Illeanna chewed her bottom lip as she followed her father into an unassuming, ordinary residence in Roswell that just so happened to be the teleportation amplifier centre. On her birthday she had been promised that she was getting a 'really good present that we know you will love' but for some reason, she had to wait almost a whole month before she could get it. She had received a number of 'token' presents that day. Having to wait galled her a little.
Today was the big day, though, and for some reason, her father was taking her to the space station.
They were the only ones that needed teleporting this day. Her father bought them their return tickets and within a few minutes they were at the space station. They signed in, and her father took her down to the commercial centre.
Illeanna looked around in awe. She had last been at the station two years ago when they had that big 'end of the world' scare, and it sure had changed since then.
"Here we are," said her dad, leading them into a pet store.
Illeanna stopped short, and barely dared to look up to her father with a hopeful expression on her face.
"You... you mean it?"
Her father chuckled.
"Yes," he said. "There's a litter of ka'miliens just been born, but we had to wait until they were old enough to leave their mother. You get to pick which one you want."
"Ohh! Thank you! Thank you!" Illeanna said, her eyes shining as she followed her father inside.
"Can I help you?" asked Mitchel, greeting them.
"Ahh, yes, I called about the ka'millian litter?"
"Ahh, good. You must be the birthday girl then?" Mitchel said, looking at Illeanna.
Illeanna nodded enthusiastically.
"Great. They're out the back. I'm afraid there are only three left, the other three have been taken already," Mitchel said. "I should have another litter to go in a couple of weeks though."
Mitchel led Illeanna and her father out the back and Illeanna made a beeline for the three ka'millians. One seemed to be experimenting with the form of a kitten and another appeared to be a sleeping dog. The third one, the largest of the three, couldn't seem to decide what he wanted to be, busy as he was testing out different shapes. At the same time. Illeanna chewed her lip.
"You can tell a lot about what they're going to be like by what shape they prefer," Mitchel said. "Now, puppy here will probably be playful and loyal. Kitten will probably be lazy and self absorbed, but clean and little maintenance."
"What about that one?" Illeanna asked, pointing to the third ka'millian.
"It's hard to tell," he said. "He's very picky about what company he keeps: I don't think he even likes me all that much, and I feed him. He has shown signs of being aggressive. We get one like this every now and then, no one buys them so they usually get put down, I'm afraid. These ones like to pick their own owners."
"Which one of the other two do you like?" asked her Dad.
"You can touch them if you like," Mitchel said.
Illeanna (still nibbling on her bottom lip), reached out her hand to touch the two ka'millians. Both the puppy and the kitten had nice soft fur and the kitten even purred a little when she scratched its head. It was at this moment that the third one took the form of a bunny rabbit with the teeth of a guinua and bounced over and actually bit her.
"Hey!" Illeanna objected, pulling her hand back.
"Are you okay?" Mitchel asked. "Let me see your hand."
"Why do you have the vicious creature in there with the other two?" her father scolded Mitchel.
"You may have noticed that their mother is in there as well," Mitche replied, inspecting Illeanna's hand "Huh, interesting."
"What?" Illeanna asked.
"He just nipped you. That means he must like you. They usually draw blood otherwise."
"Funny way to show it," he father muttered.
Mitchel shrugged and let her hand go. Illeanna looked back at the third one who was now in puppy form, with its paws hanging off the side of the pen and a pair of bird wings off its back. He looked up at Illeanna pitifully.
"Can't even stick to one shape," her father muttered. "No good for downside."
Illeanna reached out her hand again and patted the ka'millian on the head tentaively. He pawed at her hand playfully and even allowed her to scritch under his chin before he took the complete form of a bird (with the face of a cat), flew up to her head and nuzzled her fact affectionately.
"He likes you all right," Mitchel said, marvelling.
"Absolutely not," her father said. "He'll be nothing but trouble."
"Actually, once you feed him, he'll be a loyal defender," Mitchel said. "And obediant. If you tell him to take the full form of any particular creatue, he'll do it. Only if you asked him, though, Illeanna. He probably won't listen to anyone else, though."
"What about the kitten? Or the puppy?"
"I really like this one though, Dad," Illeanna said. "I know he just bit me before, but Mitchel is right: it was just a nip. I can tell he was just being playful. Some dogs and cats nip people out of playfullness too, y'know."
She put her hands around the body of the ka'millian and pulled him to her chest to cuddle him. He purred loudly as he took the complete form of a cat.
"Are you sure honey? It is your birthday present, but I don't want you to get hurt by a tempermental animal."
"I'm sure. He won't hurt me."
"Okay," he said reluctantly. "Okay you have it."
Mitchel grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Will a discount soften the blow?"
While Mitchel and her father organised payment, Illeanna scratched her new pet on his head affectionately.
"You need a name, I think," she said. "What should I name you?"
He reached up with his paw and played with her hand.
"Jaeger, I think," she said, musingly. "Yes, that sounds just right."