Chapter 4: Friend

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“Children of the Gar’nash usually grow their first scales at the age of 5, at which point on the scales will grow to cover most of their bodies. The horns would follow the scales, usually around the age of 8. Gar’nash grow their horns for all their life, though the growth rate slows exponentially as they age, almost negligible near the end of their nearly 100 year lifespan.

Their horns have been observed to regrow at a fixed rate if they are removed, at most taking a few years, though they never really return to their previous shape. It is not rare to see a veteran in the Queen’s army with misshapen and mismatched horns, though most treat it as evidence of their service.

Another noticeable trait of the Gar’nash are their tails, which can grow up to a metre long. They function as a usable appendage, and can be controlled with the same precision and ease as the arms and legs.”

- Excerpt from Gar’nashian Biology 101

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Draygor had regained most of his memories in his sleep, though it was a little disorienting since there were some gaps that he couldn’t seem to fill, especially from the early years of his previous life. Those years were incredibly unclear, and he could make no sense of what he recalled.

He couldn’t recall ever having a family, nor could he remember if he had had a childhood. He wasn’t sure if those memories were missing, or if they simply did not exist at all. He tried scouring his mind for the many history texts that he’d read in his past life, but could find nothing pertaining to how he had come to be, and those who could have told him were certainly very dead.

As far as Elyian historians knew, he had just shown up during the Great War with Dvem, when their race had been weak and clueless about magick, and had saved his people from being annihilated by the technologically superior race. From that point on, he had remained as their protector, up until recently of course.

“Hopefully I’ll remember in time…” he thought. It was a depressing to think that he had possibly been without a family before, and tears welled up in his eyes. His memories had been a lot to take in, and he couldn’t help but let his emotions loose. With a loud cry, he opened his eyes, searching for his mother and father.

He didn’t know if he had a family in his previous life, but he did now, and he was going to treasure them.

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Lhi’ra stirred from her husband’s arms, having been awaken by Draygor’s loud, shrill cries. Without pause, she jumped up from the bed and rushed out of the room, tossing on a negligee at the same time. Within seconds, she had arrived at the cot, lifting her little son into a loving embrace.

“Shhh, it’s alright, Draygor. Mama’s here,” she whispered soothingly, swaying lightly to and fro as she cradled him.

He felt so small and so very fragile in her arms. She looked into his black, albeit teary eyes, and for a moment, she could feel a little pang of sadness, and at that moment, she felt as if she had to protect him from the world. No – she swore that she would protect him; it was her duty as his mother. He raised his little arms, and she pulled him closer, allowing his tiny hands to explore her face.

“Your father and I will always be here for you, little Draygor. Don’t you worry!” she continued, pressing her nose lightly against his.

Her words seemed to calm him down, and slowly, his tears began to stop. Gone was the sadness in his eyes, and instead they now contained relief and love. She returned his gaze with a loving smile, and for a moment, her heart ached as she felt her love for her little son soar. She continued cradling him as his little eyes slowly closed again, her lovely voice filling the room with a traditional Gar’nashian lullaby.

“Fear not this night, my son…”

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The first year of Draygor’s life was extremely peaceful, mostly because he wasn’t able to do much during that time. While his mind was almost a thousand years old, his little body was not. As a result, he spent most of his time asleep. He was able to crawl now, so when he was able to keep himself awake, he spent time crawling about the house and listening to conversations that his parents had, in order to learn more.

First was the language. He hadn’t thought much of it in his previous life when he had encountered the Gar’nash, though now he found it strange that, though there were some minor differences, the language that the Gar’nash spoke was the same as what the inhabitants of his previous world spoke. He was tempted to dismiss it as a mere coincidence, though when considering the fact that the Gar’nashian gods seemed to know him long before the war, he knew there was an underlying connection. He couldn’t seem to join the dots, however. The fact that the written language was entirely different from what he knew only added to the mystery.

“I’ll have to look into that in the future,” he concluded, pushing the thought into the back of his mind.

Secondly, he had found out more about his family. The Mithras family was minor nobility; his mother, Lhi’ra Mithras was an elite knight in the service of the Queen’s first legion, which was the most prestigious unit in the army, while his father, Garick Mithras was a chef. Their jobs would have been weird in Elyian society, as it didn’t conform to generic gender stereotypes, but the Gar’nashian society was a matriarchal one. Female Gar’nash were the physically stronger ones despite their smaller stature, so they typically held higher positions in society.

This was not to say that the males weren’t given a chance to rise above their station. There were many notable males in the government, the Queen’s advisor being one of them. As long as one had the ability, their gender would not be a crutch to their ambition.

Lastly, he learnt that the use of magick was not really prevalent amongst the Gar’nash, mainly because very few had the ability to manipulate mana. Even amongst those who could use magicks, it was rare to find someone who had the power to effectively match a well-trained warrior. As a result, the Gar’nash didn’t really think much of magicks, unless one was an extremely skilled mage. The most powerful mages were typically drafted into the magicks division of the Queen’s army, and were usually given minor titles of nobility as well.

“Those human sorcerers will be sorely disappointed when they find out,” he thought, giggling aloud.

His laughter drew the attention of his father, and who began making his way over. Draygor’s heart filled with warmth as he approached, and he reached out with his arms. There was lots more that he wanted to know about this world, but for now, what he wanted most was his father’s loving embrace.

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Garick had been preparing lunch in the kitchen when he heard Draygor giggle aloud. Setting down his knife, he dried his hands and made his way into the living room, bending down to lift his son up into the air. The action elicited another giggle from Draygor, and Garick grinned widely in response.

“Draygor? Wanna watch daddy cook lunch?” Garick asked, eager to show off his skills to his beloved son.

“Yeah! I wanna watch daddy cook!” was Draygor’s enthusiastic response.

Draygor had managed to speak during the 8th month of his life, which had given his parents a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t just baby talk either; he could construct full sentences. Garick fondly recalled the moment when his son had spoken his first words. The couple had been sitting in their living room with Draygor between them. He was writing down a recipe in his cookbook, while Lhi’ra had been polishing her armour when Draygor had piped up.

“I’m hungry, mama!”

The both of them had been extremely shocked, and Lhi’ra even dropped her armour onto the floor, which she would never have allowed to happen normally. Gar’nashian children normally only started speaking in their second year, and it was never in a proper sentence! They had stared incredulously at their son, while he had looked up at them with a hint of a smile upon his lips, as if he was amused by their reaction. It was a moment before Garick had spoken up to ask Draygor what he wanted to eat, after which the couple ran off to the kitchen to prepare the food, as well as to discuss what they had just witnessed. In the end, the both of them had simply concluded that their son was a genius, and Lhi’ra even began to teach him how to read from that day on.

Draygor’s little voice interrupted him from the memory. “Daddy?”

“Ah, I spaced out there for a little bit. To the kitchen!” Garick replied sheepishly, before running back to the kitchen with Draygor in his arms, causing Draygor to laugh aloud once again.

“By the way, Draygor. Do you have anything you want for your first birthday party? Oh, and keep this from your mother! It was supposed to be a secret!” Garick added playfully, giving Draygor a wink, to which Draygor gave a confused expression.

“Birthday party?”

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It was his first birthday, and Draygor was nervous. The Elyians didn’t have the tradition of celebrating birthdays, so it would be his first time experiencing anything of the sort. In addition to that, there would be other people attending as well, most notably his maternal grandparents (Garick’s parents had passed), who were visiting from their small home in the countryside. He hadn’t been exposed to other people since he had hatched, and he was nervously eager to meet them.

A commotion at the entrance of the house drew his attention. The first guests had probably arrived, and he could hear greetings being exchanged. He wondered who they were. Climbing down from the couch, he began taking small steps – that’s right, his legs could support his weight now, albeit barely – towards the doorway. He tried walking a little faster, his curiosity growing with each step, and tripped. Before he fell onto the ground, however, a pair of hands grabbed his little waist and helped him up.

“Isn’t this little Draygor? Look dear, our grandson is so cute!”

The voice was female, and she seemed to be addressing someone beside her, a male. Draygor turned to look up at the pair. The female had light pink eyes, just like his mother, while the man had orange eyes. They both had maroon scales, and their hair was greying, probably from age. The female was just a little shorter than Lhi’ra, while her partner was a little taller than Garick. He knew who they were from a glance; he could see the striking similarities to his mother.

They were his grandparents!

“Hello grandfather and grandmother!” he gleefully exclaimed, reaching out for a hug, and was rewarded by his grandmother who wrapped him in her arms.

His grandfather raised an eyebrow at his exclamation and turned to Garick, slapping him on the back as he chuckled in approval. “And here I thought you were exaggerating when you said the boy was a genius!”

They spent the next few moments fussing over him, asking him simple questions and showering him with praise when he answered them perfectly. They also showed him the many presents that they had brought along for him, and he displayed his cutest smile in return. Draygor could see that they really enjoyed spending time with him, and the feeling was mutual. He was overjoyed when he heard that they would be staying over the next few days, and looked forward to having more fun with them.

Before long, all the guests had arrived, and it was time for the food to be served. Garick had cooked the spread of dishes personally, and Draygor enjoyed them immensely as his grandmother fed him. Many of the guests had come over to where he was seated to congratulate him on his first birthday, and he left them pleasantly surprised when he thanked them politely.

One of the guests in particular caught his attention. He had spotted Lhi’ra chatting with another female out of the corner of his eye. Her conversational partner seemed to be cradling a child, and both women were taking periodical glances in his direction. Presumably, the conversation was about him, and he was proven right when his mother led the woman to him.

“Draygor, meet Dhi’na! She’s the same age as you, and she lives next door! Maybe the both of you can play together sometime,” Lhi’ra suggested, introducing not the woman, but the woman’s child to him.

The little girl was set down next to him, and she gazed at him through sleepy eyes. She had little tuft of fiery red hair atop her head, and her eyes were black in colour, the same as his. There was silence as Draygor returned her gaze with curiosity, as both mothers watched on. The girl was the first to break the silence, surprisingly.

“You look comfy…” she mumbled, before barrelling into him and wrapping her little arms around his similarly tiny waist. Within seconds, she was asleep.

Draygor was speechless, his eyes wide at the unexpected situation. He hadn’t expected her to be able to speak, much less fall asleep hugging him! He couldn’t seem to escape from her embrace though. Turning to look at his mother with desperate eyes, he found her – and the other guests – giggling with wide grins on their faces.

“I knew they’d get along! Say, have you tried my husband’s pie? It’s to die for!” Lhi’ra exclaimed victoriously, barely able to hold back her laughter as she led Dhi’na’s mother away.

He sighed as he found that his grandmother had mysteriously disappeared as well, and resigned himself to being the girl’s hug pillow. She did feel pretty warm and comfortable, he had to admit. Soon, he felt his own eyelids getting heavy as well. Conversation with the guests had tired him out, and his little body was running low on its energy reserves.

His past life sprang up in his mind again. There were so many questions still unanswered, but he figured they could wait. For now, he would cherish his family and enjoy his childhood, especially since such experiences seemed to be missing from his previous life.

With that last thought, Draygor closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

I was listening to this beautiful song when writing the bit about the lullaby, and it's been stuck in my head all day. >.For the curious, I was inspired by the Au Ra from FFXIV when thinking about the appearances of the Gar'nash.

The Gar'nash however, have longer tails and more scales covering their bodies. Their horns are also closer to the top of their heads, instead of at the side like the Au Ra.

Anyway, thanks for reading! ^^