“I don’t remember any mention of the name Hult.”
Thatch grunted, “That’s good. The best case scenario is that they knew the general direction he was headed, but didn’t know exactly where to look.”
All the information combined indicated that looking for Hult was the best course of action. It took no time before they all agreed that heading to town in the morning was the next step. With nothing left to discuss and the energy levels of all declining at a rapid pace, a silent agreement drove them all to find places to lie down for the night.
Thatch had gathered some moss together to make a bed for Rayna near the fire, while he rasted against one of the roots of the tree. Aylah, always preferring to be up high, found a thick branch high up in the oak tree. After a little moss work, inspired by Thatch’s creation for Rayna, the branch bed was quite comfortable. Almost as soon as her head rested against the makeshift bed, Aylah fell asleep.
Since leaving her home, Aylah hadn’t felt as much in need of sleep, her energy remained quite high. She had been warned when leaving Onterrin that life below would be different, she just didn’t know how different. However, tonight, Aylah was drained. Various plots and plans, fights and difficulties…crawling through a waste hole. She was spent. Unfortunately for her, her sleep was not as deep as she felt it should have been and she was forced awake by the sound of whispers below. Rayna and Thatch were discussing something, both sounding agitated.
“Rayna please-” Thatch pleaded
“But Dad, I don’t want to lose you again!” Was Rayna’s reply. Though she was whispering there was clear intensity to it.
“Rayna, I need you to be safe and what I have to do is anything but safe. I don’t know what I would do if-”
“But you can’t keep me safe if you aren’t there” Rayna interrupted.
More was being said, but Aylah decided it would be best to try and tune them out as best she could. This was not a conversation that she was supposed to be privy to.
“All people should learn sign language,” Aylah thought to herself. It keeps from ever being overheard. She was sure that Thatch and Rayna were trying to be quiet, but she figured that even Diago would be able to hear them. Curious, she looked over to the spot Diago had chosen to sleep at, to see if he had heard them too, but she was surprised to see that neither he nor the jynx were there.
“That’s strange,” thought Aylah, “I didn’t hear him move.”
She figured that if the whispering was enough to stir her awake, moving from a sleeping spot would more than do it. Unless…unless he still hadn’t come back from gathering moss and firewood, but that didn’t make sense. He looked just as exhausted as she was. She scanned the ground and saw his tracks leading away from their camp, but none returning.
“I guess he hasn’t come back yet,” Aylah thought, but she was sure that she had been asleep for a while. Why wouldn’t he come back? Did something happen? Just in case, she decided to check it out.
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She jumped down from branch to branch, attempting to be as quiet as possible.
Neither Thatch nor Rayna seemed to hear her as she landed on the ground. She then started in the direction of the salt flat. It was a short walk to the forest edge. She stopped as she reached the end of the tree line.
Before her was a long expanse of flat land. In the distance, there were three tall, red spires towering above a dune lake, filled with the rise and fall of mountains made of shifting sand. That alone was a view worthy of admiration, but what drew her attention was the night sky. It was riddled with countless stars that beautifully contrasted their dark backdrop. Faint hues of blue and green laced through the darkness, creating a marvelous picture that would take anyone’s breath away and turn even the coldest heart to wonder.
Underneath this night sky, a lone figure stood. The tan cloak he was wearing rippled slowly with the pressing wind, but Diago was still, taking in the view. Beside him sat a jynx. Both seemed content to enjoy the silence.
“What is he doing out here?” Aylah asked herself.
She shrugged. Now that she had confirmed that all was well, she was a moment from turning and going back to her branch, but curiosity held her in place. Which only heightened when her ears picked up a heavy sigh. It came from Diago and carried a mix of emotions within it. She watched as he then looked at the jynx with a smile.
“you still need a name,” Diago said, resting a hand on its head as it wheezed. Sitting, the creature was only a little shorter than Diago. It leaned in and nuzzled his back and then made a different sound. The noise was more like a whimper.
“I’m alright,” Diago said with a smile, “that was some race, wasn’t it? Thanks again for catching me...and saving us.” He pet her head again and then sized her up, looking thoughtful.
Aylah still found it a marvel that this creature would treat Diago with such affection.
However normal it was beginning to feel that a jynx could simply hang around
them without someone’s arm being ripped off, there would still have to be some adjustment of mind. But, hard though it was to grasp entirely, the jynx had saved their lives. There was the undeniable fact of experience to provide as a constant example that this thing was truly a friend. Her thoughts were cut off by Diago’s voice in the distance.
“How about Shantee?” Diago asked.
“…Shantee? Give me a break Sunburn,” Aylah whispered to herself.
From the jynx, Diago was met with a blank stare and a snort.
“Alright…” Diago scratched his hairless chin with a furrowed brow as he thought.
Then he said, “How about Patris? That’s the old name of a great warrior from Tunaan.” Diago didn’t even sound like he had convinced himself, much less did he convince the jynx. The beast snorted again.
“Hmm…let me think” Diago murmured as he paced back and forth, fiddling with the ring he always had on. Then he stopped. He had come up with an idea. He turned to the jynx,
“I never knew much about the older languages, they always kinda sounded like gibberish to me, but I do remember one word Sul taught me ages ago…Saama. It was one of the words for friend. Literally, it means ‘saving hand’, but it was used more to say, ‘friend that helps’. Sul scolded me good one day after I had purposely left one of the twins behind so I could get home first. After he made me go back and get him, Sul said that a true friend is a Saama. One that will look out for others and fight to help, no matter what. I always liked that…and it has always stuck with me, even when I tried to ignore it... What do you think, do you like Saama?” Diago asked the jynx with a smile.
Aylah remembered the look of grim determination on Diago’s face as he threw himself at the guards that were sneaking up on her and Thatch. She wondered if he had that word in mind while he risked himself for their sakes. She watched as the jynx made a wheezing sound and started flapping her webbed arms. She liked it and Aylah did too.
Diago laughed, “Saama it is then.”
Diago and Saama resumed the posture they had when Aylah had first seen them. As for Aylah, she was left confused. The source of her confusion was Diago. She found him annoying and brash. It seemed with him, at every turn she was sure to find some snarky remark or a frustrating jab. He was inconsiderate. He was impatient. Overall, He was a maddening person…With that, though, there were glimpses of something more…something deeper. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why him? Thatch was a mind weaver, that was a clear advantage. She-…she had her place in Onterrin. Diago…was just Diago. Annoying, frustrating, maddening Diago. Things had moved fast since they met but a few days ago. It felt like so much had happened in that short time. She still found him annoying, but for the first time, as she watched him gently pet Saama, she began to wonder,
“Who are you Diago?”