Chapter 8: Towards The Veldt ---------------------------- It had been two days since Mog and Gau had left Jidoor, on the trail again. Two days of arguing, reminiscing, and catching up had covered almost everything that could be covered, and Mog had found himself in the difficult position of explaining various aspects of Moogle society and language. Admittedly, Gau was a good student, but Mog wasn't exactly a superlative teacher, possessing neither the patience or the vocabulary to fully explain things. After a two hour session of trying to convey the full range of meanings "kupo" held, Mog was about ready to run Gau through with his lance. "NO NO NO! Look, just don't worry about it, kupo. You humans can't hear quite the range we moogles do, and the portion that carries most of the inflection happens to be in that area you can't hear. Understand?" Gau sighed, and threw up his hands. "Ok, ok, Mog. Gau sor... um, I'm sorry. I'm just curious, you know?" "Yes, I understand. I'm curious about humans too, one of the reasons I joined up after you guys rescued me from that thief back in Narshe so long ago. Remember, kupo?" "Yeah, I remember. I can't believe Locke even joked about grabbing the hairpin relic instead of saving you. That would have been real heroic, huh?" "Oh yes, very heroic. Look, it's late, and I want to get back on the road tomorrow, alright?" Mog was starting to get the familiar feeling of sasquatches sitting on his eyelids, and wanted nothing more than to crawl under some covers and catch some sleep. Gau nodded in assent, and went over to Mocho-Ko to bed her down for the night. Scratching her mottled feathers again, he checked her talons for rocks or other detritus caught between the toes, then patted her on the side for a few seconds. Mocha-Ko chirruped softly in appreciation at this human who seemed to understand what she needed, and then lay down obediently. Gau watched as the chocobo tucked her head under her wing, then went to his own bedroll. As he lay down, the day finally caught up to him, and once again, a noise like a buffalax being chainsawed echoed through the woods, until a well-placed stone from Mog silenced him. * * * Gau turned and tossed, as the morning sun began to peek over the mountains, casting dappled patterns of faint light through the awakening forest. Morning mist gently wandered across the campsite, heedless of the young man's tortured dreams. Images of Dee, blades, a hostile figure slashing at her, and ultimately, two more advancing upon her in the cave ripped through his mind, until at last a critical point was reached. "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MUST SAVE... DEE!" Mog awoke to an inhumanly loud scream tearing at his furred ears, and leapt to his feet, immediately ready for action. Expecting a fight, he grabbed hurriedly for his lance as he frantically looked around for the opponent or opponents, as well as Gau's location. Finally, he saw Gau standing beside his bedroll, every muscle stretched taught across his lean frame, mouthing something to himself. "Gau, you alright? Kupo, man, what's with that scream?" Gau finally started to come back to reality, the horrid vision slipping across his mind one last time, leaving him with a sense of foreboding and disaster. Glancing around at the shattered tranquility of the campsite, Mog wide-eyed with concern, Mocha-Ko poised as if to regain the flight abilities her ancestors had shed millenia ago, he realized what a scene he had been making, and began to feel a little foolish. Then he remembered the dreams again, and started to shudder. "Come on, Gau, wake up, kupo. You're starting to worry me here!" Finally, Gau made up his mind. "Mog, I'm really sorry about this, but I have to go. Dee's in danger, I think, and I need to go to her. I know you probably think I'm crazy, but I had one of those weird dreams again, and I don't want to take the chance that it's for real." Mog took a second to digest this, then realized Gau meant to go it alone. "Couldn't you take me with you? You might need some help, you know." "No, Mog, I can travel faster and farther on my own." "Plus, you would have to abandon Mocha-Ko. I don't know if I'll be able to return or not, and you should go on with your plans. Again, I'm sorry, it's been good seeing you again, but I can't spare any more time. Take care, Mog. I'll miss you." Gau reached down and picked up his shield, the archaic glyph embedded in the center gleaming in the early morning light. Shouldering it, and fastening his cloak, he walked over to Mog, and knelt before him. Mog embraced his young friend, praying this wouldn't be the last time he saw him on this side. "Ok, Gau, I believe you. I'll miss you too, and be careful, kupo." Gau stepped back, adrenaline, fear, and regret coursing through him in equal portions. Triggering one of the most fearsome rages, and the fastest, Gau let the vast and malevolent mind of the Doom Dragon engulf his own. The young man floated into the air, as a monstrous golden form shimmered into being around him. Mog gaped at the impossibly large leviathan appearing in front of him, then grabbed Mocho-Ko's reins as the speckled chocobo started to rear and panic. Still growing, the beast regarded him with ancient eyes, full of dark wisdom and hostility, until at last the mighty form uncoiled, smashing the surounding trees like kindling. Then as Mog watched, Gau visibly reasserted himself, the eyes shedding some of the hostile gleam and taking on a more human appearance. As much as was possible for the great wyrm, it grinned, a slight twitching at the edge of its maw. With a deafening cry of farewell, Gau/Doom Dragon launched itself into the sky, tearing through the morning mists. Circling once to gain its bearings, the ancient harbinger of death oriented itself on a Northeasterly course, and began his journey. Then, as others across countless worlds and times untold have done, and shall continue to do so in the future, Gau went forth to protect his beloved.