Yesterday when I went to see Nidhogg I was surprised to find him getting up and greeting me. He rumbled and chortled and butted his snout up against me with great affection and enthusiasm. He flapped his great wings and was moving about, with little sign of soreness and pain. I took out his stitches for both wounds and rubbed clean snow on the tiny pinpricks where the stitches had been. There was no sign of swelling or infection. He willingly drank another healing potion.
It was an odd sensation I felt, one of youthful exuberance, energy and hunger. Startled, I looked about in wonder. When I warned Nidhogg about the possibility of Orcs and Ryuu attacking again, iron determination swamped me. I sternly adjured Nidhogg to hold off on flight unless he was attacked of course, but that he needed to stretch the wing he had been laying on carefully for a while before flying again as a precaution against injury. I was immediately flooded with reluctance, but he nodded his large head obediently.
I realized that Nidhogg and I were bonded, probably because of my help with his wounds and me spending time with him. I suspected he might still be bonded with Prolix, but I would check with AldebaranAnrik.
Assuring him he would fly again soon if he took good care of himself, I gave him several bloodied meat which he downed in great snaps of his jaws. I left more for him and told him to eat since he needed the protein. Though his color was good, he still looked a little more emaciated than I liked from his recent trauma. Food would help with that.
I spent a little time with him, talking to him about Tiamat and how I had been harvesting and fishing. He showed great amusement when I related my irritation over the shark attacks I had suffered when learning to fish in the past and how I shouted my defiance at the large mother shark in the river whenever I had caught any baby sharks. I told him that one must be firm with one’s enemies and though killing was necessary at times to defend oneself, it was to be avoided among sentient creatures if possible. I warned him to be careful of Fro Daddy and explained the wizard’s alliance with the Orcs. Describing Fro Daddy to him in detail, I insisted that Nidhogg be vigilant against him and leave if Fro was coming up the mountain or flying toward Edan. He was to do likewise with Ryuu and any of Ryuu’s children and soldiers. Animosity tempered with caution filled me, but again Nidhogg nodded his acquiescence.
The cold was getting to me again, making my joints stiff. Promising Nidhogg I would be back again the next day, I trudged down the path, wishing to tell others of the bond. I knew very little about how this bond between people and dragons worked and what it meant and hoped I could find out from either Ashanrai or the Grand Commander.
Heading warily into Prolix to speak with AldebaranAnrik, I was happy to find that the Commander was heading up the work on repairing Prolix. I was relieved that he was not upset or angry that Nidhogg had bonded himself to me.
After that there was no more time for conversation since the malicious Garrick, Fro Daddy and his Orcs began thier assault with intent to kill on everyone, even me and LostTear.
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