A young Avanta pair with their newborn daughter. The mother, 22 years old, on the left has white stripes along her forward fuselage. The father, also 22, on the right is a slightly lighter color with dark freckles below his eyes. Their daughter, only hours old, has her father’s freckles. Although born smaller than normal, she’s healthy. Having been together since they were 17, she is the pair’s firstborn and their first experience with parenthood. The family’s refuge is a clearing in the midst of a forest. Surrounding them are tall trees, orange poppies, and purple salvias.





It is no secret that Common Avanta pairs form immensely strong bonds. Strong bonds and a strong family structure are two of the Avanta’s most defining traits. Both parents dutifully raise their young and all members of the family look out for the safety and wellbeing of each other. When Avantas lived in packs of 20 to 40 before humans evolved, the pack acted as a form of extended family. For Feral Avantas, those that choose to live in the wild away from human society, the pack structure is of vital importance.



The bond between a male and female Avanta is based on a deep, innate trust. They perform many intricate rituals to fully understand each other’s personalities and know each and every inch of their partner’s bodies. From that comes passion, understanding, and love. In addition to going on mutual flights and hunts, roughhousing, and playing, one way that trust is maintained is through physical contact. Covering nearly every square inch of an Avanta’s metallic skin is an intricate network of ampullae, capable of detecting electromagnetic signatures and bioelectricity. The pores of the ampullae are only a millimeter wide, impossible to see from afar. Able to sense the Earth’s electromagnetic field or the bioelectricity in other organisms, Avantas each emit an electromagnetic signature, which the ampullae detects. Changes in an Avanta’s electromagnetic signature indicate their emotional state. (i.e. happiness, sadness, anger, pain, bliss, or distress) Like a fingerprint, each Avanta’s electromagnetic signature is unique. For Avanta pairs, their electromagnetic signatures are shared. By physically touching, their ampullae contact, allowing their signatures to be exchanged and meld together. This brings both male and female to a sense of easement and peace. Its why they’re almost always touching in some capacity. Even a simple nudge or crossing wings while at rest will suffice. Pairs depend on each other and will get extremely anxious or even physically sick if they’re apart for too long.



The best way trust is reaffirmed is through intimate contact. Beginning at age sixteen, when the males reach sexual maturity, Avantas begin their search for a suitable mate. Once they’ve found one, they mate for life. For an Avanta to trust another with their body is to say they trust them with everything they are and ever will be. Such a deep trust means no subject or region of their being is off limits or taboo. Frequent endeavors are yet another defining trait of the Avanta. Mating often takes place multiple times a day, depending upon what an Avanta pair happens to be doing that day. During slow, lazy days a pair is much more active. On busier days, other matters take priority. Most of it is casual, meant to pass the time. It’s also a form of greeting after a pair has been apart for a time. Yet another purpose is stress relief after a long or tedious day. What may seem like a straightforward act is in fact much more complicated beneath the surface. Because of how frequently Avanta pairs mate, one might wonder why there aren’t Avantas everywhere; why the population hasn’t exploded. During the act, the male makes a conscious decision to hold back and prevent a pregnancy. Known as the ‘Hold-Back Reflex,’ the male Avanta only releases a minute number of swimmers. Just enough to bring his mate to the same plane of satisfaction as him, but not enough to unintentionally send them both into a breeding mood. If the male Avanta so desired, he could stop himself from releasing any swimmers at all, thus making an ‘accident’ impossible.



During every bout of intimacy, the male makes this conscious decision. However, there is nothing stopping him from making the decision not to hold back at all and release a copious number of swimmers, enough that could result in a pregnancy. A purposeful release is a far more intense affair for both parties. Because of this, the Hold-Back Reflex serves another purpose. A casual encounter isn’t too intense, allowing both parties to come back to their senses relatively quickly and go about their day. Because the pairs can sense each other’s state of bliss thanks to their network of ampullae, they’re left in a momentary high that lasts several minutes. A purposeful encounter leaves both parties in a temporary numb stupor due to an overloaded nervous system, a hormone spike, and by sharp changes in their partner’s electromagnetic signature. This forces them to rest for 40 to 60 minutes before returning to their senses. However, there is no better form of extreme stress relief for a pair than a purposeful encounter.



Female Avantas reach sexual maturity during their twenty-second year, much later than males. By then, it’s assumed a female will have partnered with a male and their bond will be well established; they will want offspring of their own. This delay in reaching maturity ensures the population will expand. When the pair begins trying for children, every subsequent encounter is purposeful for obvious reasons to maximize the odds of success. The purposeful encounters send the pair into a breeding mood where intimacy is frequent and the female is induced into ovulation. Once that happens, it usually isn’t long before new life is conceived. The mother Avanta will carry their pups to term over a 12-month gestation, deliver them, then nurse them until they’re weaned at two years of age. Avantas are almost always born naturally. Although difficult for the mother, it’s actually the safer option. It’s very rare for Avanta pups to be born via a C-section. The process is extremely intrusive to the mother and risky to both her and the pups. Reserved for only extreme cases, C-sections carve away and permanently weaken the mother’s frame. The process leaves her scarred and has a high chance of leaving her unable to physically support a future pregnancy.



During the pregnancy, the father is tasked with providing for and protecting his expecting mate and future offspring. Parenthood is another defining Avanta trait. The males diligently look out for their mates, especially toward the latter months of the pregnancy when the females are too sapped of energy to fly or move any more than they have to. During the birth, the males stand before their mates, nuzzling their noses and melding their electromagnetic signatures to comfort her. Immediately after the pups are born and the new mothers are resting, the fathers are always the first ones to see and touch them and take in their scent. The new mothers see the pups next. Together they dry off their offspring, licking them clean. The cleaning is a vital part of bonding between the parents and pups. Its also a time for the parents to rejoice and shed a few happy tears for their newest additions.



Once they’re dry, the father will move the pups beside their mother for warmth and safety. He’ll carefully pick them up in his jaws, then place them down. Because Avanta newborns are small and their frames are pliable, they’re easy to carry. They’ll spend the first day of their lives resting before beginning to nurse from their mothers. During the first day, the newborn’s wings and tails, pressed against their bodies during birth, unfurl and straighten like a newly emerged butterfly’s wings. Following the birth, female Avantas are extremely weak and in immense pain. Their anguish is made worse if they have multiple offspring, which is very common among Avantas that reside among humans. Avantas can have litters of up to four. In rare, extreme cases, five. Avantas living in the wild have small litters, only one or two. The process of birth is a shockingly violent affair. It visibly warps the female’s metallic frame and badly deforms the metallic skin on her underside. Although the damage will heal completely and their frames will straighten again, the females are completely incapacitated for a week. They’re only able to raise their tails enough for the pups to nurse from them. Standing or walking is out of the question. Because of this, they’re completely reliant on their mate. The males dutifully stand guard over their females and newborns.



The protective instinct in a male Avanta is stronger than any other animal on Earth. Overwhelmed by a flood of hormones, the males undergo a dramatic change. Locked into a state known as ‘Birthwatch,’ the males will not allow anyone near their mates or offspring during the seven to eight days after the birth, during which the female is utterly incapacitated and at her most vulnerable. The male won’t even eat during that time unless food is laid out for him. They’re extraordinarily protective and territorial, to the point where it’s dangerous to approach. A new father will not let his mate or offspring out of his sight for any reason. He’ll savagely growl and flash his teeth at anyone who comes near. If someone strays too close, the male will attack. He’ll use any means necessary to protect his family. In a few cases, male Avantas have attacked their best friends or their own parents for getting to close. There have been many cases where female Avantas or newborn pups were in medical peril and human doctors had to intervene. Because the males were so saturated with hormones and blinded by Birthwatch, they’ve attacked and even killed doctors before. Medical professionals have had to sedate or restrain males for their own good. If restrained, they’ll violently thrash and roar angrily believing their family is threatened. Even with five other Avantas holding down a new father, he could still break free. Heavy chains are about all that will hold a Birthwatch affected Avanta down.



While physically restrained, males have been known to tear parts of their body away to break free. Canards, primarily. Bent wings, tails, frames, and deep lacerations have all occurred before. Male Avantas have even died while breaking loose. The drive to protect is just that strong. Even worse, the new fathers have no control over Birthwatch. Even the chilliest, most casual male Avanta will reluctantly become someone he isn’t once his pups are born. For single births, Birthwatch is strong. For multiple births, its far stronger because the male must look after a greater number of individuals. While hormonal males won’t allow anyone to approach, there is one notable exception. The father’s existing children. Because they’re of his blood and he guarded them once, they’re allowed to approach. Even a male Avanta in the midst of Birthwatch will trust his existing offspring around their mother and newborn siblings. In fact, having existing offspring around is beneficial for the father. Knowing he’s not guarding his growing family alone actually shortens the time he’s locked in Birthwatch. For the sons and or daughters that come to assist their father in his duties, they wind up mildly hormonal themselves due to sensing their parent’s altered electromagnetic signatures. The sons and daughters assist even further by sharing their mother’s pain and even their father’s secondhand pain, even if the existing offspring are as young as five years old. During this time, the entire family further bonds with their newest additions. It goes without saying the family structure among Avantas is incredibly strong.



Another process that takes place during Birthwatch is a response known as ‘Blacknosed.’ The ampullae on the topside and underside of the male Avanta’s nose become hypersensitive due to increased blood flow, turning the tiny pores black and creating a dotting pattern on their skin. Because Avanta pairs share electromagnetic signatures, the male will sense the female’s state of pain and anguish following the birth. By touching her, specifically by nuzzling her nose, their ampullae contact and signatures meld. The male is physically able to feel his mate’s pain. This hurts him, but helps lessen the female’s pain, allowing her body to focus on healing and recover faster. When a male becomes Blacknosed, the female becomes Blacknosed shortly thereafter. This allows their signatures to be exchanged more freely and quickly, accelerating the healing process. One side effect of an Avanta being Blacknosed are enlarged ampullae pores on their noses. The pores remain enlarged after blood flow returns to normal, having grown up to three millimeters across as opposed to one millimeter. The enlarged pores remain that way for the rest of an Avanta’s life. Although a subtle difference, it’s obvious when viewed up close. The enlarged ampullae pores are a surefire way of determining if an Avanta has ever been a parent. Both male and female Avantas will exhibit enlarged pores.



Once the pair is over the proverbial hump and the first week has passed, the male’s hormones begin to stabilize and decrease. Birthwatch ends completely two weeks after the birth. By then the female’s frame has healed enough for her to stand and move normally. A female Avanta won’t fly again for at least six weeks after the birth. Its only after Birthwatch subsides that others are allowed to interact with the newborn pups and celebrate the occasion. Birthwatch, Blacknosed, and the ritual of protection and patience dates back to before the Avantas arrived on Earth. It’s an age-old tradition upheld for over ten million years. As the pups begin to grow and mature, the entire family will engage in regular physical contact. Mutual grooming and nuzzling to build and maintain trust in addition to sharing signatures. Once the offspring are seven years old and strong enough to fly, the entire family will go on frequent flights.



As for family structure, fathers tend to bond strongly with their sons while mothers bond strongly with their daughters. This may appear to create a rift between cliques of males and females, but the gap is bridged by mutual trust, loyalty, and affection. Avanta parents will gladly lay down their lives for their offspring. However, the offspring will come to their parent’s defense if the situation warrants it. In the family, everyone is equal. Everyone has a say and no point of view is ignored. Its not in their nature to be openly hostile toward one another. There are disagreements and some bickering, most of the time it isn’t anything that can’t be resolved. Its very rare for Avanta parents to be unkind to their offspring, given what it took for their offspring to exist at all. The strong family structure has a downside, however. They will do anything in the defense of those they love, leaving Avantas vulnerable to manipulation and taking unnecessary risks for one another.