|| Anadia's POV ||

It had been two days since the whole Sicora fiasco, and honestly I think I was going to like it here. If  I ended up staying, anyway. There were many pro's to my current situation, for one, there was Qualin. I was kind of shocked to admit that he'd grown on me these past few days, he'd proven himself a real friend. I also had food whenever I want, shelter, and of course a secure territory to call my own. Well, my own and Qualin's.

"Anadia!" Came the call, which echoed through the unique halls of the Kymari's house.

Perking my ears forward, I spread my feathery wings and flapped down from the high perch that was positioned in the corner of the living room. I swooped down and through the doorway into the kitchen, where Lyri was seated on a spinning stool. As I circled him, he held out his wrist for me to land on. I did just that, carefully moving my talons in a position so that they wouldn't dig into his gloved hand.

"We have to go somewhere today," He revealed once I settled. "After your little display with the Sicora, the Elders have been notified of both your existence and your unique abilities." 

Qualin suddenly dropped down from a shelf, landing on Lyri's shoulder with an adorable worried expression on his face. 

They won't hurt her, will they? What if they deem her dangerous? He stressed, his tail tip flicking back and forth anxiously.

Either way, it's fine. I spoke up, flexing my talons with a yawn. It doesn't matter if they hurt me, because you'll be fine, right?

There was a short, tense pause before I was abruptly enveloped in a winged hug. Qualin had hopped down to sit on Lyri's wrist with me. 

Of course it matters! We won't let them hurt you, not if I can help it. The blue Dragonet hissed boldly, lifting his head up high with his lips peeled back.

"The Elders will do what they think best for our people," Lyri sighed, frowning as he contemplated the predicament. 

He glanced at the fancy clock hanging on the wall and stood, shifting both Qualin and I onto his shoulders. I coiled my tail around his waist again to keep the dangerous tip out of trouble.

"We must leave now, since we don't want to keep them waiting now, do we?" He walked down the entry hall to the door, opening it and stepping out.

I observed the bustling streets, watching the green-skinned aliens going about their day in an orderly fashion. Before long, a transportation shuttle pulled up in front of us, it's thrusters keeping it in a steady hover. Lyri boarded the hovercraft, before taking a seat. It seemed this was a pre-planned occasion, since the driver was already on the way to our destination without needing to be told.

I glanced around at the interior, noting the rows of seats, windows, and tables for sitting things on. Tilting my head and letting out a slight trill, I curled my tail a little tighter as anxiety set in. Not for being judged by the Elders, anxiety for what the two beings who'd taken me in would do if I was declared dangerous. Would they abandon me without a second thought? Or would I linger in their memories? 

Time seemed to slip between my talons, one moment we were simply traveling, the next we were disembarking and on our way to the meeting grounds. I wondered what my future held for me, it could go either way now. Lyri absentmindedly stroked my tail as he walked, his features revealing how many complex thoughts were flickering through his mind.

The building was elaborate in a casual sort of way, with the futuristic theme these aliens have achieved. Many passing Kymari spared the building a glance, as if sensing the importance which rested inside. It was a larger building, and as Lyri entered I could see the wealth behind each item. It was made to impress, yet also show to visitors that the Kymari could be both kind and welcoming, or serious and intimidating. 

Another green-skinned alien greeted Lyri with a professional nod. He was certainly dressed up for the occasion, wearing fine, stylish clothes and hair pulled back out of his face. He lead us down a corridor with a red carpet, and to an automatic door with a fingerprint scanner. Placing his finger on the scanner, the light above the door briefly flashed green before the door slid open.

Three elders sat behind a long, curved, semi-circle desk. They watched with calculating eyes, scanning every detail and recording it in their memory banks. I felt the knowledge which seemed to seep from them, their age making them wise. I felt insignificant in front of these beings, yet I knew that they would judge me fairly.

Two were male, one was female. The males had similar features - brothers, perhaps? - with long hair, sharp eyes and a slightly hooked nose. One was taller, and he had longer hair which reached slightly below his shoulders, while the other had hair at collar bone length. They watched with neutral expressions, back's straight and posture sophisticated. 

The female was a different story. Her eyes were slanted at the corners, and seemed to bore right into my own. They were dark and stormy, as if she had faced many hardships. I could see the jagged tip of a pale scar poking up from below her collared dress shirt. Her hair was very long, and lay down across her back and shoulders in thick strips. 

"Take a seat," The female started, her voice leaving no room for discussion or objection.

Lyri seemed to understand this, and took the seat positioned in front of the semi-circle table. He settled down and motioned for Qualin to hop up onto his shoulder pad while I settled on his lap. I carefully unwrapped my tail and rested it over his legs, point facing outwards of course. Then I stared up at the Elders, which almost seemed like judges in this situation. 

"So this is the new creature we've heard about," The taller male stated, his head tilted to the side in an inquisitive way. "Sounds like it could be an asset to our goal of eliminating the Sicora."

"Not so fast, brother," The shorter brother replied. "Although I have contemplated the same thing, we must first know that this creature will not harm our own, but obey us even in the face of danger."

Twitching my talons slightly, I tilted my head and peered at the female in the center. She seemed to be the one we needed to appeal to. I trilled quietly, ruffling my wing feathers as my frill quivered, catching the artificial light in a way that made the feathers flash in an almost exotic dance.

"Where did you find it?" The female inquired, peering back into my crimson eyes.

"In the largest park, the one the Dragonets favor." Lyri replied, glancing down at me from time to time.

Qualin chirped and crouched down on Lyri's shoulder, tilting his head at me from his high perch. I turned my head towards him and gently touched the tip of his snout with my own in reasurance. 

"She gets along well with your Dragonet, I see. You appear to be a fine handler if you can control such an unknown predator." The female continued in a slightly mistified tone, as if questioning how I got along with a creature that could be classed as my prey.

"Thank you, Elder Dashi. Anadia seemed to take a liking to Qualin from their first encounter, and she seems to be quite peaceful around him." Lyri sounded confident, the well respected Elder's praise building his self-esteem. 

Dashi gave a nod, before glancing at the other Elders.

"My brother, Fierne, and I believe that this new entity, Anadia, could play a very important part when the Dragonet Handlers patrol in search of Sicora. It's been reported that she feels the same instinctual rage as the Dragonets?" The older brother revealed, a thoughtful gleam entering his eyes.

Lyri replied with a nod, sensing the last Elder waiting to speak.

"Yes, Jairn is correct, I think have this new creature on our side would be very beneficial. With the way she eliminated the last Sicora, she could, with proper training, prove to be a great addition." Fierne added, a smile tugging at his lips at the thought of the efficiency I could bring.

"Still, we must ensure that this new species is trainable, and safe for everyone to be around. We do not want to release another dangerous animal into our society, we need to know for sure that she can be controlled." Dashi concluded, "Until we have evidence, we want you to keep her in a controlled environment, she is not to leave your home until we give you approval to go onto the next stage." 

"I understand, Elder Dashi." Lyri said respectfully.

"Considering her similarities to the Dragonets, this species will be known as the Drakon. Unless there are any objections?" Jairn commented, smiling when objections were voiced.

"Follow the same training process you undertook when you took Qualin into your care, we'll contact you in a few weeks to check up on your process. Further down her training, I'd like for you to take her into a clinic so we can study her anatomy. Remember to take notes on her behaviour and send copies to us, so we can begin early researching until then. You are dismissed, Handler Lyri." Elder Dashi finished.

The three Elders stood from their seats, and the Kymari from before entered to escort Lyri to the door. When we had left the building behind, I couldn't help but muse at what my life would now hold. Honestly, being cooped up for a few weeks wasn't very appealing to me. I suppose I could wait it out though, since the thought of hunting down Sicora and eliminating them sounded too good to be true.

The thought of the hunt was a thrill, like my mother used to tell me when I was small - there is nothing more exhilarating than the feeling of being the hunter amidst the hunted. She always told me to think of myself as a wolf in sheep's clothing, as she had done, and to remember that I was the one with the fangs, not those around me. In a way, I suppose this advice was telling me that those around me can't hurt me, that their bark - baa? - was worse than their bite. 

I kind of missed my mother...

When my thoughts came to an end, Lyri was already entering the living room of the house. I snorted with surprise, my ears flicking back. 

Lyri held out his arm and Qualin leaped off onto one of the shelves, which was lined with books. The covers were in a variety of languages, as if not all of the books originated from the Kymari's planets. I followed shortly after, beating my wings to lift myself up into the air. I flew around for a moment, then with a curiosity I suddenly acquired, I flew towards the ceiling.

There was a light hanging from the ceiling with many twisting parts, perfect for gripping. I flew higher before twisting and falling nose first towards the ground. I angled myself slightly, folding my wings to my side as I wrapped my tail around the light's cable and gripped the grooves with my sharp hind talons. 

I was now hanging upside down from the ceiling, my head and arms hanging down. I tilted my head to the side, surveying the room from this new angle. Lyri was lightly laughing at my actions, while Qualin was chirping from the shelf.

"You know we have to start training now, right?" Lyri asked as he took a seat on the soft couch.

I gave a nod and an exaggerated sigh. Training involved listening. Ew.

We can train together, Qualin grinned mischievously. Wonder what fun we can get up to. I'm sure Lyri will enjoy this a lot!

"Yeah. Sure." Lyri sighed in quiet misery.

||~^*^~||

Word count: 2023

A/N

Well, it's been a while... You probably think this book died, and to be honest, so did I! But I'm kind of getting back in the writing mood, so I think updates could be a possibility in the future? I'll be keeping this book on hold though, but you might experience a random update every now and then. Hope you enjoyed, I apologise if this seemed rush, or didn't match the story very well! I tried, though, right? 

Stick around for Chapter 5!

~Corvi