The Prettiest Bird

"So, where's this friend of yours?" Mateus asked casually, following carefully as the Angora Roobit led him through bushes and over rocky ground. The sky was growing slowly darker, and the shadows in the cleft were deep. One misstep and Mateus could turn an ankle or worse.

"It's not much further. She's a hybrid like me, but not an orphan. Both her parents and all her siblings are pure bloodlines, only she hatched different, so they left her behind. She's very shy, and won't talk to anyone else. I don't want to leave her behind." The very arrogant Roobit spoke about this friend of his with deep affection. It was clear that if Mateus had rejected the second contract, this Roobit would have been too stubborn to leave 'her'.

It made Mateus thoroughly curious about what this hybrid could be. Hopefully it was a beast of some sort, like the Roobit - if it was a lizard then Mateus would be out of luck. Communication is one of the most important things required for a contract. With Mateus' abysmal handling of the lizard language, he was more likely to make enemies than friends every time he opened his mouth.

"We're here. Pretty Bird, you have visitors!" The Roobit yelled at a thorn tree that grew tight against a cliff face. A few of the higher leaves rustled, and a tiny bird hopped out onto a branch and stared down at them shyly.

Mateus gazed up at the little bird in surprise. So small and weak, it could easily be held in the palm of one hand, this was clearly a Sparkling. These are a very common species of Spirit Beast, that have an affinity with either fire or electricity, symbolised by their mixed red and yellow feathers. Once a Sparkling gains enough control and affinity to one of their elements, they undergo a physical transformation, becoming either Tinderlings or Shocklings. Once they reach this stage, they are adults capable of breeding, but if they can refine their element further, they can achieve a second transformation. Perhaps, centuries ago, that mighty Sky Queen had such humble beginnings.

However, this little Sparkling was clearly unique. Her frame was more delicate than the others Mateus had seen. Her wings had a far more refined shape, and her tail had a pair of hanging plumes, twice the length of the other feathers. But the most clear difference was her colouring - solid azure feathers, spotted with marks of scarlet, like a living picture of red flowers floating across the sky.

Calling this lovely creature a hybrid was clearly inaccurate - this was an atavism. Somehow, this little bird managed to recover her genetic heritage from before the world changed. This was both a blessing, and a burden. Blessing, because unlike the ordinary Sparklings this one can forge a new bloodline, and possibly an entire species if she is successful. Burden, because an atavistic creature always has higher Essence needs than others.

For most humans, contracting this little bird would be an impossible dream. A normal Sparkling needs at most 2 Essence to contract, but this one could require 5 or more. In other words, the humans weak enough to contract Sparklings were too weak to match her, and those strong enough to contract her would rather spend their Essence on something stronger than a Sparkling.

"Endorphin, you brought a human here? Does that mean you're leaving me too?" The little bird chirped sadly, and her voice was outstanding. Even in his old life, Mateus had never heard such a wonderful bird.

"Hello, I'm Mateus. I'd like to talk about making a contract with you. Is that okay?" He asked her, feeling off balance. Before this, he had been confident he could contract at least 2 companions, but now he wasn't quite sure.

A pure Roobit needs between 4 and 6 Essence, but this is a hybrid Angora. It wouldn't be strange if this contract needed 10 Essence or more. Adding this pretty bird to the total at 5 or more, and perhaps Mateus will never be able to form a third contract in his life.

For a bright future with his sister, Mateus needs an Angora, and to get this Angora he needs the pretty bird. If he found a different Angora, perhaps he could forget contacting this arrogant Roobit, but after seeing this lovely little bird, Mateus wasn't willing to let go. It was clear this pair were a package deal, so be it; he would have them both no matter what!