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Another cryptic message, another meeting place, and Keke was so excited about the prospect of seeing his interesting friend again that he decided he couldn't wait and came very early to their meeting place.

Realizing just how early he was, Keke had tried to wait productively. By now, he had done all of his patience exercizes and waiting chores: he had dug out a firepit – with some magic to make sure it was a good firepit. He had collected some wood and carefully – with some messups – built a good fire setup. He had found some traded cloth and had set some of it around the fire for an extra comfortable place to sleep that wasn't dirt or hard stone. He'd smoothed them out and sat there, admiring them, for a few hours. Now all that remained was to actually start the fire in preparation for Xenosa's arrival.

It was very hard to do that with claws. He muttered frustratedly in dragonic as he tried to rub two sticks together in the way he had seen his father do, hoping to produce smoke, or embers, or sparks. No luck. “Oh, feathers.” he grumbled, as the sticks tumbled from his awkward talons. Well, that was fine, right? She could start it herself. When she arrived. Keke made a little whining sound in the back of his throat. It felt rude to have her do that – the mountains were his home, which made her his guest, which – according to what he knew of Magescian manners – made him responsible for taking care of her. Or something. And, despite it making absolutely no sense, he felt a little bad for not managing the fire.

And then, suddenly, it came to him. “Oh!” he exclaimed. It was so obvious, he didn't know why he hadn't thought about it before. “How silly of me!” he tromped into the rocky lands nearby and dug out some flint, cleaning it with his magic. “This was the obvious answer! Why work with wood when I have...” he hit two pieces of flint together experimentally, “sparks?!” He tapped the flint until the tinder beneath his construction caught. “Murr!” he cheered, happily, as the flame grew and grew until it was a full-fledged, crackling beacon, burning merrily in its firepit.

Pleased and expectant, he sat near the fire, and proceeded to wait. She should be here. Soon...

“No no!” he reassured her, “I was early.” He beamed at her as she inspected and complemented his fire, marveling at how her wings could so easily be unsummoned. He was proud of his efforts to make the fire, and prouder still at her appreciation. “I wanted to see if I could do it...” he tilted a wing invitingly at one of the clothen 'rugs' he'd set out, “But you're...” he checked the sun, “Right on time!”

He was practically vibrating with anticipation – Xenosa was such a fascinating friend, and he looked forward to another adventure with her. “So – are we hunting again, this time?” he asked, excitedly, “Or is it something else?”

Keke tilted his head, leaning in curiously. A present? For him? What could it be? The excitement alone was present enough, but what was inside...

“You brought me dragon souls!” he exclaimed, nudging the orbs around so he could get a better look. Ysali... Ayrala... Aiskala... Kiandri... Firani... he could feel the vibrant magic swirling around within them, longing to be free. He could taste the different magics, indescribable flavors just beyond the reach of his senses. Reverently, he nudged them back into their pouch and, with careful teeth, pulled the drawstring shut. “Thank you!” he said, picking the pouch up gently – he assumed this was part of the gift – and set it in a safe place in the campsite, where he wouldn't forget it later. He purred, rumbling deeply as he set the pouch down. “That is a spectacular gift... Thank you so much!” He was finally making himself a proper collection of dragon souls, with more to come since they were hunting more dragons.

“I wish...” he paused thoughtfully for a moment, still purring, “That I had something to give you, too.” Oh well, he'd just have to find something later.

Keke grinned, his face twisted into an expression of pure dragonic joy. “Oh my!” he managed, his tail wiggling happily, “You truly are generous, Xenosa.” He wondered if he could be spoiled from all the dragon orbs. They truly were prestigious gifts, and he wondered why she was so willing to give them to him. He wouldn't be surprised if she just had a hoarde of them, and this was a mere fraction. She certainly seemed the type to have slain a lot of dragons.

“Yes!” he said excitedly. He wouldn't have been able to sleep at this rate. Between the gifts and the promise of more to come, he was too energized to rest. “I'm ready! Shall we go?”

“All right! This way!”

Keke was at least as good as a hunting hound as he tracked the feel of the Gaili's magic over the mountains. Better, because he knew the area well and, moreover, he could feel it's changes in the depths of his soul.

But, ultimately, he was just as exuberant, bounding across the stones with enthusiasm, barely managing not to yip in excitement.

He slowed to a trot, and then to a walk. “There's one just above us!” he whispered, looking up at a cantilevered rocky overhang that shaded them from the dragon's prying eyes, “And more on the next ledge – a whole family!” he cocked his head, as if listening. He was listening, but not entirely with his ears.

“With hatchlings too, I think!”

Oh, how exciting! A chance to see dragon hatchlings in their nest...

Keke climbed up the ledge and balanced on a precarious hiding spot behind a rock, crouching in wait as Xenosa moved into position. It was better than waiting on the ledge below – here he could see the situation as it unfolded and react accordingly, and he could easily drop down if he needed to.

As Xenosa killed the dragon with ease and began her flight away, Kekeovonnai dashed out and grabbed the orbs. He skidded, changed direction, and began yet another frantic gallop through the mountains, the dragons hot on his tail. It was close this time, too close, as one of the smaller-bodied specimens followed him despite his twists and turns and canyon dodges. Still, he kept running, even when his muscles burned with exertion and his mouth ached with the orbs's mass. Finally, though, he thought he managed to shake them, running until he finally could stop, gasping, by the edge of the river near the campsite.

He dove behind an outcropping of rock as a shadow suddenly crossed the sky, covering himself with a coating of magicked sand as he hid from the potential dragon...

Keke hid as quietly as he could, staying as still as possible to avoid detection... until he heard his name. Some of the magicked sand fell off of his smooth scales as he instinctively twitched, responding to his name. He managed, just barely, to not look around at the source – what if it was some kind of trick?

But that was silly. Dragons did not trick, not like that. They would not know his name, and they wouldn't be able to mimic Xenosa's voice, which it very definitely was.

Therefore, Keke did not need to hide. He stepped out from behind the rock, shaking off his cloaking sand with a mighty flourish before trotting over to Xenosa, orbs in mouth. He spat them out onto the ground, pleased.

“There you are!” He nosed at her, briefly, before settling in. He didn't smell blood on her that wasn't dragon blood, and she seemed to be moving all right. He stretched, yawning. “Well, that was fun, wasn't it?!” he commented, looking up at her, his tail wiggling in the dust.