EXOTICA'S QUARTERS

Before anything else could happen, Exotica somehow picked up a strange telepathic message. "Viridia, we have to go back there. Right now." She said, hurriedly and ready to go. The dark skinned woman, worried, asked, "what's wrong?" "Well, it's not 'wrong' so much as odd. All the eggs so far have hatched female! What if there are no males?" Exotica said. Viridia nodded, and turned back to the controls of the great ship. Their journey to Planet Twenty would wait just a while longer. They were immortal, how could they worry about such things? "I just want this one egg - I know the other is spoken for and I'm sure it'll have a good home. But maybe.... maybe this one will be a boy? And they're wild, right?" Exotica said. The attendant nodded, and Exotica carefully took up the egg in her strong arms. "Then I'll take good care of you," she said to the egg. "And maybe you'll have a girlfriend and..." She glanced around, embarrassed, and then went back to their ship.

Kimi and Efesta didn't appear to think much of this new arrival. Efesta was too busy playing, and Kimi.... well, she was trouble. She almost kicked the egg, snorting at it wildly, and then turned her back on it. "Don't worry, little adomera..." Exotica said softly, "I still think she'll like you no matter what..."

In the short time that they all waited for the egg to hatch, Viridia and Exotica were trying to figure out a name for their newest arrival. But when the bright green nose of the little guy came poking out of the egg like it did, it became a rush to just keep him from tromping all over the place. He staggered up to Kimi, she tried to bite him, but he was already busy running over to Efesta's Gemstones, who skittered sideways. "He's very... active." Viridia needlessly noted. The green slammed into her leg, and went a new direction. "Katsudo," Exotica said, loudly. Suddenly the foal stopped what he was doing, and turned. Kimi took that moment to nip his hind end, and they both started running around the room together. "Now we know his name," Viridia laughed.

Kimi was certainly growing quickly. Every time Exotica turned around, there was another nibble mark on one of her plants, higher up than the ones before. And of course, little Katsudo immitated her, so there were twice as many now. "When we get back to Planet Twenty you'll have enough room to nibble all you want, you two," Exotica chastised them, "so leave the plants in here alone... AND the ones next door!"

The big ship drifted in orbit over Planet Twenty - and Exotica could sense the excitement aboard. Not that she couldn't sense it all the time anyway but this was special. They were going to land, and find places to live. Kimi snorted, and tried to kick Katsudo as usual, but he nipped her tail, and she gave him a glare but did not more kicking. "That's a good girl, we'll be on the ground soon enough, and you both can stretch your wings!"

The plains below the large volcanic mountain range where the Zekiran Colony rested would be perfect for any kind of steed-type herds. Now of course, it would be up to Kimi and Katsudo to get the hint. They weren't seeming very kind to one another just in general, but it did look like Kimi wasn't going to kick Katsudo in the nose every time he sniffed her wingtips or tail. Maybe... just maybe... they might have a herd after all...