"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."
-Xamdú
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"Acha." Ake scooted a wooden bowl towards Karos who only eyed and looked at it with some puzzlement.
"Acha," Ake repeated once again. He looked to the dying human, named Olidus, asking him for translation.
"Ake, I prepared that meal for you. It is to help you quickly regain back your lost strength. Sleeping helped immensely, but you do need to eat as well."
The old man doted on him. He cared for his health more than the human he could say he raised. He knew then, he must know who he is.
"Prepare another then. It is fine if I eat after him, but he will eat first."
"My—" Ake cut Olidus off.
"Just call me by the name given to me at birth. We are in the presence of a human who detests my kind. Saying anything but my name may cause more problems."
"As you wish," the old man said with reluctance.
This human knew much about him and his kind. He knew he met with many ancient ones when they came down. A lot of their pictures were strewn across his walls. He was someone he could trust, he thought. Yet, he knew he could not stay here.
"You want me to eat this?" Karos said in close-to-perfect Eunarian causing his eyes to widen. He looked to Olidus who was quick to answer.
"During your slumber, Karos asked me to teach him a bit of your language." Soon, he gazed onto the human with a grin that could rival one of his own.
"De,"Yes, Ake answered back with a smirk of his own. This human interested him greatly. One moment, he wished him dead and now he is willing to learn a language just to speak with him. Ake wondered if the human held the same interest in him.
He watched him pick up the wooden spoon and saw it dive into the food. The moment it was about to reach his mouth was the moment Karos stuck his tongue out and in an act to taste it. It only caused Ake's eyes to narrow.
He had no time to watch him play with food. He needed to eat. If he falls ill or weakens, Ake would not know how to treat him. He would die, and then all hope would be lost to him.
Ake's eyes lingered on him as Olidus spoke of the human and bits of his past in Eunarian. He watched as the human continued to play with his food in spite of him. The human was trying, he thought.
He rose and made a swift walk around the table. Soon, he grabbed his wrist and shoved the spoon into his mouth tired of his human, little games. "You will eat, human," he hissed.
"Ake." The old man reprimanded his actions, but it only made Ake scoff.
"I have no time for his games. I need to bring him to a town known to dragons. Someone there may help me." He let him take the spoon from his mouth and stood a little back from Karos waiting for him to try his human antics again.
"And I cannot?"
"You cannot."
"Do you mind if I become an ear to your woes. It may lessen the burden you carry." His eyes narrowed, but he shook his head. Karos would not be able to understand.
"The human would have met Malice at the Great Altar of Death. When we came down to help the younger ones back home, the humans attacked us, as they always have, but it was as if they were expecting us... " Ake thought on it before continuing.
"This human survived, somehow." Ake's eyes flicked to Karos before going back to meet Olidus' wide eyes.
"You did not kill him? Why? He had threatened your life, killed your people," Oldius asked bemused by his actions.
"They were everywhere... like parasites... When their numbers dwindled I had found my friend dead and human dragged to the cliff like a lamb to slaughter when they knew the battle could not be won."
He watched as Olidus' mouth pursed at his utterance. His eyes strayed to Karos again who was still busily eating paying them no mind. It was not as if he could understand them, he reminded himself again.
"However, the ground weakened causing it to crumble. Without a second thought, I coiled my tail around him and brought him down with me."
"You saved his life," Olidus said with some astonishment which caused Ake's eyes to narrow even further.
"I did," Ake breathed, "but the moment I awoke, my stone was missing. My stone that was given to me at birth, gone. I cannot go home without it. I cannot be my true self without it."
"Karos has no such stone, not on his person." Olidus gave Ake a quick look-over before continuing. "By the color of your eyes... it must have been a green gem."
"He has it," Ake stated with confidence.
"Because of his eye color? Ake, we are born with the same eye color unchanging, some grow darker with age but none ever change color." Ake shook his head at the comment.
"He holds my stone. That is why I said you cannot help me."
"... Why would, in all the realms of hell, he hold it?"
"The gods are players of cruel games, Olidus. They bring nothing but, misery, death, and destruction in their wake when they once brought peace." The look in the old man's eyes was as if he had known that for quite a while.
"They are crueler yet, Ake. As a dying, old man's last request, keep Karos safe as you have done up until now. He is a good boy who has done very bad things in his short life. He has known nothing but death."
Karos showed the empty bowl to Ake and plopped it onto the table after he had seen it causing Ake's eyebrow to raise.
"He has warmed to you." This utterance caught Ake's attention once more. "As you have warmed to him, an unlikely friendship." His eyes lowered. "Do not bother to deny it. When you get your stone from him, go back home. Do not worry for him any longer."
"That is the initial plan in mind," Ake admonished cutting his eyes away from the dying human who had read him so well.
"I fear that the gods are angry. No amount of prayer from the ones who still believe will appease them."
Ake's eyebrows furrowed then.
"The human has nothing—"
"That child has always been damned." There was a coldness about Olidus then that sent a chill down his spine.
"There... on the left side of his upper chest, you will find a mark. If you do not believe me, see it for yourself." Ake's eyes went to Karos who seemed bored with their conversation, tapping his fingers mindlessly against the table.
"He is a child of death," Olidus hissed.
"He is my friend and you will not speak so ill of him in my presence," Ake hissed back. The old man stared back at Ake wanting to say something. Soon, he dropped his gaze and focused his attention on the cup in his hand.
"What value does your friendship hold with him other than misfortune?" Ake stayed silent as he continued on.
"You have lived for almost three-hundred years, yet you are still so young to dragons and still so innocent to the ways of humans. You see yourself wiser than an old, human man but eight and seventy, however, you forget yourself." He watched as the dying man's grip tightened around the cup.
"Do not forget what you are. Do not forget what he is," he admonished causing Ake to flick his eyes back to Karos.
"He will bring you nothing but death."
He pursed his lips for a moment before sighing out. "Prepare a bath for me. I had enough of your admonishments."
***
Ake propped his head on the top of the bath taking in the steam coming from the heat. He exhaled deeply, relieved of all his worries and troubles for the moment. Finally, he felt at ease.
Being covered in dirt and grime had not ever happened to him since he was but a hatchling. All he had suffered and endured was, inherently, because of his bad decisions and selfless whims. It was simply because he decided to show some pity to a human. He knew all of this, yet, still, he grew fonder of the human. He thought, at first, it was because he possessed his gem, but he knew that was not it. As troubling as the thought was, it was not as bad as it seemed.
Ake brushed his hair back squeezing out the excess of water and dressed. As soon as he walked down the creaky, wooden stairs, he felt the tension in the air. He watched as Olidus eyed Karos as he gathered his sword and things before heading to the door. His eyes flicked back onto some random thing in the forlorn house as the old man set his gaze on him.
"Ake, a word."
He gave him a nod and Olidus approached.
"He is a dangerous thing to be around, Ake. I warn you, do not become closer than what is necessary." His eyes went to Karos' retreating back before finding Olidus' pale, grey eyes again.
"I give you my word. However, the little human is no threat to my life. He has never been. These thoughts are founded based on natural bias."
"I implore you. Take heed of my words. Take caution."
"Thank you for everything you had done for us." Ake gave a low bow. He walked out the door not listening to the gibberish the old man was spewing from his mouth.
The human thought of the old man as a dear friend, yet the dying man only thought of him as a monster. It did not sit well with Ake, not in the least. He sucked on his teeth before grabbing Karos' arm and pushed him forward. Ake did not want him to say any goodbyes to a man who thought so ill of him.
He was a lofty thing. So childish, aloof, and had an airy feel about him. If anything, he was more dumb than harmful. Ake could not possibly imagine him as anything as frightful as Olidus was portraying him out to be.
"To Ylon... we travel," he heard him mumble in Eunarian. His eyes found a pair of green ones staring at him, waiting for his timely praise. He had to laugh. Like a puppy wanting a pat on the head or a treat, he wanted his acknowledgement.
"Good, but it could be better," Ake shot him a smug look causing him to cut his eyes away from him and sigh out.
A puppy, he mused. That is what he is. No friend, no companion, just a puppy needing constant attention and looking after.
He knew Ylon to be a town most often traveled by dragons who decided to come down and take pleasure in human comforts. With that, he knew he would find someone there to help with his problem. By then, he hoped his pet would find some sense of self and take care of himself much better than he has shown him.
After a couple of hours passed by, the human grew tired and was in need of rest. He noticed how little he ate as well as slept and it troubled him. The human could not have gotten sick so quick. As soon as he sat down, Ake came over and placed a hand on his cool forehead. His temperature was a normal heat for his kind or so he thought.
Karos shooed his hand away and gave him a weak smile before closing his eyes. He knew. It dawned on Ake then, he may have understood some of their conversation. He pursed his lips before sitting next by him. Of course, that could not be it, but the human was feeling some kind of sadness, he could tell.
"Karos." His voice was thick with a Eunarian accent as he said his name. He immediately opened his eyes and turned his head to him. Without a second thought, Ake placed his hand on his head and petted him as he would an animal.
"Ash yu ne... le menai amurette." The human's eyes fell before a small, ghost of a smile appeared.
Humans were such emotionally unstable beings, he knew. However, for this human, he did not expect to see much emotion come from him. He said some human words before leaning back against the tree. Such complicated things. His eyes closed and, for a moment, Ake took a glimpse at the opening of his shirt looking for the mark Olidus said had been on him since birth. The slit was too small to see far in.
As his breath steadied and his head lolled, Ake crawled a little closer. Curiosity was such a bewitching thing. He peeled away the first layer of his clothing and worked at loosening the string that tied one end to the other. As soon as he finished, Ake hesitated.
Some things were better not knowing. Hundreds of years of life had taught him that. Still, his hand pried away the left side of his shirt until Karos' eyes opened with narrowed slits. He gave him a firm push as he backed away from Ake causing Ake to whisper curses under his breath.
He looked at his shirt then back at Ake, and almost instantly did Ake know what conclusions the stupid human was drawing. Ake cut his eyes away from him and let out a sigh.
"Menai byuna... " Little human.
"What were you... do?" He said in Eunarian causing Ake to sigh out once again. Telling the truth could not be an option. Instead of saying anything, he stayed silent.
"Karos," Ake said as he watched Karos rise and walk away.
After developing some trust between one another, Ake was stricken with thoughts of having to go back to how it once was. He rose and caught up to the human. Karos stopped him with his arm making Ake keep his distant away from him. Ake noticed it then, the bit of fear left in his eyes. Nothing had changed.
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