He was finally getting used to the food around here. And the clothes, the bed, the smells, and just about everything else. His brain was probably back to its primal, pre-technology dopamine levels. Not constantly being bombarded with brain rotting, sensational clips, porn, or urban noise pollution.

  The stupid, attention-span destroying clips, he did not miss. The porn on the other hand… That demon within him would always miss that. It didn’t help that he hadn’t had sex in the past five months because his supposed ‘wife’ Lucy would not sleep with him, and nor would Khorjin, who he was supposed to take. He couldn’t marry her until he knew the Sarugani tongue, but he was the patriarch of her family all the same. Either way, he’d had a horrible case of blue balls more often than not, and getting a tiny bit of privacy to rub one out was near impossible around here.

  As they sat around for their breakfast, Julian finished off his fermented goat’s milk, something else he’d finally gotten used to, and said to Khorjin, “Archa olo gor?” which, to his understanding, meant: May I have some more?

  The kids’ eyes widened, looking at him as though he’d discovered fire. Khorjin’s face remained stoic, but there was a strange look on her face. Fascination or worry? He couldn’t quite tell, but in any case, she didn’t seem pleased. He wondered why that was. Not that it mattered. She said something back quite fast, which he couldn’t quite make out but assumed meant “Yes,” because she took his bowl and filled it with more milk.

  Lucy also looked at him strangely as she dined on the dried yoghurt kurds, which she seemed to have developed a taste for these past few months. “You can understand them now?”

  “Not really,” Julian said as he took another sip of fermented milk. “But I’ve picked up some words. Maybe it's because I’m the Arahkin; I can learn faster.”

  “I hope that's the reason.” She sipped some water. “They talk too fast, and it sounds like gibberish. I don’t even know ‘yes’ yet.”

  The kids’ excitement only seemed to grow the more Julian spoke now, and they kept trying to speak to him, mumbling what seemed a hundred different words at the same time. He laughed. “Slow down, slow down.” He took one of the empty bowls and pointed to it, saying, “What is this?” He kept pointing at the bowl.

  The elder of Khorjin’s sons realised his meaning. “Khukam!” the boy exclaimed with a beaming smile on his face.

  “Khu-kam,” Julian repeated, nodding.

  The younger son started laughing louder, high-pitched and cheerful, then pointed to his nose. “Zorat! Zorat!”

  Now Julian was laughing, and he caught Lucy smirking to the side. “Not so fast,” he said, trying to calm himself down. After gulping down a bite of boiled lamb, he patted his chest, pointing to himself. “Julian.” He nodded. Then he pointed to Lucy, saying her name slowly for them.

  “Loo-see,” the younger of the sons replied, giggling at her. “Loosee, Loosee!”

  “Joo-liyan,” the older son replied, smiling as he slightly bowed his head, then he pointed to himself. “Temur.”

  So, that’s his name… “Temur…” Julian repeated, butchering the pronunciation, but the elder son smiled all the same. It’s about time they became acquainted. Julian had been putting food on their plates long enough.

  He pointed to the younger and said, “And you? What’s your name?” They couldn’t understand his words, though given the topic of discussion, the boy understood well enough.

  “Ardan!” he said, jumping up and down until Khorjin calmed him. “Ardan!”

  “Ardan.” Julian nodded and let the young lad settle down. Then he looked to Khorjin and slowly said her name, needing no introduction.

  She glanced up, meeting his gaze with her cold feline eyes. Khorjin did not laugh like her children, nor did she even smile. She looked still, dead almost, and went back to eating her meal. She hates me, Julian thought, now feeling awkward. It was a bridge he would have to mend, but how?

  After that, for the better part of the day, Julian tried to catch some fish in the wide, winding river the tribe always camped at. They had moved up and down it over the past five months, but never strayed too far from it. He’d found a new appreciation for rivers and understood now why so many civilizations started on their banks. In a land of no running water, no one could easily bathe, wash clothes and dishes, or hydrate themselves. And they were a convenient source of food, although this river never yielded many big fish such as salmon like the rivers Julian had fished at back home. He normally caught smaller fish, if any at all, and understood after a while why the Sarugani preferred to hunt game in the forests.

  Still, fishing had become a nice, relaxing pastime for him. He sat quietly on the banks of the rushing river with his fishing spear, watching for a silvery shimmer to glint under the waters. When he caught a glimpse of a fish, he’d thrust the spear. He missed more often than not but by the evening had managed to skewer a few.

  After he brought the fish back, Orkhun Targan rode to the center of the small little village and raised his voice. While Julian’s understanding was still patchy, he vaguely understood the targan saying, “We’re moving out. Gather your belongings and prepare the herds. We march to the great Targashar!” Then he pointed to Julian. “You too, Arahkin. Make your preparations.”

  The shaman Batzir rushed to grab his hand and translate for him, but Julian waved him off, replying in the Sarugani tongue, “I understand.”

  The great big targan, perched atop his black horse, smiled and let out a small chuckle. “Very good, Arahkin. Let us not waste a moment more!”

  And with that order, the village burst into action, rapidly disassembling their homes to get on the move. The men, without paying much heed to Julian, went off ahead of the village, leaving only a few to guard the women and children while they packed up their gers.

  At his own ger, Khorjin had already begun untying the thick ropes that held the felt covering in place. Lucy sort of watched awkwardly. Funny, it reminded Julian of his own time training at Sterling and Crowe under Lucy’s guidance. Only then she was showing him what to dash into a spreadsheet while he himself stood dumbfounded. It was quite satisfying to see it the other way around.

  The wind caught at the edges of the fabric, causing it to billow like a restless sail. Khorjin muttered commands to Lucy as she gestured to the wooden lattice frame beneath. But her words fell on deaf ears.

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  “Dalui kan,” Khorjin said, pointing to a section of the ger’s wooden supports. Her jade serpentine eyes flicked between the ger and Lucy, who just stood there looking at it like an idiot.

  Lucy shrugged. “What do you want me to do?” She clutched the edge of her thin woolen coat tighter as the wind tugged at her ginger braids that slipped through her leather fur lined hat. “Ugh! I can’t understand you!”

  “Dalui!” Khorjin snapped, her patience at an end. She began yelling so fast that Julian couldn’t make out what she was saying.

  Lucy crouched awkwardly, fumbling with the ropes. The knots, hardened from long exposure to cold winds and rain, refused to yield under her slender, meek fingers. “I can’t do this!” she wailed, looking like she was about to cry.

  Julian winced as Lucy, on the verge of tears, yanked at the stubborn rope, only to stumble backward when it refused to budge, nearly falling on her ass. He stepped forward, crouching beside her. “Let me.” He brushed her hands away and grabbed the knot, his fingers straining as he untied the stubborn rope.

  “See?” Julian said, shooting her a cheeky grin. “You just need a bit of technique.”

  Lucy folded her arms, blowing a wisp of hair from her face. “You dismantle it then!”

  Khorjin watched him while taking down the heavier, central logs that held the center of the ger up. Julian rushed over, moving to help her with a log. “Let me take that,” he said in butchered Sarugani.

  She frowned, not letting go of the log. “Sarugani men do not help with this,” she said with a scornful venom.

  But Julian insisted, snatching the heavy beam out of her hands. “I’m not Sarugani.” And he himself took the rest of the heavier beams down while Khorjin folded sections of felt to load them onto a waiting cart. Khorjin’s demeanor softened a little as she realised how willing Julian was to help, though she said nothing.

  By the time the ger was half-dismantled, Julian’s back ached, and the coarse rope had rung his hands raw. But, for the first time, he caught a glimpse of approval in Khorjin’s gaze. Even Lucy was more enthusiastic about finishing up with some of the easier tasks.

  “You’re not so bad at this, you know?” Lucy said, taking a drink of water as the two took a brief break. “You’re finally useful for something!”

  He lightly smacked her shoulder. “You can talk. All you’ve done is complain most of the time we’ve been here.”

  The two laughed. Most of the gers had been dismantled by now with the village all nearly ready to move. The sounds of footsteps muffled by the grass sounded behind him, and he turned to see Tulgutai walking towards him as a group of men guided some herd animals further down.

  “Arahkin has become a woman now,” he said, letting out a hearty laugh. “You can’t wage war by dismantling gers, boy.”

  Julian glared at him. In his best Sarugani, he replied saying, “They needed my help,” before turning away.

  Tulgutai snorted. “The men scout the route ahead, hunt for the journey, and protect the herd animals. Do not shirk your duties for easy tasks.”

  He frowned. “I’ll do whatever is required of me.”

  Tulgutai snorted, shaking his head, then returned to his men. He said something, and they all laughed, but Julian couldn’t make out what it was. He just shook his head and averted his gaze from them. He may have said something back, but he feared that Tulgutai would simply beat the shit out of him again. I’ll get you back one day, just you wait.

  “What did he say?” Lucy asked, looking over at the group of nomads now walking down the path.

  “Just what a fine job I’m doing,” Julian muttered, then took her hand. “Come on, let’s get a break from this lot before we have to move out.”

  They walked up a grassy hill as Khorjin packed the rest of the ger in the waiting cart. Temur helped as much as he could, and Ardan mainly pranced around being a nuisance, but most of the heavy labour had been done.

  They sat on the soft grass beneath. A cold wind lashed at them. Beyond lied the endless plain of the Sarugani steppe in all its beauty. Miles and miles of grass and hills stretching as far as the eye could see to the mountains further beyond. A land raw and untouched in perfect harmony with nature.

  “I’d kill for a cig right now,” Lucy said, watching the plains as the wind tugged at her thick braids.

  “They were gone long ago,” Julian said, thinking the same. “Maybe tobacco plants grow somewhere in this world?”

  “I bloody hope so.” She laughed. “Thank you for the help today, by the way. I… I really appreciated that. Khorjin can be difficult sometimes, and it's worse when I don’t know what she’s saying.”

  “I’ll help you learn the language if you want,” Julian said. “I’m picking it up pretty fast, now.” Maybe it was the Arahka spirit within him. But Julian was also a polyglot. He could speak French by the time he was five years old. He knew polyglots tended to be able to learn languages faster.

  “It’s not just that, it’s…” She sighed, leaning back. “I just miss home, you know? I miss my parents, my friends, my siblings. I miss going for a drink on a saturday night, dancing to loud music, and going on holiday. I miss dating and having flings. This is just… The work never ends. It’s like you're always on the brink of starvation unless you keep moving, keep working.”

  “Is that so different from our old world?” Julian said, but he noticed the glint of tears in Lucy’s eyes. “Sorry, I’m being insensitive. I guess in my case I don’t really miss my parents. It’s horrible to admit, but I don’t. I never got anything but insults and vulgar language from them. And friends, well. I don’t know. I haven’t had friends since I finished high school.”

  “Really?” Lucy said, surprised. “You always seemed quiet, but I didn’t take you for one of those weird reclusive types. Not even any girlfriends?”

  “I haven’t had a girlfriend in five years, and even the one I did have, I’m not sure I’d even call it a relationship.” Charlotte she was called. Quite pretty, not stunning like Lucy was, but easy on the eyes all the same. They were always on and off, and he was sure she was with other men in their “off” times whenever they’d had some argument or had to take a “break.” Not that Julian cared. She was never that interesting to him, and he always preferred to stay at home playing on his computer or reading his books or painting with his models after she’d milked him dry for the day. Some relationship that is… He was never a romantic.

  “Wow,” she said, her jaw almost hanging to the ground.

  Julian laughed. “Are you really so surprised?” If anything, it was a little flattering.

  “Well, yeah…” Lucy looked away, fiddling with the grass between her fingers. “You’re not bad looking at all.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” Julian said, now looking down, ripping some of the grass out himself. “I always had a bit of a crush on you, you know?”

  “Well, you did ask me out.” Her cheeks went a little rosy, and he now noticed her freckles were far more prominent without all her makeup on.

  “You’re very beautiful,” he said, now looking into her stunning jade eyes. “Really, the look of a tribal woman suits you, with your fur coats and braids.”

  She just laughed. “Well, I’m pleased you think so, because I feel like a scruff. I probably smell like a wet dog, too. I’d kill for a bath bomb and some shampoo.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter if everyone else around you smells like a wet dog, too.”

  They both laughed, and for a brief, lingering moment, Julian felt something spark between them. He almost thought she’d kiss him there and then, until something in the distant sky stole both of their attention.

  There, almost like a spec, a shadow soared amidst the vast azure sky. Its tail cut across the heavens like a trailing comet. For a moment, it circled lazily, its wings barely visible from so far, yet he could just catch them cutting through the air with effortless grace. It roared so loud they could faintly hear it echo across the steppe. Then, with a sudden dive, it folded up its wings and descended past the horizon, its image lingering in his imagination like a faint dream.

  “Holy shit!” Lucy gasped, shooting to her feet. “Julian, was that… was—”

  “A dragon,” he finished for her.