Wild dog

Chapter 13

Tokamate- Toe/ka/mah/tea

Should I feel insulted?

Probably.

The Kymari returned with a large bowl a few minutes after they left. They placed it down by the door then used a pole to push it closer to me. It was clear through their body language that they wanted to disturb me as little as possible.

In the bowl was a white liquid that I quickly recognized as milk. As a predator that was mainly on top of the general food chain, I felt more than a little insulted. Me, a dangerous beast, was given warm milk like I was some kitten.

The fact that I was drinking it was purely because I needed it, not cause I liked it.

I flicked my eyes over to the few Kymari on the other side of the glass. I've made it a point to ignore them while I drank the deliciou -ahem- mediocre milk. Now though, with the milk almost gone and with nothing to do, I focused on them and tuned my ears. Although their fronts were halfway turned away from me, I knew they were observing me.

"I would have never guessed that calcium was an important part of her diet," The one on the far left spoke almost absent mindedly. "but after those skeletal scans, it should not have surprised me." My tail flicked in interest.

The one next to him hummed, also looking slightly lost in thought. I narrowed my eyes when he glanced at me. "I have to admit that the discovery caught me off guard, but then again, we know next to nothing about them. I mean, how are they able to hide so well?"

Lefty blinked at him incredulously. "Have you not heard?" Righty focused more on him now, silently asking him to continue. "The hunters followed a trail of one to the Tokamate. It baffled all of the researches. There have never been a recorded species that were able to withstand the forces that death trap."

I almost flinched at the hateful whisper. It was so threatening and made my heartbeat falter. I've never heard a Kymari sound so angry-scratch that- furious. Not even when their child was in direct danger. Also, Tokamate? Isn't that the Black Rock?Death trap? What?

Righty bared his teeth at the Tokamate before it dropped. His eyes widened and he turned slightly to look at me. His eyes raked over my form, but he quickly composed himself and stared at Lefty. "Does that mean we have a chance to-"

His words were cut in when the door opened and three pairs of footsteps neared. With more Kymari approaching, my fur raised and my tail curled slightly. The three came into view. In front was an old Kymari, with light stripes running over her body in intricate patterns. Even in her age, she was elegant and beautiful.

Behind the graceful elder was a Kymari that looked quite familiar. His clothes were dark grey and long, but fitted his lean figure well. He had armor on, but not as much as a usual guard. Behind him was the one that brought me the milk and checked on me daily.

They stopped in front of Lefty and Righty, who bowed in respect. The elder nodded her greeting and then turned to the scientist. He scrambled a little before bowing and opening a tablet in his hand.

"Greeting Elder," He started. "Kaieke here was the first of our men that encountered a Feral without being outright threatened or attacked. He reported that the Feral brought a Kymari child, Ventoka, with it. The Feral allowed to child to sit on her wither and brought her close to the Northern City." He paused and scanned the tablet before continuing.

"The Feral only showed signs of aggression when it was at weapon point. A few weeks later, a hunter reported that they managed to subdue a Feral after having learned that they resided at the Tokamate. It just so happens that the Feral that was caught was the same one Kaieke encountered." He nodded his head at me.

The Elder turned her head to me and looked me straight in the eyes. I automatically righted my posture. My neck brought my head higher than floor level to properly look her in the eyes. I was about to growl, before I caught a light flashing softly in her light grey orbs.

Respect.

I felt my fur flatten. My instincts calmed down. I realized then that she respected me. For what, I didn't know. But in Kymari it was a great honor to earn the respect of an Elder. I calmly blinked my eyes at her. Her calm body language was not forced. I looked in her eyes for a moment longer, before willingly lowering my head to rest on my paws.

I could see the surprise that flashed in all of the aliens' eyes. The Elder turned back to the scrawny scientist. He fingered the tablet before holding it to the Elder. She took it and looked over its contents.

"Those are skeletal scans that were recently taken. Although her bones are quite thin and hollowed, its clear that it is heavily compressed calcium that make them abnormally strong. The only bones that are not hollow are her tail bones, which would make her excellent in balance.

"The strangest part of her skeletal scans and the plates behind her wither. The scans show that the plate stretches to the middle of her spine. Its has a rather odd bone density and seems to be almost unbreakable. We have not yet observed her muscle anatomy or intelligence, but its clear that she is clever."

Oh, that's cool. It was really interesting to learn about my body. I wasn't aware of out tails being heavier that the rest of our body or the plate. I just assumed we were really light for jumping at dangerous heights. It seems like it was built for something we didn't know of.

"The Feral are also the only species ever recorded to have been able to withstand the forces of the Tokamate."

There they go on about the "forces" again.

The Elders eyes that seemed almost hopeful studied me. "So there is a chance." She said quietly. A small smile slipped onto her face. She nodded to herself and looked to the rest. "I have decided." She paused almost dramatically. "We will continue to study her and hopefully find the best way to start taming her. Kaieke, that is your job."

Wait what?

This chapter was more for information (important information) and I really enjoyed writing about the Kaydenstrids anatomy. Its been on my mind and I wanted to share it so yeah.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Stay safe lads!