Nandak's Journey

by Olakaan Peliik

Nandak's Journey - 2

June 20th, Day 60, 11th hour.

I’m definitely being followed. I woke up last night to something breathing heavily beside me. I tried to look, but it was too dark, and when I relit the fire I had made before I went to sleep, it ran off. I haven't slept since.

I'm following the coastline south-west, maybe it will lose interest if I get far enough from wherever it lives.

---

I closed my journal and put it away in my bag. I scanned the treeline for my follower. Whatever was following me was smart enough to stay hidden from me. I'm beginning to think I need to draw it out. How would I do that if I don't know what it is though?

“Remove its hiding place,” Enforcer Viing would say.

I wasn't about to burn down a forest though. Instead, I kept flying in the direction I was heading.

After a few hours of flying, I could see another desert on my right, and the ocean to my left. I set down on a rock that overlooked both the desert and the forest behind me and took in the sight for a moment.

I heard that shifting of sand behind me. I whirled to try and see what was following me. Once again, nothing but the beach sand. I sighed and looked over to the desert.

“I'll have a quick look over that way,” I said to myself. I spread my wings and lifted up into another foreign land.

---

It was about four in the afternoon now judging by the position of the sun, and I had been flying over featureless sand all day. I could see a canyon up ahead. Finally, a place with my colors. I could still feel eyes on me.

I lazily started flying over the canyon. I spotted a ledge with a shadowed area beneath it, a place where I could bury myself and still see. I dove into the canyon pushing my wings faster. I passed my hiding spot three times before finally going for it.

I got onto the ledge and buried myself quickly. Once I was covered, I waited and watched. Which took forever. I watched the shadows move from one side of the canyon to the other.

I was finally ready to give up when I saw something peculiar across the canyon. Something was hiding behind a rock.

I watched as a dragoness with sand grey sides, and dark brown back slowly moved from rock to rock, at least that what her colors looked like, there was a lot of dust and sand stuck to her so she looked a little pale, from here I could see a dark brown pattern of scales that circled her throat. She was beautiful despite not being able to see her completely. What kind of dragon she was completely escaped me. If I discovered a new or lost race of dragons I might get to name them.

She seemed to be looking around for me. She stepped out from behind a rock and into the floor of the canyon. She kept looking. When she was looking away, I began to climb my way down from my hiding spot. But as I climbed down from the side of the canyon, part of it broke and it made a loud rock-on-rock sound.

She whirled on me, her head and upper neck flattened like a cobra when it feels threatened. She started to hiss loudly and the largest fangs I've ever seen on a dragon snapped out of her upper jaw.

“Uh-oh,” I muttered and backed up against the canyon wall. This would be so cool if I wasn't scared. I knew nothing about this kind of dragon, and I was alone here. Perhaps there was still a way out of this though.

I stood as still as possible. I didn't move, and I kept my wings at my side. After a moment she stopped hissing and a look of curiosity fell on her face. She took a few steps closer and I did my best statue impression. From here I could see her emerald eyes. They were... entrancing.

“Wo los hi?” she spoke snapping me back to reality. Wait, I know that language. “Fos eylok do dovah los hi?” she said again. She circled me.

'Dovah’ means dragon. She was speaking ancient dragon! These were definitely a lost race of dragon.

I knew a bit of ancient dragon I learned from Olakaan. ‘Wo los hi’ means, um, ‘Who are you?’

“Dii faan Nandak,” I introduced myself. “Hi faan?” I asked for her name.

She looked as if unsure if she should say something. I had to get her to trust me.

I needed to tell her where I came from and that I'm nice. “Zu'u yein nol Dovahhimdah. Zu'u seik drem, ni aax.” As soon as I said that, I realized that I had no idea if I said that correctly.

She looked at me with suspicion and curiosity but she looked excited too. “Kiibok,” she stated.

‘Kiibok’ means follow. She wants me to follow her. I nodded that I understood.

She went airborne, and I followed. From the looks of our direction, we were headed further into the desert.

---

My new acquaintance and I flew on into the night. She kept an eye on me as we flew to wherever she was leading me. I wonder if these dragons recognized Lord Torch’s rule? What do they eat? Do they live in a colony or are they loners like most dragons? Are they affected by the sun like me? Since they bear a resemblance to the cobra, they probably spit venom or something. Which would be so cool! Not if she decides to use it against me, though, that would suck.

Viper Dragons! That’s what I’d call them.

This desert was large. I haven't seen anything for miles. There was a large grouping of sandstone spires ahead, but that was about it. My acquaintance started to descend toward the mountains. Was this where she lived? She was a long way from home when she started following me.

She landed at the base of the spires, in front of a cave, and I landed behind her. “Fey strin. Ol lingrah ol hi los nun voth zey hi fen ni kos aax,” she said quickly, turning and entering the cave.

I understood the first two words as ‘Stay close.’ And her last word meant ‘harmed.’ Not a whole lot of confidence here. But I did as instructed and followed closely as we headed into the sandstone spire. Once the moonlight from outside was gone, little glowy lights dotted the roof of the cave, providing some illumination.

What was the word for pretty in Ancient Dragon? I couldn't remember. “Pretty,” I said, looking at the glowy things. She looked up as well but didn’t seem nearly as interested in them as I was.

We continued on through the tunnel. There was moonlight ahead, and more hissing sounds. The cave opened to an oasis, tucked in the center of these sandstone spires; a pool of crystalline of water sat in the middle of the open area, surrounded by greenery. Through the trees, bushes, and grass I could see more Viper Dragons lazing around the water. So they did live in a colony or at least a tribe.

We approached a spot of the oasis that had been decorated with a basilisk's skull and bones. A Viper Dragon, dark green, male and twice my size, decorated with animal bones, he wore the skull bone of a dragon as a mask. It looked to be another Viper dragon. He sat on what looked like a throne of more bones. Displays of his victories maybe? There were the skulls of ponies at his feet. He would've had to step on them to get to his throne. This was not a nice dragon.

He glared down at me like he wanted to turn me into a new necklace. I kept my distance. I was getting a lot of practice in for my statue impression today.

The big dragon was obviously the leader here, and he spoke commandingly. “Briinah, hi lost kosaan nusaan gut lingrahiik wey Zu'u lost vos? Gelaar, ahrk druv lost hi drun daar zuruniik wah un gaard?” he growled at the female who had led me here.

She bowed submissively to the big dragon, she shook as she did so. “Zeymah Zu'u lost rund braan dovah. To ni do un eylok. Rok saag rok fosoth drem, ahrk tol rok yein nol staad faan faal ‘Dovahhimdah’.”

“Dovahhimdah?” he asked, looking at me again. He stood and walked down the steps of skulls, past the dragoness and up to me. I bowed, but not submissively. I wasn't about to let this bully of a dragon think he can get the better of me.

“Dreh hi tinvaak un vun?” he asked, asking if I understood them.

“Rinik Mal,” I answered with a gulp. 'Very little.’

He gave a displeased look, then looked at the dragoness who brought me here. “Briinah Zu'u laan hi wah siiv tir waan til los vorey do ok eylok ahrk kolos nust los. Ont rok fun hi, hi los wah krii mok ahrk fusk naas ko piiv.”

The dragoness gasped and glanced at me. “Nuz Zeymah—” It sounded like she was pleading.

He cut her off. “Hi fen dreh ol hi los fun! Hi los nid zos wey verlovaasniir do dii fen! Nu bo!” he turned to go back up to his throne. Without another word.

She seemed to sneer at him while his back was turned. “Geh Zeymah.” She turned and looked at me not with hatred, but with concern. “Kiibok zey to kolos hi fen laag.”

I heard 'follow me’ and something about sleeping. Best guess she was gonna take me to where I was gonna be sleeping. So I followed...trying not to think about the other meanings for “sleep.” Bad brain!

I took a look around as we walked. Their dens were carved into the sandstone walls of the spires. They dotted the sides of the cliffs. As we climbed past a bunch of them and headed toward the top of one of the cliffs, I got an overhead look at the oasis. They had a lake, lots of trees and food: strange fruits and vegetables that I couldn’t even name.

She entered a dwelling at the very top of the cliff. I followed her in through a palm leaf curtain. “Saraan het,” she said pointing at me and the floor. She left the cave and left me there.

I waited like it seemed like she wanted me to. I looked around and what I could see in the little moonlight the entrance to the cave provided, appeared to be her home. Little trinkets that looked old, probably belongings of ponies from long ago, were scattered about everywhere. A dragon-sized pit of sand and palm leaves was in the corner, making a primitive bed.

She returned with a bunch of palm leaves and set them down in a corner of the cave away from her. “Laag til,” she pointed before going to her own bed.

I wanted to know her name. “Zu’u los Nandak. Fos los hin faan?” I introduced myself and asked her name again.

She looked at me with curiosity again. “Zu’u los Klo,” she finally answered.

Her name was Klo, meaning ‘Sand’ in ancient dragon. Klo, she had a nice name.

I laid down on the mat of leaves Klo provided me. “Softer than straight rocks,” I whispered under my breath. I rested my head on my claws, angling my head just right where I could see Klo out of the corner of my eye, she was looking back at me with those eyes of her’s. Then I drifted off to sleep.

---

June 21st, Day 61, 5th hour

I've made contact with what looks to be a long-lost species and tribe of dragons. A dragoness looking to be around fifty in age named Klo. She seems to have been ordered by the tribe leader to watch me. And if my translations are correct, she is to teach me more ancient dragon, and she is to extract some kind of information from me. Apparently, there are consequences if I don't give the tribe chief what he wants. I couldn't figure out what though.

I had woken up before Klo and I made the recording in my journal while she was still asleep. It looked as if she wasn't gonna wake for a little while longer. So I got up, leaving my bags next to my leaf mat. I made my way out, and up to the top of the sandstone cliff.

I looked down at the oasis. There were lots of colors for a place that is in the middle of nowhere. I looked out at the rising sun. Another few minutes and it'll break over the horizon.

Suddenly I was homesick. Krein and my sisters were probably sleeping right now. Kii might have had a sleepover with her little friends. I missed them. I got lost in the fond memories of my sisters and brother.

“Nandak?” I heard Klo from behind me. She made me jump, but I tried to brush it off by laughing and smiling. I turned to look at her. She had curiosity on her face. “Druv los hi vok het?” She asked me why I was up here.

I know this phrase, Krein was actually the one to teach me it. I pointed to the rising sun. “Feyl shulkun.” Rising sunlight, I told her.

I sat on my hind legs used my tail as a counterbalance and spread my wings to the morning sun. I felt the sun-warmed blood from my wings flow into the rest of my body and wake up my muscles. Once I was sure the morning sun had warmed me enough I folded my wings back up and sat normally.

I looked over at Klo who was trying to mimic my action, she looked cute when she was confused. Looking utterly bewildered. “Klo?” I said calling her attention.

She sat down normally. “Zu'u mindos hin tinvaak?”

Does she want to learn how to speak common first? I suppose that might be good since I already knew a fair bit of Ancient Dragon.

I pointed to the sun. “Sun,” I said slowly.

“Sun,” she repeated.

Okay. Good. I pointed to myself “Dovah,” then pointed to her. “Dovah,” then I pointed to myself again. “Dragon,” then I pointed to her. “Dragon.”

“Dragon,” Klo said, then she smiled when I nodded that she got it correct. This might actually be kinda fun.

Author's Note:

I hope you all are enjoying this little side project that I've been working on for weeks. I have lost sleep over this Just so you know it wasn't as easy as it looks.

Please thumbs up, and comment on something you enjoyed about this chapter.

Comments

[Phoenix Flight]

OHHHH THIS IS GONNA BE SO FUN!!!!

[Foxfax]

Hmm, I like Stranger In A Strange Land scenarios like this, whether there's romance or not. I will enjoy this, methinks.