Chapter Text
“Ah, so this is where you wandered off to.” Ororon scooped up his vegetable basket. Nestled amongst the still-mostly-intact produce was the Iktomisaur Whelp, ears folded down and fast asleep. “Guess you’ve had a pretty exhausting time, too, huh?” He ruffled the downy fluff on the top of its head, and then he began to lead his new acquaintances back in the direction he had come.
In the relative peace, there were things that Ororon started to notice about the other young men - Cyno and Sethos, especially - that stoked the embers of curiosity in his soul. Though he was feeling unusually eager to ask about all of these things, he supposed that it would be better to first open with the most obvious question. “The three of you don’t seem like you’re from around here,” he said. “What brings you to this part of Natlan?”
To Ororon’s surprise, it was Cyno who spoke up. “I’m an official from the Sumeru Akademiya, and I’m here as a delegate alongside Lisa Minci of Mondstadt’s Knights of Favonius. Our nations recently received word that Natlan’s troubles with its Ley Lines have worsened. Since Lisa and I are both knowledgeable on the subject of Ley Lines, we were sent to extend our nations’ aid to Natlan.”
“And Razor and I are tagging along as their guests,” added Sethos. He narrowed his eyes at Cyno. “Although, I get the feeling that I was only invited so you could pester me more about playing TCG.”
“You’re my friend, as well as a respected figure in the Sumeru desert, and you possess a wealth of knowledge yourself,” corrected Cyno. “Pestering you about playing TCG was the least of my reasons for inviting you.”
“But you admit it was still a reason!”
“As for what we were doing out here…” Cyno continued, ignoring Sethos’s comment and good-natured glare. “Lisa is currently speaking with a shaman from the Masters of the Night-Wind to gather more information about the Ley Line issues. She insisted that I wasn’t needed at the meeting, so the three of us decided to spend the day camping nearby.” A shadow fell over his expression. “However, Razor disappeared while he was out searching for firewood.”
“Sorry,” Razor mumbled sleepily, his eyes half-closed. “Found dragons… Very kind, like wolf lupical… But bad people came… tried to take dragon baby… Wanted to help…”
“That is admirable, Razor, but,” Cyno’s voice softened, “we were worried about you.”
“So next time, try to get our help if you can, yeah?” Sethos finished.
Razor managed a small hum of acquiescence, but he was clearly losing his struggle against the encroaching effects of the poison’s sedatives.
“Now that the danger has passed, it’s okay to rest,” Ororon told him. “Sleeping it off will help you recover quicker, too. That’s another thing that I heard from Ifa,” he clarified when he saw Cyno’s brow furrow.
This small permission was all Razor needed. He must have been using every speck of his will to remain awake, because the instant he allowed his tension to break, his eyes drifted shut. He rested his head on Cyno’s shoulder, and within a matter of seconds, he was passed out completely.
“...Rest well, Razor,” Cyno said, so quietly that only someone with hearing as sensitive as Ororon’s could detect the notes of pain and regret lingering beneath the words.
The group soon drew near to the location where Ororon had encountered the injured Iktomisaurus. The Saurian was still there, now sitting upright with its wings folded and eyes closed - a meditative state not uncommon of adult Iktomisaurs. Ifa had a theory that this state enhanced their ability to recover from injuries and stabilize their physical conditions, but Ororon suspected that the Iktomisaurus had also been keeping vigil, casting its senses toward the distant fray. Humans, after all, were not the only creatures capable of worrying for the ones they care about.
Ororon peered down at his basket. As if on cue, the Iktomisaur Whelp’s ear twitched and flopped upright, and the baby stirred and blinked away its sleep as it peeked over the side. At the first glimpse of its parent, it gave a joyful cry and leapt out of the basket, hopping and gliding its way forward as fast as its little form would allow. The Iktomisaurus also opened its eyes and stood, closing the remaining distance in a handful of graceful strides.
“I’ve never seen an adult Iktomisaurus act so excited,” Ororon said, warmth billowing in his chest as he watched the pair dance around one another and trill happily.
“I was under the impression that their only moods were ‘stoic’ and ‘angry.’” Sethos’s lips spread into a wry grin, and he chuckled. “But I guess they’re even more like Cyno than I thought!”
Ororon tried to imagine Cyno jumping around like the Iktomisaurs were. He quickly decided that this probably wasn’t what Sethos meant.
After a few moments, the Iktomisaur Whelp came racing back to them. It ran circles around Cyno, over and over, until it was overcome by dizziness and plopped onto the ground at his feet.
The Iktomisaurus approached, albeit more reluctantly than its young. It eyed Cyno warily, and Cyno was a perfect mirror of this uncertainty. Even so, he watched with patience instead of backing away. When it was close enough, the Iktomisaurus slowly stretched out its furled hand and gave Razor’s shoulder a gentle nudge. But Razor was held in the embrace of deepest sleep, and when he failed to rouse, the Iktomisaurus cooed sadly, and the Whelp’s ears drooped like a withering chrysanthemum.
Seeing this, Cyno seemed to reach an understanding with the Saurians. He spoke to them with the same softness that Ororon had glimpsed earlier. “He will be alright,” he said solemnly, earnestly. “We’ll make sure of it.”
The Iktomisaurus inclined its head in a small bow, as if to say, “Thank you.”
And with that, the group started off once again.
“Uh, Ororon…” Sethos said a few minutes later, glancing over his shoulder. “...Is it normal for Iktomisaurs to follow people?”
Sure enough, a couple dozen meters behind them, the Iktomisaurus and its baby were keeping pace along their trail.
Ororon shrugged.
“No, but that just means they have a really good reason to. We’ll find out what it is eventually.”