Astoria Pendridge

Eleven

Had the creature just imprinted on her after hatching? Did it think she was its mother? This beast whose parent she had just slain wanted to follow her? She stared at the thing and placed it on the forest floor, watching as it quickly hurried after her leg, a trace of amusement on her face.

'Well. . .' She thought, 'I've always wanted a pet.'

In her previous life, she had wished for a cat or dog, but her parents had denied her. As much as they loved her, they still understood that a pet like the two were too much of a chaotic element for a sickly girl whose life was tethered to a machine besides her bed. Not only would getting a pet add one more thing for her parents to take care of, there was the possibility that it could cause troubles.

In this life, Astoria crouched curiously as she watched the newly hatched lightning eagle. It tilted its head at her, tweeting, then it spotted the dead carcass of its parent.

". . ."

Astoria watched speechlessly as the chick ran to the corpse and began pecking at it, gnawing at the headless neck she had sliced open and eating the meat from its parent. She blinked her eyes, brows scrunched, and realized she really wasn't seeing things. Then she shrugged and watched as it finished its meal. The bird flapped, tweeting happily, then it was afloat to her surprise, the wind rustling its mild feathers as it landed on her shoulder, small talons softly latching onto her skin. It rubbed at her face with its own.

Astoria laughed and petted the creature. "That's it, I'm taking you with me."

She rubbed its head and began walking.

"Hmm. . .I think I'll call you Tig. You like that?"

Tig chirped happily. Astoria was not sure if it could understand her, but that didn't matter to her. She smiled as she increased her pacing.

In much shorter notice than when she left, she was back within the town of Tess, passing by two new guards in the dead of the night as Tig stayed latched onto her shoulder like an obedient little child. Naturally, she returned to the Traveler's Guild.

"Hello." She showed the egg she had obtained to a new receptionist. A woman of long, flowing, blonde hair with eyes that twinkled emerald. "I'm here to turn in a quest!"

The woman raised a brow at her age, accepted the egg, and tilted her head as she spoke.

"Umm, please let me see your traveler's mark?" She asked uncertainly.

"Here you go."

Once Astoria showed her mark, her expression cleared, and she held her hand, and touched the orb besides her. The two briefly shined and then the receptionist nodded.

"All done. Your 1000 Witrins have been deposited into your personal account, and you have ranked up to rank D. Is there anything else I could help you with?" The receptionist asked.

"Umm. . ."

Astoria thought for a moment then pointed at Tig.

"What's up with him?" She asked.

"Pardon? Is that not your beast companion?" The receptionist asked.

Astoria shook her head. "No? It just followed me after it hatched."

"Then it is your beast companion," The woman replied.

"Oooh? That simple?"

The woman chuckled. "Indeed, it is as simple as that as long as you can control it. Though. . ."

She narrowed her eyes at Tig, looking at his darker colors and the mark of a lightning bolt on his back as the bird tilted its head.

"It seems quite a bit intelligent. . .add that with the strange coloring and its mark. . ." She murmured in assessment. Then nodded, affirming herself. "Your companion is likely a mutated demonic beast."

"Mutated?" Astoria raised a brow, looking between her new pet and the woman.

"Indeed," The woman nodded. "As well as being more intelligent, a mutated beast has the capacity for a higher realm of strength than usual, tending to be able to wield more abilities than commonly used by their kind. For example, though a normal lightning eagle shoots a bolt of electricity, a mutated one might do that and then some."

Astoria stared at her new companion with furrowed brows.

"You sound pretty amazing there, Tig. . .even if you did eat parts of your own parent."

The bird tilted its head at her, tweeting lightly.

Watching this, the receptionist leaned closer to Astoria.

"Hey," She whispered.

"Hmm?"

"It's best to be careful when you have a mutated demonic beast as a companion, okay? Though it might follow you right now, there are ways to make a beast submit to another person."

"Huh? Meaning?" Astoria asked, not quite getting her words.

"Look around you. Some people will unashamedly steal your new companion from you."

Astoria glanced around the Traveler's Guild. There were a lot of stares thrown her way, likely having been so since she entered. Some quickly shifted away from her after her glance, while others maintained their contemplative looks on Tig, uncaring.

She turned back to the receptionist, now fully aware.

"Thank you for the heads-up, miss," She spoke as she smiled.

"That's no problem, it is my job, after all," The receptionist replied. "You're the pupil of the Guardian of the Western Winds I've heard so much about, right?"

Was she becoming well-known? Astoria nodded.

"Then I think you should return to his side as fast as you can," She said, "Before anyone thinks about taking that creature away from you tonight."

"Aye I think I'll do that."

"Have a safe trip."

"Goodnight."They waved each other away and Astoria briskly left the guild, then the village, before entering into the forest. Then she was running, Tig latched onto her shoulder, headed back home. A home next to the boundary wall of Altera that loomed into the sky.

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