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The tundra seemed to go on forever, an endless expanse of snow occasionally broken up by a rock or small tree. Of course, to someone with as good of eyes as Kylo Ren, he could see just about everything for miles. As he flew overhead, he saw a cute, round poof ball in the snow below. Just what Kylo was looking for.He flew overhead and the ptarmigan was completely unaware that its doom was above. Kylo tucked his wings in, preparing his attack. When he came lower, the ptarmigan noticed him and spread its wings, preparing to take off. But that didn’t matter to Kylo. As a Gyrfalcon, he was the fastest thing in the air.Because Kylo saw the ptarmigan as it was about to fly, he knew where it was going to go, which meant it was easy to intercept. Kylo’s long toes grabbed hold of the white feathers, his sharp talons sinking into its body. That alone wasn’t enough to kill it, but it couldn’t get away. Not with Kylo on top of him, who outweighed him by at least a kilogram. Kylo reached down with his beak, grabbing hold of the smaller bird’s neck. He bit down, the tomial tooth on his beak sliding between the vertebrae of the ptarmigan. It flapped a few more times, but Kylo knew it was dead. Even as it gave a few final flaps, Kylo started to pluck his dinner, spreading blood-stained feathers across the tundra.He didn’t bother completely plucking the bird - as soon as he had a large enough opening, he started to eat. Kylo had his beak inside the ptarmigan eating as quickly as he could, and when he pulled his head up, he noticed he wasn’t alone.Another falcon - a much smaller one - had landed near him. It had a blue-gray back and orange chest which at first made Kylo think it was an American Kestrel. But he was far too big to be a kestrel, and his face wasn’t right for that smallest of falcons. If it weren’t for the orange chest, Kylo would think he was a Merlin. But it didn’t really matter what the other bird was - he was trying to steal his food.
He fluffed up his dark feathers to make himself look bigger, but it occurred to him that if the Merlin was willing to steal food from him at all, it didn’t matter if he got a bit bigger. He was already ten times the Merlin’s size. Kylo almost admired the bold little falcon, except for the fact that it was his food he was after.Before he could use his talons to show the Merlin that he’d messed with the wrong bird, he noticed something else off about the small falcon - he had blue eyes. He’d never seen a falcon with blue eyes and he immediately suspected what the falcon really was.If the Merlin was like him, that would explain why he thought he could steal food. That made things interesting. Kylo wasn’t aware of anyone else like him in the area - most people didn’t want to live so far north. The only way to confirm his suspicion was to talk to him, but he couldn’t do that as a falcon.As much as he liked to stay a falcon, he had no choice but to shift. At least the process didn’t take long. He grew larger and lost his feathers and beak. His wings grew longer and thicker and the tips turned into hands. His chest grew broader and flatter and he could feel how much different it was to breath with his weak human lungs.“Hey,” he said once he had the proper vocal cords for speech. “I know what you are.”The little falcon - which looked much smaller now that he was human - just stared up at him. Kylo watched him, expecting to see him change as well, but he simply stayed there, one foot gripping Kylo’s ptarmigan. But if Kylo had any doubt that he wasn’t a real falcon, it was gone now. An actual Merlin would have certainly taken off in the presence of a human.“I just want to talk,” Kylo said. “Shift and I’ll share that with you.”The Merlin didn’t move and Kylo thought he wasn’t going to take him up on the offer. He reached down, ready to take the ptarmigan and find a safe place to eat on his own, but then he saw the Merlin moving. In a few minutes, a tall, skinny redhead stood in front of him. Kylo didn’t know what he was expecting, but an attractive man wasn’t it.“You want to talk?” the man asked. Clearly he wasn’t local. His accent gave that much away. “Talk then.”Kylo realized he had been staring and wasn’t sure what to say or what he’d even wanted beyond confirmation that there was another shapeshifter in the area. “I’m Kylo,” he said, deciding introducing himself might be the best way to go. “What’s your name?”“I don’t want to make friends,” he said with a scowl. “Is that all you have to say?”“I’ve never seen someone like me here,” Kylo said. “Not this far north at this time of year. Shouldn’t you have migrated?” It wasn’t quite dark all day yet, but it didn’t really warm up during the day. He’d see Merlins around in the summer, but they’d been gone for at least a month. Except for the Merlin shifter in front of him.“Thought I’d see what winter’s like.”“You’re not built for it. If you leave now, you might make it out before you freeze to death.” Once winter truly hit, the Merlin would be extremely lucky to survive. There was a reason most animals left for the winter.“Not interested.” He looked down at the ptarmigan. “So you said you’d share? Has this been a long enough conversation for you?”“Where are you staying?”“None of your business.” He was still looking down at the ptarmigan and Kylo realized he wasn’t going to get anything else from him. But he’d shifted and spoke to him, which was all Kylo had asked for. He tore a leg off and tossed it a little ways away from him and then started shifting again.Once he had returned to his falcon form, he resumed eating. Although he always ate quickly, he was now determined to finish before the Merlin. He swallowed large chunks of meat whole, including bone and feathers, and every now and then, he looked up to see what the other shifter was doing.He saw him returning to his Merlin form, and he still had nearly half of the ptarmigan left. He had to hurry. The Merlin couldn’t eat the leg in one bite, but he was eating quickly. When Kylo had eaten his fill, he chupped at Merlin - who had nearly cleaned the bone - to get his attention.Kylo picked up a piece of his leftovers and did his best to toss it towards the Merlin. He looked at it, then at Kylo before cautiously approaching. He ate as much as he could and took off.There was still a little bit of meat left, but Kylo wasn’t worried about it. He was far more interested in the Merlin shape shifter. He could always hunt another ptarmigan, but he suspect that if he lost sight of the Merlin, he might not see him again.The Merlin flew to a nearby rocky area and landed on a ledge in the rocks. It was large enough to fit Kylo as well, but as soon as he landed, the small falcon let out a shrill scream. When Kyo didn’t leave, the Merlin reached over and bit him in the leg. Clearly, he didn’t want company so Kylo flew off to a small tree nearby where he could still watch him. He waited until the sun went down, which didn’t take long that time of year. It was hard to see, but fortunately, it was a clear night with a nearly full moon, which meant there was just enough light reflecting off the snow for Kylo to keep an eye on the Merlin. While clear nights were beneficial for seeing, it also meant it would be colder. Not long after the sun went down, he noticed the Merlin was fluffed up, doing his best to keep warm. Kylo didn’t think it would be cold enough to kill the other falcon, but he knew he couldn’t be comfortable.He knew the Merlin might kick him out again, but Kylo decided to try anyway. When he landed, the Merlin just looked at him, but didn’t make a sound or try to bite him. That was a good sign. He stood next to him for a few moments and then moved closer. Not wanting the Merlin to be cold, he put a wing out and scooted him towards his body. He had enough feathers for the both of them.Once Kylo was certain the Merlin wasn’t going to attack him, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.He woke in the morning because he felt something moving next to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Merlin squeezing his way out from under his wing. They looked at each other, and then, the Merlin took off. Even though they had gotten along during the night and Kylo had helped him, Kylo suspected he would be looking for a different roost site, so he followed him. He watched as he unsuccessfully tried to hunt ptarmigan, and then he finally had success catching a lemming. Kylo knew that the small rodent wouldn’t be enough, especially given how much energy he had wasted chasing ptarmigan.While the Merlin was busy with the lemming, Kylo managed to grab and kill a nearby ptarmigan. Just like before, he tore off a chunk of it and tossed it to the Merlin. When it started to get dark, they found another site in a cliff to spend the night. This time, the Merlin didn’t attempt to chase him off.They spent the next few weeks like that, neither one of them leaving their falcon forms. Kylo killed the prey and kept the Merlin warm at night. Kylo wasn’t really getting anything out of the relationship, but he was curious about the other and he didn’t want him to disappear. Or die.With the nights getting longer and colder, Kylo knew that the Merlin wouldn’t last on his own, so he had no intention of leaving him. Even with his thick feathers, the winter nights were truly cold on the tundra and Kylo didn’t know if he’d be able to keep the Merlin warm forever.On one night, when even Kylo could feel the chill, he felt the Merlin shivering even though he was tucked in his feathers. Knowing it was only going to get worse, Kylo had to do something. He very gently pulled the Merlin out and grasped him in his beak. He struggled, but quickly gave up. Once Kylo had a good grip on him, he took off, flying as quickly as he could. Fortunately, in the weeks they’d been outside, they hadn’t strayed out of Kylo’s territory and it didn’t take long for him to fly to a small cabin sitting alongside a small group of trees.He’d built the door so he could open it even in falcon form, so it didn’t take him long to get inside. It was just a little bit warmer inside, but Kylo also had plenty of blankets. He put the Merlin in his bed and then pulled blankets over him before shifting into his human form. He’d be able to take care of him much better that way.The Merlin was so cold that he probably wasn’t going to be making much heat. He wouldn’t like it, but if he wanted to make sure he survived the night, Kylo had to keep him warm, so he climbed into bed next to him and held him close. He told himself it was no different than the other falcon spending the night in his feathers, but he suspected the Merlin would still be mad about it.He didn’t mean to fall asleep. Kylo thought he’s just stay there until it was warm enough under the blanket for the Merlin to make it through the night, but it was the most comfortable place he’d slept in some time and he couldn’t help but to drift off.A sharp pain in his arm woke him up. The initial stabbing feeling was soon joined by several more and he opened his eyes to see the Merlin biting him and gripping him with both of his feet.“What the fuck!” Kylo shouted. “Let go of me!”He did his best to pry him off, but it only led to him getting bitten on his finger as well. Kylo didn’t want to hurt him, but he wasn’t left with much of a choice and had to shake his arm. The Merlin finally let go and flew to the far side of the cabin and yelled at him, the high pitched scream filling the cabin.“If you want to yell at me, at least do it as a human!” He didn’t care if he wanted to shout, but he couldn’t take the loud cry of the Merlin. The Merlin must have realized that he could actually tell Kylo his thoughts because he started to shift. Once he was human - and Kylo thought he was more attractive than the last time he’d seen him - he started yelling.“What did you think you were doing? You can’t just sleep next to me like that!”“We’ve been sleeping next to each other for weeks,” Kylo reminded him. “Only difference is I wasn’t a bird.”“Exactly! Look at you! You could have rolled over in your sleep and crushed me!”“Oh.” Kylo hadn’t even thought of that. He thought he was upset that he’d slept in the same bed, but the Merlin’s concern did make sense. “Sorry. But look, now that you’re human again, will you tell me your name?”He still looked angry and for a moment, Kylo thought he might simply walk out the door and leave, which would be a mistake. It was probably just as cold as it had been when Kylo brought him inside.“Hux,” he said finally. They stared at each other for a while and then he spoke again. “So you’ve had this place the entire time, then.”He nodded. It was where he stayed when he didn’t want to be in his falcon form. He mostly kept it stocked with blankets and warm clothing and he tried to get firewood when he could. Because he could hunt whenever he needed food, he didn’t worry too much about that. It was too hard to get supplies out there anyway.“So instead of freezing our tails off every night, we could have come here?”“No,” Kylo said. “Because you were too stubborn to even talk to me! You fucking bit me when I was just trying to help!”“I didn’t ask for your help!”“You’d be dead without me!”“I would have managed!”Kylo laughed at that. The winter was not something he could simply survive by being stubborn. Clearly, Hux didn’t understand that. No one really did unless they’d experienced it for themselves. There was a reason other falcons migrated when the days became short. Only the Gyrfalcons were built for the harsh winter.“You’re stupid, but I’ve already put this much effort into keeping you alive, so you might as well stay here. I can hunt for the both of us.”“I can take care of myself.”“If you go outside and die, it’s not my fault,” Kylo said with a shrug. He’d wasted enough time arguing with Hux and he couldn’t be bothered any longer. If Hux wanted to leave, that was his own problem. He returned to his Gyrfalcon form and left, hoping that Hux would still be there when he returned. Even though he wasn’t a nice person and was more of a burden than anything else, Kylo really didn’t want him to die. Living in the tundra was lonely and although he’d grown used to it, he realized it was kind of nice to have a friend. Even if that friend bit him and rarely spoke to him.His hunt went well and he managed to bring a grouse back to the cabin. He dropped it outside his door and went in. He chupped at Hux and then ducked back outside. To make cleaning easier, he usually ate outside. It wasn’t as if he could cook it anyway. Hux poked his head out the door and then looked down at his kill.“Again?” he frowned.Kylo didn’t answer - he really couldn’t as a Gyrfalcon and he just started eating. If Hux was going to complain about what he caught, then maybe he wouldn’t share. Even as he thought that, he knew that wouldn’t happen. He really wanted his new friend to survive the winter.It didn’t take Hux long to shift and he soon joined him. Kylo no longer bothered to pull pieces off for Hux - he would come in and take whatever he wanted. They ate together and then when all that was left were bones, guts, and feathers, they went back in and shifted back.“Can’t you catch anything else?” Hux complained.“That was a grouse, not a ptarmigan,” Kylo told him.“They taste the same.”Kylo shrugged. He didn’t really think about it much. Living so far from civilization, he couldn’t afford to be picky and just ate whatever he could catch. And he liked the grouse and ptarmigan because they were at least decently sized. He sometimes saw the small chickadees and finches around, but they were too small to be worth the effort for him.“If you’d like to catch something different, go ahead,” he said. “Maybe you can scavenge a wolf kill.”“I don’t scavenge,” Hux scoffed. Kylo took note of that. If he had to scavenge for their food at some point - and sometimes he did - he thought it might be best if Hux didn’t know where it came from. He couldn’t be picky about the type of food he ate nor where it came from. The next time he went out hunting, he had prepared to go after his usual prey, but remembering Hux’s complaint, he decided to try something a little different. Because he generally left the small birds alone, they had started to get used to his presence. That made it easy for Kylo to grab two finches, which he brought to the door. Once he knew that Hux saw them, he took off again to catch something for himself. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him from complaining.He caught another grouse for himself, which he ate where he killed it, then flew back home. When he went inside, he saw that Hux was still there and in human form. Although he would have liked to talk to him, he was tired and not really in the mood for an argument. It’s all they seemed to be able to do.“Thank you,” a soft voice said as Kylo headed for the bed. He turned around in surprise, not believing that could have come from Hux, but he was looking right at him.“Yeah, sure,” Kylo said.“I know you saved me,” he said. “And then you continued putting up with me even though I was a bit of an asshole.”“A bit?” Kylo smiled as he sat down on the bed.“Would you shut up? I’m trying to be nice. Anyway, thanks for all that. And for getting me something different to eat.”“Yeah, well I’ll show you where they hang out next time and I’ll let you deal with the tiny birds. Anyway, I’m going to take a nap. If you want to join me, you can.”Kylo almost expected Hux to sleep on the floor, or maybe even just stay awake while he slept and then use the bed while Kylo was awake. But it seemed like Hux was finally in a decent mood and climbed into bed next to him. Because it was a small bed - Kylo never intended on having anyone else there - they had no choice but to stay close together, but Kylo didn’t mind. And given how quickly Hux fell asleep, he didn’t seem to mind either.They spent most of winter that way - Kylo would hunt and bring food back and on days that weren’t completely frigid, Hux would hunt some smaller birds. They even found that by leaving scraps out by the cabin, they could attract rodents, so Hux could at least have some variety in his diet. Kylo didn’t really care about what he ate, although he managed to catch a snowshoe hare at one point. He rarely bothered with mammals, but since he knew Hux liked more variety, he went through the trouble of catching one.Once it started to warm up and the migrant birds returned, they started to spend more and more time outside. Kylo kept expecting Hux to leave, but he kept returning to the cabin every night. Usually Kylo would be staying outside as a falcon, but with Hux there, he couldn’t help but go back to him every night. They only talked a little but spent the night in each others arms.They hadn’t really discussed their relationship. Kylo felt like they were at least friends. They had to be because Hux probably would have left otherwise. But maybe he just liked having a bed to sleep in. Kylo didn’t mind at all. Sometimes when Hux fell asleep next to him, Kylo would pet his hair and wonder what it would be like to kiss his lips.He very much wanted to kiss him, but given how Hux had reacted to his initial friendliness, Kylo wasn’t sure what Hux would do. It had been hard enough to win him over as a friend, and Kylo didn’t want to ruin that by trying to go a more romantic direction. At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder if Hux was interested in him. After all, he slept next to him every night and liked to use him as a pillow.Living alone in the arctic, Kylo really wasn’t sure what was considered normal friend behavior. Maybe wherever Hux was from, that was a perfectly normal thing for friends to do. Or maybe Hux didn’t even think of him as a friend and just tolerated him because he had a bed and would hunt for him.By the time the other birds were getting ready for migration, Kylo still hadn’t tried to kiss Hux. And with winter so close, he knew he was losing his chance to do so. Somehow, he was going to have to convince Hux to leave. He didn’t want to risk losing him in the cold again. And it would be easier if Kylo only had to hunt for himself.When he came in to his cabin that night - or what passed for night in the arctic summer - he found that Hux was already there. Hux smiled at him and Kylo very much wanted to kiss him, but he needed to have a very important conversation. If he angered him, Hux wouldn’t listen and that meant he wouldn’t be safe.“So. Hux.” He knew that the other man would want to hear what he had to say so he made sure he was in front of the door so he wouldn’t get mad and storm off. “It’s almost winter. Everyone else is getting ready for migration. You should probably think about leaving soon too.”Hux looked surprised and then sad, but he nodded. That wasn’t what Kylo expected. He thought Hux would argue about it and insist on staying. Kylo had prepared for the argument, but not Hux quietly agreeing. “I can go now if you want,” Hux said. He stood up and walked towards the door.“You don’t have to leave now,” Kylo said, glad he was blocking the door. He suspected Hux would have taken off if he hadn’t been. “You could stay for another couple of weeks. Why don’t we get some rest and worry about it tomorrow?”Hux nodded but when Kylo went to the bed, he thought he might take off. He knew Hux wasn’t going to like the suggestion that he leave for winter, but Kylo wanted him to be safe and hopefully a little bit warmer than he would be with him, even if it meant he had to go through another lonely winter.He was getting into bed, scooting over as much as he could so Hux would have as much space as possible, but Hux didn’t join him. The door hadn’t opened, so Kylo knew he was still there. When he sat up, he saw him sitting on the floor with his back to him.“What’re you doing Hux? Come to bed.”“I’ll just sleep here,” he muttered. “I’m sure you don’t want me over there.”“Why would you think that? We’ve been sharing a bed for almost a year.”“You told me to leave. I get it. No one ever wants me around for long. I just thought…” His words were choked off by a sniffle and Kylo realized he’d made a huge mistake and he’d made Hux cry.“No, Hux,” he said as he got up to join him on the floor. He immediately pulled him into his arms. Hux tried to push him away, but Kylo was stronger. When he saw the tears in his eyes, he held him tighter, hating that he’d caused that. “Hux, I don’t want you to leave. I really like having you here.”“Then why…” Hux couldn’t finish his question but he didn’t need to.“It’s not safe for you to be here,” Kylo explained. “I just wanted you to go so you’d be safe. I’m going to miss you, but I can’t let anything happen to you.”Hux didn’t move for a few moments then he turned around in Kylo’s arms. His eyes were still wet with tears and Kylo just wanted to hold him and kiss him until he felt better.“So you’re not breaking up with me?” Hux asked.“What?” Kylo didn’t understand what he meant. “Break up? Wait. Are we boyfriends?”“Aren’t we?” Hux frowned in confusion. “You’ve been cuddling with me and sharing food. I just assumed…”He pushed himself out of Kylo’s arms and walked away from him. Kylo caught a brief glimpse of his face turning red as he turned away. He remained sitting as he thought about what Hux meant, what he’d assumed. And when he heard the door open and close, he realized that he’d been silent, letting Hux think he’d been wrong.“Wait,” Kylo shouted after him. He scrambled to his feet and ran out after him to find that Hux was starting to turn into a falcon. Kylo grabbed him and since Hux hadn’t grown a beak yet, he pulled him into his arms and kissed him.Hux was very still and Kylo worried he’d misjudged the situation, but then Hux had his arms around him as well. They continued kissing until well after his feathers had disappeared again. Even after they broke the kiss, they held onto each other.“I didn’t know,” Kylo said eventually. “I didn’t know you felt that way about me. I wasn’t even sure you liked me as a friend.”“Of course I like you! Why else would I have stayed with you?”“I don’t know.” His fears that Hux didn’t really like him seemed stupid now that he knew, and it no longer mattered. Hux really did like him and even thought that they were together. “Why didn’t you ever try kissing me or anything?”“I thought you’d initiate that sort of thing. You started everything else so I just assumed you’d kiss me when you were ready. And you never did so I thought maybe you just weren’t into that sort of thing.”Kylo kissed him again, wanting him to know that he really did like kissing. At least, he did when it was Hux he was kissing. And they had nearly a year’s worth of kissing to make up for. And other things as well. But there would be time for that later, because they really did need to consider migration.“Hux,” Kylo said, as he finally let go of him. “I know I said you had to leave for the winter, but I want to go with you. Do you have somewhere to go?”Hux shook his head. “I can just stay in my falcon form,” he said. That’s exactly what Kylo did for most of the winter, but he couldn’t help but notice that Hux seemed sad about it. “I have a place in Whitehorse,” Kylo offered. Or at least, he hoped he did. It was entirely possible his family had rented it out, but they did say they’d always have a place for him. “We can stay there for the winter and come back up in spring.”“Why do you live all the way out here if you have a place?”“Avoiding family,” he said with a shrug. It was too long of a story to tell, but he had the feeling he’d get a chance during the winter to tell his boyfriend everything he might want to know. “Now that I understand. That’s why I came up here last year.”“The people you’re avoiding aren’t in Whitehorse, are they?”“No. Saskatoon. I highly doubt they’d look for me over here.”“That’s good. We should go in for the night and we can leave in the morning. Just in case we get to Whitehorse and we find my place was destroyed or something, we’ll have some time to decide where to go.”They went back inside and Kylo grabbed Hux and pulled him into bed. Although they’d shared the bed countless times and had no choice but to cuddle due to the small size, it felt different now that Kylo knew that they were boyfriends. He held Hux tight against him and couldn’t help but kiss him again.“Kylo,” Hux said. “If you didn’t think we were together, what did you think we were?”“I don’t know. I thought maybe you just liked having a place to stay and the food?”“Oh, Kylo,” he said, kissing him on his nose. “You’re an idiot. But I love you.” He kissed him again and then settled against his chest. In the morning, Kylo woke with his boyfriend wrapped around him. He kissed the top of his head and pet his hair until he woke up. Hux looked at him with a smile and then nuzzled against his neck.“This is much better now that you know,” Hux said.“You could have told me.”“I thought it was obvious.”“We’ll just have to make up for it.” Kylo kissed him, smiling as he thought about all the things they could do during the winter when it would be too cold to go outside. But first, they’d have to get somewhere at least a little warmer.They went outside to shift into their falcon forms for the flight when Kylo thought of something. Since they were leaving early enough, they had time for a quick detour. Going in the complete opposite direction, but Kylo hadn’t been to the coast in years and he missed it. And now he had someone to share it with.“It’ll only take a couple of days,” Kylo explained to Hux after telling him his plan. “If you want, you can hold on to my feathers and I can fly us there fast.”When they shifted into falcon form, Hux flew into a tree. Kylo took a little longer to shift and he remained on the ground, looking up at him. He thought he’d jump on to his back, but he stayed up in the tree. Kylo flew up and landed on a branch under Hux, one large enough for him to stand on. Kylo looked up at Hux at chupped at him and leaned down, making his back horizontal so Hux could more easily land on him. After a few moments of that, he felt Hux land on him. He gave him a chance to get a grip on his feathers and then he took off. A Merlin was fast, but they had nothing on a Gyrfalcon. It was tiring, but Kylo managed to get them to their destination in a few hours. He chirped at Hux and then dropped his altitude to let Hux know he could let go. They flew around for a little while before Kylo landed on the beach. He started shifting and Hux joined him.“This is where you wanted to take me?” Hux asked. “Yeah,” Kylo said, smiling. He hadn’t seen the ocean in so long, but it looked just like he remembered. When he looked at Hux to see his reaction, he didn’t look at all impressed, just staring out over the ocean. “Do you not like it?”Kylo had thought Hux would enjoy it, but he hoped he hadn’t guessed wrong. If Hux hated it, then he’d wasted their time bringing him out to the coast. He just hoped that Hux wouldn’t be too upset about it.“It’s beautiful,” Hux said softly. He pulled Kylo into a kiss and they held each other. It was just the two of them and the Arctic Ocean, and in that moment, nothing else mattered. Kylo would have been happy to stay right there with Hux forever.When they finally did break apart, Hux was looking somewhere down the beach. Kylo followed his gaze, but unfortunately, his eyesight was terrible in human form. All he saw were some very large brown rocks that looked a little unusual, but nothing too interesting. Until one of the rocks moved.“What are those?” Hux asked.“Seals?” Kylo guessed. He’d seen the seals on the shore before but none that looked like that. Curious, he started walking over. When they got closer, Kylo realized he was close, but not quite right about the large animals. “Are those walruses?” Hux asked once they were close enough to see just how large they were and the large tusks protruding from their mouths.“I’ve never seen them here before,” Kylo said. They watched the walruses for a while when something occurred to him. “Hey, I got an idea. Wait here.”He morphed into his falcon form and then flew towards the walruses. They were so much larger than him he didn’t think they’d see him as a threat. Of course, if he made a mistake, they could easily kill him without trying, but Kylo wasn’t too concerned about that. He flew to one of the nearest walruses, and then he landed on its back.“What are you doing?” Hux shouted at him. “Get off of that before it kills you!”Kylo stood on the walrus’ back but the large animal didn’t even seem to notice. It was just laying there. Finally, when he saw Hux coming towards them, he took off and went back to Hux. He had no idea whether or not they would be aggressive towards a human and he didn’t want to find out. He landed on top of Hux’s head and then flew to the ground so he could shift.“What did you think you were doing?” Hux shouted. “You could have been killed!”“It was fine,” Kylo said. “I just wondered what it would be like to ride one. And then I realized I’d rather go for a ride on you.”Hux’s face turned bright red and Kylo laughed and pulled him into his arms. As usual, he had trouble letting go, but they couldn’t stay there all day. Eventually, they shifted back to their falcon forms and Kylo caught a gull for their dinner before they found a nice place where they could spend the night. Although it wasn’t too cold, Hux tucked himself under Kylo’s wing, which was just where Kylo liked him. If he was that close, he knew that Hux would be safe during the night, both from the weather and any potential predators. Not that many would come that close to a Gyrfalcon, but Kylo didn’t want to take any chances with Hux.Kylo wasn’t entirely thrilled about migrating away from the place that had been his home for several years, especially since they’d be going right to where his family lived. He’d gone so far north to avoid them. And if he returned to Whitehorse, it wouldn’t be long before they realized he had returned. At some point, he’d have to deal with them.Hux’s head was sticking out of his feathers and Kylo reached down to preen him. For him, it would all be worth it. He’d put up with all of his extended family at once just as long as it meant Hux would be safe and warm during the winter. And once it was warm enough, they could return to the far north where they were the only people for miles.For the moment, it was time to enjoy one last sunset on the tundra. The two of them would return. Kylo was certain of that.