| Chapter 5:

| As was becoming the norm, Eric was a bit confused at the meaning of Geff’s words of departure, but then it would take a while to get used to this place and its ways. He rose from his chair, and looked towards Rothar. Well - seems I’ve gotten myself into a war now! Oh well, might as well get cleaned up for the night. I guess a shower is out of the question… wonder if they at least have bathes?

| As if reading his mind, Rothar clapped his hands together “Alright Eric McColm, we must ready ourselves for sleep. I have a washbasin at the back corner of the cover. We have a root called Dailnish that well help to strip the day’s grime from you. Water is scarce enough that we should share it though.”

| Eric nodded, suddenly feeling very exposed and self-conscious. There were no rooms in the cover - just one large one, which meant his washing would not be very private. He looked down at his clothes, suddenly realizing that there were no clean ones to change into here. “Oh oh… I’m going to need some clothing to wear in this place, I don’t suppose you have a mall here?” Rothar just stared at him with a funny look. Oh sure, now I make a joke and it gets no laugh. Oh well.

| Rothar raised a claw to his chin, tapping lightly. “We shall have to see Naffit for that. He is a gifted leather craftsman, and could make you some things to wear - cooler and more suited to Sioleth than what you arrived in.” He began to remove the leather straps about him, while heading for the washbasin. The loincloth slipped off last, revealing a more of the muscular Zagoran. The shape was male, at least in terms of the muscles, but was more female in terms of its perfect curvature.

| Eric starred a moment, admiring it. Agh…what am I doing! He turned his back and waiting, hearing the sounds of a cloth dripping into the water as Rothar began to wash for the night.

| Getting up a bit of lather with the Dailnish root, Rothar began washing his face and chest, glad to get the dust of the long day off of him. He looked up, after rinsing his face of the lather, and found Eric standing with his back to him. “Is there something wrong Eric?”

| The human spoke, turning his head only slightly. “ I … ah… didn’t want to offend you by watching since you’re, err, naked.” He stood, motionless, still not looking.

| Rothar scratched his head lightly. What a peculiar species these humans are. “Eric, why would you think I would be offended to have you see me as I am?”

| Eric at least turned around, but kept his eyes down from where Rothar bathed. “Maybe for you, but where I come from, people don’t usually see others naked, unless it’s your family when you’re young, or maybe your mate.”

| Chucking softly, Rothar continued to wash up, wetting his lower half, then lathering. “Everyone of us is born without clothing, and little as I know of your world, I’m quite sure you didn’t come out fully clothed either.” Rothar began rinsing off his pelvic area and upper legs. “We where clothing mostly to protect us, define a tribe position, or serve a purpose, such as carrying a sword. That is the only use clothes have, really.”

| Slowly, Eric raised his gaze upwards. “I suppose that’s true. Not all human’s are like me, but then it depends where you come from.” There sat Rothar, lathering up one of his claves and foot. Taken a back a moment with the scene, Eric said nothing, only watched.

| “There, not so bad, is it?” Rothar laughed and continued. Eric only nodded in response, and watched with fixation as Rothar lathered up one of his feet. He worked the tiny suds between each toe, and around the base of each claw, finishing with the sole and heel. He finished the first one, placed it on the floor to steady himself and lifted the second foot into place for a scrubbing.

| After a moment, Eric stopped starring, worried again that his constant gazing might inspire Rothar to ask why, not to mention that he really didn’t want to strip when aroused for fear of the surge embarrassing questions that would surely follow! He looked at the rest of Rothar’s body, noting more of the differences from his own. Rothar had no genitals, or at least not visible ones. The front of him seemed to trail off smoothly from stomach to legs, as it would on a woman. There was no belly button either. I wonder they hatch from eggs like other lizards? Weird - almost like a creature I’d expect to see on a movie or something. Rothar stood, and took a larger cloth to dry himself with. Eric decided to be bold, and ask Rothar a rather private question. “Um Rothar… I would like to ask you a private sort of question about your body… just because I don’t quite understand, I mean.”

| The human looked notably uneasy in asking. Strange… a question of one’s physical form isn’t exactly private, Rothar thought. He seems to be having more trouble asking than I would explaining whatever he’s wondering! “You can ask me questions too Eric, I don’t mind answering them for you, and there’s especially nothing wrong if it’s a question of anatomy!” Rothar set the towel down and stood waiting for the human’s question, letting Eric view his openly.

| Still feeling uneasy with the openness of the Zagoran way, Eric asked “I was just wondering, um, exactly where are your… your sexual organs. I mean, if you have any. I mean, well of course you have them, after all, you couldn’t reproduce if you didn’t! Oh… I mean, I didn’t mean to say that you didn’t, I’m just…”

| Rothar chuckled and held up a clawed hand to silence and comfort Eric. “Eric, please relax, that was not a question for which to be so reserved and ashamed. The means by which to pleasure your partner, and more so, to have young are sacred, not shameful.” Rothar pointed to an oval of thicker than normal scales just below his belly. “One is here, contained within until it is needed. It is called the Klish, and is used to enter the other, the Klishna. He pointed between his legs to indicate the position of the other.”

| “Ah… I see, um… thanks. They’re, ah, pretty much in the same place as humans then, just more concealed.” Eric was quite sure he was red in the face now for having asked such a thing. Man, this is so strange!

| Rothar offered Eric a closer look, if he wanted, before his own washing. Eric politely declined, though part of him was actually temped to take the big lizard up on his offer for some reason. Eric began to unlace his boots. They were heavily treaded boots, as was his style preference, but they seemed a bad choice for his new home. He’d have to do something about that when he could. The rest of his clothes were just jeans, a long sleeve shirt, boxers, a belt, his socks, and a watch.

| Rothar watched as layer after layer were removed from the human. Again, he wondered how harsh the climate must have been in Eric’s realm to warrant so much clothing. Or perhaps it was the human’s bashful nature that made them dress up with so much cover. The human’s body was thin, and lacked muscle in comparison to Rothar or any of his tribe. He could see a little hair, particularly around Eric’s genitals, which like other furry creatures he had seen, hung outside of his body.

| Eric felt horribly self-conscious, knowing that Rothar would likely be examining him in the same way he had studied the big lizard. He took the cloth and began wetting his face and chest. He set the cloth back in the basin and picked up the Dailnish root. It smelled a bit like the natural soaps his mother had always gotten when he still lived with his parents, before university. Suddenly, he felt very alone - realizing that he would likely never see his family again. Without being aware of it, his washing had stopped, as he was frozen in his saddened thoughts.

| Rothar had been preparing his bed, as well as trying to find the thickest fur pelts to prepare a bed for Eric as well. He looked up, and saw Eric not moving; a distant look in his eyes. “Eric? Are you all right? Eric?”

| Eric jerked his head around to look at Rothar. “What?”

| “Are you alright? Rothar’s cyan gaze had a genuine look of concern.

| “Oh… I’m sorry, I thinking about my family - the root reminded me of the soap my mother used to get for us to wash with.” He began lathering up his chest, arms and shoulders. Dipping the cloth into the basin, he rinsed the tiny suds away, now thinking of his friends back home.

| “Your Family… oh Eric, I had not even thought to ask you of them. Were you still with them in their cover?” Rothar stood and went over to the basin, standing near Eric, who seemed to become more shy at the Zagoran's approach. “I’m sorry again, I will stand away if I am too close for your comfort.” He began to back away.

| “Arg… It’s okay Rothar, I need to get over my self-consciousness if I’m to be here anyway.” He rinsed off his chest and arms, then quickly cleaned off his face. “I didn’t live with them anymore. I’d been on my own for a little while, but I still visited them from time to time.” He began to lather up his pelvis and upper legs, choosing the stand to make it bit easier. “I suppose there’s a lot of people I won’t see again. It just makes me sad, and a bit lonely to think about it.”

| The differences in the human form were intriguing. Rothar noted that each foot had five toes, each of diminishing size, and there were no claws on them, just a dull hardened nail. Humans obviously didn’t rely on their bodies much for combat - they looked far too delicate! Rothar cleared his intrigue from his mind momentarily. “I don’t know if there’s a way to get back to Canada for you Eric. Each time a gate is opened, the energy that comes from it is different, and I don’t know if it would place you back at the same point as you were taken.”

| Eric began scrubbing his feet, nearly finished his washing. “That’s alright Rothar, I wasn’t asking if I could go back - maybe you’re right, this could be a strange destiny for me. Besides, I’m not sure I want to risk popping out in another part of my world - not all of it’s as friendly as Canada.” He switched to his other leg and foot.

| “Really? Humans don’t have a common cause that unites them? Do you have disagreements with other tribes?” Rothar’s pale eyes had that burning inquisitive look in them again. “Wait… I forget myself again, we should leave questions for other days - there will be plenty to learn of each others worlds, I imagine.” He motioned near his bed, where he had made a second pile of pelts for Eric to sleep on. He was still unclothed, as it was how most Zagorans slept.

| Eric stood and took the larger cloth to dry himself off. “Thank you Rothar - I’m… I’m glad I ended up here for the night. You’ve been very kind, when you could have killed me or cast me out in the bush somewhere.” Eric slipped his boxers back on, still feeling a bit self-conscious.

| Rothar smiled “Not all of us think as harshly as Massic or the other seasoned warriors. Besides, there is much to learn from one another. I am already honoured to know you, Eric McColm.”

| Eric thanked him for the compliment, and with that, both retired to their beds and put an end to a long, and very eventful day.

***

| Eric’s dreams that night were of his new home. He was walking out in the bush, armed with a sword like those the Zagoran’s carried. He was no longer in his regular clothing, but dressed more like Rothar. He held his sword at the ready, hunting… or was it being hunted? Something didn’t feel right at all. The screech that erupted from the bush beside him chilled him to the bone. He wheeled around to meet his attacker, too late to counter, and was thrown to the ground with the force of its rush. The creature knocked the sword from his hand, breaking the blade in half with a terrifying roar.

| Eric lay there, stunned, looking up at the creature. Scaled and shiny black, it stood around 10 feet tall with small wings and claws at every joint. It looked like a dragon to Eric, and growled down at him with a glowing red stare. Hethren… oh god. The Hethren attacker lifted a huge black foot and slammed it down on Eric; he could feel his ribs ready to crack under the creature’s weight. It hulled itself up, all its weight on Eric’s chest, and brought its clawed toes down on Eric’s face with its other foot, cutting off what little air he had left to him and leaving a lingering sense of their powerful scent in his nose. The claws were pressing into his forehead, breaking the skin, and all started to go black.

| As sudden as it had happened, the weight was gone, only the pain remained. Eric sat up, and looked about, head spinning. There stood Rothar, his sword dripping fresh blood, and the Hethren lie beside him, it’s head cut neatly off. “I did not know you could walk the dream realm as I can. Be careful here, Eric McColm, for a death here is as real as any other realm.” Rothar turned and trotted off, and the dream abruptly ended.

| Eric woke with a start, and looked over to Rothar, who was still sleeping. What the hell was that!? He could still feel the pain, smell the Hethren’s toes on his face. It was real somehow… he saved me. Eric reached up and touched his forehead - nothing. At least it had not scarred him in this realm. He lay back down, and turned to look at Rothar. He had pulled a fur pelt over his upper body, but his wonderful feet were exposed for Eric to marvel at. Now clean and free of dust, they were even more wonderful to look at. Again, he started the feel his excitement grow below the fur pelt. Rothar’s feet and even the thought of the Hethren in his dream were strangely arousing. He reached over and grabbed his shirt from the clothes pile near by. Quietly as he could, he gave in to his urge, staring at Rothar’s wonderful feet all the while. He lay there afterwards, for a long time, just staring, until he drifted back to sleep. No dreams came, only numbness, until morning arrived.

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