Kyra refused to sleep.
She stood on top of an old White Knight action figure, her small silver claws gripping it as if she were judging the night outside the window. The moonlight washed over her feathers until she looked carved from polished metal. Every few seconds, her tail flicked, sharp and impatient.
Xenos leaned back on his bed and whispered, "Kyra… just sleep. Please?"
She didn't look at him, only puffed her chest and chirped something that sounded like a disagreement.
Tomorrow was the bonding ceremony. People said the night before the ceremony felt calm and sacred. For them, it felt like trying to convince a tiny silver storm to take a nap.
Xenos watched her silhouette tremble with quiet energy. Mutated or not, she was still a sparrow barely the size of his palm, yet she carried herself like she ruled every roof tile in town.
When she finally hopped onto his shoulder, Xenos felt her warmth through his shirt, and she nudged her way under his blanket as if it were her right. Her little body settled on his chest, round and soft and absurdly sure of herself.
"You have a bed," Xenos reminded her lazily, pointing toward the small basket on his table. She stretched one wing over her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the comment.
Xenos stroked her feathers until her breath grew slow. Her fire, the strange silver flame only she possessed, hummed faintly beneath her skin, like a secret she wasn't ready to share even with them.
Morning arrived with a tap… tap… tap on his cheek. Her beak. Always her beak.
"Chew!" she chirped, standing inches from his face with the confidence of someone who had defeated dawn in single combat.
"Good morning, Kyra," Xenos said, rubbing his eyes.
She leaned into his hand for a moment, soft and warm, then pulled away as if remembering she was supposed to be aloof.
After Xenos washed up and returned to the room, she was perched by the window again, watching the lake as if waiting for it to reveal its secrets. The brush lay exactly where she expected it to be, and when Xenos held it up, she hopped into his lap without hesitation.
Xenos brushed her silver feathers slowly until she let out a tiny sigh, a sound Xenos heard only during grooming time.
When she was satisfied, she took off toward the kitchen. Xenos followed.
Breakfast was already in motion. His parents sat at the table with their two massive Grey Spark Sparrows looming behind them, each bird easily four times Kyra's size. Kyra landed beside his mother and chirped sharply.
"You want your meal?" Mother asked.
Kyra bobbed her head, her eyes bright with expectation.
Mother laughed and set a small packet on the counter. "A special day calls for a special treat."
Kyra's feathers fluffed at the words, and when the meat dropped into her bowl, her eyes went round.
She breathed a thin ribbon of silver flame over it, cooking it to her hysterical liking, then devoured the pieces until she collapsed—round, satisfied, and very still.
"She ate three-quarters of her size again," Xenos muttered. His father chuckled. "This one will outgrow them all. In appetite, at least."
Xenos pushed honeyed pancakes across his plate, tasting the faint floral sweetness of expensive monster honey.
They didn't get food like this often. Not since the debt. Not since their old town was flattened by the horde.
Sometimes, when his parents thought Xenos wasn't listening, they spoke quietly about the loan, the reconstruction, the compensation that never covered enough. But today, their voices were lighter.
After breakfast, Xenos went to his room to get ready. His white shirt and trousers felt stiff, the way ceremonial clothes often do.
People said white symbolized renewal, the start of a life shared between human and monster. Xenos looked in the mirror and saw a boy with average features except for green eyes that always looked too awake.
Kyra fluttered onto his shoulder, her usual spot, settling her warm body against his neck. "Big day," Xenos whispered.
She answered with a soft "chew," quieter than usual.
Downstairs, his parents waited by the door. Their sparrows shimmered once before dissolving into their bodies, a swirl of light that folded inward. Monster storage. Something Xenos wouldn't have until after today.
"Ready, Xenos?" Mother asked.
Xenos nodded.
Kyra pressed her head against his cheek, just once, before straightening herself into her familiar proud posture.
Together, they stepped outside toward the ceremony that would tie their futures to each other... whether she admitted she liked that future or not.