//------------------------------// // Part 2- A Prophecy of Revelry // Story: Seven Hundred Seventy Seven Whiskers... and a Dragon // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// By the time that Smolder had reached the remnants of what looked to be an old and broken down manor, she was sore out of her mind. For the last couple of hours, she had to haul Gyoza, who the dragon had only met recently by chance, through the Everfree Forest and into the Badlands where the namazu’s home supposedly was. To make matters even more complicated, the namazu she was carrying would drift in and out of consciousness because of the lack of any suitable water for it to drink while on their trek. So for most of the journey, the dragon had no idea if what Gyoza was telling her was true… or if they were just full of it. Though, when she finally walked inside, only one particular namazu seemed to be paying attention to her. “You there! What brings you to the manor, yes yes? Do you have business with us, us?” “ … Well, I had been carrying one of you guys for who knows how long, so… yeah,” At that, Smolder just dropped Gyoza onto the ground as their body gave off an audible squeak. Yet, despite the fact that they looked like they were going to pass out again, the namazu was still able to speak out a few words. “I’m … back, everyone.” “G-Gyoza!? Where have you been?!” the other namazu gasped in shock. “I found them passed out in an alleyway not far from where I’m living at the moment,” the dragon did his best to try and explain, “Only thing they could tell me was that their throat was as dry as a desert.” “Dear heavens! Stay right there, I’ll fetch some water right away!” When the namazu ran off to get some water, Smolder thought that they were going to get a glass or a pitcher of some kind. Instead, she watched as the namazu brought out a cart of pots that were as big as they were. Before they could even roll out one of them and have Gyoza drink it, the namazu that was on the ground sprang upward and proceeded to drink each and every pot that was on the cart in a matter of seconds. By the time they were done, there were eight empty pots rolling around on the ground and Gyoza was back up. “Aahh!! Water from the one river, just what I needed to quench my dying thirst, yes yes!!” Gyoza proclaimed, “Just another few more and I’ll be completely restored I say!” “Another few mo-?! You just drank through eight times the amount of water that I would normally have in one sitting!!” Smolder shouted internally, baffled by what was happening right now. “Oh no you don’t,” The other namazu cut him off before Gyoza could waddle away, “First, you better explain where you have been over the last few days!! You ran off without telling anyone where you were going?” Then, their gaze shifted over to Smolder, “And what about this kind wanderer? Do you have anything to say to them for helping you when you needed it most? Such an ill-mannered namazu I’ve ever seen!” It was at this moment that Gyoza turned back around and looked back at Smolder, “Oh yes, that’s right! After having such a life saving bounty just now, the thought slipped my mind,” the namazu apologized, before looking to the one that was next to him, “Gyosei, this is Smolder. She is the one that came to me in my hour of need to save me, and she agreed to help save us all!” “Well, there’s no need to be so dramatic about it,” the dragon said, before she looked at Gyoza, “While on that subject though, I didn’t quite really get what you were telling me. All I got was that you were thirsty and how you wanted me to prevent your people from… well-” As she was speaking, the dragon looked over at Gyosei and noticed a look of recognition on their face. As if they somehow knew what was going to be said. But before they could even pitch in, Gyoza interrupted them. “Yes, that’s right!! But before we do that, I should first explain why I went on that perilous journey in the first place, yes yes! I’m sure Gyosei is dying to know the answer.” Gyosei could only narrow their eyes and fold their fins at the proclamation, “Oh, yes. Do go on.” “As most Namazu are aware, I’m an artisan by trade. My skills and dedication to my craft and the creations that I make are second to none. Despite this, many assume me to be a cook because of my name… something I wish to prove otherwise.” “Yes yes, and you would be well honed in your skills if you weren’t so hasty with your work,” the other namazu remarked, “Why, the last time you were here, you were so quick on your flippers that you ran into the path of a statue that was being taken down and it left you knocked out cold on the floor. There were even signs for you to not wander off there, but did you listen? No no, you didn’t!” Smolder watched as Gyoza let out a groan, now noticing what looked to be a scar of sorts on his head… and just inches away from where the more recent injuries came when she kicked that pebble that hit him in the head. “Yes yes, I remember you nagging at me for that while I had to handle the excruciating pain. Though, even after I’ve fully recovered from that tiny setback… something else started happening.” “Uh,” Smolder looked over at Gyosei with an expression of confusion, before looking back at Gyoza, “What do you mean by that?” “I started to have unusual dreams, yes yes!!” “ … Isn’t that supposed to be Luna’s kind of thing?” “I do not know of who you speak of, but I assure you, this is important to why I left, yes yes!” Gyoza proclaimed, shaking their fins in anticipation, “The dreams showed my ancestor standing before my very eyes! Yet, they were in the form of the Big One themselves! Before I had the chance to say anything, I was told of a task that needed to be done, post haste!” Every Seven Hundred and Seventy Years, it is the duty of our tribe to hold a festival of revelry to commemorate the birth of our people. That duty now falls upon you, Gyoza. The celebration must go on and last for seven years, as per tradition. If the Namazu fail to do this, then the one river’s waters will run dry and our species will cease to exist on this beautiful star that we call home. “And because of that, you immediately decided to run off north to find the base of the one river? Without even sparing a moment to consider bringing supplies or even telling anyone where you went?” Gyosei retorted, “Besides, how would you even know if such proclamations are true? It’s bad enough that Gyodo left a horrible impression on the natives of that mountain tower about us.” “Who’s Gyodo?” Smolder asked, confused by the new name. “Gah, where do I even begin?” the namazu grumbled, “Gyodo’s one of our brothers that left home in order to do what he called ‘business pursuits’ with a pair of pony brothers he met, yes yes. However, we soon learned that the brothers in question he was working with were scam artists and his involvement left a rather poor impression on all the Namazu because of it.” Then, Gyosei turned back towards Gyoza and let out a sigh, “My point is that dreams are dreams, yes yes? You shouldn’t get yourself fixated on them-” However, before Smolder had the chance to add anything on to the conversation, things began to take a rather unexpected turn. “Don’t be so hasteful to judge, for truth may reveal itself in the visions of the night!!” “Uh, who just said that?” “No idea,” Gyoza quickly added as he looked around the courtyard they stood in. However, a few seconds later, all three of them looked up to a nearby rooftop to see that there was another namazu standing up there. “Who the-? How did they even get up there!?” the dragon thought. From the short amount of time that she had spent with Gyoza, she honestly thought that there was no way they could possibly climb up there or reach that high. They didn’t have wings and with how much they talk about rivers and water, she thought that the Namazu were an aquatic species like sea ponies. Then, the namazu on the roof leaped down to the ground, landed like a hero in one of the comic books Spike would read and made a boisterous declaration, “WHY IT IS NONE OTHER THAN I!! SUIGETSU, THE ALL KNOWING!!! RENOWNED MEMBER OF THE LITERATI!!” Smolder was a bit baffled by what was happening right now. Though, when she looked back at Gyoza and Gyosei, it didn’t look like either of them were buying the show that the third namazu was putting on for them. “Oh hey, isn’t that Gyorai? The one who always has his face buried in any books we acquire?” “Yeah, the walking tome with whiskers. That’s is Gyorai for sure-” Suigetsu… or Gyorai for that matter, didn’t really take that well. For after he fell backwards, the namazu was directly in the face of the other two that were just feet away from where Smolder was standing, “H-how dare you speak of such sacrilege, no no!! That name was cast away and forgotten long ago! I have searched for new meaning and knowledge since then and have found it!! How many times must I tell you fools!?” “So this guy is just Headmare Twilight, but a lot more dramatic? Makes sense, I guess.” “Yes yes, you have a lot to say on that,” Gyosei rolled his eyes, “Is there something you need? Because right now, we have our fins full at the minute.” The remarks only added to Suigetsu’s irritation as he let out a low groan and shook his head, “This… this is why I despise idiots that bother me. Yet, we have a more important matter to deal with than petty annoyances. We have a more important matter to discuss.” “You mean the festival that Gyoza mentioned?” the dragon now spoke up. Much to her surprise, it seemed that the namazu that had just arrived was startled by her appearance. “A-A dragon!? What is a dragon doing in our abode?” “She is Smolder, yes yes! She was the one that saved Gyoza’s life and brought him back here,” Gyosei interjected, “And despite her intimidating appearance, if Gyoza’s words are to be believed, she has shown great kindness in traveling so far to bring him back here.” “Wait, seriously? Do I really look that intimidating to other creatures?” “Huh, I see. Apologies, but based on the stories of dragons I’ve read, I expected you to be… taller, yes yes.” “Okay, did this guy just insult me-!?” “But you are correct! The festival is the most important thing to talk about, yes yes!” the ‘all knowing’ namazu began to speak, before proceeding to go into an extensive monologue, “In one of the manuscripts I’ve read, the author of it mentioned witnessing an ‘unforgettable spectacle’ that took place along the base of the one river, the body of water that our tribe see’s as sacred! Because of it, our people prospered and they were able to grow and thrive because of it. Surely, you must see the significance of such an important tradition?” “And you are sure that the dreams he speaks of are true?” Smolder asked. “Even though I suspect that what Gyoza witnessed was the result of sustaining too many injuries to the head, the idea of reviving such ancient traditions should be perfect! If we band together, we can overcome the troubles that our tribe has had to face! Our cultural renaissance is nigh I say! Nigh nigh!!” At that, Smolder just looked over to Gyoza as the namazu tilted its head. A look of clear confusion was on their face, but it seemed to be enough, “ … I was a bit lost on your explanation, Gyorai-” “Suigetsu.” “-But if you want to help, I would be a fool to refuse your aid.” “If that is the case, then any attempts to stop you would be futile it seems,” Gyosei sighed, “I will come with you two. But due to the fact that both of you have a horrible sense of direction and are rather impulsive, I insist that we have one more creature accompany us. Someone who would be familiar with where we are headed, perhaps?” At this point, Smolder heard three sets of squeaks as all three of them stared directly at her. An uncomfortable feeling set in as the dragon let out a sigh. “Okay… I did say I would help-” “Thanks in advance-!” “BUT,” the dragon immediately interjected, “All of you keep mentioning this ‘one river’ like I know what it is. However, I don’t. So, could you at the very least tell me more about where I would be taking you three? Because if I at least don’t know that, there would be three of us in this group that have a horrible sense of direction.” “The one river is the most sacred body of water to the Namazu! A river that courses through the borders of two barren planes. One being a kingdom where the base of the river rests, the other a wasteland where we reside now,” Suigetsu tried to explain, “Yet, when I last traveled along it to the peninsula where the base of the river was, I saw the strangest thing on the other side. A kingdom that was once an empty waste now had life restored… and its denizens were no longer black like ichor, but colorful. Some even had wings of a butterfly.” “Oh dear… please don’t tell me they’re talking about what I think they are talking about-” It took another couple of hours to reach their intended destination, but by the time they reached it and the three namazu were beginning to get things set up, what Smolder was worried about turned out to be true. The ‘base’ of the river that the namazu considered sacred… was in the Changeling Kingdom of all places. And moments after they arrived, they were swarmed by some unexpected visitors. One of which happened to recognize her. “Smolder? What are you doing here?” “O-Ocellus?”