Kijin rolled his neck as his father went into a long speech. Originally, it had been attractive because it had been about himself—it was his birth day after all. But then Father started talking about the kingdom's history and that's when Kijin had lost interest. He was interested, however, in the curtained corner of the throne room. There were two guards watching over it, making sure no one got too curious. Assumedly it was his birthday present, but he had no hint as to what it could be.

"And now, what we've all been waiting for," said Father at last. "I shall present Prince Kijin with his gift!" He gestured to his family, who stood and followed him to the closed-off corner while the crowd was applauding. "A happy birth day to you, my son!" The guards pulled back the curtains, revealing a sandy forest setting, complete with thin layer of sand covering the floor. A white Ajae was crouching in the back, making several in the crowd murmur appreciatively. White, or royal, Ajae were rare, only a few in each clutch. They were colored differently than the others, much paler in comparison to their more shadowed kin. They were often the leaders in their clutches because the other Ajae instinctively wanted to protect them since their colors were so much lighter that they couldn't blend with the shadows of the sandy forest as well as the others could. They often developed more thinking and leadership skills since they weren't on the forefront of fighting, and they had to be more creative to hide or sneak around their forests. Only members of the royal Kiavian families were permitted to have this type of Ajae, thus the nickname royal Ajae.

"Fine!" Vlo said cheerfully when he saw the Ajae. He punched his brother in the shoulder. "You get one at last!" Kijin was offered a royal Ajae for his very own when he was fifteen rotations, but he had turned him over to his younger brother since he was too busy with his studies. He was to be king after his father, and a lot of effort had been put into his education. His studies were over for now. He had learned much from books in his younger years and now it was all about experience.

His father dropped a hand heavily on his shoulder, sharing a grin with him. "I hope you like her, son. My guards had to search far to find her. She's quite a fighter, so I think you'll have a project for several months to tame her."

Kijin turned to him. "Thank you, Father. It's a wonderful gift." He shook his father's hand. Then looked at the Ajae. She's so small. It won't be hard to tame her. When he took his first step toward her, she snarled at him. "Angry little thing," he said to his family. Those who were near enough to hear laughed. He got closer until he was just out of what he perceived to be her chain length. She leapt at him, trying to catch him with her hands and teeth, but couldn't quite reach. He looked over her from different angles, assessing her. Her hair and tail were the same pure white, while her upright ears were a light silver, but her eyes were a light, almost blinding, crystal blue. Her features were a little sharper than the other Ajae he had seen with higher cheekbones, but her face still had a roundness to it. Pretty. Impressive that Father found me a wild one, most of them are pets now so he could have just bred one for me. But this makes it all the more interesting. "I love it, Father. Thank you."

The king nodded proudly. "You should get started taming her right away. She's young, but full-grown, it may take some extra time." He glanced at the crowd. "All right, the ceremony is over. Thank you all for coming. My son needs to begin training his new gift. Please, have a dessert on your way out." The crowd murmured congratulations to Kijin as they slowly walked out.

"Where did you find her?" he asked his father as people filed past.

"To the west. A day's ride on a nantar. The leader of the expedition said there was a clutch of them, but they wanted to get the royal one, so they only managed to capture her and killed another who got in their way. I plan on buying him once he's been stuffed, he'll make a lovely decoration somewhere around here."

"Oh, Jofyn." The queen grimaced.

"What?"

"You know how I feel about stuffed things."

"I'll put it someplace you don't often frequent."

"You had better."

Kijin rolled his eyes, his parents fight more and more the older they got. "I'm going to pet her," he announced, drawing attention to himself. He held his hand out toward his new Ajae, clearly indicating his intentions. She tried to bite him, but he jerked his hand away.

Vlo laughed, beginning to circle around the sandy forest scenario. "Seems she doesn't like you, brother."

Kijin glared at him. "Shut up. What are you doing?"

"Just getting a better view." He saw his brother's eyes flick over the Ajae's exposed body with hungry eyes. Even though Ajae were just animals, Vlo couldn't seem to keep himself from drooling.

"Don't let her get away with that," said Father. "Try again."

Kijin put his hand out again, trying to brim authority like his father. She attempted to bite him again, but he hit her on the nose with his palm. "No biting," he told her sternly, then reached for the top of her head. The Ajae tried for a third time to get her teeth around his hand, but he slapped her across the face. "No! No biting!"

She made several furious noises at him, like she was trying to speak, as she reared halfway up, using the chain as balance against her neck. Ajae were not permitted to speak to each other or Kiavians, so he knocked her on the side of the head. "Down! No speaking!" She fell to the sand, breathing heavily. For a moment, he was concerned he had hit the delicate creature too hard, but she sat up again a moment later. So, she's a bit of a dramatic one. I'll have to keep that in mind.

"You're doing good, son," said Father. "Never let them get away with anything."

"Understood," Kijin said, glancing at his pet. She was frowning as she brushed the sand out of her hair. That was kind of cute. He could tell he would enjoy watching her, but he dragged his eyes back to his father as he spoke.

"Also, never leave her alone this early in her training. Wild Ajae are known to cause destruction when unattended."

"I see." He was distracted by his new pet trying to pounce on his brother. She fell short, of course, and was jerked back by the chain. "Vlo, what are you doing to my Ajae?"

Vlo held up his hands. "I'm not doing anything."

"Well, stay away from her. She's mine."

"Then you should teach her to have better manners."

"I should teach you to have better manners, but I think I'll get farther with the Ajae."

"Shut up."

Mother cleared her throat. "Boys."

"Take your present to your room, Kijin," said Father. "Start training her as soon as possible. Today, if you have the time."

Kijin nodded. "Yes, sir. Vlo, come keep her still while I muzzle her. I don't want to be bitten." His brother stood in front of the Ajae and paralyzed her with his gaze while Kijin unattached the chain from the weight. He looped the metal loosely around her neck twice to rid himself of the extra length, forcing part of it into her mouth so she wouldn't be able to bite when she could move again. When he was done with that, he wrapped his arms around her stomach and picked her up. He could tell when Vlo broke his gaze, because she started squirming and growling at him. "Thank you again, Father." He tightened his grip on the Ajae and started off toward his room.

He managed to kick the doors to his bedroom open without accidentally dropping his pet or breaking the doors. He closed them again, making sure they were secure before crossing the luxurious room and setting the Ajae down. She immediately attempted to attack him, but he kicked her back, then grabbed a riding whip he had carelessly tossed on a chair earlier that day. He brandished it towards her, making sure she knew he was armed. Of course nature had already gifted him with weapons of fang and claw, but he didn't want to hurt her too badly.

"First things first," he said as she backed away, eyeing his weapon. "What should I call you?"

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoy this story, a comment or vote will really make my day! I appreciate every one of my readers though, whether they are silent readers or chatty ones. 💖 If you are enjoying my writing style and are also into Draco fan fictions, check out Stupid Hormones in my published!

Stay happy!

~AJ.