Aislin was leading both of her parents down the unmarked path to her skiff. Father had taken a special break from his normal routine just for this trip. The girl knew that the closer they got to her skiff, the more anxious mother and father became. She hoped that once they’d seen how adorable Oku was they’d relax and get on with their lives, but something told her that wasn’t going to happen. Still, she could hope, right?

     They were soon within sight of the lean to that sheltered the skiff, and Aise called out mentally to Oku. He met her half way, as it were, and she couldn’t help but smile at the excitement in his mental touch. Are you ready? she asked.

     *Very ready,* Oku replied, then added, in a plaintive whine *Hurry uuuuup!*

     Aislin couldn’t help but giggle at that, and was glad that her parents were so worried about this that they hadn’t heard her. If all else failed, she figured, and her parents separated Oku from her, she could always secretly communicate with him. That was her one consolation all day.

     “There it is,” she said, pointing to the shelter. Her parents hadn’t been able to see it until now; their eyes just sort of slid across it without registering. But now they blinked and noticed it, looking ever more apprehensive.

     Aislin let the way inside, her eyes adjusting to the lower light, and waited for her parents to come in before calling softly, “Oku, we’re here.”

     She heard an adorable, excited squeak and his little head popped up out of the hold into a patch of sunlight, so that his lovely blues and greens and turquoises shimmered perfectly. He must have been picking just the perfect spot all the time she was gone, so that her parents would like him. He chirped again, big dark eyes round and bright and gleeful.

     *They look nice,* he whispered happily to Aise, sliding forward so that more of him was seen.

     Actually, they had looked surprised is what. They knew what the dragons on this planet looked like, and Oku certainly didn’t represent the species. That surprise had temporarily washed all fear and apprehension from their minds, which is what Oku saw. However, as soon as that shock wore off, everything returned, and they were worse off than before they’d come to the skiff.

     Oku paused, picking up some of their fear and then anger. He squeaked and lowered his head to the deck, afraid himself. Aislin, watching both him and her parents closely, cried out “Oku, it’s okay,” then turned to her parents, holding out her hands palm out as if to stop an advance. “Its okay, really. He isn’t as ferocious as he looks, he’s a cute little guy and I love him and please don’t take him away, please?” She was beginning to cry by the end of her plea, since it seemed that it only served to make her parents more afraid and more angry. The wyrm, thinking it was his fault, darted back into the hold with a pathetic trill, and hid there.

     “No, Oku, it’s not your fault, come back,” Aise called out between sobs, but to no use, especially when her father picked her up and began to take her home. “No!” the girl cried and struggled furiously, but father was bigger and stronger.

     So she resigned herself to trying to regain her composure (not an easy thing) and sending Oku comforting thoughts. It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault. They did the same thing to uncle J, and it wasn’t his fault either. They’re just like that. I’ll come see you tonight, okay? They were nearing home by now, and Aise struggled again, and sent a last promise to Oku, I won’t let them take you away, she vowed, and felt a faint, answering mental touch.

     “You can’t take Oku away,” Aislin stated, with as much authority as her young voice could command, “We’re bonded, and if you took him away, bad things would happen.”

     For a moment, her parents didn’t answer, only looked at each other, then seemed to come to an agreement. It was already getting dark outside, the sun had set, and the two moons were up already, following the sun’s path across the darkening sky.

     “Aislin, honey, there’s something I need to tell you,” mother began softly. She sounded sad, like she was doing something she’d hoped she wouldn’t have had to. When she had the girl’s full attention, she went on. “Your daddy isn’t your real, biological father,” she said. Aise’s eyes widened, and she looked at father, who was watching mother intently, so Aislin returned her attention to the woman as well.

     “Before you were born, I was married to another man...” she trailed off and shook her head before going on. “He was a sira, one of the handful on the planet that can shift their forms. But then he was taken away from me, and I was left on my own. I married your father and had you shortly after, and I thought it was all over with, but...” she sighed and looked toward father. Aise followed her gaze, and he picked up the story from there.

     “I didn’t know about your mother’s first marriage until after you were born,” he said softly, “and even then, it took me a while to realize that you weren’t mine. You took to the water so easily, just as I had when I was a boy,” he remembered with a faint smile at the happy times they’d had when Aislin was a baby. “But then she came,” he said, his face clouding again. “Your ‘uncle J’ has told you about their deities, right? The one who represents life and creation, and the other one who represents death and destruction?”

     Aise nodded, wondering where this was going.

     “The creation one came to visit us. She said that you had a destiny, you were meant to do great things, and then she left. Because you were half sira, she had control of your life in a way that she never had control of ours, since we weren’t part of her creation. Both your mother and I were born offworld, and came here with the invitation to start a new life. We never expected anything like this,” father finished, his voice bitter.

     Mother picked back up. “So you see, that little dragon out there means that she’s trying to take control of your life now. We don’t want you to be forced to live a life that was forced upon you, that’s part of why we both left our old world.” She paused there to let that sink in, then went on “You have a choice, since you are half human. You can still resist that prophecy and be our little girl again, or you can throw our dream away and become hers,” she finished, a note of finality in her voice.