They flew in silence through skies that thankfully remained clear; the radio station faded out after a while, replaced by a gentle stream of static. Slowly, the afternoon wore on into evening, and they were still flying, the clouds around them tinting copper as the sun sank.

They reached land only at dusk, just when the sun was making one last valiant effort to stain the sea orange and pink. Hawk made for the first outcropping he saw, which was a stone walkway set up against terraced buildings full of bright lights and wandering people.

He swept his wings up and stirred the warm, thick evening air, and saw Teige leap for the stone just ahead of him, with the plastic map clenched in his sharp teeth.

"All right," Teige said diplomatically, and took his human form in a showy flash of green, the map still in his mouth, "You win. Y'didn't even land in the water this time!"

Hawk landed quite heavily, knees not quite prepared for the sudden resettling of weight. He fumbled with the strap of the messenger back, trying to get it back over his head. The radio was babbling quietly again.

"So this is�Safety,�eh?" Teige asked, seeming to be talking mostly to himself. He spread the map open, looking over it curiously. Above them, people were peering over the railings at them, lit by the storefronts behind them. "What apotentially ironic�name for a city."

Hawk had only just got the strap over his head and halfway over his wing when it suddenly hit him that he could not stand anymore.

"I s'pose we should start by looking for some food," Teige started to say, but was interrupted by the loud 'wump' Hawk made when he collapsed to the ground.