I woke up when I heard my name being called. Tuskon held out his hand as he stood by the door waiting for me. I took a few seconds to quickly stretch out on the pillow before flying to his clenched fist.

It really hadn't been that long since we arrived, but it still felt like forever. The environment around this planet was completely throwing me off and putting me on edge making it just that much worse.

It was finally time to get my eyes fixed and I couldn't help but feel extremely nervous.

The first step was to actually get there. But that meant walking through the stinky building. So many aliens were still there; Standing. Watching. Waiting for something.

I stayed in the comfort of Tuskon's arms until we were past everything and out of the building. I didn't like it here. It was too loud and too strange.

Thankfully, I was a lot calmer now than I was this morning. Feeling brave, I climbed onto his shoulder to observe my surroundings once again. The buildings here weren't as tall as the ones on Earth. There was, however, quite a few more stalls and businesses with many different aliens working them. Their echo signatures sent foreboding waves that palpitated down my versicolored back to the very tip of my tail.

Eyes followed us as we passed. I was still shivering with anxiety, but I tried to cover it up with a continuous low growl. There was a small part of me that wanted to deal with my problems by tearing them to shreds, though I really didn't want to get onto anyone's bad side; especially the Kymari's. I shoved that dark thought far into the corner of my mind.

We walked for a while as Tuskon peered at some of the stalls we came by. He bought only one object, but pocketed it immediately obscuring it from view. As we approached the denser buildings, I received far fewer looks as we strode passed. There also seemed to be a lot more Kymari around this area as well. The only downside of coming deeper into the city, that I could tell, were the materials the buildings were made out of. Just like on Earth, the echo signatures came back shaky and sloppy.

I could remember my walks I took as a human. I would ignore everyone and they would ignore me. Those were simpler times. Now it was impossible to take a few dollars and a water bottle to walk twenty minutes to an ice cream shop. I wasn't sure if the Kymari had some form of ice cream, but if they did, I was definitely going to get my hands on it. Though, I wasn't sure if I could even eat ice cream in this form. That would just have to be another hurdle to jump when I get there.

I was pulled from my thoughts as Tuskon entered a building, bringing the change in temperature to my attention. With a firm shake of my scales, I adjusted to the atmosphere and walked behind Tuskon's neck to stand on his other shoulder. He didn't react to anything I did, but I could smell that he was nervous about something. He probably wasn't as nervous as me though. I was finally able to put on a brave face, but my insides were still screaming at me to die. Silently, I was glad the general mind link didn't reach this far for my anxiety to leek through. Though, I wonder if they could hear me if I screamed loud enough...

We walked deeper into the building and soon came to a room that smelled strangely magnetic. The only relevant memory that came to mind was the multiple times I had to stop tiny kids from eating a whole box of magnets. Now that I look back at it, those kids could have died if it wasn't for me. It's a shame they're all dead now anyway.

I clicked and observed my surroundings to find the room to be pretty bare apart from a large machine and another Kymari. I was pretty confident that it was this exact machine that was going to restore my eyesight. It was a little intimidating though.

"Place her in and we'll get started." I turned my head towards the other Kymari. His voice sounded deeply bored.

Tuskon walked forward and lifted his hand up to my level. I knew what he wanted, but I was still a little nervous. I've never had surgery in my life, let alone something like this. Acting oblivious, I licked a few of his fingers.

Tuskon took a slow breath, "No food. Come."

My heart rate was picking up with my anxiety once again. I didn't think I was ready. As he reached out to lift me by my harness, I jumped onto his head with a wing assisted hop. However, while I wasn't paying attention, he grabbed me with his other free hand.

I let out a defeated squawk, "Nuuu! I'm not ready!"

Tuskon cupped me in his hands, "You're fine."

I snorted at him. This madman just didn't understand.

A little door, that seemed to be made of glass, was opened and I was placed into a space within the machine. I was now completely blinded from everything on the outside. My heart rate was picking up as I tried to breath and calm down.

It was too much like the lab. Not being able to see past these four walls was the only thing that seemed to matter. I called out with a high pitched squawk out of instinct, just to reassure myself that I wasn't actually alone. Tuskon responded with another "You're fine" which only calmed me for a split second.

I turned around a few times trying to find something that could hint that I wasn't back in the lab to sooth my panic. I ended up turning too many times and was facing a random direction. Tuskon and the other Kymari spoke, but I couldn't hear them past my beating heart. It was moments like these that made me wish I was still on my old human medication.

A sudden hiss of air interrupted my panicked thoughts. I turned towards it and was hit in the face with a strange scent. My heart beat became even more distinct as I realized what was happening. The world slowed down around me. I couldn't see, but I was still hit with a dizzying spell. Feeling light, I collapsed and accepted my fate.

* * *

Faint voices started filling my ears as my mind began to clear. My memories began to resurface as I remembered why I was asleep in the first place. I could see the light shining through my eyelids before I could even register what was happening.

My heart skipped a beat as I threw my eyes open. I thought I was prepared for what I was going to see, but I wasn't. Light flooded in and I closed my eyes from the sting.

I reached up with my hands and rubbed my eyes the best I could before trying again, slower this time. Light poured in once again, but I didn't flinch. My breath was caught in my throat as I looked around.

The yellow, red, and blue hues stood out as I stared around the room. The grey was bland against all the tiny things that were filled with so much color. The window brought in a fair bit of light and shined a purple sky down at me. I turned towards Tuskon as he smiled down at me.

The large machine was nowhere in sight which gave me the hint that we were in a different room. The smell in this room wasn't as magnetic and was more like stale water, as well.

My heart jumped in excitement. I couldn't process every single detail fast enough to satisfy my hunger for inspiration. With a quick flap of my wings, I launched myself into the air. The first thing I did was go to Tuskon. I had to thank him for giving me back my sight.

His green skin was darker than I remembered and his thick black hair looked softer as well. I nudged my nose under his chin in a thanks as I let out a soothing thrum. This continued for the next minute or so.

I only stopped and turned around in Tuskon's arms when I heard heavy footsteps enter the room. The Kymari that entered had a scent that I recognized almost right away. I could tell his green skin was becoming dull with age and his many scars across his arms and face told of the many battles he had been in. This was the Elder that we had met with all those times before. I remember him being there at Iso's party as well as when we were asking permission to get off the planet.

I jumped away from Tuskon to land on the Elder's shoulder. He must not have been expecting it since he took a step back as I was coming at him. I had no intentions of letting my claws sink into his flesh though. Instead, I pressed my forehead against the side of his chin before flying back to Tuskon.

"I'm glad to see your firelizard is doing well. It was a bit of a risk to have this done." I stared at the Elder as he spoke.

Tuskon bowed his head, "I must admit, I was quite nervous about doing the procedure, but I'm glad it worked out."

I peered into Tuskon's rich brown eyes in confusion. I had no idea there was such a huge risk surrounding this kind of thing. They must have mentioned it last time we met up when I was lost in my own thoughts.

They talked for a few more minutes as I flew to the window to look at all the color around me. The sky being purple was especially something I wasn't expecting. Outside the glass I could even make out the green skinned Kymari along with other aliens with brown and grey skin. Unlike Earth, this planet had a wider range of species living here. I could only sit and watch all the little movements happening behind the glass. I couldn't remember the last time I was so fascinated by something.

I was so enthralled by all the light and color, I didn't realize I was starting to gain a headache. I was not used to seeing so much light. The silence behind me was also my cue to turn around. Both Tuskon and the Elder were watching me with silent admiration. I stared back at them as I tried to take in all the details I had missed when I was blind.

Their own expressions seemed to tell me they were thinking hard about something. I was half expecting them to step forward, but they didn't move. I tilted my head to the side and stuck my tongue out for a second to moisten my nonexistent lips. My ears twitched down in discomfort.

The Elder was the first to break the silence, "Be sure to allow plenty of rest. We still don't know what the side effects are going to be like."

The Elder took his leave and Tuskon sat in a chair near the window I was in. He didn't do anything but breath. His actions had me a bit concerned.

I walked to the edge of the window and leaped onto his lap. Him flinching was even more concerning.

I sat on his knees and gazed into his eyes for the second time today. He looked down with an unsure expression. The procedure was over and my eyes were as good as new, yet he was still nervous about something.

I tilted my chin slightly up, "I don't need my sight to know something's wrong."

As if he could understand me, Tuskon chuckled, "Everything's fine."

I tilted my chin back down and glared up at him, "Liar."