V

Her smell was in my nose. She was mine. She was my Anima. My other half. My Mate. I had known as soon as I had laid eyes on her that she was mine. Grandmother had seen that my Anima would come from the stars. All we could do was ask about the possibility of requesting an off world mate from the Galatic Organization.

During that time the Cupion had mentioned a few potentials with decent compatibility. As I would have to meet all of them to know if they were my Anima I had been willing to give each potential a try. It wasn't uncommon for Drake Asura to settle for a decent pairing for a good part of our lives. As such I was prepared to spend a decade or more going through the list of candidates.

Yet, here she was. The first female to agree to the trial marriage was mine. My family would be thrilled. The only problem was that my house was no where near equipped for a female. Let alone a human one. I had a prime location for my home. She might not like it. She didn't have wings like us. But then not all Asura did. I could request a den change.

What did her people sleep on? How often did they sleep? How often did they eat? I realized that while I had spent the last three days ensuring that the dwelling was clean and smelt well I should have learned about what could have been my Anima. Who turned out to be my Anima!

Asura spent years building the nest around their fated Anima. Changing rooms and objects as we learned of her likes and dislikes. A bachelor male like myself really only had two rooms. The rest room and the weapons hold. Most Asure lived a few centuries at least. Some could live over a few millennia. Spending a decade to careful court ones Anima showed how dedicated we were to her care. Now I had only eight months to convince my female not to leave me.

"I'm afraid to say that my dwelling is no where near ready for a mate. As I said we have little knowledge on humans." I felt her head tilt back on my chest to look at me. I should have gone bare. If I had maybe I would be able to feel her skin to skin. "Any changes you feel need done to our home, I will see done as quickly as possible. Once you get a look around the place I'll take you to see Vinci. He'll be able to help make sure everything is done correctly."

All Asura males could handle basic builds but Ava was my Anima. She was Anima of the Great Hunter from the Shaka Clan. The Clan would rejoice when I told them. As my Anima they would try to make everything perfect. Even if she was only my temporary mate they would do their best to see to her needs.

The tree line opened up before us. There were a few people waiting by the gate. They were some of the most important people. The three elders and their guard. I slid down from the back of Conet and lead her forward. Ava looked at me in confusion but I asked her to stay there. She gave me a nod which I had realized was a silent yes for her people.

"Great Hunter," Sunit said. Sunit was a light color male. His build was thick and wide however. My Anima looked over the group as I left her atop the Jivka to speak with them.

"Sunit," I said in acknowledgement.

"You have brought your mate back with you Great Hunter Aleksi?" Elder Kinta asked.

I gave a head bow towards the wingless female, "I have brought my Anima back with me Elder Kinta." All eyes of the group zeroed in on her where she sat on Conet. As if sensing the weight of so many eyes she pressed herself closer to my Jivka. It only occurred to me now how natural it had seemed for her to be a top one. As if she had ridden one of her own more than a few times. Or something else very similar.

Her body had moved lightly which each shift of step of Conet's run. Her muscles clenching and shifting almost effortlessly to keep her balanced on the Jivka's back. Now the Jivka seemed to sense the rider on its back felt threatened. It's eyes narrowed at us while it's muscles tightened. My Conet, my Jivka, was responding to my Anima's movements like the two had of them been raised together. As if they had a understanding that came only after years of working together.

Ava was pressed so tight to Conet I could almost loose her in the fur if not for the dark color of her clothes. Her yellow green eyes watched us with an unblinking stare. My Anima felt threatened and she was no push over. If any of the Asura behind me made a wrong move now she and the Jivka would either run or fight. The Elder Guards must have realized it as well because they moved their hands away from their weapons and looked away.

The elders took longer to realize. My tongue flicked out trying to catch if she was really gonna bolt or not. I caught the Elders' shock that she had shifted from relaxed to fight ready that fast. She looked soft and her body was but that didn't mean her instincts were dead. Elder Hontu stepped forward a bit a smile on his face, "We welcome The Great Hunter's mate with open hearts. Tonight we celebrate their wedding."

His words were loud enough she caught them but they were meant for me. He was quieter when he said to me, "She seems skittish but that is to be expected. I think she will be good for you. We will start the preparations for tonight and let the others know you have found your Anima. Let me be the first to congratulate you Great Hunter."

"Thank you Elder Hontu," I said watching the group walk away. I noticed that while Ava allowed her body to rise a bit it was still very close to Conet. The Jivka was flicking its ears on high alert for possible danger. Almost as if my Anima and my Jivka were one.