If someone said, "Steel will travel to a planet, much like Earth, in another galaxy and will have evolved gills and webbed feet for the day she had to assist in the rescue of a mythological sea creature and its baby", she would have wondered who the hell was Steel and ran away from the raving, homeless, madman.
"So... explain... something... to me, Zoses," Steel said in between grunts of effort as she struggled with a distressed Charybdis-Panther calf, whose lower body kept shifting from a charcoal-blue, furry body with paws to a glowing, teal whirlpool, with a decent suction.
She swaddled the 230-pound newborn with her wings and firmly held its hydrophobic, furred nape with her hands to mimc its mother's hold. Immediately, the calf was immobilized, comforted and remained in its furry state. Steel paddled, with her evolved webbed feet, closer to the mother. So, the mother and child could bond through touch.
"Yes, pupil?" Zoses echoed from the other side of the enormous wounded mother Charybdis-Panther, where they hovered above her wound and directed the newborn school of Scylla to eat the rotting flesh.
The tiny creature had a single tentacle (at birth) for a lower body, with a humanoid, pallid-white upper half, with gills and razor sharp teeth, designed for ripping through flesh as soon as they are born.
"Why is this the beginner's training?", she whispered and used her projection powers to float her voice directly to Zoses.
"Because Charybdis and Scylla are level one creatures that can exercise a number of qualities you need to possess. As for this specific animal, it comes from the classes, Chondrichthyes and Panthera, which is any member of the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes like the sharks, rays, etcetera, and their relatives of Earth, and a member of the feline family like lions, jaguars, etcetera. It is the most nonconfrontational of its kind; making it perfect for a first lesson," Zoses returned.
"And what exactly are those little maggots?", Steel made no effort to hide her disgust.
"Yes, that is an excellent analogy, pupil!", Zoses cheered, eyes alighting seeing their student understanding.
"Scylla are of the Hippocampus genus, like the seahorses of Earth. Scylla are an important part of the ecosystem. They share a symbiotic relationship with the Charybdis species, though you may find instances of them pairing with other aquatic species," Zoses elaborated.
"Scylla won't grow more than ten inches as an adult, while a Charybdis-Panther can reach up to 14.3m. Of course, the Charybdis-Panther is the smallest species of Charybdis there is," Zoses educated and began using their healing powers to apply a magical adhesive to the wound.
When the seal had solidified, Zoses removed the anaesthetic energy from the injured animal.
"Okay, move away with the baby and if you hear her call for the baby, then you can release it. If she doesn't call, best case scenario, she's a little dazed from the anaesthesia. Worst case scenario, she's rejecting the calf and will attempt to kill it... you... both of you," Zoses informed.
Steel looked at them for a second to hear them say, "just kidding", but Zoses just urged her to move back with the calf. Motherfucker...
After twelve minutes, the mother started rousing. She raised her feline head above water and scented the air before lowering her head so her mouth was underwater and released a low pulse call inaudible to most creatures' hearing.
The calf heard the call and released a high-pitched whistle, only just barely audible to most creatures. Immediately and carefully, Steel released the calf who darted over to its mother and began nursing.
The mother purred at the calf before letting out a soft 'meow' to Steel and Zoses.
"Is that a thank you?" Steel asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Empire's Descent (First Draft)
FantasyExcerpt: "Luca, it's a male Vampyr in the Green Grotto!", she burst into his office to inform. Luca rolled his eyes and clutched the desk before him, where he gripped splintered under the force. "Does it still hurt that much? Ari said you'll be able...
