The Fire Leopard

Excerpt:
The man squinted sideways at Mateo for a moment before asking, slowly, "What. Kind. Of. Magic. Did. Your. Parents. Do?"
Mateo really started to panic. This man clearly thought Mateo knew things he actually didn't. Why did this man think his parents did magic?
"None! No magic, I never saw my dad do any magic, today was the first time I ever saw or heard of magic, you and that silly leopard thing are the only ones I know who do magic or even talk about it!"
The man looked pityingly understanding and forgiving, like Mateo was making a common mistake he would soon see the error of as Mateo started but morphed into confusion and then shocked silence as he ended. "I..." he faltered, looking behind the car towards the lab, "Leopard?"
Mateo furrowed his brow. "I thought you knew about all of this, you even talked about feathers and fire, and the leopard-thing had feathers and fire."
The man ran both his hands through his hair and almost choked on the words, "You bonded with a... a fire leopard? And they're still in... that building?"

Summary:
Mateo is just a boy working at his father's old lab. But his world is turned upside down in just one day. A magical fire leopard cub he just discovered he's bonded with is in mortal danger while in the clutches of an evil scientist group, and he must work with a Union of others who have bonded with magical creatures. As he does, he discovers there is more than meets the eye to his father's death and the creature who means the world to him.

Notes: Keep in mind this is my first story, and I don't know how this is going to go. I don't have everything planned out, and I'm planning to tweak each chapter multiple times. Hopefully I won't have to completely change anything. I am a stickler for spelling and grammar, so feel free to deploy the grammar police! (Just be polite)
I am a college student with things to do, and don't plan on having a consistent schedule or anything. That being said, please enjoy!
Cover art by AI