The Journey Continues! (DragonSong)

[Kalak8538]

The Zerdani had only been asleep for a short amount of time. As he slept, he had a very vivid dream.

Eihmo'tei woke up in nearly complete darkness, which was confusing him. "Where am I? Is this... sand?" It was, in fact, sand. Upon further inspection, it turned out that he was in his home den. Getting his bearings, he crawled out to find that he was in the middle of his home community. "How...? But I... left?" Everything seemed completely normal. Younglings were playing, elders were conversing, hunters had returned with their catches. Everything was exactly how he left it.

He tried speaking with some of his fellow tribesmen. Whenever he mentioned giants, or flying bat lizards, or tall structures made of stone, he was answered with laughter and sneers. "Sounds like a fancy dream!" one said. It couldn't have been a dream, right? It felt so real... THIS was the dream! It had to be. Right?

The more time he spent here, the more reality slipped away. This was becoming the reality, and Eihmo'tei was beginning to accept it. Actually, it almost felt good to be home again. Soon, the sand became harder and harder to walk on. Before long, it seemed to slip out from under his feet. He fell to the floor with barely enough time to brace himself.

THUD!!!

Eihmo'tei awoke on the hard floor of the inn. The true reality flooded back into him as he glanced around. "It was only a dream." he thought aloud. That dream was nearly enough to make the Zerdani depressed. It was then that a grim realization struck him: During Kit's flight, he had completely forgotten to keep track of which direction he had traveled. He had no idea how to get home!

[DragonSong]

Kiara jumped slightly, startled by the sudden noise. She turned to see Eihmo'tei on the floor and moved to help him, chuckling. "Well, that'll wake you up," she said jovially, kneeling next to him. "You alright though? That's a decent fall, for someone your size..."

Peering closer at his face, she thought he looked- upset. Rather, distressed seemed like a more appropriate word. "Hey, everything okay?" she asked, concerned. She waved a hand impatiently toward the balcony. "Help me out here, Kit, ask him what's up. I think something's wrong..."

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei stood up, and walked over to the corner of the room.

"I am fine..." he muttered in his native tongue.

He began to remove his pack and other effects, something he had foolishly forgotten to do before dozing off. He gently placed them on the floor right where the two walls met. He even removed his stone knife from its sheath, and placed it down. He turned around to face his friends.

"It was only a dream. Do not worry..."

He spoke serenely, and gave a smile, although eyes still reflected a hint of sadness. He was still troubled by his dream, even more so since coming to the realization that he did not know the way back. However, he was not going to burden his friends with his  personal problems. Putting his paws together and holding them to the side of his head like Kiara had done before, he continued. "I just need sleep."

The next few words were of Kiara's language (or so he thought). "Takka napp..."

[DragonSong]

"A bad dream, I think," Kit translated when Eihmo'tei began to speak.

Kiara didn't need his help interpreting the next message, lips twitching in a half smile at the rather botched Common. "Okay," she told him, "you stay here and get some rest. Kit will look out for you." She through the dragon a look that said he'd better. "I'm gonna go see if I can score us that job." She moved toward the door.

"By yourself?!" Kit exclaimed, stretching further into his back legs to try to get his head fully onto the balcony.

Kiara waved him off. "Oh, you worry too much. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself." She blew him a kiss, threw the fox-boy a smile, and slipped out of the room.

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei climbed up on the bed and curled up at the end, making sure to leave room for Kiara when she returned. He tried to fall asleep, but just could not. The dream of home was burned into his mind and made his heart heavy. He thought about all the new things he had seen in the past few days. It had not even been a week since he was actually home, and already he had experienced so much.

He laid awake on the bed, his mind too active to allow sleep. Now it had been about a half hour since Kiara had left. The Zerdani wondered where she had gone that was taking so long. Kit was still outside, maybe he could ask him. Somehow, the giant bat lizard was able to understand him, and also communicate back. Although Eihmo'tei did not understand how this was, he had to admit it made things much easier when trying to communicate with Kiara.

He called out to Kit. "Kit? Where has Kii'Arah gone?"

[DragonSong]

The little fox-man-thing was calling him. Kit opened his eyes lazily and took his time meandering over to the balcony to crane his head over the edge. On the bed, but not asleep. Strange. Kiara did that sometimes, when she was worried.

He'd asked a question, the dragon remembered. "She's gone to meet someone who may give us a job," Kit explained. He stretched his jaw open wide into a yawn. "She- ahh- probably won't be back for at least an hour." He was about to turn around and return to his sun-soaked napping, but Kiara's pestering voice was suddenly in his head, reminding him to be civil. He bit back a growl and asked, grudgingly, "Do you need something?"

It wasn't that he didn't like Eihmo'tei- actually, as far as two leggers went, he wasn't so bad. But Kit had never been much of a fan of "people", apart from Kiara, and being sociable did not come naturally to him. Still, he put forth an effort (or as much of one as he could muster).

****************************************************************************

Several streets away, in what appeared to be some sort of market district, Kiara had hit a dead end. No one seemed to know a "Kadar Vizari", and the address her father had given her turned out to be an abandoned shopfront. She cursed under her breath. She'd thought maybe, just once, he'd come through for her- but no. Of course his scattered mind couldn't dredge up the proper details. Hell, this Vizari guy might be dead by now, if he'd ever actually existed at all!

She sighed and made for the side street that she thought was a shortcut back to the inn. At least, she tried; she was stopped by a small Essyrni girl wearing a slave's veil running out in front of her and calling, "Miss Kiara?"

She stopped, startled and wary that her name was known, no matter how harmless the child looked. "Who wants to know?" she asked, hand moving toward the hilt of her dagger.

"Master Kadar wants to meet with you. He heard you've been asking for him," the girl said, completely unafraid. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked back through the market, obviously expecting Kiara to follow.

Which she did, after a long moment of hesitation. I must be out of my mind, she decided. She hoped Kit and Eihmo'tei would come looking if she was gone too long...

[Kalak8538]

The Zerdani with his simple mind understood nearly nothing that Kit had said. All he gathered from it was:

"So, she has gone hunting? What work do these giants do?"

As much as the creature tried to hide it, Eihmo'tei could tell he was annoyed. Either at his questioning, or at something else. He decided it was best not to trouble him any more.

"Nevermind. I do not need anything. I was only... curious."

He had, in fact, told the truth. He WAS curious about Kiara's whereabouts, but not because he was worried or anything. The room felt empty and lonely, and he secretly wished she would come back. With his newfound insomnia, the Zerdani thought he would feel better if he had someone to talk to. Apparently this was not the case. At least, not with Kit.

"I am sorry for disturbing you Kit..." he said with an apologetic tone.

[DragonSong]

Kit sighed, closing his eyes. Great, he was being all contrite. Kiara was really going to tear him a new one when she got back. "You don't have to apologize," he grumbled, letting his head rest on the rail of the balcony. "It's probably boring for you, cooped up in here."

To his surprise, he found he actually felt sympathy for the little creature. Then, before he was quite aware of what he was saying, he found the words spilling out: "Why don't we go for a walk. You know, see the city, blow off some steam before Kiara gets back."

[Kalak8538]

Kit offered to go walking in the city. Eihmo'tei was not exactly feeling up for it, but decided that exploring the city some more may take his mind off his troubling thoughts. It was best to go.

"Aya." he said, slowly crawling off the bed.

He walked over to the balcony. If it held Kiara before, and Kit's head now, surely it could withstand his weight. There was a question the Zerdani wanted to ask him before they left. He hoped he was not overstepping any boundaries.

"May I ride on your back? Just like before?"

[DragonSong]

Kit snorted. Stretching his head further onto the balcony, he grunted, "Sure. It's not like you're heavy." The dragon rocked further onto his hind legs, flicking his eyes from Eihmo'tei to his own shoulder to indicate the fox-boy should use his neck as a ladder to climb on. "Just don't get stuck this time, yeah?"

*******************************************************************************

"I understand you're looking for a job."

Kiara eyed the man, sitting ramrod straight in the chair she had been offered upon entering this hole-in-the-wall "office" of his. Kadar Vizari was older than she'd expected, and rather soft around the middle. But that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous- best to be wary.

"Yes," she replied cautiously.

"And who gave you my name?" He steepled his fingers in front of his nose, quirking an eyebrow.

"A fae creature called Aeolthaine," she replied evenly.

Kadar smiled. "I believe we can do business."

[Kalak8538]

From what Eihmo'tei could tell, the bat lizard agreed. Truthfully, the Zerdani did not expect him to. But, the black scaled creature wanted him to climb on from there? This would be difficult...

Before making any attempt, a thought popped into Eihmo'tei's head. He quickly ran over to get his waterskin, remembering that it needed to be filled. While there, he also picked up his crude stone knife. You never know when you'll need a cutting tool, after all.

Walking back to the balcony, he secured the waterskin to his twine belt. Now to climb to Kit's back. It took a few moments of planning and mental preparation, but Eihmo'tei slowly and carefully climbed over the balcony. This was still an impressive hight for him, and the last thing he wanted to do was fall. His paws got an easy grip on Kit's scales, which made this easier. One short brazen hop, and he was able to make full contact with the lizard's armored neck. Cautiously, he continued down until he made it to the shoulder. Now all that was left was for him to lower himself to all fours.

It went much better than expected. The Zerdani was proud of this simple achievement, expressing it with a slight silly grin.

[DragonSong]

Kit waited impatiently for the little creature to situate himself, huffing out a breath off smoke. Once Eihmo'tei seemed secure, he lowered himself back onto all fours, resisting the urge to twitch his shoulders as a horse might do to rid itself of a fly.

"Alright back there?" he asked- not really expecting an answer, more for the form of the thing- and craned his head around to check on his tiny passenger. He seemed comfortable enough. With a satisfied snort, the dragon set off out of the courtyard of the inn and into the city.

*******************************************************************************

Kiara's jaw dropped open. "You want me to do what?"

*******************************************************************************

Kit paused. Something was up. He'd felt a jolt of shock that was most certainly not his own- while he and Kiara weren't always connected, an intense enough emotion from one could be felt by the other. He growled softly, hackles coming up subconsciously.

"Change of plans," he told Eihmo'tei. "We're going to find Kiara."

[Kalak8538]

"Is she not... working?"

Eihmo'tei was concerned by Kit's tone. He seemed almost... worried. Was something bad happening? Was Kiara in trouble?

"What is wrong? Do you know where she is?"

[DragonSong]

"Everything is fine," Kit muttered, trying to sound reassuring (rather difficult for a dragon's voice). "We're just going to check on her." He hoped. Ignoring the stares of the people thronging through the streets, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, parting his jaws slightly.

Her scent was faint, drowned out by the dozens of oils and spices and so many people, but it was there. He snorted and set off after it at a brisk pace, warning Eihmo'tei, "Hold on."

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei obeyed. He held on tight, knowing (or at the very least, hoping) that he would not begin flying in such a crowded place. There was reason to believe that Kiara needed checking up on, and Kit was already well on his way.

"Alright, let's go."

[DragonSong]

Kiara was out of it, admittedly. Twice she almost ran into someone walking the opposite direction, apologizing distractedly. Kadar Vizari's offer circled round and round in her head, thundering against the inside of her skull.

She almost ran into a third person, glancing up to apologize. The words fizzled out in her throat. The tall woman wore the veil of a slave, barely pausing to give her an annoyed look before hurrying after a richly dressed young woman who must have been her mistress. She wasn't a stranger to slavery- they had it back in Adela after all- but after her meeting with Kadar, the idea of it came storming to the front of her mind.

"Kiara!"

She suddenly jerked back to the present at the call, looking around for the familiar voice. She found its owner standing in the middle of the street, forcing the crowds to part around him. "Kit?" She hurried toward him, worried. "What's the matter? Where's Eihmo'tei?" then her eyes lit on the figure on the dragon's back. She reached up as he stretched his head down, scratching his nose. "What's going on?"

Kit snorted. "That's my question. Something shocked you, I thought you might be in trouble."

Kiara sighed, leaning her forehead against his. "Let's head back to the inn," she said quietly, shooting Eihmo'tei a wave and a slightly forced smile. "We need to talk."

[Kalak8538]

Walking through the city was actually nice the second time around. This time, the Zerdani kept his attention on one thing at a time. He noticed now that he and Kit were attracting a lot of attention. It was a bit unsettling having so many eyes on him.

Eventually they met up with Kiara, who appeared a little more... off... than she usually was. Eihmo'tei was glad that she did not appear to be in any danger, but she and Kit still seemed to be troubled by something.

Kit turned himself around and began walking in the direction from which they had come. The Zerdani realized they were heading back to the inn. From up on Kit's back, he noticed an opulent fountain in the distance, past the crowds of giants. He started climbing down the great lizard's side, hopping off to the floor when he was half way down.

"I am going for water!" He called out in his native tongue before dashing into the crowd.

[DragonSong]

"Eihmo'tei, what-?!" Kiara started after him, startled by his sudden break. She stopped when Kit rumbled out a chuckle. "What is he doing?" she asked the dragon, mystified.

He laughed again. "Getting water, I think," he replied, shaking his head in a fondly amused sort of way. "Strange little creature."

Kiara swatted at his shoulder. "He's probably used to fighting for survival, out there in the Moraki." She started after the fox-boy, murmuring apologies as she shouldered her way through the crowd. "Eihmo'tei," she called as they got closer to the fountain. "Come one, we can get you water back at the inn."

[Kalak8538]

This was not very well planned...

From atop of Kit, the distance to the fountain seemed shorter than it actually was. The sheer number of giants also was not helping. Some he had to nudge out of the way or squeeze between, but many just moved away when they saw him coming. The reactions to him ranged from apathy to pure shock. Some cried out, perhaps thinking he was some common loose animal.

In the middle of the crowd, it was difficult for Eihmo'tei to navigate. Luckily, he had a great sense of direction honed by years of living in the desertlands. If it hadn't been for this, he would have gotten lost for sure. Eventually, he made it to the fountain. Truly, it was a thing of pure beauty. It stood a lot taller than the Zerdani had originally though. Surrounding it was a fine collection of greenery that only enhanced its splendor.

Eihmo'tei was more interested in the water that was spit out of the centers of little carven stone flowers into the tub below them. He undid the tie that kept his waterskin secured to his belt. Without thinking, he climbed up and over the edge of the tub and splashed down into the water. This drew concerned gasps from the crowd. He rolled around in the water, making sure to drink his fill, as well as to get his fur soaked to better combat the sun's harsh rays. Finally holding the waterskin underwater to fill it up, the Zerdani glanced around.

To his surprise, everyone was just staring at him, making sure to keep their distance. They bore such abhorrent expressions on their faces. Eihmo'tei wondered what he did to deserve such shocked looks. If anything he wondered why none of the giants would join him. Surely there was enough here for everyone. He scanned the crowd for Kiara, but became concerned when he did not spot her. She must have been waiting for him, but... in which direction?

That was when Eihmo'tei realized (belatedly) that he had been too hasty with his actions.

[DragonSong]

Kit was laughing in earnest now. Kiara scowled at him, trying to push her way through the crowd that had started to form, gaping at her little friend. "Pardon me. Excuse me. Let me through please."

No one budged. And Kit certainly wasn't being helpful. Letting out a sharp, exasperated breath she put her hands on her hips and muttered, "Fine." Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed, "Everybody MOVE!!"

The people jumped and shifted away from her on instinct, shooting her dirty looks and muttering in Essyrni. "Thank you," she said with a smile, making her way toward the fountain. "Oh, Eihmo'tei," she sighed when she saw the state he was in. Holding out her hand she coaxed, "Come on, get out of there before some calls the constables on us."