The Verifera

The room was small, clinical. I stared at the floor, aware of the emptiness of the room. The only person left in the room with me was a girl whose name I couldn't remember, except for the fact the her last name was Zimmons. That meant she would be the last one called, not me
Taking a breath, I loosened my clenched hands. This would be my only chance restrain my verifera. I couldn't afford to consider the consequences of failure. Of what had happened to my brother.
"Gregory Wens." I looked up at the sound of my name. A woman waited beside the red door, her crisp white uniform that of a controller. I stood and walked toward her. We went through the red door, leaving Zimmons alone. Our walk was short as she directed me down the hall and into the arena's antechamber. There, the Guardian of Blood was waiting, along with the commander of the controllers.
"I offer a final opportunity to resign, mister Wens." The Guardian of Blood said, his voice quivering with age.
"I will go on." I told him, my gaze drawn to the enormous golden elk that stood behind the guardian. Its crimson eyes bore hungrily into me, offering a taste of what I was about to face. The Guardian of Blood bowed his head, then held out two objects.
"Then with this blade, call forth the beast of your blood." I took the obsidian knife, careful not to cut myself just yet. "Then once the beast strikes, claim it with silver." The silver orb he offered seemed insignificant. But once in my hand, it shifted into a slender rod. I didn't know what magic the controllers used on the silver, but I knew that without it, I would have no chance against my verifera.
"Now into the area." The commander of the controllers said, his face hardening as he looked at me. "Don't end up like your brother."
Swallowing, I nodded as the commander's draconic verifera released a hiss. The controller who had brought me in undid the bolt across the steel door that led into the arena and opened it. I walked through, hearing it slam shut behind me.
The arena was circular pit with high walls and thick bars across the top to protect the half a dozen controllers that were staring down at me. Sand crunched beneath my feet as I walked to the center of the arena. There, I looked down into the inky water of the verifera well.
Lifting the knife, I inhaled and cut my wrist. The wound was small and shallow, the pain manageable as I held my arm over the well. After a moment, my blood hit the water.
I took a step back as the water began to bubble. My heart pounded as the water began boiling, then spilled out onto the sand. But instead of being absorbed, the unnatural black water gathered together on the sand in front of me and began to take rapidly take form.
Then there was a burst of steam, and the water-creature was flesh. A lanky white coyote, its crimson eyes locked onto me. I felt a brief disappoint as I stared at the creature. My brother's blood had called forth a wyvern. It had killed him, but at least his verifera had been spectacular.
I would never become a controller with a coyote verifera.
Then it darted forward far faster then a natural coyote. It stuck me in the leg, then leaped at my arm. I struck out with the silver rod. The creature yelped as the silver melted out of my hand and wrapped around its neck: forming into a collar. After the silver stopped moving, the coyote sat at my feet.
"Congratulations, you have claimed your verifera." One of the controllers called down to me. I looked at the coyote's hungry eyes, and didn't feel so certain.