Ling had his eyes closed, feeling that he was dreaming about his travel on the sea again. Not the recent one but the one when he was still five, first time travelling at sea, disturbed about thoughts on dragons.
He was swaying with the movement of the boat, the current strong because of the intense wind the crew encountered. Shouts from above deck was disturbing the little boy's thoughts and making him remember his seasickness. Was there also a dragon outside, influencing the weather? How is Maga doing back in the village?
Awrooo~
Suddenly, Ling heard a familiar cry. The storm outside became more intense. The waves crashing on the sides of the ship, making it tilt almost at a sixty-degree from side to side. But wasn't Maga back at the village? This looked like a different dream now.
The groan from the boy was soothed by the recognizable life 'mist' coming from his pocket. Soon, he could see the vast forest where he could run freely. Nearby was what he called home for almost thirteen years.
When he was back at his small village that time, he was still happy together with Maga and their friends. They have enough food to eat from their hunt, delicious from Rin's cooking. How were their friends now? Was Rin still mad at him?
Later, a fishy and humid smell reached Ling's nose, his face twitching from the sudden remembrance of reality. He had already left his home to go on an adventure, facing problems along with Maga.
From what he could recall from a while ago, he was fighting in a secluded alley in the market, farther from the sea. Where was Maga taking him now? How was he able to carry him with the dragon's injuries? He should stop him from moving or his wounds might worsen.
Before he opened his eyes, however, he realized that the back of the one carrying him was broad, but still not as wide as his friend's. Beside his ear, a tickling feeling kept brushing as the wind blew or the figure swayed, but Maga was supposed to be hairless. Then, he felt the cloth under him instead of the leathery texture of his friend's body.
These differences startled Ling but he could not move his body away from the stranger. Consequently, his groan and slight movement made the other aware that he was awake.
"Oh, Ling, you're awake?" asked the voice beside his ear. However, Ling still could not see who was carrying him since he was riding on the man's back. He also could not sense if the man's 'mist' was familiar since he was shielded properly. Why does this suspucious man knew him?
Fortunately, the man kept talking, acting as if he really knew Ling. "You really grew these past few years. I didn't recognize you at first. You've gotten heavier too. And now, I can't carry you on my shoulders anymore."
Little by little, Ling remembered what happened after his fight with the four tough looking men in the market. There was someone who got him out of the suffocating 'haze' left from his fight and from what he gleaned from his face for a short second, the man seemed familiar to him, the graying, wavy unbound hair, slightly crooked nose and dark complexion.
"Uncle?"
The quiet mumble was heard by the man, and a laugh was his first answer. "You actually didn't recognize me? I thought you already knew since you called me uncle earlier. But I'm not even that old to be called an uncle," the man said, acting exasperated.
Without waiting for the still tired boy in his back to answer, the man actually apologized, "It was my actors who hurt you and I'm sorry for that. It seems I haven't disciplined them enough so I'll give them more work later. But to actually fight all of them off, you sure have gotten even stronger, huh. I left those men in the market and I'll ask other to get them to return later to do more work. Let's see if they will still try to bully someone after I finished with them. I picked up your gem too and put it in your pocket so don't worry."
"Maga?"
"What was that? You kept saying that name while you were asleep. Is it your companion in your adventure or are you separated from your family again? Don't worry. You'll see him too once you have your energy back to go looking."
"No!" The sudden movement from the boy made the man stop walking. Ling remembered his worries. "Maga was hurt and hungry too."
Suddenly, the boy's stomach also grumbled, making the man smile. "Ok, but you can't move now, even to guide us where Maga is so let us know where to get your friend and I'll have some of my people get him too."
Reassured, Ling stopped struggling but he was still worried, "I have to go too. Maga would not trust anybody else to get him. Uncle, please go faster."
"Okay." And the man continued walking faster as the boy commanded.
"Anyway, where are we going? Uncle, have you left you're troupe again?"
"Of course not. Where did you get that bad impression about me?! Well, I haven't told you yet but our troupe is now staying in this part of Kanan Island so I am taking you to our camp."
Soon, noises from the port reached Ling's ears. Calls from other men made him hunch lower behind the man's back, suddenly afraid of encountering untrustworthy people again.
"Mayari, where did you go? I thought you were going to find Kisig and his group."
"What do we do about tonight's performance? I heard Tala was mad at Wagub again, refusing to take the lead role."
"I heard Inggi was bragging about taking the role again."
However, Mayari just waved to these men clamoring for his attention and entered the big tent beside the port. Even inside the tent, men and women kept calling for the Sikat troupe's owner, sometimes a greeting, most of the time a question.
When they finally reached a door to a room, Mayari did not knock which made the woman inside jump, surprised. Before the woman could scold Mayari however, they heard the growling behind the man.
Ling was still feeling weak but he was worried about Maga so he wanted to ask Mayari to move faster. It made him irritated that they were almost stopped by a lot of people. When it finally seemed like they already reached their destination, the aroma from the room made him remember his other urgent need before getting Maga.
"Why, aren't you Ling?" The surprised voice made Ling reluctantly take away his gaze from the food on the nearby table.
"Sister Tala!" The boy was happy to see this person. From his experience outside his small village since his first time going out, it was this sister whom he felt the safest with.
"It really is you! Why are you always hungry whenever me meet?" Her question was answered this time by another growl of the boy's stomach.
"Okay, let's eat first while you explain to me what was going on here."
"Yes. I'm hungry too."
That garnered a glare from Tala. "Get your own! There's not enough for you too! Come here, Ling." And she snatched the boy from man's back, then walked to the table, ignoring the gaping man.