Getting to Know Doston

Doston was happy to help Cassie get her mind off her troubles. Doston was really unsure exactly what was so special about the trouble. It had seen the larger person attacking the smaller one and heard the small cries for help. And so Doston had helped. It was the nature of the species.

"Why do you have a number to your name?" asked Cassie.

Sten and Frau didn't know there was any number involved so Sten asked, "What do you mean, a number?"

"My name is Doston3647."

"Oh. What does the number mean?" asked Frau.

"The '36' signifies that I am from the 36th merge season and the '47' means I am the 47th Doston."

The three humans looked at each other, hoping that someone had understood that, but all faces were blank. "I don't understand that," said Cassie.

"On Music, there are seasons for merging. They happen planet wide and without our understanding of the cause, but we are compelled to merge with others of our species. We form groups containing two to nine of us and drink the Merge Drink. Then we interweave our talons together to form a ring. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes," came the chorus of voices.

"We each then bud, but it is unlike normal budding. During non-Merge seasons, when we bud, we are exactly the same as the parent, but during Merge season, there are differences between parent and bud. Therefore, at that time a new name is given. Then in later years when we simply bud, a new number is given."

"I think I get it," said Sten. "How long, about, between merges?"

"Hundreds of years, sometimes as few as three hundred, but sometimes it is closer to eight hundred. We don't know what causes it."

"Would you spread your wings?" asked Hiro.

Doston looked around, "There isn't enough room in here. I could do that outdoors, though." The group went into Cassie's gardens and the warm evening. When out in the moonlight, Doston's hair took on shimmering look that was not present inside. It spread its wings.

"Beautiful," said Sten. The wings were spanning close to six feet. They were also a golden color, like Dotson's hair, but of a leathery texture. They actually looked closer to the material in a wetsuit. "May I touch?"

"Sure." All the humans reverently stroked the huge wings. They felt like velvet. Doston folded its wings and turned again to face them. When folded, the wings were practically invisible, even when seen from the back.

"I bet it is wonderful to fly." Cassie actually sounded dreamily happy while she looked up to the sky.