Calley bit her lip and, with a supportive nod from her mother, rose from the bench; she made her way up to the stage alongside the six others of her class. Her stomach felt as though it had just lept into her throat, and the other students looked equally uneasy. One boy�s ears were a brilliant red, he all but hid behind Katt as soon as he lifted his leaden feet upon the stage.
Katt motioned them to stand in a messy line beside her, then, still smiling warmly, motioned to a door down the wall to her right.
Calley leaned around Silvi, Katt�s grandaughter, to peak towards the door. Maow were filtering out, accompanied by some humans: they were the young maow they had trained with, and each of them had a parent or human coach at their side.
Katt was glowing, herself, and straightened to proudly begin naming the pairings as the maow came forward. �Sam and Eecie, the kriewolf...�
As she said the words, the small boy, Sam, grinned from ear to shining ear and ducked out from behind Katt to open his arms to the approaching wolf-size maow; Calley�s eyes lingered on him only an instant, however, as Katt steadily continued.
�Millie and Hershie, the catorbil� Silvi and Cygnus, the kriewolf� Jack and Elaina, the woodcat� Calley and Peiro, the drakling��
Calley�s violet eyes had already met with amber ones, and she grinned widely as the crimson-scaled maow bounded up into her arms, the both of them stifling a happy laugh for the sake of the ceremony. Peiro was the only maow unnaccompanied by a parent or human coach, as Peiro�s mother was too large to fit inside the Guide Hall. While the other students shook hands or exchanged hugs with their maow�s coach or parent, Calley just held the drakling close with a broad grin, his wings wrapping around her. She could feel him purring like a soft motor against her shirt. He was the size of a large housecat in body, with bat-like wings just large enough for him to glide. His scales were a deep crimson, though a dark ashen-blue band ran down his back from head to tail, and his belly lightened to a creamy pearl color. Small transluscent spines like amethyst formed a thin ridge down his back, rising up from the ashen-scaled band. He was grinning from eye to eye, chirping in happiness.
From the table, Nips was glowering, his face puckered.
��David and Baldwin, the kuuzin� and Mikey and Titan, the zachee,� Katt finished. �Congratulations, and good luck on your test.�
Zane stood from his bench, smiling confidently. �Fortune on ALL your travels!�
A roaring applause rose like a tidal wave through the feast hall as others rose in a standing ovation, their cheers echoing up and down the peaked room. Even Makzin rose clapping, nodding with a smirk at his sister. Calley turned nearly as red as Peiro�s scales, and she grinned sheepishly out at the crowd from around a wing.
The cheering triggered the start of feast, and the watching kitchen staff and servers raced back to the kitchen to bring out the platters as the students and their maow companions shuffled down from the stage to rejoin their friends and families.
Zane, still standing, smirked towards the windows. A long pane near the top of the nearest window had been opened, hinging inward to allow the soft gazes of Sadira and Ateras. Ateras nodded to him, but Sadira wasn�t watching; her amber eyes were contentedly on her young son as Calley carried him to her table, introducing him to Nips and her parents.
* * * * *
Makzin stood in the waning light of the garden, sighing deeply as the lush courtyard grew dim around him. He leaned against the stony column of the covered walkway, watching distantly as a sparrow took an evening drink from the shallow pool at the base of the large, ancient tree in the courtyard�s center; a small spring fed the pool from nearby, trickling down a rocky, moss-covered terrace.
People moved about quietly through the Hall�s wide courtyard, most heading towards the western wing�s vast feast hall for an evening of revelry. Calley was still in the hall with their parents, relaxing and joking and singing with her friends in the calm aftermath of a delicious celebration feast, where Zane had stood to give a rowdy toast to the next generation of Jr. Rangers. Music and laughter filtered from the hall, but Makzin stood quietly in the growing shadows, Timber lying serenely nearby with his nose in the evening�s slight breeze.
Zane came out of a door a little ways up the sheltered walk and made his easy way over to Makzin. �I need to sharpen my blades tonight,� he said, coming up next to the younger ranger and staring out across the garden, crossing his arms. �You want me to get yours, too?�
�Nah, I�ve got it�� Makzin replied distantly.
Zane nodded thoughtfully, looking up to the darkening sky. A lone pair of stars were visible, just along the far western wall, hovering over the ever-present cloud that was the Everwhite. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds, and the fire-toned cloud-peaks were cooling as the sun set on the unseen horizon beyond the sharp white mountains.
�It�ll be nice�� Makzin wondered aloud, ��to be able to see a real sunset again. Calley�s only seen a few.�
Zane nodded again, smiling. �Yeah� the Everwhite does take up a good chunk of sky. At least we have the dawn to see� Topdalka is the city of sunsets, and we are the city of dawns, as far as the Everwhite goes.�
�I wonder where we�ll go this summer. How far we�ll get, before we have to bring Calley back for school. I�d like to see the southern forests, again��
Timber smiled dozily. �Th� Audrey Valley�s southern stretches w�be good� I�d like ta see a bit of my old territory��
Zane smirked, �I don�t know if Calley would be permitted in the Audrey Reserve. Even I have to get permission��
Timber shrugged, half-smiling, watching a lightening bug as it flickered by his nose.
Still leaning against the warm stone column, Makzin stretched. �Judging by how rowdy she was tonight at dinner, I don�t think they�d let her within 20 miles of the reserve��
Zane smiled, looking over towards the feast hall. He still wore his headset, even here in the safety of his Hall; it was an ever-present accessory for him, and enhanced his vision both day and night. Few of even the Hall�s older members had seen Zane�s face behind the gear. �Everyone�s so excited�� he wondered, ��I think everyone�s just rejoicing now that the bayyo�s secured. It�s been tense the past month� but now they don�t have to worry that the bayyo could tear into their homes while they�re sleeping, or even maul them on the way home tonight. And with the Jr. Rangers graduating tomorrow, I won�t begrudge them a celebration.�
