The Story for Begug and his nephew, Yadtime

"Oh, Father!"

::Go away!:: came the predictable reply.

Begug just rapped again. "Oh, Faaaaaather!"

::Do I have to come out there and beat you?::

"You'd have a bit of trouble, considering I'm bigger than you. Besides, I have backup this time."

::What are you talking about, now?::

A small set of claws tapped on the door, obviously smaller and of a different material than Begug's singular rapping knuckle, as if in answer to the wary question.

There was a long pause before October asked suspiciously, still through the closed door. ::Who was that? Are you shape-shifting again?::

"You're not making a very good impression on your grandson," Begug commented, sharing an amused look with his nephew, Yadtime.

That got the door to open a crack, and October peered out with one narrowed eye, sizing up the short, furry-pawed, strikingly colored pup. Yadtime just cocked his head and smiled amiably, red-tufted ears perked, blue and black crest-feathers raised, and crystal blue eyes bright and laughing. The moment was a long one as bonder daemon and hopelessly mixed mutt looked at each other, and Begug-- in his usual "meeting with October" form-- stood by with his hands behind his back and gold eyes expectant.

Then the moment was broken, as October's eye narrowed further. ::I'm not old enough to be a grandfather,:: he mentally spat, ::Especially not of freaks like that!::

And he promptly slammed the door again.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of him," Yadtime commented without malice or reproach in his tone.

"Oh, you got off easily," Begug chuckled, leading him away from the confrontational point. "You only got one insult."

"Ah," Yadtime replied, and followed his uncle and new guardian, for at least when he wasn't at school, easily down the circular halls of the Nidus Avengaea. Given Begug couldn't possibly provide a better general education for the lad, he would be spending lunch, dinner, and afternoon classes at the bonding complex turned school, while he slept and took combat and some of his magic lessons at the Nidus in the morning. He could make friends in both places, as he wished to, and get a well-rounded education. And, of course, Begug wouldn't have to pay for a room for him at the school, which was a big cost taken off the cost of raising a pup-- or kit, or hatchling, whichever term anyone wanted to use. At least Yadtime wouldn't take the usual fifty years Avengaean dragons took growing up....

"I know that Father works on a space ship," Yadtime said conversationally-- very conversationally, for someone as young as he! "So what do you do?"

"I'm a Custos here, and I work in an Ala, when the Ala actually works," Begug began. "That means I patrol, like a mobile sentry, and when my Ala goes out on some job or another, like to counter a raid of demons or, as my particular Ala was called for last time, an avalanche, I go with and help out any way I can, or any way my Dux tells me to. I work Decurio-- that means trainer-- every now and then, if there's someone with skills similar to mine that needs teaching."

"Like me?"

"Like you," Begug agreed. "Though you're a special case, since you're my nephew."

Yadtime grinned, at that, then asked, "Do you enjoy it?"

Begug shrugged lightly, one hand on the boy's feathered crest. "It gets me room and board until I can get into something I do enjoy."

"Like what?"

"Disguise and espionage," he replied. "I want to be a detective for the Guard, but they're a bit reluctant, given I'm not officially old enough and I'm not an Avengaean dragon."

"Disguise... because you shape-shift?"

"And because I like shape-shifting, and I like gathering information, and watching people."

"Can you turn into anything?" Yadtime asked with wide eyes.

Begug couldn't resist a little showing off, and promptly turned into Yadtime himself, though with his own golden eyes rather than Yadtime's crystal ones. "Anything I've touched," he replied, using his own voice, "provided I can still remember it by the time I want to use the form."

"Wow!"

Chuckling, Begug changed back into his own usual form, eye-blinding though it was. "I got a lot of practice when I was younger, not wanting to look like this all the time. I stand out quite a bit."

"I see that," Yadtime giggled. "Will you teach me how to do that?"

"I'm certainly going to try," he nodded. "But let me ask you this: do you know what you want to do?"

"Um," Yadtime said. "No...."

It was too much to hope that the boy would know, already, he supposed. "Well, you have time; we'll just teach you whatever catches your fancy at any one time, and see where that takes us."

"Sounds good, to me!" Yadtime chirped, and Begug smiled some. At least, Begug thought, there would be something cheerful in his life, for as long as Yadtime was going to be in it.