Welcome to my Home! (DragonSong)

[Kalak8538]

It had been a little over an hour since Eihmo'tei had left his companions. The crescent moon and stars above did little to illuminate the surrounding dunes. The only light to be seen was that of the dying fire in front of the party.

Everything seemed quiet, but really it was not. Those with a better sense of hearing would be able to detect the soft animal-esque chittering from every direction. These sounds seemed to be organized, emanating from the dunes themselves. There was a feeling in the air, like the group was being watched.

[DragonSong]

A prickling on the back of Kiara's neck woke her. She sat up slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake her four charges. "Kit..."

"I know," the dragon said softly. Golden eyes searched the darkness. "I think they've been watching us for a while."

"What are they?" Kiara whispered. Her hand moved toward the dagger at her hip. "What do they want?"

[Kalak8538]

All around, green glowing eyes could be seen from the bases of the tall mounds of sand. They were reflecting the light of the slowly-dying fire. There were so many pairs in every direction, but the dark forms were mostly hidden from view. It was obvious that the group was surrounded.

At the first sign of movement, the sounds ceased entirely. They did not move, and only blinked occasionally. After a moment or so, one pair of eyes moved in closer. As they drew near, the form became clearer. Soon, the weak flame revealed the creature's identity. It was Eihmo'tei, carrying a bundle of dry sticks in his arms.

He dropped them to the ground, before carefully stacking them over the flame. They caught fire almost instantly, providing a bit more light and warmth.

"Hello Kii'arah. I hope we did not scare you."

[DragonSong]

"Eihmo'tei..." Kiara said quietly, looking around. "Are these...your people?"

As Kit translated, she reached out to wake the children, soothing them with smiles and murmured explanations as they woke surrounded by strange creatures.

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei gave a slight chuckle.

"Welcome to my home!"

The growing fire did more to reveal the other Zerdani that encircled them. They watched with curious eyes from holes dug into the sand. As if by some unspoken cue, many rose from the ground and slowly and cautiously grew near.

They all closely resembled Eihmo'tei in looks. Some were bigger, others were smaller. Like him, they wore simple clothing made from woven cloth and animal hide. They approached nervously, seeming as if one sudden exclamation could send them all back running for cover.

[DragonSong]

The children were silent and staring, almost mirroring their Zerdani guests.

Or rather, they were the Zerdani's guests, as Kiara realized they must be in Eihmo'tei's village (if that was the correct word). She smiled slightly when the youngsters scooted closer to her, evidently wary.

"Hello," she said, smiling and waving quickly around. "Um...I'm Kiara. Nice to meet you." Kit lowered his head toward Eihmo'tei, translating. Hopefully their friend would pass along their greeting.

[Kalak8538]

Kiara's words, as well as Kit's growls, were received with silent murmuring from the crowd of Zerdani.

"It is safe brother and sister Zerdani! They seem intimidating, but they will not harm anyone! They have been my friends these many days!" he announced to the rest of his kin. Still, they were unsure.

Eihmo'tei turned to His comrades now. "They are cautious now, but they will accept you soon. I brought you to the middle of the tribe. Everyone hid when they caught your scent, and you did not notice the holes around. I thought it would be fine for you to sleep here while I explained who you were to all my kin. I guess I underestimated Kit's senses." he gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

[DragonSong]

Kit murmured a brief translation to the five humans. Nodding, Kiara stood, then bowed at the waist.

"Forgive us for intruding," she said, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. Kit translated to Eihmo'tei, who she hoped would in turn translate for his tribe. "We mean no harm, we just came to deliver Eihmo'tei home, and rest. We will not overstay our welcome."

Out of the corner of her mouth she hissed, "Kit, ask him if there's any specific greeting I should do, to be polite..."

[Kalak8538]

The tribe began moving in even closer. In response to Kit's translations, Eihmo'tei looked up to Kit and said "I think they can understand you, like I do."

He chuckled again. "If you wish, do as I did with the elder... uhm... Vii Za'rii? That is great sign of respect! Do not forget to look into the eyes."

[DragonSong]

Kiara nodded and repeated the gesture as best she could, making eye contact with the foremost of the curious Zerdani. Kit nodded his head regally and rumbled, "Hello, people of the Moraki."

"I'm called Kiara," the young woman introduced herself with the dragon translating. "This is Bibi, Ras, Perryn, and Tala," she indicated each child in turn, and they waved or nodded or smiled shyly. "And this is Kittsareyn," she concluded, waving her hand to the Kit. She wasn't sure why she used his full name, but something about this whole thing felt rather formal.

[Kalak8538]

Sounds of approval echoed through the crowd. Now, some of the more brazen of the Zerdani came in close. They sniffed their visitors and looked them over the way a dog would a stranger. Each seemed to have something to say, but they said so soft as whispers. They did not seem threatening.

"I have explained to them while you all slept. They know we cannot stay, but we are welcome as long as we do. They, like me, have never seen any like you before, so please forgive their curiosity..."

As Eihmo'tei said this, a young Zerdani made her way over to Kiara on all fours. Like the rest, she resembled Eihmo'tei in appearance, just a lot smaller. Despite her tiny stature, her ears and eyes were almost as big as his were, giving her a look like a toy. On all fours, she slinked over until she was at Kiara's feet. She seemed to take great interest in the stranger's footwear, for her eyes were fixed on them. Then, she gave the left foot a couple soft knocks with her closed paw.

[DragonSong]

"Oh." Kiara watched with wide eyes, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Um...hello?" She bent slightly to be closer to the little Zerdani's level.

Kit tucked his tail and head, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

The children, on the other hand, seemed to be just as curious as these fox-people. Bibi was apparently the boldest, because she reached out to touch the one closest to her. Kiara could just make out the shadow of a smile under her veil.

I'll have to convince them to lose those, she thought distractedly.

[Kalak8538]

"She thinks your feet are weird." said Eihmo'tei. He, too, though it was odd that humans walked on the whole foot, as opposed to just the digits. He never paid it much attention. The Zerdani only put their heels on the ground when they got close to the ground.

The rest of the Zerdani were becoming comfortable with their visitors. Some of the younglings were even trying to climb up Kit's black scales. There were louder comments and questions emanating from the crowd.

The male Zerdani that Bibi had reached for recoiled from her touch. However, he recovered, and reached out his own paw to grab her hand.

A young female came up to Perryn and looked right at his face. It was not really the face that attracted her attention, but the thin veil that obscured it. Reaching out with one paw, she grabbed hold of it. It was forceful, but not enough to remove it. That was clearly not her intention. She simply wanted to feel it.

The tiny Zerdani at Kiara's feet decided to do what most little ones thought was a good idea. She bared her tiny (yet sharp) fangs, and dug them into the hard leather boot. Although her teeth were sharp enough to penetrate the leather, they were not long enough to make it all the way through.

[DragonSong]

"Oi!" Kiara protested, giving a startled burst of laughter. She batted the little Zerdani gently away from her boot. "I've only got one pair of those," she said, but she smiled, hoping the expression would keep her in their good graces.

Kit grumbled and seemed to be resisting the urge to shake himself, consequently sending his several new passengers tumbling back onto the sand. With a heavy sigh, he dropped to the ground and rolled his eyes, evidently accepting his fate.

Bibi and her Zerdani seemed to be intently studying each other's fingers. Perryn had gently removed a Zerdani's paw from his veil, but seemed to be fiddling with the fabric himself. After a moment, he let it drop away and held the sheer material out to her with a smile.

Tala gasped and Kiara arched her eyebrows. Ras shook his head, eyes wide, and Bibi exclaimed, "You can't-!"

"Why not?" the boy asked, looking to them with a broad smile. "No one's a slave here, what does it matter?"

Kiara beamed in response, nodding at him. Now that she could see it properly, she thought he had a very sweet smile. She bent closer to Eihmo'tei and said, "Thank you for bringing us here." She gestured to the people around them, then put a hand to her heart, giving him a nod and a smile as Kit translated her sentiment.

[Kalak8538]

Another Zerdani, presumably the youngling's mother, came by to collect her. Eihmo'tei was giggling in response.

"Kii'arah, it was YOU and KIT who brought us here. I simply asked for it."

It truly was a heartwarming scene to see everyone getting along with the strange giants. Some more of the Zerdani brought larger pieces of wood and added to the flames that raged on in the center of the community. There was now a sizable bonfire in the middle of everyone. A lot of the crowd began sitting around it.

"Come! Sit!" said Eihmo'tei, patting the ground.

"Yes, sit with my people. This is a special occasion!" This voice came from an elderly Zerdani that made his way through the crowd. He wore much longer hide clothing and the most "jewelry" of any of his kin. He wielded a long white branch like a staff. His tone was kind, but stared at the humans and dragon with a stern look. Eihmo'tei pointed to the old one and said in a hushed tone,

"Elder Takalo."

The manner of his speaking revealed the status of the elder as an important individual.

[DragonSong]

Realizing this older fellow must be someone important, Kiara bowed low at the waist, though she remembered what Eihmo'tei had said about maintaining eye contact. "Thank you for your hospitality, Takalo," she said, glancing at her friend to make sure she was pronouncing the name correctly.

She nodded at the children and they slowly sat among the Zerdani. All but Perryn kept their masks, though she saw Bibi's hand twitch toward the fabric more than once. Kit lowered himself fully onto the ground, nosing the few straggling Zerdani off his scales with a huff, then nodded to the elder.

[Kalak8538]

"Get the visitors some food! They are probably hungry after such a long journey!"

After the elder said this, Some Zerdani brought scraps of meat to the fire. They brought everything from small lizards and scorpions to large chunks of meat from larger animals. They were skewered and stuck into the ground, hanging over the flames. The smell of searing flesh instantly filled the air.

From all around the fire, the simple Zerdani tribesmen spoke, questioned, and laughed. Even if their speech was unintelligible, the general air of happiness and excitement was pleasant. The elder disappeared into the crowd, only to appear a few seconds later beside Kiara. Very quietly, he whispered in her ear.

"Follow... We... Speak Alone." he said, in heavily accented - but otherwise perfect - common. He left, and went over in front of what was presumably his hole in the ground.

[DragonSong]

Kiara was surprised- both by the request and the language it was asked in. She looked around, making sure all her charges were content and wouldn't notice if she slipped away. Satisfied, she stood and followed the elderly Zerdani.

Kit looked at her and huffed questioningly. She shook her head slightly, urging him not to make a scene. Reaching the hole, she asked the elder quietly, "How is it you can speak Common?"

[Kalak8538]

The old Zerdani simply chuckled at the question. He continued in the common tongue.

"Please... use simple word. It... been... long time. Takalo is elder. Zerdani... is elder when... Is oldest."

He pointed at the group having fun around the fire.

"No... Zerdani know. Eihmo'tei... not know. Many moon ago... Takalo... leave tribe."

His common was choppy, and there was a heavy accent. The elder used his paws to help convey his point.

"Like Eihmo'tei. Takalo find human. Takalo find city. Takalo learn... human talk... human way."

The nostalgia was clear in the elder's eyes. He took up a handful of sand.

"Takalo... come back. Tell Zerdani... all is... sand. Was many moon ago..."

[DragonSong]

Kiara gaped. "But...but why?"  she asked, incredulous. What purpose could he possibly be serving, keeping his people in the dark?

She'd admit that dumping the Zerdani population into the middle of, say, Essyrn, would maybe not be the best idea. But still, shouldn't they be able to explore if wanted to?