Vykos

After having spent what felt like an eternity sitting in the Auction House waiting nervously for someone to come along and claim him for an uncertain fate, the unnamed dragon heard his number called.
"Male Coatl number 23491769?" A voice called from the front of the room.
23491769. That was him. He called himself 1769 for short. He looked up. He saw an older, charcoal colored Wildclaw standing not far from him with a clipboard, seeming to look around for who would respond to the number he had just called out.
"Y-yes sir! That's m-me!" 1769 stammered with a lump in his throat. Was he finally being claimed? Had he done something wrong? Or was he simply going to a filter lineup, where his colors and genes would be examined among others with a similar layout as his own?
The Wildclaw who had called him waved a claw. "Come with me please."
1769 stood up, and he nearly lost his balance. The ground seemed far away. He saw that his feet looked bigger than he remembered. The dragons who had been sitting next to him seemed so small today. He shook his head. Perhaps it was just his nerves distorting his perception.
"Come along!" The Wildclaw called to him impatiently. He was standing now with a hand on his hip. "We haven't got all day, son."
1769 gathered himself and carefully advanced through the crowded room towards the Wildclaw waiting for him, trying not to step on the baby dragons' tails or tiny paws.
"Let's go, kid," The Wildclaw said to him as he reached the front. He saw his name tag read "Spitfire". Spitfire lead 1769 out of the room and down a long hallway. He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror as the walked, and he nearly gasped. He had grown up. He wasn't a small, downy hatchling anymore. He was a vibrant, bold-looking fledgling, bordering adulthood. He was still small, as dragons go, and still young as far as he felt. Had he spent his entire whelphood sitting in that cramped room?
"Where am I going?" 1769 asked after walking for several silent minutes. "Have I been claimed?"
"Your time's up here, kid. Your seven-day pass has expired. You're going back home."
"Home?"
"Where you came from. Back to whoever put you in here seven days ago."
Where he came from? 1769 wasn't sure if he could call that home. He barely remembered it. He had been born there, but then quickly brought to the Auction House to find a "home". He couldn't remember his master's face. Would he remember anyone? Would anyone remember him?
"Through here, son." Spitfire said as they reached a pair of double doors. He held one open and motioned for him to go through. "Wait here for your master to pick you up."
1769 stepped through the door and sat down in one of the few small, cold chairs lined along one wall. The door closed, and 1769 was now sitting alone in silence, waiting for his master.
His master... He tried to recall who that had been, what they had looked like. Had they been tall? Did they have a deep voice? He couldn't place any of it.
He noticed a ticking sound somewhere in the room, and found it coming from a small wooden cuckoo clock hanging on the wall opposite him. Aside from that and the few empty chairs next to him, there wasn't much else in the room. A desk attached to one wall stood alone, void of an attendant or even a seat for one. This must not happen often, 1769 thought to himself. Most dragons who came through the Auction House must get claimed before their pass expired.
He sat quietly for a while. Quite a while... He looked at the clock again and saw it had been nearly 2 hours. Had his master forgotten about him? Had they been notified that his pass had expired and he was waiting to return to his master's lair? 1769 began to feel a little anxious. What if he had to sit here for days? No, his master wouldn't do that to him.. would they?
Suddenly, a door opened and a bright burst of sunlight nearly blinded 1769. He shielded his eyes, seeing a human outline standing in the doorway, but couldn't make out their features.
"Hi there," a kind voice said gently. "I've come to take you home."
His master. They extended a hand to him. He took their hand, not sure what would happen from here.. So he asked. "What happens to me now?"
"Well, I've found someone who has shown interest in claiming you," they explained patiently. "She saw your expired spot in the Auction House, and requested the opportunity to have you join her lair. She seemed rather excited when I told her you were still available."
"But my pass expired. How will I get there?"
"We'll meet her at a place called The Crossroads. It's where clan masters come together and trade dragons, items, and currency. The exchange is all set up, all that's left is to bring you to your new master."
His new master? Hadn't he just been reunited with his old one? He guessed this sort of thing was normal, but he couldn't help feeling a little nervous about all of it. Today had already been a bit confusing to him. But he did his best to hide his anxiety and quietly followed his master-- his current master-- as they traveled to the Crossroads, which was surprisingly close by.
Waiting for them was a woman, holding a small sack in one hand, and something small and fluffy in the other. As they approached her, the woman caught his gaze and smiled at him.
"Here he is," his master said to the woman. "I had to go pick him up from the Auction House. He was waiting quite patiently."
"That's alright," the woman said still smiling. She knelt down to 1769's level. "Hi there. I'm PersephoneAurora. I saw a picture of you in the Auction House, I really love your colors. I'd like to take you home with me if that's alright with you. I have lots of dragons in my lair that would love to meet you."
1769 didn't know what to say. "Um... a-alright.." was all he could manage. She seemed nice enough, not that all this was really up to him. He knew they had already settled the deal before he even knew what was going to happen. But, something about the kindness in the woman's voice and the sweetness of her smile made him feel... comfortable.
"I'm glad to hear that. Here," PersephoneAurora handed 1769 a small fluffy lump. He recognized it as a mith plush toy. "This is for you. A 'welcome home' gift, if you will."
Home... he held the toy in his paws and stammered, "Th-thank you.." As he looked down at the stuffed animal, he saw the clan masters exchange currency from the corner of his eye. He vaguely wondered what price his first master had placed on him, how much he had been worth to them. But mostly, he considered what his life would be from here. Maybe his "new" master wouldn't make him fight or exalt him right away. Maybe he would have the chance to make some friends, maybe find a mate. Maybe... he would have a home...
"Are you ready to go?" PersephoneAurora asked him as she gently took his hand.
"I... yes.." 1769 said quietly, and they began walking away from the Crossroads. He looked back and saw his old master waving a goodbye to them as the figure grew smaller. He turned back to the direction he was walking with his new master, holding tighter to the mith doll she had given him.
"I've been thinking about a name for you," she said to him after a few minutes of walking. "What do you think of 'Vykos'?"
"Vykos...." he considered it for a moment. Yes, that felt alright. "Sure... I like that."
"I like it too." She smiled at him as they reached what he assumed was her clan's lair. "I've got a room all set up for you. You'll be around a lot of other Coatls, like you."
As she lead him past a few rooms, he read some of the names printed on metal plates on the doors. Alesinde... Stardust... Sweetleaf... Cavalon...
Cavalon... That one stood out to him for some reason. He hoped to meet them soon, to be able to put a face to the name repeating in his mind. He felt PersephoneAurora stop next to him in front of a door without a name plate.
"This one is yours," she said to him, opening the door. "Make yourself at home. And don't be afraid to ask me or any of the others if you need anything. I'll be back around soon with dinner for you." She gave him a small kiss on the top of his head and walked away as he entered "his" room.
Vykos looked around and let out a light sigh, holding his new mith doll tightly. This was where his life was to truly begin.