BACK

Dems wasn't sure how things got this badly out of his control. He was being dragged hither and yon, to his dragons' hearts content... Though truth be told, both of them had turned out to be quite helpful in getting around the multiverse. Whenever Dems had been needed by his company or kath or whoever called, they could take him instantly. Of course, that was provided he was going to a location where there was space enough for a dragon to land or hang about.

One place that they decided to take him however was Clan Akelara again, more than once they'd stopped by the place and done whatever mysterious girl-dragon-things they wished to. For his part, Dems took those moments to read up on the latest goings-on at The End, or pen a letter to distant friends.

Dems reluctantly glanced around. Clan Akelara wasn't that bad of a place to be, it was just...

Well, Elora and Ina-en had this strange, giggling, secretive air about them. They knew something he didn't, and he wasn't enjoying this fact in the slightest.

Why did he feel like his world was about to crash down around his ears again?

His suspicions began to spiral as he noticed the kittens running around, apparently fleeing the control of adults. They were cute, but...

"Dems! Look!" Elora chirped as she swished her tail from side to side, laughing as several of the ungainly kittens made wide lunges for the 'toy' and flopped back to the ground, disgruntled. "Aren't they cute?"

"No. We're not taking one home!" Kittens. Winged kittens. It didn't matter how large Lethe had made his house, it wouldn't be large enough. Not for one, and definitely not for multiple ones!

"But they're so cute!" Ina-en chirruped, playing with her own set of kittens.

"I don't care, I-- ack!"

Tiny pinpricks advanced up his back as he was used as a 'tree' by a previously unnoticed kitten, the scamp settling on his shoulder and leaning over to grin in his face. It then proceeded to lick him with its sand-paper tongue, purring in self-satisfaction.

Ritaki thinks man silly. Ritaki will go where she will. Ina-en say silly man have nice house -- Ritaki will go with.

"But.. you.. I.."

Ritaki flicked her tongue over Dems's face a second time, Ritaki win, silly man lose. Ritaki go to new home now, yes?

Dems sighed in defeat, "Fine, fine..."

***

It didn't take too long before Ritaki was large enough to look Dems in the eye and lick his nose while still having all four paws on the floor. The trick of climbing on him was nixed fairly early - his back wasn't what it used to be, so holding on to an ever-growing winged kitten wasn't going to work for long.

Ritaki was slightly disappointed in that, but then she'd been finding all manner of other things to get into at his home.

She was in the flower beds. She was over the roof, heard as a series of soft groans of the magical wood that the place was made from as she passed overhead. She was in the attic (stuck in the opening between the roof and the wall, of course). She'd found a nice spot curled under one of the shade trees in the back.

And underfoot... Constantly. Ina-en and Elora apparently were coaching her on these stunts, but they were also very protective of her - and Dems. When they started bringing Ritaki along on their journeys, Ritaki got to see first hand how well the adults behaved when Dems was being hired on as a bodyguard for some famous person or other.

With her striking markings, Ritaki knew that soon enough she'd be the one in the front, holding her wings in a display. She practiced at home... She also was still small enough to slink around the inside of the house. Perhaps she would always be around the right size to do so, but Dems eventually had to scold her for wiping out one of the tables that she loved to sit on as a youngster.

***

At last, this beautifully marked and utterly graceful creature got to go with Dems alone, while the other girls were chatting it up with Misota and her dragon. There was a ruckus at The End, it was Carnival season and there were many tourists from a multitude of dimensions. Any time you had that many people of different cultures in one place, there was bound to be trouble.

Though Ritaki wasn't nearly as large as her glowing 'sisters', she was fierce, and big enough for Dems to mount up. Rather like the sheriff coming back to a bar after another fight, Dems showed up on The End's Inc Blotch building, surveyed the scene (it wasn't a riot, so much as a food fight that had erupted between two of the snack vendors), and had Ritaki drop down in the middle of the dirt area.

"Woah woah woah," he said, swinging his leg over her neck (as over the shoulder would mean hitting her wing) and depositing himself dustily on the ground. "We can't have this here, this is a carnival, not a brawl."

Ritaki flared her violet wings, and made overly dramatic hissing noises. While it certainly served well to stop the warring 'rat onna stick - versus - inflato-squid' event, it was only moments before half a hundred kids and their worried parents were up near them asking feverishly if they could pet/ride/take home this lovely dragon.

Ritaki loved it. Dems not so much.

But in the end, Ritaki was the one who mattered most... Even to Dems.

Ina-en Uena'Aisi