Chapter Twelve
Dekani lowered herself to the snow-covered ground with a sigh. The snow gleamed in the faint light cast by the moon, halfway full. The young woman watched the pale satellite in the sky, seeing only a blur of silver. Her own pale hair was still matted and dirty, but patches where she had rubbed snow gleamed with the same light as the moon and snow. Were it not for the filth that covered her, dust and dried blood and urine, she would have blended into the landscape perfectly.
Not so her friend and travel partner, standing a little behind her, his body heat already melting the snow around the two. Dekani scooped up a handful of slush and lapped it up, her hands and feet the only clean parts of her, really.
“You okay?” Nakomii sounded worried, Dekani thought, the old words coming to her far more easily then before her memories surfaced. Looking down at her hands, she watched the muscles in her arms jump and tremble, fingers spasming in inches.
“Fine. Just tired. Let’s keep going.” The one thing she figured came out good from her injuries had been time, time in which Nakomii talked to her. She’d learned a lot of new words, and how to use them. But her exhaustion, which seemed to cover her in a blanket these days and nights, kept her sentences short, to the point, and with no extra words. Nakomii seemed to understand. He hadn’t asked any questions, waiting for any answers after she finished speaking. She was thankful for that.
“You sure? Perhaps we should rest a little. Day will be on us soon.” Dekani turned her head, and listened to Nakomii shifting. Feelings flashed through her, far too fast to analyze each one and rationalize it. She finally settled on feeling slightly annoyed, but mostly thankful. If not for Nakomii…
She had never realized exactly how much she enjoyed living, until she opened her eyes and saw the worried dragon hovering over her, until she listened and heard animals in the forest going about their way, avoiding the scene of her forced inactivity.
“I’m sure. Let’s go.”
She forced her traitorous legs to hold her body weight, and moved one, then the other. Walking had become hard, the injuries that kept her still and always hungry wasting her already thin frame into a near skeletal one. Muscles, once so strong, now trembled from walking. Nakomii hunted for them, and hunger was a constant ache in her stomach. Snow helped, a little. But it did not feed. And… no, she wouldn’t think about her shoulder. It just made her eyes burn, to notice the lack of movement and feeling from it.
Nakomii didn’t talk as she led the way, her pace slow. He chaffed to hurry, to leave the big cat land behind, but his little one was injured. Speed was not something she could manage. He was hungry, but would not leave just yet. Not until they were further away. Scavengers would come, they always did, and he would kill them and give most of the dead to his little one. And when she felt like talking, she would explain the word ‘Dekani’ to him. And maybe, he would explain what had led him to come back.
Nakomii felt like shying away from the thought, but didn’t. What had happened happened. The Mother always had her reasons, just as the Father always did. But his little one might be curious to know she wasn’t the only pest to be a chosen of Dekalagh. The unborn had… No, thinking about it brought pain, and confusion, and the feeling, the need to rise up on his hind legs and roar at the sky. He could not do so now, with his little one so injured, so frail. Anosan had to have been watching over her, for her to have survived as long as she had.
His little one stumbled, and he went to help her, but she righted herself and kept going. He had to admire her determination, though he certainly thought her slightly mad to keep going. Worried eyes rested on the bony back, as they had since they started moving.
Dekani knew that Nakomii was worried about her. The very air around him was charged with his worry, just as it was charged with his body heat. And yet, she refused to show any more weakness. Her trembles she passed off as being due to the injuries, and the scent of big cat in the air.
Dawn was almost upon them, the sky lightening and the moon setting when they saw the carcass. It was frozen, and scavengers, though they had tried, had been unable to make a dent in the ice that surrounded the flesh. Dekani veered towards it, thinking of Nakomii, that he could melt the ice and they would eat, eat until they were bursting. She even managed to quicken her pace a little.
Behind her, Nakomii noticed the shape, and he too, hurried until he walked beside her. She glanced at him, then back at the shape. Saliva filled her mouth, and she swallowed, almost painful. The lack of water had damaged her throat, at least for a time. Until she rested, her voice would be low and scratchy.
The ice-covered body lay before them, but the two did not go towards it. Not yet. First, they had to think.
The big cat had gotten into a fight. An entire ear was gone, bone showing and blood clotted where an ear had once been. Long scratches on the muzzle were puffed up, and there too blood had clotted. If not for death, it was likely that the scratches would have continued to bleed. Strips of flesh hung in tatters where small, sharp teeth had been unable to reach further, while the big cat’s stomach was close to being ripped to shreds. The blood that had been spilt was an ill, purple color, the poison having infected everything it touched.
Dekani touched her shoulder, not even wincing at the stab of pain that shot through the bone and flesh yet to be completely healed. Forever crooked. Fierce pride built in the woman’s chest, pride that had to be loosed some way. Because she could not scream, she talked.
“I killed it,” she said, not noticing Nakomii’s look. “I was hunting it, for the pelt. It smelled me, and I… I fought it. Until now, I suppose I thought it was still alive. Too big to die. But… It’s dead, because of me. I did all that. My claws ripped the flesh, my teeth tore the head.”
Her lips trembled, though that was all. Her eyes were locked on the yellow eyes of the big cat, and for a moment, she made as if to touch the beast, locked in ice and death. But she didn’t.
“I almost died. And it… it did die. Why was I spared, Nakomii? Why me, and not it? It was… stronger then me. But it’s dead, while I stand here, wondering.”
Finally looking away, she gazed at Nakomii, waiting for the answer that was sure to come. Nakomii wouldn’t lie to her, never had and never would. Nakomii would answer, and she would believe him, because that was how it was.
Nakomii didn’t know what to say. How could he tell his little one, explain so she would understand? The confusion and pain hurt him, made him feel as he had when hunting with Obelisk.
“I don’t know, little one. I don’t know why it’s dead, any more than why you live. Anosan must have watched over you, because you are his mate’s child. The cat… the cat was not as important, I suppose. Dekalagh chose you, and so you lived. That is all I can say.” Nakomii spread his wings, reaching out a paw. “We are hungry, little one…” Nakomii looked to the side, and swallowed. He didn’t want to eat another carcass that had been poisoned. At least he hadn’t died the last time he had.
Dekani nodded, and looked up at the sky. “Dekalagh chose me, and so I lived. But she named me, too. Named me so that all would know, without doubt. That is the only answer I can come to.”
Nakomii looked up, his wings spread over the dead cat. The meat was no longer cast in ice, though the flesh was still frozen. “What do you mean, little one?”
“Little one. You call me that, though it is not my name. I did not know it when we spoke of names, but I know it now.” Dekani squared her shoulders, though it made her dizzy. She lifted her chin, looking somehow regal under the filth. “My name is Dekani, daughter of Dekalagh. And my kind are not pests!” Spitting the last sentence, she glared at Nakomii, willing him to see her side, to agree with her.
“I know your kind aren’t pests. I know.” Nakomii looked down, mind spinning. If that unborn had lived, what would it have been named? After Dekalagh, as his little one, his Dekani, had been? Or would it have been some other name? So many questions that would forever go unanswered. Feeling tired, far more then he had since he had finally seen Dekani, broken and bleeding, he poked the meat. Still not completely thawed. He continued to hover over it.
Dekani watched Nakomii, watched his motions, so slow, so tired. He agreed with her, acknowledged that she wasn’t a pest, that her kin weren’t pests… She should have been happy, she knew, but somehow, she wasn’t. “Then what are we, then?” Her voice sounded wistful to her ears, and must have sounded so to him, as well. He looked up at her, and she felt as if she had been hit in the gut, the compassion there was so intense.
“I don’t know, Dekani. I’m sorry. The meat’s ready.” He paused, and looked uncomfortable. “Do you still want the pelt?”
Dekani nodded, not volunteering a reason. He didn’t ask. She would tell him when she was ready, and he would listen. And when he told her what was on his mind, she would listen to him.
Black claws slid under then now loose pelt, peeling it back from the meat. The freezing and then melting had turned everything almost slush-like. Not liquid-like, but the pelt did not cling to the meat, and only a few shreds were peeled off with the fur. Those slivers, Dekani picked off and ate, laying the big cat skin out on the snow not yet melted. Then, she joined Nakomii in eating, her mind blissfully turning off as she ate, and ate, and ate.
When she was finished, she left Nakomii to crack the bones. Her kin would not accept her if she wore nothing, that was something the memories reminded her about. Coverings were important, for some reason.
The bulky head, which had been severed by the neck, would have to go. She would give it to Nakomii, who could eat it. She was full, for once, her stomach unable to accept another bite without sending it right back up. Her claws sliced through the neck of the skin, leaving a ragged line behind. Dragging the head over to the sated dragon, she left it between his forepaws, with only a murmured ‘for you’ in response to his unspoken question. Then, she returned to the skin, and started to work.
They continued walking, even when the sun rose, and Dekani placed a hand on Nakomii’s shoulder, unable to see. Only when they were far away from the dead cat did the dragon stop, settling down on the ground, wings half-spread as Dekani curled up at his side. Wrapping his body around her, Nakomii slept, mind alert even while his body became limp.
Dekani dreamt of the lynx attack, and subsequent weakness. She remembered the wound, the blood that flowed, and the tremble in her limbs. She remembered the wolf attack on her, and her win over the carnivore. She remembered what had happened, with a clarity that would have surprised her waking self. She did not imagine, just remembered.
And then the dream changed.
She stood in darkness, whole and clean, dressed in strange coverings that were light, smelt strangely, and felt nice against her skin. They were pale, somehow, and thin, though they were strong. Running her fingers over a sleeve, she blinked at the white claws. Even her nails had become clean, somehow.
This was not a dream of her making, then. She hadn’t thought her nails were any color, other then darker than Nakomii’s scales. Nor would she dream of coverings like these.
Out of the darkness, the nothing that surrounded her, a tall woman walked forward. At her side strode a man, who was slightly taller then the woman. Dekani looked up at them, eyes taking in every detail. They worked here, and though the two glowed like the moon and sun, her eyes did not hurt to rest on them.
The woman looked as tall as Nakomii, her hair an orange so pale as to be almost white. Her eyes were a near-white ice-blue, while her scales were silver as the moon. White wings, dragon wings, rose from her shoulders to fold over her back like water, frozen. A silver tail, longer and thinner then Nakomii’s curled around her feet, which were bare and clawed. The talons were the sleek silver of a few shiny rocks Dekani had seen wherever trees and dirt had been ripped from the mountain. Dekani blinked to see silver dragon claws curving from the woman’s fingertips.
The man was golden-skinned, his hair black and spined, as a dragon’s. Pine green eyes watched Dekani with curiosity, while his lips, a shade lighter then the rest of his flesh, were tilted upwards in a slight smile. From his shoulders, too, rose wings that folded along his back, wings with gold ribbing and black webbing between the spines. As the woman’s tail had been, so, too, was his- long and slender, only his was gold, shading into black at the tip. Unlike the woman, however, his nails were black, his toe-nails too, which were curved like claws.
Dekani did not feel the fear she might otherwise have; instead, she continued to examine these two people who shone in the darkness. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak. “Who are you,” she asked, almost surprised when her voice did not scratch, nor her throat rasp.
The man nodded, and extended his hand to her. Dekani placed her own hand, so pale and small, in his, and he lifted her fingers to his lips. “I am Anosan, young one. And you are my mate’s daughter, Dekani.”
Dekani nodded, and looked at her hand once it was returned to her. Then, finding nothing changed about her fingers, she looked back up at the God and Goddess. “You look different then I expected,” she said. “I was expecting dragons, not… whatever you are.” She waved her hand, trying to express what she meant. Anosan nodded, and shrugged, the wings on his back flexing with the motion.
“We are both Dragon and Draconian, child. That is all you need to know, for now. You know what you have to do. We are here to tell you that you shall succeed, though you will not remember this visit.” The Goddess’s voice was low, beautiful. Dekani thought she’d be able to listen to it all day, if given half a chance.
“I understand. It might make me over-confidant. Will Nakomii be very upset?” Strangely calm, Dekani flexed her shoulders. They didn’t even hurt.
“He will calm down soon enough.” Anosan sounded amused, and Dekani glanced over at him. He nodded to her, the movement revealing short black horns that jutted from the back of his skull. Dekalagh nodded too, white horns poking up at the sky for a moment. If there was a sky.
“Careful, daughter. Trickery may claim something you will care not to lose. So watch, and listen. It will be your game, soon enough.” The two started to fade, and Dekani nodded.
“If I am to think of it as a game, I suppose it will be mine to play. Goodbye. Thank you for talking to me.”
The nothingness faded, as did the memory. Dekani returned to her memories, reliving the moment when her mother died.
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When the sun set, Nakomii awoke. Dekani was nudged, and though she frowned upon awaking she did not comment. Something in her had changed, but Nakomii couldn’t ask her as she started walking almost immediately. Nakomii followed, feeling his muscles ache from too little food and not enough rest, though he did not complain.
Dekani felt strange, as if she should remember something but couldn’t. Though… She knew that her plan was going to work, somehow, her plan that would hopefully end the dragon’s killings of her people. Someone had to stand against them. Glancing down at the black nails on her hands, her lips tightened. Yes, something had to be done, and she would be the one to fight for her people, she supposed. Hopefully, they would listen to her.
She did not remember her people, had never known them. Were they like the dragons, in that they worshiped Dekalagh and Anosan, or were there different Gods, different statues, different everything? Did they think her coloring, pale as snow, as the dragons did? She didn’t know, and that worried her, but she shoved the emotion away as worthless. She knew how to do that, after years of living without emotions they had a very light hold upon her. And she had little need for them, anyway.
The days and nights of travel started to blur together. One day, there was a storm, adding inches of snow to the already deep cover on the ground and making it harder to walk, until Nakomii took to traveling ahead, Dekani holding onto his tail as he melted a path for them. After the snow, they did not eat as much as they had, the deep drifts making it hard for anything to travel.
When the mountains finally came close enough to see, the two shared a smile and a few words of pleasure. Almost home.
But, Dekani thought, as Nakomii soared the skies in search of their bone pile, I won’t be home until I am in the mountains. I don’t think Nakomii understands, nor will he, I suppose. Well, I will see.
Dekani followed the dark blot that was Nakomii, over-sized wings spread as he flew. Finally, the dragon landed, and she started to walk. The snow was thinner closer to the mountains, Dekani noticed, before placing her hands on Nakomii’s side. “Well?”
“This way. It’s not that far, Dekani. We should get there soon, though not before Anosan rises.”
The dragon started to walk, and Dekani grabbed hold of a wing edge. Her shoulder, finally healed but still tender, twitched as she held on with her now weak arm. Nakomii didn’t notice, intent only on getting his little one to their home safely and quickly, where he could protect her better then he had been doing.
The dragon, intent as he was, thought of other things then just home and safety. He was still trying to think of a way to tell to tell Dekani what he had done. He had thought her kinds pests when he had left, and when he returned… they weren’t. Not to him. Maybe not to Obelisk, because the bigger male had seen what he had. But no, Obelisk was a stubborn brute, and couldn’t be counted on.
Finally, in the false dawn, the large lump that was their den came into view. Nakomii had seen it far earlier then Dekani, but eventually she too could see the lump in the snow. Ice had frozen from rain, and large icicles formed bars almost to the ground. Snow piled against the ribs and spine, though the rest of the white bone was free of the stuff. Dekani licked her lips as they came close enough to touch, though Nakomii circled the bones several times before he neared. The icicles started to melt- Nakomii’s body heat, and Dekani stood next to one, claws catching the drops that rolled down the ice and licking the water from her nails. When parts of the icicle dropped, she knelt down and stood beneath, letting the drops fall into her open mouth.
Finally, they slept, relaxed in their home.
And unaware of the storm that was building over the mountains, a storm that would break soon.
