Lost Change

Chapter 33

What.

I tried not to jump up and yell.  It helped that I was stunned by the Elder’s words.  I also wasn’t sure I wanted the Kymari to know that I could understand them, and I was pretty sure that kind of reaction would give away the secret, but… what.

“I… I-I’m sorry?”  The Kymari stammered and stared at the Elder in shock, while Arlia mirrored her expression.  “I… but… why?  Why me?”

The Elder looked into her cup for a moment before sliding it back to the table.  “You said it yourself that nobody else was willing to help him after he was injured, and I have confirmed that with the clinic workers.  Before he was injured you knew your interactions would be met with our disapproval, but you cared too much about him to let that stop you.  You already demonstrate authentic concern for his well being, and you care what happens to him.  Those are traits every bond handler should have.  That is the start of a genuine bond, which makes you uniquely suited to make the attempt.”

“But he should go back to the park; he’ll want to be with the coy… the dog.”  The Kymari looked back at me.  Worry was obvious in her eyes, and… something else.  Guilt?

“I am certain that right now he very much wants that.  But…”  The Elder gestured towards the device she had placed on the table.  “The stories of Kymallata are inspiring ones.  They are touching ones.  But they invariably end in much the same way - with the death of the Kymallata.  Alone, all by themselves, either in a spectacular feat of heroism or in a tragic accident when they grow older and neglected.”

“If he is released back into the park, it is likely his story will end that way.  We have observed that members in the flock will band together to drive off predators like the one that attacked him, and it is likely that the dog protected him from that bird and other predators, as you mentioned.  But alone, on his own, it is only a matter of time before he will be attacked again.”  The Elder paused significantly.  “And when that happens, it is likely that he will die.”

She lifted a hand in a vague wave around her.  "The Votak completely destroyed the sentient species that called this world home.  We failed to protect them, and now all that remains are ancient ruins and broken fragments of their culture… and one last surviving pet.  I would be very, very disappointed if in the end we also failed to protect even that little of what remains of them."

The younger Kymari began to fidget nervously on the couch.  “He could join the other flock…”

“Perhaps.  And we have considered that option; there are very few surviving fire lizards in existence, and every member we can bring into their gene pool is crucial.  If he will accept being relocated then that will be an acceptable outcome.  But we must also prepare for the possibility that he will not be able to be relocated.  It is not unheard of for animals to reject individuals that were raised by another species, or who fail to display behaviors they were raised to expect - behaviors this one may never have learned.  We know very little about the social interactions between the fire lizards; it is entirely possible the flock will not accept him as one of them.  And if he was accustomed to humans and dogs, it is also possible that he will not accept them.”

The Elder paused again to glance back at me.  “He also may not be willing to stay there with them.  That was the main reason we did not attempt to capture and relocate him before this.  There is no telling how he will respond to that, and I would be very saddened to learn that his story ends with him being attacked and killed while trying to return to the dog’s grave.”

The younger Kymari looked at the table blankly.  I could tell she didn’t like that idea either.

I wasn’t sure what the ‘flock’ would be like, or if they would accept me.  It would be nice to meet other dragonets, especially if they had once been human like I had been, but… I knew the Elder was right.  Eventually I would want to come back to visit Susie.