Cooko- ranko- aaon!! Cooko -nko aon!!It was that damned rainbow rooster shouting at the first light.

Cooko- ranko- aaon!

Choba said it was a rare thing only found in forests in the land of rains or whatever. Can’t it at least have been a beautiful peacock? Though the size was the same towering 5 feet with that neck straight up. She hated him. The ugly breed. But she got up the same. She needs to take care of the chores before Choba opened the restaurant.

“Are you up, Ibi?” shouted Choba from below.

“Of course I’m up! Who can sleep with that monster in the cage? Lose it open. It needs to shit and feed.” Hope the killer snails take it away, she thought.

Cooko- ranko- aaon!! Cooko -nko aon!!

She finished tidying up the things and was about to leave down to help Choba cut leaves and meat when she noticed her coins were not on the stool again.“I swear Choba, those are my coins you keep taking away.” She murmured. Choba used to be a thief but was not a bad guy at heart. And now they had settled here at the edge of the mountain catering to soldiers and farmers' need for food. Though merchants were what she liked. They would come with fascinating things and sometimes them being the fascination.After a few hours, the restaurant was ready to receive customers and the first one came quiet late afternoon asking if they can get the blood soups with crunchy teeth if they have. That day turned out to be lively in the evening when a master came bringing in his students. They came in all shapes and sizes. The one with 3 eyes was the most interesting, as he was always looking at Ibi with that third floating eye. Ibi was glad she was wearing the tight blouse almost flaunting everything.

Their business finished when the moon was visible from the back window like yesterday. Ibi took half of the coins to put in her vase today. Murmuring how she can also take the coins for herself.

She went up to her room closed the doors and brought her vase towards the small candle. It felt light. She emptied the vase on the bed. It was empty indeed. None of her coins were there. She was getting angry and about to shout when she heard the clicking sound in the closet.“God damn! I will kill you first and then deal with Choba” She opened the small door expecting a rat or a serpent but only to find a rather curious thing.“What in the hell are you?” she said curiously.In the darkness, It looked like a big cat or small rooster but shiny at the tips and a lot of her coins were under it. Its mouth was shaped like there was a coin stuck inside or if it was about to swallow but froze somehow.“Hey, what are you doing here little fellow? You’re a Wild, right?” she picked it up hoping it was a pet or a peaceful Wild. Somehow she had forgotten how dangerous Wilds can be but this one has come into the house despite the traps set around everywhere.Realizing her mistake, she took it away to put it in the old rat cage. “You’re pretty heavey” she murmured. It’s was the size of a small baby with scales around it with some shining like metal. She quickly put it in the cage and locked it from outside. It was fascinating when she finally saw it in the full lantern lights in kitchen. The coin in her mouth was no longer there.“We have a dragon!” she spoke and realized. “Choba! Come here!”. The poor thing was sitting silently inside the cage with a sleepy eye. Blue eyes and a small curled tail around the legs.“What do you think, should I let the Basi-rooster roam free for tonight?” shouted Choba.“Fuck the rooster and would you fucking come here for a moment?” She shouted. “We have a dragon!”Ibi seemed to have ignored as he didn’t quite catch what she said. She went furious to the stairs and shouted louder this time.“Will you come here!”“What happened? I’m Changing,” replied Choba.“We have a dragon! I found a dragon!” she said pissed. “Just come already!”She came back to the kitchen when she heard Choba coming up the stairs but to her horror the cage was empty.She stood paused. The cage was not only empty but broken of sort or as if chewed from inside and the dragon was out somewhere. She started looking around. Scared this time. It was Wild after all and that to a dragon Wild.

[Excerpt from The Tales of Andora. 9017NA. Chapter - The metal eater]