"Outdoors at last!" she thought as she entered the gardens. Amara loathes studying. She would rather be in the garden practising her skills. Since she has no major animals to hunt, she makes up for this by "stalking" people. She doesn't hurt them, just sneaks up and waits for them to notice her. Not everyone likes it apparently.
Amara doesn't remember much of her early childhood. What little she can recall was being in a series of rooms. No, more like a lab of some kind. People in white coats moving about, talking about things she didn't understand. She thought she was normal, until she finally saw herself in a full-length mirror they brought in for her. She didn't look anything at all like them.
When she was old enough to comprehend such, she was enrolled in the learning center at Lohne. She was tested for arcane and divine potential but came up lacking. She did show some natural affinity for the outdoors, so she was allowed to study on a limited basis with the druids.
She was given books upon books and more books to study. Study seemed to be the motto around the city. Because of this, she relished her time outside which took her away from those oppressive people. The druids seemed a bit less harsh to her. Other than her reptilian looks she functioned just like a small human. The scientists seemed disappointed about that when she came in for routine physicals.
It wasn't until her 13th year at the onset of puberty that she began to change dramatically. Her ability to see in the dark sharpened, as did her sense of smell, and other physical changes. She grew claws and the developed the uncanny ability to climb just about anything with ease. This disturbed the instructors when she would climb on everything in reach. She has the memory of many lashes for those antics. Her speed increased, her tail grew stronger, as did her ability to move around faster. One of the most dramatic changes was her sight. She was very uncomfortable in bright light, blinded even. She much preferred the darkness. Nighttime was a blessing as most people were asleep. She liked to sneak out often. On more than one occasion she was caught, but it was worth it. When she wasn't seen, she climbed the tallest building and looked in the direction of Oldenburg. She yearned for the outside.
Overall, she developed abilities and instincts common to many apex predators. She had a strong desire to hunt and spent more time in the gardens than she used to. She made the mistake once of skipping a class. She cried herself to sleep that night from the punishment she received. She wanted to go away from it all. But she had to place to go yet. She was not old enough to make her own decisions she was told.
It was a unique experience for her. The instructors punished any deviation from the rules, yet she had these impulses that were most difficult to ignore. They became stronger every day. She wanted to be free, not be caged up in this place. She liked to help others, but at the same time she wanted to hunt for her food.
She looked down at her plate with disappointment. Oh how she would love to live outdoors with nobody to tell her where to go! The books she read told of the outside and the desert conditions that existed. Life was hard outside the city and no place for someone such as her. Lohne was safer they said. She would have her opportunity. She would wait. Waiting for a train.
