Ky'Mera: The Next Generation (Sequel Series to the Ky'Mera Adventures Trilogy)

Chapter 2: Getting Started

Getting Settled

Mom left with dad the next day, promising to return as soon as possible after they shared the news of having discovered two new races. Even though Samuel and the other Furan knew about the Delvi living down here, they had no idea about the Draconians and therefor had to be informed. Gabby opted to stay to help get Chiara and I settled into our home, though she seemed oddly distracted and I often caught her glancing off in the direction Koni had taken when he had left.

I cornered her that afternoon and asked with a suppressed smile, "You've been looking out into the Barren Lands for some time. Either there's something that catches your eye every third minute, or you're looking for someone who left in that direction." She blushed and I smiled warmly, "If you have a crush on him then don't keep it inside. You need to tell him or you'll never know if he feels the same way."

She looked up at me in surprise, "You could tell all of that just by watching me?"

I laughed and shook my head, "It always seems to take people by shock when they find out the people around them aren't completely blind to their feelings." I placed my hands on her shoulders, "If and when he comes back, you are going to tell him how you feel or I'm going to start dropping hints to him."

Her face took on a look of total terror, "You wouldn't dare."

I nodded with a cheeky smile, "Don't think I won't. I'd keep an eye out sis, or you might find your lover boy off with another girl before you work up the courage to ask him." I let it hang there and walked away, hearing just at the edge of my senses her shaky breaths as I walked away. I hadn't meant to spook her, but sometimes things just needed a nudge in the right direction to get moving.

It turned out she was going to have her chance sooner than we thought, because not three days later she came running back into town from a hunting expedition with a gleeful expression plastered all over her face. She was yelling the entire time, "Koni's back! Koni's back!" I grabbed her by her wrist as she nearly bowled me over and swung her to a stop as I tried to prevent her from hurting someone.

"Hold it! Hold it!" I said as she looked around excitedly, "Where's the fire? Now what has you hopping around like a jackrabbit on a hot stovetop and yelling to wake the people in Azoth?"

She tried to make me let go of her wrist, straining for the edge of town, "I just heard that Koni came back, and he brought his entire people with him!" She pulled her hand out of my grip and called over her shoulder as she ran off towards a growing group of Delvi, "Come on! I want to be the first people to greet him as he brings them in!" She turned and sped off into the distance, actually kicking up a dust trail as she ran. I shook my head and walked back to the tent I lived in with Chiara, and pushed aside the flap to see my wife was just pulling herself out of bed with a drooping look to her face.

"What's with all the yelling?" She said quietly as she rubbed her eyes, "You'd think the entire village had caught fire with all the noise everyone's making." I pulled her out of bed and onto her feet as she fought off the last threads of sleep, "Would you mind going out and seeing what is going on?"

"No need sweetie." I said, "Gabby just about blew my ears she was yelling it so loud."

"And what was she yelling?" she asked as I helped her pull on her casual clothing.

"Koni seems to have returned with his entire people and she couldn't help but be ecstatic about it." I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "She has a crush on him that I think might be just shy of falling in love."

She looked up at me and nodded with a smug smile, "I can't wait to see what kind of a fool she makes of herself in front of him." She pulled away from me and pushed the door flap open, "Let's go help her before she does something completely stupid that would make a fool of us." I laughed and followed her out and into the street, catching up with her as we came up to the gathering that had condensed on the edge of Kioko to wait for the Draconians' arrival. We pushed through to the front as Gabby waved us down. I followed Chiara over to Gabby's side and we turned to watch the new arrivals. At the moment all I could see was a dark blob on the horizon, though in a flash they seemed to be coming right up to us, and I almost stepped back as Koni led his people out of the Barren Lands. As they grew near enough to see individuals I noticed that all of the Draconians had different scale colors, ranging from white to black and from red to violet, though few sported the tiger stripes that covered Koni from head to toe. Most of them had clothing like those you would see on a person from the surface, though the tails and wings made the image much more unreal and unique. I also saw several of the males had pistol holsters like the ones Koni had on his hip, though there were no other weapons to be seen other than a short dagger or two and one Draconian holding what looked like a short steel-shafted spear with a flanged blade at both ends. I was a bit surprised by the lack of firepower after seeing Koni with his pistols, though my next guess would be they had picked them up on their travels and not by making them from scratch.