I retract my claws, feeling the tension release from my body, my blood cooling like vented magma.
“Hiya!” Princesa shouts, tossing another hunk of meat toward the brutonous chick, who hops back and forth, its bushy tail wagging in eager anticipation. It barks before jumping to catch the cooked food in its slathering maw, swallowing it down whole in a few gulps.
“Save the rest,” I caution, turning back to her with a stern look. Princesa nods in agreement.
“No more, big bird-dog,” she says, holding her empty hands up toward the creature. The brutonous tilts its head, eyeing the squirming cyloillar in her lap and licking its lips.
I step forward, drawing its attention. “Begone!” I shout, shooing it with my arms, but the beast drops into a playful crouch, front paws splayed wide and chest low to the ground. Its tail lashes in excitement, swishing through the air with eager, uneven flicks.
A low growl rumbles from its chest—not one of threat, but of mischief—like a dare to join a game. I grimace at its stubbornness, ignoring its challenge, moving closer.
“Leave—”
Suddenly it pounces atop me, a whirlwind of fur and feathers battering against me.
“Dracoth!” Princesa squeals.
I throw my arms up, catching the beast’s thick, multicolored mane, feeling its immense strength rippling beneath the pelt. It thrashes wildly in my molten grip, but I stand firm, every muscle bulging, tendons standing out like taut cords of arcweave.
Its talons crash against my shoulders, the full weight of the beast pressing down like a crashing meteorite. I resist its rolling bulk, which almost unbalances me. I could end this—extend my claws and tear through it—but something stops me. Its wagging tail, the way it doesn’t bite, and how its tongue, instead, lashes out, attempting to lick my face.
“Are you... winning under there?” Princesa asks, sounding confused.
I can’t respond, straining to overcome this brutonous. I shift sideways, managing to hook its broad head under my arm. A laugh escapes me as I gain control, forcing the beast crashing onto its side. It thrashes wildly while I use my other hand to ruffle the dark fur and feathers of its underbelly.
The brutonous emits a strange snorting noise and stops thrashing, instead rolling onto its back, with pawed legs twitching as I continue to rub its belly.
“It’s like a giant dog,” Princesa comments, still keeping her distance. This ‘dog’ is unknown to me, but the beast is content as I continue to lash it with deep rubs.
“I’m getting jealous over here,” Princesa quips, chuckling softly.
I release the squirming brutonous, and it rolls back onto its legs, panting heavily with its tongue hanging long from its maw. It stares at me, tail wagging, before spinning in a quick circle and spreading its wings.
With a powerful leap, it launches into the sky, leaving us buffeted by the wind of its departure as it soars into the clouds.
I watch it become a mere speck against the purple-tinted skies, feeling an unexpected sense of awe.
“It will become a true terror of the ages,” I mutter, picturing the fully grown beast, one day clawing through the very mountains of Scarn like they were nothing more than sand dunes.
“Is it safe to leave it alive?” Princesa asks, her gaze dropping to Todd, the ever-wiggling cyloillar nestled in her lap. “I mean, it tried to eat our little chug bug. What if it threatens us later?” Her words trail off, but her fierce eyes speak volumes.
It pleases me, her ruthless planning of our future rule together. “It’s Arawnoth’s will,” I answer, recalling the strange presence I felt.
Princesa frowns, not looking convinced as she strokes her now plump pet Todd. “Well, at least it seems to like you... a little too much, if you ask me,” she snorts, pointing up to the skyline. “Hey, look. It’s still following us.”
I glance up and see it—a faint silhouette circling high above the clouds. “It’s followed since we entered Draxxi.”
“As long as it stays...” Princesa’s words die on her lips, her eyes going wide as she clutches her stomach. “Uh-oh...” Her head swivels, sending her sleek long hair flying as she scans the towering trees around us. “I’ve got togo.”
I frown, confused. “Go?”
Princesa’s guts gurgle loudly like a dying Glaseroid.
“Yes, go, go! Like right fucking now.” She rushes around a broad tree with Todd clutched to her chest with quick narrow steps. “This is going to be a photo-line finish,” she mutters.
Foolish female, dashing into Draxxi foliage without first checking its safety. Without hesitation, I don my warvisor,scanning the area for any dangerous creatures. Finding nothing near the location she’s squatting.
I reattach the mask to my belt, a foreign sense of relief washing over me. It’s challenging to care for one so fragile, so chaotic.
