Vleskai eyed her sisters in the dim light of the candle-lit cavern; what they had proposed was unusual, to be sure. None of them had left the island in centuries. While she could admit to being curious, she had never seriously considered exploring outside their little community. There had never been a need. Everything they needed, they produced themselves; they had an extensive library of magics; it was well known that most other races found their natures to be... unsettling. "There have been interesting omens in recent months," Falssaya remarked, casually. She had the most talent for othersight, so she was usually the one who brought them news. "There are many new arrivals visiting the furred races. Our dragons have returned, and others, foreign species, are arriving as well. I think it is time we returned as well." "Returning to the lands who no longer remember that we even exist, or ever did? Will that not scare many of the people?" Galsera tried to be the voice of "reason", though, at times, she seemed to be the opposing viewpoint, just because she could. "Perhaps it is best that we remain forgotten. Most do not like being reminded that they will die, by meeting someone who will not." Nalessi, ever the optimist, disagreed. "Meeting an immortal usually gives people the desire to learn about them, not fear their own mortality. I have known many who felt sorry for the immortal ones." Nalessi was one of the oldest of them, and also one of the last to spend time away from the island, before their isolation. Raising a brow, Vleskai spoke her own mind. "I am not sure I agree with all of you, but then, I never do. I am curious why you have chosen me as the one who should go." Each of the others had approached her separately, before this meeting, and asked her the same thing: would she leave the island and explore for them? Now, with each offering a different opinion, she wondered why she had been asked by so many, when it seemed several did not actually think it was a good idea to go at all. There was a puase, as each of the others thought of their replies, and then the rasping of scales over stone caught all their attention. All of the sisters were here; and that meant only one thing. Their little meeting had caught the attention of the Zemossi. Every one of the assembled females dipped their heads as the male entered the cavern. While technically their brother, and younger than most of the sisters, this was their leader. And the last living male of their race. They may be immortal, but invulnerable, they were not, and the males were rather aggressive towards each other. There were usually only a handful in relation to the females of a clan in the first place, and territoriality tended to diminish those numbers further. His voice rasped out softly, as he bade them to resume their discussion. "Do not allow me to interrupt; I am here only to add my input to the situation. For this, I will be as one of you, not the Zemossi." Vleskai was surprised, as she raised her head to judge her brother's sincerity. She had never seen the Zemossi relinquish his authority in such a way. Usually, his will was law, but it seemed today, he was only going to suggest, not order. She waited for his input; whatever his suggestion, she would consider it strongly. Even if it was not an order, she wasn't sure she could just dismiss his wishes. Her sisters seemed as disoriented as she was by their brother's stance. For several moments, no one spoke at all. Then, a laugh, followed by the Zemossi's rasping voice once more. "I see I have startled you all into silence for once. I may have to try this more often, if that is what it takes to quiet your gossip! Relax, sisters, today I am but your brother. I like this idea that we go out and see how the world has changed. I think we may have stayed too long isolated on our island. We are beginning to grow stagnant, and that is unfortunate. We can live forever; what use is that if we do nothing with it?" Xalasqa grinned. "And here we thought once we had decided to go, and who was going, we would have to petition for permission! Since we obviously have the Zemossi's approval, what do you say, Vleskai? Will you scout the way for us? I know I would like to go someday, but I do agree that there should be a first, to feel out opinion. You are the best choice, I think." As most of the others nodded their agreement, Vleskai knew she would be the first naga to leave the island in centuries. There was no way she could pass up the opportunity, even if she had yet to understand why they felt she was the best choice for the job. Finally, she smiled. "I guess I will be leaving then. Is there any particular time I should go? And anywhere specific I should head first?" She aimed this question at Falssaya, who probably knew quite a bit more than she had let on. Her abilities were strong, even if she kept many of her visions to herself. The older naga closed her eyes, concentrating for a few moments. Now that the issue had been decided, most of the others left the cavern for other tasks. After a few moments, Falssaya nodded and opened her eyes. "Oddly, you're not going to either the island kingdom or the continent, yet. My vision showed you far away, not even on our world. I see a large mountain complex, but not much else. This is where I see you first. Then at least one more stop before you come back to our world. A Star City, where you will meet some of our world's wanderers, before you come home." The older female motioned to one of the sisters who had not left in pursuit of other chores. "Tenmala will send you to the first place, but you will have to arrange transport from there to your next destination. From what I saw, that shall not be overly difficult, as the two places are well acquainted with each other. The furred wanderers will help you get home from there." Vleskai considered Falssaya's words for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then, I shall prepare for the journey. I will not be long, as I am sure these places have amenities for visitors, and I will not need to bring much. But, since I have no idea what sorts of foods they have, I will bring a bit of my own, in case it takes time to find some that suits." She turned to Tenmala. "Is one hour sufficient time? I know the transport spells can take time to prepare." Tenmala nodded. "One hour is ample time. I will await you on the beach outside the western cave." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Just over an hour later, Vleskai found herself halfway up a huge mountain. Wondering about the spot Falssaya and Tenmala had chosen to leave her, she studied the area. Far above, there was a heavy snowcap covering the peak, but here, near the middle, it was obviously volcanic. An interesting combination, if the mountain was truly large enough for the volcanic activity to have such a limited effect on the frozen peak above. As she examined the area, she noted several cave-like vents nearby, and thought about the little Falssaya had told her to expect. A mountain complex, she'd said. Vleskai moved towards one of the vents; a complex implied residence by someone, and since she saw little on the surrounding slopes, she assumed they must live inside the mountain. Hopefully, Tenmala wouldn't have sent her to a point overly far from her objective, or else this may be a very short journey, with an unpleasant end. As she entered the chosen cave, her own abilities woke, and began to pull her in a specific direction. Unsure what exactly had awakened her gift (her fire-based magicks usually didn't respond to volcanic forces), she followed the pull.

Continued