Completed The Aftermath of Death is Life and New Friendship

[Tazrae]

Timestamp: 20th of Fall, 520 A.V.

The giant lizard was a problem. Tazrae handled problems, but often her sort of problems had solutions she could visualize. This problem had no such background in her mind. If a roof leaked, you patched the hole. If someone was sick, you’d get them to a healer. If you didn’t understand something, you studied it. She’d never heard of anyone with a riding lizard nor had she heard of anyone just coming across one in the jungle at the scene of a battle still alive. She couldn’t leave it to be eaten, nor could she set it free in case it was dangerous to The Settlement. Currently, she had it tethered to a laundry post that held a laundry line outside The Protea. She wasn’t sure what else to do with it. Studying it intently, Tazrae finally decided she’d take its tack off, go through the packs on it behind the saddle, and see if it needed any kind of grooming. The woman had no idea what the creature ate, but she did leave a pail of water near it close enough for it to drink out of.

It was watchful of her as she approached, but like in the trek through the jungle, it made no move to attack. She touched its soft scaley side and ran her hands along the tack. The saddle was a simple deep seated thing that seemed to lock the rider in place. It had curving sides that held ones thighs close to the animal. Its stirrups had covers that allowed the brush to drag over the riders toes. There was a thick breast collar and two cinches that held it up on the animals back just behind its shoulders.

Tazrae calmly unfastened the golden leather breast collar and folded it back over the saddle. Then she quickly released one cinch after the other, folding the lengths up and over the saddle. The saddle itself, resting on a thick fleece pad, needed a good cleaning. Various packs attached to the back of the saddle including what looked like a bedroll. She pulled them free as she pulled the saddle free, then took a rag she dipped in oil and began rubbing the creatures skin.

The lizard all but moaned in pleasure. It seemed relieved to be free of the saddle which it had worn for far too long if Tazrae guessed right. And the cloth rag roamed over the lizard’s scales, oiling them up with grease from her kitchen. It was the best Tazrae could do. But she felt, after a few swipes of the cloth, that it was working at least as a temporary measure. The creature did scare her once as it lifted its back leg and scratched at a rough patch of scales under its belly where the forward cinch had rubbed. But it hadn’t given her a vicious look at all. Instead it seemed almost apologetic as it scratched like a dog.

[Tazrae]

Tazrae set the saddle aside, and knelt in the sand. She slowly began to open the saddlebags and go through them. There was a compass, assorted medical supplies, travel rations, coin, and an odd backpack folded at the bottom of one bag. She took the backpack out and opened it. It contained… far more than she would have guessed.

There were a variety of weapons, a rolled cloth containing a rod that gleamed, and finally a jewelry box at the bottom that held a necklace. Tazrae looked thoughtful and glanced through the rest of the gear. There was also a quiver that was bound to the side of the saddle, but no sign of a bow. Taz set all the gear aside but picked up the rod. She studied it, rubbing it gently in the soft light. It hummed with power and looked old to her. It was carved with runes that glowed when she touched it. Finding the thing beautiful, she lifted it in her hand just as the lizard sneezed. The sneezed caused her to jump, uncertain if the sudden bunching of the lizard’s muscles were for an attack or something else.

As she jumped, she brought the rod up as if she could use it to defend herself instinctually. A burst of pure power erupted from the rod, spilling over the lizard and causing the animal to freeze. It hissed in fear, rolled its eyes, and tried to pull itself free of its tether. Tazrae dropped the rod which shimmered in a blue-green light and vanished. The Innkeeper shook her hand as if she’d just gotten stung and lifted her eyes to the lizard.

It was blinking at her curiously, and opening its mouth repeatedly as if it could spit out its bit that anchored the bridle to its face.

“Take this off.” It said softly, shaking its head as if to rid itself of the hated thing. The sound of its voice shocked Tazrae. It was lyrical, feminine, and intelligent. “Take this off…” It asked again.

Tazrae nodded, trying not to think about the fact the lizard just talked to her. She rose from her pile of loot and walked around to the creature’s head. She studied how the bridle was fitted and carefully began to remove buckles until she was able to pull it off around it’s horned head. There was a nameplate on the bridle. She read it as she pulled the bridle free, releasing its mouth from the bit. “Bree.” She read in common, slightly surprised.

“Is your name Bree?” She asked thoughtfully, cautiously, wondering if the creature would speak again.

“Yes… Breedenzia. Bree is fine. I… where is my rider? Is he dead?” The thing asked cautiously, uncertain.

“I do not know. There were so many dead. There was a battle. Can you tell me what happened?” She asked, thoughtfully, wondering what the lizard was and what it had been doing out there.

“That was a bad place. A place where evil was camped and ready to attack. My rider and I with our scout group came upon them. We knew this new settlement was here. We were going to talk to the people in charge and let them know we existed. We were going to trade. Food, information, friendship.” Bree said thoughtfully. She blinked, shook her head, and hissed slightly. Tazrae had the bridle free and took a step back when she did that.

“I don’t mean to scare you. I was … it was like my mind was focused on food, sleep, and your good scratches until you hit me with that magic. My head…. Hurts. Its full of thoughts now.” Bree admitted, then shook her head again.

[Tazrae]

“Can you oil a patch of itchy skin beneath my leg? That felt so good.” The lizard said, lifting her foreleg and indeed revealing a patch of skin that was rough. Tazrae obediently grabbed the oily towel and began working it into the lizard’s skin carefully. The lizard groaned in pleasure.

“Everyone there was dead. I’m sorry. I took you with us because I was afraid what had killed the others and their riders would be back and kill you. I’ve never seen anything like you.” Tazrae admitted, grunting with the effort to work the oil into the skin under the creatures leg.

“I’m a jungle Ixam. That was my pack and their riders. I know most of them were dead. My rider fell early. We usually lead and face the most danger. Sorry I itch… I’m about to shed again. I’m not yet full grown.” She added. “We live out in the jungle. Free. But that which attacked us was new. They were people but obscured. They had magic and were skilled with weapons and magic.” Bree said, her voice soft.

“I have no rider now. I must choose another. You will do well.” Bree said, then bumped the top of her head on Tazrae’s chest. Taz immediately reached out and touched her jaw, scratching it. “You are the right size, smaller than my first rider, and kinder too I think.” She said gently, then gave a lizardy grin. “Plus, you walk terribly through the dense brush. You could really use an Ixam… especially one of my kind. We can take to the bigger trees and never touch the ground. It is a far safer way to travel.” The Ixam declared.

Tazrae looked thoughtful. “Do I have a choice? I mean, I have no idea how to take care of you. I don’t know what you eat, what you need to sleep comfortably, and what makes you sick or if you get sick how to heal you.” She added, her voice worried. “Plus I have a dog… he’s still sleeping… but he’s likely to get offended if I spend all my time with a lizard.” She added.

“I like dogs. My rider had many of them. Good for hunting. I already know how to take care of myself, so you don’t have too. I like to sleep soaking in water so a pond around here would do. I like swimming in the ocean. I can hunt down my own meals, though I love fruits so if you grow them here show me where. There’s very little you actually have to do but keep me company and go riding once in a while.” Bree insisted.

Tazrae nodded. “Alright then. Besides, it seems you need someone to groom you and at least oil you once in a while. It’s a deal…. I’ll keep you and be your rider. But I want to be friends too. Do you know what that is?” She added, asking carefully. Bree hissed again, and Taz started to see she only hissed at strong emotion; both good and bad.

“We will have to see. Time is something that reveals friendship or only tolerance. I tolerated my last rider. Maybe with you, we can be friends.” She said softly. Tazrae nodded. She could only agree with the Ixam, for nothing in life had taught her differently.

[Tazrae]

“We’ll give it time.” Tazrae said, stepping closer and rubbing her hand above the creature’s eye and giving it a good scratch. Bree trilled and her tail whipped back and forth in pleasure. Tazrae could tell it was something she liked. “If you can feed yourself, that’s great. But tell me what you like to eat.” She added, knowing that it would be helpful if the creature could admit what it loved.

“Fish, birds, frogs… anything really. I like meat. I’ll eat fruit and greens occasionally and some bugs, but really I want meat all the time.” The Ixam said thoughtfully, just about the time her stomach growled. “You don’t have anything like that around at the moment do you?” She asked, hungry now that the woman was talking about food.

“I have pork if you like pig. I can carve you off a rump roast or something.” Tazrae offered. The Ixam looked thoughtful, licked her own sharp teeth with a wet tongue in a deep blue color and nodded. “That would be fine, thank you. I can hunt later after a good rest. That battle took a lot out of me.” She said thoughtfully, and settled down now that Tazrae had offered her food.

The Innkeeper nodded, gathered up the tack and bags, and carried them up the deck steps to the proper full deck itself. She dumped them by a chair so she could clean them later, and went to pull the pork out of her icebox in order to feed the Ixam. She ended up hacking off a large rump roast – still cold from the ice chest – and walked back out to where the lizard lay sprawled. It was the picture of relaxation.

She offered the roast. Bree took the entire roast by rearing up on her hind legs, sitting down like a dog, and holding the roast to begin to chew it. “It’s cold!” She exclaimed, but not in a way that was angry only pleased. “How refreshing.” She added, as if wanting not to offend the Innkeeper. Tazrae smiled in response.

“I’m glad you like it. You can come hunting with me next time. With you, I can carry larger loads… and bring more meat back. I keep it on a block of ice to keep it from spoiling too fast. That’s why its chilled.” She added, explaining the situation to the Ixam.

“What is this place anyhow? It is too big for one person’s home.” The Ixam mused.

“It’s an Inn. That’s the term for a place where visitors can come to stay and be safe. They eat a couple of meals here … breakfast and dinner. And rent rooms a day at a time so if they are just visiting, they have a place to stay. Many people come here to see the jungle now… it is very different. No one came when Syka was just being settled… but tourism is a thing now. I care for them… I am the Innkeeper. If you decide to stay, you’ll need to be nice to them as well.” Tazrae added, gesturing at the rooms in the L shaped building. “The faces will change a lot, but they all tend to act the same way. They are all in awe of the scenery. And if you stay, please don’t eat the songbirds that feed off the feeders out front. The guests love seeing the birds.” She added.

[Tazrae]

Bree shook her head. “I like the bigger fare. Turkey, fowl, parrots, vultures are a favorite, and some of the big birds up in the trees. They never see me coming. I’m a very clever Ixam.” Bree bragged, then flopped over on her back having finished the pork rump. She thrashed about, scratching herself in the sand before she rose, shook like a dog, and ended up following Tazrae back to the deck. She didn’t climb on the deck, but Tazrae did. She sat in the seat where the harness was piled, and Bree stuck her head through the rails to rest it on the side table.

“I have a dog too, Creature is his name. He’s barely a pup. And I have chickens here. Those are also not food, along with the guests.” Tazrae said firmly. “We need them for eggs and other things. Please respect that and we’ll get along fabulously.” The Innkeeper instructed, smiling at the lizard as she went and got a polishing rag and some leather cleaner. She also let Creech out where he was locked in her room. He rampaged across the deck, barking loudly, and then let himself down onto the sandy beach to go find a place to relieve himself in the tall seagrass. Bree watched curiously.

“He’s a loud thing, isn’t he?” She commented dryly.

Tazrae laughed. “Aren’t all dogs?” She added.

Bree snorted. “Men too. I’m glad you are a woman. Since I cracked my egg I’ve wanted to have a female rider. We’ll make a good fit.” She said as if just now deciding that all on her own. Creech returned then to give Bree a good sniff which made Tazrae grin. He seemed to take the Ixam lounging around The Protea in stride, perhaps because Tazrae didn’t seem that upset by it.

She leaned back, dipped her rag in the leather cleaner, and started on Bree’s bridle. As she cleaned it, she glanced at the Ixam. “Are you really going to need this now that you are …. Changed?” Tazrae asked.

Bree shook her head. “It’s good to clean it and put it away clean. I will continue to need the saddle though. Make sure you do a good job on that and the strapping, where I sweat. It will keep you seated as I climb trees. So you want to make sure it's in good condition. The dead man…. My last rider… was not known for being clean. It is good to see you doing a nice job on those.” Bree said, snorting.

Taz reached over and scratched Bree’s eyelid. The lizard snorted, settled even more comfortably, even as Creech brought a toy up for her to throw. She threw it a few more times until he offered it to Bree and the Ixam tossed it for him. Once that happened, Tazrae relaxed. Everything was going to be okay, Intelligent Ixam or not. She smiled then, set the now-clean bridle aside, and began to work on the girths and breast collar for the saddle. She had a few bells before she even remotely had to think about dinner at the Protea and what she’d feed her returning guests who were all out seeing the city.

Word Count: 2781

[Tazrae]

Tazrae-

Observation +5xp, Logic +1xp, Animal Husbandry +5xp, Investigation +3xp, Interrogation +3xp, Socialization +3xp, Cleaning +1xp, Negotiation +1xp, Teaching +2xp

Bree – Jungle Ixam, Ixam: What they eat, Ixam: How to oil skin, Ixam: Appearance & Mannerism, Ixam: Diet & Habits, Bree: Not full-grown, Bree: Picked Taz As A New Rider, Teaching: Teaching An Ixam, Animal Husbandry: Untacking An Ixam, Cleaning: Cleaning Ixam Tack