Powehi

Interns are occasionally sent to observe the Spheres in their daily life. That is, at least, what they are told. The planetarium knows far more about the mysterious dragons than they let on, and the information about their draining abilities is never mentioned. The interns are instead instructed to provide the creatures "specially treated" meals, when in reality, such offerings of food and drink are quite ridiculous. It is, of course, the interns themselves that are sustaining the dark beings. Though it is a highly questionable practice, the other residents of the planetarium are glad of any excuses to keep them satisfied, as satisfied as a captured piece of the Shade could be.

If one of the interns is a particularly salty character, they may very well be introduced to Powehi. After all, I can't have any pests interfering with my studies, now can I?

Battered Book of Fables

Dragonmade

The terrible thing is that all your favorite characters die in the end. (Special thanks XenonZerrow.)

70

The first thing a dragon should notice about Powehi is that she is very, very warm. Not just in the way she treats everyone, no - her eyes, her voice, even her dark shifting scales, they all radiate such an inviting aura. It is almost instinctual to gravitate towards her, such is the power that she wields. I've had to resist this effect myself - I know I am known for my charm, but this specimen has dangerous amounts of it. I will say that mine is quite natural and this Sphere's seems to be only part of its hunting strategy, but I'll leave it at that.

The second thing about this Spiral, however, is the most key: the dragons around her keep their distance. Everyone seems to treat her just the same as they would a classmate on the other side of the classroom - they will make polite conversation, but nothing more. Any newcomer would wonder why, when Powehi seems like such a nice dragon to be around. And that is when, without suspecting anything, they are pulled into her orbit. No one so much as bats an eye when some wet-eared intern walks right up to a Sphere, of course. Anyone so foolish could only have been sent directly to them.

Upon beginning their companionship with this dark red Spiral, the intern of choice should see a gradual change start to come over her. The creature will begin to criticize her caretaker's actions, and eventually, her caretaker. The first few times an accident happens, they blame themselves. And indeed, it will have been their fault - Powehi has enough tact to wait for her prey to slip up. She lays calmly in her glass enclosure during this time, a cool gaze of indifference hiding the impatience building within her. Sometimes it's entirely the servant's fault for that shattered glass, and other times it's the waver of concentration that Powehi skillfully delivers that is responsible for the tray of spilled appetizers. Either way, she is sure to always make a rather annoying comment on the situation, no matter how petty. She becomes an irritable, reclusive creature that slinks around her cage and mutters complaints. Her hunger begins to show as the certainty of her meal becomes clear, like a Wildclaw's mouth watering as the roast boar comes out of the oven. But she hasn't forgotten to charm her prey. Her servant, though thoroughly annoyed and discouraged, is still bound to her. Powehi's deep orange eyes continue to captivate the clueless dragon's mind until it is ripe for harvest.

It varies, from creature to creature, the time it takes. The amount of rage it can contain within itself before it strikes back with enough power. Powehi knows this. Even so, sometimes she cannot bear the fiery, insatiable hunger that fizzles in her throat like a crueler version of heartburn. The condescending remarks become harsher, even being exchanged for insults at times. But oh, she finds it so sweet when she gets to release her grip at last. The spell broken, her servant finally snaps, so tired of her incessant quips and constant nagging. Finally, finally, she gets her meal. The utter fury of her target, the once-suppressed hatred, the pain of being looked upon with contempt - these explosions of emotion are what excite her most, momentary as they may be. But it only takes that sudden moment, where the victim is entirely unrestrained, and Powehi begins to pull.

Now, this is where the screaming begins. My colleagues and I have gotten quite used to it at this point, though as a Skydancer it is rather unsettling to feel such distress coming from another creature. Still, it is quite relieving to be notified of the servant's death after being subject to a secondhand dose of their daily torment. Usually I am always aware of the building tension, but the sudden muffled cries of agony (sometimes prefaced by a remarkably angry outburst) tend to catch my fellow researchers off guard. As such, when Powehi begins to feed, there are often delightfully awkward moments, such as long pauses in the meeting room, which is quite close to the scene. I really must commend the designers of this facility for housing the sphere containment pods in the staff-only sector, as well as giving their room ample soundproofing. As sarcastically as I would like to say that, it has been beneficial in the long run. But I digress.

Fortunately, the screaming does not last very long. The emotional energy is drawn out of the brain and towards the Spiral's void. It catches magical fire, and the servant's mind begins to unravel from within. It laces through the poor soul's skull like searing fire, and the skull, too, disintegrates into the stream, followed by the neck, the shoulders, and so on. The process of a dragon's body evaporating into threads of orange fire... it is almost beautiful to witness, I would say. Those threads of rage race towards the void before it, circling around and around the slender body. The Spiral greedily absorbs them, grasping eagerly at the energy with the dark inky arms that have sprouted from her shoulders. "Oh, how spicy it is," the dark creature has once said to me whilst lapping at the light trails. Powehi has to remind herself not to attempt to devour the essence all at once, for that is not a wise thing for a Sphere to do. She instead coils herself into a ball, each limb on her body melting down as she transforms into a perfectly spherical, pitch black orb. To ensure that the energy is at least somewhat savored, she warps the space around her, causing the rings of piercing light to slow. (Perhaps it is fitting for this fascinating tidbit of the Shade to have taken to a Spiral form, considering the energy caught in its orbit undergoes a sort of noodle effect.) This natural form of the Spheres is perhaps the easiest to take care of, as the Shade is not dangerous when sufficiently distracted by food. Proper study may take place at this stage.

When Powehi awakens once more, her irises glow a bright yellowy-orange, a sign that she has been recently fed. At this point, she is merely a Shade-touched dragon, and she is released from her containment pod. With careful monitoring, of course, as it is not long before her eyes begin the gradual fade to a dangerous black.

Speaking of which, it's about time I send the next intern along.