Shadows of the Past

Chapter 7

I sat up from laying on Svin's padded shoulder as we entered a strange building. A few days ago, Svin shifted out of his nocturnal schedule and increased my training while his body adjusted to the change. Walks with me on his shoulder became more frequent, and as I become more comfortable with the outside world. However, this was the first time we had entered a building other than his apartment complex.

The metallic room was bland and offered no pants or decorations on its slightly curved walls. Several pathways branched off of the room, but my eyes focused on the set of green scales atop a different Kymari's shoulder. "Chloe!" I chirped happily in greeting. "What are you doing here? What is this place?"

"Melanie! Hello!" Chloe chirped. "This is the dragonet's training area. It's not only for newly bonded dragons to learn from experienced sicora hunters. This way I can teach you all the techniques without the Kymari questioning how you suddenly know what to do."

I sent Chloe a wordless confirmation, excitement bubbling inside of me while I remained calm externally. "I finally get to start!"

Chloe mentally chuckled as she chirped. "I'll help tell you what to do, but a lot of this will be instinctual."

"Are you ready," Chloe's handler looked to Svin, who nodded and followed the experienced handler into a hallway. "This will just be a beginner course with no traps."

Traps! "THERE ARE TRAPS?!" I barely contained my panic as we continued to travel down bland the metal hallways.

"One of the military personnel likes add traps, but thankfully he usually stays at one of the other training areas," Chloe said, "and new handlers would never go through what he comes up with."

I somewhat relaxed, then tensed as an unfamiliar scent reached my nose as we stepped into an intersection. However, my blood memories immediately informed me of the scent's identity. Sicora. Chloe and I began to growl at the same time. I pulled on the short leash that tightly tethered me to Svin's shoulder and hissed.

Svin seemed surprised I could hiss and growl, especially since I preferred to remain silent and flee rather than a growl.

"Watch this," Chloe instructed, and I kept her in my sight as I scanned the area. I knew we reacted to sicora, but I never realized how strong the reaction was. Every fiber of my body wanted to find and kill the vial creatures. At least for now, I could think straight, I knew as we got closer to the scoria, the more my instincts would take over.

Leun unclipped Chloe's leash. "Go on, find it."

Chloe spread her wings as she hopped off her handler's shoulder and flew in a circle around the intersection. During her second lap, the green dragonet stopped and hovered in front of the left branch.

"Chloe, to fist." Leun held out his hand.

Chloe growled one last time at the intersection, then flew back to her handler and landed on his hand. Once Leun clipped a short leash to her harness, the Kymari looked to Svin. "For the next intersection, we should let them fly together."

Svin nodded, then followed Leun down the path Chloe had designated.

"That doesn't seem too hard." I mindlinked Chloe as the scent strengthened. I wanted to find the sicora and kill it with fire.

"Soon, you will be a pro!" Chloe encouraged me in an upbeat tone.

I excitedly waited until Svin unclipped my leash as Leun did the same. "Go on," my handler encouraged in a gentle tone, "find it."