"I have to go by myself this time, Kody," Tytula said, reading the summons again. She was not surprised by Inrahi's acceptance of her offering. The Lady Breeder's eyes had glowed at the sight of the riches.
The hatchlings will be presented at my Breeding Barn, the summons read. Be there. Inrahi.
Tytula rolled her eyes. She could only imagine the novel Inrahi would have written had Tytula been a handsome young man.
"Aww, come on," Kody whimpered. "Can I please come?"
"Nope," Tytula said firmly. "Besides, I need someone to watch Perturmiles. Look over there, he's after something!"
An insect whizzed past the two people's faces, followed by a massive green Drakkin. Per had grown quite a bit over the past few months, and he was now almost full-grown. He stopped several feet from Tytula and Kody, the insect in his mouth.
"Hey buddy!" Tytula called.
Perturmiles turned around, and barked a greeting to his keeper. He trotted over, and butted her gently in the stomach with his powerful horns. He was totally loyal to her, and he wouldn't dream of hurting her. Or Kody, for that matter. He had taken quite a liking to the young Drow boy as well.
"I think you're hungry, Per-Per," she crooned, leading him into the kitchen. "Yes, yes, you are!" Per stared at her indignantly as she poured a bowl of meat pellets for him.
"Oh, I keep forgeting how big you are now," Tytula giggled, scratching him on the muzzle. "And you're going to have a new little friend!"
Per looked up at his friend with confusion. He waved his tail slowly back and forth, signaling uncertainty or unease, unlike the happy tail wag he often displayed.
"Perturmiles, don't you want a friend?" Tytula stroked his neck as he laid his head in her lap. "Another Drakkin to talk to will do you a world of good. It'll be fun!"
Still a bit uncertain, Per looked up at Tytula with his big amber eyes, a tactic he had never given up.
"Oh, Per," Tytula laughed. "You'll have to meet him. I'm going to get him tomorrow. You'll decide whether or not you like him."
* * *
The presentation of the hatchlings was indeed held in the Lady Breeder Inrahi's Breeding Barn. Tytula was joined by five others: Melf (the only other woman), Lord Atari, Helevorn, the vampire Kekkon (he made Tytula a bit nervous), and Roniel. They were all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Drakkin hatchlings, though some were not eagerly awaiting the Lady Breeder herself.
After several minutes of waiting, out came Inrahi, followed by Nys'asi and her six hatchlings. There were five tussling and biting; a Bronze, a Black, a Brown, a Red, and a Blue. There was another one, riding nervously on its mother's tail until it was shaken off. The little albino looked very delicate and weak. Tytula could tell that it had been born sick, and had been cared for night and day to have lived. She felt sorry for the poor little Drakkin, hoping that it would have a good keeper.
Tytula turned her attention back to Inrahi. Dressed splendidly in an elegant black and silver silk gown, the lady gave off an aura of wealth that was by no means feigned. A black cloak lined with silvery fur was draped gracefully over her shoulders and held in its silver clasp, exactly over the hollow of her throat, was an enormous black diamond. Adding a blaze of color to all of this were several Fire and Water Opal accessories, including several bangles on one of her wrists and a three-piece hair decoration holding her long, silvery mane. A gold-hilted dagger could be seen discreetly attached to her hip by way of a thin silver belt, its sapphire invisible in the darkness. The final touch was an engraved silver medallion pendant hanging off of the belt. Tytula smiled inwardly, seeing one of her gifts worn by the Lady.
Inrahi was acting a bit arrogant, knowing she looked absolutely gorgeous. She swept to the center of the room, and began her speech.
"Thank you for coming," she began smoothly. "I realize what an inconvenience it must be for some of you to have traveled here, braving portals that can occasionally prove treacherous. Still, you are here and you are safe, for which we can be thankful. All hatchlings will be awarded in the order that offers were presented, a sound record-keeping procedure. Now, you are all no doubt wondering which of these lovely young predators will be yours."
Gesturing to the snarling, snapping younglings and they wrestled some distance behind her, Inrahi smiled lightly at their antics. "Such activities as they are engaged in surely look like little more than child's play. Believe me, though, that they is so much more. Fighters are born through such play as this, and fighters can be lost without it. Training is a constant struggle with such as these. Control is a lesson hard-learned by even the most intelligent, and discipline harder still. I wish you well, whatever you do with them from this time forward."
The four men applauded lightly as Inrahi finished her haughty but informative little speech. Melf, however, turned slightly toward Tytula and made a face. Tytula nodded in agreement, rolling her eyes.
"Nys'asi," Inrahi called. Needing no further instruction, the Lady's black female Drakkin lifted the first of the Drakkins to be awarded. Melf stood, and accepted the bright-eyed, struggling Bronze from Nys'asi's mouth. Inrahi made no acknowledgement towards the woman, other than turning her head slightly, showing off the opal hairpiece Melf had given her.
It was Tytula's turn next. However, Nys'asi made no movement toward the tussling pile of four brothers. Instead, the albino trotted up to her side, a show of intelligence close to a female's. It seemed exhausted from moving, however, and laid down its head.
Tytula bristled as Inrahi sneered at the weakling. Tytula rose, prepared to say something quite uncalled for, even in the circumstances, but something stopped her. It was the little albino. It had managed to make its way over to her, and it looked up at her with brilliant red eyes. He reminded her so much of her own Perturmiles. She knelt down beside him, and scratched him behind the buds of his horns. She lifted her head, and stared up at Inrahi.
"As soon as I saw the weakling, I knew it was yours," the Lady said with a trace of a sneer, quickly erased. She then pretended to be looking out at the other breeders, but Tytula knew better. Inrahi wouldn't dare waste a fighter on her, but that was just fine. This albino needed love, anyway, not a trainer that was only out to fight. However, Tytula still looked at Inrahi with a gaze of intense dislike. The albino took her attention back, and she gently lifted it up into her lap as she returned to her seat.
Next, the vicious black was awarded to Lord Atari Salvatore. Again, Tytula sensed predjudice, this time in favor of the, of course, very handsome man.
"He is a fierce one," she purred, voice light and oddly lilting. Negotiations were through and a little play was welcome. "Rare and dangerous, to be sure. Worthy of a little extra attention." Her lips curled upwards. "If you are ever in need of advice regarding his training, please don't hesitate to...stop by. Your distinguished company is always appreciated."
Tytula supressed the urge to gag. She heard Melf snigger as Atari returned to his seat, tilting his head to further accentuate his features.
Inrahi pulled herself away from further distraction, watching as the Brown was deposited at Helevorn's feet by Nys'asi. Helevorn was from a large group of vampires, cougar-shifters, leopard-shifters, and wolf-shifters called the Empire of Enzan Shi. Helevorn himself was a wolf-shifter, and he seemed surprisingly wary in accepting his Drakkin. Tytula could tell, however, that Inrahi was by no means dissapointed with the man. But Tytula was sure that the rare Drakkin was given to him as a sign of good will towards the empire.
The blood-colored red was fittingly given to the Vampire Lord, Kekkon. The cunning little creature was deposited at its keeper's feet. Kekkon smiled down at the Drakkin as it rose to its feet, its stance firm and bold. A tricky, confident little hatchling seemed fitting for to vampire.
The last little hatchling, a blue, waved its tail in confusion at having no playmates. Despite desperate attempts to avoid Nys'asi, the babe was lifted up into its mother's jaws. Little paws kicking, it was deposited at Roniel's feet. The rich, pampered young man and his Rukel companion Aciva eyed the Drakkin silently as it jumped to its feet and ran in a small circle.
"I trust that the egg you gave me will be hatching soon," Inrahi said, delicately attracting their attention away from the hyper hatchling. "Its shell is quite hard already."
All the hatchlings having been handed out, Nys'asi gave a loud, authoritative barking growl. Effectively catching everyone's eye, the Drakkin looked up at her Lady. The Breeder smiled fondly and reached down to delicately scratch the hide on top of her muzzle. The black was indeed pampered for a drakkin, even a for a female, but her loyalty and intelligence were unquestionable.
"Once again, thank you all for coming," Inrahi said smugly, fingering the riches she was clothed in. "As is customary, a small package awaits you upon exiting this building. It is filled to the brim with insects that enjoy the darkness of a Drakkin's habitat. The Drakkin in turn will enjoy the ready source of flavor that they provide as an addition to a healthy meat-rich diet. Please take care of your new acquisitions. I hope to see you all again someday soon."
Inrahi blinked her coal black eyes meaningfully at Tytula, as if to say "Not everybody." The Lady then swept out of the room, followed by Nys'asi. The mother Drakkin glanced back at her brood, all being handled by their owners with varying degrees of difficulty, and nodded quickly. She then rushed to catch up with her keeper, leaving her hatchlings with their caretakers. The albino was the most cooperative of the bunch, allowing Tytula to handle it without any difficulty whatsoever. She let it climb up onto her shoulders, and set off for Dracogrex.
