The Lost of the Marshes – Chapter 8: Estranged
by Bad Manners

===

... She has shown me a strange set of tablets, containing illustrations and markings in an unknown language, which the natives of Lagazi are also unfamiliar with. Their origin is unbeknownst to us as well, as she won't reveal anything. [...] Although lone dragons seem to be very territorial, I can't help but theorize that these tablets could have originated from an organized group which *** used to be a part of. However, I have no proof of this yet, or explanation as to why she would flee. ...

... I have decided to redact everything I've learned about dragons from my final report – this included –, and instructed *** to archive these away from Kaati's reach. Only then will my wife truly be safe. Instead, I will come up with a plausible excuse for my extended leave, hoping to offer His Holiness Ranagas the General-Emperor my services in another way. ...

===

Everything was hazy. That was the first thing that Nurta noticed. Her body seemed weird, bigger, heavier. Her thoughts were scrambled; for a moment, even her name didn't feel quite her own. Her feelings gave her a passing sense of dread, but she couldn't pinpoint why. And yet, she knew it was not a dream. In fact, it felt more like she had just awakened from one; that a huge weight had been lifted from her mind.

The Widow had a clear grasp of what was happening to her. Moments ago, she was holding Quince when, in a blink, she turned herself back into a dragon. It should have been impossible...but she'd succeeded somehow. She looked down at her scaly arms, but instead of hands, she saw big clawed fingers covered with red scutes. Her neck was much longer, and she could turn around to see her spiky back, with a pair of red wings extending out. It felt familiar and right, like a nostalgic sensation that she missed.

Yet, it wasn't her body anymore. She was Nurta, the Widow of Duwag, and chief of Logas. Her memories were all from her lizard life, after all. Was this emotional dissonance because of the many years she'd spent locking away her past? Or from a side-effect of the ritual she'd performed? Regardless, she was relieved for this outcome, as her plan of helping Quince and the others from the looming threat was still apace.

As for the cat, she heard some muffled mewling, coming from a protrusion under her ribs. They were in her crop, thankfully alive and hopefully unharmed, but they weren't the only thing in there. Where once there was ground on which she'd placed down her tablets, there was now a large clean-cut hole. Everything in a sphere around her and Quince, including dirt, must have been relocated into her chamber – if the mild discomfort she felt, of something mushy and heavy surrounding the cat, was anything to go by. It seemed that her attempt at replicating Suugal's trick from Kuir was somewhat inaccurate, but at least the cat was no longer exposed to the outside, and she could carry the tablets as well.

"Are you alright?" She attempted to ask her occupant, realizing that only draconic growls left her mouth instead. Speaking as a dragon would be impossible, she noted mentally. Unless she could locate Suugal, of course, and have him translate her heart to...to...someone... She was drawing a blank. There must have someone else who came here with them to Kyorna, she was certain of it. Suugal, Quince, and... Who was it...? Why couldn't she remember them? It was Quince's friend, wasn't it? The–

'NIKILI IS IN DANGER'

The thought shot through her mind, hurting her head like a spear piercing her. Nurta's leg collapsed and she nearly fell to the ground, waiting for the migraine to pass. She felt like shit, but at least she could remember everything about Nikili again... Gods, what was happening inside of her own head?! Out of all things to forget, the mongoose was a big one. She brushed aside the fear of not being able to trust her own mind, and the anxiety of potentially being afflicted with another head-splitting memory loss, to deal with the real danger of leaving the scavenger alone when other dragons were nearby.

The ringing in her ears started to fade as she kept searching for the others' whereabouts, and she set out towards the direction that the two men were headed earlier. All the junk in her crop made it uncomfortable to run on all fours, but she was pressed for time. Maybe she could pick up on Suugal's gasham'sag, and follow their trail. It was faint and far, but it felt like she had caught wind of the other dragon. She hoped that as soon as she had found them, she'd keep the mongoose safe in her crop as well, and then find Duwag to formulate a plan to–

'DUWAG IS DEAD'

She stopped herself, feeling her headache return. It wasn't so intense this time, but the thought once again rang true. Still, it was a perfectly timed interruption, as just in front of her, she saw a frightened Nikili fall to the ground on his back. His reaction was understandable, coming across an unknown dragon who almost crushed him by accident. Nurta looked around, but Suugal was nowhere to be found; however, his gasham was emanating from the direction of the mongoose. On closer inspection, the dragon noticed how the scavenger's belly moved with prey inside...

"Really?" Nurta's complaint about his hypocrisy turned into a growl once again, causing the mongoose to be even more scared. At the very least, the archaeopteryx should still be able to understand her under his skin. « Nikili isn't safe out here, there are other dragons following us. I have to swallow him now, so even if he panics, I need you to stay still. » A lively muffled chirp was all the confirmation that she required.

"Little guy!" Nikili, reacting at his own stomach as well, screamed. "Now might be a good time to do that trick you did in Kuir!"

Suu stayed quiet, and Nurta shook her head.

"What...? Wait, did this other dragon just understand me?!"

Her eyes rolled at how slowly he was catching up, so she rushed things along. She opened her maw and took the mongoose's legs into it, cushioning his lower back with her tongue before lifting him off the ground and raising her head. She realized just how small he was in comparison to her now.

"Wait wait, don't eat me! Please!"

She tried to do a low comforting rumble like Suugal would do – maybe he would understand that much –, then tossed her head back to encase the whole scavenger in her jaws. There was a weird salty taste on his back, but she couldn't be bothered to think much of it before she swallowed.

"Ack! Please d-don't...!" He was fighting fruitlessly inside of the large dragon's oppressive throat, but she obviously had no intention of hurting him. How easy it was to simply devour him despite protestations, she thought. The now-small scavenger slipped quickly in the tunnel without any extra help and was headed to her crop instead, where he would be safe until Nurta had managed to escape her pursuers.

Nikili had never realized just how wide Suu's throat was until he was forced into the smaller dragon's. Her smaller stature – about five-sixths of the big guy – also meant that the trip down the undulating muscles was shorter. Before long, he was pushed feet-first into the stuffed chamber, slipping on top of a mound of what felt like dirt. It didn't feel any more spacious in here than her esophagus, his arms pinned to his sides, but at least he wasn't being pulled any deeper. One of his hands appeared to brush against a stone with inscriptions on it, and he could hear and feel a cat mumbling under his back.

"Oh, sorry Quince... Wait, Quince?! Is it really you?"

The cat managed to get free from under him, scooting between his legs and under his skirt, then letting an annoyed meow.

"Are we...dead?" Silence. "OW! W-Why did you bite my ankle?! I asked if I'm dead, not dreaming...! W-Wait, if you're in this dragon too, don't tell me...that this dragon is Nurta?!"

It was Suu's turn to chirp happily in his bowels, signaling agreement with what he said. Quince must have heard him too, because they let an inquisitive trill upon hearing the muffled archaeopteryx in close proximity.

"Oh, right... There's a lot I need to tell you, Quince, but first, I better let Suu out. Uhh, little guy, d-do you think you can push yourself out on your own...?"

Despite expecting some movement from the reptile in his butt, Nikili was still surprised by the pleasurable feeling of the small dinosaur pushing against the walls of his bowels. But other than making the scavenger moan again, it didn't seem that he was able to make any progress backwards – and he was too deep for the mongoose to push him out, too. A part of his tail was still sticking out from his anus, and maybe he could pull him out...if his hand could reach it, that is. It was too cramped in the crop, and his arms couldn't move down his body. It seemed that Suu was stuck, unless someone else within reach of the Urvogel's tail grabbed it instead. Nikili blushed in that dark room, embarrassed at the realization.

"Sorry, Quince... You're probably very confused, and I promise to explain it all in a moment. B-But right now I need you to grab and pull Suu's tail from my...uhhh...my butt..."

The cat stopped for a moment, and laughed at his joke...until something brushed against their shoulder: feathers, coming from beneath his skirt.

***

« Oof... Maybe Nikili was right, I shouldn't have swallowed him... But no going back now. » Nurta thought as he settled in. Her crop was filled past what she could comfortably carry, but she would still manage for a while longer, hopefully. After all, there were bigger concerns, as she sensed the gashams from earlier. They were now strong enough to make out: they all were gasham'ighinu, which made them invisible to others' perceptions when they wanted to. She couldn't tell where they were, or how many exactly, but they were definitely more than one and close.

She tried to fly away with her inexperienced wings, but must have hit one of the dragons above her when jumping. It was a weird feeling, because it seemed like she had touched nothing at all, but something still had to have knocked down her wings; as if the thing she'd bumped was just past the edge of her five senses. She fell back to the ground on her legs – thankfully not smooshing her crop's occupants. The gasham'ighinu then decided to make themselves visible to her: there were five of them circling her, all her size or bigger! There was no way to outrun them all...

'THEY WON'T HURT YOU'

These flashes were getting less painful...but whose voice was this? If it was hers, why did it feel so alien...? And by all accounts, how was it even possible that she could remember these dragons in front of her?! Not only that, she recalled that they were scouts from Kyorna. Yes, the name that Suugal had said before, the one he had supposedly heard clearly from one of the memories that had bled from her heart. Knowing that she had met them before, Nurta didn't feel in immediate danger anymore. She went with her gut, waiting to see how these other dragons would react. Hopefully, they wouldn't think much of her distended crop as well, since one of the smaller scouts seemed to have a similar bulge.

Confirming her suspicions, they seemed less like feral beasts acting on their own, and more like they were deliberately organized. Not only did their body language betray who was their leader – the biggest male, whose reaction was being expected by the others –, but all five of them acted somewhat surprised by her, now that they were up-close. They kept exchanging looks between each other and her, as if deciding what to do. The impasse ended when, to her surprise, the leader bowed down his head, and the others followed suit. She just stood awkwardly in front of their salute, not knowing if she should return the gesture, until they raised their faces back.

The group simply turned around, some taking flight already, and looking back at her as if expecting Nurta to follow them. They were headed home, her instincts told her. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe her past self had wanted to avoid letting her curiosity get the best of her. But she was more confident that she could play along, until she could find a way to escape, than risk outrunning the whole group of dragons and getting into a fight. She flew into the air as well, her overfilled crop not weighing her down so much as making her body ache.

***

"Ack!"

Nikili and Quince were jostled inside the compact chamber with the sudden movement. It couldn't have been more chaotic or claustrophobic; two things that both scavengers were used to by now, but not at this scale. At least, the dirt under them held everything mostly in place, but feeling so stuck inside of a dragon, so close to her groaning guts and rhythmic heartbeat, was still a bit frightening for the mongoose.

"Are you two okay?" He tried to whisper, unsure of what was going on outside. "Ah...! Little guy, you're almost– Quince, grab his legs!"

The cat, who had been tugging on the archaeopteryx's tail until losing their footing, moved closer to Nikili's ass, and did as they were told. They grabbed Suu's hips gently as if holding a bird, not minding the slime on his feathers that was getting on their paws. One long pull and the Urvogel was freed with a 'pop!'. To alleviate any worries, he chirped again, and Quince joyfully hugged the gooey reptile, purring despite the strong smells of masculine musk on Suu entering their nostrils.

"Thanks, Quince..." Nikili sighed, glad that the erection under his skirt couldn't be seen in the darkness. "I almost miss it already– I-I mean, I almost missed my chance to apologize! There's no excuse for me shouting at you this morning, and I was wrong to be angry. Well, I was wrong about a lot, really... I'm sorry, Quince. Even if you don't accept my apology, I'm just happy the three of us are here together, really."

The feline's slimy paw patted his shin.

"Well, not -here- here. Nurta's belly-bag is pretty tight... I wonder why she hasn't let us out yet."

His last words seemed to activate a gear in Suu's head, as he let out a squawk while moving out of Quince's grasp. The cat's next vocalization questioned the dinosaur's actions, who seemed to be wriggling his way towards Nikili, but over his skirt this time.

"What's wrong? ...OW! W-Watch your talons, little guy! Gah, it better not leave a mark..."

The archaeopteryx was unflinching from his task of climbing up his body, with Nurta's crop keeping them tightly pressed against each other.

"Are you trying to get out? Is something wrong out there?" He stopped to chirp, which seemed to indicate 'yes', and kept pushing forward.

Nikili sucked in his now flat stomach, giving Suu more room to climb up. Whatever semen and slime hadn't rubbed off on the cat was now clinging to his abs, but Nikili's first priority was helping him crawl upwards. The organ itself was working against them, doing its best to hold out at maximum capacity. Finally, the Urvogel's tiny head had reached his face, but kept pushing even further towards the exit. The mongoose remained still to avoid any further injuries while the dinosaur escaped. Finally, he pressed through the sphincter of the tight chamber, back up the tunnel that Nikili had come from.

"Well," he said, after the last of the long feathered tail brushed away from his face, "not much we can do but wait until Nurta lets us out. I just hope she's not doing anything crazy..." Quince was idly tapping on his leg with their tail, trying to nap on that minute patch of dirt. "Oh, t-there is one thing I need to tell you, Quince... It's about where you pulled Suu out of... Uhh, kinda."

"Mrrp?" The cat showed some curiosity towards what had transpired.

He blushed. "When we were alone we kinda...h-had sex...and then he ended up in there...and then I was thinking. I wanna ask him to be my b-b-boyfriend...?"

Quince went silent in their surprise, not expecting all of that information to get dumped on them in so few words. Similarly, Nikili did not expect Suu himself to get dumped back on his face again.

"Gah! Wh–What?" He jumped in surprise. "What are you doing back here, little guy?!"

The archaeopteryx panted with his wings spread over, exhausted. It seemed that his attempt at climbing out of Nurta's crop hadn't gone so well.

***

Nurta was still flying behind the group of scouts, and swallowed back a lump in her throat. Maybe her crop wasn't handling being overfilled too well and something got squeezed out, but she would still do her best to keep it all in. As long as nobody knew that Nikili and Quince were with her, they should be safe, even if similarly uncomfortable.

Still, the wind on her face was cathartically cleansing her worries. It felt like walking again after being bedridden for so long. The loud flap of her comrades' wings, the view below...it felt so familiar. Nurta never knew that she had longed for this until now. It was liberating, but her anxiety was spiking when she saw so many other dragons, far below on the ground. She knew that members of her species were normally territorial and loners – Duwag had learned as much from the people of Lagazi, before he passed that on to her. But then, what explained this level of organization?

'THERE ARE LESS OF THEM NOW'

Her muscle memory was autonomous enough that the next pang of this 'memory sickness' didn't disrupt her flight. Even so, she remembered now. Kyorna was a civilization of dragons. One that was isolated from the world. There weren't buildings, or money, just a collective of dragons living in the marshes, to the best of their skills, under the Matriarch's law. The Matriarch...the Matriarch... She couldn't remember who she was, but something felt heavy in her stomach – and it wasn't the objects bloating her crop.

There was an area they were flying over, a round clearing of firm soil in the middle of Kyorna, completely open except for a tree in the middle, uncharacteristically tall and wide for the marshland vegetation. That's where the flying group was headed, and the dull-red colored dragon followed. Getting closer, she could sense another dragon, one whose gasham was unlike the other two she'd sensed so far. They landed on its shadow, where a large dragon with salmon-colored scales awaited.

""Why the interruption, Eye Shunu?"" The voice boomed in Nurta's head, and she could clearly tell that it was the Matriarch's, even if her mouth hadn't moved at all. This Matriarch could let herself and others communicate directly through their cognition, beyond language barriers. This was due to her gasham'dug, which Nurta herself could sense and describe simply on account of also being a dragon.

The largest member of the group accompanying Nurta bowed, and replied for her to 'hear' as well. ""My apologies, Matriarch Dikuga, it's an urgent matter. We were scouting as usual when we found her. She seemed pretty confused and scared, but I'm almost sure that– Maybe it's best that you confirm it yourself, Your Grace.""

The large dragon, Dikuga, approached Nurta. She was barely bigger than Suugal in length, but much more imposing with her extremely wide wings, her sharp horns, and her red eyes turned towards the Widow. But their gaze wasn't on her face, it felt like she was looking at her gasham instead. ""It really is you, Nizura... I know not why your gasham is anomalous, but there can be no doubt. Leave us, Eyes.""

""My name is Nurta, M-Matriarch."" She replied over gasham'dug, while the group of scouts left them. Although the name 'Nizura' did feel familiar... Not from her life as a dragon, but from Duwag's tablets, when she had scraped off every mention of two names in order to protect their identity. One was the scholar's own, Duwag. The other, Nizura, featured even more prominently in his notes.

""I am not mistaken on this, daughter. I have named you myself.""

Nurta was confused by this. ""Daughter...?"" She had her doubts. Could it even be the truth? Was she really Nizura, the daughter of Dikuga, Matriarch of Kyorna...? After all, if it wasn't a lie, then of all things that she was slowly remembering, why weren't these included? Her own mother's existence, even...!

""Do you not remember, Nizura? Ah, I see... You have undertaken the dus'bala'kur that you've stolen from us thirty-eight years ago, child.""

Thirty-eight years ago... That was when she had stopped being a dragon, after undertaking some ritual. The date checked out, giving her story some credibility.

The Matriarch shook her head in annoyance. ""At the very least, you have had enough decency to act like an adult and return home. So allow me to jog your memory.""

Dikuga's words were still so confusing to her, not even her gasham'galga was helping her to make any sense of them. It wasn't helped by the fact that the uneasy feeling that Nurta had during the whole exchange kept creeping back. And although she would have liked nothing more than to leave immediately, she doubted that she would make it very far if the dragons of Kyorna pursued her. She had no other choice but to listen to her if she wanted to keep her friends safe.

""Long ago, the dragons were made by the gods of the lands, blessed with the gift of gasham, and entrusted with the sacred duty protecting all life of the marshes. The marshland vegetation and creatures spread throughout the plains, from the very north point of the Mother River and Father River, where they join all the way south into the Child River, before entering the Never-ending Lake.""

The names she used for the rivers were different from the ones Nurta knew, but Dikuga must have been referring to the Two Rivers, where Kaati was, and the Last River, which was close to Kyorna, respectively. Never-ending Lake must have been the sea in the Bronze Gulf, then.

""And we lived in peace, until invaders came on foot and boats. Crafty, warmongering mortals, whose sole existence was to test our resolve. They tricked us into thinking we could coexist, but in truth, they were parasites, interested in taking our holy lands from us. In doing so, they nestled themselves between the Father and the Mother, festering the bounty of the marshes into a barren desert.""

""Wait, this doesn't sound right..."" Nurta interrupted. ""I've never heard of anything like coexistence–""

""I am not finished. Our forefathers had realized that they were deceived by mortals and forsaken by our gods, and retreated to the Child River, hoping to safeguard the last of the marshes around Kyorna. Our goal is to one day restore their paradise and regain their trust. Such is my duty, and it will be yours when you take your place as Matriarch.""

""That's just not true. You say that this here, Hamora, is the last of the marshes. But there are further marshes north, in the Quuwa Plains.""

The salmon-scaled was annoyed. ""You are saying that I am lying? That our ancestors are lying?!""

""Not necessarily, they could've been mistaken. But I've been near the Quuwa Marshes myself, I'm sure they exist.""

Dikuga simply brushed it off. ""Bah, a preposterous notion. A jest, surely. Or confusion as a side effect of dus'bala'kur.""

""What even is this dus'bala'kur?"" Nurta asked, trying to make any headway.

The Matriarch grinned sarcastically. ""You of all dragons should know, Nizura, for it is one of our rituals that you elected to steal when you fled. The Path of Estranging: a dangerous technique to lock away one's memories and body. I am surprised that you managed to pull off its instructions at all.""

Nurta is unsure if she really is her mother, considering how passive-aggressive she had been towards her during their whole encounter. She could understand how the Matriarch might have been offended at her daughter's extended disappearance, but her tone was a notch too hostile. There had to be more to their relationship than she was letting on...

Before she could continue, she felt that something was escaping her crop like earlier. But now she realized what it was, since it was covered in feathers. It could only be Suugal, and he seemed desperate to be let out. She wanted to handle this all on her own, but there was no way to predict how Dikuga would react if fighting broke out. She coughed him up, pushing him out of the esophagus, and carefully spat the saliva-covered archaeopteryx on the ground.

""Hmm... Now who is this one...?"" Dikuga asked about the tiny Urvogel, whose gasham she could perceive even before he transformed back into a black-and-blue dragon, his scales now dry.

""Nurta, I'm sorry..."" Suugal was also speaking with her through the Matriarch's gasham'dug, and it was way easier for him to use his cognition than Kaatian. ""I know you don't want me here, but... Follow me, I'll get us out from here!""

""Ah, it is clear to me, now."" The salmon-colored dragon seemed amused. ""That was the source of your gasham's anomaly. A male, and a gasham'sag no less, to compensate for Nizura's lackluster gasham'galga. Despite him not being from Kyorna... Does this mean that you are ready to become a Matriarch, daughter?""

""What...?""

Suugal answered for her. ""She thinks that we're a couple, and that we'll marry, so that you can have my children and take her place as Matriarch...""

""Oh...! How wonderful to witness the power of a gasham'sag for the first time! You have chosen your mate well, Nizura.""

The normally stoic blue dragon was getting more nervous. ""Nurta, we have to go, now! Your heart is– I can feel it–""

The Widow ignored him. ""Why does it have to be me who becomes the Matriarch? Aren't there others who can?"" Dikuga scoffed.

""Who? Your brothers? Ludicrous. Only a female may rule over Kyorna, it is the gods' very laws that say so. Men lack such will and capacity; to suggest otherwise is outrageous. With that notion precluded, that responsibility falls to the eldest daughter, who is grown and groomed into her most important role. Such have our rites been for me, and generations before me; such they will be for you.""

""Brothers...?"" The air entering her nostrils was starting to feel thin again.

""Why, Nizura? Was it one of them who planted these ideas in your head? Traitors...every last one of them! Exiling themselves because they could not accept the selfsame laws to preserve the marshes, and dragonkind in turn. And worst of all, poisoning my Nizura's mind... But you returned to us as soon as you learned of their treachery, haven't you?""

The dull-red colored dragon could feel the pangs slowly getting more frequent and stronger in her head, and apparently, it was overwhelming Suugal's gasham'sag, since he also shared a pained expression.

""Ugh... I don't r-remember having brothers...but you're wrong! Wrong that dragons can't live without these dubious customs... Wrong that people and us cannot coexist...!""

""Do you really believe that? Is that why you have those two feeble minds inside of your body, Nizura?"" Crap, Dikuga had noticed Nikili and Quince?! ""Of course I sensed their cognition when I established my gasham'dug with you, but I brushed them off as simply animals, game you had intended to feed on later. But your reaction betrays your intentions, Nizura... You– You would bring their kind like tourists in these sacred grounds? Threaten us with their strife, blaspheme against our laws, out of stubbornness towards your own mother?!""

Both smaller dragons collapsed to the ground, as Nurta's migraines culminate with the strongest twinge of pain of all, almost causing her to faint. It was the strongest memory so far – the one that Nizura really had wanted to conceal all along.

""Your dus'bala'kur is waning, dear Nizura, now that I have helped you remember..."" Dikuga's voice felt so distant. ""Know only that this pain is your own doing. Let this be a lesson for attempting something so reckless. May you never disrespect your elders again.""

Then it all fell into place. She knew who the voice speaking to her, the one reverberating and aching ever since she violated her Path of Estranging, belonged to. It was Nizura's.

'MY ONLY CHOICE WAS TO DIE'

""N-Nurta, please stop!"" His voice was faint behind the buzzing in her head. ""You can't handle it! I can't handle it...! We need to get away–""

Suugal stopped when her heart's turmoil suddenly stopped and became placid. Like the mournful silence after a violent storm. To him, even as he experienced her emotions second-hand, it was like a large stoned had been lifted off his chest.

« Suugal? » The next thing he heard from Nurta came from her heart, as she spoke in secrecy to him over his gasham'sag. « It's...okay, now. I'm okay. I know what I have to do. »

""Did you remember...everything?""

« No. But I've remembered enough. »

Dikuga was still furious. ""Well? I don't know what you two are going about in secrecy, but from what your mate said, the last leaf of confusion has been lifted, and you should have gleaned the truth of what I have told you. If so, I am even willing to forgive your past transgressions and arrogance, on account that, because of dus'bala'kur, you were not yourself. Even if it angers me to do so... As my duty to Kyorna is more important than pettiness. As is your duty.""

""Spare me your fake sympathy, Dikuga."" Nurta roared. ""I will not become Matriarch, and I won't marry Suugal, or anyone else. I'm already a Widow. And the man I married may not have been a dragon, but he was the most wonderful husband in the world. And I don't want to betray my memory of him, ever.""

""You are jesting. Surely you would not forsake dragonkind – your own mother – for a frail mortal that, by your own admission, has died.""

""You're the one forsaking dragonkind with your self-righteousness and rigidity.""

""Watch your words... Do you know who you speak to?""

""Yes."" She challenged Dikuga. ""The person who led Nizura to her death.""

""Have you lost all shred of reason? Or do you claim that I hallucinate your existence in front of my very eyes, Nizura?! Or...are you claiming that you are not, in fact, my daughter?""

""I share Nizura's body and mind, that's true, but your daughter is dead. This is what I finally remembered. She fled from Kyorna because of you. Because she realized that all of Kyorna was just an absolutist rule under your heel, and you had no wish of working as equals; all suffered for it, but she took the brunt of your abuse. She could never live up to your unrealistic standards. She wanted your love, only to be manipulated for it. Again and again, in the name of your feelings and traditions, just to walk a path set before her, she was forced to give up the things most precious to her. Her friends, her dreams, her curiosity, her reason. She knew that things didn't have to be this way, that she could make things better for Kyorna and between you two, she really believed it.

""And yet you drove her time and time again to the darkest place possible, until suicide was the better alternative. She had already chosen death when she fled, before a man found her. But in meeting him and taking the Path of Estranging, although she didn't disappear, she didn't choose to live, either. With her memories gone, she completely forsook her life, so that a complete stranger – that I –, could have a happier life instead. Which means...Nizura is dead. That's why I can't remember anything else about her. It's all gone. She is gone.""

The three dragons were quiet. Nurta had realized her own truth, even if Dikuga wouldn't have enjoyed her confrontation one bit. Still, she had hoped that her mother would show a pinch of remorse, or self-reflection, or perhaps grief, even for a split second. She couldn't have been more wrong.

""Do you really presume that you know best, after being away from your kind for so long? Not knowing the hardships that we face? I will not accept what you say, Nizura. You are the irrational one, fleeing from your responsibilities, again and again. I know what this is, just an attempt at making your own mother anguish. You call it all 'abuse'? When I was the one that sacrificed so much for you, and for the sake of our people?! It is no different from what -I- had to go through myself. I would gladly do it all over again for Kyorna. And you would rather brand me guilty for every single problem in your life. You and your...childish Manners!"" The Matriarch violently turned around to face away. ""Go away, then! And leave me be before I lose my temper.""

""We should really leave, Nurta..."" Suugal begged once again.

""Do as the gasham'sag says, and leave. I will not allow anyone to waste any time following you, there are more important matters for our Eyes to attend. With time, you will come to your senses, Nizura, and you will return when you know how wrong you are. And then, you will beg for my forgiveness.""

The Widow was tempted to say something, anything. But instead of retorting, she looked at the blue dragon.

« I'm never coming back here. Let's find a safe spot close to Logas. Lead the way, Suugal. »

He jumped into the air and flew away, already knowing his destination. The dull-red dragon followed him, without looking back.

***

The two of them reached an area of the marshes with dense vegetation, which made it hard for any dragons to land. The larger one turned into an archaeopteryx to glide down, leaving more room for the smaller dragon. As soon as she arrived at the ground, she worked into expelling the contents of her crop through her mouth.

She felt all of that soil traveling back up her esophagus, still dry. Mostly earth and pebbles were scratching her throat, making her regret not pulling off Suugal's trick flawlessly. Still, she was tranquilized that the two scavengers and tablets, mixed between all the dirt, almost certainly were safe. Trying her best not to swallow back down or choke on any small particles, her maws simply opened wide, just above the ground, as she coughed everything up in parts. Suugal had already turned back into a kobold and was under her, trying to dig out his two friends from the ever-increasing mound with his claws.

Once she had pushed out everything from her crop, she also instantly turned back into her usual lizard form to help him. Despite everything she had to endure, Nurta enjoyed going back to being a dragon, but she liked this body best anyway. Even if she felt physically and mentally exhausted.

"Pfbt!" The mongoose head unburrowed itself while spitting out some sandy soil that got in his mouth. He wiped the dirt off of his eyes and looked at Nurta. "Are you alright? You look worse than me."

"Never been better. But my head is a mess and my whole insides are gonna be sore tomorrow." She smiled and offered an arm, which Nikili grabbed to raise himself.

He turned around to see the kobold grabbing a dirty yellow cat in his arms, who was hugging him back and purring. Behind them, he saw a white brick building, with a collapsed wall. "I know this place... We're in Zugul. It's where we found Suu. Why did we leave Kyorna?"

"I...want to apologize, Nikili." Nurta spoke. "You were right. We should have left Kyorna as soon as possible."

"It's alright, we're all fine... I think. You are really pale." He put his hands on his hips. "Anyway, did you figure out what Kyorna even is?"

"Yes... It's a dragon kingdom. It's where I was born."

"A dragon kingdom..." A part of him wanted to be skeptical, but after everything he'd been through in the last week, he couldn't doubt her. "Wow, that sounds amazing. Wish I'd seen it."

"I don't think you would have liked it. It's worse than it used to be."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Did... Did all of your memories return?"

"Not exactly... But Suugal can tell you everything after I leave." She turned to the kobold. « I'm still too embarrassed to tell them about it. And I wish you hadn't seen me like that, with Dikuga... But thank you for being there. »

"Wait, leave?" The mongoose asked. "Where are you going?"

She shrugged. "Why, have you forgotten the favor I promised you this morning? You would help me remember my past, and I'd find a way to bring you three back safely into Kaati. It's best that you three stay here while I investigate, of course. Plus, I need to find out how everyone in Logas is doing. I can never be too sure that Ruunk didn't sell all of our grains for too little gold."

"Heh, back to your old self already?"

"I don't get what's so funny that you're laughing at." She said coldly, but Nikili now knew that she was being friendly. "Anyway, this is Zugul, correct? I assume it should be simple to get back to Logas. Right, Suugal?"

"Yes." He answered, still holding Quince in his arms. "If you fly north straight, you reach outside of the village."

Both Nurta and Nikili stared in surprise at his eloquent response, and the kobold could tell what was weird.

"I don't know how I learn to speak so many words... I just do."

The Widow thought about it. "Hmm... It might have something to do with Dikuga. Maybe her gasham'dug and your gasham'sag combined, and had some effect over our shared cognitions, that helped you understand my knowledge of Kaatian better...? But I can only speculate."

Nikili scratched his head. "Well, I don't know what anything you just said means, but if Suu can speak more because of it, I'm glad." He saw Nurta kneel to retrieve the tablets from the dirt mound as well, and got close to lend a hand. "Are you sure you should go back like this? You don't have to work so hard all the time, maybe you should stay the night to rest. I can try to catch us some fish, since we all skipped breakfast."

"Is that so...? I never took you for a fisherman."

"W-Well, I admit there's a good chance we won't have anything for dinner. And Suu, if you're alright with it later, maybe you can let us–" When he turned his neck, he saw that the cat was gone from the reptile's arms, just the tip of their fluffy tail hanging out from the kobold's maw, and a bulge purring in his belly. "–sleep inside of you again..."

The red lizard stifled a chuckle. She looked to the building in the back. It reminded her of the major memory that Nizura had locked away. Of when she herself fled to a place like this, spending her days crying and starving alone, hoping to die and take away the disappointment that she had caused simply by being born. Until a dog found and approached her, a scholar investigating the rumors surrounding Lagazi. The first time she had met Duwag...it was bittersweet to reminisce. To Nizura, it was the source of her pain... But Nurta would cherish their first encounter forever, the one that led to her new life.

"Alright." The Widow conceded, looking at the mongoose and the kobold. "I trust Ruunk. I'm sure Logas will be fine on its own for another day."

***

The alligator passed through the open stone door, his confident steps echoing in the large room. The walls were decorated with engraved figures and cuneiform stories, and bronze statues lined the inside, representing the finest art of Kaati. But the tall reptile with fern green scales only stared at the opposite side of the room, where a black-furred bull sat on a throne, wearing an ornate dress befit a ruler like him. The alligator knelt in front of him, letting the military mantle that he wore reach the ground.

"Your Holiness, General-Emperor Elki. I am pleased to report that our operations are proceeding apace." He looked at the ground solemnly as he spoke. "Our forces are strategically diverging towards the north and south of Kaati in preparation for the simultaneous invasions of Labla and Munigad. Soon we'll be ready to take them by surprise and claim their lands."

The scrawny bull simply looked down at him in silence, and sighed.

"Your Holiness...?"

"That's all well and good, General Baau," Elki spoke, "but that's not what I'm mostly concerned about right now."

Baau's head raised to look at his emperor. "You mean the dragon sighted in Kuir, Your Holiness?"

"We're alone, General, just Elki is fine. And yes...the dragon. I've been hearing the rumors too; it's harder not to. I thought dragons were just characters from children's stories. One day they didn't exist, and the next, they suddenly start appearing in our cities. The people still believe in their old gods too, you know. Some even say that this is divine retribution, or a targeted attack from a powerful enemy. Those are the worst rumors. And I can't afford to have my divine rule questioned right before a military offensive."

"Of course, Your H– Elki. The dragon seems to be real, on all accounts." The alligator reported calmly. "I still have one of my commanders investigating the occurrence, and his latest intel is regarding a suspect that he's currently tracking down. But I wouldn't worry too much, it doesn't seem to be an intentional attack. My units in Kuir and other cities have been instructed to disseminate that this was simply a demonstration of the emperor's holiness, who can attract the gods' messengers solely with the righteousness of your rule. It won't hinder our plans in the slightest."

"I'm relieved to hear it. Especially from my most loyal advisor." The bull leaned back on his throne. "It's been hard to keep everything together, since I took over after my father's passing. You remember how they doubted me even when our armies pushed to expand towards the Second River, just because I'm not him. But thanks to your most competent service as commander then, and now as general, we are once again a force to be reckoned with."

Baau's head bowed at the compliment. "Of course, Elki. May your conquest be even greater than Ranagas's."

His Holiness smiled, and got up from his throne. "You're dismissed. Your news have done much to alleviate my worries. I'm sure that my dinner will be all the more flavorful now."

The reptile stood back up and joined his hands behind his back. "Glory to Kaati."

He stayed there alone, long after Elki had gotten up from his chair and left the room. The general simply stared longingly at the throne from under the steps, deep in thought, and rested his arms.

"All of those years of planning and preparation. And then you had to appear now of all times and cause a scene in our most populous city, whoever you are. It was unexpected...but it can only be fate. The timing is too fortuitous for a mere coincidence. In fact, I might even know how to spin this off..." Baau clenched his fist. "Very well, then. I'm sure we'll meet, if it's the gods' wishes. But I wonder if your gasham will be of any use to me."
