“Please, Papa, please? He’s just got to come. I know I’ll mess up if he doesn’t—”

“You can’t possibly mess up,” Madrynn murmured, trying his best to ignore his daughter’s begging, though — after having lived with the family for the better part of four years now — Ahita knew better than to worry that he would succeed. He kept his snout shut, though, and waited patiently outside the tent in which the two argued, ignorant of his listening in. Not that they would likely care. “Ysaride sees all young dovaa when they progress out of apprenticeship. It’s an honor, and a privilege, but not something you can ‘fail’ at unless you react grossly inappropriately—”

“But what if something should happen to me. I could forget everything I was fixin’ t’ say, or say something foul on accident, or trip on the way there, or someone could attack me in bright day—”

“Vaz—”

“Ahita won’t hurt anyone! He’s not half so dangerous as Arlin makes him out to be, I swear it. He wouldn’t hurt a bouken even if’n I told him to. You know as much—Mother’s always complaining so! ‘Not fierce enough’ an’ that…so if’n he isn’t fierce, then—”

“Vaz—”

“He’s really been lookin’ forward to it…seein’ the Plane, and all. I’d be ever so sad if he couldn’t come with me…we have it all planned out, you know. He’ll pose as my bonded. We’re like enough minded anyhow and you know he’s well-behaved. He’s promised to stick real close every second…”

“He’s nearing full grown. Well enough larger than any bonded you’ll find on the Plane—”

“He’s a bit small for his clan, I think! And not full grown yet. He can keep his head down and wings in…s’not quite so obvious then…”

And so the discussion went, back and forth, until, three days later, Ahita was perched at the bow of a boat bound for the celestial vortex, his long neck stretched out and snout raised to the wind. Boat travel was no novelty to him — the troupe travelled between all the body continents of Magesc: Soudul, Eowyn, Serenia, and even on occasion Ayr — but the thought of traveling to the other world, through the famed vortex and into the plane hand crafted by the dovaa god himself for his creations — that excited Ahita. Rumors of its beauty filled all the continents of Magesc and, being that only dovaa were permitted, he knew well that this might be his only opportunity to see it.

They arrived within two days of sea travel, and despite Madrynn’s concerns and Ahita’s size, they received no trouble at the docks or challenges to his purported ‘bond’ with his miss. On the morning of the following day — her meeting with Ysaride being another day later still — Madrynn supplied her with a small coin purse and instructions to spend wisely and behave conservatively.

She acted in accordance with his rules for all the time that it took to get out of his sight. Then, the city was her playground.

“Aahh, Ahi, isn’t it just lovely?” she squealed, pace picking up to something closer to a skip as she spread her arms and spun. “Oh, look at how tall the buildings are, and all the people! You know I never imagined I might see this many dovaa in one place until this moment — though, I suppose it does make a great deal of sense when you think about i—oh, do you suppose those are hairpins? They’re so detailed!”

Ahita followed after his miss as she hop-flounced over towards a merchant stand draped in colored cloth and littered with various ornate trinkets on display. Most of his attention, though, was still locked on the surrounding scenery. It was overwhelming to take in all at once. The glittering streets. Gleaming buildings. Dovaa of every sort, shape, and size dressed in bright, wildly varying styles and colors, many done up in finery with ornate baubles and accessories to their horns and outfits. It seemed unreal, almost, how pristine everything looked — affluent and utopian when most of the lower world seemed destitute by comparison.

Soon, however, Vazaera’s antics successfully distracted Ahita from his musings, and he allowed himself to be caught up in the whims of her short attention span, hopping from one shop stall to the next, fawning over this pretty thing and then that. It excited his senses, too, and fascinated him to wonder how such dazzling things could be made and what it would take to purchase them. What he might look like in them, though addmittedly, none were truly designed to fit him. His imagination made accomodations.

It wasn’t until some hours later, laden with a new pair of earrings, a shawl, and nearing the end of her coin purse’s bounty, that Vazaera addressed the wants of her stomach.

“Ohhh, I am ever so hungry. Are you hungry? I wonder what we might be able to fetch right quick on but a little…” She frowned for a moment as fingered through what remained of her coin supply. After only a moment, though, she hummed and tucked it away, smiling and shrugging. “Not quite so much as I intended to keep but—pastries. Oh, do they or do they not smell absolutely amazing?”

Though previously, Ahita had been perfectly content to browse finery and stare in awe at the new landscape, the mention of food sent a hungry rumble through his body, his sensitive nostrils immediately honing in on what his miss seemed to be referring to, and he whined. Oh yes. Food did sound lovely. Noting his reaction, she giggled and reached over, stroking his snout.

“Come then, no need to wait.” And with that, she was off — Ahita closely in tow — as they wound their way up the street and over to the source of the scent: a boy, several years younger than Vazaera by Ahita’s best guess, who was perhaps the most destitute looking thing they had yet to come across.