Hala watched with interest the activities around him. DesCas was an intriguing place indeed! The group of humans and ... almost humans, didn't seem to mind his being Kin at all. The draks were surely curious. Some of them even went up to sniff at him.

At last, though, one of the Knights (the riders were called knights here. Hala endeavored to remember this fact.) who rode the female on the cavern sands came out and told people to expect the hatchlings to come out.

It was a while, though, before they did so. The mother of the nest, a lovely Water colored white and blue, exited first. She coaxed her offspring out, into a kind of shared area. Her mate came from the sky, dropping to the ground and watching with the kind of pride that only a male could give off.

One of the draklings ran off to her bond, then a male fire colored one paired off. A lovely Day male came out from his mother's shadow and tried to attract Hala's attention.

However, Hala was somewhat watching something else. Everyone seemed to know how cats were so easily distracted. Hala gazed at the Fire drak and his chosen, wondering how humans here accepted creatures and those near Planet Twenty didn't.

Hala's instincts peaked and he activated his powers - when several pebbles came into his vision, they hung in the air near his eyes. He focused beyond them, at the brilliant white-gold colored Day drak.

The drak tilted his head, almost smiling.

"Fyakiis," the drakling stated in a pleasantly childlike voice. Hala knew that was his drak - the one who'd chosen him!

Now, he imagined what they would be doing over the plains on Planet Twenty! Their territory would be vast indeed!

Hala went and knelt by his new bond. "I'm Hala," he said.

"I know. I am hungry, Hala. I will not sleep like my sister there," he indicated the first of the draklings to pair.

"Then I'll hunt for you. We don't need to worry about you going hungry."

"But you'll need to train," said the woman named Breeze, who was oddly not as human as the rest of the Knights nearby. "And I think you'd do well with me and Leniki."

"Leniki is my mother!" said Fyakiis happily.

"We will train to fly, with you?" Hala asked. Breeze nodded. "Good. I can smell some other place on you - like my home, only colder, I think."

Breeze was intrigued, but they would have time to talk about these things later on. For now, they found something to eat, and Fyakiis finally did fall to sleep.

***

Their training went extremely well, so far as Hala could tell. Fyakiis could spread his wings and fly over long distances. And Breeze taught them so many things!

As a squire Hala could have been a little better - he was never quite going to be comfortable around humans, but with all the draks there he did at least have other qualities that he could show off.

He was fierce in the air, and on the ground. A great hunter. His powers and his natural aim brought down many dinner-sized creatures.

And soon, came the time that they were to learn how to use the portals. Hala wasn't certain he wanted to leave, just yet, but Planet 20 and his tribe might all be waiting for him! How could he know that he was among only a few so far who had paired up? By the time they would get back, though, everyone would be bonded.

Hala bid Breeze and Leniki farewell, and Fyakiis nuzzled his mother one last time.

They headed home...