Undiscovered Territory
CHAPTER ONE: Things Unhidden
Dende watched as his village elder swung his oddly-shaped stick and hit a tiny ball a fair distance ahead. It was another one of those Earth games, the one that many of the adults had taken quite a liking to, called golf. His elder in particular had enjoyed it, thus suggesting that there be several courses made here on New Nameksei. He received little argument. Resistance came mostly from the more headstrong warrior types, and a few other elders who were concerned that the Nameks were losing their own culture in favour of more Earthlike habits.
But Dende wasn't sure that he minded very much. After spending two years (or about eight months in Earthling time) on that planet, he couldn't help but think that going back to his old way of life was a trifle boring. That was his problem, and it was a shameful one, indeed. He should have been grateful that things were back to normal. But he was not. And he had finally decided to speak to his elder for advice.
He hated to disturb, but this had been living inside him for far too long. And so he jogged to catch up with his elder, who had begun to walk to the place where his ball had landed. "Elder Muuri!"
The older Namek stopped, and turned to reveal a somewhat pudgy and wrinkled dark-olive face. "Oh, Dende. I hadn't seen you, there," he said with a kind smile. That smile quickly reversed into a concerned frown, however. "What is troubling you, my child?"
"Well . . ." Dende began uncertainly, suddenly unsure of whether or not this was actually a good idea. What would Elder Muuri think of him for being so ungrateful? But he had already bothered to start, and so to leave it unfinished would be most rude. "I . . . I've just been so unhappy lately, Elder. With . . . with things just being normal. I truly am sorry . . ."
"Now, now, Dende, there is no need for apologies." Elder Muuri patted him gently on the shoulder. "Come along with me and we shall talk."
Dende fell into step, having to move his small legs quickly to keep pace with his elder's longer stride. "It just seems so wrong to feel this way. To not enjoy the peace . . ."
"You've been through much excitement in your young life, Dende." A little sadly, Elder Muuri bowed his head. "All of us have."
Solemnly, Dende remained silent, remembering the horror of Frieza, the monster who had terrorized and then destroyed Old Nameksei. Never had his people come face to face with something so completely, supremely evil.
Elder Muuri sighed, and then continued, "For some of us, it has made us more appreciative of the peace, aware now that it can be fleeting. But for others, mostly for the warriors and yet also, apparently, for you . . . it has caused restlessness. An inability to enjoy long periods of peace and few responsibilities."
They both stopped, having reached the ball. Dende watched calmly, his mind absorbing the words, as the elder took another swing. The words did make sense, in an odd sort of way, but were not much of a comfort.
"I wish I had better advice to impart to you, my child," Elder Muuri said. "But I am afraid that all I can counsel you to do is find a way to keep yourself busy. Perhaps . . ." A smirk tweaked the old Namek's lips. " . . . you might like to take up golfing?"
The attempt at a joke failed to make Dende smile. He merely stared at Elder Muuri with a bland expression on his face. It truly was little help. He had been hoping for more, though he had not really expected it.
"Yes . . ." Elder Muuri cleared his throat. "I think I saw Scargo a short while ago, gathering up some of the village children to play a game of hide and seek. Why not join them? I am sure that would be a good way for you to pass a little time."
Well, that was better than nothing, Dende supposed. He bowed respectfully. "I will. Thank you very much for your time and advice, Elder Muuri."
"No thanks are necessary, Dende. Run along, now."
Dende obeyed, as he truly had nothing better to do. The occasional game was all well and good, but a game could in no way solve his problems. They represented something wrong deep inside him, he was sure, but as of yet, he could not think of how to deal with them. He would have to before long; otherwise, he would go mad.
After all, he couldn't just play hide and seek for the rest of his life, could he?
* * *
"Fifty-seven . . . Fifty-eight . . . Fifty-nine . . . Sixty." Dende lifted his face from his hands and opened his eyes. Naturally, Scargo and the four other children that he had gathered were well out of sight. More than likely outside the village limits, in the vast countryside.
Dende hopped into the air, effortlessly cushioning himself upon his ki. He scanned the area, trying to decide which way would likely yield the locations of his playmates. Most of the landscape around the village was flat, with a few rolling hills and the infrequent bluff. Not many good spots for hiding. The eastern distance looked promising, however, with small forests and canyons, high rock pillars and undoubtedly at least a few caves.
So eastward he flew, though in no great hurry. A part of him wanted to prolong this game, merely out of a selfish desire to keep himself occupied. His idle mind was something that he wished to avoid. After all, that's when he started thinking about . . .
He shook his head; there he went again, daydreaming. Shoving all non game- related thoughts out of his head, he concentrated once more on the search.
* * *
Giggling, he pushed a leaf out of his face. He loved the trees, and there were so few wide expanses of them in the world. Quite the shame, in his opinion; they were very beautiful and all around neat-looking things. He had always thought so. How could anyone not?
Open fields and such were pretty and all that, but forests always seemed so magical, if sometimes dark. Something about a tall trunk, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, covered leaves sprouting from widespread branches was so innately appealing, even awe-inspiring. The shade, the darkness, didn't bother him very much. He wasn't afraid of them, like the other children and a fair number of the adults. He hadn't even been very scared back on that planet (called "Earth", or something like that) when he, as well as the rest of his people, had experienced the strange phenomenon of "night" for the first time. Truly, he hadn't been. He would always insist that, though nobody seemed to believe him.
Scargo shifted on the branch, being slightly uncomfortable; he plucked his long red vest from a twig that it had managed to snag as he moved. He'd picked a particularly tall tree in which to hide, so that he could easily see either down below or up above to check if Dende was close to finding him; his older brother had always been pretty good at this game, so he expected to see him shortly. And when he did, he would be able to move to another spot and continue hiding. Yes, he was going to win this time.
A rustle sounded in the distance below him, far enough away that he would not see what made it for several minutes. Was it merely some animal native to this little forest, or could it possibly be Dende? He rather hoped for it to be the latter; trying to outwit his brother was always fun.
Scargo waited silently, an eager smile stretching his lips. Excitement pooled in his belly, sending rivers of that same feeling through the rest of his body. Any moment now, he was sure of it . . .
"Scargo," said a voice behind him, and he jumped in fright. He slipped off the branch, but managed to catch it with one hand. Sighing with relief, he looked up to see who had startled him so. He smiled wryly at what his eyes showed him.
"Oh. Hello, Dende." And there his brother stood, in the very centre of the tree, from where all the branches fanned out, and there was an almost amused look on his face. That must indeed have been an animal which he had heard shuffling along below him.
"You really should stop hiding in the trees, you know. You never pick any other spots."
"I'll try and remember that for next time," Scargo agreed, as the branch began to creak, and a crack formed near its base. "Could you help me up?"
"No problem." Dende nodded, and carefully stepped onto the branch. The rustling beneath them grew louder, closer.
Scargo reached up his free arm as Dende knelt beside his hand. He waited patiently for his older brother to pull him up, but the action did not come. Instead, Dende had seemingly forgotten all about him, and was staring wide-eyed at the ground. Puzzled, Scargo followed his gaze --
-- and nearly choked. What stood below them were no animals. They were men of some sort, though unlike any Scargo had seen before save for one detail: the armour. Broad chest plates sectioned off at different parts of the frontal anatomy, wide shoulder guards . . . Seeing these brought back memories of crippling terror. Of a searing agony which had begun on his back as he'd tried to run. Of the nothingness that followed it.
"Dende, " he whispered, somehow mustering the courage to speak. "Aren't those . . ."
The branch broke.
CHAPTER ONE: Things Unhidden
Dende watched as his village elder swung his oddly-shaped stick and hit a tiny ball a fair distance ahead. It was another one of those Earth games, the one that many of the adults had taken quite a liking to, called golf. His elder in particular had enjoyed it, thus suggesting that there be several courses made here on New Nameksei. He received little argument. Resistance came mostly from the more headstrong warrior types, and a few other elders who were concerned that the Nameks were losing their own culture in favour of more Earthlike habits.
But Dende wasn't sure that he minded very much. After spending two years (or about eight months in Earthling time) on that planet, he couldn't help but think that going back to his old way of life was a trifle boring. That was his problem, and it was a shameful one, indeed. He should have been grateful that things were back to normal. But he was not. And he had finally decided to speak to his elder for advice.
He hated to disturb, but this had been living inside him for far too long. And so he jogged to catch up with his elder, who had begun to walk to the place where his ball had landed. "Elder Muuri!"
The older Namek stopped, and turned to reveal a somewhat pudgy and wrinkled dark-olive face. "Oh, Dende. I hadn't seen you, there," he said with a kind smile. That smile quickly reversed into a concerned frown, however. "What is troubling you, my child?"
"Well . . ." Dende began uncertainly, suddenly unsure of whether or not this was actually a good idea. What would Elder Muuri think of him for being so ungrateful? But he had already bothered to start, and so to leave it unfinished would be most rude. "I . . . I've just been so unhappy lately, Elder. With . . . with things just being normal. I truly am sorry . . ."
"Now, now, Dende, there is no need for apologies." Elder Muuri patted him gently on the shoulder. "Come along with me and we shall talk."
Dende fell into step, having to move his small legs quickly to keep pace with his elder's longer stride. "It just seems so wrong to feel this way. To not enjoy the peace . . ."
"You've been through much excitement in your young life, Dende." A little sadly, Elder Muuri bowed his head. "All of us have."
Solemnly, Dende remained silent, remembering the horror of Frieza, the monster who had terrorized and then destroyed Old Nameksei. Never had his people come face to face with something so completely, supremely evil.
Elder Muuri sighed, and then continued, "For some of us, it has made us more appreciative of the peace, aware now that it can be fleeting. But for others, mostly for the warriors and yet also, apparently, for you . . . it has caused restlessness. An inability to enjoy long periods of peace and few responsibilities."
They both stopped, having reached the ball. Dende watched calmly, his mind absorbing the words, as the elder took another swing. The words did make sense, in an odd sort of way, but were not much of a comfort.
"I wish I had better advice to impart to you, my child," Elder Muuri said. "But I am afraid that all I can counsel you to do is find a way to keep yourself busy. Perhaps . . ." A smirk tweaked the old Namek's lips. " . . . you might like to take up golfing?"
The attempt at a joke failed to make Dende smile. He merely stared at Elder Muuri with a bland expression on his face. It truly was little help. He had been hoping for more, though he had not really expected it.
"Yes . . ." Elder Muuri cleared his throat. "I think I saw Scargo a short while ago, gathering up some of the village children to play a game of hide and seek. Why not join them? I am sure that would be a good way for you to pass a little time."
Well, that was better than nothing, Dende supposed. He bowed respectfully. "I will. Thank you very much for your time and advice, Elder Muuri."
"No thanks are necessary, Dende. Run along, now."
Dende obeyed, as he truly had nothing better to do. The occasional game was all well and good, but a game could in no way solve his problems. They represented something wrong deep inside him, he was sure, but as of yet, he could not think of how to deal with them. He would have to before long; otherwise, he would go mad.
After all, he couldn't just play hide and seek for the rest of his life, could he?
* * *
"Fifty-seven . . . Fifty-eight . . . Fifty-nine . . . Sixty." Dende lifted his face from his hands and opened his eyes. Naturally, Scargo and the four other children that he had gathered were well out of sight. More than likely outside the village limits, in the vast countryside.
Dende hopped into the air, effortlessly cushioning himself upon his ki. He scanned the area, trying to decide which way would likely yield the locations of his playmates. Most of the landscape around the village was flat, with a few rolling hills and the infrequent bluff. Not many good spots for hiding. The eastern distance looked promising, however, with small forests and canyons, high rock pillars and undoubtedly at least a few caves.
So eastward he flew, though in no great hurry. A part of him wanted to prolong this game, merely out of a selfish desire to keep himself occupied. His idle mind was something that he wished to avoid. After all, that's when he started thinking about . . .
He shook his head; there he went again, daydreaming. Shoving all non game- related thoughts out of his head, he concentrated once more on the search.
* * *
Giggling, he pushed a leaf out of his face. He loved the trees, and there were so few wide expanses of them in the world. Quite the shame, in his opinion; they were very beautiful and all around neat-looking things. He had always thought so. How could anyone not?
Open fields and such were pretty and all that, but forests always seemed so magical, if sometimes dark. Something about a tall trunk, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, covered leaves sprouting from widespread branches was so innately appealing, even awe-inspiring. The shade, the darkness, didn't bother him very much. He wasn't afraid of them, like the other children and a fair number of the adults. He hadn't even been very scared back on that planet (called "Earth", or something like that) when he, as well as the rest of his people, had experienced the strange phenomenon of "night" for the first time. Truly, he hadn't been. He would always insist that, though nobody seemed to believe him.
Scargo shifted on the branch, being slightly uncomfortable; he plucked his long red vest from a twig that it had managed to snag as he moved. He'd picked a particularly tall tree in which to hide, so that he could easily see either down below or up above to check if Dende was close to finding him; his older brother had always been pretty good at this game, so he expected to see him shortly. And when he did, he would be able to move to another spot and continue hiding. Yes, he was going to win this time.
A rustle sounded in the distance below him, far enough away that he would not see what made it for several minutes. Was it merely some animal native to this little forest, or could it possibly be Dende? He rather hoped for it to be the latter; trying to outwit his brother was always fun.
Scargo waited silently, an eager smile stretching his lips. Excitement pooled in his belly, sending rivers of that same feeling through the rest of his body. Any moment now, he was sure of it . . .
"Scargo," said a voice behind him, and he jumped in fright. He slipped off the branch, but managed to catch it with one hand. Sighing with relief, he looked up to see who had startled him so. He smiled wryly at what his eyes showed him.
"Oh. Hello, Dende." And there his brother stood, in the very centre of the tree, from where all the branches fanned out, and there was an almost amused look on his face. That must indeed have been an animal which he had heard shuffling along below him.
"You really should stop hiding in the trees, you know. You never pick any other spots."
"I'll try and remember that for next time," Scargo agreed, as the branch began to creak, and a crack formed near its base. "Could you help me up?"
"No problem." Dende nodded, and carefully stepped onto the branch. The rustling beneath them grew louder, closer.
Scargo reached up his free arm as Dende knelt beside his hand. He waited patiently for his older brother to pull him up, but the action did not come. Instead, Dende had seemingly forgotten all about him, and was staring wide-eyed at the ground. Puzzled, Scargo followed his gaze --
-- and nearly choked. What stood below them were no animals. They were men of some sort, though unlike any Scargo had seen before save for one detail: the armour. Broad chest plates sectioned off at different parts of the frontal anatomy, wide shoulder guards . . . Seeing these brought back memories of crippling terror. Of a searing agony which had begun on his back as he'd tried to run. Of the nothingness that followed it.
"Dende, " he whispered, somehow mustering the courage to speak. "Aren't those . . ."
The branch broke.