My Empire

Chapter 4: Scaveltures And A Garden Talk

                                       ~~~High King Indigo of Ethiria~~~

A scream echoed through the air.

The small dragon like Scavelture (Scav for short) let another screech free as he glided down to me, toy firmly gripped in his jaws. It was saggy and limp in his mouth.

Once Spike, my pet Scav (a gift from Tsuki, since Scaveltures only existed in the Pearlescent Dynasty and nowhere else), gave me the toy, he sat, the spiked tail for which he was named wagging excitedly behind him as he waited for me to throw it once again.

I inspected the deflated snowflake-shaped toy, the wide puncture holes from Spike's razor sharp teeth tearing even wider as I poked it, the entire thing a shapeless, definitely in no state to be used wreck.

Good thing I had brought backup. Most dog toys weren't strong enough to withstand the teeth and jaw strength of a Scav (strong enough to crush a bone in one bite), so I was used to frequently replacing Spike's toys.

Pulling a bone shaped toy out of the small bag I had with me, I threw it, the toy spinning end over end as it sailed into the underbrush nearby. Spike took off with a gleeful howl, wings spreading as he used the jets on his hind legs and tail to launch himself into the air and glide towards the elusive toy.

I leaned back against a nearby tree, taking in my surroundings as Spike dug through the bushes, displacing several squirrels and one disgruntled raccoon in his wild search for his toy.

The royal gardens were quiet and peaceful, trees and plants scattered around everywhere with clearings of space intermixed and the occasional creek or small pond for the many, many creatures living within.

The gardens were accessible only to the royal family, the council, and the gardeners who kept it clean and running. Artemis loved taking care of the smaller flowers and plants whose care was easy for a busy princess to water every once a while in between responsibilities. She also sheltered all her stray animals in the gardens, frogs and cats and dogs and birds and so many animals who had been found injured or abandoned and were subsequently taken in by the young princess and cared for (with the help of several veterinarians to make sure they were healthy and safe).

Spike was still busy trying to find the toy, sniffing the air and digging in the dirt as his tail lashed about, hitting branches and flapping against the disturbed dirt around the large dog-sized scavelture. I snickered as I noticed the bone toy impaled on Spike's tail, out of his sight unless he twisted around to look. Another toy gone, but that would keep Spike busy for a good few minutes until he saw it.

I let my mind wander, gazing at the sky where the sun was slowly inching across the sky. It was just past noon, almost time for lunch. Today was a pretty quiet day, no meetings or overly important things to do, so Cherry was probably making lunch for everybody. I grinned to myself, stomach shifting in hunger. I hadn't eaten yet today (don't judge, I forgot! It's totally normal to not eat anything all day and not notice for hours) so I couldn't wait for the meal, as well as being able to sit down and spend time with my siblings. With everything that had been going on recently, we barely got to see each other.

Spike trotted up to me, thoroughly destroyed toy dangling out of his jaws and embedded in his claws, and dropped the scraps at my feet, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grinned up at me.

I sighed good naturedly, kneeling down to pick up the wrecked toy, not even trying to put it back together. When I stood back up, someone was waving at me, getting closer as they ran full speed, slowing to a walk as they neared closer.