Beast Tamer

XXII

"This isn't going to work."

Fauna brushed her hand against the withered dandelion. She smiled at Nico. "It will."

"So confident."

She simply shrugged. She needed to concentrate. She, of course, knew what a dandelion looked like as she picked them all the time.

She looked at the fluff ball that dandelions became and resisted the urge to blow on it.

She rested two of her fingers against it from underneath before getting her other hand. She tapped the middle of the flower as gently as possible.

The grey began to change to yellow, starting in the middle and going outwards, until it looked like a dandelion.

Fauna turned to Nico with a smirk. "What were you saying?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Fine. Now we have to get moving."

"What's the rush? Nothing's attacked us in days."

"Come on, Fauna, we're leaving."

Fauna groaned and laid down, too lazy to do anything. Nico sighed, shaking his head before walking away with Sage.

Orion padded over to Fauna as she flung an arm over her eyes. He dropped something into her lap. She looked up and saw her sketchbook.

"I've drawn enough. I'm saving my energy for a portal and you know that."

Something's wrong.

What? Fauna asked in return.

I don't know but something is about to happen and you're missing it.

Fauna gasped. "Nico." She scrambled to her feet and ran in the direction Nico and Sage had gone.

"Nico!"

Orion was barking like crazy.

Fauna turned around and felt someone punch her across the face. She staggered back and stared at her attacker.

He had brown hair and... never mind.

He smiled at her, showing his sharp canines.

"Fauna!" Nico ran up to her and stood next to her, drawing his sword.

Fauna turned back to the boy, drawing her own sword. Except it wasn't a boy anymore.

It had two horns growing out of Its forehead with black scales covering every inch of Its body.

"Demon!" Nico spat. "Leave! Now!"

It ignored Nico completely. He raised his sword and charged at It. It laughed before waving Its hand. Nico went flying backwards but got up again quickly.

It turned to Fauna. She raised her sword as It unsheathed It's own.

It's sword was blood red with intricate carvings that looked like a language of its own.

Fauna felt something like a breeze flow past her and she shivered.

It smiled. It looked sadistic and... wrong.

"I would love to kill you." It's voice had a strange accent to it that she'd never heard before. "But she needs you alive. You've no idea of the trouble you have been causing for us."

"Who?" Fauna asked as she gestured for Nico to stand down. "My mother?"

It cocked an eyebrow, it looked strange, too... human. "I told her we should've done the procedure more than once but she refused, could've done 'too permanent damage' but that's just her.