Prologue
Shani
The new place was weird.
Nine… Shani, she reminded herself forcefully because apparently, with a new place, she had a new name, too. She sighed softly and wrinkled her nose, looking down at the mix of red and blue scales sprawling in her lap.
She didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke up some time ago, all the older numbers were gone. This big nook she and the others similar to her – with their strange company – was filled with weird things she didn’t know the names of, but it was beautiful. Yet, as soon as she realized the whole thing wasn’t a dream… she almost missed her old nook.
Almost being an important word, but she didn’t know what to think or expect here. At least she knew her task there, and the rules were simple… Not to mention, by now, after she woke up, Four would come by bringing her food. Here, it was pretty, but she grimaced when her belly rumbled loud enough that her face grew hot when opposite to her ‘nest,’ one of the gray, furry things flinched harshly and then raised its head, looking at her with sleepy, yellow eyes.
“Hungry?” it asked, raising to its paws, and yawning before jumping to the floor next to the nest. The other two things soon woke up, too, looking after the first one with surprise. The boy cuddled between them startled awake as well, looking as surprised as she thought she had when she woke up. “Peace, brothers. I’m going to sniff after food. She’s hungry,” the creature motioned its head toward her, and Shani felt her face grow even hotter when the others looked at her.
“Me, too,” the boy yawned, rubbing his eyes and sitting up as the things around him exchanged looks. Another jumped to the floor while the last one looked at her with a curious expression on its gray muzzle.
“What are those?” it looked toward her lap and back, tilting its head. “Food?”
“No!” she gasped, wrapping her hands protectively around the mass of the scales. “They’re dragons… or so they called them,” she sighed, looking toward the golden plate of the nook while two other gray things spread about the room, funnily sniffing at the floor. It caused the stirring in the other nests, though, and soon she saw the other numbers like her – and their charges – looking about with familiarly surprised expressions.
“Where are the big numbers?” one of the boys – Nour, the one with the two snake-haired girls asked, looking nervous.
“I don’t know,” Shani sighed, biting her lower lip. It was so strange not to be alone… She wasn’t sure yet if she liked that. “When I woke up, everyone was gone or asleep.”
…like on the command, when she again looked toward the plate, it moved, and a stunning number walked in. Everyone inside the nook froze where they were, looking at arrival with various expressions. She wasn’t exactly sure if it was a number… because the male looked utterly off. His skin was black – with white lines that seemed to form some strange designs – and his ears and tail looked slightly… off, too. He looked about, and white teeth flashed in his far too dark face.
“Oh, goodie… All awake, I see,” the male stepped inside fully and closed the plate, soon striding confidently toward the nest with the boy and now one gray thing. The two others ceased sniffing and hesitantly got in his path, growling. “Aww… cute,” he laughed, then when near, outstretched his hand toward them. “Get a whiff, pups,” he told them. They did… and started waving their tails with apparent enthusiasm nearly instantly.
“Smells like us,” one said toward the third still in the nest, and it relaxed if looking toward the male with interest.
“I am like you... sort of,” the black-skinned male chuckled, rubbing his hands over both things’ heads and then passing them to stand between them and her nest. He stared at the boy as he let the third thing sniff his hand. “You have my thanks, kitten, for looking after my pups. What is your name?”
“Ah… Six... I mean… Eros?” the boy stammered, laying his ears flat and gawking at the huge male… and she didn’t blame him! “They said Eros, but…”
“Then that it is,” the tall number sighed, then sat down at the… thing the nest rested on – a big, flat white surface. Noticing Shani’s stare, he smiled at her while the other two gray things sat by his feet, seemingly completely forgetting their earlier quest. When she hesitantly returned the smile, he turned his bright green eyes toward the boy again. “And it’s a good name, kitten. Eros’s a great guy… for a god, that is. Quite a gathering you have here,” he whistled slowly, looking about the nests, whose occupants stared toward him with a mix of interest and apprehension. “Ah… speaking of Eros…” his black eyebrows shot up as another male, this completely off-looking (without a tail and with strange, pointy ears), gave him a glare in turn.
That male sat on a similar white surface next to the fearful boy in the nest beside him. His longish hair looked silver-blue, and with pretty, blue eyes glaring toward the new arrival, he seemed angry. Shani was torn from watching him at the sudden, delicate touch against her knee, and she flinched, looking back at the black-skinned male.
“He doesn’t like me because he can’t feel my emotions… The unicorns are quirky like that,” the male laughed, winking at her, and she could only gawk while he pointed toward her lap. “You shouldn’t let them cuddle like that, kitten. The Fire Dragon will dry up the Water one’s scales… and you’ll have one very cranky hatchling on your hands.”
“Why are you hiding from me, then?” the other male snapped before she could react, and her gaze swiveled toward him.
“Because I dislike nosy empaths,” the black-skinned male grinned toward the other… but it didn’t look like a happy grimace. “And most of your kind is polite enough not to try to read everyone around them, kiddo.”
At that, the ‘unicorn’ looked taken aback and uncertain, shifting uncomfortably and nearly pouting.
“Like me…?” He finally muttered, much calmer.
“Yeah… Unicorns, pal. You are a unicorn,” the male drawled, then pointed toward the boy beside him. “He’s a Bast’Aikhtiar… Serna, to be precise. You…” he pointed toward the gray things at his feet. “…are Frost Wolves, like me. Gods, but I do regret not being there,” he sighed when the ‘wolves’ looked between each other hesitantly, then at him and tilted their heads curiously. “Never mind. Now, tell me…” Her belly chose that moment to rumble again, and her face grew hot when he looked at her, and then his expression considerably softened. “Aww, kitten… Are you hungry? Probably all of you are, hm? Not to mention, you could use a bath… Eh, don’t mind me and go ahead…” he waved toward her, and she frowned, looking at that hand with confusion.
“Go…?” she hesitated when he kept staring at her expectedly.
“Yeah… Make your food, sweetness?” the male chuckled… then frowned when she kept looking at him. “Wait… You do know you can use magic, yes? To make things, I mean?”
“Oh…” she flustered, looking at the dragons in her lap, who were still sleeping. “I know, but… I don’t know how?”
“Four always brought us food,” the boy in the nest beside him muttered, staring between them as he picked on the wolf’s fur. “She said that if we don’t have collars, we could… but…” he shrugged helplessly, and Shani nodded in agreement, biting her lip.
“I see…” The male rubbed his chin, sighed, and stood up. “I guess I’ll be right back, then. Easy… I’ll get someone who can feed you all,” he added, heading toward the plate. He said that to the two wolves that visibly tried to follow him, and they didn’t hesitate to return to their nest. When he left, Shani thought she heard a loud noise outside the nook… but she wasn’t sure it wasn’t her ears playing tricks on her.
Sometime later, fed with the best food she ever had, Shani faced another… weird thing. With her dragons now awake and ’hrrr’ing’ in their favorite spots on her head and shoulder, she frowned toward the big pool of water, then looked at the beautiful, white-haired number that pointed toward it again with a smile.
“It’s a bath, Shani. I’m sure when you wash yourself, you’ll feel much better,” the female that earlier asked her to call her Akila set her hand on Shani’s free shoulder and nudged her toward the water… while she dug her heels in. “There’s nothing to be scared of, kitten. It’s shallow and perfect for a kit your size.”
She looked toward it again, then shook her head, trying to back away.
“I just need a linen,” she muttered, trying to get out from under the female’s hand, which seemed impossible though the grip was gentle.
“No, Shani, your hair and fur need washing, too,” Akila said softly. “Then I’ll brush it for you, kitten, and I swear you’ll feel much better.”
“But…” she tossed a desperate look around, but it seemed that all the other numbers present, most of them those she shared the nook with, and their charges were quite happy when the new numbers directed them to the similar pools. She sighed softly and, taking it for another weird rule of this place, let the woman delicately help her undress from the tattered black material. Then she carefully stepped into the pool that wasn’t as deep as it looked at first. But as soon as she did, the red dragon on top of her head yowled, desperately gripping its paws around her head, while the blue slithered down her body and into the pool with a happy sound. As the black-skinned male predicted, it was very cranky since it woke up, so at least that was worth this whole… weird thing. Unsure what to do, Shani carefully turned her head to look at the white-haired female.
“Ah, let me,” the male who accompanied them – the one with mismatched eyes and who asked to be called ‘Rahm’ as he made food for her earlier – kneeled by the side of the pool, then… something like a very soft-looking pile of material with a weird cord appeared beside him. He grabbed the end of that card, pressed it into a nearby wall, and looked at her while pointing toward the pile. “My friend said that the Fire Dragons, especially when young, need a lot of warmth, Shani. Then his mate showed me this… It’s like a blanket that warms itself, so try putting your little friend on it…?”
“Warms itself…?” she trailed off, wrinkled her nose, then sighed again, walked toward the edge of the pool next to that ‘blanket’ and lowered her head, setting her hands around it. The red creature hesitated, tightening its paws again, then chittered a disgruntled ’hrrr!’ and slithered off her head, soon curling into the soft material when she straightened, tilting her head curiously. The dragon made a much happier sound, sprawling in the pile and looking more content. “…oh,” Shani whispered, hesitating a smile toward the tall, blonde male. His face lit up with a wide grin as he lowered to one knee behind the blanket. “Thank you?”
“Not a problem,” he said, shifting to sit cross-legged while looking toward the dragon with interest. “What is its name?”
“Umm, it doesn’t have one… yet,” she replied, then got distracted when the white-haired female stepped into the pool next to her.
“Come on… Sit down in the water, Shani,” Akila said with a gentle smile, doing so herself – at a safe distance from the blue dragon that seemed busy splashing in the pool. When the female kneeled, the water barely reached her waist, but it was quite a bit higher for her when Shani complied with the female’s order. Though, it was much warmer than she expected or was used to. Before, she only had cold water to wash from the same small pool she used to get water for the blue egg… but this felt quite nice despite her initial apprehension. “Here, kitten,” Akila handed her two strange items, and Shani looked between them without understanding. At least until the woman grabbed the same set from the pool’s edge, rubbed one against another, and set one back. She did the same, as was expected since it made Akila smile and nod. “It’s a washcloth and soap, sweetness. It’ll make washing easier and make you smell wonderful,” the female explained with another smile. And she hesitated, then carefully sniffed the material and looked toward the white-haired number with surprise.
“It doesn’t smell like anything,” she frowned saying that.
“Exactly,” Akila smiled brighter, then used her washcloth over her extended arm. “After this, you’re going to smell like yourself, kitten. And that, I’m sure, will be wonderful.”
Shani wasn’t sure, but she sighed again and followed the female’s example, washing all over – if it took quite a while before Akila announced that it was enough and told her to cover her ears, then dip her head in the water a few times. After that, she was asked to kneel in front of the woman, who set to work some odorless liquid into her hair… and the new experience had Shani entirely dazed before long. Akila’s strong but delicate fingers massaged her head quite thoughtfully, though the girl had to dip her head in the water three more times before the female grabbed a weird thing from the edge of the pool…
…that part wasn’t as pleasant, but Shani obediently hung her head and suffered in silence as the woman, while purring soothingly, apparently attempted to rip her hair out of her head… or at least that was how it felt.
“What a mess…” Akila sighed after some time. “It’s almost like you never brushed your hair before, kitten.”
“…brushed?” she asked, grimacing unhappily toward her submerged lap.
“I mean, make your hair nice and smooth, sweetness,” the female hesitated, then put her fingers under Shani’s chin and delicately nudged her to look up. “Didn’t you?”
“Why would I?” she frowned with confusion, staring at the woman’s red eyes. “And how? I barely had time to sleep between taking care of the eggs.”
“I see,” Akila sighed and shook her head, making her smooth-looking hair dance around her head. “Well, if you want to, we can cut your hair short like mine, kitten, or you’ll have to remember to brush it, okay? Otherwise, they will get as tangled up as they are now, making it unpleasant.”
“Ah…” she looked between her and the blonde male with a frown. “I’d rather… not cut them.”
“That’s alright,” the white-haired female smiled, then returned to torturing her. “When they’re dry, I’ll teach you how to braid them, okay? For a while, it might be better than a ponytail.”
“You’re good at this, love,” the male said from the side of the pool.
“A lot of experience, Rahm,” Akila said with a chuckle. “Back in the day, our lair always had quite a few lovely young ladies who tended to fret over their locks, especially when Mother would announce that She invited someone. Since we never knew if Her guest would become one of our mates… You get the idea, yes? It was a source of the general excitement… and a lot of fussing.”
“When She put them to sleep… how many Awlbast were there?” his tone sounded careful.
“Ninety-seven… Ninety-eight with me,” the female replied absentmindedly, busy with Shani’s hair. “The age wasn’t very varied between us, however. I was about… hundred and two, I think? The youngest, Osiris, just arrived perhaps a few months before.”
“This Osiris?” Rahm sounded astounded.
“Mhmm…” Akila answered softly. “It was a rule, love, that those born Awlbast in other lairs had to be sent to us a week before their sixty birthdays. Opposite to Bast’Aikhtiar, for us, it was the exact moment when our puberty hit. Then, at one hundred, we stopped aging. None of us was older than a hundred-five. If Mother wouldn’t find us a mate by then, She would… request assistance from Nyx’s court since She didn’t want us to be miserable. The first time it happened was when we found we could mate with humans… which was quite a surprise even for Her. But it made Her expand the pool, so to say, and by the time… ah, you know… some of my Brothers and Sisters Soul-Bonded to several Others too.”
“Ah… The stories didn’t mention that...?” Rahm replied hesitantly. “What happened with them? I know that those Awlbast already mated… died out alongside their soulmates when She took the immortality from us as punishment.”
Akila’s hands froze in her task, and when Shani looked up hesitantly, the female looked at the blonde with a strange smile.
“Do you believe Mother would do that, Rahm?” she finally asked, and the male frowned.
“What do you mean?” he replied softly, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s the story Senri’s brothers told us.”
“That’s the story Mother wanted to be known,” Akila replied with a chuckle, returning to her task – making Shani grimace and lower her head again. “As Ravi calls it… we are demigods, my heart. And Mother loves us far too much to let any of us perish. While counting several friends within Nyx’s court… Well, let’s say that with some careful deception, magic, and compulsion – eventually, all of my Brothers and Sisters mated to a Bast’Aikhtiar – alongside their mates – found their way back to our lair, joining the slumber.”
“Oh…” the male sounded shocked. “And those mated to Others?”
“They became Others—sort of—as is our nature, and I’m quite certain that they’re quite happily still among them—of course, with Mother’s orders to stay there. Likely, that’s why you never heard of us mating to Others in the first place.”
“So… Only those mated to humans died?” the blonde asked with surprise.
“Rahm… How would that make sense when mating to a Bast’Aikhtiar extends human lifespan?” Akila sort of… deadpanned, and Shani, though she didn’t understand what they were talking about, giggled involuntarily at her tone. “Exactly, kitten, your brother is being silly. No, Rahm, along with their humans, they returned to our lair. Their offspring, however, proved mortal and lived out their lives as such. Our genes – as prevalent as they are – with humans proved… tricky, I suppose. Think of it like you would about Ravi and Kai, right? The part-human hybrids had the potential to Soul-Bond, but without meeting their match, they were… humans. Mother has told me that some of them did end up unknowingly mating with other humans, but they didn’t share our – and yours – limitations in that area. Some of them mated to Others, too, and were quite… surprised when it made them turn to a hybrid of what their partner was. As Mother’s retainer, it was my task to teach them when She invited them afterward, and it was something that I used to very much look toward…”
“I’m sorry… It had to be very lonely to be the only one awake,” Rahm said softly and with audible sympathy. Like Four, whenever Shani burned her fingers on the stove when heating linens…
“It wasn’t, not really,” Akila chuckled. “Mother was there, remember. She would tell me stories… like you can’t imagine, Rahm, and being so close to Her one can’t be lonely or unhappy. Sometimes, the gods who knew we weren’t dead would visit, too – making my wait quite interesting. And busy, to be frank, because apparently, when we mate with humans, one… added quirk is their insane ability to procreate. You know they can have young every nine months, pretty much…? Not to mention, their females are fertile every month from puberty for another thirty, forty years… You don’t realize how many part-Awlbast hybrids are now around due to those numbers.”
“We do have quite many young, too,” Rahm sounded almost offended, and Shani couldn’t help but smile.
“You do, kitten, don’t fret,” the female laughed softly. “But it doesn’t change the fact that Bast’Aikhtiar is fertile once a year only, and your young grows extremely slowly. We share that with you, but it would never match humans in sheer numbers.”
“I know…” the male hesitated, then chuckled. “I was quite taken aback when Senri told his mate is eighteen! Born Serna, Kai, and Ravi would be toddlers!”
“Mhmm, that’s what I mean, love,” Akila sighed and stopped moving her hands. “Here we go, Shani… You do look wonderful!”
She looked up, hesitantly raised her hands, and moved them over her head… gasping at the difference. Akila smiled brighter, setting the thing she held aside the pool, then reached for something else and outstretched it toward her. Shani took it hesitantly with both hands and curiously looked at the flat, silver surface.
She knew her reflection; she had seen it on the water’s surface many times, but Shani didn’t recognize the number on this silver surface. The girl who stared back at her was pretty, clean, and had smooth, dark hair. Her purple eyes were huge in a pale face, and her dark ears got lost among the wet strands as she laid them flat… and yet, that girl looked a little like Rahm. It was in the shape of her eyes and mouth, nothing as apparent as colors, but it was there.
She looked between the reflection and him a few times, frowning before he smiled at her hesitantly.
“Something wrong, kitten? You look – like Akila says – wonderful.”
“I look… a little like you?” she trailed off when he blinked and seemed uncertain at the statement, looking toward the white-haired female.
“You do,” Akila said softly, gently touching her finger to the tip of Shani’s nose. “A bit. And you do because he’s your brother, sweetness.”
“Brother?” she frowned deeply, looking toward the blonde male. “What does that even mean…? I heard it a lot since coming here, but…”
“It means we have… had the same parents, kitten,” he replied softly, and his mismatched eyes grew very sad. “They are gone now… but I’m your brother, and if you let me, I would very much like to take care of you.”
“I don’t understand,” she sighed and shook her head. "Does that mean you’re like Four? And what do I have to do here…?” Her hands tightened nervously around the silver item. “Are you going to take them away when they’re bigger?” She looked toward her charges, and her lips downturned unhappily in her reflection.
“Shani…” Akila sighed and took the item from her hands, set it aside, and then took her hands into hers delicately. “…you’re here to stay, okay? But the dragons have their own families, sweetness, and while you can keep taking care of them if you wish, we must contact their parents – if we can find them. And they may want their kits back. Do you understand that, Shani? Like your brother wanted you back, and like he wants to care for you – they might have brothers and sisters that want that, too.”
“O-okay…” she sighed, gripped the female’s hands tighter, and looked toward the blonde hesitantly. He didn’t move other than leaning forward and watching them intently. “And if they’re… taken, then what must I do?”
“Just… be, kitten,” he said softly. “Be a kit… you couldn’t be before. Learn how to create your food… and anything else you want. Play whenever you like, and just… be happy. Safe. That’s all you ‘must’ do, Shani.”
And he looked so sure about that… she could only nod if she still didn’t understand. But it was nice not to wear a collar and be clean. Eat nice, sweet things and not have to work until her arms and back hurt and she fell constantly from exhaustion.
“Okay,” she whispered, caught in his gaze, and her face grew hot when he grinned toothily.
“Now, let’s dry you up,” Akila said, then stood up while pulling her to her feet. “Then, if you like, you can see the nook Rahm asked his friends to make for you, kitten. And if you like it, it can be yours. It’s right next to ours, and it has things for your dragons ready, as well… And then, whenever you feel ready, Rahm can teach you how to create things.”
“You… will go, too?” she asked, looking between them while biting her lower lip. She very much liked Akila – especially how calm she felt around her. The female’s gentle smiles and touch were lovely, too… when she wasn’t ‘brushing’ her hair. And she smelled so wonderful… so sweet and soothing that Shani couldn’t get enough of it.
“Yes, sweetness,” the tall female freed one hand and petted Shani’s hair with another smile and a warm look in her fiery eyes. “Your brother is my soulmate, Shani, so I’m not going anywhere.”
“Ah…” she frowned again, looking between them with confusion. “What is a ‘soulmate’?”
“Someone very special that – if you’re very, very lucky, Akila’s Mother, Bast – lets us have,” Rahm said with a smile while looking toward the female, and Shani wrinkled her nose.
“Who is Bast?” she asked, and they both frowned before smiling again nearly simultaneously.
“All in good time, kitten,” Akila said, petting her hair again before turning her eyes toward the male. “Rahm, towels?”
Shani sighed softly, then tried to prepare herself for even more weird things ahead…
