Spirits of the Earth

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

"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.

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...

"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.

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.

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.

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?

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

"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."

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.

"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.

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...

"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.

Eihmo'tei was taken off guard by the stranger, but seemingly not as much as his two friends. The way they reacted to this one's approach made him nervous. The two of them being on guard suddenly made him think that there was some sort of danger here, and this feeling intensified from feeling trapped. It did not last however. After only a few seconds, the tension was gone, and everything was calm again.

All Eihmo'tei could do was look on as Kiara negotiated with the stranger.  They were bartering, just as the Zerdani tribes did sometimes, trading some things for other things that were needed. He had given her some strange clear object with liquid inside, and in return, she had given some shiny bits and a very nice looking piece of jewelry. The Zerdani knew that she had done this for him, and felt guilty. She had given up such a treasure for his sake, all because he had foolishly gotten himself stuck.

The thick liquid soaked into the fur of Eihmo'tei's fingers. He understood what this was meant to do, and did his best to work with it. Up and down he wiggled his claws, hoping to get enough space between them and spine so that the liquid could seep in. There was, in fact, only a small amount of space there, but it was enough. A few minutes of wiggling later, his now slick claws quickly slid out of Kit's spike!

The Zerdani nearly fell off from the sudden give, but managed to re-balance himself. Looking at his shining claws, he chuckled with the relief he felt. "I am free!"

His happiness was short lived, however, for the Zerdani remembered what Kiara had given up for him. Getting up now, he turned around and balanced himself on Kit's awkward back. He grabbed the necklace of bone, twine, and stone from around his neck and lifted it around his head, expertly moving his ears and chin so as to not get it caught. Holding it in front of himself, he looked to Kiara. His eyes were apologetic, and his ears drooped down. "Take this Kii'arah. For the one you lost. I am sorry..."

Kiara let out a quick breath of relief, smiling at Eihmo'tei as his claws came free. Kit shook his head quickly; while his spikes were like her fingernails as far as sensitivity was concerned, it must be nice to no longer have someone attached to one.

She was surprised, then, when he stood and turned, balancing precariously on Kit's back as he pulled the necklace he wore over his head and held it out to her. He said something in his own language, every line of his body portraying remorse. She blinked, unsure how to react. "Um..."

"He says it's in exchange for something," Kit told her. "I think...because you gave that bauble away to him." He jerked his head toward the still grinning Essyrni trader.

"Oh." She raised her hands peaceably, smiling again. "No no no, tell him it's alright, really." Kit started translating, and she was suddenly reminded of their surroundings by a soft clearing of a throat.

"Excuse me," the trader said, "but I assume you are new to our fair city. Do you need a place to stay?"

"Ah-" Kiara glanced back and forth between them. Carrying on two conversations was hard enough when everyone spoke the same language, let alone this. "Actually, if you could point us in the direction of a good lodging house, we'd be very grateful," she told him, nodding, before looking back to Eihmo'tei with a reassuring smile, signalling for him to keep his treasure.

The Zerdani reluctantly brought the necklace back to his own chest. Jewelry (although primitive and crude) is very important in Zerdani culture. Perhaps this was not so in Kiara's culture? Eihmo'tei felt guilty that she had given away such a treasure for his sake, but if she wouldn't accept the necklace, he could not force her to take it.

With necklace still in paw, his attention snapped back to the stranger. He and Kiara exchanged words in the same language. Eihmo'tei listened to the words very carefully, trying to discern meaning based on tone. It was utterly hopeless. Even if he knew what words they were saying, he didn't understand anything about the giants, and would not understand the meaning of their words. Still, the language was fascinating. Maybe later, he could try asking Kiara to teach him it.

He pulled the necklace hack over his head for now. The only thing the Zerdani could do was continue listening in on their conversation...

"My brother runs an inn, just a few streets over," the happy trader told her. "There's a large courtyard, I'm sure your dragon will be comfortable."

Kiara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course his brother ran an inn. Still, there probably weren't a lot of places that Kit would be able to stay near them. "Alright, lead the way. Sir." She remembered, belatedly, what her father had told her about Essyrn and manners.

The man beamed and set off. Kit grumbled something about not needing a stable like a damn horse but followed. Kiara returned her attention to Eihmo'tei, smiling. "This man is going to take us to a place where we can stay," she explained while Kit through translations over his shoulder. She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back, blinking against the glare from the sun. "Whew. I dunno about you, but I could use a bath," she laughed, rubbing Kit's side with her leg to get at the itchy patch of scales on his flank that had been bothering him since they landed.

Several words later, and the group was off again. Eihmo'tei re-adjusted himself on Kit's back, making an active effort to keep his paws away from the lizard's spines.

They were heading for shelter, this much was certain. Although the curious Zerdani did not want to find shelter yet, but decided that Kiara and Kit knew what was best. He gave a nod to convey that he understood them, even if he did not understand every word. Eihmo'tei diligently scanned his surroundings as they all continued down the bustling streets of Essyrn. At first, all the sights, all the scents, and all the sounds were amazing and exciting to the simple Zerdani. He saw giant, immaculate dwellings, adorned with different colors and patterns. There was food that was beyond imagination, featuring smells that had never been known to Eihmo'tei or his kind. The clothing of the natives ranged from pretty and fancy, to more simple and ragged. Even the latter was fascinating to him. All around, the sounds of conversation in that strange language rang out from every direction.

Eihmo'tei made the mistake of trying to take everything in at once. His tiny head was spinning from the sheer hustle and bustle of the city. He spaced out, and everything around him blurred together. Slowly, he began to slide down Kit's side, completely unaware that he was doing so. His vision began to fail him, as did his other senses. His simple mind was overwhelmed, and the speed of his sliding accelerated. The Zerdani was about to completely black out.

"Whoa boy!" Kiara felt Eihmo'tei start to slip in front of her and reached out, just barely managing to grab him around the middle before he fell off the dragon's back. "Hey, hey you alright? Eihmo'tei?" She shook him lightly, but he was unresponsive, though at least breathing.

Kit halted, twisting his head around to see what was going on. He acted sour, but despite himself the dragon had come to care about their little companion, at least a bit. Their guide saw the problem and backtracked, asking, "What is the problem?"

"I think he's fainted," Kiara said, shaking her little friend again, trying to be gentle but panicking a little. She looked up to their guide, eyes wide. "Let's get him out of the sun, and water, I think we need water, maybe?"

The man nodded, setting off at a brisker pace with Kit trotting behind him. Kiara cradled Eihmo'tei in one arm, using her other to steady herself against the dragon's uneven gate. That strange thing happened to time, where it seemed both impossible slow and impossibly fast, but soon enough they approached a whitewashed building that glinted in the sun.

"I will get my brother," the trader told her as the entered the courtyard, then took off. Kiara slid down Kit's flank, sheltering herself and the fox-boy under the shade of his wing.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered, sitting cross-legged and propping Eihmo'tei up with one arm. "You okay? Please be okay."

Although never completely closed, Eihmo'tei's eyes opened up completely when he snapped out of his daze. The faintness he had been feeling had nearly disappeared, although his head was hurting a bit. Perhaps shelter WAS a good idea after all.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Eihmo'tei was debating letting Kiara carry him the rest of the way. The lack of sleep from last night was starting to get to him. Rest was what was needed now. He was sure of it. However, if he did that, his new friends might think him weak and frail. He had to use this opportunity to show them that he could stand on his own two feet (both figuratively and literally). Once his toes gained purchase on the ground, he used his own strength to stand himself up. Everything was fine now. The initial shock had dissipated. "Thank you Kii'arah. I am fine now." The little Zerdani spoke this with relative confidence.

Eihmo'tei knew what had done this. There was simply too much to take in here, and he did a poor job processing it. In this community, there were probably more giants on one street than there were Zerdani in his entire tribe. He still couldn't believe it all, and he was witnessing it! He gave a slight chuckle. "There is so much life here... So much happening... It is not like home."

Kiara nodded slowly at Kit's halting translation. Exact phrasing was lost, but she understood the message. "Hey, I get it. I'm just glad you're okay," she said with a smile. "I guess you didn't really get out much before, huh?" A thought that had been nagging her ever since they'd met Eihmo'tei. "Say, where are you from exactly anyway? Just- the Moraki? How many of your people are there?"

Kit shot her a look that said she was overloading his translation abilities and- probably- the poor fox-boy's already dazzled senses. She snapped her mouth shut and smiled sheepishly. 

Eihmo'tei appreciated everything that the giant Kiara had done for him, even though that had only known each other for such a short time. Despite this fact, she and her giant bat lizard were far from strangers to him. He wondered if all giants were this kind. Probably not. His own kind had some bad individuals, and this race was probably no different in that regard. The Zerdani counted himself extremely fortunate that he had not encountered one of this kind's bad individuals. His view on them may have been different. He may have even been hurt - or even killed - had this bad giant found and pinned him as easily as Kiara had.

She read off some questions, but Eihmo'tei did not understand with Kit refusing to translate. Instead, the giant creature gave her a mean look. Maybe the questions were inappropriate? Or did she simply ask them too fast? It did not matter.  Eihmo'tei returned the smile. Then he asked a question of his own. He felt now was the best time for it. "Kii'arah. Will you teach me how to speak like you? Like the rest of your kind?" His method was not working as well as he had hoped. Now it was time to ask directly. Eihmo'tei only hoped that Kit would translate it.

It was just after he asked that his giant sensitive ears picked up something. Raising one ear and pointing it the right way, he could distinguish one sound from all the rest. Two individuals were running with some haste towards them.

Eihmo'tei said something and the dragon's eyes widened slightly. "Oh," he said, sounding a bit impressed.

"What?" Kiara asked, brow furrowing.

"He wants you to-" Kit started, but was interrupted by two Essyrni men fast approaching.

"Miss, miss." The happy trader again. Kiara rose and greeted him politely, whereupon he introduced his brother, the innkeeper, and held out a small water flask. "For your sick friend," he said.

She smiled and said with real gratitude, "Thank you," before turning to give Eihmo'tei the flask. "Water," she said slowly, miming drinking from it; no time for Kit to translate, she just had to hope he understood. She faced the trader and his brother again. Bowing at the waist she said, "Thank you for your help, sir. How much for a room for the night."

The innkeeper eyed Kit and said something to his brother in Essyrni, who replied in kind. Kiara waited while they bickered back and forth- about prices she assumed- and asked out of the corner of her mouth, "What was he saying before Kit?"

"I believe," the dragon responded, "he wants you to teach him Common."

Eihmo'tei offered thanks for the water, remembering that he had exhausted his own supply last night. Filling his waterskin was something he needed to do at some point. He made that mental note as he inspected the strange item in his paws.

It was that same strange stone (at least, he thought it was stone) that Kiara's knife was made from. He had not had the chance to inspect that knife before since that meeting last night. In fact, he counted himself lucky that it was not used against him at the time. Now was his chance to see more of this "stone" up close and personal. It was cold despite the sun's heat, probably because of the water it held. It was more smooth than any stone the Zerdani had seen before, and it reflected sunlight just as well - if not better - than a pool of water. He wondered what kind of stone this was. Was it found in the desert? His kind had never encountered such stone before. Eihmo'tei decided he would ask Kiara about it later, to deny this gift of water any longer may have been interpreted as an insult.

The Zerdani figured that drinking from it was similar to his own waterskin. However, the spout of it was made from the same stone as the rest was, as opposed to the soft wood of his own waterskin. Trying to drink from it proved difficult, for the "stone" hurt his teeth. He managed to get a mouthful or two, looking almost like a puppy trying to drink from a bottle. Not wanting to be greedy, he offered the flask back to Kiara.

Kiara took the flask back with smile. "You're alright now?" she asked, Kit translating. Listening to the dragon rumble out his strange words, she decided that teaching Eihmo'tei Common would be an interesting undertaking, and a very useful one. But they didn't have the time in that moment, because the two Essyrni men seemed to have decided on appropriate payment.

"Fifteen silvers for the night," the trader said. Either his brother didn't speak Common or he just didn't feel like talking to them.

It was expensive, but Kiara didn't feel like haggling. "Very well. Thank you." She fished some coins out of her purse and passed them over.

The innkeeper smiled. "I will show you to your room," he said with a heavy accent. So he could speak Common after all.

Kiara turned, planting a quick kiss on the tip of Kit's nose. "Be back in a minute," she told him. "Stay out of trouble." He gave a dragon chuckle and nuzzled her cheek. Smiling, she turned to Eihmo'tie and offered her hand, nodding toward the gleaming inn. "Alright, little friend, ready to see the inside?"

Eihmo'tei gave a nod in acceptance to the question. He had been fine before the water, but it was a nice gift while the hot sun was beading down on them. Normally, his kind was used to being out during the day, but thinking he would be traveling during the cooler desert nights, he wore a bit more clothing than was comfortable during the day.

He gave his paw to Kiara as she reached out for it. The Zerdani was unsure if Kiara had agreed to teach him her language, but now that they were leaving Kit, it would be a challenge to understand the giants' when they spoke. It was a challenge that Eihmo'tei accepted, for he had no choice. Paws locked, they headed inside.

Kiara gave a soft whistle. The inside of the inn was rather lavish, everything cleaned to a sparkle with exotic plants dotting the main room and some sort of fountain against the wall.

"You will be on the second floor, overlooking the courtyard," the innkeeper told her with a toothy grin.

She nodded and smiled politely. "Thank you." He set off up a staircase and she followed, glancing down to make sure Eihmo'tei stayed with her.

"So," the innkeeper's brother said, catching the look. "What exactly is your small companion?"

Kiara chuffed a soft laugh. "That is an excellent question," she muttered, then shrugged. "His name is Eihmo'tei."

The trader paused at the top of the stairs as though suddenly remembering something and turned to face them, nodding respectfully. "Forgive me, my manners have been lax. I am Zani, and this is Farim," he indicated his brother with a wave of his hand.

Kiara nodded in return; kneeling next to Eihmo'tei, she pointed to each brother in turn and repeated their names, then laid a hand on his shoulder and said "Eihmo'tei," before touching her own chest with, "Kiara." Without Kit there, she wasn't sure how much was understood, but she hope the message got across.

Stairs were a new sight for the Zerdani. His kind dug their homes into the earth, but it seemed these giants were content to live as close to the sky as possible. He somewhat struggled going up the steep staircase, since each step was up to his knee. Despite this, he continued with determination, using both his arms and legs to climb. At the top, Eihmo'tei could tell the giants were talking about him, especially when Kiara said his name.

It was understandable that he would draw sush interest. These beings were new to him, and unknown to other Zerdani. This meant that in turn, his kind was also new (and probably unknown) to these giants. The one giant offered the names of himself and his partner, which was confirmed by Kiara running through all the names. Eihmo'tei needed to keep his mind open to strange words that could be names. In case it was needed, he remembered the gesture that Kiara had showed him in the desert. If other giants knew this gesture, it would be easy to get the names of others if needed.

He repeated after Kiara, pointing to each stranger in turn. "Za'Nii... H-Ha Reem" the first was easy, for it was close to a Zerdani name, but the other was more difficult. Eihmo'tei struggled with the "F" sound. His attempt sounded more like a hard "H", almost similar to a huffing dog.

Zani and Farim smiled, evidently quite charmed by Eihmo'tei, and jabbered at each other in Essyrni for a few moments. Then Farim gestured for them to continue moving, and Kiara straightened up, following after them.

"Here," the innkeeper said, pushing open the second door they came to. "Your silver buys you dinner and breakfast in the courtyard, and there is a bathhouse on the first floor." Kiara's ears perked up at the word bathhouse. "Welcome to Essyrn." He ushered them into the room and shut the door.

"Well," Kiara said, putting her hands on her hips and looking around. "This is nice." The room was a sparkling clean as the rest of the inn, a plush looking bed draped in a gossamer canopy against one wall (probably to prevent bugs from getting at guests while they slept), another wall almost completely open as it changed into a balcony over the courtyard.

"So this is a giant's den." Eihmo'tei thought quietly.

It had a lot more open space than really seemed necessary, making the dens back home look even more cramped than they were. The curious Zerdani was quick to walk around the room, familiarizing himself with the new surroundings. Looking out to the balcony, he marveled at the great view of the courtyard. He stepped outside, but not to far, since he did not trust that it would sustain his weight. After a few moments of gawking, he retreated back inside.

Walking over to the bed, he inspected the canopy that was hanging down. It was some sort of really thin, light cloth. He wondered how such fabric was made. His own clothing seeming so thick and uncomfortable in comparison. Whilst inspecting it, Eihmo'tei saw the opening that revealed the giant's bedding inside. This might as well had been a table for the little Zerdani. He rested his arms on top of it. It was SOFT, much softer than the freshly dug sand that Eihmo'tei slept on in his own den. He climbed up on top of it, and struggled to keep his footing as he stood. He walked around on it, feeling the softness under his paw pads. The Zerdani's legs failed him on the unstable surface, and he fell to all fours. The entire surface was solid, but gave way easily. This was confusing to the simple Zerdani, at least until he decided that it did not matter.

Suddenly, all he knew was that it felt really nice. He plopped down onto his stomach, with arms and legs sprawled in every direction. There he laid with a smile on his muzzle, taking in the new-found comfort. His eyes were starting to get heavy.

Kiara chuckled as she watched Eihmo'tei explore their temporary residence. As he climbed up onto the bed she stepped out onto the balcony, whistling for Kit. The dragon's head peeked over the rail and she went to meet him, noticing that he only had to lift his front legs off the ground a little to reach the second floor. She stroked his muzzle distractedly, looking out over the courtyard and then back into the room.

Eihmo'tei seemed to be quite content, lying on the bed with the covers fluffing up around him. She smiled, patting Kit's forehead. "I think maybe we could use a bit of a rest before we try to find our contact," she mused. The dragon rumbled agreement, dropping back to all fours and pacing to the center of the courtyard to lay down.

Kiara went back into the room, sitting herself on the edge of the bed. "Hey, Eihmo'tie," she touched his shoulder lightly. "I'm going to go use the bath." She mimed washing herself, walking her fingers across her palm to show she was leaving the room. "Why don't you take a nap?" she suggested, pointing to him and then clasping her hands together and pillowing them under her cheek, miming sleep. "Unless you want to wash up, too?" Again she pantomimed washing, then gestured between the two of them to indicate she would show him where to go.

She could have called Kit for translation help, but she thought she'd give teaching Common on her own a whirl first.

The now tired Zerdani was perfectly content where he was. All of the sudden, he couldn't find the strength to get up.

Looking up at Kiara through the corners of his eyes, he read her expressions like they were den carvings. He didn't understand the "wash" motions, but even if he did, there was no getting up to accompany her. What he did understand was that "take a nap" meant sleep. Just thinking about sleep made him let out a huge canidesque yawn. His eyes got heavier and heavier until they eventually closed.

"Takka napp..." he responded. Even in his exhausted state, Eihmo'tei tried his best to mimic Kiara's words. His eyes were closed, but his sensitive ears were still listening around, as was instinct for his kind. Soon, they would flatten against his tiny head, once he had completely surrendered to sleep.

Kiara smiled at Eihmo'tei's choppy Common. "Ok, then," she said, patting his head lightly. Belatedly she realized he might be offended by the gesture and withdrew her hand sharply. "I'll be back soon," she told him, standing and stretching her arms over her head, then moving toward the door. she paused just before she left, glancing back to see her new friend already snoozing away.


She spent longer in the bath than was probably proper, but damn it felt good to just soak for a while. She returned to the room wrapped in a fluffy towel made of some fabric she didn't recognize and carrying her travel-worn clothes. Making sure to shut the door quietly behind her, Kiara craned her neck to see if Eihmo'tei was still sleeping.

He appeared to be, so she dug a fresh change of clothes out of her pack and moved onto the balcony so as not to disturb him. Kit rose from where he'd been sunbathing in the courtyard, stretching like a cat before padding over to pop his head over the rail again. "You seem happy," he commented.

She nodded agreement. "I don't think I've ever appreciated hot water or soap more in my life. I had sand in nooks I didn't even know I had!"

The dragon rumbled a laugh.

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!

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..."

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..."

"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.

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?"

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...

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.

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."

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?"

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."

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.

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."

"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?"

"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."

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."

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."

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.

"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."

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.

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."

Taking one last look around, Eihmo'tei grabbed hold of Kiara and pulled himself out of the fountain. He did not know why, but it was actually a bit embarrassing. It was obvious now that he was not supposed to be in there, and Kiara telling him to come out made the Zerdani feel like a youngling that had not been following some unknown rule. Really, he did not understand why the giants would have a pool of water in the middle of their community that was not for cooling off in.

Now he was sopping wet from ear to tail, with all eyes on him. He did not like this feeling. All the giants almost seemed nervous, like he was going to attack them or something. All Eihmo'tei wanted right now was to return to that room, away from the gaze of what seemed like the entire city. However, with all the water on him, his fur and clothing were heavy and uncomfortable. He had to lose the excess water first. Letting go of Kiara, he shook himself violently as a dog would, sending water droplets in every direction. This sudden action, too, seemed to warrant shocked gasps and screams from the Zerdani's "audience".

Kiara gave a soft gasp at the sudden coolness of water on her skin, twisting slightly away from Eihmo'tei reflexively. Then she laughed, shaking her head both at herself and him. "Well," she said, ignoring the stares of the people around them as she threw him a wink, "That's a hell of a first impression, my friend."

"Excuse me, miss." She glanced around to find the owner of a voice, a stately, middle aged woman with her arms crossed over her chest, soft water stains spreading along the hem of her flowing skirt. "Please control your pet." She threw Eihmo'tei a dirty look, lip curling. The people around her nodded and mumbled agreements.

Kiara scowled; even though she knew Eihmo'tei couldn't understand, she was angry on his behalf. "He's not a pet!" she retorted hotly, "He's my friend."

That drew titters from the crowd, and more than a few scornful looks. She opened her mouth, not sure what she planned to say- then closed it with a sigh. It was pointless, these people were just looking for another excuse to detest anything strange to them. "Let's go, Eihmo'tei," she said quietly, beckoning from him to follow and making her way toward Kit.

Eihmo'tei perked his ears up at the giant who approached Kiara. Immediately, he could tell that this one was... not nice. He must have offended them with his actions. He was glad, at least, that Kiara was still on his side.

The Zerdani was quick to follow Kiara away. He felt guilty of his actions, although he was still uncertain as to why he should be. Passing the not nice giant, he looked up and tried to apologize. "I am completely sorry..." The giant's eyes went wide with surprise, perhaps not expecting him to be able to speak. His attempt at apology was only answered with a disgusted scowl. Eihmo'tei hurried behind Kiara, his ears down, and his tail between his legs.

When they returned to Kit's side, Eihmo'tei finally tied his waterskin. He bore a forlorn expression, still guilty for offending the giants and potentially embarrassing Kiara.

"He looks upset."

Kit's comment drew her attention to their little companion. He did look rather forlorn. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Yeah, well, no one likes being stared at like that, even if they don't know why." She cupped her hands together to give Eihmo'tei a boost onto Kit's back, smiling kindly.

"It's alright," she said reassuringly, the dragon translating. "You just startled some people, that's all." She wrinkled her nose, adding under her breath, "They could probably use a surprise or two, might knock the sticks out of their-"

She stopped herself short, not wanting Kit to translate that particular thought. It struck her then that she'd been treating Eihmo'tei like he was a child, or at least younger than herself, when she really didn't know if that was the case. We can talk back at the inn, she decided.

Once again, Eihmo'tei was situated on Kit's back and ready to move. However, all he would do was stare at the ground. Instead of taking his mind off home, the little outing only intensified his homesickness.

It was those moments at the fountain that brutally reminded him that he was no longer home. He had mixed feelings about this journey of his. Everything was perhaps a little too strange. A piece of the little Zerdani wanted to go back home and stay there, never again questioning what the world had to offer.

He needed to contemplate whether or not he should continue. He would do that back in the quiet isolation of the room.

"So, I assume you found this Vizari?" Kit asked as she mounted up, situating herself behind Eihmo'tei. Kiara nodded, screwing up her face.

"He had an...interesting proposition," she said quietly. Her eyes scanned the crowds- if they'd been getting funny looks before, now people were positively gawking. "We'll talk later," she said meaningfully. Kit nodded, walking in silence for a few minutes.

Kiara leaned around to look at Eihmo'tei, who was much more downcast than she had come to expect from him. "You ok?" she asked, hoping that even without Kit's translation the tone of her voice would get her meaning across.

The Zerdani looked up at Kiara, tears pooling in his eyes.

"I really AM sorry, Kii'arah..." he said through the tears.

He looked around at his surroundings, seeing for the first time how foreign and alien everything really was.

Eihmo'tei repeated what he had said earlier. "This place is not like home..."

Kiara fumbled, unsure how to handle the sudden display of emotion. Kit was no help- he felt so awkward he wasn't even translating, just picked up his pace slightly to get them back to the inn faster.

"Oh, um..." Kiara patted his shoulder awkwardly, trying to think of what she should do. How does one be comforting? It really shouldn't be this hard. "There, there," she offered up lamely, her awkward pats turning into something more similar to a stroke, rubbing his back. It was something her mother done when she was upset as a child, rubbed her back and kissed her forehead, a little ritual.

Forehead kissing seemed a little over the bounds of propriety- but a hug didn't seem too far fetched. She wrapped her arms around her much smaller friend, ignoring the damp fur, and murmured, "It's alright, it's ok."

Kit slowed, entering the courtyard of the inn. Kiara leaned back, arms still loosely around Eihmo'tei. She let out a sigh. "What a day..."

The petting was not bad, but Eihmo'tei was too lost in his thoughts for it to be as effective as Kiara had probably meant it to be. It was one thing that snapped him out of this state: the hug.

The startled Zerdani's ears pointed up to the sky, and his eyes and mouth grew wide. He was taken completely off guard by Kiara's hug. He did not struggle, and he did not question. It felt too nice for him to ruin it somehow. The tears continued to fall as she spoke in her kind and comforting tone, but they were no longer from sadness or guilt. The slight smile on his face showed that these tears were, in fact, tears of happiness.

Something new occurred to the little Zerdani now. If he had never left home, he never would have met Kiara and Kit, and they would never have become friends. In Kiara's arms, Eihmo'tei realized that bad things were going to happen, but so would good things. Good things like this friendship, or... this hug. To miss out on experiencing good things because of fear of the bad things was... a stupid thing to do.

From now on, he would not doubt himself or his journey. He would press on, and accept the bad things as well as the good, for both were guaranteed to happen.

He had to thank Kiara. She had done so much to help him in the past few days, whether or not she realized it. She was a true friend. "Thank you, Kii'arah." he said in his own tongue. Then, he tried her language once again. "Eihmo'tei... Oh-kay."

Before the Zerdani knew it, the three had arrived to the inn. He would follow Kiara to the room. If he needed any rest before, he definitely needed it now!

Kiara beamed at Eihmo'tei's hesitant Common, glad to see he seemed to be feeling better. "Good," she said, swinging her legs to Kit's side and sliding to the ground. She reached up to help him dismount, then headed toward the inn's front entrance.

"Will you talk about what happened now?" Kit asked from behind her, already moving toward the balcony to their rented room.

Kiara threw him a look. She knew people no one could understand him unless he wanted them to, but still- a little caution wouldn't be amiss. "Yes, we can talk," she said evenly, "But I want to get this one settled in." Here she nodded at Eihmo'tei. "It's been a long day for him. And if Master Vizari has anything to say about it, it's not over yet," she grumbled, and slipped into the inn, making for the stairs.

"Oh right... I forgot about these" the Zerdani muttered as he approached the staircase for the second time today.

He started up, carefully taking each step one at a time. He needed both hands and feet for this endevor. Heading up, Eihmo'tei again wondered where Kiara had gone on her own. "Work" was all he gathered from Kit, but for some reason, the two of them seemed different since she left. They almost seemed... more tense, as if they were expecting something to happen.

As he made it closer to the highest of the knee-high platforms, the Zerdani decided to keep an ear perked for whatever his two friends were expecting.

Kiara didn't waste any time. She was barely through the door before she flopped onto the plush bed, face down, and let out a tired groan. "What a day," she said again, voice muffled.

Kit, who had stuck his head as far over the balcony rail as he could get it, snorted. "You're telling me." The dragon eyed her, then their smaller friend. "Ah, before you get too comfortable, mind explaining just what job we may or may not be taking?"

She didn't have the energy to beat around the bush. Without raising her head, she said, "He wants us to smuggle slaves out of the city."

The dragon- taken completely by surprise- reared back just in time to direct a startled jet of flame toward the sky rather than into the room.

Eihmo'tei followed Kiara onto the bed, settling in on the end. He developed a yearning for such softness in the short time he had been away from it. It probably seemed weak, but the little Zerdani did not care. He had been through a lot today.

He had no idea what Kiara had told Kit, but the bluntness of her tone did not match up with the creature's reaction. He seemed taken off guard by her response. That is when the little Zerdani found out that Kit had an amazing, and terrifying ability.

Suddenly, flame erupted from the bat lizard's mouth. Eihmo'tei had no idea what to do in this situation, so he panicked. He immediately flew from the bed and scrambled over to the farthest corner. Bracing himself behind his still-damp tail, he gawked with fear at Kit. Although the fire was gone, the startled Zerdani acted as if the entire room was on fire.

He was a little embarrassed to say that was the last thing he expected Kit to be able to do. "WHAT?! What was- How could he-?!"

Eihmo'tei could not even finish one sentence of his native muttering.

"Oh, calm down," Kiara ordered her friend tiredly. The sudden commotion Eihmo'tei had made drew her attention to where he now cowered in the corner. "See, look what you've done," she scolded, sitting up with a groan, "as if he hasn't had enough shocks today."

She gave their friend a smile, beckoning with her hand that it was safe for him to forward. "It's alright, Kit won't hurt you. He knows better than to flame at people, even by accident." She looked over her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow. "Well, go on, tell him it's safe."

The dragon, who had been muttering to himself about slaves and jobs and harebrained Adelan girls, squinted at her scornfully but mumbled a quick translation. "What did you tell him?" he asked immediately after, evidently not caring if Eihmo'tei really understood or not.

Kiara sighed, dragging her hand down her face. "I told him I would consider it. He gave me until noon tomorrow; I'm supposed to meet him with our answer." She looked to the fox-boy again, forcing another smile. "Really, it's ok, I promise. C'mon over here."

Eihmo'tei slowly made his way back over to the bed, but kept an eye on Kit. He still questioned the bat lizard's ability to summon flames spontaneously from his mouth. Climbing back onto the edge of the bed, he nestled himself in. the Zerdani got in the optimum position for maximum comfort, taking as much of an advantage of the softness as possible. He needed it after all the excitement that the day had brought.

Looking to Kiara, he pointed towards the balcony. "What is that one? Is it a bat? Is it a lizard? How does it make fire?" These were all pressing questions for the curious Zerdani. On that last question, he held his open paw vertically in front of his mouth to emulate fire.

"A bat? A lizard?!" Kit huffed and jerked his head away, eyes narrowing. Kiara jumped in quickly before they had another flame episode.

"Easy there, big guy, you know he doesn't know any better." She tilted her head at Eihmo'tei. "What did he ask, exactly?" She'd gathered he was curious about Kit- but then, who wouldn't be, after that little incident.

"He wants to know what I am, how I can flame," the dragon grumbled.

He was obviously still offended. Kiara sighed; dragons were difficult and prideful creatures under the best circumstances, and with the shock she'd just given him Kit was going to be even more ornery than usual for at least the next hour or so.

So she pointed at him and said slowly and clearly, "Dragon. Kit, dragon." She put a hand to her own chest. "Kiara, human." Well...mostly. But there was no need to go into that just yet. "Kit- ahhh, fire-" she tried to imitate the gesture Eihmo'tei had used to emulate Kit flaming- "Kit can breath fire because he's a dragon. Kit, dragon. Dragon, fire." She repeated the "flaming" gesture. "Kiara, human." She put a hand to her chest. "Eihmo'tei...?" Much like when she'd been teaching him their names, she held out her hand and tilted her head to the side.

Eihmo'tei did not understand why Kit was suddenly so angry. It hadn't occurred to him that he may have offended him. He was on guard in his extremely soft nest.

"Kit issa... Drei... gun" That is what those things were called! It turns out Kit is one of an entirely new species! Kiara continued her explanation, and Eihmo'tei repeated in his crude common to show he understood. "Kii'arah issa... H-Hoo... mann."

He was learning so much now. Apparently these dragons could make fire from their mouths."Fai'ah." He repeated, once again making the fire sign with his paw. The "F" sound was better this time around. Now, she wanted to know his species. After what they have been through, there was absolutely no reason to distrust her.

Eihmo'tei put his paws on his own chest "Eihmo'tei issa Zerdani. Zer... Daan... Ee." He was sure to repeat the word slowly to help Kiara understand each syllable.

"Zerdani," Kiara repeated slowly. "Huh." She'd never even heard that word before. Perhaps some research was in order, once she had a few days off and was within easy reach of a decent library.

"Are there many of you?" she asked, distracted from her original point of conversation with Kit. Besides, this was much easier for her brain to digest. "Zerdani, I mean. Are there a lot of you out there in the Moraki?" She glanced back at the balcony. "C'mon, Kit, don't be sore. Help me out here."

The dragon grumbled and complained, but complied, resting his chin on the rail as he translated.

From the bat lizard's dragon's words, Eihmo'tei could tell that Kiara wanted to learn about how many Zerdani were in the... Moraki? This must have been the giant's human's word for "desert".

"There are many Zerdani." he started. "There are a few tribes in the- He tried common again. -Mo... Rah'kii."

The Zerdani was not going to miss out on this opportunity to learn a little about her kind as well. He continued, "This tribe is so large. It seems there are more Hoomann here than Zerdani in all tribes. I do not know how all can be fed in this Mo Rah'kii. How many of these tribes are there?"

"Well," Kiara started when Kit translated the questions. How should she explain this? "This city we're in- ah "tribe", as it were- is called Essyrn. Mostly they survive on what they can farm from the oasis." She spread her arms wide to indicate the area outside the city walls. "But they also have a good relationship with Adela- that's the um, tribe that I'm from."

She tilted her head to the side as Kit translated. "There's also Connlaoth, Hyoite, Thanatos, Serendipity, Yoreiq... But we call those places countries, not tribes. They're far away, mostly, away from the desert." She paused, realizing that she'd just relayed quite a lot of information. "Ah...are you getting any of this?"

"Kon... trii." was all he could repeat, tilting his head to the side.

There certainly was quite a bit of information to process, but from what the Zerdani could tell, there were countless tribes of these humans. Certainly, his kind were severely outnumbered in the world. One thing suddenly stuck in his head: Away from desert.

This was curious. "What exactly is away from Mo Rah'kii." he asked in his own language.

"Oh." Kiara's eyes widened slightly.

Kit said what she was thinking: "He's never left the desert- it's the whole world to him."

She nodded. "Alright. Um, hold on a minute." she jumped off the bed to retrieve her pack, digging through it and muttering to herself until- "Here it is!" She smiled triumphantly and returned to the bed, sitting on the edge next to Eihmo'tei and unrolling the map she'd retrieved.

It was an old thing, yellowed and wrinkled, but serviceable. "We," she said, gesturing between the the three of them, "are here." She tapped the small dot that marked Essyrn out on the map. "Essyrn. Kit and I come from here." She tapped the patch of land that marked out Adela on the map. "This," here she traced her finger around the outline of the Moraki, "is the desert."

At first, Eihmo'tei could not understand what he was seeing. He did not even know what this material was that these symbols were printed on. However, after some explanation, it was like Kiara held the entire world in her hands!

Slowly, the stunned Zerdani took the map from his friend. He looked over every inch of it with silent fascination. "This cannot possibly be the world..." he thought to himself. The desert was only a small fraction of the bottom part, when just earlier today, he thought it to be the entire world. If the whole world was not desert, what could the rest possibly look like? Eihmo'tei could not possibly imagine a world without the desert sands.

Still looking around the map, he saw a black line that cut through the left side of the desert. Could it be the great river that he crossed at the start of his journey? He pointed to it and looked up at Kiara. "What is this one line?"

"Oh, that's a river," Kiara explained, assuming what the question was from his pointing. She looked at him curiously. "Is that where you're from? Near there?" She traced the river again and then pointed at Eihmo'tei, asking, "Home?"

Kit translated the word; it was one they didn't use much, so there was really no reason to assume the Zerdani had picked it up just from listening to them.

"Rii'vah" was their word. It matched Kit's description.

He slid his clawed finger to the left. This part was across the river from their current location, so even if he did not east and west, he knew this was the right direction. He was pointing to the farthest western reaches of the Moraki. "Issa Home" he said in his repeated common. He knew this word's meaning thanks to Kit.

Dragging his finger even farther west, he wondered what this thicker black line was, for there were no symbols to the left of it. "What is this land here?"

"That's the sea," Kiara told him. Then she pursed her lips. "Oh, right. You wouldn't know what that is. It's, um..." She looked to Kit for help.

"It's like the desert," the dragon started slowly, "but...water instead of sand. And bigger. And it's deep, deeper than the deepest river there ever was."

"And the water is salty, you can't drink it," Kiara added. "And at the shore- that's this part here," she traced the line on the map where sea met land, "the water sort of rises and falls, like moving sand dunes." She dipped her hand up and down, trying to imitate the movement of the tides. "We call them waves." A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She'd only been to the sea once; it had been just after her mother's death, her father had taken her and Kit- just to see it, to be there.

It was a good memory. "It's...beautiful," she said softly.

A desert of water... what a fantastical concept! But... water you can't drink? What was the point?

Eihmo'tei did not care. "I want to see it..." he said, as if lost in a dream. "I want to see it all!"

He yawned wide, showing the effects of such a long, event-filled day. It was later in the day now, the sun was still up in the sky, far from setting. Perhaps the Zerdani's sleep cycle was messed up from travelling all night for several days, before being awake during the day.

Eihmo'tei knew he needed rest, but he wanted to continue staring at the map, imagining all the places he could go, and all the things he could see.

Kiara laughed quietly when Kit translated the Zerdani's exclamation. "That's a tall order, little friend," she told him kindly, "and I think maybe it's best if we all get some shut eye before we take a crack at it." She let out a yawn of her own, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back.

"What are you going to do about Vizari?" Kit asked as she laid down on the bed, not even bothering to change her clothes.

"I have until noon tomorrow to think about that," she replied tiredly. Then she smiled sleepily at Eihmo'tei, who was still pouring over the map. "We can look at in more in the morning- ahh- if you like," she told him, settling down into the plush covers.

Eihmo'tei spent the last few moments committing the location of his homelands to memory. His eyelids were fighting him now. It was time to rest. Not sure of what to do with the map, he dropped it to the floor, thinking it would be safe there. Letting out another toothy yawn, he curled up in his normal fashion and closed his eyes.

It had been two days. Perhaps now he could get some proper rest.

Kiara smiled at her little friend, then rolled over and let out a contented sigh, closing her eyes.

"Wake me around dawn, Kit?" she asked sleepily.

The dragon rumbled an affirmation, sending a huff of warm breath in her direction. "Sleep well, Kiara, Eihmo'tei." He dropped down onto all fours and stretched like a cat, then lumbered over to the center of the courtyard, curling up to sleep.

Now it was nighttime. The room was dark, the only light to be seen was that of the street's lamps and of the waning moon in the sky. The city was relatively quiet by this time.

Only one thing broke this still silence, The soft growl of a Zerdani's stomach.

Eihmo'tei, half awake from this, realized he had not eaten at all during the day. With all the excitement, he must have simply forgotten. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his nest of softness. He closed his eyes again, only for them to be forced open by another low growl from his midsection.

Hesitantly, the tired Zerdani rose from his comfortable spot on the bed, and touched down to the wooden floor below. It seemed harder than it was before. Eihmo'tei did not like how it felt under his footpads. Slowly, he made his way over to his pack in the corner, floorboards creaking under some steps. The Zerdani took pride in their stealth, how quietly they could move when they did not want their quarry to notice them. With each creak of the floor, Eihmo'tei cursed himself, hoping that the sounds would not wake Kiara.

Eventually, he made it to the corner. He quietly untied the pack, and pulled a dead lizard from inside. No longer thinking that Kit was a lizard, it felt right again to eat one. There was no fire to cook the lizard, and frankly, Eihmo'tei did not have the material, time, or will to start one. Eating raw, although not as tasty, would suffice here. Quietly as he could, his little teeth began to tear into the lizard corpse, taking out tiny, easy-to-swallow chunks. He kept an ear perked, listening for any sign of activity from Kiara.

A nightmare woke her. It was always the same one, or some version of it; she was running through fog, calling for Kit, for her mother, or sometimes even for her father. But no one answered. And then the fog darkened, becoming an empty nothingness that swallowed her, starting at her feet, licking up her legs, until finally she opened her mouth to scream and the blackness sucked her breath away-

Kiara woke with a gasp, hand flying for the knife she'd hidden under the pillow before falling asleep. For a moment she didn't remember where she was, looking around wildly and calling, "Kit? Kit!"

Suddenly the dragon was there, sticking his head onto the balcony and letting out a soft crooning noise: I'm here.

She sighed with relief as memory returned. She replaced the knife and said, "Sorry, Eihmo'tei, I-" Looking to the edge of the bed, she realized the Zerdani wasn't there.

Once again panic began to set in, but she pushed it down. Looking around the room, she called his name again. Calm down, he's fine, everything's fine... "Eihmo'tei?"

The Zerdani sat in the corner, listening for any slight activity from Kiara. She started stirring now, and Eihmo'tei froze, waiting for her to fall asleep again before continuing his meal. What he did not expect was for her to wake as suddenly and violently as she did.

With her gasp, the startled Zerdani must have jumped an inch or two into the air. All the sudden commotion frightened him to the point of dropping the lizard and hiding behind his tail. Once she calmed down, she began to call his name. There was panic in her voice, but he did not know why. He looked on, eyes glowing green from the reflection the lights outside.

"I am here, Kii'arah. Is all well?"

"Oh, thank gods." She slumped in relief when she heard his voice and her attention was drawn to where he crouched in the corner. Kiara buried her face in her hands, forcing her breathing to even out.

Kit rumbled, "He wants to know what's wrong."

"Tell him it's nothing, a bad dream," she mumbled into her hands. When she was calmer she lifted her head, giving him a weak smile. "You had me worried for a second," she said with a small, forced laugh. "Whatcha doing up?"

From Kit's "translation", the Zerdani could tell that Kiara, too, was suffering from bad dreams. Also, she wanted to know why he was awake. With his great night vision, Eihmo'tei easily found his half-eaten lizard on the floor. Holding it up to show his friends, he answered in his common.

"Un'gii" He knew this to be the giants' word for either "food" or "hunger".

He walked back over to the bed, held the rest of the lizard with his jaws, and hopped back onto his spot. At this distance, it was clear to see there was blood on the front of his muzzle from his midnight snack. He undid the waterskin (which he had foolishly left on his person as he slept), and held it in one paw as he removed the lizard with the other.

He held the crude hide canteen out to Kiara, offering it to her. It seemed almost comically small compared to her, but the Zerdani did not care. He believed any amount of water would help her in this case, and it was best to be drinking here, where water was so plentiful. "Kii'arah, what was your dream?"

Kiara took the proffered water hesitantly and sipped, listening to Kit's translation. It was a bit disconcerting to see the Zerdani's eyes glinting, animal-like, in the faint light with lizard blood on his muzzle.

"It doesn't matter," she said with a smile when she understood his question. "It wasn't real." She handed his water skin back with a soft, "Thanks."

Kit huffed, looking at her with concern, and she gave him a smile too. "C'mon, boys, we should try to get some more sleep before we have to deal with tomorrow," she said with a yawn, laying back down onto the bed.

Eihmo'tei went back over his corner, and put down the waterskin and half of lizard. They would be there for breakfast in the morning.

The Zerdani also removed the knife from his person, forgetting to do that before as well. He stared at it for a moment. "Kii'arah sleeps with hers... Why is that?" he thought to himself. Wanting to imitate her custom, he put the stone knife back in its leather sheath. He had gone this long sleeping with it on. It was not too terribly uncomfortable.

Going back to the bed, he climbed up and re-assumed his sleeping position. He let out a wide yawn, and closed his eyes.

Kiara woke blearily, having been in and out of sleep for the rest of the night. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her palms. Sitting up, she looked around and concluded that both Kit and Eihmo'tei were still asleep. Not wanting to wake the Zerdani, she crept over to where she'd thrown her pack the previous day and rummaged around for a change of clothes.

Yawning again and cracking her neck, she set about changing, rubbing at the spot between her shoulder blades where her tattoo sat once her shirt was off. It twinged there sometimes, like a phantom itch, usually after she'd had one of her nightmares. Kit had once joked that it was like old man who claimed their rickety, arthritic knees warned them of coming rain.

Eihmo'tei began to wake slowly from the first sign of movement. Extremely slowly.

After several minutes, he was able to open his eyes. From what he could tell relying on his blurry vision, the Zerdani could tell that Kiara had already risen. Light poured in from outside, meaning it truly was time to get up. After a few more minutes, the Zerdani uncurled himself and began his routine series of stretches. After virtually every part of his little body was stretched out, he rose and hopped off the bed. His back was a little off. This would be the last time he slept with a knife on his back...

Eihmo'tei tried to remember what the human greeting was for the morning. It came to him after a few moments of thought. "Mar niin!"

Kiara had removed one of her garments for some reason. These beings were odd, for sure. It seemed that the only fur they had was on the top of their heads and, occasionally, the face. Then again, if they were covered head to toe in fur as long as that, they surely would not have survived this long as a species. The heat of the sun would have killed them off a long time ago.

There was something unexpected though. Kiara had strange markings on her back, up by the shoulders. Did all humans have this? Were there any other strange markings on their bodies?

Kiara jumped slightly, startled, and twisted half way around. She relaxed when she saw Eihmo'tei and deciphered his heavily accented greeting. "Good morning," she replied with a smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She wriggled into her new shirt and turned to face him. She'd never been particularly self conscious, but she thought it was probably better for propriety's sake if she conducted as much conversation as she could fully clothed.

Then again, the Zerdani himself only wore minimal clothing, so perhaps his people were not picky about modesty. It made sense; one of the reasons the Essyrni dressed the way they did was because of the heat, and it seemed Eihmo'tei was even more used to dealing with that aspect of desert life than they were.

She gave a sharp whistle as she tied her pack closed again, calling, "Kit? You up?"

An affirmative sort of grumble from the courtyard was her reply and she smiled wryly, shaking her head. To Eihmo'tei she said, "Come on then, let's go downstairs to meet him," and moved toward the door.

Kiara seemed a little jumpy. As soon as she saw him, she hurriedly put her garment back on. Humans were such a mystery...

Eihmo'tei went over to his effects and put each on individually. He picked up the lizard he left last night, wondering when would be the best time to eat it.

Kiara beckoned to him now, but before he followed, he was sure to pick up the map from yesterday. Holding tight, he enthusiastically followed after his friend.

"Have you made a decision?" Kit greeted her without preamble, uncurling himself and padding toward her with the easy grace of a jungle cat.

Kiara nodded. "Yeah, I have." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck and looking at Eihmo'tei. This was going to a pain in the ass to explain. "We can talk while we move," she decided, jumping up onto the dragon's back and reaching down to help her friend up.

Tucking the map in his belt, Eihmo'tei gladly took Kiara's had. His two friends seemed fine, but he could feel some sort of tension between them. For some reason, they seemed... off. Try as he might, the Zerdani could not put a clawed finger on it. What could be troubling them?

He kept an optimistic attitude. Between the three of them, what trouble could there possibly be? Now situated on the dragon's back, he continued with his "breakfast". After yesterday, the little Zerdani had gotten (mostly) used to seeing the city.

Kiara murmured directions to where Vizari had told her to meet him and Kit lumbered off. With a slightly frustrated breath, she faced Eihmo'tei, searching for the right words. "Look, um...this job we're taking on...it means we're going to be travelling with some new people for a while," she began to explain hesitantly while Kit translated over his shoulder.

"We're going to be taking them to Serendipity," she said, tapping the map he'd tucked into his belt. "We'll be coming back after that, probably, if only to make some kind of report. But I understand if you don't want to travel so far."

"S-se... Ren'dii... I-ippy..."

It was a long word, and a challenging one at that. Eihmo'tei attempted it while removing the map from his twine belt. The lizard was finished for the most part, and he dropped what remained down to the ground, making sure not to hit Kit's flank. With two paws, the Zerdani was able to open the map fully, seeing where Kiara was indicating.

It was far. At least four times as far as they currently were from home. Eihmo'tei was not sure if he was alright with this. He wanted to see the world, but then again, being half a (much bigger than expected) world away from home scared him. He did not even care that there were more humans involved.

"I... I... don't know." he said quietly, still contemplating the pros and cons of each choice.

Kiara smiled kindly. "That's alright," she said, patting his head and resisting the urge to rub his large, fuzzy ears. "You can think about it; we won't be leaving until tonight anyway."

She ran a hand through her hair as she looked at their surroundings, alert for any sign from their employer. When she found what she was looking for, she leaned forward on Kit's neck and murmured, "Her, the girl."

The same young slave who had led her to Kadar Vizari the day before caught her eye and gave her a nod, then disappeared into the crowd. Kiara dismounted, saying, "You're too conspicuous, Kit, I'll go on foot from here." She looked back to Eihmo'tei, ignoring the dragon's protests, and added, "Do you want to come with me or stay with Kit?"

Deep down, Eihmo'tei wished that this had been a tough decision. The truth was, he just preferred Kiara's company to Kit's.

The dragon seemed grumpier when the two were alone, almost like an adolescent is when he has to watch a group of younglings. Although the Zerdani knew Kit would never harm him (or at least hoped), the enormous dragon still intimidated him immensely.

That was not the only thing that swayed this decision, however. The last time Kiara had gone off alone, she came back different. She (as well as Kit) seemed more nervous, anticipating something that was unknown to the Zerdani. He had to make see what had gotten her so worked up and, if possible, protect her from it.

"I will go with Kii'arah." said Eihmo'tei, hopping off of Kit's back. 

"Alright then." Kiara waited for him to climb down, saying to Kit, "We'll meet you just outside the east gate, it's closest. Shouldn't be longer than an hour or two."

The dragon nodded affirmation, then spread his wings and launched himself into the sky. The people around them gasped and raised their arms protectively against the buffeting gale his wing beats caused. Kiara shook her head, muttering fondly, "Show off."

Then she turned to Eihmo'tei, holding out her hand. "It's not that I don't think you can look after yourself," she told him, though she knew without Kit to translate it was rather pointless, "I just don't want to lose you in all these people." She gestured to the crowds around them, who were now going about their own business, with her free hand.

The little Zerdani was nearly knocked over by the force of the wind made by the dragon. "It was a VERY good thing I did not stay with Kit!" thought Eihmo'tei as he watched the great beast launch himself into the sky.

Without him, there was no understanding Kiara's speech. Eihmo'tei would have to rely on simple words, body language, and context clues to understand her meaning. Following her pointing with his eyes, the Zerdani got a good idea of the size of the crowd. Should he separate from her again, it would surely be the fountain incident all over again. He looked up to Kiara and gave a toothy grin, ready to follow her wherever she went. 

Kiara returned the smile and searched the crowd again. Once more she spotted the young slave girl and set off in her direction.

They were led in a winding path through the roads and alleys of the city, Kiara constantly checking to make sure Eihmo'tei was still with her. Soon enough, they came to the same small, grubby door she had been led to before. She took a deep breath, glancing down at her smaller friend.

"Ready?" She had the uncomfortable feeling that she was talking to herself more than him.

Eihmo'tei was less confident now. Once he realized this was the destination, his nerves began to overtake him.

The door itself seemed imposing to the little Zerdani. There was little sound inside, or if there was, he could not hear it too clearly through the stone walls. What really set him off were the scents. Eihmo'tei could not identify them, but they were foul to his highly sensitive nose. What awaited them in there?

Kiara spoke one of her strange words, seemingly asking for confirmation before entering.
"R-Reh Dii." he repeated, scrunching up his nose as he did.

"Yeah, I don't love the smell around here either," Kiara muttered, hoping she interpreted his wrinkled nose correctly. Making sure to keep her body protectively in front of the Zerdani, she pushed the door open.

"So, you've returned." Kadar Vizari looked up as she entered the small room, gold-rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his long nose. He caught sight of Eihmo'tei and his eyebrows arched. "And... you've brought a...pet?"

Kiara frowned. There really must not be much known about the Zerdani, or she had the feeling people would be less rude. "A friend," she corrected. "Eihmo'tei, this is Master Vizari," she said, kneeling and pointing to the man.

The smell only intensified as the door opened. It penetrated the Zerdani's nose like smoke. Something was on fire, yet no one seemed concerned.

Kiara guided him into the room, where an older male human sat. "This must be an elder..." he thought quietly. The human held himself respectfully, acknowledging the pair as they walked in. It seemed the elder was expecting them. Kiara introduced the other human, and Eihmo'tei wanted to do his best to greet him in the most formal way he knew how.

"Ma Stahvii Za'rii... I am Eihmo'tei of the Zerdani, friend of Kii'arah. It honors me to meet you."

He chittered this in his own language, doing his best to repeat the name Kiara had given. As he talked, he spread his arms out, palms downwards, And bowed his torso down slowly. The whole time, he was sure not to break eye contact, for he did not want to be disrespectful.

"Interesting," Vizari said quietly, watching Eihmo'tei curiously. Kiara frowned, shifting in front of her little friend protectively.

The Essyrni man caught the movement and smirked, returning to his desk. "Here." He rummaged in drawers for a few moments, then emerged with a few sheets of paper and a bag that jingled when he placed it on the desk. "Payment and proper documentation for the...cargo you will be transporting."

Kiara scowled but moved forward to take the papers and the money. "Where exactly are we collecting this cargo?"

Vizari smirked again and clapped his hands sharply. "Why, right here," he said as four veiled children crept into the room seemingly out of nowhere.

Eihmo'tei readjusted himself when Kiara stepped in. Did he do something wrong? The elder did not seem offended. In fact, it looked like he actually took interest in the Zerdani's custom. He would not dwell on this, Kiara knew what she was doing.

Suddenly, there were four smaller humans in the room. "Younglings?" Eihmo'tei said under his breath. Although smaller than Kiara or the elder was, they still had almost a foot on the Zerdani. This entire experience had made the Zerdani feel smaller and smaller, but now, Eihmo'tei was not even as tall as a human youngling.

These Younglings were definitely the subject of interest here. Were these the "others" Kiara had mentioned? Would they be the ones traveling to Seh... Sen... the far lands? Eihmo'tei continued observing the strangely dressed younglings.

Two boys and two girls. They were young, but not as young as she'd expected from what he'd told her yesterday. The oldest slave seemed to be maybe thirteen or fourteen, the youngest probably ten. That was the little girl who had acted as her guide twice now.

Kiara nodded to them, offering a small smile. "I'm Kiara," she introduced herself, then waved toward her smaller companion, "and this is Eihmo'tei. He may be coming with us to Serendipity, he hasn't decided yet."

The children all stared at her in silence, though she thought she saw one of the boys give a small smile behind his veil. Judging by their coloring, they were all Essyrni, or at least mostly.

"Well then." Kadar Vizari rubbed his hands together. "A pleasure doing business with you."

It was a clear dismissal. But Kiara wasn't quite done with him. "These papers-" she brandished them as she spoke- "they guarantee their freedom once we get to Serendipity?" She wouldn't put it past him to pull a fast one- and she couldn't read even basic Essyrni without trouble, let alone the legal jargon that was bound to fill those pages.

"Yes, yes." He frowned, waving her question away. "Now, I have a lot of work to get done, so..." He raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

Kiara gave a short, sharp nod and turned on here heel, telling the children, "Follow me, then," and putting a hand on Eihmo'tei's shoulder as she she steered them back onto the street.

Eihmo'tei did his best to follow Kiara, but could not help but to throw his glance at the four young humans that followed them. They seemed to show great interest in him, even moreso than their guide. He knew how odd he must have appeared to them, but the staring was making him increasingly nervous.

The Zerdani grabbed the back of Kiara's shirt, using it to stay as close to her as possible.

"Hm?" Kiara glanced back at the soft tug on her shirt. "What's the problem?" Her eyes traveled over their four new companions and their stares full of childish curiosity. "Oh."

She sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I take it you guys have never seen a Zerdani before?" she asked.

As one, they shook their heads.

"Well, neither had I a few days ago," she muttered, then said louder, "He knows you're staring at him; why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The children shifted, looking at each other. Then the youngest girl said quietly, "Master Vizari calls me Tala."

"I am Bibi," the other girl, maybe eleven or twelve, piped up.

"Ras," said the oldest boy shortly.

"Perryn," came the last voice, soft and hesitant.

"Alright then." Kiara went through their names again for Eihmo'tei, pointing to each in turn.

The Zerdani nodded after each child said their name, his face still reflecting caution. Making a mental note of each, he repeated the names after Kiara.

"Ta'la..."
"Bii Bii..."
"Raaz..."
"Pei... Rinn..."

The Zerdani knew he shouldn't really worry about them while Kiara was around, but he remembered how younglings were back home. They were, for the most part, unpredictable. These ones were not nearly as tall as his friend, but tall enough to cause harm should they get a little too... careless.

Not wanting to be rude, the Zerdani put a paw to his chest. "Issa... Eihmo'tei."

He knew full well how hard a full name was for younglings to pronounce. To combat this, Eihmo'tei would give them his pet name. The one his fellow tribesmen gave when the young ones struggled with their syllables. Spacing his open paws away from each other in front of his chest (a sign of "short"), he spoke. "Eemo. It is shorter."

The older girl, Bibi, grinned broadly, the expression subtly visible through the sheer fabric of her veil. "Pleased to meet you, Master Eihmo'tei, Mistress Kiara," she said, dipping her head respectfully. The other three mimicked her with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Kiara shifted uncomfortably. "Hey now, I'm nobody's "Mistress"," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Besides, you lot are going to be free souls soon enough, you should get out of the habit of...that." She waved her hand at their subservient demeanor vaguely. then she offered a soft smile and said, "Come on, then, let's get you all to Kit so we can get out of here," and set off again.

Eihmo'tei was surprised that the one youngling was able to pronounce his full name. Perhaps these humans were more matured than they looked. Then again, the Zerdani did not know the human life cycle. Perhaps there was less to be cautious about than he expected.

He returned the grin. "Master". Eihmo'tei heard this before, thinking it was part of the elder's name. It must have been some title, but the Zerdani could not figure out its meaning. He definately was not an elder, so that could not be it... He would ask Kiara about it later.

Before giving the young ones his complete trust, Eihmo'tei would continue monitoring them, trying to learn what they were like, and if he should be cautious about them.

The young slaves followed after them like a train of ducklings, though much quieter. It was...unnerving. Kiara had to keep glancing back to make sure they were all still with her. Children should not be that silent.

As if in response to her thoughts, the younger boy- Perryn- spoke. "Master Eihhma- Eemoh-" He gave up and went with the shortened version the Zerdani had given him earlier: "Master Eemo? If I may be so bold to ask, where do you come from?" Kiara noted with some interest that his accent was different from the other three, just slightly. Perhaps he was not fully Essyrni.

"He's still learning Common," she told the boy. Then she paused in their walk, turning to Eihmo'tei to ask, "Home?" She tapped the map he still carried, then gestured back at Perryn. "He wants to know where home is."

Eihmo'tei stopped and turned at mention of his pet name. There was that "master" title again. He could not understand the longer drawn out question of the young human. Although he was being polite, the Zerdani wished he would stick to simpler words.

It was good that Kiara was there to "translate". Unfolding the map, Eihmo'tei laid it down on the sandy floor. Finding the river with his index claw, he slid it a little to the left.

"Issa... Eihmo'tei home." he said in his choppy, accented common.

Then his claw slid up to the north, marking where Kiara had marked "Serendipity".

"Issa... Pei Rinn... Home?" he asked the child. That is where Kiara was taking them, so that must be where these younglings lived, right? He almost wondered why they were so far away, and even how they came to be here.

Perryn shook his head, mute. Then, slowly, he moved Eihmo'tei's finger to point at Thanatos, saying softly, "Home."

"So you aren't Essyrni," Kiara murmured. The young boy looked up at her over his veil and shook his head. She looked to the other children. "And the rest of you?"

They shifted, looking at each other. Finally, Ras answered, "We were born here, Mis- Kiara."

She nodded. "Are you nervous to be leaving?" she asked kindly.

Bibi nodded at once, then seemed to realize that honesty may not be what Kiara was looking for and stopped. Kiara sighed, standing and indicating to Eihmo'tei that he should keep hold of the map, saying quietly to him, "Essyrn is home," gesturing to Bibi, Tala, and Ras. Then she clapped her hands together and gave them the most cheerful smile she could muster. "Well, I guess we'll be having a bit of an adventure then. Come on." She set off again.

"Excuse me...Kiara?" She glanced back at Bibi and raised an eyebrow. "How are we getting to Serendipity?"

She grinned. "Have you kids ever met a dragon?"

The younger male of the four was from a place even farther than Serendipity. The Zerdani picked up how sad he was when he said "home". It was awful, really. To be so far away from home as such a young age? The thought made Eihmo'tei's heart drop.

After another exchange of words, Kiara revealed to him that the other three were natives of this city. This confused the Zerdani. Why were three younglings leaving their home to travel so far away? Also, they were not taking the fourth one back home either. Why were four young humans traveling so far away, to such a mysterious land?

The word "dragon" was used. This could only mean Kit. Were they about to leave?
"Kii'arah..." the Zerdani said to get his friend's attention, "Why are we going to Sei ren'dippy?"
He gave a shrug, hoping to convey his confusion. "Serendipity" was still a difficult word for him to pronounce.

Kiara got the message, but she couldn't think of a simple answer. "It's...complicated..." She bit her lip. "Maybe..." She looked at Eihmo'tei and said, enunciating carefully, "Can you wait until we're with Kit? I can't explain it very well." She held her hands far apart and said, "Long story. Wait for Kit to talk?" She made her hands "talk" to each other, like a children's puppet show.

"Miss Kiara?" Tala spoke up softly. "Are we really going to ride a dragon?"

Kiara smiled back at them. They were approaching the gate now, it wouldn't be long until they were out of the city. "Yes, sweetling. We are."

The Zerdani could tell by how flustered Kiara was that there was no easy answer to his question. They needed Kit to translate the point across. He gave a nod, and repeated "Wayt f-fer Kit."

Eihmo'tei noticed that they had been moving at quite a hurried pace. Although not so nervous as she was before, she still looked back at them all several times. It was almost like she expected the younglings to run off. Or maybe, she expected something to happen to them?

As they walked to the gate Kiara felt like she could really breathe again. There was only one guard here, and he seemed bored nearly to death. "Hold," he drawled, straightening and looking their little group over. His eyebrow crept northward and he asked lazily, "These slaves yours?"

Kiara set her jaw and said flatly, "Yes." She handed over the papers Vizari had given her, giving her companions a reassuring smile as he looked them over.

"Everything seems to be in order." He nodded and waved them through. Kiara ushered her little ducklings ahead of her out into the oasis. "Kit?" she called over the sound of the gate closing behind them. "Kit?"

The dragon gave a rumbling sort of crow, emerging from a grove of date trees. The children gasped and ducked closer to her, eyes wide. Kiara chuckled, reaching out a hand to stroke Kit's nose as he approached. "Hey, let me introduce you." She indicated each young slave in turn and rattled off their names, then said, a little more quietly, "And we need to talk to Eihmo'tei. I can't get through why we're going to Serendipity without you translating."

The dragon nodded, dropping his head closer to Eihmo'tei and the children and started to speak softly, trying to explain the concept of slavery, and the fact that they were taking Ras, Perryn, Tala, and Bibi to somewhere they could be free. The young humans skittered back nervously, watching him with open mouth.

Kiara smiled at them and beckoned them forward. "It's alright," she assured them. "I know he looks scary, but he's just a big grouchy sweetheart."

Slaves are those who are owned by others. They are seen only as property, and are forced to serve the one or ones that own them. They are not free, and must do, go, and live as they are commanded.

"That... is... Terrible! No, HORRIBLE!! How could Hoomann do that to each other?! And to ones so young?" The Zerdani was nearly hopping mad. "How could this happen to these younglings? Did they not have parents or a tribe to protect them?"

The dragon did his best to explain that the he and Kiara were going to set them free in Serendipity. Eihmo'tei approved obviously, but as always, he was inquisitive.

"It is so far from their homes! How are the young ones supposed to live? Who will take care of them?"

He felt genuine grief for the four children. For some reason, the Zerdani felt somewhat responsible for their future well-being.

Kit looked to Kiara helplessly. She turned to their new companions and said, "I'm sorry, we just need to talk for a moment." Then she knelt in front of Eihmo'tei, listening to Kit's rumbling translation.

"That's why this is going to be a long trip," she said, once she understood. "We're not going to abandoned them in a foreign country, don't worry. Kit and I will make sure to find someone to look after them until they can manage for themselves." She waited while the dragon acted as interpreter, then tilted her head. "Do you still want to come? We could take you home before we leave the desert, if you'd prefer."

She realized that, if he chose to leave, she was going to miss the little Zerdani. But it was his decision, and she didn't want to bring him along if he wasn't comfortable.

Eihmo'tei looked to the younglings. Kiara was kind, kinder than any other human he had met in the past few days. The Zerdani knew she would take care of them. Still, he felt obligated to see them off himself. The destination was far, but really, he wanted to see what this wide world had to offer.

"Aya... I will go." he said with a confident look. He felt he was ready to go, but he was not completely comfortable with it yet. There was one thing he could do to accomplish this, but the Zerdani was not sure if Kiara would agree to it.

"Although... Can we do one thing first?"

Kit translated, and Kiara tilted her head cutiously. "Well...I suppose so." She glanced around at the children, giving them a quick smile, before asking the Zerdani, "what is it you need to do?"

"Can we... visit my home first?"

Eihmo'tei knew he was asking a bit much, but there were good reasons for asking this.

"Some of my tribe have tried to leave before... They crossed the great river, but never returned. Everyone assumes they died in the desert..."

A tear began to form in his eye. He believed Kiara would refuse, since his tribe was so far out of the way. He spoke with wavering confidence.

"Before I go, I want to show everyone that I am well... and also..."

He clammed up before finishing that sentence. He thought it a waste of breath, since his request was probably not going to be accepted anyway.

Kiara hesitated. It was pretty far out of the way. But... She looked at Eihmo'tei at felt her heart squeeze in sympathy.

"Hey, kids," she called, beckoning the children closer. They gathered around, heads tilted curiously. She smiled at them, then turned the expression to her smaller friend, saying while Kit translated, "We're gonna make a quick detour before we head to Serendipity, ok?"

He knew it, she was not going to go so far out of the way. It was understandable, so Eihmo'tei could not really be upset with Kiara.

However, she turned to the younglings and said something in her own language. Although he did not understand the words, he could feel somehow that she had agreed after all! He got excited.

"Alright!" She stood and stretched, then asked Eihmo'tei, "Could I have the map?" While Kit was translating her request she ushered their charges toward the dragon, mounting up herself and reaching down to help them and the Zerdani climb up.

"You'll all have to sit in a row behind me," she said as Tala took her hand. "And watch the spikes. You can use them to hold on, but the tips are sharp."

Eihmo'tei wasted no time in surrendering the map to Kiara. He could hardly contain his excitement. He thought about what it would be like when he brought these giants.

They would probably panic, which may be hilarious at first. It would take some time, but eventually, the Zerdani knew his tribesmen would eventually warm up to them. Whether they did or not really was not very important. Eihmo'tei did not plan on staying long. He would let his friends and loved ones know he was alright (and not dead), tell them about his discoveries, and be off to make more. Kit, Kiara, and the younglings would even serve as proof of his stories.

Eihmo'tei was positioned behind the younglings. Suddenly, the fears of flying flooded back, and this time Kiara was not there to hold him. He gripped the spike in front of him, but remembered before when he got stuck. He would be conscious of that this time around.

He braced for takeoff.

"Everybody on?" Kiara said, looking back to check. The children and Eihmo'tei reminded her of ducklings lined up behind their mother and she had to swallow a laugh. Leaning down to pat the dragon's flank she said, "Ready to go. And take it easy, yeah? No fancy flying."

The dragon rumbled an agreement, giving her a teasing look that said You're no fun. Then he took a few running strides, gait oddly smooth for such a large animal, and leaped into the air.

Kiara heard at least two of the children gasp as the took off, and Tala, who was directly behind her, wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. She looked back with a reassuring smile, laying her hand over the girl's and squeezing lightly.

Looking at the older boy, Ras, she laughed and said, "Open your eyes! How often do you get to see this?"

Slowly, very slowly, the children began to look around- still clinging to her and to one another, but their curiosity seemed to be getting the best of them. Kiara grinned, leaning low over Kit's neck, and murmured, "Alright, here we go."

Kit snorted and banked against the wind, turning in a graceful arc until they were flying toward the river.

Now knowing what to expect, this takeoff was not as terrifying as the last one. It was still rather scary, but better. Eihmo'tei suspected that it would take a few times before he got anywhere close to comfortable with the sensation.

Looking out once again at the sands of his native environment, he really could not imagine land that did not look like this. He thought back to the idea of the ocean. It was like this, but water? He would really have to see that to believe it. The Zerdani looked forward to the younglings, making sure they were staying on alright. It was a little challenging for him. With no one behind him this time, he had to  rely on the strength of his arms and paws. As long as Kit flew straight and avoided any fancy maneuvers, it would not be a problem to stay on.

It wasn't exactly a short flight, so Kiara urged Kit to take a break, having him come in to land when the reached the banks of the river. The desert sun was sinking now- thank gods- but still scorching hot. "Alright, everyone down for a minute," she said, dismounting easily and turning back to help the others.

Kit stretched a wing out, offering shade to his human (and Zerdani) companions. Kiara threw him a grateful look before turning to Eihmo'tei to ask, "Which way to your home?" She pointed in several directions, then tilted her head quizzically and shrugged.

Eihmo'tei ran down to the river, and looked around. If he could familiarize himself with his surroundings, he could remember exactly what part of the river he was at. The sun was setting directly behind him as he looked to the flowing water and swaying grasses.

In the distance, there was an old dead tree. After some observation, the Zerdani found thet he remembered it. It was one of the trees his people would take wood from. He was confident that he could find his home from it. He made his way over.

"This way! Come!" he said with enthusiasm. His strides over the sandy earth started off slow, but soon began to pick up in speed.

Well, he was certainly excited about something. "Come on, let's follow," Kiara said over her shoulder. "Kids, why don't you ride Kit? That'll be easier."

That dragon gave her a look that quite clearly said Easier for who?, but otherwise didn't complain as the young soon-to-be-ex-slaves climbed up onto his back and they set off after the little Zerdani.

He started to run, and Kiara had no idea how. She wasn't used to sand shifting under her feet, having to adjust for every step she took. Kit seemed to be faring better, but then his clawed toes were much better suited to this sort of thing.

"Eihmo'tei, wait up!" she called, cresting a dune behind her smaller friend.

Eihmo'tei stopped at the tree, and continued to look around. Before long, he had the trail home. All that was left before going was to wait for his friends.

"I know the way! Here it is!"

The overjoyed Zerdani pointed in the direction, towards the setting sun. As the rest grew near, he began up the sandy slope of a dune.

Kiara followed as quickly as she could.

"Where are we going?" Bibi called from Kit's back. She glanced around at them to see all four looking curiously at both her and Eihmo'tei and realized she'd never actually explained that part.

"To Eihmo'tei's home," she said with a smile.

Ras frowned slightly. "Where is that?"

Kiara laughed and shrugged, then continued after the Zerdani.

Eihmo'tei continued to lead, saying nothing as he made a bee-line westward. He could not get far before the sun began to disappear behind the horizon.

With the last light of day, he slid down the slope of a steep dune. He paused in the middle of the sandy valley. There, he looked around for something in the new darkness.

Kiarqa caught up to the Zerdani and stopped next to him. "What is it?" she asked as Kit and the children joined them, the dragon translating her question.

"It is dark now..." said the little Zerdani in his native tongue. He dropped his pack to the sandy ground and opened it up. "This is a good place to rest."

He rifled through it until he found some dry sticks. "Let us make a fire, alright? It gets cold at night..." He continued to look through the pack for the small stones he needed to make a spark.

Realizing they were setting up camp, Kiara sank onto the sand with a sigh. It had been a long day. Kit settled back onto his haunches, allowing the kids to slide down to join her on the cooling ground. Arching his neck, the dragon coughed a brief jet of flame onto the kindling, lighting it instantly.

Kiara sighed, closing her eyes and stretching her arms above her head. She opened her eyes at the four soft thumps of four smaller bodies thumping onto the sand next to her.

"Woah!" the Zerdani exclaimed. He had almost forgotten that the dragon could do that.

Eihmo'tei closed up the pack and secured it once again onto his back. He was obviously not settling down. Walking over to the others, he said "Make yourselves comfortable. I will go for more wood!"

Without waiting for an answer, he was off again. In his mind, he hoped his friends would forgive him for his sudden and seemingly odd behavior once they saw what he had planned for them. He knew he would be gone for a while, and hoped that the humans and dragon would be asleep before he came back.

Then he disappeared between the dunes.

Kiara blinked, watching him dart away. "What...just happened?"

Kit chuffed, curling up the way he usually did when preparing to sleep. "I think he said something about firewood," the dragon muttered.

The four children started, looking at the dragon curiously. Ras exclaimed something in Essyrni that Bibi translated for Kiara as, "He can talk!"

She laughed, realizing they had only heard him grumbling and growling translations at Eihmo'tei before. Their understanding of Common must have allowed them to realize what he was saying without him speaking directly to them, unlike with the Zerdani. "Yes, he can," she said, smiling. "Introduce yourself properly, Kit," she told him, patting his side as she wandered over to lay down in the curve of his body.

"Hello," the dragon grumbled at the children. They stared at him in awe for a moment, then murmured quiet "hello"s of their own, creeping toward them both slowly.

"Well, come on," Kiara urged, beckoning them closer. "It gets cold out here at night, and Kit's a good windbreaker." With smiles from Bibi, Tala, and Perryn and a grudging nod from Ras, they edged closer and spread out thin sleeping mats in the crescent of Kit's body.

Kiara yawned, arching her back in a stretch before settling down again. "You okay with first watch, Kit?" she murmured, already drifting. It had been another long day.

The dragon rumbled an affirmation, nudging her fondly with his nose. Kiara smiled and closed her eyes. "If Eihmo'tei isn't back soon...wake me. We'll need to go...find him..."

The soft breathing of the children sleeping surrounded her, lulling her into unconsciousness.