Life with Minna had turned out to be nice.

I leaned up and nibbled at the shiny chain dangling from the Kymari's ear. She giggled and brought her hand up to pet at my back, and I abandoned the earring to nuzzle at her hand. "Silly. We're almost home, it's just a little bit further."

I gave an impatient sounding series of chirps, then stretched out on Minna's shoulder with a sigh. She laughed at me again and brought her hand back to her side, and I went back to watching the scenery go by as Minna continued walking towards home.

It had been nearly three months since I had made the decision to live with her. Just another week until that milestone, actually. Today wasn't one of our normal patrol days – we only had three of those, with two days for Minna to spend training and two days off – but Minna still liked to put on her armor and spend some time walking around the city. It helped her exercise and get in shape, and I think she liked watching me get excited over the various sights throughout the city. The walk home was a bit more boring than on the days we searched ships for sicora, since I wasn't as eager to get home and relax and was instead just retracing our steps past things I had already seen, but it was still nice.

Searching for sicora was actually fairly easy. Almost boring, even. I knew that Ivy and the other dragonets went up into orbit to inspect cargo ships, and that they tended to run into the creatures fairly often... but I got the impression the Kymari didn't really trust Minna too much just yet. Instead of the cargo ships, we got to check out passenger ships. Officially, since there was only one fire lizard inspecting passenger ships, and since the passengers on the ships were impatient to get off the ship after being cooped up for the trip, the ships were given the go ahead to land at the spaceport and start unloading without requiring an inspection first. Most passenger ships didn't get inspected anyways, and nobody wanted to deal with a bunch of grumpy passengers suddenly learning they couldn't leave until we had cleared everything.

Unofficially, passenger ships just didn't attract sicora or crawlers to anywhere near the degree that cargo ships did. The wretched creatures liked having quiet areas they could lurk in, and passenger ships tended to have a lot of activity throughout the entire vessel that encouraged crawlers to go elsewhere. I tended to find ktari a bit more often than the other dragonets did – apparently the passenger ships didn't like to fumigate that often, since it left unpleasant odors for the passengers to put up with – but the others had me beat when it came to sicora. I was lucky if I found a crawler every other week, and to date I had only found one other adult sicora.

That had ended up as a complete disaster. Minna had noticed I was on edge when I picked up the scent, but she had misread my reactions as the ones caused by a crawler. It had caught her completely by surprise when my instincts took completely over at the sight of the sicora lurking in the air vent, and she hadn't been able to pull me back in time. I had ended up setting fire to one of the passenger compartments, and the ship had needed to be grounded while they replaced the scorched seating and cleaned out the fire suppressant that had sprayed everywhere. The crew had not been happy with us after that.

We did kill the sicora, though. So I wasn't too bothered by their complaining, given that they were still alive because of me.

But in the grand scheme of things, most of what we did just felt like busy work. The Kymari had enough older, fully-trained bond handlers to handle the cargo ships that actually had problems with sicora. My ability to put up with other Kymari while I was working was unique... but not necessarily essential. And Minna was still very young for a Kymari, and still very new to work as a guard, so they didn't trust her with anything too important just yet. They had given us four guards, two 'permanent' ones that were very old and experienced – almost Elders, from the looks of it, named Morton and Kilpin – and two 'trainee' guards that swapped out every other week, who I stopped bothering to remember the names of. Ivy had confirmed it was unusual to have that many guards and told me all the other bond companions only had two guards with them on patrols. So it felt like we had been given stuff to do and given babysitters to make sure we could do it, but not that we were really relied on too much.

Still, Minna liked doing it. I could tell she was taking pride in her work each day, and that she was happy every time I found something. Even if it was only a ktari. And Ivy had been right about that, too – it felt good to do things that made Minna happy.

So even though it could be a little boring, I enjoyed the work, too.

I watched the houses go by for a few more minutes before Minna turned one last corner. I sat up and chirped in excitement as our house came into view. Minna smiled and reached up to give me another quick pet. "Yes, yes, we're home." I waited through the last few moments – which also seemed to be the longest few moments – as Minna walked up to the house and opened the door, then closed it behind her.

The first floor of the house was still mostly bare – as I had suspected, Minna spent most of her time in the upper floors, and had put most of her things there – but Minna had installed a series of pegs near the door. In most houses they would have probably served as coat hangers, but for us... I sat up on Minna's shoulder while she reached up and unclipped the harness from around me, then gave it the customary farewell hiss as she draped it over the peg. She smiled at my antics and shook her head. "Silly. Go on."

I gave another glance at the harness. I still didn't really like the thing – it wasn't exactly uncomfortable or itchy, but it was still annoying – but I was at least used to it by now. Elder Naishi's letter had purchased a new one for me, like it had purchased the armor Minna was wearing, and this one was made of a brighter material that had been emblazoned with bright silver symbols. I had no idea what the symbols meant – I was pretty sure at least one of them was the Kymari word for 'Nate', since on more than one occasion strangers had looked at me and known my name – but I got the impression they told other Kymari that I was an official service animal that they should leave alone.

Or maybe it was just Minna's address, so they would know where to bring me in case I got lost.

Whatever it said, I still much preferred not being trapped in the thing. The new one was no less difficult to get out of than the first one had been.

I gave one last half-sneeze of annoyance at the harness, then hopped off Minna's shoulder and flew towards the back of the house. I passed by makeshift ledges that Minna had installed on the walls throughout the first floor and continued on to one of the rear kitchens. I paused in one of the hallways and pulled up into a hover to take in the sight of the only real furnishing on the first floor.

As a housewarming gift, Trenil had given Minna a beautiful picture of the cityscape. It captured the city during the first moments of dawn, and the sky was lit up in brilliant reds and oranges that reflected off the beautifully curving buildings.

And in the center of the picture, a single silver fire lizard danced for the sunrise, wearing an orange harness emblazoned with alien symbols.

It was beautiful. I made sure to stop before it each time I was alone to just appreciate and take in the artwork.

I heard Minna start climbing the stairs, and I pulled out of my hover. I knew from experience that she was going to take a shower, and... she needed one. If anybody asked I would deny it, and I would never tell her this, but... Minna had trained to sit in a chair all her life. In a climate controlled, cooler-than-average room. She wasn't out of shape or anything, but... she hadn't trained to spend all day walking around in heavy armor. Heavy armor that didn't breathe that well.

Let's just say that it showed.

I continued on to the kitchen at the back of the house, and ducked through the small open flap in the door that led to the backyard.

The backyard was still more or less the same as it had been when we had first looked at it. I headed straight for the small pond and dove in, eagerly spinning as I swam a quick lap through the water. I dove to the bottom of the pond and rubbed my back against some of the rocks resting there, scrubbing at some of the itchy spots left behind by the harness.

Something bumped up against me, and I paused in my scrubbing to dart after the other resident of the pond. After about a month of living here, Minna had added a catfish to the pond. I wasn't too sure what her thought process had been with that – I half suspected she thought I would kill it and give it to her, the way I had for Susie, but... Minna could get food on her own, and didn't need to eat the fish. Neither did I. It had been one thing to catch food for Susie, since she needed it to survive, and another to bring her the food after, but... killing something for no reason, even if it was just a fish, was a different story.

So I let the fish live. It had actually been rather amusing to watch Minna slowly realize she was going to have to take care of it.

That isn't to say I left the fish alone, though. I shimmied through the water after the catfish, closing the distance between us, and returned the favor by bumping up against its side.

The catfish did not appreciate that. It dove for the bottom of the pond and began thrashing around, throwing up dirt and rocks and other muck from the floor. In seconds the water had become murky and clouded enough to conceal the fish from sight.

I hopped out of the pond and hissed back at the cantankerous fish. "Jerk. You started it!"

The fish lurked somewhere in the depths of the pond, but if it had any clever response, I couldn't tell. I stared at it for a few more seconds, then hopped the short distance to the second housewarming present Minna had been given.

The Blood Memories identified the squat collection of prickly leaves as a pineapple plant, which... in retrospect, looked exactly like the type of plant I would imagine would grow a pineapple. I had always thought pineapples grew from trees, for some reason, so discovering it grew out of a short bush had been a bit of a surprise. Arlia had shown up with another Kymari one day, and the three of them had planted it on one side of the yard. I had no idea how much the thing must have cost Arlia – Ivy had confirmed the fruits were still very expensive, so I assumed the plant must be too – but she had seemed happy to give it to Minna.

Since I knew how bad Minna was at keeping greenery alive, I made sure to give it my full attention.

I checked the soil and found it was a little dry, so I shook off beside the plant. It wasn't much, but then the soil wasn't that dry, and I knew from the weather forecasts Minna still watched that it would be raining tomorrow. The Blood Memories also included a bit of information on caring for pineapple plants, and I didn't want to risk drowning the plant with too much water.

I spent a few more minutes inspecting the plant for any problems, but once I was satisfied I moved on to the final addition Minna had made to the backyard.

Minna had put a small sandbox in one part of the yard, where it could easily be seen from any of the windows facing the backyard. It was fun to dig in the sand, and whenever I got the urge to dig I kept it to that area, just to make it easier for Minna to take care of the rest of the yard. But the biggest draw was the strange looking heat lamp she had placed over it.

I had no idea how the thing worked. At first I had avoided the machine like the plague – it reminded me far too much of the cleaning robots that stalked through the streets – but eventually I had reached the conclusion it wouldn't attack me, and I allowed myself to enjoy it. It was actually a very ingenious device. It had a sensor of some kind that could tell when I was nearby, and would only come on when I was in the pit of sand. That had the drawback of never immediately having warm sand to sprawl in, which might be a bigger annoyance as the days and nights grew colder, but I was still impressed that it wouldn't waste energy all day heating up sand that nobody would enjoy. And the heat lamp was strong enough that the sand grew warm in only a minute or two, so that wasn't that big of a deal.

The device seemed to be completely weatherproof. It continued to work even during rainstorms, which had led to a rather interesting experience of resting in hot, wet sand while cool rain drenched me while the lamp's heat warmed me. Minna had not been impressed with how much she had needed to clean me after that, and now preferred that I stayed inside when it rained, but it had been worth it. The machine was resistant to any scratches or bites I could give it, and held up to any shoves or pushes when I tried to tip it over. Just to see if I could.

And most frustratingly, I had no idea how the thing got power!

It didn't have any obvious wires running anywhere. It didn't have any solar panels, or any parts that moved that might collect energy from wind. I had never caught Minna changing batteries in it, and I didn't see any parts of it that would easily open to allow for batteries in the first place. The thing worked, but I had no idea how.

I wandered around the mysterious device for a few minutes again, just on the off chance I might spot something new... but eventually I gave up and sprawled out in the warm sand to just enjoy the heat.

Yeah. Life with Minna was nice. I was happy. I enjoyed life again. I had everything I needed. I had a purpose to life, something – someone that I could be dedicated to. There were still occasional memories of Susie, or life on my own, but... I didn't have any regrets over my decision. I had a friend again. I wasn't alone anymore. Each day I danced out the message of the sunrise while she watched, and each day was a new chance to enjoy life with each other. It was as close to perfect as I could imagine, and I had no regrets about my decision to come back to her.

I sprawled in the sand and glanced back up at the windows of the house. No... my regrets now were all centered around other things I had done. Other choices I had made.

A few hours passed while I soaked in the warm sand. I was dimly aware of the sound of somebody else approaching the house – probably Arlia, since she tended to come visit on these days – then I heard one of the upstairs windows open. "Nate, come here. I have food."

My ear tufts perked at the mention of food, and I slowly dragged myself out of the heat-soaked lethargy. I shook off, sending bits of sand flying, then jumped into the air and flew to the open window.

Minna was holding a container of food as I landed on her shoulder, and she tossed a small slice of apple to me before she reached back to close the window. I caught the apple and began to chew on it... but my eyes couldn't help but follow her arm.

She had taken off her armor and switched into the short-sleeved shirt she wore in casual settings. So there was nothing blocking my view of the green skin of her arm as it extended out to let her pull the simple screen of glass down.

Or of the hundreds of ugly markings that covered it. Scars, left behind after claws had dug into her flesh. Where teeth had pierced past her skin and sought out muscle to tear into. One particularly angry mark that ran from her hand all the way up to the elbow, a slash so deep and long that it had required stitches.

The permanent signs she now bore that told of how I had first treated my friend.

I looked away from her arm and tried to focus on eating the apple in my hands instead. It was easier if I didn't look at them... but... it still bothered me.

My relationship with Minna had grown so much in these past few months. Ivy had been right – I wasn't a tool, or a pet, or a handy creature the Kymari could make use of. I was a friend, I was someone dear to and important to Minna. Just like she was dear to and important to me. I knew she would always care about me, just as surely as I knew the sun would rise the next morning. I knew I could trust her. No matter what.

Every night I curled up on her blanket and fell asleep to the gentle rise and fall of her chest, and the soft, warm feeling of her pets. And every morning I woke up, and all I wanted to do was to make her happy. She meant so much to me now. We meant so much to each other now.

I wouldn't trade what I had with Minna for a million shia plants, each with a million of the most perfect fruits growing fresh for me each and every day.

And I had done all those things to her. Her arms were a permanent testament to how I treated my friend.

I knew she was willing to accept that from a wild animal, especially one that she had wronged, but... it was very close to being three months since Minna had been named my official bond companion. We were almost at the point where I could talk to her. The point where Minna would realize I was not the simple animal she had assumed... but was instead a sentient creature, fully capable of reasoning through options and deciding on which one to do.

A creature that had deliberately, knowingly inflicted those wounds upon her.

Would Minna forgive me for all the things I had done to her, once she knew I had done them on purpose? Deliberately, intentionally, and fully aware of what I was doing? Would she still trust me? After she discovered I had lied to her and hidden the truth about myself all this time?

I finished the apple and took the next piece of fruit from Minna. I tried very hard to avoid looking at the marks on her hand as the meal continued.

Those thoughts had been on my mind a lot lately, and... it worried me. It was simple to pretend to be a clever but ultimately still stupid animal. And Minna was obviously capable of caring for such a creature. But... what would change once Minna knew the truth? Ivy and Trenil were still close, and Ivy had hidden it from Trenil, and as far as I knew none of the other dragonets had run into any issues when they had revealed themselves... but...

None of the other dragonets had attacked their companions the way I had. None of them had treated their handlers so viciously.

Minna meant so, so very much to me now. The idea that she might be upset with me... the idea that she might not be able to accept that... the reminders of how I had treated her...

It scared me.

The meal ended, and I hopped up to Minna's shoulder. She looked at me with a frown and carefully brought a hand up to pet at my back. "Are you okay?"

I tried not to react. The Kymari were observant, and my bond companion knew me well. She must have noticed how my mood had fallen as I was eating.

But... it wasn't the first time this had happened. I chirped back at her and nudged at her hand, then forced myself to yawn.

Her frown changed to a smile. "Silly. Come on, Arlia's here. You can take a nap while we watch a movie." She grabbed a large bowl from the kitchen counter – filled with those dry treats the two of them liked to snack on – and headed towards one of the other rooms.

I let my expression change to one of immense relief as soon as she looked away from me. The third and final housewarming present for Minna was some sort of stringed musical instrument that Terron had given her. She had spent a bit of time after dinner each evening practicing with it.

If she had gotten any better at it in the past three months, I couldn't tell. Maybe one day she would be good enough with it to play with the musician in the market, or for me to dance with... but that day was not today. Today, I was just happy to know she would be distracted by other activities.

"Sorry about that; I just wanted to feed him first so we wouldn't have to pause the movie later." Minna nodded at her friend as she sat down on the couch and sat the bowl onto the center table. "So how have things been with you?"

Arlia reached for the bowl of snacks and started talking about the annoyance of filing flight reports. I listened for a moment, then jumped off Minna's shoulder and flew to one of the small shelves Minna had installed around the house. They were comfortable, and some of them had heat lamps over them, though I picked one that didn't have one. I knew that if I moved under a heat lamp that Minna would turn it on, and that it would add a buzzing sound through their movie. If I had been cold that would be one thing, but I was warm enough. I would be fine without it.

The two Kymari chatted for a bit before they eventually turned on the movie. I watched from my perch on the wall as Minna reached for snacks from the bowl, again and again... and showed off the scars covering her arms each time.

It finally grew to be too much. I slowly rose back to my feet and spread my wings, then flew off towards one of the hallways.

As I left I saw Arlia watching my flight, and I heard her speaking as I left the room. "Is he okay? Do you need to go check on him?"

I paused out of sight in the hallway, pulling into a hover to wait to hear Minna's answer. "No. He... sometimes Nate does that. I think it's because of how long he was on his own. He just needs some time alone. He'll come back later."

I resumed my flight and headed towards one of the back rooms. It was a room Minna had set up for me – various toys lay scattered around the room, like the ball Lyzel had given me or simple knotted ropes I could tug on and toss around, and it was filled with perches and artificial trees for me to climb and scratch at. I had several happy memories of this room, from where Minna or other Kymari like Arlia or Lyzel would play with me. It always helped a little to come here, even if I didn't really want to play.

I crawled into one of the simple boxes that served as hiding spaces and makeshift dens, and I curled up inside it to be alone with my thoughts.