Reunion by the Sea {DragonSong}

[Kalak8538]

"Thief!"

"THIEF!!!"

There was commotion in the streets of Cerenis as men clad in light armor chased a creature from one of the market stalls. Running on all fours, the creature in question had an appearance no different form a desert fox. It darted down the cobblestones and between the stupefied crowds holding a cut of raw meat between its jaws.

The authorities, being considerably larger and bulkier than the nimble beast, faltered in their pursuit through the busy streets. This gave the fox a considerable lead. By now, his small form was greatly obscured by the much larger people around him. All he had to do was duck in between buildings and find a place to hide. He did so quickly, without scanning his surroundings for anyone that may have been watching at that moment.

The guards were eluded for now, but the fox knew he had to get out of sight before they caught up again. Thankfully, the alleyway was not at all clean. All it took was a swift dive into a forgotten pile of refuse, and the little thief was gone to the world. His heart raced as the flustered authorities passed by...

[DragonSong]

For once without her dragon at her side, Kiara's eyes widened as she made a quick sidestep to avoid the charging guards. Her eyes flickered around as she heard the cries of thievery, and caught just the barest flash of movement from an alley.

Cautiously, making sure not to catch any unwanted attention, she slipped into the alley.

The figure she'd seen had been small, probably a child. She sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Alright, come on out," she said softly, tossing the apple she'd been snacking on into the air a few times. "I'm not gonna turn you in, kid, but I've gotta return whatever you stole." She knelt and held the apple out toward the pile of shivering trash. "Trade?"

[Kalak8538]

At first, there was no answer from the pile. The creature kept hidden thinking in vain that the one speaking to him would lose interest and go away. A few moments proved the opposite however, and the pile began to stir when it was obvious that there was no other choice.

One dirty cloth rose up, separating only slightly from the rest of the refuse. The one that was hidden chose to remain so, keeping as obscured as possible. Only eyes could be seen, glowing green as they reflected the light from the streets.

"No, go. Go now. Shoo." it barked quietly with the words humans used to make it leave. The creature figured the same would work now, to make this one leave it alone.

[DragonSong]

Kiara froze, startled by the creature's appearance. Almost animalistic.

She frowned. "What...are you?"

[Kalak8538]

The creature became increasingly desperate with each passing second. As the woman stood there and spoke to the pile, the risk of drawing unwanted attention grew. The creature rose and exposed its head fully, its large pointed ears still weighed down by the dirty cloth it was wearing on its head.

"Go Away!"

The mottled and dirty face of the small fox-like creature was scrunched up in annoyance. Canines were bared in an attempt of intimidation. Of course, it would have been more frightening if the pitch of the fox's voice was lower...

[DragonSong]

The dragonrider's eyes widened. "What the..."

She'd only met a creature like this once before. What were the odds?

"Hey, you're a-- a..." She struggled to remember the word. "Damnit, what did Eemo call them?"

[Kalak8538]

The fox's demeanor shifted, from annoyed frustration to confused contemplation. The word reached his ears: "Eemo". It bounced around in the little creature's head, repeating over and over like an echo. It was a word that held much significance. It was the fox's own, or rather, a shortened version of it. There was really only one of these big creatures that knew that nickname.

"Eemo... Eihmo'tei?" he inquired curiously.

There was one important question that needed to be asked now. The fox could feel his quivering heart rise into his throat, as a single tear began to well up in his left eye. Overcoming his nerves, the fox mustered the courage to ask it.

"Ki-Kiara? That... That is you?"

[DragonSong]

Her jaw dropped. "Oh-- oh my--"

She clapped a hand to her mouth and crouched a little lower. "Oh my gods! Eihmo'tei?!"

She held a hand out to him, shaking slightly. This was just unbelievable-- but what were the chances it was someone else, really?

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei visibly crumbled under the weight of sheer emotion. In this one moment, the little fox was overcome with an intense happiness he had not felt in a long time. Tears streamed from both eyes now as he processed the situation.

"Kiara!!!" he cried out, launching himself from the pile.

Moons of hardship navigating the cruel city streets were forgotten instantly as he leapt to embrace his long lost friend. The fox sobbed without restraint as he attempted to lovingly latch on to Kiara.

[DragonSong]

"O-oh!" Kiara rocked back on her heels as the little fox jumped into her arms. She quickly wrapped him into a tight hug, patting his back as he sobbed into her shoulder. "It's alright, I've got you," she murmured, feeling a little teary herself.

Sniffling, she tried to peel him off so she could hold him at arm's length and look him over. "Where have you been? What happened?"

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei wanted to respond. He wanted to tell his friend everything, about all he had been through since they were separated. Unfortunately, any word he tried to form was choked by the incessant crying. Nothing more than hard sounds escaped his throat between sobs. All he could really do in this moment was hug Kiara tighter and bury his face into her shoulder.

[DragonSong]

"Okay, it's okay." She patted his back again and slowly stood, still hugging her small friend to her chest. "Look, Kit's just outside town. Do you wanna come see him? We have some food and stuff, we can eat and-- and talk."

[Kalak8538]

Eihmo'tei rested his chin over Kiara's shoulder. Despite being consumed by euphoria, he was beginning to calm. After some sniffling, he replied as best as he could.

"Y-Yesss..."

The fox remained attached for as long as his friend would allow. In the excitement, the prime scrap of meat remained forsaken by him in the refuse of the alleyway.

[DragonSong]

"Alright, little one, it's alright," Kiara soothed, hugging him a little tighter. She turned her back on the alley and walked out onto the main street, fiddling with the edge of her traveling cloak a bit to wrap it around her friend.

[Kalak8538]

During the trip, Eihmo'tei kept still. During his time spent in the bustling seaside city, the little fox had proven himself to be quite the pest. Surely, some guards would come after him if they saw where he was. For this reason, he kept his head as low as possible, and stayed in the safety of his friend's embrace.

[DragonSong]

It didn't take long to get out of town to where Kit waited. Before girl and fox were even in sight, the dragon had raised his head and scented the air curiously.

Was that...?"

"Hey, Kit!" Kiara called cheerfully as she approached, and he snorted, eyes wide as he stared at the little creature clutched in her arms. "I found someone who wanted to say hi."

[Kalak8538]

Upon seeing the dragon once more, memories flashed in the Zerdani's head rapidly enough to almost make him dizzy. Eihmo'tei flung himself from his friend's arms and darted toward the great creature. He was free of the confines and people of the city. There was no need to further avoid attention.

The fox was an emotional mess, and made no effort to hide it. He raced forward to once again meet up with the dragon he had missed for so long.

[DragonSong]

It took Kit a moment to overcome his shook, but once he had he lowered his head with a soft, rumbling croon and nuzzled the Zerdani gently, flicking his sandpaper tongue out to lick his cheek.

Kiara watched with a smile, rocking back on one heel and tilted her head. "Eemo, where've you been?" she asked softly after a few moments, kneeling down to be on his level.

[Kalak8538]

The little fox nestled himself anywhere he could amongst the black scales of the massive dragon. This was the safest he had felt in such a long time. He was feeling a blissful mix of excitement, relief, and nostalgia. This carried on for some time, but as the time passed, Eihmo'tei was able to sufficiently calm down.

All he could do was wipe tears from his eyes as Kiara asked a question of him. There was much he could say, but the Zerdani knew not how, or even where, to start.

"So much... so much..." he spoke at last. The common tongue was still new to Eihmo'tei, and his bestial accent was still present.

[DragonSong]

"Shh, it's okay." Kiara settled herself with Eihmo'tei between the dragon's front paws, patting his shoulder with a soft smile. "Just take your time, okay? I'm right here."