Rise

Piper

Flurries fell from the sky in short bursts, the clouds confused and scattered. Far below, two hooded figures stood outside the gated grounds of Nest’s Fera Emporium: home of exotic and domestic fera from every corner of Eden. It was one of the main attractions to the sleepy port town of Biscay.

The shorter of the two figures shivered and wrapped her cloak around herself. “Lucy, maybe we should try another day.”

Scarlet hair peeked out of Lucy’s hood. “Piper, we’ve waited too long for this. You’ve backed out twice. I don’t want to plan another trip if I don’t have to.” Her voice was as taut as the thin string holding up the flag beside them.

Piper grew quiet and shuffled her feet. She reached up and tickled the chin of the barred owl perched on Lucy’s shoulder. It closed its eyes and gave a soft hoot.

Lucy winced as the owl’s talons dug into her leather-padded shoulder. “I need to get new gear. Reef’s tearing this into ribbons.” Piper nodded and picked a few curled scraps from under Reef’s iron grip.

Lucy stiffened as the steady smack of boots hitting pavement filled the air. A man came into view in the solid green uniform that Daxton Nest outfitted his guards with. The emblem of a golden bird was stitched onto his hat. He slowed when he reached the gates.

“Are you really doing it this time?” the guard said. He scratched his beard and leaned against the tall bars.

“Yes,” Piper mumbled.

“Well, Life help ya.” He took out a ring of keys and opened the barrier. Lucy passed him a small sack of coins, and with a final well-wish for her, both the guard and Lucy slipped away.

Piper found herself in a lavish garden, complete with walls of juniper trees and blooming flowers dotting the walkway. At regular intervals, the juniper trees would part to reveal a glass enclosure filled with a specific animal, from tottering penguins to coiled snakes. Golden pedestals were stationed in front of the tanks, giving details and background information about the unclaimed fera. Everything in Nest’s Fera Emporium was available for purchase. As a result, a price was also fixed to the top of each plaque.

A hoot caught Piper’s attention. She looked up to see Reef flapping above her. As planned, she followed the owl through the emporium, stopping every few minutes to hide from a guard.

Duck and weave, duck and weave, she chanted to herself.

Piper peeked out from one of the juniper walls, watching a guard pass with his badger fera. The black and white creature snuffled along the pathway. It slowed as it passed Piper, and swung its head to her tree. Piper held her breath. Oh Life…

It pawed the mulch around the juniper, sneezed, and continued on with its human. Piper slumped against the glass at her back, then held back a shriek as she came face to face with a bear.

The unbonded fera was asleep, but lifted a lazy eyelid at her quick movement. It observed her through the glass with the vague annoyance of a person with a buzzing fly, then shifted so its bulk faced her instead of its intimidating maw.

Reef was waiting for her once she came out of the greenery, and led her in the same duck-and-weave route until they reached the back of the fera enclosures.

Past the picturesque plants and animal tanks sat a wall of smooth plaster. It hid Nest’s newest and oldest residents. Under Reef’s guidance, Piper found a stretch of chain-link fencing at the back of the “storage castle,” as Lucy referred to it. The storage castle had once been completely made of chain-link, but was given a smooth, hard shell as Nest combated against thieves. However, the renovations had never been fully completed.

He has bigger things to worry about, Piper thought as she hooked her hands and boots into the fence, quickly making progress up the wall where others had failed. Most of the local nobility visited Biscay’s treasure house of unclaimed fera. Nest even had visitors from the bustling city of Tamerlane and the capital, Kinn. The wealthy demanded the best, and Nest tried his hardest to keep the animals happy, healthy, and in well-kept habitats. His reputation rested on his fera’s quality.

Which was why Lucy originally inquired, and later trained Piper for theft, of Nest’s Fera Emporium.

“The only difference between a normal animal and a fera is this,” Lucy had pointed to her soul gem many a time. “It bonds us. Connects us, forever. And that’s why you want the finest animal as your life-mate.”

Piper’s feet landed on the thick iron bar of the fence. She held out her arms for balance, then lowered them as she reached the solid stripes of plaster that crisscrossed the storage castle. Reef made a loop above her, then settled in a nearby tree to eliminate suspicion.

She was assisted in the journey here. But in the choosing of her fera, she was alone.

The storage castle was roofless other than the makeshift covers that Nest used to contain animals that could climb or fly out. The wooden square next to Piper shook when she passed it, followed by the screeching of a monkey.

Flurries started to fall in an even stream, thickening to a small snow storm. Piper was glad for the cover, and continued onwards. She peered at each roofless room she passed, searching for her possible companion. Lions, marmots, rabbits, and more flashed by. Some sleeping, some alert to her presence. A jackal growled when she looked at it.

Years ago, she had been given the option for Lucy to adopt a fera from the local shelter. She had nearly committed herself to a lively kitten, but stopped when a shadow had overwhelmed the building. A man and his elephant fera had come from Tamerlane, and he had brought his son to pick out his soul-mate from Nest’s Fera Emporium. At that moment, Piper knew she wanted something better. Something more.

Mia and Blythe, the two other girls under Lucy’s care, each had their fera before Piper. Mia had her lemur, Miro, a year before she was given up to Lucy. Blythe had bonded to her chinchilla six months ago, leaving Piper lonely as the others chatted about their animals. In the past few weeks, after extensive training, she had tried twice to go into Nest’s Fera Emporium, but her courage had failed. This time however, she was ready to bond.

The flurries were starting to overstay their welcome. They now acted as more than a cover, and hampered Piper’s line of sight. She hunched low, closer to the unbonded fera.

“Hey! I think one of the fera escaped!”

Piper’s eyes widened, and she went faster over the plaster walkways. How did they see me? Her panic started to rise, making her heart flutter like a caged bird. She had to choose her fera, and fast. The animal faces started to blur as she tried to view them all. Faster, faster.

A bird soared overhead. She was sure it was a guard’s fera.

Her boots slipped on the thin layer of snow. The plaster was smooth and unforgiving. She felt herself falling, watching the walls around her rise.

She crashed into a wooden box, gasping as an arrow of pain shot into her right arm. For a few seconds she lay face up, stunned. Slowly, she regained control of her senses and rolled onto her stomach, then to a kneeling position.

Is this cage emp—?

A growl emitted from a nearby snowdrift. The white pile began to shake and boil in the likeness of an erupting volcano. Spots sifted to the surface of the frozen precipitation, along with a peach pelt. Two lightly colored eyes peered menacingly from the dispersing snow, studying Piper.

She froze as the large cat growled and stalked towards her. Each step was deliberate and resonated power. From her current position, the leopard was taller than her. If she was standing, she was sure it would be at least up to her waist.

Piper put her hand to her neck, and broke the string with a tug. Attached to the string was a small crystal. Every few seconds it would flicker as a spark ran through it. The soul gem was alive.

She held the necklace before her, as if it were a shield. The leopard cocked its head to the side, and gently batted the soul gem. Goosebumps ran up Piper’s body at each contact. She pulled away, unnerved. Was she ready to give up her inner independence to share a world with…

A fera.

Guards swarmed above and around the leopard’s cage. She had been found. There was no more time. The leopard flattened its ears and backed away at the commotion around them.

Piper lunged forward and pressed the soul gem to the leopard’s forehead. The fera bucked and struggled, but the crystal had already dissolved, leaving behind the thin string the crystal was originally attached to.

Without warning, energy flooded Piper, along with the sensation of another being tied to her own. The experience was not painful; however it was uncomfortable. Piper gasped as she was mentally shoved back and forth at a dizzying rate. Closing her eyes, she waited for it to cease. Nausea formed, along with the awareness of her hands growing numb. Am I dying?

Then, just as soon as it had started, the bond was done. Weariness engulfed Piper.

A hard shove came from behind Piper, and her world turned white.

Welcome to the world of Eden! This is an older manuscript I've dusted off the shelves and will be posting for your enjoyment. I wrote this when I was sixteen, and won't be revising it in the near future haha, so Rise and Fall remain in their near original formatting. Have fun!