[ WP ] When everyone turns 18 , they receive a pet which is figurative of their personality . You 're the first person to receive a dragon ...

`` Oy, Naga, come on now! it's almost time!'' 
 
 `` I'm coming, Tatak,'' I half-heartedly replied. I mean, who in their right mind looks forward to this? The whole family's here, you have to wear some silly clothes, and I've heard it's actually quite painful. That's the worst part. I do n't want it to hurt. They say that helps you bond with your familiar, makes that moment when you turn 18 a memorable one and helps your familiar take its shape based on your personality. 
 
 Kumi, down the street, had her familiar appear when she was sleeping. It was n't pretty. She got an otter. Jaun had a sloth, Kiki a koala, Nau a shiba inu. Their familiars all made sense and all of them say they would go through it again, but why? I was there, they were screaming and writhing in pain! If there was just some way I could skip the whole thing... 
 
 `` Come now, Tatak, help your brother up to the dais.'' Mother always considered him my elder, even if it was by two minutes. A bit silly, if you asked me. We might look the same, but that's about it. Tatak was the stronger, faster, the more level-headed. He even had more girlfriends than I could even dream of. I guess you could say I was envious. 
 
 Flowers were scattered everywhere on the marble platform. For hundreds of years, our family has had strong familiars. Each child was carefully groomed to have personality traits worth of the Chitr name. My great-great-grandmother with her armadillo had crafted the slab Tatak and I sat on. I looked out and saw the family all beaming at us and their familiars by their sides. I glanced at the ceremonial sundial: 1 minute before Tatak's familiar appeared. He looked oddly calm, but I knew better. He was as afraid of it hurting as much as I was. Afterall, I'm his brother. 
 
 Tatak suddenly collapsed to the floor, his pupils dilating with the sheer amount of pain. I knew it. His limbs seized up and a lump appeared on his stomach. It grew in size until it ruptured violently, spraying blood everywhere. The family cheered. Father came over, helped the little eaglet out of Tatak's body, put it in a little hand-woven basket on the ground, and started wrapping him up in bandages. 
 
 `` Prepare yourself'' 
 
 I heard a voice. My family was too busy cooing over the eaglet and helping clean up Tatak to say anything. Of course, with an Eagle in the family, we were sure to be the talk of the town. Eagles are the symbol of leadership here, vicious yet fair. With an Eagle, you could date anyone you wanted. I was burning up with envy. 
 
 Father turned to me. `` Naga, are you OK? You look a little flush.'' Of course I was flush, I was still mad at Tatak's Eagle. Why could n't I have one? I'm his twin! I'm the one who helped him with his homework, the one who taught him how to read... the one.... who... 
 
 I blacked out and fell to the floor. The waves of pain tossing my body like a ship. It burned so much I could n't even muster the strength to scream. In my thrashing about, I somehow looked down at my stomach, at the bulge from where my familiar would emerge. It was so hot I could feel the sweat pouring down my face. Mercifully, it burst quickly and everything around me blurred. Did I see a flame? It must have been the candles. And then I heard it. The bone-chilling sound that silenced all others: a guttural roar that pierced the room. 
 
 A dragon's roar.
