Nandak's Journey

by Olakaan Peliik

Nandak's Journey - 3

June 28th, Day 68, 12th hour

It's been a week since I arrived here in the Viper Dragons’ home. I've learned a lot in my short time here. I've learned enough of ancient dragon to understand most of the Viper Dragons. Klo has also been determined to understand the common tongue, and has proved a fast and excellent learner. She's learned enough that she can understand most everything of what I say when I talk. I also learned that she was forty-nine, and turning fifty in another week. So I wasn't too far off with my guess about her age.

Klo has many questions about where I come from. She asks for answers about our history, who our leader is, how we hunt, where we live, what our families are like. One of the reasons I’m working hard at learning their language is just so I can answer her questions. I also find myself caring for her. More than just in a friendly way. I find myself imagining a future with her. But I know the odds of her leaving her home are almost non-existent.

We were walking around the Oasis. Klo was trying to hold a conversation using as few words in ancient dragon she could. I found it kinda cute.

“You and...family…no tell each other what to do?” she asked. She was still new at it but I understand her well enough.

“No, my older brother asks us what we can do. Then helps. Dragons back home have respect for each other now.”

She tilted her head in curiosity. “Respect? Means what?”

We stopped at the edge of the lake. “Treating others the same and how you would like to be treated.” I explained carefully.

She seemed to think about what I had said. “That sounds good.” she seemed to say with a twinge of sadness.

I wanted to ask what was wrong. But from here I could see the Clan Chief yelling at another Viper Dragon, a male who was just trying to get a drink of water. I couldn’t hear what he was saying but it didn’t look good. He snapped his jaws at the other male, who then ran away. The chief seemed pleased with himself. A bully.

“Your Chief. He isn't like most dragons I know.” I commented. I only had Lord Torch to compare him to as a leader though.

“Yes,” she snapped her claws in thought, “Zu'u vodahmaan. What is word for male sibling?” she asked.

I don't know if I want to know what she is about to say. “It's 'brother’ why?”

She looked down at the water. “He is mine brother. I hate him, but do as am told.” She seemed to be getting irritated just looking at him across the way. “Draaf klov lost alun kosaan med tol ruzun rok krii laat Konaar ahrk kuz tet!” she spat.

“I didn't get all that,” I told her.

She took a breath. “Brother killed before Chief, our father the dovah klus… skull, he wears. Brother wants only those strong to live. He has killed more dovah than the desert.”

“And you don't share his belief?” I asked.

“Nid.” She shook her head gently as she stared at the water as if ashamed with the dragon she saw in herself. She couldn't stand up to him. I doubt I even can. But I knew who could.

A little red flag was waving in the the back of my mind. Killing other dragons was one of Lord Torch’s most strictly enforced laws; 'Don't kill your own kind.’ Of course it happened, but since Crater, the dragon city, was built, our population has never been safer or been in the numbers it is now.

“Lord Torch wouldn't stand for this,” I said out loud, realizing too late that I had.

She looked over at me. “Hmm?”

“If Lord Torch knew about this tribe. He would come and take control. Your brother would not be able to challenge him.”

“Is Torch a good Kinbok?” she asked. ‘Kinbok’ means leader.

I nodded. “Wise, and he is the strongest of us.”

“He would help, if you go get him?” Klo asked, sounding hopeful.

“I would not be able to alone. You would need to come with,” I tried.

She looked back down at her reflection. I could see it in her jade green eyes; she wanted to do something. But I could tell it was gonna take more than just a hopeful talk from me to convince her.

“I think on it.” She got close to me then, to my surprise, rubbed the back of her head on the bottom of my chin. “You are good dovah, Nandak,” she said, then stood and walked away.

I could feel my heart beating in my ears. She had never shown that kind of affection toward me until now. Perhaps I did stand a chance?

---

June 30th, Day 70, 15th hour.

I've been getting a few strange looks from Klo lately. I don't know if she's picked up on my feelings toward her, but I'm definitely getting some kind of signal from her. Klo had some kind of thing to do today. So I'm spending time with the tribe elder. An old dragon named “Koos”. He’s been telling me the history of the tribe. Apparently they have always been here, and once they did answer to a Dragon Lord but that was many generations ago. If they’ve been here for that long they might have been under one of the previous Dragon Lords and the knowledge of their existence wasn’t passed down with the Bloodstone Scepter to Lord Torch.

I closed my journal and set it to the side to get back to my basket. Koos was showing me how to weave baskets out of palm leaf strands. She was half blind so I was glad she couldn't she my horrific claw-work. Her’s looked perfect though.

She let out an amused but soft laugh “Hi fen ofaal tiik do nii ko tiid.” - ‘You will get the hang of it in time.’

I was not convinced, but I laughed with her. “Hi fen mindoraan waan Zu'u grit tol.” - ‘You will understand if I doubt that.’

She nodded as she finished her’s. “Zu'u dreh. Fos Zu'u fund med wah mindok los, waan nii los vahzah tol hi ahrk Klo lost meyz strin?” - ‘I do. What I would like to know is, if it is true that you and Klo have become close?’

“Zu'u dreh ni mindok…” - ‘I don't know...’ I began to say but she cut me off.

“Klo fun zey tol hi lost kosaan eylok wah ek. Zos ful wey naan vorey detiik.” - ‘Klo told me that you have been kind to her. More so than any other suitor.’ She smiled.

“Ful fos waan nii los vahzah dii laas los hond nol het. Klo los mid wah ek brodaan. Til los nid ven rek fund lif nii fah zey.” - ‘So what if it is true? My life is away from here. Klo is loyal to her tribe. There is no way she would leave it for me.’ I told Koos, trying not to sound hopeless, but it felt like I was telling myself really.

“Til los zos wey gein ven wah unazom.” - ‘There is more than one path to happiness.’ Koos said cryptically.

“Fos dreh hi seik?” - ‘What do you mean?’ I tried to ask.

“Fod grozein nutiid nimaar. Hi fen mindok.” - ‘When the opportunity presents itself. You will know.’ She said smiling as she stood and left with her perfect basket.

“What the heck did that mean?” I asked my wreck of a basket. It didn't answer.

---

Okay, I know that we've only known each other for a week, two days and nineteen hours. I'm in my eighties, she is forty-nine, almost fifty, not that age for a dragon is really a factor. But I think I should go for it. My sisters and brother would be advising me to go for it.

“I'm going to tell her,” I said to myself, pacing in a circle. “I just need to wait for her to get back.”

I sat on my mat of leaves while I waited. It was starting to get late. My nerves were starting to get the better of me. I was starting to shake, feeling like I had just been power-flying.

Just when I was starting to talk myself out of telling her, Klo landed at the opening to the cave. Something was wrong. Her jade green eyes were red and tear stains running through the layer of dust, from her eyes down her cheeks. But she didn’t just look sad and hurt; she looked angry. She paced back and forth with what room the cave allowed, muttering to herself in dragon. Too fast for me to catch any of it.

After watching her for a minute, I stepped in front of her. “Klo,” I said to her. She looked up at me with so many emotions going through her I couldn't begin to name them off. “Fos los folaas?” I asked 'What is wrong?’

She tried to hold back the tears but she just fell against me and wept quietly. I wrapped my wings around her and held her as best I knew how.

When she finally got enough out of her system she spoke. “Brother ordered I am to marry male of his choice on my hatchday. Brother said I am to ‘provide successor worthy of taking throne’ from him,” she said, trying to hold back the tears. “I know who him has picked, and not who I wish.”

This was bad. Very bad. I didn't even think dragons got married anymore before coming here. No dragon in the Dragonlands has gotten married since before Lord Torch. It’s pretty much just ‘Hey wanna be together?’ or ‘Wanna screw?’ then they answer yes or no, and then that’s it. No ceremony or anything, very straight forward.

Oh, right. Crying dragon here. Focus on that, Nandak.

“Who do you want to marry?” I asked, just trying to ease things.

She sat up and looked me in the eyes. I couldn't tell if time had slowed but it certainly felt like it had. She just stared at me, and I stared back into those beautiful emerald eyes I was falling for.

Just when I thought she was just going to back away, she kissed me. Only for a second but long enough to cause my reaction time to slow. I was completely stunned, I didn't know how to react.

“You,” she said smiling at me as more tears fell from her eyes.

“I-I-I…” I tried to get my voice to work, but it seemed to be broken.

“I make mistake?” Fear and disappointment crossed her face. “You no feel same?”

I still couldn't form words. But I had movement back. I had one way to convey how I felt. I kissed her back. Then I kissed her longer.

I was also getting involved in something extremely complicated. But I was beginning to believe that it might be well worth it.

---

I woke up not on my mat of leaves, but on a mat of leaves with sand underneath. I was in Klo’s bed. With her. I picked my head up and looked around. Nothing but us were out of place.

Had we gotten a little too carried away last night? Yes. Thinking back we certainly did. Klo was still sleeping peacefully beside me, she looked more comfortable now than I have ever seen her. Although I also felt a little bad. She was at a low point emotionally last night, and because I couldn't control my feelings things got out of control.

Klo began to stir. Was she going to hate me? Was she going to scream? Bite me with those fangs? I just watched her wake up, without freaking out myself.

She yawned, showing those fangs, and looked up at me, I could tell once she remembered what had happened. She smiled and kissed my cheek. “Morning, lokaal,” she whispered and leaned up against me.

'Lokaal’ means ‘love.’ I suppose I haven't had a reason to teach her that one until now and I suppose we have progressed to that point rather quickly too. "'Lokaal' ko vonum los 'love'. Love," I whispered to her.

She giggled softly. “Love?” she tried.

I nodded. “Sleep well?”

“Yes.” she answered quietly. She shifted “We need think of something.”

I had already come up with a plan. “I have an idea.”

She sat up to look at me. Waiting for me to explain.

I sat properly. “We leave. We go to the Dragonlands. We go straight to Lord Torch. We ask for his help. Then we help all of your tribe. Your hatchday is not for another six days. We'll be very close to the Dragonlands by then. After that, your tribe will be under his rule and protection. Your tribe will be safe.”

Her eyes were on the floor by the time I finished. “Am not sure.”

“Look at me, please.” I asked. She looked at me with worry. “I know I am asking you to do a lot here. But you aren't leaving your tribe, not really. You will see them again.” I said clearly.

“You will be with me when we meet Torch?” she seemed to shake a little.

I hugged her. “We are together. I don't care who says we aren’t.”

It took her some time but she finally answered. “Let us do it. We leave after dark tonight.”

We pulled apart our hug. “Alright. We need to pretend it's just a day. What do you do normally when your brother gives you bad news?” I asked.

“Avoid him,” she said glaring past me.

Well, that made things easier. “Good. Do that, we need food and water for the journey. Can you get that without drawing attention?” She nodded. “Okay. I'm going to pick a path to get us to the Dragonlands the fastest,” I said.

She nodded, but she was still obviously scared. I reached out and looped a claw around the back of her head, stroking her neck.

“Hey, I'm never leaving you. Dragons are stronger together, not divided,” I said, repeating a line that Viing used to use on us a lot during training. She smiled at that. She let go of me and headed to gather our supplies.

As I watched her leave I turned to my bags that, save for my journal, I had left unattended for some time. Maps, fastest route to the Dragonlands, please.

---

June 31st, Day 71, 20th hour.

With Klo and I now traveling to the Dragonlands together our first goal is to get to Equestria. Then we can best decide on which route to take from there. I hope Lord Torch is in a good mood when we get there.

I had decided that cutting straight through Equestria is the fastest route, once we get to Equestria and figure out where on the coast we'll have landed. There was also the possibility of catching a train, but that was a slim chance.

The entire tribe was asleep. Except for us. We had gotten the supplies we needed during the day. My bags were full, but thanks to Kii’s enchantment, light enough to not slow me down.

“It time?” Klo asked.

I nodded. “Let's go.” I opened the curtain of her cave and she climbed up to the top of the sandstone cliff. I followed her up. Once we were up there and overlooking the desert, I turned to my new traveling companion, and my love.

She was nervous. “I need you to lead to where you found me. Then I can take it from there,” I whispered.

She was about to jump and take flight but hesitated. “When I leave before, I have known that I would be coming back,” she said in a hushed voice, turning and looking back towards the Oasis. “This is the first time I've actually been intent on leaving.”

“You will see them again. I promise,” I whispered and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

She nodded and took flight. I followed after her. From the direction of the North Star we were headed directly east. I was determined to keep the promises I made to Klo. I'd die before I broke them.

Author's Note:

Woooo stuffs happening! Things are going to fast? Well too bad because that's what's supposed to happen.
I don't care about errors right now. I fully expect myself to come back and fix them later, so don't point them out please.
Give a thumbs up if you haven't already, or if you didn'y like it click the red one. I don't know why you would though. Give a comment please I like to hear thoughts. I wonder who will comment first?

Comments

[Phoenix Flight]

Ah lurve....

[Foxfax]

Ah, mawwaige, dat dweam wiffin a dweam...