Andlátkyn; Vandr Sanses unin Alagaësia

Dogs and Gods

They lolled their head at the sight of the strange human hunching over himself and sweating, gasping as though he'd been running, even though he had only woken up with a shout.
They were curious about this human. He smelled and felt strange, and they were getting tired of running from humans.

The strange human jumped to his feet and started pacing back and forth, as though to calm down.
They decided to approach then, wanting to be a good pack and help a boy calm down about his nightmares.

They hesitated a short distance away from the ring of light. What if this one feared them as well? Humans tried to hurt them so much in this Surface place. They even tried to burn them. It was so scary.
They stepped on a twig.
The human froze.

Oh no. Was he going to hurt them? Humans can be so afraid and cruel.
Oddly enough, the human just stood there, staring.
"Are you... intelligent?"

They paused. The boy wasn't attacking them!
Unable to resist, they bounded into the human's little den area in the grass, barking excitedly to the best of their ability- which sounded like short howls because of their lack of a proper face, but that was okay! They were good, and the human was good.

They didn't mind the strange presence entering their minds with shocked hesitancy.
You're.. many! It spoke in the boy's voice.
We are very many, yes! Whole pack, all together! Will you be our friend?
He blinked, laughing softly in disbelief. Of course I can be your friend, though I am traveling very far and fast.

Sitting on their hind and middle legs, they beamed with their face hole. We are very fast and Determined. We can keep up. Where is lonely human going?
He shrugged, then started walking to the edge of the clearing.
Follow me and find out.

He paused as they leapt up to join him, prancing excitedly. We will follow! We are good! Best!
With a smile, he started jogging.
Have you a name of any kind?
They bounded alongside him.
We have lots of names! But it's silly to tell so many when we are all together. Dr Alphys called us Endogeny. You can too!

The human seemed thoughtful when they said this.
Endogeny, is this Dr Alphys a yellow lizard monster?
They barked in surprise. You know Dr Alphys?
I know of her. Are you a monster of some kind?

They bobbed their head, panting.
We were dogs, but all of us had fallen down. Dr Alphys gave us a medicine, and we all woke up and were okay! But then it melted us and we became Endogeny. But that's okay, we are still Determined!

I'm glad you've found your peace with your situation.
They looked at him curiously, before one of their older minds rose up and spoke.
We are happy as we are, human. Can you show us where we can find other monsters?
The human blinked in slight surprise before answering.

My name is Eragon, and I am headed that way myself.
Thank you, Eragon. We miss our families and want to find them.
I don't know if your families are there yet. Why don't I tell you about this place, Endogeny?
They blinked, but readied themselves to listen to the strange human.

And Eragon, the human, Rider of dragons began to tell a tale beyond imagining.

. • ° . • ° . • ° . • °

It was early afternoon, and flocks of birds were flitting by overhead as Endogeny took on their smaller dog form to stay with their human friend, dubiously investigating every scent they came across every chance they had.

The vegetation consisted of green grass, reeds and moss among the trees, and a grey tinge to the western sky hinted to a storm coming. In the distance among the hills, they spotted an old stone structure that was degraded by time. Eragon turned towards the building, much to their excitement.