In the recorded history of Drion RR5, no one had ever witnessed the mating habits of aukrus. This was important for two reasons. One, no one had even seen aukru offspring, so they were a complete biological mystery and no one knew how they developed. Two, they were one of only a few organisms on the planet that was almost completely unknown, and finding information on them would make anyone a legend.
For this reason, Temerrot landed his little cruiser on the planet's surface andβwith the help of some less than detailed migratory chartsβfollowed the Interru flock across the continent. He drove a small bike over the rocky terrain, stopping only to fill up on fuel and sleep every few nights. At times he did catch glimpses of his elusive quarry, following the same pathways he was as they all converged to the same spot. There were times when the map fell short and he was stuck trying to follow the ray-like creatures flitting through the trees.
He ran out of fuel after three Terran weeks of chasing his goal. Exhausted and scraped up from speeding through the forests and stone plains, he groaned and kicked his bike as it miserably stuttered to a halt.
"Stupid fortieth-century bikes," he growled. "Worst fuel intake in history and of course I'm not allowed to get anything-" a chirp cut him off. He paused. The chirp continued, a short, high-pitched warble. He knew that sound, and he knew it came from the mouth of an aukru.
Temerrot snatched his bag off the back of the bike and followed the noise. As he pushed through the undergrowth, the sounds grew louder. Suddenly, it seemed like there were millions all chirping around him. At the first flash of purple-blue, he ducked down and hid.
All at once, the trees and ground were covered in aukrus that swarmed over each other. They looked a good bit like rays, swimming through the thick atmosphere as they began to clump up. He pulled out his tablet and set it to record. Already the display was beautiful. Purple aukrus lit up along their spines, the lines of their back turning green in a brilliant show of bioluminescence. He took a few pictures at the same time. The noise was near-cacophonous but he ignored it over the sound of his heart pounding.
The sight was amazing and he watched the creatures pick mates one to five at a time. Blue, shimmery aukrus were pursued by their chosen mates as they took to the trees and began to mate. When the branches were full, others settled for the ground. Not three meters in front of him was a trio that had been too late to get into the trees. He could see clearly what captured specimens failed to produce.