The Journey Continues! (DragonSong)

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei's anticipation for the next day nearly kept him awake all night. He pondered what was next day would bring. What were his two new friends going to show him? Where were they all going to go? Despite his excitement, he was eventually able to fall asleep. However, it was not for long. The bright sunrise was there to interrupt the Zerdani's slumber after only an hour or so of rest. He flicked his tail up over his eyes in an attempt to ignore it, but to no avail. He was not yet ready to rise. He feared he would not have the energy to continue through desert during the hot daylight hours, so he once again closed his eyes in an attempt to salvage whatever moments of precious rest he could.

The sun only rose higher, seemingly mocking the tired little Zerdani. Its rays began to warm his short fur. Still, he laid motionless, flicking up only one of his giant ears once Kiara and Kit began to stir. Once they had risen, that is when the day would truly begin.

[DragonSong]

Kiara had no interest in consciousness. She felt the sun begin to creep through the cracks of of Kit's wing-tent, but she only grumbled and rolled over, curling into the softer scales of the dragon's underbelly.

Kit was having none of it. With a snort, he snapped his wing into his side and grabbed the back of her linen shirt between his teeth, lifting her clear off the ground.

"Oi!" Well she was certainly awake now. Twisting and flailing in his hold, she reached up to try to pummel at Kit's snout with her fists. "Put me down, you great stupid lizard!"

He complied with a huff, unceremoniously dumping her onto the sand. Kiara leaped to her feet and spun to glare at him. He batted his eyes innocently. She growled, but the sudden thought of a watching third party stopped her from actually retaliating. Turning on her heel, her eyes sought out the sleepy fox-boy, hoping they hadn't traumatized him.

"Morning," she said brightly, reaching for her pack with one hand while she shaded her eyes against the sun with the other, hoping to determine the time. "I think we've got just enough time for breakfast before we take off," she concluded, digging a bag of nuts out of her pack and holding out a handful to Eihmo'tei.

[Kalak8538]

The two giants' hijinks were certainly enough to make the Zerdani lift his head up and give them his full attention. Once it was clear that the two were merely playing, his confused and cautious expression gave way to a soft grin. There was no denying it now, it was time to wake up.

He rose to all fours, and began his morning stretching. First his arms, then each leg, stretching and curling his fingers and toes at the same time. Once he had completed this, Eihmo'tei sat on his haunches. His mouth opened wide to release a yawn, his tongue curling up as he did so. Kiara had offered a morning's greeting, and the Zerdani wanted to return that greeting. "Mar Niin!" He knew he needed to work on that... Perhaps today, he would try learning more of her words. As if to reward him, she offered a pawful of nuts, which he happily accepted. Eihmo'tei had never seen any nuts like these before, but could tell they were edible since Kiara offered them. Wanting to try them, he popped one into him mouth and crunched it loudly. It was good, but the Zerdani did not need them. He was still full from the meat strips he had last night, and he knew he needed to find more water before eating anything else dry.

He stood and stepped over to his pack, undoing the knot with one paw. He put the rest of the nuts inside, and re-tied it, before putting the strap over his shoulder. Once the knife and water skin were also secure, he was ready to travel. He looked to Kiara with anticipation and determination.

[DragonSong]

Alright then, it seemed like they were ready to leave. Kiara hefted her own pack, double checking her sheathed daggers quickly as was her habit. Then she tapped Kit's shoulder briskly. The dragon rumbled low in his chest and bent his forelegs, bringing his front half closer to the ground. "Thanks, love," Kiara told him brightly, gripping one of his spines and using his shoulder as a step to swing herself up onto his back.

She twisted in her seat, leaning down toward their small companion and reaching out a hand. "C'mon then," she said brightly. Kit twisted his head and huffed at Eihmo'tei, waiting.

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei stopped dead in his tracks when he saw this. Kiara was... on Kit's back. He was going to carry them? It was a clever idea, since the bat lizard would be able to cover more ground more quickly than the two could on foot. That's what lizards were built for, and this one was HUGE! However, the reason the Zerdani was hesitant was because he remembered being told last night that Kit was going to fly.

Did he misunderstand? He must have. Surely, Kit was NOT going to fly into the sky with Kiara and him on his back. With newfound caution, he slowly walked over to take Kiara's outstretched paw. Since they met last night, they have been nothing but kind and generous. There was no reason not to trust them now. Eihmo'tei grabbed hold of Kiara with a firm grip. He just hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake...

[DragonSong]

"Here we go," Kiara said, helping Eihmo'tei pull himself up and situate himself in front of her on Kit's back. She was sure he was nervous- hell, she'd been nervous her first time flying, and she was practically bred for this- so she tried to sound comforting as she leaned forward and indicated he should hold on to one of the dragon's spikes. "Kit, tell him he's gonna be fine, we'll make sure he stays safe."

The dragon craned his head around to relay her message, spreading his wings wide as he did. Kiara couldn't help the small flutter of excitement that her heart gave; she loved flying. Granted, she'd never done it with a partner before, but how much different could it be? She reached her arms around Eihmo'tei, gripping a spike for her own security as much to reassure her new friend. "Alright, let's fly!"

Kit rumbled and bunched his legs underneath his body, then launched himself into the air.

[Kalak8538]

From the second he climbed up on Kit's back, Eihmo'tei could feel that something was off. "This was a mistake..." he thought to himself. He got settled in alright, but that is when he grew more concerned. Kiara tried calming him with her voice, but ironically, this made the Zerdani even more nervous. It also didn't help his nerves when Kiara showed him to hold on to one of the bat lizard's spikes. He obeyed, but only held on loosely for now, saying "This was a big mistake." under his breath in his native language.

Now Kit was trying to comfort him. His suspicion and nervous feeling only continued to intensify. Then, the bat lizard readied his wings. Eihmo'tei's little heart dropped. "Oh no!" he said aloud. His eyes grew wide as his jaw and ears dropped. It WAS going to fly! This made the concerned Zerdani mutter to himself "Oh no no no no no..."

He wanted to get off, but he was suddenly surrounded by Kiara. "This was a HUGE mistaaaAAAA-" Before the furry little ball of nerves could finish his sentence, the great creature took off, suddenly cutting their ties to the ground. He tightened his grip on the spike, digging his claws into it as best as he could. Eihmo'tei's eyes clenched shut, as he let out a very loud and high-pitched cry. His heart was beating more quickly than it had ever done before, and the sudden climb made his stomach drop.

It was safe to say that Eihmo'tei was one VERY unhappy Zerdani...

[DragonSong]

"Not too high, Kit!" Kiara called into the wind. "It's his first time flying and all."

And it was quite clear their little friend was not enjoying himself, his babbling in his own language suddenly breaking off into a high pitched cry not unlike a fox's yelp when Kit took to the air. The dragon leveled off with a snort, one powerful beat of his wings shooting them forward (not as fast as their usual pace, but fast enough that the girl was mildly concerned Eihmo'tei may simply pass out). Kiara, unsure how to calm her companion down, raised a hand and hesitantly patted his furry head.

"It's alright," she said calmly. "We do this all the time. See, Kit won't let you fall, and neither will I. Really, it's alright." She closed her eyes and tipped her face into the wind, sighing contentedly. She couldn't help it, despite her panicky flying partner. "We'll get to the city soon, I promise," she continued, tranquil, with Kit translating, "Everything is going to be alright..."

It was better than alright; this was what she was made for. This- the open sky surrounding her, Kit's breath and heartbeat thundering in through her skin- this was home.

[Kalak8538]

When Kit had leveled off, things became more calm. Really, the initial shock of takeoff had subsided. Now tired of screaming, and somewhat used to the sensation of flying, Eihmo'tei was - for the most part - done panicking. He felt the wind through his fur, as well as the hand on top of his head. It actually felt... nice. Kiara's words were as calm and gentle as her touch. He kept his claws embedded in the spike before him, but decided it was safe enough to open his eyes. The Zerdani was dumbfounded by what he saw.

He saw everything at once, as if the entire world was spread out in front of him. Mighty dunes, much larger than anything he had ever known (even Kit), were now only small mounds of sand. He could envision himself walking down there, moving only a fraction of their current speed. It made him a little sick, but at the same time, it felt amazing. The beautiful sight stole all words from his vocabulary. Instead, he began to chuckle. Soon his chuckling grew louder and louder, until it was full laughter. This feeling was beyond anything the Zerdani could even imagine! No one back at his tribe would believe this!

He subconsciously loosened his grip on the scale in front of him, at least until a sudden blast of wind reminded him to hang on. Quickly snapping his vision down to the scale proved to be a mistake. Already looking down, Eihmo'tei looked over the side of the bat lizard. It was then that he realized just how high they were, and it was dizzying. The sense of danger suddenly flooded back into him. Letting out a frightened yelp, the Zerdani once again clenched his eyes and curled his body up around the spike in front of him.

[DragonSong]

For a while it seemed as though Eihmo'tei might be relaxing, maybe even enjoying himself. It sounded like he was laughing, at any rate. Then something changed- perhaps he'd looked down, or a gust of wind had jolted him- and he yelped again, curling himself as close to Kit's body as his position allowed.

"Easy, easy," Kiara soothed, trying to put the thrill of flying from her mind and be more considerate to their extra passenger. She locked her arms on either side of him, palms against Kit's neck, in a sort of "safety brace". She glanced toward the ground, smiling slightly as she watched the desert speed by below them.

She was a forest girl, really; green was her home. She'd never even been this far south before. But, she had to admit, that was something strikingly beautiful about the endless spread of sand, somehow almost glinting in the sunlight. And apparently it produced some interesting people.

Her mind began to wander as she aimless murmured a string of comforting words, thoughts circling around their little companion. What was he exactly? Where had he come from? Were his people common in this part of the world?

Maybe I can get some answers in Essyrn, she thought, glancing up to judge the time. Not much further now, hopefully.

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei's head was still spinning from the sight. When his eyes were closed, it wasn't so bad. The ride was relatively smooth, just really fast. It was then that he felt Kiara's arms on both sides of him, securing him in place. This gave the Zerdani the courage to uncurl himself. He opened his eyes again, and observe the scenery that passed below.

Eihmo'tei's mind had expanded. Before today, the concept of riding an animal was unknown to his race, and riding one into the open sky would have just been a youngling's tale. But now it was really happening! He thought then about his friends that dreamed of flying, that would probably climb a cactus to be in his fur right now. He regret any time he had laughed off that dream of theirs. He saw now what flying had meant to them. To see the whole world from so high up, to see just how small you are, and how vast the world really was. The Zerdani raised his head high, now enjoying the wind that blew through his fur. He could not stop smiling from such a pleasant feeling. Eihmo'tei could see himself getting used to flying, at least, as long as Kiara was there to keep him from falling.

He continued to observe the land beneath them. In the distance was... something. It was way too far away to really make out what it was, but it stood out against the sand that surrounded it. It did not even seem natural, like someone had put it down there. Kit was flying straight towards it. Was it important?

[DragonSong]

"We're getting close," Kit called back to her. Kiara squinted, wishing- not for the first time- that her eyes were as strong as her friend's. She could just glimpse the city on the horizon, though it was approaching fast.

The oasis that surrounded Essyrn, on the other hand, was much easier to make out. Stark green against the golden sand, the glittering ribbon of the Niafi cutting through the sudden foliage, it made a striking sight. "Wow," Kiara murmured, awestruck. She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I gotta say, Eihmo'tei, maybe you desert-folk are on to something."

Kit snorted. She could practically feel him rolling his eyes. "Yes, if it weren't for the heat. And the sandstorms. And the raiding slavers. And the freezing nights. Oh, and the giant sandworms-"

"Are you ever happy?" Kiara snipped, exasperated. "Look, I wasn't thrilled about this trip either. But Da said there was a job here, and gods know we need the work." She realized her voice had been growing progressively louder as her irritation spiked and took a breath. Lowering her tone to be more soothing she added, "Let's not scare our guest, yeah? And you can pick where we go next, deal?"

The dragon grumbled agreement, banking into the wind. The city was quite clearly a city now, no longer a geometric blob in the splashes of green. Kit began his descent, much more gradually than he would have normally in an effort to spare his extra rider.

[Kalak8538]

As they drew closer, Eihmo'tei could see what the strange thing was. It was not - in fact - one thing, but a bunch of things. These must have been giant dwellings, and assembled with such precision in the middle of the greenery. He was awestruck with the sight. The entire rest of the world faded away as he looked on. These strange beings built their homes up from the earth, as opposed to down into it. Eihmo'tei could not comprehend why, but it did not really matter the reason. It was something new and unique.

The Zerdani spoke one word now. "Kaina'na..." (His word for "beautiful").

This must have been Kiara and Kit's tribe. It was just as strange and as awesome as they were. He could not wait to explore it, to see everything it held. His excitement was cut short by the bat lizard's descent. Once again, his stomach dropped with the slight changing of the elevation. He wanted to curl up again, but forced himself not to. He wanted to be brave, and prove to himself that he could handle flying.

[DragonSong]

"Wow,"Kiara breathed as Kit approached the ground. Essyrn's immense wall rose above them as the dragon smoothly touched down, running a few paces to burn through his momentum. She craned her neck back to take it all in. "It really is beautiful," she murmured. Ancient and battered though it was, there was some sort of inexplicable grandeur to it.

Kit snorted in begrudging agreement, shaking his head like a horse trying to rid itself of a fly. He approached the gate set into the stone slowly, wings fanned slightly from his side to help his balance on the shifting sand.

"Alright," Kiara said softly, laying a hand on Eihmo'tei's shoulder, "Once we get into the city, we'll find an inn to stay at, then Kit and I are going to try to find a contact for our...job." She paused, waiting for Kit to translate, then added, "I'm as much a stranger here as you, little friend, so let's stick together, yeah?" She leaned around to smile at him, hoping to convey a confidence that was perhaps only half forced.

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei was absolutely ecstatic! Every part of this was completely beyond what the Zerdani had expected to find. He was kicking himself for his lack of imagination regarding the outside world. His simple mind would have never conceived ideas that such wonders such as this could even exist. The outside structure was perhaps the most dull and uninteresting of what this community had to offer, and even it was simply amazing. It was immense, reaching high into the sky. Looking up to the top nearly gave the little Zerdani vertigo. And to think, just a few minutes ago, he had been soaring much higher than this thing.

The sheer size of the community's dwellings made Eihmo'tei feel very small. Back home, he was the average hight of his race, and the only giant things were the dunes that they dug their burrows into. Lost in thought and astonishment, the Zerdani tuned out everything that happened around him. Even the words of his two comrades simply went in one ear, and out the other. He simply gazed on, with ears perked, and jaw hanging open.

[DragonSong]

"Alright." Kiara let out a sharp breath, squaring her shoulders. "Let's get this over with."

Kit mimicked her movements, rolling his haunches and folding his wings into his side. He raised his head high on his neck as they approached the gate, an instinctive display of confidence he often employed when he was feeling little of it. He was too damn hot; now that hey were out of the air, Kiara could feel the intensity of the sun, particularly the way his black scales seemed to suck it in. She knew he was uncomfortable, so she leaned forward and patted his shoulder.

They were at the gate. Two guards wearing Essyrni purple and gold kilt-like garments, bare chested, eyes lined thickly in kohl, straightened up to attention at their approach. "State your name and origin," the one on the left drawled lazily in accented Common.

"Kiara and Kit of Adela, and Eihmo'tei of..." she trailed off, then finished lamely, "of the Moraki."

The one on the right looked them over. Kiara noticed his eyes linger on her small companion, then...on her? Honestly, wasn't the dragon more interesting?  "Business?" he asked.

"We were recommended here for a job transporting goods," Kiara told him. Kit snorted, shifting impatiently underneath her.

"Very well." The guards nodded and stood to the side. They must have given some sort of signal because the gate began to creak open. "Welcome to the nation of Essyrn."

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei snapped out of his daze when kit approached the giant door. In front of it were two more giants that resembled Kiara's kind. Although, they did not seem very friendly. The Zerdani was nervous again.

They spoke with a commanding authority that made the situation more frightening. It was lucky that Kiara spoke their language, and she seemed to know exactly what to tell them. One part was his own name. At first, Eihmo'tei wondered what they needed his name for, but then remembered he was a stranger here. This was disconcerting, knowing that he may not be accepted - or even welcome - in the giant tribe. Soon, the door slowly opened, revealing the community within. It was MUCH more amazing up close and at ground level. The initial shock of all the new things instantly stunned the little Zerdani. All he could do was let out an small, excited squeak. From the new sights to the new scents, everything was... OVERWHELMING! For a moment, Eihmo'tei though he was going to fall off of Kit's back. Maybe he would have if... "Uh oh..."

While they had been flying, Eihmo'tei was so scared that he dug his claws right into the softer outer layer of Kit's dorsal spike. Over time, it was buried deeper and deeper. Now, he realized that his claws... were stuck. He was calm at first, trying to simply pull them out without causing himself pain. However, as this efforts proved more and more futile, he started becoming more frantic.

[DragonSong]

"Holy..." Kiara couldn't find an expletive that would properly finish her exclamation. Kit stepped into the city, and it was like walking into another world.

She gaped around at the buildings, the people, the colors. She'd never seen anything like it! Even cynical, never-impressed Kit paused, scanning his head around to take in the great city-state. "Alright," he conceded quietly, "this is...interesting."

Kiara nodded agreement, watching a group of brightly painted and spangled people pass to their left. As dragons were wont to do, Kit made a bit of a spectacle walking right into the middle of this crowded street; but the Essyrni people must have either been used to strange visitors or simply very good at hiding their curiosity, because no one did more than give than a passing glance or two.

Still, she didn't love even that bit of attention. Maybe if they got off Kit's back, walked in his shadow, it would be more comfortable. "C'mon, Eihmo'tei," she said, patting the smaller creature's shoulder as she swung her legs to one side of Kit's girth, ready to slide down. "Our own feet could use some work today."

It was only then that she noticed Eihmo'tei's predicament. It seemed he couldn't let go of Kit's spine. She frowned, tilting her head, signalling the dragon with a soft press of her leg to move off to the side of the road so they wouldn't be so conspicuous. "What's the matter?" she asked, Kit craning his head around- both to translate and to see what the problem was. "Look, I know new places are scary, but you've got to let go sometime-"

Kit gave an exasperated huff. "He can't," he grumbled, rolling his golden eyes skyward. "His claws are stuck."

Kiara's jaw dropped. She took a closer look and saw that the dragon was right; somehow Eihmo'tei had managed to dig his claws so far into the spike that they refused to come back out. "Oh damn." She bit her lip, then snipped at Kit, "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

The dragon shrugged, both her and Eihmo'tei rising and falling with the motion. "I didn't notice," he responded, seeming very calm for someone with a small fox-boy now attached to his back. Kiara grumbled in annoyance, tugging experimentally at Eihmo'tei's hand, hoping she didn't hurt him.

[Kalak8538]

Despite his or even Kiara's best efforts, Eihmo'tei's fox-like claws were lodged firmly into the creature's spine. His eyes became glassy, not because he was in pain, but rather because the pure hopelessness of his predicament. Here he was, in a completely new land, just waiting to be explored! All around were new beings to observe, new sights to witness, and new scents and sound to investigate. The Zerdani wanted to learn everything there was to learn about this place, but his own paws had betrayed him. Not only could he not use either of them, but they were attached to the back of a giant bat lizard!

He could not accept this! He simply couldn't! There was no way he was going to be stuck to Kit the whole time they were in this mysterious place, he was simply too determined to be free. He continued tugging wildly, trying to get unstuck. The discomfort Eihmo'tei had been feeling in his fingertips evolved into a slight pain, but he didn't care. Soon realizing that just pulling was futile, he tried another idea. Bringing his face down, he tried to break the nails with his teeth. Again, this was a failure. His muzzle was narrow, but not narrow enough. He could not get a single tooth close enough to even touch the nail. The spine itself kept his face from getting at the proper angle needed to accomplish this.

The Zerdani eventually had no choice but to give up. A single tear rolled down his fuzzy cheek. Aside from chewing off his own fingers, there was nothing else the Zerdani could think of to free himself...

[DragonSong]

"Oi, stop that," Kit rumbled awkwardly as Eihmo'tei started to sniffle.

"Yes, really helpful and comforting, thank you," Kiara sighed, smacking his muzzle away lightly. The dragon snorted but didn't argue, probably because if anyone was worse with dealing with emotional outbursts than her it was her dragon.

"Excuse me?"

Both she and Kit whipped their heads around to find the owner of this new voice. A young man, maybe a few years older than Kiara, had stepped out of the bustling crowd and moved toward them, head tilted curiously. "Are you...having some trouble?" the stranger asked, taking another step closer.

Kit growled and Kiara moved instinctively to shield Eihmo'tei, but she managed to remember enough manners to say, "Shh, Kit, it's alright." Then she addressed the newcomer, eyeing him in a practiced way. He seemed to be a native; black hair and eyes with nut brown skin, wearing loose linen pants and some sort of open vest. He had something in his hand, a vial of some kind half full of semi-clear liquid. "If we were?" she said cautiously.

The stranger smiled. "Then, I would tell you this is the answer to your problems." He held the bottle up. "Your little friend is stuck, yes? Some of this oil and everything's fixed!" His accent was heavier than the guards, though he was certainly friendlier.

Kit shifted, rumbling low in his chest. He didn't like this, thought it was probably some kind of scam. Kiara agreed, but she really didn't see what their other options were. Besides, it didn't need to be a miracle potion, just something slippery enough to unstick Eihmo'tei's claws. "How much?" she asked.

"Six silvers," the man answered promptly.

Kiara's eyes widened. "Do I get you for the day, too?" she quipped, searching out her coin purse from her pack. "Tell you what, I'll give you two silvers and..." she hunted around a bit more until her fingers brushed something serviceable, concluding with, "an Adelan luck charm," as she pulled out a carved pendant strung onto a leather thong. The charm was simple, but elegant, a twisting dragon with outstretched wings painted in red and gold.

The man's eyes flickered between her and the charm, face stony. Then he suddenly broke into a smile, saying, "Deal," as he tossed the bottle up to her. She returned the gesture, tossing the coins and necklace in his direction before uncorking the vial and dripping the fragrant oil onto Eihmo'tei's claws.