to change their routine now and again.

If it hadn't been for the fact the two birds were underground in a cave, the green Soveris probably would've done a few loops in the air out of pure, unfiltered joy. "Yes! Awesome! Now hurry up and finish preening! We gotta hurry to the field so we can be in Melo's good graces right off the bat," he urged the white Soveris on, sticking his beak in Nogah's fur, which made the other male shriek with surprise and embarrassment.

"Wh-what do you think you're d-doing?!" Nogah shrieked out nearly in a panic, shivering at the thought of another male preening him. It was typically a personal exercise, or something mates did. Maybe females did it to one another, but males certainly didn't! "I-I'm hurrying, okay?! G-get off me!"

If females could do it to each other, Darijo figured males could do it too. While preening was typically known to happen between mates, that went right over Darijo's head. Because it was usually done that way didn't mean it was always done between mates. Besides, what happened in their den stayed in their den, right? But Nogah obviously didn't agree, and before the white bird got agitated enough to start thrashing about, Darijo moved away from the other Soveris, laughing it off. "Then get on with it! We don't have all morning."

[Jaykobell]

After embarrassing the white Soveris and getting him to hurry up, Nogah finally finished preening. With both males on the same page, they headed out Nogah's den and out the tunnels. The two had agreed that Darijo would do all the talking while Nogah stayed quiet and smiled, for good measures. The white bird was so fidgety at times that lying was just impossible. It was best for the green Soveris to do the diplomacy, and for the white bird to look pretty.

Once they were both out of the tunnels, the two spread their wings and flew off, flying in sync and both heading towards the usual meeting place. Every morning, the Prince briefed them on the situation: the weather, the status of the territory, anything they should keep an eye out for, and other such things. The point was also to organize teams, and to figure out which team should scout out which area of the territory. It was typically short, to the point, and then the teams were dismissed to start their day. Every team was then obligated to report their findings to the Prince in order to establish the status of their territory: if possible threats had been spotted, if a natural disaster might happen, and other similar things that could have an impact on the clan. It was all routine; all according to the structure.

The two Soveris landed, and except for the usual early birds, Darijo and Nogah were two of the earliest Look-Outs to join the meeting plateau. It was one of the few plateaus with ground fertile enough to allow grass to grow, which was about the only nice thing that the mountains had to offer. Darijo could already see Prince Boitumelo casually talking with the early Look-Outs. As soon as he'd landed, with Nogah closely following suit, the Prince took note of their arrival and was pleasantly surprised to see the two infamous troublemakers so early. So surprised, in fact, that he excused himself from the conversation in order to go talk to the two.

"Here he comes," Darijo whispered to Nogah, without turning to face him or glancing at him. "Remember: I talk, you smile." As the bigger Soveris approached, Nogah sheepishly smiled, while Darijo looked troublesome as he always did.

Boitumelo was hard to miss. His bright red pelt, matched with shining golden marks, made him stand out against all the other Soveris. His size was also another factor, him being slightly bigger and bulkier than a normal Soveris. His piercing grey eyes were another staple of his presence, and overall, his presence in itself was imposing. He felt grand, and his stoic, rigid expressions dared you to cross him. "Good to see you present so early in the morning, troopers," the red Soveris greeted, his voice just as cold as his rigid stare. "What would be the honor?" he added, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He knew he had to watch these two: they were probably up to something.

[Jaykobell]

Darijo would constantly say things like how Boitumelo couldn't be expressive, or how he was always too stuck-up to see beyond his own beak, but even the green Soveris wasn't so foolish as to say such comments to the Prince himself. Nogah could feel his heart beating out of his chest every time Boitumelo spoke to them personally, while even Darijo had to collect himself before he could speak properly to the Prince. The red Soveris wasn't exactly as harsh and cold-hearted as all that, but his presence, title, and character certainly hinted at him being one of the villainous types.

"Oh, good morning, Prince Boitumelo," Darijo greeted, trying to think of ways that could put the two of them in the good graces of the second-in-command. He smiled at the red Soveris and paused, waiting for Nogah to greet him as well. There was a problem when Nogah took Darijo's instructions just a little too seriously and wouldn't even dare say a simple greeting to the general. The green glanced in Nogah's direction when he noticed Boitumelo narrowing his eyes even further; if the other didn't greet the red bird, they'd be in for it. "Won't you greet our Prince, Nogah? Or are you still asleep?" Darijo teased as he flicked his tail harshly against the other's haunches, laughing sheepishly at the Prince.

Nogah shrieked at the whip-like smack Darijo's tail gave him, and the white bird momentarily lost his focus. "S-sorry!" he squeaked as he bowed his head quickly and shortly to the Prince, looking back up at the red male. "G-good morning P-Prince Boitumelo," he stuttered sheepishly as a smile followed, equally sheepish.

Boitumelo quietly stared at the two birds for a few silent seconds, and the tension could almost be seen with the naked eye. "Yes, good morning, troopers," he replied flatly at some point, still sounding dismissive and a little wary of the two. "Pray tell, what are you doing here so early?" Surely they were up to something if they were already here for their Look-Out duty. What was it that they wanted? What was it that he had to refuse or punish them for for the millionth time this month?

"Oh, you know," Darijo started, putting a wing over Nogah, "we woke up early, so we figured we'd get here right away. You know?" the green Soveris finished, realizing only afterwards that he'd asked Boitumelo if he knew twice in the same sentence. Obviously, his words wouldn't let the Prince know that he was scheming or that he was nervous. The plan was perfect.

[Jaykobell]

Darijo's awkward speech didn't exactly surprise Boitumelo, but the Prince knew better than to let his guard down around these two. It wasn't like he wanted to punish them all the time, but they kept going against orders. What else was he supposed to do? It would be chaotic for him to let them go scot free; the other Soveris would eventually complain. In order for a system and for a clan to work properly, you had to treat everyone equally. This meant that even Boitumelo himself couldn't go against the system, or else the King would punish him adequately. And that was fine, really; the Prince was ready to answer for his actions, would he ever feel the desperate need to go against orders.

The two Look-Outs were definitely being suspicious, but of course, Boitumelo had to be fair: he couldn't punish them simply for the sake of planning something. If he didn't have proof that they were planning on doing something today, he couldn't do anything to them. "What I know is that you are always in the last Soveris to arrive here," the Prince pointed out, his comment really telling them to pick up the pace, between the lines. "Is there something you would like to ask, perhaps? Something on your mind? Maybe a few troublesome pranks you would like to pull off today?"

The Prince's questions surprised Darijo, but admittedly, neither of them was used to speaking so personally with the Prince. "Something... on my mind? Pranks?" the green Soveris repeated, and again, his hesitation to talk or to answer the question was only acting against him in the long run. "Of course not, my Prince! Was I ever one to do such things?" he asked, and the reactions he got told him right away that he'd just put his foot in his beak. Nogah was glancing at him with a look of disbelief, and Boitumelo's face told Darijo that the Prince couldn't possibly believe the green Soveris was expecting an answer.

After a few seconds of silence, Darijo looked away and cleared his throat. "Yes, well..." he derailed, but he had little time to finish his sentence.

"Of course," Boitumelo interrupted, and the urge to roll his eyes was unbearable; but for the sake of good presentation, he would hold it in. "You have always been an example for your fellow comrades to follow. Haven't you, Darijo?" the Prince asked, and his voice was literally screaming sarcasm at the two birds.

Nogah visibly got worried about where this conversation was going, but Darijo just let the comment roll off his back. "Oh, Prince, thank you," he replied, giving the red Soveris a huge smile. "It's great to hear it from you directly," he added, and he could only hope his laid back attitude and the fact comments didn't faze would put him in the red Soveris' good graces.

[Jaykobell]

It was a well-known fact that Darijo's laid-back personality was what got him into trouble, and his sarcastic, playful reply to the second-in-command hadn't resulted in the wanted direction. Nogah felt his heart sink and his face blanch when Boitumelo glared at Darijo, and the green Soveris could only revert to smiling sheepishly, now unsure of what to do or say to make sure the red Soveris wouldn't get more aggravated.

"I would hope," Boitumelo started, giving Darijo little time to continue digging his own grave, "that you two understand that I will be keeping the both of you under very strict supervision until further notice," the red Prince pointed out, his voice becoming a little irritated as he brought up the situation more upfront. "You will be severely punished for whatever attempt you make to disobey the rules. Do I make myself clear?" he asked the two, and while he felt the white Soveris cowering under his words, the green one was still confident enough to continue speaking.

"Oh, my Prince, but you can be sure that you are loud and clear on the subject," Darijo confirmed right away, nodding and patting Nogah on the back with a wing to motivate him to follow along. "Isn't that right, Nogah? My Prince, you can be sure that telling us once is enough for it to stick with us," the green Soveris assured, but neither Nogah or Boitumelo seemed convinced by his words.

As a matter of fact, the more Darijo spoke, the more Boitumelo enforced that their little charade wouldn't be tolerated anymore. "It is precisely because of your selective hearing," the red Prince pointed out, and to which Darijo's smile started to disappear, "that I am repeating myself again, as we wouldn't be up to this point had you listened and understood the many other times when I warned you to stay out of trouble."

For the first time in the whole conversation, Darijo wasn't quite sure what to say, and Nogah was too terrified to even try to say anything. "Ah, well, my Prince, we—" the green Soveris tried to say, but the second-in-command cut him short with a short flick of his foot.

"Silence," the red Soveris interrupted, his tone so steady and cold that Darijo didn't even try to keep his thought for later. "I advise that whatever little scheme you may have should stay in the corner of your mind: where it belongs. Make no mistake, troopers: I will be watching you." He gave the two birds a chance to say anything — whatever it may be — and after the discussion was officially over, Boitumelo left the two birds to quietly look back at each other, the Prince having more recruits to talk to.

[Jaykobell]

Once Boitumelo was gone, Nogah let his fears get the better of him. The white bird looked absolutely terrified, and he almost wanted to make a mad dash for his den, from which he would never come out. "Th-this is horrible!" he whispered to Darijo, who seemed to be at a loss for words, for once in his life. "I-if we go through with your plan and he catches us, we're done for!" If only for his own sake and Darijo's as well, Nogah turned to the green Soveris and stared right into his eyes, their beaks almost touching. "Darijo, don't try anything funny! I-I don't want to get punished!"

It was the first time the green Soveris had experienced that kind of speech from Boitumelo, and admittedly, it was the first time the Prince had really come across as assertive and, most of all, he'd come across as being very convincing. Darijo had always thought that Boitumelo acted tough and serious just because of his position: he couldn't afford to have the other Soveris disrespect him or see him as submissive or incompetent. However, he'd made it clear right then that he was willing to punish the two of them as he saw fit if they dared to cause even more trouble. "Yeah... I don't think we should do anything, either."

"Oh, Darijo, why won't you..." Nogah started, but then the other's words sank in, and the white bird was pleasantly surprised by what he'd heard. "Wait... what? Really?" he asked, in complete disbelief that Darijo, of all Soveris in this clan, wouldn't try to take advantage of the situation. Wasn't he after the thrill of the whole thing? The idea of doing something wrong and not getting caught for it? Or maybe Darijo wasn't so foolish as to let that get the better of him, considering Boitumelo's warning?

"Yeah, I think we should just keep a low profile for a while," Darijo replied, scratching the back of his head, looking and sounding a little disheartened. "I don't think he's kidding when he said he'd punish us if we cross him again." Although it was disappointing that they would have to adhere to the boring routine for a while, Darijo had a bad feeling that Boitumelo would go so far as to do something terrible like clip their wings. It would be painful to live through the stale and boring lifestyle of the clan, and to not be able to have an exciting adventure for a while. Still, it was better to keep a low profile for a little bit, just to try to get back onto Boitumelo's green list.

Nogah gave a sigh of relief when Darijo confirmed that he had no intention of causing trouble; at least, not for the foreseeable future. "I'm so glad you won't try anything," the white bird admitted, giving the green one a worried look. "I don't want you get in trouble with Boitumelo, of all the Soveris there are in the clan." Crossing a fellow clanmate was one thing, but getting in trouble with the Prince himself? That was far from being a good idea.

[Jaykobell]

Darijo sighed, shaking his head at the whole situation, as it were. It seemed like it was now time to put the pranks and the dares on the back burner, because it was clear the Prince wouldn't allow any of them to pass. Darijo saw rules as simple guidelines, and not as things that dictated, from start to finish, how you were supposed to live your life. The clan, however, clearly thought otherwise, much to his dismay. It wouldn't bother Nogah to stay out of trouble for a while, but the desire for adventure and for some thrilling experiences would start itching sooner or later, in Darijo's case. The question, in this case, was the following: was it worth it to satiate his urge for adventure by crossing one of the most powerful and influential Soveris of the entire clan? Even though it wasn't written in stone, Boitumelo was basically in line to become the next King of the tribe, if something happened to their current leading male or if the red Soveris managed to dethrone the current King. He didn't sound like the latter, but Boitumelo was a hard one to read to begin with.

"Yeah, well, if I ever want to really get anywhere, I can't get on his bad side," Darijo pointed out eventually, letting himself flop down on his haunches, looking a little defeated. "Well, any more than I already am, anyway." Part of him understood the Prince had to do this, because his position called for it, but it was hard to imagine the red Soveris ever really caring for either of them. Part of Darijo knew that Boitumelo would probably be beyond delighted to ever hear that the two were out of his wings. What a relief that would be for the Prince.

"I think it's for the best," Nogah quietly supported, sitting down next to Darijo, the roles getting flipped around as the situation shifted. "He has to be harsh... Can you imagine how it would be if he let everyone do whatever they wanted? I don't think the clan would've survived this long." How were you supposed to remain bonded and tight if no one was around to give you structure and discipline? Even though Nogah was a coward at heart, he did understand the basic foundations of the clan, and why they acted a certain way and preached certain things as much as they did.

Darijo sighed again, and although he agreed with Nogah's words, they weren't what he wanted to hear. He, too, understood the logic as to why the clan acted a certain way, in when you put your mind to it, wasn't too much structure a problem of its own? Darijo clearly wasn't happy about having his life being dictated by a set of rules, and Nogah was somewhat in the same boat, where he simply didn't fit in the common practices of the clan. "I guess we'll be in for a few months of repetitive, boring clan life..." the green Soveris mused to himself, looking all the more crestfallen the more he thought and talked about it all. Talk about things going wrong: he hadn't expected their morning to start this way.

While the two males were talking, the other Soveris eventually arrived, up until the grass plateau was busy with a massive group of birds. It got progressively louder, and after a little while, Boitumelo called for order. The Soveris lined up horizontally in front of their Prince, Darijo and Nogah included; and then the briefing began. Their morning would be as such, playing and living by the rules, and it would be so for many, many months to come.