novelraw Chapter 114 40, Day 103 – 108: Preparations
Chapter 114 40, Day 103 – 108: Preparations
[Day 104]
Pryce stepped onto the beach early in the morning, and was surprised to see a red dragon talking to Celeste. The two of them turned to face him as they noticed his arrival, giving him the impression that they were waiting for him.
"Oh…er…good morning?" Pryce said uncertainly, and looked to Celeste for an explanation.
"His name is Ungal – he is one of Aurum's allies," she said. "He woke me up early and asked if humans had any animals that they were…the closest term is 'friendly with'," she said, grumbling sleepily.
"We have a few," Pryce said, looking up at Ungal. "Some are used for protection, or to help hunt, but that was mostly in the past. Why do you ask?"
«I see…that makes sense, seeing as how small you are,» Ungal said, rumbling thoughtfully as he heard Celeste's translation. «Yes, you might have powerful weapons, but Jooral-ǂ did say you have poor senses, and needed our help to survive on our land.»
"You sound like you have a solution to this," Pryce said, eyebrow raised.
«Yes, at least of sorts,» Ungal said, scratching his neck in a somewhat nervous manner. «The way I see it, this land is dangerous, and we couldn't protect a thousand humans even if we tried our best…which means you need more help.»
«Will you just get to the point?» Celeste asked, groaning in exasperation.
«The point is that I have raised some animals that will be of interest to you,» Ungal hissed quietly. «I've been doing it for a few generations now, and they've grown noticeably tamer over time. I think they would be quite useful if raised as hatchlings around humans.»
«But what are they?» Celeste growled, her wings shifting with agitation.
"Yes, I feel like that's important information," Pryce agreed.
«They're…ah…» Ungal looked away, then lowered his head to quietly admit, «Raptors.»
«What.» Celeste said. «Are you saying that you've been raising raptors like hatchlings?!»
«Quiet!» Ungal hissed, glancing around to ensure that no one else had awoken. «I spared some eggs on a whim, and they turned out to be surprisingly useful, so I collected more eggs until I had a group of them. Some of the more rebellious ones left on their own, but the ones who stayed made more eggs. And it's not as bad as it sounds; these raptors listen to my orders!»
"That is…interesting, and it might be useful," Pryce admitted. "We'd need to wait until later to try this, of course."
«Good. We can talk about payment later,» Ungal said, relieved. «I need to go home now, but come find me when you return to live with the Brewer clan, alright?»
"He is a weird one," Celeste grumbled, and yawned as the red dragon winged away. "Wake me up if something interesting happens."
«You have to tell him,» Helsha said, startling Qnaro. «I can see why you would want to wait until things have settled down, but if you won't tell him then I will.»
«I know, I know,» Qnaro grumbled. «I was just waiting for the right moment,» he muttered as he walked up to Fathom, who was currently having his wounds examined by Pryce.
"It hurts a bit less than it did yesterday," Fathom said, as Pryce took note of the progress of his injuries. "I will be mostly healed in a month. Might be able to fly soon after that."
"Sailing back to the Mainland will take ten days," Pryce said, frowning. "Which means by the time we get back home, you still won't be able to fly for another half a month. Assuming we leave in a few days," he added.
"I know," Fathom said, rumbling sullenly. "Urgh. We wouldn't have to deal with this if those clanned idiots hadn't hit me with that stupid stream of fire." He paused, then turned to eye Qnaro as the golden dragon approached. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
«Oh…well…» Qnaro stammered as he cursed his luck. «There's something I wanted to tell you. You might have seen Wonta chasing me towards the end of the fight…»
«I saw some of that,» Fathom chuffed. «That was embarrassing. Did you even try to fight back?»
«Well…I did,» Qnaro said, not at all meeting Fathom's eyes. «I tried to spit fire at him, but he dodged, and…it turned out that you were behind him.»
Fathom's eyes widened, then he shot up to his feet despite Pryce's protests. «You.»
«It was an accident!» Qnaro protested as he shrank back, though he ultimately stood his ground.
«Do you think I'm an idiot?» Fathom hissed. «Of all the dragons you 'accidentally' hit, it just so happens to be me – the only one of us you have reason to want dead.»
Pryce had been trying to pacify Fathom until now, but he froze as the dragon spat out his accusation.
«What are you talking about? I don't want you dead!» Qnaro shot back. «What reason could I possibly have to try and kill you?»
«What reason? Were you not the one who whined about being the first to go to the Mainland?» Fathom spat.
Qnaro froze, belatedly realizing that such an interpretation seemed rather sensible from an outside perspective. «Oh,» he said, wilting. «I…hadn't…thought of it that way,» he admitted gracelessly.
Several moments passed as the blue dragon glared at him. Qnaro abruptly became aware of the silence that fell over the beach – a consequence of their argument. Even without looking he could sense tens of stares curiously watching their stand-off.
"What's wrong? Hey! What's going on?" Callan called out as she hurried over, the geologist having been some distance away when the argument started.
"Aurum just confessed to having been the one to hit Fathom with a stream of fire," Pryce said with a tight-lipped expression.
"What? Why did you do that?"
"It was an accident!" Qnaro repeated, a little exasperated, "I was fighting Wonta! Laishaka, you trust me, right?"
"If he says it's an accident, then I believe him," Callan said, turning to Pryce. "He doesn't like fighting or conflict. Sure exploring is important to him, but he wouldn't get someone killed over it."
«He has my support as well,» Helsha said, though he couldn't have understood much of their speech. «He…could afford to better himself in several regards, but he would not attempt something as underhanded as that; I'd bet my life on it.»
Fathom gave no indication that he heard these testimonies; he only continued to glare at Qnaro.
«...Fine,» Fathom snorted after a long, pregnant pause. «I'll believe that it wasn't intentional, but we'll settle this properly later.» He turned around as he said his piece, and limped away to sit towards the ship, facing away from Qnaro.
«I appreciate your support,» Qnaro said, sighing in relief, «but did you have to word it like that?» he asked, side-eyeing Helsha, who merely snorted unrepentantly.
«Am I wrong?» the herbalist asked, head tilted in challenge.
Qnaro looked away. «…No,» he admitted after a moment's consideration. «You are right. I've been complacent, but I'll be going to the Mainland soon, so I won't exactly have the time to start training…unless you'll be coming along with us?» he asked hopefully.
«I'm…not sure,» Helsha sighed. «I'm curious about human knowledge and tools, but someone needs to take care of my plants, and I'm the only one who I trust to do so.»
«I see,» Qnaro said, disappointed. «How… are you going to take care of your plants?» he asked, eyeing the herbalist's rather heavy injuries.
«I'll figure something out,» Helsha said, sitting back down with a pained grunt. «I can always pay some youngling to go and water them until I'm recovered.»
«Are you finally ready?» Leonahr asked as she gnawed upon a bone.
"Yes. We'll be beginning soon," Pryce said, answering with Celeste as an intermediary. "Are you ready to start?"
«Yes,» Leonahr said, standing up to toss the bone into the ocean. «Tell me, how much do humans know about your own bodies?» she asked, head tilted.
"Humans have studied our bodies for thousands of years, but we've only made real progress in the last few hundred," Pryce answered, frowning. "How many bodies have you…examined?"
«Six,» Leonahr answered plainly. «How many have you examined?» she asked, peering closely at Pryce.
"Well…I'm not sure what you'd count as 'examine', but if you include people I've done surgery on then it's…well, a lot more than six," Pryce sighed. "Just so you know, most of what you think you know about your body is probably wrong."
Leonahr cocked her head. «Do I not have two wings, two arms, and two legs?»
"Well…yes, but I'm referring to the function of your internal organs. No one really understood the purpose of most organs until fairly recently."
«Ah, yes. Organs are quite mysterious,» Leonahr said, bobbing her head interestedly. «I mostly study the structure of hide, muscles, and tendons to better my understanding of the physical body. Organs don't have much effect on one's physical appearance, so I never bothered learning anything about them other than their shape and location.»
"She examines bodies to make better carvings, so she is less interested in studying internal organs," Celeste said, adding onto her translation.
"That's fine, I'll take all the help I can get," Pryce said. "One last question: have you ever examined any bodies with half-healed, broken wings?"
«Once, though her injuries were quite severe,» Leonahr said, gesturing to Fortitude. «The dragon was named Sillia, and she was starving before she died – her other injuries made it so that she struggled just to hunt,» she added, not appearing very troubled by this story.
Pryce raised his eyebrow at the unexpected answer. "How did she die?" he asked, eyes narrowed.
«I killed her,» Leonahr said, with that same neutral tone. «Sillia sought me out to offer a trade; if I gave her an honorable death and took care of her egg until it* reached adulthood, then I would be allowed to examine Sillia's corpse.»
*TL Note: Dragons have a specific pronoun for eggs – something between 'it' and 'they'.
"I see," Pryce said, simultaneously a little relieved and a little perturbed. "What happened to the egg?"
«I fulfilled my promise, of course, and named the hatchling Silona,» Leonahr said, shifting her wings in a subtle shrug. «I saw her yesterday, and she seems to be doing well. I had no desire to be a mother at the time, but it was a very interesting experience nonetheless.»
"I see," Pryce said. "Please come with me; I'll need your help examining Fortitude's wing."
"Like this?" Fortitude asked, lifting up her left wing. She sat as low to the ground as possible, allowing the other female to inspect and measure the scarred tissue that surrounded her malunion.
«Yes. Does it hurt?» Leonahr asked.
«Only if I move it in the wrong way,» Fortitude said, shrugging with her other wing. «I can try to fly, but my left wing is too weak to stay in the air. The best I can do is glide a little.»
«I see. The scars are quite light, but that's to be expected given how old it is,» Leonahr half-muttered to herself as she examined Fortitude's wing. «Either way, the bone is a much larger concern than the flesh.»
«Truly, what an insightful analysis,» Devotion quipped sarcastically before turning back to Pryce. "Will Ighen's body let you fix her wing sooner?"
"Sooner, yes, but not yet. I'm going to use Pathogen's wing as practice by pretending that it's yours – that will help me learn what to do, but we won't be able to make tools suitable for performing surgery on dragons until we go back to the Mainland."
"Are you going to do that practice today?" Fortitude asked.
"Yes, right after I finish measuring your injury."
"We will watch," Devotion abruptly mentioned.
"Of course, but there won't be much space," Pryce warned.
Devotion snorted dismissively. "That will not be a concern."
Pryce and Corbin ran through the checklist of the surgical equipment they'd gathered, the tools encircling Pathogen's body in an almost ritualistic manner. Whoever had dragged the corpse into the cargo hold clearly hadn't given it much consideration; the cadaver laid upon its side, its limbs splayed out at awkward angles.
The blood had long since drained from the dragon's body along with his life, and the once rusted coloration of his hide had darkened into a shade resembling a dried wapel leaf.
The cargo hold was a few degrees cooler than the outside air, and no visible decomposition had occurred within the last two days, but that wouldn't be the case for long.
«It's good that you're starting now,» Leonahr said. «The body already smells faintly of rot.»
"Understood," Pryce said, turning to face the others.
"Do not worry. We will not interfere," Devotion said, while Fortitude examined the surgical tools with great interest – and a little apprehension.
"Celeste, are you comfortable being here?" he asked, seeing the young dragon staring intently at Pathogen's corpse.
"No, the cargo hold floor is hard and the air is a bit…still," Celeste said. The windows and doors had been closed and covered up, so as to prevent any prying eyes from observing the procedure, and lightbulbs had been set up to light up the hold.
The heat given off by the lightbulbs and four living dragons was unfortunately quite tangible, and it would only get worse over the course of the day.
"I meant to ask if dissecting this body will make you uncomfortable," Pryce clarified, wiping his brow.
"No?" Celeste replied, tilting her head in confusion. "He killed my mother. Why would I be uncomfortable seeing him cut open?"
"Ah. Right," Pryce said, a little surprised at her vehemence, though he supposed it wasn't unwarranted. He glanced back at the cadaver – the corpse appeared oddly deflated, which he assumed was due to the evacuation of the internal air sacs.
The dim lighting further dulled the color of the dragon's hide, and for a moment he imagined Fathom lying in Pathogen's place, lifeless and unmoving.
If things were a little different then…he would have had to…
Pryce shook his head. It had not.
Pathogen's death was still senseless, but at that moment, in some way that he could not describe, Pryce's heart felt the slightest bit lighter.
"Well, I think the preparations are complete. Doctor Corbin, are you ready to begin?"
Pryce and Corbin had both decided that they should start with the right wing, which was the obvious choice for experimentation, seeing as they'd be using the left for the 'real' practice run.
Leonahr's knowledge in musculature had indeed proved quite thorough, though the usefulness of her aid was greatly diminished by Celeste's translation, despite her best efforts. Ultimately, the decision to use the right wing for practice was a sound choice, as the surgery had gone so poorly that it would have been more accurately referred to as a butchering, and it did not inspire much confidence in their audience.
They took a break before starting on the remaining wing, and used the time to teach Leonahr a bit of Murian so that she could direct them with her words as well as her talons. This resulted in a far more successful second attempt, though there was still much room for improvement.
"That one went much better," Fortitude noted as Pryce started on the sewing process. "Do you think that would have worked for me?"
"I don't know," Pryce sighed tiredly. "There is a small chance it could work, but I'm still not going to do surgery on you yet. It's too risky, and I could easily make it worse. Once we have the tools, then I'll consider it."
"Seconded," Corbin added. "That means I agree," he added, having gotten used to clarifying less literal terms.
"I agree with Pryce," Devotion said, surprising the humans. «I will not risk making your wing worse, and this process is not safe enough.»
«So fixing my wing in the near future is out of consideration,» Fortitude sighed. "Which means that…hrmph, I'm tired. Let us talk about this tomorrow morning."
"Agreed," Pryce said, rubbing his eyes. "We have much to talk about tomorrow."
[Day 105]
"Good morning," Pryce said as Fathom sluggishly blinked awake.
"Good morning," Fathom rumbled. "How did the surgery go?"
"It went well, but I'm not confident in fixing Fortitude's wing yet," Pryce sighed. "It's not as easy as fixing yours. There's so much muscle near the injury that I have to work around, and my tools weren't designed for this."
"Makes sense," Fathom yawned. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
"It's time to decide who to bring to the Mainland. I just wanted to talk to you before everyone else," Pryce said, nodding his head towards Celeste and the others who were in the process of gathering their allies. Callan, Siebert, and a few other crewmen emerged from the cargo hold as he spoke, ready to attend the meeting.
"I see," Fathom murmured. "I'm going, and so is that yellow idiot…how many of us can you bring to the Mainland?"
"We need to talk about food," Siebert said. "How much does a dragon need to eat?"
"A dragon can eat around ten to fifteen kilograms of meat per day," Pryce explained, "but that's assuming active behavior."
"Eating as much as we can before leaving will help too," Fathom added, "and we can sleep for most of the trip, so on average five kilograms of food per day should be enough…though I would still prefer ten."
"Noted," Siebert replied. "So food won't be a concern. – what we need to decide is how many individuals we should bring. Too many would likely make things…difficult."
"That is very true," Fathom rumbled, gingerly tilting his head in thought. "We should think about who will be the best representatives, and who will be least likely to cause issues on the Mainland."
"Right…let's see how many want to go to the Mainland in the first place," Pryce said, sitting down as their allies began to gather. "Fortitude, are you coming with us?"
"No," Devotion sharply replied, surprising them all. "We are not going to the Mainland."
«I know it's dangerous,» Fortitude said, swapping to her native tongue for ease of communication, «but you know it's important to establish ties with the humans – we can't do that all the way across the ocean.»
«We can go later, but not now,» Devotion said patiently. «Not until we know it's safe.»
«I would think that it's safer to go now instead of later,» Fortitude stressed. «We don't know what's going to happen, but we should be doing everything that we can to secure our future.»
«That…is sensible,» Devotion admitted with uncharacteristic softness. «But I still don't think we should go. All it takes is one human with a rifle to kill one of us, and if that happens, I…I can't protect you.»
There was a long, pregnant pause when she finished, and Fortitude's spines flattened in consideration.
«Alright, then we won't go,» she shrugged, nudging her partner affectionately. «How about the next ship, after the others have deemed it safe? Would that be alright?»
«That would be acceptable,» Devotion said, nodding in relief.
«So you two aren't going then,» Fathom rumbled. «It would have been nice to have a few elders with us, but I suppose it can't be helped. So that leaves the three of us who are definitely going-»
«About that…» Celeste said, her eyes darting between Devotion and the ship. «I…don't think I'm going.»
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«What?!» Fathom asked, then winced as he pulled on his injured neck. «Why not?!»
«Devotion is wounded, so I need to stay and help them,» Celeste said, though she was clearly torn on the decision. «I can't just leave when they need my – OW!» She reeled back as Devotion abruptly smacked her on the head with the palm of her wing. «What was that for?!»
«You think we need your help?» Devotion hissed, glaring down at the younger dragon. «We've lived for over three centuries, and you think we're going to die just because you aren't around?»
Celeste's eyes widened. «Then that means…?»
«What she is trying to say is that you owe us nothing, so do whatever you want,» Fortitude chuffed, bumping her partner on the shoulder with a wing. «You've long since been an adult, after all, and capable beyond your years. Just learn lots of things for me, alright? I will expect you to help me catch up on-»
Celeste suddenly stepped forward, and wrapped both of the elders in a hug, surprising the both of them.
«Thank you for everything.»
«Yes, yes, that's enough of that,» Devotion snorted, though she made no move to step away. «We still need to decide who else is going to go.»
«I can fit the role of elder, assuming no one older than I is going,» Kharno said cheerily.
Pryce thought it seemed a little forced, somehow, though he didn't bother to comment on it.
«I…need some more time to think about it,» Xylem said, causing Callan to jot him down as a 'maybe'.
«I am curious about your Mainland, but I don't think I would be a very good candidate,» Echo said. «It's not like I can appreciate the supposedly beautiful things that your kind can create,» she plaintively added.
«I will go if you require my help,» Nanzo said neutrally. «Though I imagine others will be more inclined to go than I am.»
«I imagine everything on your island is taken?» Yantha asked, rumbling prospectively.
"That's about right," Callan said, which Celeste translated.
«We want to explore new land,» Karoth clarified. «So long as you uphold your end of the bargain, we'll be happy.»
"Let's see how many want to go first," Pryce replied, turning to those who had not yet answered. "Anyone else?"
«Me! I want to go!» Iakahn said, her head held up high.
«Aren't you a bit young?» Fathom asked, head tilted rather skeptically. He glanced down at the odd seashell-necklace she wore. It was a strange thing to wear, though the shells were surprisingly large and well-polished, which made them admittedly quite pretty by his pre-Pryce standards. «What…did you do, again?»
«I'm the one who gathered all of Qnaro's allies at the Plateau!» Iakahn hissed indignantly. «Which means I'm the reason why we arrived as quickly as we did!»
«She's right,» Wakori rumbled. «She didn't do much in the actual battle-» Iakahn snorted disdainfully at this addition, «-but she does have remarkable foresight for one her age.»
«See?» Iakahn huffed. «And besides, Qnaro and I made a pact that we would help each other explore new lands.»
«She's right,» Aurum said, before anyone else could interrupt. «She's clever, and she deserves the opportunity to come with us.»
"Alright, that's five," Callan said, scribbling down the names of those who wanted to go. "Anyone else?"
A few overlapping negatives confirmed that none of the other allies wished to leave their homeland for one reason or another – Leonahr was curious, but deigned to stay for the same reasons as Devotion.
Pryce strongly suspected that the others felt similarly, though they did not say it. There was a moment at the end of the battle where the allies less familiar with the humans had seemed quite wary of this bizarre and terrifying weapon, and he hadn't blamed them for it at all.
«What's going on?» Vosae asked as she padded over, with Hakra and Rantha trailing beside her. «I assume you're discussing something important.»
«Only who to bring along to the Mainland,» Fortitude shrugged before narrowing her eyes. «You don't want to go, do you?»
«Skies, of course not,» Vosae chuffed. «But seeing as we're allies with the humans now, I would like you to take Hakra with you, to act as my stand-in.»
Hakra stepped forward at the mention of her name, nodding cordially at the allies.
Pryce understood the gist of her sentence, though he still waited for Celeste to translate the finer points for him. "Sensible. We'd need someone who knows your territory to make our preparations, so her aid will be appreciated."
«Good,» Vosae nodded. «Another thing; if you are willing, then I would also like for you to take Rantha with you.»
"Your dragonet?" Pryce asked, surprised. "You're okay with sending her away?"
«I know it is dangerous, but she has proven herself useful, and this is what she wants to do,» Vosae explained. «But more importantly, Hakra will watch over her.»
Their conversation had attracted the attention of several others, including Eoiras. «I'm not sure if that's a good idea,» the ancient dragon said as he eyed Rantha skeptically.
«It…might be,» Fortitude said uncertainly. «Some of the humans seem understandably wary of our size. She is small enough to be more approachable.»
«I suppose that is true,» Eoiras hummed, tilting his head at the dragonet. «Why do you want to come with them, little one?»
«I…want to see what humans are like in their own homes,» Rantha said, slowly but with certainty, «and I will never see that if I stay here forever.»
«Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any,» Eoiras shrugged. «I just hope you know what you're doing. Make the wrong decisions, and a lot of us will end up dead.»
«We're well aware of that,» Fortitude said dryly. "Well? What do you think?" she asked, turning to the humans.
"It is a sensible idea," Siebert said when he received a translation. "It couldn't hurt to bring a child with us – I've read that ambassadors used to do that sort of thing to convey peaceful intentions.
"Too bad we couldn't have brought that hatchling back with us," Gordon chuckled. "He would've done well to melt a few hearts."
"No parents would allow that," Celeste snorted, tossing her head. "Rantha is old enough to survive on her own. Kerak is not. And what does 'done well to melt a few hearts' mean?"
"I was just joking," Gordon huffed, "and that's just a way of saying many people would find him cute."
"Oh."
"Alright, so that's seven in total," Callan summarized before turning to Pryce. "When do you think we can leave?'
"The dissection will take at least a few more days," Pryce answered. "Probably closer to five."
"Good," Siebert nodded. "That'll give us enough time to stock up on food."
"And we have to talk to all the new people who come flying in every day," Fortitude sighed, referring to the dragons who had heard second-hand about the group of humans, their ship, and had come flying over with great interest. A few dragons were indignant over the abolition of the rule of ten thousand, but Fortitude was persuasive, and there was little anyone could do to reverse the decision.
"Thank you for your help," Pryce said, not for the first time. "We couldn't have done this without you."
"Yes, yes," Fortitude said, waving him off. "If you want to thank me then get to work. I will handle the others who come asking questions."
«So, you're really going to the Mainland,» Helsha said.
«Of course,» Qnaro nodded.
«I see.» The herbalist sounded a little off, and Qnaro couldn't help but look askance at him.
«Is something the matter?» Qnaro asked, tilting his head.
«Hmm. Walk with me,» Helsha said, pushing himself up stiffly.
Qnaro was confused, but he followed anyway, padding alongside Helsha who still walked with a limp. His injuries were doing well thanks to human medical treatment, and he had healed enough now to no longer be at risk of opening his wounds with some light activity.
«What did you want to talk about?» Qnaro asked, when they had walked some distance without speaking.
Helsha slowed to a stop as he glanced around the forest they'd entered. Seemingly satisfied, he gently set himself down.
At first Qnaro patiently waited for the herbalist to speak, but when a beat passed in silence he couldn't help but let out a pointed cough.
«Sorry,» Helsha said, chuffing lightheartedly. «I had many things on my mind, but now I'm not sure how to begin.»
Qnaro blinked, surprised at this admission. «I didn't think you were one to mince words.»
«No, I suppose not,» Helsha sighed. «Well, the main thing that's been worrying me is those rifles that humans have. Jooral-ǂ voiced some very sensible arguments, and I do not think we should fight the humans,» he said hastily, «but…to be completely honest, I was planning on visiting the Mainland until I saw how easily Pryce was able to kill Ighen. Now…I'm not sure if I would go even if I had no plants to take care of.»
«...Really?» Qnaro asked incredulously. «But why not? You agree with what Jooral-ǂ said, don't you? Isn't it safer to deal with the humans on our own terms than to have them act on their own?»
«I do. It is a sensible argument.»
«Then…?»
«...I suppose I am merely afraid,» Helsha said, very quietly. «Aren't you?»
«Maybe a little,» Qnaro admitted, though he was rather rattled by Helsha's admission – he had rarely seen the herbalist show doubt before, yet alone any semblance of fear. «But…my whole life, I've wanted to be free from this land, and see things that others had not. I can't turn that down now, not for anything.»
Helsha stared for a moment before abruptly chuffing in amusement. «I suppose we should be glad you don't like fighting, else you'd be quite fearsome.» Qnaro wasn't sure how to respond to that, but the herbalist hadn't seemed to have been expecting one anyway. «Well, that's all that I wanted to talk to you about. Let's head on back.»
Qnaro didn't move. «You're worried about me,» he stated in realization.
Helsha paused, then turned to glance back at him. «Of course I am,» he huffed, shrugging a wing in the direction of the ship. «You're heading off to a land full of those bizarre creatures, with only a moderately good chance of coming back. I was going to try and dissuade you,» he added, «but…well, everyone has their reason to be, and far be it from me to take that from you.»
«I see…» Qnaro said, trailing off uncertainly. «Well, I also thought about asking you to come with me, but I don't think I could have pulled you away from those trees of yours even if I tried.»
«Good,» Helsha laughed, eyes narrowed in amusement. «...You remember my scarred tree, right? Do you still want to know about it?»
Qnaro's eyes widened. «Of course!»
«Just so you know, I've never told anyone this – save for one person – so promise me you'll never tell anyone else, alright?» Helsha asked, and raised his hand with palm upturned.
«I'll never speak of it to anyone else,» Qnaro promised as they clasped hands and completed the gesture.
«Good,» Helsha nodded. «I suppose I should start at the beginning,» he said, sitting back down upon the forest floor. «I was raised in an area with some particularly old wolcen trees, and my parents would often tell me about how these trees were older than anyone alive. Naturally I was amazed by this, though I was only able to climb the tree once before my parents managed to catch me. After that I was forbidden to go out on my own until I had learned to fly, but in the meantime I had a toy.»
Qnaro glanced down at Helsha's upturned hand, which held a familiar object. «A large seed-pod, somewhat like this one, had fallen when my parents had yanked me back home. I'm not sure why they allowed me to keep it, but I'm glad they did.» The herbalist paused for a moment, a nostalgic look in his eyes. «I was enamored with that thing; the way it conked against the trunk of a tree, the way it fit perfectly in my jaws, and the way it seemed to spin forever if I spun it the right way fascinated me – but there is one particular memory that stands out among the others.»
Helsha's eyelids slowly lowered, and he closed his talons around the pod. «I was playing with the pod as usual, but then I encountered a young moon grazer who had wandered towards our home. Instead of running away, it nudged my pod back towards me. I was amazed, and we played for a little while, rolling the pod back and forth between us until my father arrived and tore open its throat.»
Qnaro opened his mouth, but wasn't quite sure what to say. In the end he decided it was better to let Helsha finish his story without interruption.
«It was no different than what I'd seen him do before, and certainly no different from what I'd done myself to smaller creatures» Helsha said, not seeming to pay attention to his audience. «The grazer was just prey, something meant to be eaten…and yet, for some reason, I could not forget the look in that creature's eyes as it died.»
Qnaro flattened his spines, unsure of what to say. «I see…Is that why you…?»
«More or less,» Helsha sighed. «I didn't start immediately – it is hard to defy one's parents as a hatchling, but I made slow and steady progress once I'd begun to live on my own. The seed pod broke shortly after that incident, but I'd kept it with me until I found a good place to plant it.»
«So that's where the tree came from,» Qnaro said in realization.
(Art by Rackiera)
«Yes, but that's just the first half of the story,» Helsha sighed, his expression hardening. «There was someone who I once called a friend for many years, but in the end he only wanted to steal the recipe behind my pattern-enhancing medicine. We both knew he was no threat to me, but the day he realized I would never give him what he wanted was the day he almost killed my very first tree.» Recalling this treachery seemed to exhaust the herbalist more than anything – it must have been some time ago, considering that Qnaro hadn't heard of such an event before.
«What…happened to him?» Qnaro asked hesitantly. He doubted Helsha would ever kill anyone, but in those circumstances, faced with such betrayal…
«He destroyed my plants and vandalized my tree while I slept, and then he fled before I'd realized what had happened,» Helsha recounted, a heavily weary look in his eyes. «I never saw him again, and he was killed by someone else a few decades later.»
Qnaro flattened his spines as he digested this story. The other person Helsha had shared this story with was surely his old 'friend' turned traitor…and now he had entrusted this deeply personal information with Qnaro.
«Thank you,» he said, not knowing how else to respond. «For telling me all this,» he added awkwardly.
«No need to thank me. I probably should have told you that earlier, honestly,» Helsha said, and glanced towards the east, where the ocean met the horizon.
«We'll have more when I come back,» Qnaro said, «After all, I'll have plenty to teach you about humans.»
«Actually, that won't be necessary,» Helsha said, smiling. «I've changed my mind. I'm coming with you.»
Qnaro stared, his jaws parting in surprise. «What? But what about your plants?»
«I'll just hire someone else to take care of them,» Helsha shrugged. «They'll probably make a mess of things, but it's not as if I'll be able to take care of my plants if the humans decide to become our enemies, will I?»
«Oh, I'm feeling so much better now that you're coming along with us,» Qnaro confessed, breathing a sigh of relief. «What changed your mind?»
«I just figured that you'd need my help,» Helsha shrugged, his jaws parted in a sly grin. «I can't exactly leave my friend alone on an island full of crafters now, can I?»
[JOURNAL ENTRY EXCERPTS]
Day 104,
Today we decided to bring home the eight following dragons:
-Fathom/Hironh
-Celeste/Anvonh
-Aurum/Qnaro
-Kharno
-Xylem/Helsha
-Iakahn
-Hakra (Brewer clan representative)
-Rantha (Brewer clan representative)
Siebert and Callan are coordinating the dragons to stockpile food for the journey, while Fortitude and Devotion handle the newcomers. The rest of the crew have their hands full showing human technology to the dragons, though Kharno has made herself popular by offering rides whenever they have free time.
Captain Siebert has also decided to leave the crewmembers of the Horizon buried here at Loahm for now. Perhaps one day someone else will bring them back home.
As for me, I've spent the rest of the day working through the dissection with Doctor Corbin – journal entries will be neglected until the completion of this task.
[Day 105]
«You know, nothing like this has ever happened before,» Hanron said as he peered through a glass mug, the crystalline material distorting his eye in an almost comical way.
«You think I don't know that?» Fathom snorted, resisting the urge to toss his head – mostly because of his wounded neck.
«I know you know it, but I don't think you quite understand it,» said his father as he set down the glass. «Nothing of this magnitude has happened. Ever. And you're wrapped up in the middle of it all.» He paused and allowed his words to sink in as he fixed Fathom with a pointed expression. «Only the Great Dying might have more significance, and a whole new era was hatched from that disaster.»
«I…hadn't thought about the last part,» Fathom admitted, his head lowered in contemplation. «At least things won't be as bad as the great dying…probably.»
«Well, that just fills me with confidence,» Hanron drawled. «Either way, these moments we live in will be spoken in legend…that is, assuming any of us survive the next century or so.»
«Is there a point to this conversation?» Fathom asked tiredly.
Hanron shrugged. «I'm just making sure you know what's at stake. These humans are…dangerous, to say the least, so try not to give them a reason to declare us enemies, alright?»
«I know,» Fathom sighed. «But I don't think anything terribly bad will happen. The humans I've met so far seem reasonable enough…though Pryce has expressed some worry about dealing with his own kind. I get the impression that he's a bit odd for a human, even if he is respected.»
His father gave him a sidelong glance as he spoke, a cogent look in the older dragon's eyes. «You really do trust him, don't you?»
Fathom snorted. «I said he was my friend, didn't I?»
«So you did,» Hanron said neutrally. «Let's hope that it counts for something among the crafters.»
[Day 106]
"Scott, what are you doing?" Gordon asked in bewilderment.
"Look, I want to go flying, and she said this was the price."
Gordon stared as Kharno patted the top of his fellow crewman's head, then prodded at his cheeks. "Are you sure those claws are safe? I've seen her crush bone to snack on the marrow."
"It's fine, she can be gentle if she wants," Scott said, his voice a little distorted by the prodding. "See? Not a scratch on me."
«Human faces are so soft,» Kharno crooned. Neither of the humans could understand her words, but her tone required no translation.
"Well it's still not very dignified," Gordon grumbled.
Scott scoffed. "Screw dignity, I'm going flying."
"Whatever you say," Gordon said, and rolled his eyes. "I'll never understand why you're so insistent on that."
"It's flying. On a dragon," Scott said, as if that explained everything. "Don't tell me you have an irrational fear of heights."
"Nothing irrational about it," Gordon huffed. "Men aren't meant to fly."
"You've been on an airplane before."
"Only because I needed to, and the damned thing sounded like it was about to fall apart the whole time," Gordon grumbled with a shudder.
"Well…it's not like a dragon can fall apart," Scott pointed out.
"Not the point, Scott," Gordon sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Nevermind. Go and have your fun."
Scott grinned. "Oh, I will."
[Day 107]
«Do they know what causes a star to die?» Eoiras asked.
"Oh, you know about supernovae," Scott said, eyebrow raised. "If I remember correctly the last one was about five hundred years ago, which means-" his eyes widened as he froze mid-sentence. "Wait, you're old enough to have seen it!"
«Yes, I am,» Eoiras said, nodding wistfully. «There are stories of such things happening, of course, but they were nothing like what I saw: for a moon and a half, the night sky was so bright…and when the light faded, the star was gone.»
"I can see how that would be unsettling," Scott said, rubbing his chin as he considered how to explain a supernova in a way that Celeste could translate. "The earth has gravity because it has mass, and the sun has much more mass than earth, which means it also has much more gravity. This very strong gravity presses down into the core of the star." He raised his hands as he spoke, and mimed crushing a sphere. "But the burning is like an explosion, and it pushes outwards, which keeps the star from crushing itself." He moved his hands further apart, then closer, then back and forth until his hands reached equilibrium from each other.
«Hmm…» Eoiras hummed. «I am not sure if I understand, but go on.»
"Eventually the star runs out of fuel, which means it can't burn anymore, and that means there's nothing stopping gravity from crushing the star." Scott punctuated his explanation with a sharp clap, which itself seemed to puzzle the dragons.
"That explanation makes some sense, but how did you make that loud noise with your hands?" Celeste asked, head tilted in confusion.
"That's…a clap," Scott said, puzzled. "Can't you do that?"
Celeste sat back on her haunches, then brought her hands together, though it only produced a dull sound.
"You have to…trap the air, I guess?" Scott said, scratching his head. "I hadn't thought about why it works before, but I suppose your scales don't form a good seal."
Eoiras, having heard Celeste's translation, also tried to mimic the clap, but was met with no more success than Celeste.
«Grrh, why is this so hard?» Celeste growled, wafting her hands in pain from the repeated impacts.
«Maybe we need a different method,» Eoiras rumbled as he examined his hands. «If air needs to be trapped, then…» he brought his wingtips around himself, then laid each membrane against his hands before attempting the clapping motion once again, this time producing an unsatisfying puffing noise.
«Not a bad idea,» Celeste said, then experimentally brought the palms of her wings together. This was likewise met with failure, until one attempt produced a somewhat sharper noise. «Ah! I think I got it!» she said, and tried again. A few repetitions later she was able to consistently produce a noise that could be considered a dull clap.
Eoiras and the others began to copy the gesture, and soon the beach was full of clumsily clapping dragons.
Scott could only scratch his head at the scene before him – several dragons surrounding him, expressions of intense concentration on each one's face, while they all clumsily applauded at nothing.
«That's enough of that,» Eoiras chuffed, settling back down on four limbs. «I have another question; there are rare instances I've seen faint lights dancing in the northern sky, but there was one occasion where these lights were far brighter than normal – do you know what those are? Or what causes them?»
"Of course!" Scott said. "Those are called 'northern lights'. Would you like me to explain what they are?"
[Day 108]
"We leave tomorrow, right?" Fathom asked.
"Yes," Pryce said, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "I talked to Siebert earlier, and we're ready to leave tomorrow."
"Does that mean you're done with the dissection?"
"More or less," Pryce sighed. "Bodies are very, very, complicated. The ship doesn't have all the tools that I'd like, but I've done all that I can for now."
"Makes sense," Fathom nodded. "Did you learn anything useful?"
"Lots, but-" Pryce stifled a yawn. "Sorry, I'm exhausted – I'll tell you about it tomorrow, alright?"
"Of course. You seemed to be working every time I looked for you," Fathom said, nudging him away. "Go rest."
"Alright, alright," Pryce said, stumbling off to his room as the two of them exchanged farewells.
As Pryce walked away, Fathom belatedly remembered that he had planned to ask a question… But then he saw the weariness in the humans' shuffling gait, and he decided that it could wait until tomorrow.
[JOURNAL ENTRY]
Overview of the dissection of the dragon designated as "Pathogen":
Muscular system:
There is currently no time for a close inspection of the muscular system, though samples have been taken and preserved for future study.
Nervous system:
As expected, the cerebrum of a dragon possesses notable similarities to the human equivalent, especially in regards to the highly developed cerebral cortex, which by my estimate easily surpasses a humans in regards to surface area – though it should be noted that a drastic increase in surface area should be expected to accommodate the greater volume of brain matter.
The structure of the draconic cerebrum bears greater similarity to that of a cetacean in that there are three distinct regions (trientspheres?) as opposed to the humanoid hemispheres. Any detailed tests will have to wait – in the meantime the brain has been preserved for future study.
Cardiovascular system:
This dissection has confirmed the existence of two secondary hearts, one located at the base of the neck and the other in the lower torso (Which I shall refer to as the superior secondary heart and inferior secondary heart, respectively). Both of these are much simpler in structure than the primary heart, with each 'heart' consisting of a single valve and chamber.
Interestingly, the primary heart also possesses a double aortic arch, similar to that seen in crocodilians – perhaps the bi-aortic common ancestor existed at a point in time even earlier than the common ancestor of tetrapods and hexapeds?
A notable feature is that the left aortic arch is the slightly dominant artery, and it appears to deliver blood from the lungs to the upper body, while the smaller right aortic arch pumps blood to the lower body. It seems a little redundant for there to be a secondary heart at the base of the neck when the primary heart is not so far away.
Perhaps this organ serves another purpose? Perhaps the valve prevents any acceleration from draining to other parts of the body, though this is only a guess.
Respiratory system:
The draconic respiratory system is exceptionally efficient, with air sacs distributed throughout the body for greater oxygen capacity.
As with avian lungs, dragon lungs operate by forcing air to travel in one direction. This process is far more efficient than mammalian bidirectional lungs, though this increased efficiency also makes them susceptible to toxic gasses.
The organs also take up a great amount of volume within the body, and air sacs were even found attached to bones of the fore and rear limbs. This explains their abnormally low density, as a significant portion of their volume is simply air.
Hydrogen(?) system:
The sac which contains hydrogen is located along the back of the thoracic cavity, similar in placement to the air bladder of a fish. Again, there is no time for an in-depth analysis, but the organ is significantly thicker than the lungs, and has a multilayered structure to it.
I suspect the 'beating' of this organ serves some function to recapture or prevent the hydrogen gas from diffusing through the body, but I currently have no way of verifying this hypothesis.
Skeletal system:
The bones of a dragon have an odd grey tint and are extremely lightweight yet durable, with a porous structure that allows for the storage of additional air. Air sacs were found attached to the bones themselves – hardly surprising, considering that avians share this adaptation.
Further analysis will come later.
Digestive system:
Long and short intestines are both shorter than one would expect from such a large species. This adaptation likely occurred to save weight, but I imagine it also makes them less efficient at digesting food.
Note: measure the quantity of food required for a dragon to sustain themselves. I suspect that each kilogram of a dragons' body requires more calories to operate than ours.
Excretory system:
Like avians, dragons are uricotelic, meaning that nitrogenous waste is excreted in the form of uric acid rather than urea. Producing the former is more energy-intensive than the latter, but requires much less water, and thereby lowers the total mass of the body.
I have noticed that dragons do not seem to drink much water; they appear to gain most of it from their diet. I would imagine that not having to drink much liquid made the accidental discovery of alcohol somewhat more difficult.