Patch and Spencer walked silently to the mountaintop, as if they had mutually agreed on this unspoken location. It was undeniably the best place for the ritual; if this was the first place Patch's future mate met him, it would be difficult for her not to fall in love. The sun was setting in front of the two males as Spencer motioned for Patch to sit in front of him, and the sun brought a slight warmth to the owl gryphon's face. "The first thing I'll need you to do," Spencer said calmly, but confidently, "is to concentrate. Close your eyes, and amplify the feelings within you that you have saved for this female, the ones you have kept in your heart for your entire life. Take those feelings and imagine them expanding around you beyond your reach, beyond this mountain. Use them to call out to her; tell her everything about you that makes you you, and reassure her that you will dedicate your entire life to loving her."

Spencer began to slowly circle Patch, making signs with his hands and occasionally referencing the ancient tome he had brought with him to ensure the ritual went smoothly. Every so often, he bent down and drew symbols in the dirt with his fingers, biting a fingertip with his sharp teeth and squeezing a drop of his blood into each symbol. He continued to talk Patch through his part of the ritual as a golden light began to surround them and flowers unlike any that grew on their continent fell slowly from the sky. "The ritual is working, Patch," Spencer whispered in awe, "you have to keep going. Feel your emotions even more strongly, as if you are about to place them in the very heart of your female. Open yourself to her; let her know you as you want to know her." King Patch took a deep breath, the effort he was making showing plainly on his face. Even his owl horns popped up, fluffing up in two points on the top of his head.

"She is almost here," Spencer said quietly, not wanting to break Patch's concentration. He walked to a smaller circle within where the bright golden light shone brightest, and outlined this circle, writing smaller symbols around its circumference with the utmost care. Finally, he morphed an already-sharp fingernail into a lethally-edged fox claw and cut his palm with it, dripping his blood into the very center of the circle he had just drawn. The light surged, and the strange, beautiful flowers blew out from the circle in every direction. Patch could not help but open his eyes, and when he did, he beheld a curvaceous female figure, shrouded in light, floating before him. The light began to fade and the mysterious female floated to the ground, but Patch ran to her instinctively and lifted her before her already-precious form could touch the blood-sullied earth.

Her eyes were fluttering open, and Patch brushed aside the strands of wavy brown hair that fell on her forehead, careful not to disrupt the delicate flower crown that she wore. They were much shorter than the rest of her hair, which fell in a long waterfall of cinnamon waves over King Patch's arm. He looked into her brown eyes, which matched the light color of her hair, and he knew immediately that his heart belonged to her. Her eyes, finally having adjusted to the light of this new place, met his, and she told him in a tone that was both amazed and certain, "You're the one." Patch let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and replied, "You're the one, too..." "My name is Iris," she said, "and this is for you, the person meant for me." She reached behind her neck, lifting her thick arms in a way that caused Patch's heart to beat wildly, and unfastened a beautiful though obviously worn necklace.

"My name is Patch," he said in an awed whisper as she held the necklace out to him. It was intricately beaded in an exotic style the likes of which he had never seen; each precious, transparent bead was intricate in its own way, and he could tell that this necklace had been custom-made for her alone. A petite, delicate vial filled with iridescent liquid hung from the center of this necklace, and Iris held her hand out flat. Patch, as though he could read her mind, knew she meant him to place his own hand on hers, his palm cupped to receive his portion of this magical elixir. "Patch," she repeated, trying out the foreign name on her tongue, "steady your palm and follow what I do." Iris then poured the remainder of the substance on her own palm, dipping one of her fingers into it as if it were paint. Patch, mirroring her every movement, did the same.

Iris reached her fingertip out, slowly drawing marks on her partner's face, allowing him time to draw the same marks on her own face, copying them as best he could. "Once the last line is drawn," Iris murmured, keeping her face as still as possible while still speaking, "I will draw one more vertical line on the middle of your lips. Do the same to mine, and then we will wait." She watched Patch carefully to make sure he understood, and took this moment to let both the necklace and the vial fall slowly from her wrist, watching them magically float to the ground. They completed their marking in unison, and through some sort of magic, they both felt each other's marks heat up and vanish. Although they could not tear their eyes away from one another, the discarded necklace and vial disappeared as well, and their bonding was complete. At least, it was complete for Iris.

Patch was impatient to complete his own ritual; he felt their instant chemistry amplified exponentially through Iris' beautiful bonding ceremony. He couldn't very well mate her in front of Spencer, who he just now remembered was present as well, but he felt that just one kiss, one nibble of Iris' sweet lips would be enough to mate their souls without much bodily interference. King Patch's natural charm was one of his best qualities and he decided to attempt to use it now. "Sweetest, most precious Iris - you now hold my heart more tightly in your hands than I have held you in my arms. Please, allow me to kiss you and become your male, allow me to love you with every part of my self and my soul forever," he vowed, and Iris nodded quickly, raising her face to his. Patch didn't keep her waiting; he closed the small distance and gave her the sweetest, lightest kisses, finishing with an owl-like peck that nipped her bottom lip. Her lovely lip bled one small drop of blood, and Patch licked it into his own mouth, feeling a mark form on his own body.

He put Iris down so that they could both look at it, blushing at each other in a way that only new lovers were able. A fluffy feather had appeared on the skin covering Patch's ribcage, which was perhaps a first for a beastman - it was usually females, not males, who bore their mates' marks. But Patch was extremely pleased regardless, and turned around proudly to show Spencer. "I have my mate, Spencer," he said, still amazed, "I have my mate and her name is Iris, and I will love her for all the rest of the days of my life. I don't know how you managed this, but take half the spars I own from my treasury - you know how to get in - and be on your way. Iris and I have so much to catch up on," he continued, tears falling from his eyes. Iris, however, had picked up on something that Patch had missed; her abilities allowed her to sense Spencer's strong fear and anxiety. She also felt a strong sense of gratitude to him, although she wasn't exactly sure why, and asked him, "What more can we do for you? There is nothing too great to ask of me, and I have not given you a token of my own gratitude."

Spencer began to cry at this point as well. "My own female," he began, sounding like his throat had a stone lodged in the middle of it, "she's in danger and she could be missing or dead. Even with the emerald spars from King Patch, I might not make it back to save her in time." "King Patch?" Iris asked her new male, an eyebrow raised, "Well, I'm sure that as King Patch's bonded one, I can do no less for you. Allow me to transform and grow my wings, and I will carry you anywhere you need to go." "No!" both males shouted in unison, "That is," Patch said, this time speaking on his own, "it goes against our customs for a female to carry a male. Her male should carry her, and it is his great privilege to do so." "Do you have wings?" Iris asked him with a little sass in her tone. "In fact," Patch responded playfully, "I do. Please, allow me to show you, my dear."

Patch's arms became owl wings, and he and Iris began to play while Spencer raced down to the Eagle King's treasury, rapidly counting out exactly half of Patch's huge hoard of emerald spars and securing them in one of his makeshift bags. He ran back up to the mountaintop, already panting from his previous exertions and the completion of the ritual for a third time. Patch stopped his flirtatious games upon seeing Spencer, and the four green beast stripes on his face glowed dimly as he transformed into a larger and stronger version of his gryphon shape. Iris climbed onto his back and held onto his featherlike fur, while Patch lifted off and grabbed Spencer with his talons, following Spencer's directions in the twilight that would lead them to Samantha's last known location.