14 – Road of no Return
Before the night had even ended, the kobolds were already moving.
“Here, breakfast.”
Fi accepted the bowl from the hands of an unknown kobold, and brought it to his lips. He had started eating like a dog recently, but he no longer cared.
“Ah, there is salt…”
The porridge of wheat, mountain vegetables and salted meat was rather good, considering they were outside.
As he ate, he looked around and saw that many of them had already left. Most of the kobolds who remained were the women and children and elderly.
“Fi! Morning!”
The children he had played with yesterday shouted as they clung to him. Apparently, kobolds were rather affectionate creatures.
“Wait a minue. I’m still eating my breakfast.”
“We already, ate! Let’s play, Fi!”
“No! Play later! Work first!”
Said one of the elders, and the children moved away sadly. One of them left a weaved basket before leaving.
“Here, take it. Can help to gather firewood.”
“Did Sheto go to the mountain?”
“With everyone, adults. So we won’t run out of food. They said, cross one mountain.”
Fi drained the rest of his bowl and accepted the basket with a nod.
“Alright…Umm.”
“Urak. You, Fi.”
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”
The elder then gave the order, and the children split into groups and disappeared into the forest. Fi was about to follow, but then Urak gestured towards him.
“You, not used to this mountain yet. Come with me.”
“Ah, alright.”
The morning forest was filled with chilly mist. Still, the children that walked with him were cheerful.
“Fi! Let me touch, your tail!”
“Waah!? Hey, stop pulling!”
“These wings, different from birds. How can you fly?”
“Well…with the magic and power of spirits… Ahh, stop! Ahhhh! That tickets! Ahhhhh!”
Just like yesterday, they welcomed him viciously and Fi let out a yelp.
“Hey! All of you! Don’t bully Fi!”
Urak finally pulled Fi away, and he sighed deeply.
“Damn it. My body is not a toy…”
“Sorry. You are so, unusual. Never seen a dragon, before.”
“I understand that. But you should have saved me a little sooner.”
Urak laughed and then looked around.
“Gather the wood around here. Everyone, stay where I can see you.”
The children then scattered in every direction.
Some children gathered pieces of wood, others dug for bugs, and some were just running around without thinking. It felt like watching kindergarten students on a school trip.
“Do you, hate watching children?”
“Huh? Uh, it’s hard to keep up with that energy. But I wouldn’t say that I hate it.”
“They had to be quiet for, so long. And there was, barely any food. So, they a little too excited.”
Unlike Solde yesterday, Urak seemed to be completely comfortable with him. Kobolds really were different.
“You, aren’t afraid of me?”
“Why should I be? You, not very big. A child dragon, not scary.”
“Yes, yes. I’m just a runt who can’t even breathe fire. A loser.”
“But Sheto, said he relies on you.”
Said a young kobold boy as he picked up a stick.
“Did he really say that?”
“Yes. Kind and considerate. Said he taught you about the mountain, so you can help.”
Suddenly, he recalled the scene from last night.
Sheto, sitting around the fire with the clothes. How happy he looked while talking to them.
“…Not really.”
“Fi?”
“Nothing.”
He continued to pick up the tree branches as if to avoid further questioning. By the time he had a full bundle, the forest had brightened considerably.
“…Alright, better go back, to the others…”
“Brother! Mushrooms! Over here! Lots of them!”
One of the kobold children said while holding a red mushroom.
“No. That, cannot eat. Throw it away.”
“Huh? But why!”
“Because it is poisonous. Even with touching it, the spores enter the nose, make you numb.”
After seeing the color and shape, Fi remembered something he had been taught.
Akamadara. While it could not be used for poison arrows, it could be dried and turned into powder, which could poison fish.
“Now that I think about it…I heard that there is a river nearby. Did you use this?”
“Only once, on our way here. But if done too much, the humans will find us.”
He talked with Urak as they gathered the children together and made their way back to the others. On the way, the children would pick up various inedible fruits or peel off tree bark and lick it happily.
“I suppose that is how they learn.”
“Enter mountains, let them do anything. Use their eyes, nose and mouth to learn about grass and trees.”
“And it’s your job to watch over them.”
“This, just like hunting. Talk to each other. Watch and learn.”
When they arrived at the campsite, smoke was rising from the cookfires. One kobold was giving orders. They lay out a cloth in an open area and started to sharpen their blades.
“What’s that?”
“Tobashi came from the mountain! The Ganari’s hunted something, big!”