Usually, my migraines came with waves of numbness, but every bone in my body ached. Moaning with pain, disoriented and woozy, I bounced off walls.
A chattering noise broke through the anguish.
Something tugged at my pant leg.
I staggered to a stop and squinted down.
In the green haze, Poco tilted his black-and-gray face up like he was trying to tell me something.
He held up a little black hand, paw open expectantly.
“I don’t have any treats,” I croaked.
Poco bared his sharp teeth and shook his head. Then he held his black paw up higher, like he was waiting for something.
“No treats.” I grabbed my head.
He chittered louder, our bond heating with anxiety. Poco clasped his tiny hands together, then held one up to me.
“Oh,” I whispered.
Tentatively, I bent over and gave him my pointer finger.
Poco clutched it, his miniature hand unable to wrap fully around it.
Gently Poco tugged me forward, balancing against me as he led the way on two fluffy legs.
Moisture blurred my vision.
“Thank you.”
He chittered back.
Warmth flooded the bond between us.
No one understood why I bonded with a raccoon and not one of the class six beasts that lived in the back of the menagerie.
There were hundreds of different species in Sparta, but only a handful fell on the beast scale: class one to seven, with seven being the highest and most dangerous.
Class seven beasts were virtually extinct. Spartans were mandated to kill them on sight.
Titans and Typhons were the two most recent creatures to be labeled as class seven.
Most Chthonics bonded with class five or six creatures in the menagerie: Nemean land mammals, the violent winged Pegasuses, the three-headed dog cousins of Cerberus, or the invisible dragons that nested in the secret caves.
None of those animals were of any interest to me.
It was the little guy hanging from a tree, who held out his arms for a hug with a bashful smile on his face, that did it for me.
Poco wasn’t ranked, but I didn’t care.
He was perfect how he was.
Now Poco looked up at me with worry as he slowly guided me down the halls. His little black fingers squeezed mine tightly, as if he was worried he’d lose me.
Raccoons were fierce, intelligent, loyal creatures.
After a lifetime of Ares coldly lecturing me on power and honor, animals growling and running away, and Chthonics reminding me of my responsibilities, it was wonderful to have a true companion.
