Chapter 87: THE ROOST REPORT
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! Or should I say... good mourning? Depending on whose class schedule, reputation, or life expectancy you’re talking about. Nonetheless, welcome back.
Lady Mimic: Oh, don’t be dramatic, Plummy. We’ve only lost a handful of humans already.
Lord Plumage: My point, exactly.
Lady Mimic: Survival rates are dropping, readership is rising, and our sponsors are smiling. What a glorious semester.
So sharpen those claws, straighten those feathers, and hold onto your dignity while you still have it.
Let’s begin!
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THE CONCORDIA EFFECT
Two years ago, the Concordia Selection welcomed humans into Bestiaris Academy for the very first time. They wore brown uniforms, carried a human insignia, and endured the ridicule that followed them through every corridor. Most beasts barely noticed they existed. Those who did were probably responsible for ending their lives.
That arrangement seemed unacceptable to everyone.
Until this year.
For reasons known only to the heavens, three Beast Princes looked at a group of humans and collectively decided they were suddenly worth claiming.
Prince Maverick Nightshade made the first move. Prince Caelis Cobryn refused to be left behind. Then Prince Rhydian Drakhar joined moments later.
Three heirs. One decision. An entire academy left wondering what exactly had changed.
Did the humans suddenly become more valuable overnight? Or did three princes see something everyone else failed to notice?
Our recommendation is simple.
If royalty suddenly begins paying attention to something the rest of society discarded, watch carefully.
Royal instincts have a troubling habit of seeing tomorrow before everyone else.
Or perhaps one prince simply moved first, and the others merely refused to lose.
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THERION’S CROWN PRINCE
House Therion has never been accused of lacking confidence. Neither has its Alpha. Yet Alpha Maverick Nightshade surprised even his own House when he reached for the humans before anyone else had the chance.
An act of compassion? A calculated political statement? An attempt to embarrass the other heirs? Or is there another explanation entirely?
Our sources have noticed something rather curious. The prince’s interest appears... unusually consistent.
No names yet. Even we know how to exercise restraint.
Occasionally.
Still, wolves are creatures ruled by instinct, and instinct rarely wastes its time.
Neither do we.
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THE COBRYN CONUNDRUM
The prince who never smiles has everyone else doing it for him. Prince Caelis Cobryn remains as impossible to read as ever.
His expression has never changed. His voice has never risen. Nor has his patience ever shortened.
Which somehow makes him even more unnerving.
House Ophidian welcomed its human students with flawless discipline, impeccable organization, and enough polite threats to remind everyone that serpents prefer courtesy right before they strike.
One particularly unfortunate student reportedly discovered this after questioning House rules.
Several witnesses insist three senior students transformed into their beast forms before calmly asking whether she wished to continue arguing.
She did not. Neither would we.
Rumor insists Prince Caelis has taken a personal interest in ensuring the humans adapt quickly.
Whether that concern stems from responsibility, strategy, or something considerably deeper remains impossible to determine.
Unfortunately, Prince Cobryn has yet to provide facial expressions for analysis.
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DRAGONS DON’T WHISPER
Some leaders inspire through speeches. Others inspire through fear. Prince Rhydian appears determined to perfect both.
Just a day ago, Prince Rhydian publicly broke Thamas’s shoulder and made it abundantly clear that anyone questioning Tamara’s authority would answer directly to him.
Then he accepted human students into House Aetheris. Traditionalists nearly fainted while progressives celebrated. Everyone else wisely stayed out of his way.
Bestiaris truly has entered a strange era.
There is something oddly entertaining about watching our favorite dragon prince drag House Aetheris into the future, whether dragons like it or not.
Considering dragons rarely agree on anything except their own superiority...
We wish him luck.
He’s going to need it.
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THE HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Blink Twice If You Need Help.
Current academy statistics suggest humans are now experiencing one of three conditions.
Confusion. Terror. Or accidental celebrity status.
Congratulations. You’ve gone from invisible to everyone’s favorite conversation piece overnight.
Unfortunately, popularity has a nasty habit of attracting predators.
Both literal and otherwise.
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WHILE WE’RE AT IT, A MOMENT OF SILENCE
For the color brown.
After two unforgettable years, the infamous brown human uniforms have officially disappeared.
Fashion has prevailed.
Human students now wear the colors of the Houses that claimed them.
Blue for Therion. Crimson for Aetheris. Green for Ophidian.
At last, humanity has been liberated from what several students described as "an act of visual violence."
We have yet to identify whoever originally approved brown as an academy uniform.
When we do, questions will be asked.
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FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER
Party... or Prey?
Now for the question perched on every beak in Bestiaris Academy. Friday night marks the first grand party of the semester.
For the first time since the Concordia Selection began, humans will attend after being claimed by the three ruling Houses rather than standing apart from them.
Some students believe inviting humans is proof that Bestiaris is finally changing.
Others believe bringing prey into a gathering full of apex predators sounds less like a celebration and more like the opening Chapter of a tragedy.
Then there is Prince Rhydian Drakhar, the dragon who never seems capable of doing anything quietly. Word around campus says he intends to make this party unforgettable.
Knowing Rhydian, he probably will.
The only uncertainty is whether everyone will remember it for the dancing...
Or the disaster.
As for Prince Maverick Nightshade, all eyes will be watching to see whether he remains beside House Therion’s humans for the entire evening.
Prince Caelis Cobryn has been suspiciously silent throughout all of this. Anyone familiar with snakes knows silence is rarely the absence of movement.
It’s merely the moment before the strike.
One thing is certain.
By the time the music stops, reputations will be shattered, alliances will have formed, someone will almost certainly start a fight, someone else will almost certainly lose one, and we will be there to report every delicious second of it.
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Lady Mimic: Before we leave, a friendly reminder to our dear readers: walls have ears, windows have eyes, and parrots have exceptional memories.
Lord Plumage: Especially when someone is foolish enough to gossip within flying distance.
Together:
"Until next edition, keep your feathers clean, your claws sharper than your friends’, and remember... history belongs to heroes. Headlines belong to us."