"I like her! We should take her to the park with us!"

Leopold's eyes went wide. He didn't speak for a good minute.

"Clover?"

"Yes?"

"Am I going insane?"

Oh no. Now I felt bad. Maybe I should have had the other handler talk to him first. I put my head down a bit. I knew my anxiety was showing, but I couldn't help it.

"No, you're not. All dragonets, uh, fire lizards, are aware and can speak. We just don't talk to any other races because we are terrified of them. Please keep this a secret."

"Why are you afraid?" Leopold sat up straighter, his full attention on me. I had to be careful because others could easily detect lies through the mindlink.

"The humans hatched us from eggs in a lab. They kept those who lived in small, individual cages, barely big enough to spread their wings out. Then, the Votaks came and killed our families and friends. Not many of us made it out alive."

That was as close to the truth as I could get. I could see the anger bubbling up in Leopold. He was furious at this turn of events.

"Are all the survivors in that park?"

"We think so. Except for my generation, none of the survivors are related," I said sadly.

He said nothing for a moment, absorbing my words.

"Why did you come to me?" he asked softly.

This would be a little harder to explain.

"I wanted to hunt Sicora, as Tasha does. The other dragonets thought I was crazy. Their fear from their time in captivity overrules their desire to hunt."

"But why me?" he asked again.

"Believe it or not, it was that lady, Asielle. I heard her talking to her friend that day in the park. She said nice things about you and that you hunt Sicora! I watched how you cared for that child, and then I decided to approach you. Tasha helped with the rest. It was a team effort."

When Leopold said nothing for a while, I decided to link Tasha.

"I think I broke Leopold. I may need reinforcements!"

"Did you finally speak to him?" She was laughing hard. Within a minute, my handler's wrist com beeped.

"Are you okay, my friend?" came Tasha's handler's voice. "Take a deep breath. I will come over after work."

Leopold's eyes widened, and he glanced at me.

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Tasha for help. You seem a bit overwhelmed."

"I'll see you then," he said to his friend, and then he turned off the com. "Come here, Clover."

He held out his hands to me, and I went into his arms. He hugged me to his chest as I nuzzled him. I loved his hugs!

"I will keep your secret, my girl, but I have many questions, and I am deciding which to ask first. Tell me about yourself, and I'll ask more as you go."

I told Leopold everything, from Tasha being hurt to me leaving the park with him. I didn't tell him anything Asielle said except her interest in him, and I didn't mention her father, either.

"I'm sorry if I changed your life in a way that you didn’t want. I genuinely believed you would be happy to have a bonded animal. If you're not, I can choose another."

I tried to keep my intense feelings out of the mindlink with that statement, but my voice cracked at the end. Doing this would shatter my heart, but I would do it for him.

"You are my everything, Clover," Leopold said softly. "Please don't talk about leaving me."

I took a moment to think about what he meant to me, then sent those feelings to him. His muscles all tightened around me before he took a deep breath.

"Your way of communicating is interesting. Your feelings are so different from my own—more pure."

"I can try to limit sending you my feelings if it's too much."

"Not at all. I also care deeply for you. The last week you were in the park, I almost stayed there, as I didn't want to leave you. I asked the Elders for early permission to take you, as they originally ordered me to wait another few weeks."

"I almost left with you the day before, as I became anxious when we weren't together." Another thought occurred to me. "I'm glad you still want me. I was concerned you would be unhappy that I wasn't just an animal, and I was hoping you would not think I tricked you into getting my way. Please understand that you were my first choice, but if you had said no, while I would have been sad, I still would have found a handler, somehow."

"Can you explain this need to hunt?"

"While we can think, reason, and speak, our instincts are strong. I'm sure you have noticed how animal-like I am. I love to play and chase toys, and I also love pets, treats, and cuddles! This animalistic behavior intensifies when we smell Sicora. I can control myself mostly around Crawlers, but my animal takes over with the adults, and I can't calm down until I see them dead. I may seem angry to you, but I honestly have no control."

"Is that why Tasha is on a leash once she smells Sicora?"

I nodded.

"I was going to ask you about the harness and leash. How do you feel about them?"

"I remember the first time I saw Tasha in her harness. She was on her handler's shoulder as they walked into the park, and I thought she looked so majestic. I couldn't wait to have my own, and I was ecstatic when you put it on me the first time. I didn't want to take it off." I chuckled through the mindlink. "The leash is not the same, but it is a necessary evil to keep me safe when hunting, or when we’re in a situation where I may have to hunt. I promise to let you know if something is making me uncomfortable."

"Thank you for that. Now that I know, I will worry what I'm doing is demeaning to you." Leopold smiled at me and laughed. "So many things make sense."

"You almost caught me a few times. After what happened with the Elder, I may have been a little scared to talk to you."

Leopold's entire demeanor changed. He went into full protector mode, and I knew then that he didn't have any issues with my awareness. My fear had been my failing; because of it, I'd waited so long to talk to him.

But at that moment, I also had an epiphany. That was the same way my parents had felt about anything having to do with the Kymari. I understood their fear now.

"What Elder, and what did they do?" Leopold demanded.

"Please understand that our fear of other races is intense. When the Elder came to the park with you, his words to you seemed directed to me as well. It seemed as if he KNEW I was aware. When you said yes, I made a huge mistake. I reacted to a conversation I should not have understood. When I turned to you, I was happy you hadn't realized what I had done, but then I turned to the Elder, and he gave me a nod. At that moment, I was sure he knew our deepest secret. My fear got the best of me. That's why it took me so long to speak to you. I'm sorry."

"Little one, I am so happy that you lost your fear. You never have to be afraid of me. I will always be there for you. You are my everything."

"And you are mine."

I climbed to his shoulder and wrapped myself around his neck, thrumming happily as Leopold rubbed my back. After a few minutes, he spoke again.

"So, you like Asielle? Should I court her?"

The end. (Again)

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(word count on Google Doc 12,775)
Complete edit was done by @ katiegoesmew