Nimetu’s Journal: Entry 2
Alright, journal time! I just realized how useful it is to be an Astheno-Snake. Even though the only one with feet is Rakkaus, I’m the only one who can hold a journal and a writing utensil without losing balance, because I can make myself fake, but working, limbs out of my rock. So, technically I sometimes have functioning arms and legs. Therefore, I can hold my journal and a quill of some sort without falling over. Rakkaus can’t use his feet for that! Being me rocks! Heh. Rocks.
Wait, the journal is about adventure, right? Let’s actually get to my last adventure. This one was…weird, to say the least. I know I wrote about ancient creatures guarding things, but I had no idea I could predict the future so well! Except, instead of guarding a secret, this creature was guarding a wish. He looked like some kind of big lizard, not quite a dragon but definitely not a gecko. We’d heard about him from some old squirrel while passing through a town. The old guy told us that the old lizard could grant wishes, but very few had been able to reach him, and those that did always left without succeeding. Things like this are the reason I love what I do. It’s the perfect quest for us! After getting directions from the squirrel, we set off for the wish-granting lizard. The way was tough, but with all of us working together, it was a breeze. Well, it still was somewhat difficult, so maybe not a breeze. Maybe a small storm? If that makes any sense? Whatever the case, we eventually made it. When we saw the lizard, he was in a weird position. It was like he was curled up in a sleeping position, but his wings (yeah, he had wings, maybe he was half-dragon?) were halfway open, and his head was lifted slightly off the ground. The thing that made it weird was that he was frozen like that. That kind of positioning usually precedes another action, like taking off. But he appeared to be stuck that way. When he heard us enter his cave, he struggled to open his eyes, like they were frozen too. He tried speaking to us, but his mouth didn’t want to budge either. Eventually he got his mouth open enough to speak, and he told us this: “I know why you have come. All who come here desire my wish, yet all fail to do what I ask, despite the favor being necessary for the wish to be given. Ages ago, my scales were about to shed. Yet, for reasons unknown to me, they stiffened and didn’t come off. They remained frozen, stuck to my body, and I have been trapped within them for such a long time. I cannot give you my wish unless I can move. Free me from this shell, and I will gladly give you what you seek.” As we all looked at him, it seemed he was telling the truth. From the look of his scales, the looked ready to peel off, but they were so close to the lizard’s body that the shedding process would be difficult to begin. For a while, we brainstormed on how to go about the task presented to us. However, Hizli had an idea that he wouldn’t let go of. Which made sense, considering his idea involved something he had never done before.
Carefully, Hizli put his head into a crack in the layer of dead scales, near the lizard’s mouth. After that, he was moving so fast I couldn’t keep up with him. We had deducted earlier that if we could at least get a bit of air between the living scales and the dead ones, then the lizard would have a much easier time shedding them completely. Hizli decided that if he could slither around in between the two layers, then that would be the quickest way to do that. We couldn’t have stopped him if we tried.
We could all see an ever-growing bubble of air forming under the scales, and the lizard seemed to be enjoying the process. I can’t really blame him. Who knows how hot it must be in there? It probably feels amazing for his scales to breathe.
I’ll be completely honest, though. I found it hard to watch what Hizli was doing. Sure, maybe it was his choice to do it. Sure, I could blame me not being able to watch on his speed. But no, the reason I couldn’t watch was because I found the process…somewhat gross. I would never try to physically get under another reptile’s scales. I mean, come on. Ew.
After a while, Hizli managed to finish his job, and he popped out near where he went in, right by the lizard’s mouth. Rakkaus told the old lizard that the scales should come off with relative ease now, and true to his word, they did! This process, the one of all the scales practically showering off in a mini explosion, was something I found miraculous. It was a spectacle to behold.
The lizard was very grateful. After stretching a bit, he walked into an opening behind him. After not too long, he came out with four little rainbow-colored rocks. I didn’t understand why he gave us fancy rocks instead of granting us wishes, so I asked him. He then told us that the rocks were the wishes. Oh, that freaking lizard would have been in a world of pain if the others hadn’t held me back. What a rip-off! Lucky for the old guy, they managed to hold me back long enough for him to explain himself. He told us that the rocks had the power to grant wishes, so they were actually more useful than simply having a wish granted immediately. These wishes you could carry around with you, and use then whenever you wanted. After hearing that, I managed to calm down. The lizard told us that we had to say his name in order for the stones to activate, so he told us his name was Nikeelo. Nikeelo gave us the four rocks, and my team gave them to me to hold. Did I mention I love being an Astheno-Snake? I put the four wishes inside a clump of my rock, and then molded the shape of my rock into the shape of a little helmet, which I then put on my head. After that, we went on our way, now equipped with four personal fail-safes should we need them. I really love my job.
Okay, wow. That was a really long description. I better make my next entries shorter, or else I’ll fill up this notebook in no time. I need to do a better job of summarizing. I didn’t even mention all the stuff that happened on the journey to the old lizard’s cave!
On that note, I really don’t know what to do with my wish. When I come up with something, I’ll probably write it here. I really love my life, my friends, and all our adventures, though. What more could I ask for?