I am so sorry for the delay in posting. Real life intervened. Anyway, here's this chapter up, and I'll try to get another one up tomorrow.


Over the next several weeks, Shadalaine adopted some kind of pattern. Mornings were spent in school, popping out between classes to give Diamond a snack. Afternoons were almost the same as when Diamond had not been there; sometimes she wandered the beach, sometimes she played Kohlii with Vhisola, and sometimes she would just stay at home. The only major change was that now she had a hyperactive little rahi to deal with. Diamond insisted on coming everywhere, and the one time Shadalaine had actually managed to leave her home had been a disaster. The matoran had arrived back to find everything shredable in shreds, with a very unhappy young rahi sitting in the middle of the carnage. After that, it was easier to just bring Diamond with.
"Is it just me, or is that thing bigger?" Vhisola asked a few weeks after Diamond had arrived. "She barely fits in your book bag any more."
Shadalaine glanced down at the rahi, then picked her up, ignoring unhappy squalls.
"Definitely bigger," she replied, "Heavier too."
"How big is she gonna get?"
"Don't know. Hopefully not the size of a full Muaka. I don't think I could deal with that."
Two days later, Shadalaine was woken up by unhappy whining. Sitting up, she glanced down at Diamond and groaned softly. The rahi was chewing on her book bag.
"No," she scolded, scooping Diamond up. She was answered with a louder whine and a bite that made her yelp.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, prying little jaws off her finger. Diamond started to mewl-it sounded eerily like crying-and opened her mouth wider.
Shadalaine sighed, sitting down. There was obviously something wrong. Diamond, though Vhisola protested otherwise, was not vicious and rarely bit her at all. This was much more than just unusual.
"Let's get you to Nokama, shall I?"
"So she just bit you?" her teacher asked, gently examining Diamond's mouth.
"Yes, when I pulled her away from my book bag."
Nokama nodded absently, and puller her hands away a few minutes later.
"She's teething," Nokama explained. "It can be painful sometimes, and from what you said she didn't have any teeth when you found her. From those claws she's obviously a predator, so she'll be doing it earlier than most."
"What should I do?"
"There isn't really much you can do," Nokama answered. "The only thing that would really help would be giving her something to chew that's not your fingers. Try some dried meat, maybe. It'll get her accustomed to eating meat as well; she's growing pretty quickly and keeping her on milk will only hurt."
"Hmm," Shadalaine murmured, petting Diamond's head. "How about Mukau jerky? It's tough and it'll mean that she gets used to rahi, not matoran."
Nokama paused.
"I have to ask-do you intend to release her?"
"I'm not sure."
"I hope you're ready to keep her. I don't think she'd leave you at this point."
"What do I do with a rahi?"
"When she grows up? It depends on how big she gets. If she's the size of a Muaka tiger, then you might have to just give her over to the Archivists. At least then you'll know that she'll be safe. If she's smaller, maybe you can learn how to ride her."
"Ride a rahi?"
"Why not? It might be fun."
Shadalaine stared at Nokama in surprise.
"I suppose I didn't consider that," she admitted.
"You should try it when she's bigger."

Three weeks later, Shadalaine had gotten home late. Diamond, by this point, was too big to fit in the book bag, which prevented her from coming to class, and was now locked up at home. The rahi was not happy about this at all, especially when Shadalaine was late feeding her.
"All right, all right, calm down," Shadalaine told her.
Diamond stared up at her Matoran mistress for a moment before chirping loudly, a very distinctive and loud chirp.
"Yes yes, I'm getting your food."
The same chirp.
"Here."
Diamond chirped for a third time and buried her muzzle in the food.
"At this rate, you'll be growing taller than me soon."
The rahi licked the remnants of the jerky off her mouth and leapt up onto the bed, curling around herself and falling asleep.


Diamond did indeed grow. Over the next year she went from small enough to rest in Shadalaine's lap to taller than the matoran was. Now, her shoulder and the top of Shadalaine's head were more or less equal. Luckily, after that, she stopped growing up and filled out a little.
It was also about that point that two other things happened: 1) the Rahi started catching her own food (mainly fish) and 2) Shadalaine started to ride her.
This was somewhat easier than she thought it would be.
Along Diamond's back was a series of spines that continued along up her neck, which was about as long as her feet. There was, however, a gap where her neck and shoulders met just big enough for a matoran to sit. Spines growing out of her shoulders provided places to brace her legs against. A rope that looped just behind her canines served as reins. Having grown up with Shadalaine, the rahi was entirely tame.
It soon became common to see the two of them trotting along the streets of Ga-metru, or playing in the bay. Diamond's paws were very broad and webbed, and her fur was more or less water-proof, so she swam quite well, and Shadalaine could understand enough of the strange language of chirps, growls and snarls to have a basic understanding of what the rahi wanted.
And so the years passed, until one day the Dark Hunters came for a visit.


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