Yeah, yeah. His parents named him "wham-o". Of course they spelled it differently, as though people here on Planet Twenty wrote much down anyway. He'd been born here, to two outcasts from another world. Why there were so many Horse Kin, normally "docile" workers and patient slaves elsewhere, he wasn't really sure.

Perhaps it was that Humans and Horses went a long way back. They had an understanding. Well, the Humans thought they were the masters. And, when it was good for them, the Horses were okay with that. But give a Horse a chance, and they will do what they wanted.

What they wanted, was to raise their herds in peace, teach them about how to use their psionics - that was probably it. There were a very large percentage of psionic Horse Kin, and the innate fear of such a thing caused this exile in a larger scale than in other groups.

Or at least, that's what Oammo believed. He only knew what he'd been told, and what little information otherwise could be gathered. He was fond of asking the Zekirans nearby, about it - because some of them knew things they shouldn't. They were curious creatures, he thought. But he liked them quite a bit, because even though they were just as keen on his senses as other Kin were, they had a kind of odd serenity about them. Immortality, perhaps, was what that felt like.

And then there was Mirage, and her camera. She was a compulsive records-keeper, but he'd seen some of her work, and was duly impressed by it. In fact, he had two of her photos hanging on his cavern-home's walls. He gazed at them: a portrait of his family, and a landscape of their wide village. Both in black and white, a finely-grained greyscale that Oammo himself actually resembled flawlessly: he didn't come in color.

Oammo wasn't mal-adjusted, but he was definitely a private soul. After the incidents with multiple wounded, and their first big multi-species gather celebration, he knew that he had to remain at least a little distant from everyone. Too many people tipped his emotional powers and he would flip out. Too few, however, and he became sad and lonely. He was glad for the occasional visits from Mirage and the other Zekirans, but also pleasant enough when his skills were needed on his Kin.

There was that one boy, though, who was angry with him - "why do you have to live so far away from the village! You're the healer, you should be here." And to a point, Oammo agreed. He wished he could live in the center of the village and enjoy the gifts of status. But he could not. Some felt that he was elitist because of that, none could really know why - he didn't share the desperate overwhelming sensation with anyone.

When he had the time to sit back and chat with someone, his thoughts often turned to craftsmanship, the arts, and clever uses of powers. Whenever Mirage came down, he aimed a thought toward her, and she never hesitated to come visit. She was just like that, accomodating and pleasant. And, such a brilliant artist.

"It amazes me," she would say, "that you Ste-... horse Kin," she almost always made that mistake, since Zekirans had 'steeds' and not 'horses', "are so adept with weaving! I mean, I know you have fingers instead of hooves, but it surprises me."

"Me too," Oammo admitted, "some are born with finer fingers than others, though, have you seen?" He held his own hands up, and while they had five digits, they were somewhat encrusted with nail and not remarkably deft. Others, Mirage had in fact seen, didn't have large nails, while still others had only three digits or even a hoof and a thumb.

"But you don't need to weave," Mirage reminded him with a grin. "Though sewing a wound might count, right?"

"I don't do that! I don't have to!" He laughed. He paused, and finally said, "I wish that there was a way I could be ... more social."

Mirage nodded, pondering. "Your situation isn't unique, I know of at least one of the Cheetahs and several of my own people who have this sort of thing happen to them. They live more isolated lives, it's true."

"But what if I don't want to live an isolated life?" Oammo said. He was only in his early twenties, with a very long life ahead of him. Mirage's heart went out to him, he did seem so sincere. Then it occurred to her: he didn't have to be alone, even if he lived with no other Kin.

"Wait here," Mirage said, and she stood. She went to the entrance to his cave home, which was a nice place, having been hollowed out of a hillside by expert ground-shapers. It was brightly lit because the floor was covered with a crystalized glittery substance just under the surface, and it reflected sunlight from the entrance. His home was decorated nicely, with weavings and carpets from his tribe, but also with artwork - shared from the Zekirans, as well as crafts from passing merchants. That a woman like Mirage felt he was a good art collector, was a wonderful thing.

She wasn't even Kin and he loved her - everyone loved Mirage...

Moments after she'd gotten up, a shadow passed by the entrance and the cavern went abruptly dark. He got up to investigate, and saw one of Mirage's beautiful dragons there. He distinctly felt her mind moving and rapidly communicating her needs to the dragon, who took to the air again.

"And.... that was...?" Oammo asked, and Mirage only grinned.

"It was Kaly, I sent her to find word of ... well, dragons would be a good change of pace for you, and you," Mirage smirked, "could use the company. And in my experience, they can help deaden or enhance other powers."

".... Really?" Oammo was now intrigued. He'd seen the lovely dragons, of course, who hadn't - those that live below the area where the Zekiran's city lay could count them by the hour. "I'd like that. Maybe if ... if that's true, perhaps I would be able to live closer. But then," he chuckled, "where would the dragon live?!"

Shortly, it was arranged for him to attend a group of already-hatched (or, not really hatched, they were livebirth pups) dragonets at the Bower. The trip there was abrupt, a bit scary - but Oammo got his first taste of the world without life: traveling through the Nexus where ghosts lived (or so said Mirage) was black and chill just like it was to most normal people. Perhaps it required a body for his powers to properly activate! He pondered this very briefly, before being introduced to the little dragonets.

It was one of the elder dragonets, he could tell because she was slightly bigger and more alert than the others, that came strolling up to Oammo. Amber and brown colored feathers and a kind of slate-grey body, she had wide, red colored webbing on her big feet. Her forehead sported to long antennae with bobbing feathers on the ends, and Oammo had to stifle a giggle.

"You can laugh," she said, blowing one of them out of her vision. It didn't stay away long. "I do. I can sense you are strong, magical."

"Well, it's not magic so much as psionics," Oammo said, "but yes, and I can tell you're reasonably talented yourself. But what you can do..." he glanced around, noting well that there were all manner of other 'magics' going on - water, fire, flying... you name it.

"I would like to go with you," she said, her speech was a bit slurred, but he'd heard worse from some of those elephant Kin. She changed to a mental speech, her mind was clear, warm, something else pinged within his mind when she met his. I think we would make an excellent team, and ... I ... yes, you are the right one for me.

It was almost like that very elusive "green flash" on the horizon in the evening, when the sky turns a brief but wonderful shade of teal-aqua. He'd seen it... it was the only thing that this bonding process could be matched with. He might never see the flash again - but he didn't care, now that he had.

The flash this time, was Briyokiz Deaabath's psyche wedging itself into and around his own. He did feel stronger, he did feel ... safer.

They were together, now. Nothing - nothing - could take them apart. And Oammo wept with joy.

***

When they got home, Oammo did notice that he could tolerate far more attention and groups. And that was a good thing, too, because with Bri there with him - the first Horse Kin's dragon - he was getting an awful lot of it.

He did have to retire now and then, somewhat suddenly, and Bri eagerly echoed that feeling - she knew how much it pained him, even with her own mind and magic wrapped around him to protect his fragile empathy. So, when it came time to break up the kids admiring her and parents asking him questions, she would raise her head and look like she needed to leave - and they respected her wishes. It wasn't truly deceptive, it was in her heart to protect her one true bond.

But she liked being around people too, they had so much to show and tell her. She too appreciated the presence of Mirage, after all this woman seemed to know secrets of genetics and had powers far beyond those of most Kin. It was also a good thing to know her, because through the white-skinned Zekiran woman, came plenty of experienced dragons to help Bri learn to fly, learn her magick, and oddly enough - learn to shapeshift.

(human form coming soon)

When she'd grown about as much as anyone expected her to, there of course came a day when she looked at Briyokiz and said, "well, get on!"

He stood and blinked, "w...what?"

"Get on! Come on, you flew with Kaly, and she said you weren't afraid. You know I could never let you come to harm and you're not that heavy, I know I can lift you."

He hemmed and hawed, it felt odd to him riding his own dragon, even though he knew it was something she expected from him. She was an intelligent being! But... Then again, he knew that his ancient genetic ancestors were mounts for many tens of thousands of years.

Suddenly both of them got the weirdest feeling. Bri looked up, her antennae dancing, and said, "do you feel that?"

"I do," but Oammo didn't really understand what he was feeling. Perhaps it was too far away? Suddenly it became clear, it was pain - overwhelming pain - and the sense of urgency only kept growing.

"Get on, we have to find the one who needs us." Bri said, and this time Oammo didn't hesitate. They flew into the sky quickly, Oammo distantly heard the village cheering but they didn't realize that it was an emergency and not just a flight for pleasure.

Down by the river side, where the delta just started to spread toward the lake nearby, was the source of the anguish. A young Horse, was it? yes it was the same one who'd complained that Oammo wasn't close enough! Well, now he was!

The boy had been fishing, and suddenly been half made into lunch by a huge crocodile that had been thought to have died. It was all that Oammo could do to keep himself from screaming with the boy, his leg had been severed above the knee, and he'd all but bled out. Quickly, Oammo thought.

Briyokiz enclosed the boy in a majyckal spell, one which froze him into a kind of stasis. He'd lost a lot of blood, a terrible amount, and the leg...

"Go see if that croc is out there, he can't have gone far, he's huge." Oammo instructed, and very quickly Bri determined that she'd found it. She didn't even hesitate, she swept down over the water, grabbing the creature and throwing on an amber coating onto him. They then dug the leg out - it was chewed but largely intact - and brought it with the boy back to Oammo's home.

Between the two of them, his leg was reattached and he was made whole once more. The boy slept hard, Oammo could only do so much as well, and slept protected by Briyokiz until others arrived.

They are very grateful, she told him while he slept. And I am very proud, we worked together well. I am glad you are my one.

• Colours-Based Abilities:
• Can enclose a target in amber
• Can shape amber