Found Part Two

Posted on 23 Sep 2022 @ 6:45am by Rogue Nazri Arisant

821 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Once Upon a Codex
Location: Rivaind Dairsmuid
Timeline: 12 Years Ago

Previously in Part One

After they had eaten Kyle said, "You look tired, you can sleep in my bed if you want."

"With you?" Nazri asked his tone both innocent and inquisitive.

Kyle chuckled. "Hell no. In the first place, you're too young. In the second place, you're not my type. I'll sleep on the floor."

Nazri wondered what his age had to do with sleeping, but he let it go for the moment. Maybe it was because he was so tired.

And now the continuation

Rain pelted down on the young qunari and wind whipped through his hair. It was uncomfortable, but, he was used to feeling that way. It didn't really bother him anymore. But the wind wasn't just uncomfortable, it was life-threatening. He wasn't sure how he had gotten there, but he was there, on a narrow twisting trail. To his right was the sheer face of a cliff. To his left was a chasm, that he couldn't see the bottom of. The wind threatened to push him into the canyon and his sudden death. His heart pounded against his chest

Then he heard an unearthly howl and not just one but a least a dozen. His heart began beating even faster. He didn't know what kind of creatures those howls were coming from, but he knew instinctively that they were dangerous and a threat to his life.

He began running.

He ran and he ran until his lungs burned and his legs ached. Still, he ran on. The howls turned to deep-throated barks and were getting closer and closer. The walls on his right still towered above him and now the chasm was even deeper, but he was no closer to the top.

He rounded another bend, he was no longer running, he couldn't manage that. He was just speed-walking. He chanced a look back and saw something out of a nightmare. A dog that was almost as tall as he was. with brown mottled fur and bared teeth and fetid breath. He was tired of running. He turned to face the charging beast and reached back for an arrow, but his quiver was empty. Then the creature leaped slamming into his chest and latching onto his arm. He and the creature both were pushed off the thin ledge. Gravity took over and they

He awoke less than a minute later. His head and torso were on the floor, his legs were entangled in the sheets and trapped against the bed. His chest was covered by a sheen of sweat, his breathing, and heartbeat rapid and irregular. Kyle was there an instant later a concerned face bending over him.

He leaned closer so their faces were just inches apart. "It's okay Nazri, it was just a nightmare. It's going to be okay. Look at me. You're safe."

The qunari let out a shuddering breath, but his heart began slowing. His green eyes looked into the human's blue ones. Nazri gripped Kyle's shoulder and a feeling passed through him that he couldn't identify, but that felt good.

Kyle helped him untangle his legs and get back into the bed. "Just hang tight, I'll be right back." Nazri didn't want him to leave but he didn't protest, that wouldn't be manly. So, he just watched his retreating form. By the time Kyle returned with a tall amber bottle in his left hand and two small glasses in his right, Nazri's breathing had returned to near normal.

Kyle sat the two glasses on the floor between them and poured green liquid into them. He handed Nazri one of the glasses and drank down the contents of the other. Nazri mirrored his actions and then started coughing, his throat on fire

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"You don't want to know, but I figured you needed it. What were you dreaming about?"

"I was running, being chased by some, I don't know what they were but they looked like dogs, really big dogs It seemed so real.

"Whatever it was, whatever it meant, you're safe now. As long as you're with me your safe."

Nazri nodded briefly. "Thank you, but I think I should try to go back where I belong. I'll be in trouble if I don't. Can you tell me where we are, and how to get to Qunandar?"

"You're in Dairsmuid, and I can find directions for you. But are you really sure that you want to go back? Maybe that's what you were dreaming about/ Those things you were running from in the dream is what you're trying to get back to you."

There was a pause, then Nazri spoke. "I'm not sure at all. Maybe somebody is trying to tell me something, but I still have to return. It's my duty. I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice. If you ever change your mind, you're welcome back here anytime."

 

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