Amaryah's Awakening

Chapter Fourteen

Kozantei, Fourth Quadrant, Andromeda Galaxy.

Amaryah

Mya's heart stuttered, she did not want to be kicked out of training, she'd finally felt like she'd found her place, and fulfillment. She was so close to learning how to operate those great warrior ships she'd seen flying across the skies and possibly one day a battleship like the one that had brought her to this planet.

"Are you going to kick me out of the trials?" she asked softly to her surprise Mara's eyes softened imperceptibly.

"Why would I do such a thing? You've managed to succeed despite your..." she gave her another once over, but this look was not dripping with its usual distaste, it was merely assessing as if Mya were a prize or something that could benefit her. "Human-ness"

Mya snickered, "How much did it hurt you to say that?"

Mara's lips curled into a smirk, revealing a sharp fang protruding over her lip, "The meeting will begin in a few moments, come with me."

She stood and walked out of the room expecting Mya to follow, she ground her teeth but of course she followed the lieutenant, her curiosity was too great to ever allow her to miss such an opportunity. They walked down the gold decorated hallways, passing the depictions of the many things Mya still didn't quite understand and pushed through large black ornate doors. Her eyes travelled around the room, it had the same ivory stone walls with depictions, and it housed a large slab of dark rock that was shaped into an roughhewn form – it looked like it had been lifted directly from the ground and then placed in the room to be used as the table, big enough for the four others gathered in the room, Ravanna, Nezerra, Azazel and Zogan who had stopped midsentence at their entrance.

Mara motioned her forward as she'd paused by the doors, but her eyes were locked onto the large creature that sat at Zogan's feet, the creature whose glowing amber eyes had also locked onto her. It had four short, curled horns on it scaled head – they all pointed upwards like a crown, and its face structure reminded her of a shorter version of an alligator's. Its neck was long, and its blue green scales glimmered as it slowly rose to its feet. Mya watched dumb founded as it rose – of course it would be bigger than her, everything on this damn planet was. There were four large spines that jutted out from its hip bones and a spiny muscled tail that tapered off into a pointed end. It slowly walked toward her on four muscled feet that sported three long talons and a shorter thumb like but also clawed toe. It had wings! Massive leather protrusions that looked like they could blow Mya away with one flap. Mya shuddered and shuffled back a few steps, the beast exhaled a smoky breath and cocked its head while continuing to move forward. She was being stalked.

"Zar." Zogan's voice was soft but commanding, the beast whined and looked back at him, and stomped its foot. Surprise flickered through Mya who recovered a bit from her fear as they lost eye contact, she reached out with her senses to the beast on a whim and felt, love and devotion, aimed towards Zogan. It turned its amber eyes back to her and she felt curiosity. There was no ill will and before she knew it her legs shuffled her forward. She was reaching for it, him, Zar. His long neck bent, and he nudged into her hand, a sharp intake of breath was heard around the room while she rubbed his head between his horns. A slow smile spread across her face as the beast curled its tail around her arm to hold it in place over his head. Demanding more attention.

Mara hissed, "Well that's unusual."

Ravanna and Azazel's eyes were still on the beast and Mya asked, "Why?"

Zar was now sitting on his haunches before her, he was still a head taller than her, and she scratched around his neck lost in her study of the magnificent animal. She had never seen any of the real animals on earth she'd only studied them in her classes, sad at all the loss the war had brought.