A few moments later, Tenaso came bounding back. "She said it's okay! I can go with you when you go back to Malnev," he paused, realizing he probably should have mentioned his idea to Mercure before. He looked up at the wolv sheepishly. "If it's okay with you, that is." Both kits looked at Mercure, waiting for his response. "Of course it's okay! If you want to come with us, that is fine with me. My tribe will enjoy getting to know two dragons." He grinned at the ecstatic reaction of his bond when he said her brother could come; she didn't really want to leave him without a bond, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay here forever. Now she wouldn't have to worry about him settling for an inferior bond, just so he wouldn't have to be alone.    They all stayed a few more weeks, to continue exploring, and even saw an influx of new novos. Mercure began to worry that maybe Tenaso would regret making his decision so quickly, but he never even glanced at the new novos. The blue-pigmented Askan seemed perfectly content to hang out with them. The wolv had gone to Lady Aloia, to make sure everything was okay, and was surprised to discover that she had a reason for inviting him to stay longer. She had suspected that Tenaso would want to go with his sister, and wanted to give them some more time to decide for sure. She warned him that Tenaso would grow more slowly than his sister, since the bond would enhance her growth, and that it was nothing to worry about. Shortly after this, Featau suggested that they should leave soon. There were more novos, and while things weren't quite crowded, they were taking up space that would be better used housing novos. "I know, going home already would be kind of silly, since you can't work with the hunting cats for a few more months, but we could go explore some more of the Nexus. Then we could go back, I'm sure it will take a little while to get a tent made that will house us when we are full grown! By the time we have all the preparations done, your punishment will be over, and we can all work with the cats." She tickled the almost half-grown Talve under his chin; neither of the dragons could wait to help him with the hunting cat breeding. For the next few months, Mercure, Featau, and Tenaso travelled around, exploring whatever new place caught their attention. Their longest stay was towards the end of their journey, when they made a visit to Star City. It was the last stop on the way home to Malnev, and Mercure decided that he could probably get some items that would be well-appreciated back home from the shops on the station. While he and Featau went shopping, Tenaso went exploring. The young Askan explored some of the shops, but as he had no idea, really, of what Malnev had to offer, he didn't want to buy things he either wouldn't need, or wouldn't be able to use. He did find the Ministry of Draconic Affairs to be of great interest, with occasional clutches here on Star City, and Synths on the Abstract Destiny. None of the current groups caught his eye, but he decided he would have to come back and check it out again when he was older. After a few days, Mercure announced they had all the supplies he was interested in getting, and he was ready to leave. "So, are you both ready to leave? Or was there anything else you wanted to do before we left?" He asked the two dragons. Looking at the siblings, it was already getting hard to tell they were nearly the same age. When he'd met them, they'd been about the same size, though Tenaso had been a tiny bit bigger. Now, even though it had only been a few months, Featau was noticeably bigger than her brother. The lovely green-tinted female glanced slyly at her brother before answering. "I think I'm ready, but Tenaso has been spending a bunch of time over at the Ministry of Draconic Affairs. I think he wants to try bonding!" She teased her beloved brother, watching as his face turned just the tiniest bit red. Tenaso drew up to his full height, glaring half-heartedly at his sister. "No, I don't. Maybe someday, but not right now. I was more interested in reading some of the information about how the Destiny does its Synths. Some of it was very interesting, though, I don't think much of it can be applied to the cats. Too much tinkering with the genes." Looking back to Mercure, he continued. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are." Tenaso turned to leave the room, and Featau, disregarding the fact that she was supposed to be more mature now, stuck her tongue out at the smaller dragon. Mercure, watching the sibling rivalry play itself out, snorted at the sight of his bond's tongue hanging out of her mouth. He was immensely glad that Lady Aloia had allowed Tenaso to join him, even if he didn't share a bond with the young male. He was a good friend to have around, and a sometimes welcome relief from Featau's occasional silliness. "Alright, then," Mercure declared after a moment of laughter, "we'll leave in the morning. Make sure you get everything ready; I'm going to tell the shuttle when we'll be there." As he headed to the door, he glanced back. "And try not to tease each other too much while I'm gone, okay?" The two siblings decided to ignore each other for the rest of the evening, even after Mercure returned. Unsure of exactly what was going on, the wolv just looked at them, shook his head and went to bed, knowing Featau would soon flop on her couch, and probably complain about Tenaso for over an hour before dropping off to sleep. When she came in silently, and said a simple good night before falling asleep, he was slightly concerned, but didn't want to wake her to ask about it.