The Lost of the Marshes – Chapter 10: Memory

... Investigating these myths has led me to Lagazi, a village on the west bank of the Second River just north of the Hamora Marshes. The population mostly consists of the self-denominated 'sualu', who supposedly occupied a bigger territory towards the south long ago, when Zugul was not covered in vegetation. [...] Despite my interrogations on their religious practices, they continue to deny the existence of any living specimens. It makes sense for them not to trust an outsider like myself, though I am thankful for their hospitality. However, my avenues of interrogation are running short [...] ...

... Descriptions of Zuit – also called the Zuitan Horde –, oft depicted as a looming eastern threat to Kaati, were heavily muddled, and sometimes contradictory. It was said that it was composed of men made of rocks, or of fallen gods banished from Kaati, or even that it was ruled by a bloodthirsty king, with an undead army at his beck and call. [...] Our first-hand knowledge proves that these claims were all lies, amplified within Kaati with a clear purpose [...] ...

===

« Are you sure it's here...? » Nikili panted, walking uphill. The mongoose still had dragon slobber on his brown fur.

"Yes." Suu followed him on foot. If this place, Saisa – Quince's home, according to his gasham'sag –, really was inhabited, he would have to stay in his kobold form to call the least amount of attention among people. They'd had been trekking towards the town for a while now. Suu would've landed closer to their destination if Nikili wasn't so concerned about his draconic identity being revealed, after the recent scare with Ludama. Plus, this was Zuitan territory – a country composed of a terrifying horde, who'd seek to destroy Kaati and its ways by all means. Their natural enemy. They had even less reason to trust them than they did Kaati, but they had no other choice.

"Let me carry them." Suu offered.

He referred to the yellow cat in the mongoose's arms. But instead of words, he could hear the scavenger's heart screaming back...

« I'm so sorry, Quince... It was all my fault. I won't let you go! »

Nikili kept an eye on his injured partner the whole time. Unlike the saliva on his body, his tears had already dried, but seeing Quince being unconscious, enduring the pain from their stab wound, made his chest feel heavier than his limbs. Despite the blue scar from the poisonous wound, they were still clinging onto life. It gave Nikili hope that they could still be saved – but with their face drained of color, Quince would need an antidote and medical attention, not prayers.

His legs felt tired, not from exhaustion but anxiety. Still, he managed to make his way up the hill, arriving at the edge of a village. The houses were big but few, made from large white blocks of stone. They looked well-kept and oddly familiar, but there wasn't a single soul in sight on the roads. Could it be that they were all gone...?

The mongoose turned to the blue kobold by his side. "Suu, I have a bad feeling about this. I'm not sure if this is the place–"

"Ugh..." Suu was holding his head, as if in pain. "S-So many of them...like in Kuir... But..."

"Big guy! Are you okay?" He approached his boyfriend.

"...Another...dragon–?"

Then, a sharp cry coming from the village interrupted them.

"ušumgal?"

Nikili turned his head to thesource, spotting a person standing alone. A cat, to be precise. Not unlike Quince, except that their fur was black-and-white, and...they could seemingly speak.

"Hello?" He shouted back at the figure, who scampered into one of the houses in response. But another figure reemerged from that same building, this time sporting orange fur. More curious than the last, it got even closer. Though their eyes were turned towards Suu.

"ušumlu sá dug!" The second cat announced.

In the blink of an eye, more silhouettes emerged under the afternoon sunlight. All of them shared Quince's feline appearance, capable of walking on their hind legs, although some sprinted on all fours to approach the new arrivals. Some would simply make the usual cat noises that Nikili had grown accustomed to, while others would speak in an unknown language. Before realizing it, a good two dozens had appeared from the nearby buildings and warily approached the trio, with even more still arriving. A whole village of cat-people...!

"ušumlu igi bar-ab-ze-ne!"

"abgal sualu...!"

"ušumgal sá dug!"

"What? W-What...?" Nikili asked one of them. "I can't speak–"

What language was this, even? He looked over at Suu, hoping that his boyfriend could at least translate their hearts. But the sheer quantity of cat-people seemed to overwhelm his gasham'sag – a repetition of what had happened in the big city of Kuir. The kobold was struggling to keep his focus from hearing so many hearts at once.

Truth be told, as he saw so many of these cat-people at once, Nikili realized just how rare they were. He'd grown accustomed to Quince's company, of course, but he'd rarely see another person like them in Kaati, even in the city. And there were so many of them here, speaking in a completely unknown language...! No matter, there was no time to waste. He tried to speak slowly but desperately to a nearby cat, extending his two arms towards the tortoiseshell. "L-Look, my friend is like you. They are hurt, and they need help!"

"ušumlu-e sualu ninka bi-mu-n-desa."

He didn't understand her answer...except for one word. "N-Ninka..." Nikili repeated. He'd learned that word from someone, which meant 'mongoose' in an ancient language, or something... A cream-hued cat looked at him weirdly after he repeated it, bringing his paw to touch Quince's pale skin.

"garradu šul Kaati-a-ne-ne-a...?"

This was quickly going nowhere, and Nikili was even more desperate. "P-Please, you gotta help Quince! Don't you have a doctor...? An apothecary...? Anyone?!"

"Ranir-abgal! Ranir-abgal!" There was some chanting from some people further away, as they seemed to excitedly follow a particular gray tabby walking through the crowd.

"T-There...!" Suu raised his finger towards that very same cat. "Another dragon...!"

Nikili was struggling to take it all in. This must have been a bad dream. All that he could focus on was on finding someone to care for their dying friend. Instead, he was confronted by all of these weird Quince-like felines, and even a supposed dragon among them!

"Isn't there anyone who can speak Kaatian...?" He shouted.

"I do." The answer came from the tabby which Suu had been pointing at, and all talk from the other small cat-people immediately turned into silent whispers. "In fact, you will find no-one else who speaks your language, Kaatian." Her hoarse tone, marked by an accent, made it sound more like a threat than a statement.

"I-Ikky... she has gasham." Suu explained, still clearly stunned by the deluge of hearts surrounding him.

The tabby cat, half as tall as the two men, wearing a sleeveless black dress, scoffed at hearing those words. "When you finally decide to invade us, you bring an ušumgal who can't even control his gašam-sag. Let alone tell gašam apart from ahašgal. Is this a joke?"

"W-What? Invade...?"

The brown mongoose was confused, and Suu tried his best to translate her feelings into words. "She thinks that you and me, we were sended here by Kaati...that we hurted Quince, and then we'll hurt their village next."

"N-No... No, ma'am! You got it all wrong. We were fleeing from a Kaatian commander. He stabbed Quince with his lance, which had fool's saffron on the tip. You gotta help them!"

She approached Quince, taking a better look at their yellow fur with large brown blotches. By the admiring gaze of all of the other cats, she must have been an authority in this place. Her eyes gaped in surprise. "T-This sualu..." The tabby looked up at Nikili. "Fool's saffron, a Kaatian name. I don't know it. Was it a poison from a blue flower?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so..." He looked to his side, and the transformed dragon nodded.

"That's why their ahašgal is destroyed. That poison does not kill you or me, it kills dragons like him." She pointed an accusatory finger at Suu. "This poison was for you, wasn't it? Why did you let harm come to them, ušumgal?!"

The blue kobold was caught by surprise. "I–"

But the scavenger stepped in to his defense. "No, it was my fault! The commander was trying to get to me. And Quince jumped on him and– but I should– it should have been me who–"

"Quiet. I do not trust your words, Kaatian. Especially in the company of a corrupted dragon. But the sualu in your arms must not die." She gave Quince another look, before turning towards the crowd and addressing them with a long speech in their language.

The mongoose could only stare at their injured friend. It pained him most that he was helpless to do anything. Was bringing Quince to this place – a place that they've tried so hard to hide from Nikili – the right choice? Who was this woman, and was she actually another dragon or not? But most importantly, what was she planning...?

"Suu... S-Sorry, I know you aren't feeling well, but...can you tell what she's saying? Like, translate from her heart?"

His boyfriend seemed distraught from a migraine. "H-Huh...? Oh. Sorry. Ummmm... S-She says we are their prisoners, that no-one but her should approach the Kaatian mongoose in case you do something stupid, and that they should... uh... gather the priests for communion with me."

"...What did you say? Communion with you–?"

"g̃en-ze-ne." The gray tabby announced to disperse the crowd, and immediately turned back to them. "You two. ušumlu, ninka Kaati-ka-a. Follow me."

"W-Where are we going?"

"To the infirmary. The sualu needs their wounds treated immediately."

***

It was hard for the scavenger to remove his hands from Quince, even at the insistence of the infirmary's staff. They were all cats, too. He saw them remove the leather belt, wrapped as a tourniquet around his lying friend's arm, before they started treating their wound with wet drapes and some herbal medicine, not unlike the lotion that Quince would prepare back home in Logas and carry in a tiny jar. One of them would whisper something to the tabby cat, who looked back at the two men.

"Out, let them work alone." She told them.

Nikili interjected. "But my friend–"

"–will need rest and undivided attention as they receive our care. Our doctor assures me that they will recover soon, so rest easy, Kaatian. If you really are their friend, then you will want to let them treat the sualu in peace."

He couldn't argue with her, so after one last glance at his pale friend, he turned back and followed after her, passing through the curtains of the room's entryway. "Sualu...? Is that what your kind calls itself?"

The authoritative feline simply trudged on to leave the infirmary, likely pretending not to hear him.

"Why am I your prisoner?" Nikili continued his questions, regardless. "Is it because I'm Kaatian...?"

Maybe she had history with Kaati, given that she knew the language. So he could see why she, a Zuitan, would be distrustful. Especially when he arrived with someone like Quince bleeding out in his arms. But the tabby yet ignored him, simply speaking in that ancient language to some other 'sualu'. A group of them had taken interest in his boyfriend standing watch outside of the building. Some replied in that same language, while others simply moved their arms around in very deliberate gestures. All of them looked at the black-dressed tabby, who seemed older than the others, with admiration.

The mongoose turned to his scaled boyfriend. "Big guy, can't you see what she's planning? Like, peek into her heart or something?"

"S-Sorry... Still too many people around." Suu stared at the cat-people surrounding him, looking him up with intrigue and glee. They seemed way more cheerful compared to the bitter tabby. "And her gasham makes it a bit harder."

"R-Right, earlier you mentioned that she had one... Do you actually think she's another dragon?"

"I don't know. My gasham can sense her, and I can feel her reach to sense mine, but it feels weird. Faint. Almost...tingly. Very different from dragon's gasham."

The tabby finally acknowledged them again, if only to unceremoniously shoot down that misconception. "It's not gašam, dragon. At least, not like yours. But it still has it uses. It has tricked you into thinking I'm one of you. It lets me detect any ušumgal before they arrive. And it can tell me that your gašam-sag struggles, with just a handful of sualu surrounding you." She approached the tall naked kobold, impolitely poking his leg. "So for your own benefit, I suggest that you attend šitazi. It will help you concentrate your gašam, and align yourself to ahašgal."

"šitazi...communion..." Suu translated, and she nodded in acceptance. The mongoose always was surprised by how much he could understand simply through the universal language of feelings. "I-I see... But Nikili can't come?"

"The Kaatian? No, but you will be reunited with him later. He will be fine...as long as he doesn't act out. Nobody will mess with him, but I'll keep him very close; there are things I need to ask him."

The mongoose crossed his arms. This cat clearly had the upper hand: Quince's life was in her lackeys' hands, and she clearly knew what gasham'sag was, so she could be speaking to Suu only through her heart and leaving Nikili out of the conversation. She must have been speaking in Kaatian for his benefit. Although she could very well be concealing something from him, precisely by manipulating her emotions towards the transformed dragon by his side.

Suu thought about it for a while, and turned to the scavenger. "Well...o-okay. Ikky, promise that you won't act out?"

Nikili gasped in surprise. "Wh-WHAT?! Suu, you can't seriously be agreeing to what she said...! W-We gotta stick together! For Quince, right? Besides, we don't know what this communion ritual stuff is–"

"I do. She telled me with gasham'sag."

"...And?"

"I think I should do it. Her gasham'sag says it's a good thing for me."

"S-Suu!" He slid his paws over his face, not believing what he'd heard. "You can't just always trust everyone's hearts... Be reasonable! What if– I-I don't know, what if she has bad intentions? Or if she's lying?!"

His boyfriend simply shook his head.

"Seriously, you trust that mind-reading power too much! You can't just use it for everything, you know... Then, tell me this. What would Quince think?"

"Umm... Quince would think that Nikili worries and rambles too much about things that don't really matter, and that you're often wrong."

"Ugh...!" His boyfriend not only trusted others too much, he also had very little filter; so it stung extra hard to know that this was actually what Quince thought. Although maybe he deserved the back talk, after misappropriating his bedridden friend's name like that. "...A-Are you really sure about this, big guy? What if something happens?"

The tabby interjected. "Nothing will happen. You and your dragon friend have my word." She commanded something in her language, and some of the sualu surrounding them started to move out as a group, with one grabbing onto Suu's hand to guide him. "You have fun with šitazi, ušumgal. Our priests are more than capable at handling your needs."

Suu smiled despite his migraine. "O-Okay...! See you, Ikky!" He shouted back without waving, before turning his smiling face forward.

Nikili was so shocked that he couldn't even bid him farewell properly. "B-Big guy..."

The commotion that had left along with Suu was immediately followed by a silence between the remaining two, and the scavenger could only fiddle his thumbs, not wanting to speak out before the tabby cat with gasham. Despite all of his worries, there was an odd sense of relief. It was the first time in a while that he wasn't forced into action, with nothing to do but wait. He watched a few of the cat villagers resuming their lives, quietly walking around the large white stone paths, greeting Nikili's sole company as 'Ranir-abgal' as they passed her. It'd been so long since the unlikely trio had been separated. With Suu off to who-knows-where to perform an ominously-named ritual, and Quince clinging to their life while being treated in the building right beside them. Now it was just him and this menacing lady, far away from the safety of their humble home in Logas. But even that wasn't true anymore.

She finally took the initiative with an unnerving statement. "I can tell what you're thinking from your face. Now that you're separated from the ušumgal, you're worried that you're unprotected, and that an old lady like me can kill you."

"N-N-No, I'm not!" But he was definitely thinking about it now.

"Hm. Well, you are unarmed, so you pose as little of a threat as I do. There is no need for hostilities. The sualu of Saisa won't do you senseless harm; we're better than the brutes of Kaati."

Nikili was unsure what this little outburst was about. Was it an attempt at breaking the ice? He thought about interjecting on behalf of 'not all Kaatians', but considering why they even had to flee here from Zugul, he held his tongue. But the 'unarmed' part did catch him off guard. He used to carry a bronze war axe with him, until that day in Kuir, when he'd misplaced it in the confusion. Wherever did it end up...?

"...I'm sure you have many questions. But they'll all remain unanswered if you stay mute like that." She continued.

"S-Sorry..." He didn't even know why he's apologizing... "I mean, i-is this really Zuit? It's nothing like I heard. Um, am– am I actually your prisoner now...?"

"Hm. You are right to be nervous, Kaatian. And don't get me wrong. I know that your country poisoned so many minds with exaggerations about your enemies' nature, and promises of glory by sheer gore and violence. And to distrust everyone that doesn't believe in your fake God-Emperor. And I see regret in your eyes, from whatever you've done in the past. You are a victim of Kaati, but I don't trust that you are not innocent. That's why I told the village to distrust you, as well. One misstep and we'll no longer extend you our welcome."

He sighed. Out of all veiled threats that Nikili had received, this was far from the worst. "T-That's alright... I don't think I trust myself in your place, as well. I don't care what happens to me...I just don't wanna lose Quince. And it was my fault that I didn't act, and they jumped on Ludama instead of me. If you need to lock me up, or what have you, I'm not gonna fight back."

"Lock you up?" The tabby scoffed. "nungarra ninka... You Kaatians have a weird sense of justice. Always going about violence, even when it puts you and others in danger. Putting you in a cell would do no good to anyone."

"Well, it's not really violence if you just put me in a cell peacefully–"

"There's nothing more violent than taking away your freedom, aside perhaps from taking your life. Maybe you don't think it's violent because it's the norm to treat prisoners as such in Kaati. Regardless, what we want not only is it amicable, it will be good for your friend too."

The scavenger could tell that she wasn't referring to Quince. "You're talking about Suu..."

"You're not as inattentive as I thought, Kaatian." She grinned.

"You aren't going to hurt him, right? With this communion or whatever...?"

She shrugged. "All that I said was true. I don't trust this 'Suu' dragon as much as I don't trust you, seeing how he's been tainted and turned into a Kaatian. But our duty as sualu demands that we perform šitazi, nonetheless. Plus, the ušumgal can't handle his gašam too well. The šitazi will help him and our abgal to realign to ahašgal. But they'll need time and space for the ritual, and then you can meet him again; you have my word."

"Sorry, you lost me there. You just said a lot of stuff and half of it was in your language."

"First of all, our language has a name; Emegal. Don't go forgetting it, Kaatian, as it is very important for all of us sualu."

Nikili was too stressed out to keep measuring his words, and he blurted out. "...F-For someone who doesn't trust me for being from Kaati, you sure have told me a lot. Aren't you afraid that I'm a spy or something?"

"Hahaha! So you do have a sense of humor, Kaatian! I was starting to believe otherwise." She cleared her throat. "Hm. I don't even need to explain how no spy from Kaati would come here speaking your own language, much less carrying a bleeding sualu. Only a truly desperate fool would."

"Well, we had no other choice. Suu told me that this was their home, and they had doctors who could help–"

"The dragon told you...? Not the injured sualu?" The small feline woman raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "...And you still claim that they are your friend."

Nikili waved his arms. "O-Oh, there's just a lot that Quince didn't tell us about their past. I just thought that they preferred if I didn't ask them too many questions, w-what with how they are so secretive and all... I know how suspicious I sound, b-but it's the honest truth!"

"...You have many suspicions floating around you, Kaatian. But this time, I truly believe your words. Considering who they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they hid such basic facts from you."

"You actually KNOW Quince, don't you...?" He'd had a hunch, but it was all but confirmed by her last words. "You recognized them when we first arrived. Were you two close?"

She turned away, before taking a few steps towards the mountains. "Follow me."

***

Suu stumbled on his kobold feet because of his overwhelmed gasham'sag. But he still managed to maintain balance and avoid falling, even if he'd only ever been in this bipedal form for about two weeks. He was thankful for the quickly acquired muscle memory. And, at the very least, the hearts constantly whispering inside of his head were having happy thoughts, making it easier to bear the overlapping voices.

He walked through the white stone paths of Saisa, guided by a white-furred sualu by the hand. It was a familiar sensation, but this time it wasn't his dear friend leading him. He couldn't stop thinking about Quince... But he trusted Ranir's words, spoken from both her mouth and her heart, that they would swiftly recover.

The surrounding crowd led him to one of the larger buildings in the village. From outside, they all looked the same, made of large white limestone bricks, but with different dimensions. Some buildings did appear much newer than others, with this large auditorium being such an example. But from what the kobold could pierce together from fragmented thoughts, this building was a temple. A place of worship to the gods, and also the site for šitazi. Though it seemed that it would be the first time that communion would ever be performed within this oddly familiar hall.

The monotone cat guiding him by the hand took him to a specific spot, and thoughts became clear as the troupe of nine felines dispersed to prepare for their duties. They were all abgal – priests trained into the ancient customs of the sualu, and Ranir was their elder. And they were all excited, having studied most of their lives in preparation for a moment like this. Suugal would finally make it a reality.

The white cat in front of the kobold began explaining everything in Emegal. They would perform Communion. It was a ritual between a dragon and a mortal, or potentially more than one mortal. But they'd have to be at least two sentient creatures of different origins, each with a different connection to ahašgal.

The Great Channel, or ahašgal, was the connection between all living beings, which the sualu had unearthed ages ago, thanks to the Gods' guidance. Not much knowledge about it had survived the passage of time, but what had been passed down generation after generation was a way to manipulate and artificially strengthen the bond between these two beings and the earth.

A dragon's connection was much more powerful than a mortal's, allowing them to undergo extreme transformations into a completely different form – such as a kobold – by manipulating their surroundings, or allowing them to interact with other creatures and the ambient on an enhanced degree – such as through gašam. Mortals, on the other hand, had a much weaker connection, and in turn, their life forces didn't rely almost exclusively on the Great Channel.

By performing Communion, she claimed, mortals such as the sualu could tap into their own connections to ahašgal, and even develop an artificial and weaker gašam of their own with enough practice. And dragons would feel more grounded in their own abilities, supposedly having better mastery over their gašam, preventing it from overwhelming their consciousness. For that, she offered to be his guide, and the other abgal would assist in fulfilling his desires. The white cat asked if he had understood her.

"Yes." Suugal said.

She raised an eyebrow, not understanding Kaatian. Realizing this, he nodded instead, and she followed up by asking him if he would be okay with performing communion today. He nodded again. A wide smile appeared in her face, and she asked him to kneel down. He could feel her nervousness as she followed a scripture she'd memorized over many years, even if she appeared confident externally. The blue kobold, however, was perfectly serene, curious to decipher exactly what was making her antsy.

As he moved down to meet her eye level – as her thoughts instructed –, she grabbed his chin with both paws, looking into his eyes before closing hers, and starting a mantra.

"g̃eštug g̃ar-ab-en..." « Focus on me... » "g̃eštug g̃ar gù-ab-en..." « Focus on my voice... »

It was hard to focus solely on her voice, with her heart trembling of excitement, but he also closed his eyes and tried. He could feel his breaths coming in and out of his nostrils while her voice repeated the same words, the only sound echoing in that large hall of white bricks. Memories and worries regarding Quince and Nikili flooded his mind, but he felt that this was more important right now, so he pushed those thoughts away. He needed to focus...focus...

***

Wearing her black dress, the gray tabby followed the foot trail up the mountain, accidentally kicking a pebble. It rolled down and nearly hit Nikili's exposed ankle under his green skirt. But the mongoose, who had been following her on that uphill path, was more focused on maintaining his breath than on dodging any debris tumbling his way. The air itself felt rarefied in this place, making this exertion even more tiring for the scavenger.

"You know nothing of us sualu, do you?" She spoke, minding the gravelly slope. "If your friend hasn't told you of Saisa, then they must have not told you that we exist, let alone of our duty."

Nikili didn't answer, simply panting and sweating as he struggled to keep up. Suu's saliva on his fur and clothes had fully dried already.

The cat scoffed. "Are you really this tired from climbing a little hill, Kaatian? Even an old lady like me doesn't break a sweat. You are too young to act this old!"

"Huff... I-I'm used to walking a lot – hff... –, b-but not up a mountain like this..." Was this some kind of torture that she would enact on her prisoners?

"Hm. I suppose the Two Rivers are all plains. It's very different all the way there on the west than here, in the Szogors Mountains. Have you ever been outside of Kaati?"

"N-Not really... I–" He stopped to look back the way they just came. "Wow... I've never seen anything like this!"

He couldn't help but let out an awed sigh, admiring the town downhill. The people looked tiny – more than usual, given their stature. Almost all of them sualu, but there were a rare few as tall as himself, even if he couldn't make out their species from up here. The rocky terrain looked like frozen tsunamis of limestone defying the natural laws; as did its sparse steppe vegetation, growing on infertile sand and cobblestone. The afternoon sun wasn't as warm as in the plains, but it painted large shadows across the opposite side of the mountain range, in a way that Nikili had never seen before. Out of all of the sights in his life, this had to be one of the most beautiful.

"...Is this what the big guy sees every time he flies around...?" He whispered to himself.

"It really is pretty, isn't it?" The tabby sighed as well. "The land doesn't provide us with as much as it did near the marshes, but never in all of my years have I grown tired of the sights."

She used to live near the marshes, he thought, which was a long way from here. He looked directly at her.

"How old are you...i-if you don't mind me asking? Um, actually, you don't need to answer it, ma'am. Uhh...d-did I ever catch your name?"

"I am Ranir, abgal of the sualu. I am sixty-four years old."

The tabby smiled, but Nikili's face went pale. "S-S-Sixty-four?! You have to be lying! No-one can ever live that long...let alone be as old as you AND climb a hill better than me! ...Are you sure you're not actually a dragon?"

"Hahahaha! I'm sure that I'm not, Kaatian, but I appreciate the compliment. Time has simply been kind to my body, thank the Gods. And I'm certain they'll want me to live one more threescore, or perhaps two, if it fits Their design!"

The mongoose was happy that they seemed to be getting along. She still didn't seem interested in calling him something other than 'Kaatian', but it was a start.

"I wonder why Quince didn't tell me about this place. If I'd known that they were born in such a beautiful village, or that there were more 'sualu' like them, we could have visited it together–"

"Your friend, the sualu you call 'Quince'. I'm sure you are aware that they weren't born here. Or haven't they really told you anything...? Not even their name?"

Nikili just shook his head. He'd given them that name ever since they'd met, and Quince hadn't shared anything from their past since their chance reunion. Ranir seemed pensive at his response.

"Hm... Then I fear that they must have wanted to completely leave this life behind. But...I still don't understand why they would run away..."

"Run away...?"

"I believe it was about...six, no, seven years ago. That's when you found them? In Kaati, I assume."

"Um, y-yeah...."

The scavenger decided to hide the fact that he was still a warrior under their army when he found them...but he clearly remembered their first encounter five years ago, when he rescued them after his squadron was dispatched to Sinipin. But that village also was so far away from here! Past the mountains, then the eastern plains, and across the Quuwa Marshes, not to mention that it was on the opposite side of the Second River. Did they walk all of that alone...? Plus, 'seven years ago' put a two year difference between her account and their first meeting. What did they do during that period...? Maybe Suu could answer.

"Hm." Ranir had something else in her mind. "Perhaps, they wanted to find their home there. Lagazi. The second village of the sualu."

"Lagazi? Where is that?"

"Nowhere, now. It used to be the home of the sualu for generations, before the Kaatians conquered it and razed it."

"Oh." Just like Sinipin, then. "T-That started about nine years ago, d-didn't it?"

"No, I don't speak of the despot and false god Elki, no matter how fiercely he spreads violence – if the reports that reach us are half-true. I speak of his even more bloodthirsty father, the usurper Ranagas. The great tragedy that befell us sualu happened under his rule, twenty-two years ago. Just one year before that tyrant's death."

"Ranagas..." The old king of Kaati. Nikili remembered being two years old when his death was announced. "He was a black bull too. That's all I know about the guy. So this other village, Lagazi, that's where Quince was born?"

"Yes. As was I, and our ancestors." The tabby stopped walking when she reached the flat ground of a vacated quarry on the mountain. "Your friend was one of the many children orphaned as the few of us escaped eastward after Kaati's destruction. If I'm not mistaken, they are exactly forty years younger than me, so they must have been two years old when it happened. Though I only really met them years later, after we had settled here in Saisa, when they started to train to be a priest like me–" Ranir glanced at the tall man, who'd stopped behind her and gone suspiciously quiet. "Hm? Is something wrong, Kaatian?"

"H-Huh...? Ohh, n-n-no, it's nothing..."

"It isn't nothing. Your face has turned white like the stones in this quarry. Just spill it."

He turned his head away. "It's just...if you're sixty-four years old...t-then Quince is twenty-four..."

"Yes, like I said. Exactly forty years less than me."

"But then...t-then, they're...older than me?!" He blurted out his conclusion, and an awkward silence followed.

"...I don't see what is the problem. They can't be that much older than you."

"N-No, they aren't. I'm twenty-three, but that's not– b-but I thought–"

Nikili shook his head, and Ranir couldn't really understand what triggered that odd outburst. "I don't think it's strange that your friend is about as young as you, even if you have little else in common."

"NO, I'm–!" He waved his arms in front of his body. "L-Look, just forget it. Umm, anyway, y-you were saying..."

"Were you hoping that you were the older one...?"

The mongoose changed subjects as hastily as his cheeks turned red. "Y-You were talking about Lagazi, right? How the sualu lived there for centuries before it was destroyed, and that...Quince was training to become a priest...?"

"Hmph. Your friend never completed their training to become an abgal like me. They always were introspective, never bonding with other kids their age, all alone and aloof. I had to give them private lessons...and the subjects they were interested in were...different." She sat down, overlooking the village. There was a hint of judgement in her words.

"How so?"

"The vegetation of the marshes was one such subject, for example. We had no use for some of these tablets that we brought with us, but we still tried to salvage all the knowledge that we could, mind. But the biggest red flag was their interest in the Kaatian language, both written and spoken." Ranir spoke as if the scrutiny was directed at herself, not at Quince. "I could teach it, of course. I'd learned it back when Kaati was only a city and not a country, and it wasn't under the murderous bull's rule. Back when cooperation between our villages wasn't a bronze-fisted compromise to prevent an invasion. Against my better judgement, I taught them what they asked of me in secret, hoping that they could flourish like the other priests in training, but in their own Manner. That, somehow, it would help them find their place in the world, and finally attain some happiness."

Nikili joined her by sitting on the ground. "But instead, they ran away...didn't they."

The tabby bore a somber expression. "Our exodus has been hard on all of the sualu, even those lucky enough to survive with their families. I was Lagazi's last abgal, the only one to survive the massacre, and therefore, I was responsible for everything on our way towards our refuge. It is not an easy job, guiding the hopeless when your own heart screams out in grief."

"I-I can't even imagine..."

"But what I had to endure doesn't compare to those who lost every parent, every sibling, every friend, every child. They lost everything, and often with that, the will to live. We tried our best, but so many were suddenly gone despite our efforts. Some, by their own hands... When your friend disappeared, I thought that they turned out to be just another sualu whom we'd failed, and I wouldn't believe that they still lived if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes."

The scavenger picked a round pebble from the ground. "You know, you never did say Quince's name. Their...l-late parents must've chosen one."

"They have a birth name, yes." Ranir nodded. "But from what you told me, it's clear that they have chosen to forsake their sualu life and choose a new identity. And this Kaatian name you use, Quince...it is a yellow fruit, isn't it?" She traced her finger on the dusty ground, trying to sketch the distinct shape of the pome. "We call it šennur in Emegal – a fruit that doesn't grow on the mountains, that seems hard and unapproachable at first. But when you give it enough time, it becomes overripen. The careless would deem it rotten, but in truth, only then it finally softens and reveals its sweetness. It is a poetic name, Kaatian; befitting the trust they must have placed in you, if they stayed by your side for all of these years."

"O-Oh," he scratched his head, embarrassed, "I didn't think THAT deep into it when I chose that name... It was the first thing I thought of when I saw their yellow fur, really. I didn't think much of it, it was just the first thing that came to mind."

The cat looked over at him. "But they still accepted the name you gave them."

"Well...y-yeah?"

"Then perhaps it had more meaning to them than you think. Maybe the Gods gave you divine inspiration at the right moment. And the meaning of Their gesture still has to be figured out." There was a glint in her eyes as she spoke of her deities. "Nevertheless, it really is a lovely name, šennur."

"T-Thanks..." He couldn't help but puff his chest a bit at the elder's compliment.

"Hm. Listen. I can understand why they would reject who they used to be, and the roles that others tried to force onto them. Something that I myself, regretfully, have done with good intentions. A lesson I realized when I thought all was too late."

The mongoose put down the pebble. "I'm sure you tried your best, what with having to take care of the whole village, and guide them on such a long journey while they were scared. There are certainly so many others who only survived because you stuck around, put on a brave face, and helped everyone. I can't speak for Quince, so I don't know if they really resent you or something...but there's still time to apologize to them, if you want."

Ranir chuckled. It wasn't every day that she was lectured by someone so young. "Thank you, Kaatian. I wish your country and our village hadn't waged war many years ago, severing lives and friendships, and our humanity. So few spoils for the powerful, and so much suffering for the many... Knowing that Kaatians like you still exist gives me hope that peace is possible, even if the fake God-Emperor and his loud lackeys scream for more bloodshed. I dream to see it for myself, too."

Nikili pondered on how much of his life had been shaped by war, as did so many persons' who he'd met in his journey. Nurta... Ludama... Ranir... Quince... "W-Well, no more war would be great...but I'm not good with politics and stuff, so I'm not sure how to convince Kaati to give up their weapons. Especially without violence."

She shook her head. "I'm not against violence, only unnecessary one. Violence may be necessary when a victim needs to defend themselves. But unlike Kaati, we don't think that violence is always the answer. It is merely a tool, and like any tool, it can be misused. Still, maybe Kaati – its people, not its rulers – can be made to see reason through peaceful means. It certainly seems unlikely, but–"

Ranir stopped when she heard someone calling to her on the footpath downhill. It was another cat-person, who shouted something in Emegal.

The tabby stood up. "We can continue later. Your Quince is awake."

***

Suu was focused on the abgal's voice, despite having several intruding thoughts over the last minutes. Perhaps he had been nervous too, given everything that he'd experienced. But the priestess had been patient with how long it took for him to focus, and he felt much more at ease.

Until he felt something peculiar. Some tingling and numbness, in a body part that didn't seem to exist anywhere. His whole being felt light, as if he had no definite shape. And then, something touched that inexistent limb – and latched onto it.

He opened his eyes. He was himself – his dragon self, inexplicably untransformed inside of that auditory. He could still feel the white cat's touch to his chin, much smaller comparatively, and saw her smile. But he couldn't hear her heart. His gasham'sag was quiet for the first time in his whole life. Still, he had a feeling that he could still reach her thoughts somehow...

""Yes...it works!"" Her voice manifested to him somehow, without her moving her mouth. ""Well, I'm guessing it does.""

""Is this...Communion?"" Suugal asked.

""Almost! ...Oh, so your name is Suugal, isn't it? And...you don't speak Emegal, but you still understood me through your gašam-sag! Very interesting...""

She seemed to have access to his thoughts...and he, to hers. ""I-I can also see your name, Kunia. What is this...? The way that you are in my head reminds me not only of gasham'sag, but also of gasham'dug.""

""Hah, you're pretty smart! It's both. And neither! And much more."" Kunia replied, happy to have succeeded. ""It's the Great Channel, and it's not only a connection of our minds. It's a deeper connection between two bodies than any gašam could possibly achieve. And I've managed to put us in synchrony for now.""

""But this Great Channel is not permanent, is it...?""

""Hah hah hah! Don't worry Suu, it's temporary. It's not like I'm taking you away from Quince or Ikky, or anything."" She explained, seemingly having too much fun at being able to probe at his thoughts. ""Don't worry, there's no need to feel flustered or defensive. I won't judge you! Anyway, this link we share is only necessary for Communion. By triggering a strong emotional response, I might tap into your unseen energies, and it will trigger a 'spark'–""

""What kind of spark?""

""I don't know! But I guess we'll both find out. Anyway, our other abgal are here to ensure that this emotional reponse will be a positive experience, hopefully. Oh, and they'll be able to tap into their connection to the Great Channel on a smaller scale, if they are a part of that emotional response. That's why they're standing ready for you.""

He probed a bit deeper into her thoughts, trying to understand what exactly she meant by a 'positive emotional response' from her brief explanation. ""Hmmm... So I have to think of something that I really like, and you'll do it for me?""

""Yep, pretty much! Is there something that comes to mind? ...And no, I'm afraid that simply letting me peek into your heart won't be good enough. You'll have to tell me – or think it – yourself.""

What Suugal wanted...? He wanted Quince and Ikky to feel good, he supposed. But neither were here now, and his dulled gasham'sag was currently incapable of figuring out Kunia's desires. Despite their shared link, navigating her thoughts through this 'ahašgal' was like scratching the surface of his normal abilities. He had to come up with something else, then...but what else could it be...? Well, there was that one moment earlier today, with both of his friends in Zugul. He was hoping to have that same type of fun again soon; but perhaps, there was even more that he could try with these sualu. Ideas that had floated in both of his friends' hearts before...

""Mm... Oh... O-Oh!"" The white cat exclaimed, as Suugal explicitly manifested his thoughts to her. ""Yes, that would be perfect! And our abgal are all adults, and well-prepared to suit your needs. Sadly, I won't be able to join them. I am the guide, so I'll still be communicating with you in your mind, as well as instructing them throughout the Communion. Speaking of...""

Kunia turned away to the other sualu, and explained Suu's idea of fun, word for word, in Emegal. The blue dragon didn't need to peek into their hearts – they all blushed or seemed excited from her explanation as they undressed. That gave him the confidence that he'd picked the right choice.

""Whenever you're ready.""

He didn't need to wait any longer. Lying on his belly, all he had to do was carefully lean away from the abgal and towards the wall, hiding his black-spiked back with ultramarine hues across his wings. His ocean blue belly drooped in their direction over his gray paws. But it wasn't his chubby plates or his scuted claws that he wished to show, and he watched as one white-and-black cat approached his spreading legs.

His tailhole, as well as his genital slit, were in full view. He'd never even had a pair of cocks, or any sexual desires, before he'd met the scavenger duo. Of course, he had known of Nikili's interest in him from the very start... An interest that, upon glancing at Nurta's tablet with ancient inscriptions, molded the new shape that his body acquired...or so he assumed. A transformation that had felt as natural for his first time as a kobold as it did for his first time as an archaeopteryx.

Regardless of the reasons why, it had also changed his original dragon body irrevocably. He now had a pseudocloaca, from which his hemipenes had begun to sprung at the mere thought of what was about to happen. But the dichromatic cat who approached him first, fully naked and sporting an erection, moved past Suugal's pink pair while still watching them in awe. Instead, the feline had chosen something else to give his attention to, and he climbed the large hindpaw to bring himself closer to the pucker in the center of his anal plates.

The small paws carefully felt over the fleshy ring; it was a novel sensation for the dragon. He knew how good Nikili felt when receiving anal, but Suu only had his proxied emotions to go by. This time would be his first on this end. And once a furry hand entered him the wrong way, it felt...weird. Ticklish. Peculiar.

""Is everything okay?"" Kunia asked, concerned about the dragon's mixed thoughts.

Before he could answer, he rumbled at the sensation of tiny digits spreading and pushing into pliant, soft flesh. And he made up his mind. ""...I want to keep going.""

The priestess sighed in relief, and relayed his words to the anally-inclined assistant. Another arm pushed inside, and Suu clenched one of his forepaws whilst trying to keep his pucker relaxed. The cat wasn't any bigger than Quince – and this wasn't even among his smallest 'entrances' –, so he was surprised at how sensitive his ass felt with such a tiny intruder. Every hair of fur on the bicolored cat tickled his rectum, making him harder. The brief moments it took for the tiny abgal to push inside appeared much longer. In reality, he'd quickly climbed up to his hips, squirming into the trembling walls in no more than a few minutes. Soon, only his tail was left outside, but every part hidden from view was quite noticeable for Suu's enveloping walls. Still grunting in pleasure from the first sualu, the dragon signaled to Kunia to keep going.

""G-Got it. Try to mm cling onto that feeling for as long as possible..."" She seemed to be affected by Suugal's arousal as well, but still maintained a sober air as she called on a different cat.

This time, a dilute tabby walked forward. They rubbed their paws nervously, but approached him resolutely, aiming further up than their previous colleague. They stopped right in front of the two fleshy spires, staring at the tips leaking a clear liquid from erotic stimulation.

""Are you sure you can handle this part? There are six more sualu after this one. And you already seem troubled at the thought of the second one going into your–""

""No...!"" His thoughts roared, tapping into a dormant side of him. ""Hmf...f-fine. I can handle the others first, then I'll take them last...""

Kunia nodded and relayed his instructions, watching most of the abgal walk forward, heading towards his slit and anus. The first cat had completely disappeared in his rear, but Suu could still feel him push about inside, pleasurably squirming just past the entrance. Three more were lining up to join him, the next one purring as she kneaded the flesh on the exposed pucker, not even trying to hide her excitement. Two others climbed atop the thick flesh of the cock closer to the ground, getting closer to the slit between the hemipenes and trying to stretch its entrance – like Quince had done that same morning. One last abgal, plain red, awaited far to the sidelines to be called, watching the other sualu enter the dragon's multiple holes – not even hiding that he was stroking himself.

Kunia shouted in Emegal, her words being translated as thoughts in Suugal's head. ""N-Niis, focus! Don't mess around, t-this is a sacred duty– Ahhh~!""

She interrupted her words, gasping when the blue dragon's pleasure flared from three cats entering him at once. The tortoiseshell female in the back had squeezed her toes and pads inside, deciding to vanish into the dragon's rectum feet-first, with the aid of the next two lifting her body. At the same time, both cats crouching atop his cock lunged into the musky pocket between the large reptilian cushions, hugged against each other in its tight opening. Things were getting even more steamy at an accelerated pace, and the dragon had to maintain his composure as all of these new sualu joined in on the fun of their own volition.

But there was one more sualu unaccounted for. The dilute tabby who had approached one of his cock's head earlier, who was too interested to move back. In fact, they'd raised their paw to the smooth skin of the large rod, feeling the soft flesh getting covered in sticky precum. The shaft was wider than they were tall, and they could only stare right into the opening from where more liquid was being slowly spewed.

The white cat turned to them, and Suugal heard her once more. ""Ikinla, g-give him some space for now. He's getting very–""

But Ikinla didn't listen. One of their paws slipped into the slit of his cock head, and a shiver ran down Suu's whole body. This was the sensation he'd been most curious about. The idea for it had been planted by his friend's desires a while ago, but he'd never found a good opportunity to try it together. However, this tabby didn't display any inhibitions, nor uncertainty, as their paw grasped the entrance of the monstrous rod. The dragon's rumbles turned into low-pitched moans, and that told Ikinla all that they needed to know.

""Yes, m-more!"" He begged.

Kunia didn't reply. She simply panted and moaned, leaning onto his snout to keep her balance, watching her colleagues squeeze themselves into the massive dragon. Two had completely disappeared together in the gap between his cocks, and Ikinla fed herself to the rod closest to the ground, fighting the streams of pre that made climbing inside an arduous and slippery task. The white abgal couldn't see the others behind those pink hemipenes, but she assumed that they must have been still stuffing themselves into his rear one by one, if his pleasure was anything to go by.

Quite an interesting feeling – experiencing something novel through another –, she thought. Kunia couldn't feel his prey through the Great Channel; it was more akin to Suu's mind describing every tiny detail to her own. But still enough to get her indirectly aroused... Most of the dilute tabby's precum-drenched body had turned into a bulge within the cushiony flesh, and the large dragon was tempted to feel her with his paw, or push her in. But he'd have to shuffle his limbs around, and disrupt the other sualu still climbing into his rectum.

""Mmff...t-that's the fourth one going in my anus."" His thoughts flowed naturally to his guide. ""So stuffed in there...I wish my gasham'sag could hear them all.""

""I-If gašam-sag is anything like this...I can understand what you're missing...!""

""No."" Suugal replied. ""This is just -mrmf!- like a description in your mind. My gasham'sag is much better– hnngn! Like touching the actual image in the heart.""

""Hf... I'm not sure I understand, but GODS does it sound wonderful...!""

With the fourth anally-devoured priest now halfway past the pucker, Suu brought his lifted legs back down, planting his butt onto the ground. Multiple tiny masses, stretching his slit and rectum from within, shifted with the brusque change of directions, eliciting another murr from the indulged feral. He was large enough that the cat still outside of his rear couldn't even reach the floor with their flailing legs, but it did place both of his cocks flat on the ground, where they would allow for Ikinla to make better progress on their front.

And the same for the sidelined sualu, who approached Suugal while still obscenely stroking himself. The plain red cat, Niis, got close to the unoccupied hemipenis, stealing a glance at its twin. Ikinla was nowhere to be seen – except for a subtle bulge under the smooth pink surface, still close to the tip. And he was excited to experience the same. Niis moved his paw from his cock to the much larger one ahead, feeling the rhythmic pulses of the hardened rod, getting the musky juices all over the fur on his arms as his much smaller pre-ejaculate stream ran down to his legs.

Suugal continued to grunt as the last feline was being as much of a tease as possible, admiring the draconic spire he had all for himself before taking the plunge. Every throb of his needy cocks squished the two other sualu in the internal base of his genitals, hugging against the penes and each other in the limited room available. He felt the last abgal in his ass get pulled inside by another, slipping out of view and settling inside, pushing back against the moving anal walls. The first two had moved further in towards the large intestines to make room, and Suu could feel their paws pushing against the tighter and more sensitive flesh, thankfully not having slipped too deep into the long path of guts.

The red cat had almost been concealed past his meatus as well, and the dragon brought a gray paw to the entrance. Using one clawed digit that was as big as a sualu, he carefully pushed on Niis's pawpads, squirming from pleasure of stretching his other cock to devour the male priest. Then he felt for the other bulge, the indistinct lump that used to be the tabby. Ikinla had made it past the halfway point, and he used the same self-lubed digit to squeeze their bulge deeper. Suu clenched his jaws to stifle a roar, and a panting Kunia could do nothing but watch her colleagues be willingly consumed to fuel his lust. He was completely in control over every other abgal, and her title as a 'guide' was merely a suggestion by now.

""F-Fuck..."" She moaned as she watched Suugal's finger guide the feline lump all the way to the base, then move away to reveal a complete lack of a bulge. Ikinla had gone all the way inside...but Kunia could tell, from the connection that she shared with the dragon, that they were still squirming deeper into his ducts. She could also tell that the winged reptile was on the edge of an orgasm, and she could only stand under his chin and watch it unfold.

Unable to control himself any longer, Suu's throat strained out a mix of a roar and a grunt, which would only be heard in this white hall and the neighboring houses. His wings extended out and his body tensed up, raising his two shafts a few feet off the ground with a couple of throbs, before both started spewing globby white seed. Any obstruction in his urethrae was pushed out, becoming a solid mass of fur in the middle of all of that pooling goop.

Each squirt was followed by his keen bits squeezing around the tiny occupants. Fleshy walls of multiple textures compacting each individual cat's entire body, flattening or curling them depending on their surroundings. Their moans and mewling were too small and distant to pick up on, but neither Suu nor Kunia would be surprised if some had reached climaxes of their own. The lavished dragon had reached a wonderful orgasm...but yet, something was missing.

Suugal turned to the white cat in front of him. ""Mrrr...that was wonderful, b-but...I couldn't feel this 'spark' you mentioned.""

""Hf...hfff...y-yeah, me neither..."" The sualu panted, bearing a blush from spectating the dragon's explosive ecstasy. She watched a white-stained red cat stand up alone from the spunk puddle, before he trudged over in a trance to cuddle the seducing cock that had just swallowed him and spat him out. ""D-Did we miss something...? That should have been enough to trigger a strong positive response. Did any of the abgal hurt you or something...?""

""Mmf, no... But I can think of one thing I'm missing.""

""Which is... –?!""

Kunia jumped when she saw Suu's widest hole yet part in front of her. White teeth delineating his pink maw, jutting out from the sides of a flat salivating muscle several times her size. A faint fishy breath reached her first, as enormous draconic jaws approached resolutely.

""Waitwaitwait, I-I'm the guide! And I have to–!""

Her voiceless words fell on deaf ears, as Suugal gave her a fate not unlike the other sualu. She was soon enveloped between the snapping jaws, pressed against the hard palate from the crease of his tongue. Her white fur and brown two-piece immediately got soaked in his saliva while being scooped up, but the clear liquids never managed to flow away as she was tasted again and again. A grassy, earthy, sweet, and mildly bitter flavor... It was kind of embarrassing to go through Suu's hungry thoughts as he treated Kunia as gently as he would a tasty snack, but the possibility of being hurt was the furthest thing from her mind, knowing how careful he'd been with the other sualu.

However, she was intrigued by how he not only probed her skin, but her thoughts. That feeling of being small and at his mercy, the sensations of being locked in his active maw... Things that he'd naturally hear through his gašam-sag; but Kunia could tell that he was actively seeking them in her mind. But it wasn't that he wished that the roles were reversed in this situation... It was more akin to figuring out how he was making her feel, down to the minuscule details.

And that finally led him to what they had been seeking: a spark.

All of them, dragon and abgal alike, felt something similar. The feeling of their bodies completely freezing in place, as if all of the air surrounding them had turned into a solid block. A strong, sinking pull to those same intangible tethers that had connected Kunia and Suugal together. A shock-like jolt, and a flash of light. And an odd sense of harmony, an understanding that they were small parts of something much bigger. In an instant, all of those feelings washed over them and vanished. But they could clearly grasp what had happened to them.

Once Suu regained control over his muscles, he brought his head low, carefully letting the pale cat onto a clear puddle over the white flooring. She got up, seemingly focusing on something other than the slobber all over her body.

""I-I don't know what that was, but it worked... It actually worked!"" Kunia celebrated while still linked to the dragon's ahašgal. ""Oh! I can sense your gašam now. And it comes so naturally too, just like she said it would...""

Suu's eyes widened. ""I...think I can sense yours! It's faint, but it's there. A-And the others', too...! That's incredible!""

""The ritual worked..."" The sualu repeated, still astonished. ""It would take far more Communions to get an effect as strong as Ranir's, no doubt. But what about you? Did your gašam-sag get stronger...?""

""My gasham'sag? But I couldn't use it at all since–""

The dragon interrupted himself. Her voice was there. Not through the Great Channel, nor through her mouth; but through her heart. Her feelings of accomplishment, and slightly vexation at being all wet. It was as clear as it used to be, but without the interference of other whispers. He focused on Niis, the red cat enamored with his cock – he, too, had a hint of gasham, and Suu could also sense his lust.

Of course, he could also fully perceive the others inside of him. Without being overwhelmed, one by one, he could sense their desires, their pleasures, their feelings. Purrs hidden away in the depths of his slit and ass, unable to reach his ears, but amplified through their hearts. He finally had some mastery over who he wanted to focus on, with seemingly no side-effects from ahashgal...

""And there shouldn't be any!"" Kunia sharply answered his doubt. ""At least, our records tell us as much. It should be much easier to manipulate your gašam-sag in a crowd from now on. As for us abgal... We may never truly develop our own gašam into such a potent ability, but through our rituals, we may yet strengthen our bond to the Great Channel in accordance to our duties, by performing more Communions with other dragons...o-or with you, if you'd like to stay in Saisa.""

""Hmm... But I still want to be with my friends...""

""Of course, they can stay too! And nobody will force you three to stay, if you choose to leave. But I'm sure that Ranir-abgal will be much more insistent than me, so I'd be careful when telling her that!"" Kunia smiled at him, feeling that she'd finally accomplished what she'd set out to do her entire life. ""Well, our link should still last a bit longer. Pleasurable though it may be for you, it'd be best to remove all of the abgal from, uhh, inside of you.""

Suugal lowered his head, flustered. ""W-Well, about that...""

Before the white cat could ask him what was wrong, he focused each of the cat-people's emotions. From what she could tell, it seemed that they all wanted to stay inside for longer, and enjoy the tight hug of Suu's organs lulling them, for reasons ranging from warmth, to intimacy, to outright sexual gratification. The pair in his slit even seemed to have cuddled together and fallen asleep.

""Ugh...unbelievable."" Kunia grumbled in Emegal as well. ""You'd think that they'd at least pretend to be professional about this."" At the very least, Niis hadn't pushed himself right back into Suu's cock, but perhaps that was simply because the entrance was out of his reach. ""I guess I'll go and retrieve them all, but it's gonna take a while– Wait. Who was that? I sensed something odd. Ikinla, I think.""

""Hmm? Oh, this one."" Suu located and projected their feelings when prompted. The white cat had a hesitant expression.

""...Where even are they? They seem fine and content, but also trapped in there somewhere. Wait... Ikinla climbed into your cock, didn't they? And only Niis was, err, 'shot out'. So where did they end up– O-Ohh..."" She shuddered. ""D-Don't panic, but...I think Ikinla might be stuck in your t-testicle...""

""My...what?""

""I-It doesn't matter..."" She wasn't surprised that he didn't know the specifics of his own internal anatomy, especially given that this was his first time ever shoving someone in there. Even if she tried to stay collected, she couldn't help but blush. ""But if they can't come out on their own, it complicates things a bit. And being just as small as them, I'd risk getting stuck myself in your other testicle if I went inside...""

Keeping them also didn't seem like an option... At one point or another, Suu would have to transform away from this form; and preferably, without an entire feline person trapped deep inside of him. ""Hmm. So perhaps someone bigger than a sualu could retrieve them...?""

""You could try pushing them out w-with an orgasm, but you've already tried that... There are some bigger people in Saisa, but none are trained in our rites, and they might be too flustered to actually offer a hand– Wait. Y-You already have someone in mind, don't you...?""

***

Nikili fiddled with his thumbs inside of the infirmary, just outside of an entryway. A curtain concealed Quince's room. A calico passed through before turning to Ranir-abgal and explaining something in Emegal.

"This doctor tells me that your friend is still weak and in shock." The gray tabby translated. "They should be resting, but instead, they have been asking for Nikili – who should be you, I believe – and the ušumgal."

"Asking...?" The scavenger was confused. Quince couldn't speak, after all... Or had they been hiding that, as well?

"I've been told that your dragon friend should still be performing šitazi with our abgal, but your presence alone should ease their nerves." Ranir explained, but Nikili himself was very apprehensive. "What's wrong?"

"Ummm... I-I don't know, should I say something?"

"Are they not your friend?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah–"

"Then go and tell them something, Kaatian!" She punctuated her command with a weak punch to his leg.

Nikili got the hint, and he took a deep breath before entering the room. There was just a nurse inside, along with the calico doctor, and the yellow-furred sualu with big brown spots lying on a reed cushion, their head and neck supported against the wall. Quince... They wore only a clean bandage around their right arm, and a face almost as white as the fabric – a sign of their recent troubles. But they were awake, staring straight back at Nikili with their large and troubled orange eyes. They seemed to relax when they finally saw their companion, but didn't bear a smile like the mongoose. Letting out a sigh, Quince looked away from the other scavenger, watching the medical staff still in the room disposing of bloodied bandages.

"H-Hey, Quince... How do you feel?"

They didn't respond to his greeting. It was as if they were too ashamed to look Nikili back in the eye.

He took another step in their direction. "O-Or do I call you 'shennur' now? That's 'quince' in Emegal, right...?" He laughed weakly at his poor attempt at a joke, but Quince's expression turned even sourer. "You don't like it when I peek into your past, do you? Sorry, but we had to, this time. It was a matter of life and death. But to be fair, I don't think you care when he peeks all the time."

His companion seemed to ignore him, instead staring at the entrance. Nikili turned back to see a tabby peeking in from behind the curtain.

"Umm... Ranir, can you leave us alone, please?" He asked softly.

It took an awkward amount of time for the abgal to react, before Ranir shut the curtain; but Nikili could still see her hind paws underneath the same spot, eavesdropping from behind. But that wasn't important right now. He approached Quince, finding a stool right by their side to sit on. It was definitely too small for anyone bigger than a sualu, but it'd do. Sitting next to the bed, he could see a mix of red and blue stains on the wraps around their wound. No doubt from the blood loss, and the non-life threatening poison which had left a scar, respectively.

Quince mewled at him. Even with their weak utterance, the taller scavenger knew them well enough to know that they were dissatisfied about these events.

"I'm sorry, Quince. I thought we lost you." He leaned closer, trying to grab their paw. The cat instinctively pulled their arm away, flinching from pain and clenching their face as a result. Their wound was still fresh under that bandage. Nikili still forced a slight smile, agreeing to give them space and not try to touch their friend. "They told me you're still hurt badly. But you'll live, right? I know that a little bit of poison potent enough to kill a dragon wouldn't be a match for someone who's stubborn like you. You don't care about putting yourself in danger because it's what you think is right. Right?"

Quince scoffed, darting their gaze away.

"I know, I know. I'm rambling again, as usual. You didn't come back from a near-death experience just to hear my annoying voice, did you? But I was expecting you to complain that the big guy brought you back to the place that you ran away from." His friend didn't react. "What, you expect me to say that 'it was the right thing to do'? You're right, maybe I overreacted when I thought you were poisoned and about to die. That's on me for not knowing anything about dangerous plants as well as you do. In fact, you look great, like you can just get up from that bed at any moment! I don't know where you would wanna go, maybe back inside a dragon. But I–"

Nikili hiccuped, unable to contain his tears any longer. He paused to catch his breath, feeling the watery streaks across his furry cheeks. It took him more than a few moments to recollect his thoughts and form coherent words again.

"B-But I'm still afraid of l-losing you, Quince. Not to Ludama...not to wild dragons...but b-because I was a bad friend! You don't remember w-when we arrived here, do you? While you were dying in my arms...?! You didn't hear what Suu told me, did you?"

Quince still looked away through, staring at the mountains through a window. They didn't want to let on that their eyes were watering up,as well.

Nikili wiped his runny nose with his forearm. "T-The big guy told me that, earlier today, you were scared...angry...feeling that you only made everything around you worse. That you tried to run away, but then felt guilty and returned to us. That you thought that we would be better off without you...! And that's just not true, Quince! We are family, the three of us. And, like family, I feel like you're my ch– ...L-Like you're my sibling. And family's supposed to stick out through the good moments, and the shitty moments, y'know?"

The yellow cat used their unharmed arm to signal towards the curtain at the entryway, from where Ranir was peeking through again.

The abgal entered at their call and came closer with a remorseful expression. "šerda-g̃u–"

Quince interrupted her with a hand. This wasn't the time for apologies. They made slow movements with both hands to communicate something to her.

"I– Yes." She answered. "I can translate to the Kaatian."

"Huh? Translate what...?"

Nikili didn't understand, but their mute friend continued to move their paws, trying to use both hands despite their right arm being mostly immobilized. Earlier, the mongoose had seen some sualu from the village do similar movements in front of each other; but he couldn't really understand how they would be able to communicate anything without speaking. It seemed to be some sort of alternative language composed solely of hand gestures.

And Ranir could understand and translate the signs, tempted though she was to interject with her own thoughts. "They say that they are intrinsically broken. Seven years ago, when they ran from Saisa, and earlier today, they came to that same realization. And they say that your goal is simply to fix them. That they are a burden, and that this is the only reason they can think of for why you would want to keep them around."

"Quince said that just now? With their hands...?" Nikili asked her, and she nodded. Putting his surprise aside, he turned to his companion. "T-That's not true at all, Quince! I don't think you're broken. And I'm not trying to change you! I just want to change your mind about this! I want you to see through this lie that you started believing for some reason. And of course I'm worried about you. You're my friend! I don't want you to be hurt because...well, because you deserve happiness too!"

The yellow cat raised their hands again–

"Stop. I know what you're gonna say. That you don't deserve kindness or to be happy. Because you think you're worthless, that others will only see you for your mistakes, and that you'll never be able to move past them. That others only like you because all you've done is lie and trick them into thinking you're a good person." The mongoose stopped and took a deep breath, once he felt his clenched claws start to dig into the palms of his balled-up fists. "...I-Is what I think you'd say."

He hadn't even noticed how Quince's expression had changed. They were frozen, staring at him with a gaping mouth and wide eyes, only showing signs of life from their feeble breaths and tears.

"Quince. I'll tell you the truth. My life has only been happier ever since we met five years ago. I've done a lot of regretful things, and I was on the verge of turning into the worst version of myself just to feel something. A-And you saved me. Not with a heroic act. Not by fixing me. Just by being there. Just by smiling, and crying, and teaching me about the marshes, and enjoying my cooking together. Same for Ranir. You think she hates you for leaving, but she blamed herself for not understanding you. She tries to hide it by acting all tough and wise, but I can tell that she's really happy that you're still around."

The crying mongoose didn't wait for an answer, he had more to say. He leaned closer and lifted his hands.

"Maybe you'll leave me one day, even if I don't want you to. Even if I'm SURE you don't want to, either. But every single thing we did, Quince, good or bad or whatever... I wouldn't change a thing. You don't have to be perfect all the time, okay? I'm not, Suu's not, even someone like Nurta isn't. And if I ever hurt you, which I know I did, I'm so, so sorry. I wish I never had. But I want to be here for you. And please, you can trust me to tell anything. One day I wanna deserve your trust. So I promise that I won't judge, or force you to share anything, or think less of you if you tell me something you regret. I know the real you, more than any words or facts can describe...and I don't want to lose that. It's petty, but I don't wanna lose you. So please. Can you promise me that you won't run away...? Not without saying goodbye, at least."

Quince didn't answer. And Nikili didn't say anything else. They simply sat across each other, with a mongoose's paw that had found its way to the yellow, water-stained fur on their cheek. Between sobbing hiccups, Nikili watched the late afternoon light reflecting on Quince's sickly, watery eyes, which stared back at him with an undecipherable sentiment... Perhaps regret, or perhaps hope. At that very moment, their feline companion's miserable face had to be the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen in his life.

Ranir, who'd been interrupted by the calico doctor throughout Nikili's speech, touched the mongoose's arm to call his attention. "Kaatian, we need to go. The doctor is worried that your friend should be resting. She doesn't think this is doing your Quince any good, and she asked to check on them alone."

He caught himself snapping, brushing her hand away with his shoulder. "Let them think whatever they want! I–!" He looked back at Ranir, took a deep breath, and silently apologized to her. Then he smiled back to his friend without having to force it anymore – who themself seemed slightly amused by his outburst. "Sorry Quince, I need to leave for a bit. I'll catch you later, I promise. And I'll bring the big guy to see you too, so don't go running off, now. Meanwhile...give 'em hell, won't you?"

The yellow cat chuckled and wiped their tears with their left arm, as they watched their overemotional partner in crime getting up to walk out of the room.

"I am very sorry, Kaatian," Ranir spoke as she followed him past the room's curtain, "I've tried to give you more time, and explain to her that–"

"It's okay. It was plenty of time. Thank you, Ranir." The mongoose couldn't get his injured friend's face out of his mind. But he had regained hope. "And sorry about my short fuse... Please apologize to the doctors for me, and tell them thanks for saving Quince."

The tabby shook her head. "No, thank you. What you told them in there, I– ...I'm glad that my first impression of you was wrong." She reached for something in a pocket on her black dress, then extended her paw. "Tissue?"

"Oh! Uhh, s-sure..."

He took the small piece of cloth, not realizing how swollen his eyes were. As he wiped his tears, Ranir looked back at the curtain to Quince's room, raising her paw towards it. But after thinking twice, she stopped herself and sighed.

"L-Listen..." Nikili said. "What I said in there...especially about you, I-I–"

Before he could continue, someone else approached Ranir-abgal, calling her by name and title. Nikili waited patiently as the white cat dressed in brown talked to her in Emegal. He could only pick up on the words 'ušumgal' and 'ninka', which must've meant something to do with him. Curiously, he couldn't help but notice that this other sualu seemed to have water on their fur and clothes...

Ranir awkwardly cleared her throat as she turned to the scavenger. "H-Hm... Well, Nikili, wasn't it? You are no longer considered our prisioner. I will inform the others that you are free to roam Saisa. But for now, I think you'll want to follow this abgal. There's...something that your dragon friend has need of you for."

"Suu? Is something wrong?" He stared at the anxious white cat, then back at the flustered elder. "A-And why are both of you blushing...?"

***

Things were hectic in the capital of Kaati. Well, more than usual, Nurta thought. She had arrived at the homonymous city as soon as she'd learned of Ruunk's arrest, a few days prior. The red dragon had swiftly shifted into her true form to fly out to the north and arrive at the empty outskirts, before returning to her inconspicuous lizard-like appearance. She had to admit that being able to freely soar the airs again made her investigations into Kaati's conspiracies much easier, though this time she'd been too late to return to Logas in order to rescue the white duck under her tutelage.

Despite being less known around these parts than in Kuir, the Widow's fame still carried some weight with the officials, after having served as one of their most prolific bronzesmiths during the military campaigns from nine years ago. She'd expected to simply bail Ruunk out, given the misdemeanor charge of 'disobedience' raised against her; but instead, Nurta had been shown a room in the clay-walled barracks, so that she wouldn't have to wait outside, in the sun, and wait to plead her case to the appropriate officer.

By the time she realized that she had taken the bait, there was nothing else she could do but wait.

"Sorry for the delay, Mrs. Widow." The young soldier who'd received her announced as he entered the room. "The general will speak with you, now."

He left just as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving Nurta alone in the room again. The general, huh... The red lizard wasn't surprised. It simply confirmed her suspicion that Ruunk had been linked to the Kuir incident from a week ago, when Suu had turned into a dragon in the middle of the populace. Having a highest-ranking officer interfere with propagation of the news to the public was the most logical explanation, according to what she'd uncovered in her investigation. At the very least, discovering the identity of this mastermind would give her some much-needed leverage. And thanks to her gasham'galga, she was confident enough to deal with any interrogation from this general.

Or so she thought. If there was one thing that could've caught her off-guard, it was someone else's gasham. And it just so happened that she could feel another dragon's presence approaching her in those barracks, along with resounding steps. She panicked, but there wasn't anything she could do – he must have felt her gasham by now, too. That general was, in fact, another dragon; a realization only made starker by his deep laugh.

"Hah hah hah hah! If it isn't my luck. I'm tasked with hunting one of our kind, and who do I find, served straight onto a silver platter, but yet another–"

The fern green alligator finally appeared on the entryway, stopping himself as he finally glanced at Nurta. He wore a mantle that distinguished him as a general of Kaati, and his tall, menacing figure was quite imposing. They could both tell each other apart as dragons in disguise – but he was the one with a smirk plastered on his snout.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is! Nizura, in the flesh! The future Matriarch, herself...! What a twist of fate that the gods have wrought." He leaned onto the table that separated them. "Finally got tired of that old crone Dikuga too, haven't you?"

"Y-You're from Kyorna, too..." was all that Nurta managed to conclude. She was completely off-guard.

The green reptile's grin twisted at her response, frowning in anger, and slamming both palms onto the table...before he burst into laughter again. "Hah hah hah! Aaahh...of course, our dearest princess wouldn't even acknowledge someone as lowly as me, after all this time... After all I've done for her. Alas, perhaps she's still as devoted to her role as Matriarch as always."

The Widow's first instinct was to dismiss his conjecture, and tell that she couldn't remember anything from her previous life as Nizura – because of dus-bala-kur. But this other dragon was her enemy, and she knew better than to give him any leverage.

"Hmm?" He seemed maliciously amused at this turn of events. "Do you think I haven't realized that you undertook the Path of Estranging...? Out of everyone in that accursed kingdom, you simply wouldn't forget me otherwise, Nizura."

The red lizard tried to keep her composure, unable to tell if the alligator was bluffing. Why couldn't she figure out his gasham...?

"Although," the general continued, "you too seem to have made a name for yourself after immigrating to this land of mortals, 'Nurta'." He sat down across from her. "Don't worry, I've made sure that no-one will overhear our conversation."

"Of course you would." The Widow roared back. "You don't want anyone to figure out that you're like me, and unlike them. Otherwise, why would you speak so openly?"

"Very clever, Nizura. Or do you prefer Nurta? But I trust that you're well aware that you can't simply leave this location and spread unfounded falsities about a general, now can you?"

Of course not. Ruunk was still his captive, and Nurta wouldn't put her in jeopardy. This general was beating her in wits – even equipped with her gasham'galga, she couldn't find any means of outsmarting him.

"Call me Nurta..."

"Very well, then I shall. After all, referring to your old name ever again is liable to make me retch." He chuckled. "Regardless, your snooping around hasn't gone unnoticed. Or did you think I'd overlook a woman moving between cities at record speeds, leaving a trail of evidence as she tried to expose my plans...? But surely, your not-so-covert efforts weren't for nothing, I'd expect. Have you at least figured out MY new name, Nurta?"

There was only one option, given all of the leads she'd amassed. "...General Baau. And Commander Ludama is your underling. He's the one who has detained Ruunk."

Baau lifted his clawed hands and clapped. "Bravo! I can see that your deduction still serves you well, as always. But enough games. You won't require your gasham'galga to figure out what I want."

"Of course not. You'd wage war against Munigad and Labla, getting our troops mobilized away from the capital, and leave it undefended. But your goal isn't on outward conquest, it's–"

"Nice try, Nurta." The alligator interrupted her. "All that you've said is correct, of course. That's what I want – but you very well know that I need something else. Something that will allow me to put my plans into motion... Or will you still feign ignorance?"

The red lizard simply stayed quiet. She finally understood why she couldn't figure out his gasham. In the case of Suugal and Dikuga, she could detect the differential between her gasham'galga and their abilities. But if someone's ability was the same as hers...

"If that's how you'll act," he roared, "so be it. My 'underling' has gathered more than enough intel to pin you – and, most importantly, this Ruunk girl you've come in the hopes of bailing out – to the blue dragon sighted in Kuir. Without my cooperation, however, you stand at no chance of saving her. I'm sure that you fully grasp what I mean."

Nurta clenched her fist. He'd all but confirmed that Ruunk was in his captivity somewhere. She'd lost this battle of wits – but knowing that the game had been rigged from the start brought her no solace. All that she could do was nod in defeat.

Baau's smirk returned to his alligator face. "Thank you for understanding. Now, then. It appears that we have a lot to discuss, my sister."