Summary: A woman's blogging about her heroic rescue by strange turtle like creatures catches the interest of just the wrong person. Because this pet shop owner's specialty is in what some might call "exotics".

Petshop

By moon eclipse shadows

The young woman whimpered, too terrified to even scream. Tears ran down her face as she held her torn shirt closed. Regrets and last wishes filled her head, and she hated herself for choosing to run down this one alleyway. It had led to a dead end. But now she had no more time for desperate questions about why she had thought it was okay to walk the short way home, why dead ends like this even existed.

The group of men had finally decided which of them would get her first, and they advanced as one single horrifying group. One of them stepped forward while the others blocked off any chance of escape. He held a knife. Leering at her suggestively he caressed her face with the flat of the blade. A gargled moan of terror escaped her and she closed her eyes tightly, tears pushing their way past her closed eyelids.

A loud crash broke through her terror. She screamed as she was swung around every which way. First pinned against the wall with a knife against her throat while her attacked shouted threats right into her ear, and then she was torn away roughly. By this time she was sobbing.

However, to her surprise she was place gently on her feet. She opened her eyes. A large shadowy figure stood in front of her. She flinched away as it reached towards her. It hesitated. "Are you okay?" It asked in a low voice. Another man. She nodded somewhat tentatively. And then listened as he told her what to do. She nodded as he talked. Police. Hospital. Have them escort her home. Or call a cab. He would make sure she got there safely.

Dazedly, she somehow managed to get where she was supposed to go. As concerned employees rushed her in, she glanced up to see a fleeing shadow. A shadowy hint of green, some sort of shell like body armor, and a flash of red that sliced the night sky.

"Thank you for your application, Miss . . . ," The receptionist paused, sweeping a strand of blond hair out of her eyes as she squinted at the form.

"Sykora," the girl supplied. "Aithne Sykora." She said her full name slowly in order to fully convey the pronunciation. It was something most people had trouble with. They usually were able to stumble through her last name, but many had no idea how to say her first name. It could be rather frustrating at times. "Eyeth-nuh," she said yet again in a helpful tone, repeating her first name when the girl continued to look confused.

"Yes, of course," The receptionist confirmed brightly. She paused. "Is that…" It was one of those pauses you don't intend to finish your statement, while hoping the other person will jump in before you look too stupid.

Aithne jumped in as expected, knowing what she was asking. It was a common question. "I believe that it's Irish, but I actually am not aware of the exact origins of my name. I've been told that my mother merely liked the sound of it." And her tone of voice, while polite, clearly ended that line of conversation.

"We'll get back to you as soon as we can!" The blond called as Aithne turned to leave. Aithne nodded and flashed a friendly smile as she walked out the doors, dark brown curls bouncing as she walked.

New York was…different, she decided. She hadn't been there long enough to really know what to expect, or even to say what her opinion on the city was. She didn't enjoy the almost constant crowds, but everyone was so absorbed in their own activities that she might as well have been alone. Aithne frowned, there was a depressing thought.

She really needed to find something to do. Exploring could only take up so much time and she wanted to save sightseeing for a time when she was out of any other options. Right now she was looking for something that could both give her something to do and provide a source of income: a job. Usually she would have something else to do, but her brother was busy with his job, and any boxes containing anything remotely boredom relieving was still being shipped across the country.

Things would change once school started, but now she was already jittery from lack of activity. Aithne had never been one to take being cooped up in a moving van well. And with that thought barely fading from her mind, she spotted another shop with a "Help Wanted" notice in the window.

Ava Kaufman survived off of rumors. Many people overlooked what hid in the shadows, but Ava actively searched for such supernatural creatures. Such creatures were useful for two reasons, for genetic research and for their value. People paid highly for such mythical creatures, and Ava had found that with time, no animal was impossible to tame.

She had multiple servers set up just to collect such rumors and tales. It was information that had to be sifted through, but well worth any jewels she might find. Her latest interest was New York. She was setting up shop here in order to obtain several animals as well as to complete a transaction with one of her costumers. New York was just full of unwanted pests that could prove to be worth thousands of dollars.

She was glancing through the information now. She tapped her fingers impatiently as she destroyed a bombard of useless information. Some web pages were moved to folders to be further investigated. Ava slowed when she reached a certain live journal entry.

"…I know this sounds crazy, but it's true! I think he was like some sort of lizard man that saved me! I mean, I was so dazed at first I didn't remember much, but now I'm sure of it! I think I saw his face and it was green! And I'm sure he had scales! He was wearing armor, and a red sash or something. There was something red…. Anyway, it's SO weird! You hear these stories all the time, but you never actually expect it to happen to you! I can't believe that he save me. Because what happened was like horror movie scary. It's like I have my own guardian angel…uh lizard man! Thank you Mr. Lizardman!

Edit: Okay people, I was so not drunk! I know what I saw, you just have to trust me on this one okay!"

Ava's lips twisted in contempt. This woman was obviously not the brightest of them. However, there was certainly some truth to the story. She already had several claims of a green creature that rescued victims and punished evildoers. Lips stretching into a smile that was in no way friendly, Ava realized that she would need to hire help to take care of her more common merchandise. It was perfect timing, as right then a girl stepped into the pet store.

Ava only paused to upload the information she had to her website. Her customers knew her terms. Anything she offered was likely to be real, even if the evidence was shaky. Buyers had too bid early if they wanted the pet, but no money would be exchanged until the pet was caught and the customer was satisfied with the offering. Ava Kaufman was always very fair.

Bidding starts at one hundred thousand American dollars, she typed, before leaving to meet the brunette who had just entered.

Hey everyone! Glad you made it this far. ;D Hope this has caught your interest.

This story has been in planning for a while. :) However, while I know a lot about what's going to happen, some thing are being difficult to write :( Updating may not happen for a while as I work on other things. Hopefully when I start posting again I'll have several chapter ready to go ;)

Forgive me for Aithne's name. It just grabbed me and to change her name now seems like a betrayal of some sort. The traditional pronunciation is supposed to be ATH-nuh, but my friend started pronouncing it EYETH-nuh and it stuck.

So yeah, tell me what you think so far!

Next chapter: Enter Raph!