Chapter One
Tytula trudged over the last rugged, barren slope. Her weary eyes rested on Rileikoul, the city of the Drows. She let out a sigh of relief, and walked up to the security guard.
"Hello, sir," Tytula said quickly. "I've come to see Dwahro about the baby Drakkins. Can you tell me where to go, please?"
The guard looked curiously at her. Her raven black hair and dark brown skin were unfamiliar to him, as well as her gold and lavender robes. "Go on in. Take a left at the poultry stand on the corner, and then take a right at the end of that road. Best of luck. I doubt you'll need that, however," the guard added, eyeing the large offering of jewels slung over her shoulder in a massive burlap sack.
Tytula smiled. "Thanks!" she called as she ran into Rileikoul, her leather sandals flapping on the ground. She saw the poultry stand almost immediately (and smelled it before that). She took a sharp left there, and ran to the end of the street. Her legs were beginning to hurt, but she didn't pay any attention. She took a right.
Directly in front of her was a large, wooden building. It had a pale straw roof, and the outside was held together with dried mud. The entrance was right on the road. Tytula knew that this was Dwahro's breeding dwelling. She could see a large, white and gold house behind the dwelling. Dwahro must live there, she thought.
A creature with beady yellow eyes was studying her through the entrance. When it saw her looking, it darted away, followed by a flash of brilliant green tail. Tytula gasped in awe and delight. Her first glimpse of a Drakkin! She tentatively followed the creature into its home.
When she stepped in, it was pitch black. She groped around in the dark for a moment, until her hand rested on a pair of goggles. She put them on quickly, and found she could see perfectly. Night-vision goggles. She had a few pairs back in her caverns.
"Well?" a smug voice asked. "Anyone ever teach you how to knock?"
"Oh!" Tytula cried. "I'm so sorry! I just saw your green Drakkin looking at me, so I thought you might have been forewarned..."
"Yes, Lefati has been rather skittish since her clutch was laid," the voice replied. "I apologize if she startled you."
"Oh, no," Tytula said happily, glad she had come to the right place. "She's beautiful!"
"If you want to see her again,' the voice said slowly, "you can go see her eggs over there. Be careful!"
Tytula walked slowly and carefully over to a small indentation in the floor. She knelt down beside the nest, and saw 5 small eggs. She smiled with delight, until she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. She whirled around, to find herself staring into the green face of Lefati. Lefati was waving her spiked green tail dangerously, and her eyes were narrowed.
"Don't worry," Tytula said gently to Lefati. "I don't mean you any harm! I just wanted to see your eggs, nothing more." Lefati relaxed slightly, backing away from Tytula, and going to crouch over her eggs. Tytula turned to the direction the voice was coming from, and nodded. "If that was some kind of test, I think I passed."
"Yes," the voice said, "it was a test. I always show the hopeful owner to the clutch mother. Lefati can always tell if the person is honest. Apparently, she feels you are worthy of a chance. I trust her."
As Tytula was about to speak, a middle-aged man stepped out of the shadows. He had on sleek, black goggles that matched his leather jacket. He had on a black shirt beneath the jacket, and matching black pants. He had a belt on that looked suspiciously like gold to Tytula, and (surprise!) black boots. If he was rich enough to have leather and gold, Tytula thought, then why does he need all this treasure crap Amaryllis sent. The answer came to Tytula immediately - he just wanted it.
The man brushed long, thick white hair out of his ebony-skinned face before continuing. With a jolt, Tytula saw a sharply pointed ear beneath his hair. "My name is Lord Breeder Dwahro. I am the top breeder and trainer here in Rileikoul. I am the one who started the two other breeders off. I am the only one here who has more than one female. Who are you?"
Tytula bowed. "I am Tytula Kyiro Estyre, sister of Amaryllis Sandlyn Estyre of Dracogrex. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Dwahro."
Dwahro nodded smugly. "I see. Dracogrex, of the fluffy bunnies and pretty little Dragons?"
Tytula shook her head furiously. "We have a perfect environment set up for our Drakkin! I know that Drakkins are extremely sensitive to light, and it can seriously hurt them, so the path to our future home is made of chambers, gradually getting darker and darker. There are night-vision goggles available in the last chamber. The actual home of the Drakkin is pitch black at all times, with food and water available for it to hunt and drink. I spared no expense in perfecting each and every detail, so the Drakkin feels like it is in the wild! It will be happy, believe me."
Dwahro raised an eyebrow. "You are very passionate about these Drakkins, are you not?" Dwahro asked. "You must understand that they are not sweet, innocent little pets. They take patience and respect to flourish and truly be happy."
"I understand that," Tytula said, "and I plan to treat my Drakkin with the highest of respect."
"Good," Dwahro said simply. "I think I just might consider you. What is your offering?"
Tytula untied the bag that contained her offering. Dwahro took out each beautiful carving, and looked it over carefully. He whistled at the first DragonStone that he removed from the burlap sack, and at each one after that. When all the carvings were laid out on the table, along with a few bags of food and supplies (Dwahro had seemed surprisingly appreciative of these), Dwahro began to question Tytula about her Drakkin.
"What were you thinking of naming your Drakkin?" Dwahro asked curiously.
"Well, I was thinking either Nyyisa, if it's a female, or maybe Fikos if it's a male -"
"What gender is your preferred one?" Dwahro asked.
"Male," Tytula said quickly. "I know how valuable and rare the females are. The females seem so much more intelligent, though."
Dwahro nodded firmly. "That is true. Color?"
"I guess black or red would be good," Tytula said. She glanced over at Lefati, and continued, "or maybe green. No, definitely green."
Dwahro laughed a genuine, booming laugh. "Okay, black, red, or green. Where shall I contact you?"
"Just contact Amaryllis," Tytula said, jotting down a quick address, "and she'll get me to talk to you."
Dwahro nodded again. "That is all I need. I will consider your application." The way he said that last sentence, however, gave Tytula the impression that all the 'considering' in the matter had been done.
"Thank you, Lord Breeder Dwahro!" Tytula called as she walked away down the road. "Bye, Lefati!" Tytula could have sworn that she heard the words 'good-bye' echo in her mind as she journeyed back to Dracogrex.
