Note: This is obviously based off His Dark Materials. I am in no way claiming that it is mine. However, the characters I've written ARE copyrighted to me, as is names and such. Thanks! :3

And in fairness
I watch with silent mouth and moon eyes,
hoping for a trifle of this butterfly feeling
and for it to be returned in kind.

-- Arisa Mieko

This is an adventure
for eager children and hopeful adults.
Let's play the game.
In all honesty,
losers and winners are the same.
Continue, continue.

-- Arisa Mieko

Chapter 1; Nice To Meet You

Clicking a button on the remote control, I watched the news channel with only marginal interest. I held a spoon with her mouth and a small cup of ice cream in her hand. The house was quite warm and comfortable, and even though it was April, it had snowed for a couple hours that morning.

"So what do you think, Seq?" I asked. My black-mixed-with-brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and had bobbypins in my hair to keep my bangs pushed to the farthest side so I didn't have to deal with them. Though I wasn't asking my daemon about how I looked.

"As I've said before," he began, his voice dry with sarcasm as he rolled his golden eyes. Still, that voice. It felt as if the silkiest milk chocolate was melting in one's mouth. "You need to get over him. There is no mutuality for us with him."

I sighed as I dropped the remote on the soft couch and gouged out a spoonful of mint ice cream. "I know. But it's not like I can help but feel the way I do."

The velociraptor tilted his head, cocking his elongated, up-turned snout towards the television. "Wait. Mie, listen."

My interest was piqued. I could feel the anxiousness from my daemon, so I hurriedly grabbed the remote again to turn up the volume. Suddenly, it felt as if the air turned solid. I felt as if I was breathing sand.

-- yes it is, Susan. Many are thinking, 'Why extinct? How is it possible?' Many scientists and students, especially from the highly prestiged schools of the Ivy League and such are currently undergoing a rigorous study about such. That's right, folks -- daemons of certain people have been seen to have extinct forms. Whether they're recently extinct or lived millions of years ago, it doesn't matter. If you are settled as one, please call this number: 295-EXT-INCT to participate in the studies! You will be paid a nice sum --

"Certainly, if you don't mind being poked and prodded all day long for a month," Seq growled.

"Shush," I replied, straining to pay attention.

-- and now back to you, Susan!

Thanks for that information, Jon. It's all very interesting, but next to the great story of the dead man found--

"Great, you made me miss it," I said. I felt troubled. I had lived in the small town of Yalin for most of my life, and of course the people noticed her daemon had settled as something so strange as a velociraptor. Jurassic Park made sure that hardly anyone knew fact from fiction about velociraptors. Seq himself only came to my waist, seeing as I'm five foot three inches tall.

I changed the channel, for the rest of the news was about droll things, mainly to do with some yarn festival. "We have to go shopping for food," he reminded me.

"Right."

Opening the window, I felt a soft breeze lift my spirits. It was warm outside. All the snow had melted away, nourishing the nature. Was there no one for me to love who would feel the same? Annoying life. I hurried to get dressed in representable attire, which happened to be brown capris and a yellow-green bar striped tee shirt.

We left quickly, turning the lights and television off. The town was nicely sized. About fifteen thousand lived here. All shops and homes were close together, unless you were incredibly rich enough to buy your own enclosure. I myself had a tall fence around my house. I hated when neighbors tried to spy through windows.

"Hey, you," someone said.

I turned to look at whoever was talking to me in this bustling crowd, but couldn't find them. Sequilaer's eyes were as sharp as a bird of prey, and his hearing was moderately well also. He could pinpoint the general area of where the voice came from, then used his eyes to try to catch any direct movement towards them.

A tall, lanky girl with deep auburn hair smiled as she walked towards me. Her black-backed jackal daemon had his ears tight against his skull. I wondered if it was because of displeasure in his girl's behavior.

"Yeah?" I asked. Sequilaer kept his molten gold eyes on the jackal. His crest of red, pink, purple, and blue stopped at his shoulder blades. I could feel his irritation in me, and he couldn't help but raise his crest a fraction. How dare they speak to us like that?

"Why don't you come with me?" Her daemon stepped forward, hackles rising. No one else on the street gave us a second look.

"Why would I?" I stepped back a bit, tensing my leg muscles, getting ready to run if need be. Sequilaer growled softly, stepping forward instead, to meet the jackal halfway.

"Don't you know? People like you need to go take the survey. We even have our own center here just for that. We get money if we manage to pass someone in." The auburn haired girl's smile seemed twisted now. An almost sardonic glaze passed over her blue-green eyes.

I glanced at Sequilaer. My brave dear. He was willing to fight even if I wasn't. If I was, I'd need to be near someplace where I could grab a tool to help my own skin. Here on the sidewalk, however. . .

"Get ready to run," he whispered. He moved forward and snapped his jaws in the jackal's face, then raced after me. We weren't that far apart--the pull prevented that, but he was quite a bit faster than me. We banked and turned into every alleyway and finally entered a small convenience store. I panted, clutching my waist with my hands on each side. A heroic pose.

"We have to hide, you moron!" Sequilaer snapped. We ducked in between the isles, peeking over the shelf of chips and candy. The clerk and his ringtail daemon gave us curious looks. I heard the shop's door bell ring, and the auburn haired girl's voice, "See a dead one walking around here?"

I widened my eyes pleadingly at the clerk. I noticed the minute movement of his head in a nod, and heard him say, "Nah, nothing like that." My eyebrows furrowed. Is that what they're calling people with extinct daemons now? Dead one walking?

"Damn girl," she cursed. Her jackal daemon gave the air a last sniff before heading out with his human, whispering something to her in hurried tones.

"So uh. . . are you going to buy anything?" The clerk grinned shyly, and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh," I began, and stood, brushing myself off. "Maybe some other time. Ah, thanks for that. A lot. Thanks a lot for that."

Sequilaer nudged me in a subtle way with the edge of his closed maw at my hand. He was laughing silently.

The clerk offered his hand. "I'm Jacobsen. Or Jake, I don't mind."

I looked at his hand for a second. I never really liked shaking hands with people. I never knew where or what they were doing before this moment. 'Oh just shake his hand,' Sequilaer thought.

Sighing, I took his and shook it and let go quickly. "I'm Mie. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," a deep, baritone voice said. It did not belong to the clerk. And if it did, it was horrifyingly out of place with his cute baby face, but as it was, it definitely didn't belong to him. In all actuality, it belonged to a very round and pudgey police officer, holding up a piece of paper.