Pana: Flight from the Past

The Guardian of Ryotho

She walked forward. Her yorback skin boots usually slid over the snow, but they caught on this strange brown clumpy surface. Rocks were also tricky to deal with – they pressed into her feet with every step. Ice may have been just as hard as these new rocks, but it didn't poke her feet as she walked in the same way as the little gray stones did. Her long dark hair became tangled around the smaller branches that reached out from the bases of the towering trees. It was as if the environment was trying to frustrate her. Even the white fur of her coat prevented her from blending into her surroundings in the way she was accustomed to. Her prey generally fell without ever realizing why. Here, she was far too visible. In this new landscape she would have to learn to adjust.

One of the kids that they had found at the farm was sitting outside of the house as she approached. It was the girl, Sab. When Sab noticed her, she scampered away, fleeing into the forest. She was only a few years older than the child, and she enjoyed the way she was treated as some sort of authority, someone with power. Both children seemed terrified ever since the villagers had arrived. At first, they had been pleasant and deferential enough, but that had waned as time went on. It was understandable, she thought. The children had been through a lot in the past couple of days. Anyone in their right mind would be shaken after encountering a dragon.

Well, almost anyone.

She knocked on the door to the house and stepped back as the farmer opened it. "You're here early today," he said. He kept his voice low and measured, eyeing her from where he stood in the middle of the doorframe. She tried to hide her own distrust of the man as she responded.

"Well, it was a beautiful sunrise, and I couldn't resist watching it."

"Aye, that it was." He stepped away from the door frame and allowed her to enter. She did so, making her way to the table in the main room. There were four chairs there, but she chose not to sit. This would go far better for both of them if she stood.

"Can I get you something?" asked the farmer. "Water? Some ginro nuts?"

She shook her head. "No thank you. All that I'd like right now is to know where that dragon and its rider went off to. Think you could tell me?"

"I have repeatedly told you. Again, I don't know of any dragon. I don't even know what that is. A beast that flies and breathes fire? You must have an incredible imagination."

After three days of questioning, the farmer had refused to share the information they both knew he had. But that would change, she thought. She smiled to herself.

"Of course you know what a dragon is, Nnaka." Just as she had hoped, the farmer flinched and took a step back when she used his name. No doubt he hadn't expected anyone to recognize him. She had kept her knowledge of his name secret until now, hoping for just this effect. She reveled in his being caught off guard. Everyone seemed to think they could escape, hide away all on their own and ignore their responsibilities to their fellow humans, to the village. She was the proof that everyone was beholden. "You were told the same stories that are still told to my generation. Maybe you had never seen a dragon before now. After all, they were considered to be nothing but myth. But we know, okay? So cut the act. Before we arrived at your lovely home, you hosted another person and the dragon that accompanied them. It's been three days, and I've been nothing but kind to you. What happens next is entirely up to you. You've had every opportunity to freely tell us what you know. I'm giving you one more chance. Now is your time to speak up and tell me where they went. Dragons are dangerous, and so is the person traveling with this dragon. They may not have mentioned it, but the two of them murdered a number of my fellow villagers, of your fellow villagers. Some of the victims may have even been your friends once, before you abandoned them all. Too bad you weren't there, or you might have been able to save them. Now, if you care at all about justice, about helping us get the closure we need, you'll tell us where they went."