Akash would always remember the day that he was saved. He still had nightmares about what it was like to be trapped under pounds of snow, shouting for anybody to help him. He found himself dreaming of those who kept looking at him, but looking through him. They were unable to help him, of course. They knew that if they were to stop, and land, they may never be able to make their way back into the sky. Akash didn't understand this at the time - and simply saw the fact that they seemed to know that he was there, but nobody came to his rescue. It seemed unfair that he was trapped - his very life sinking through his skin. Why would nobody help him? He was only young, and had so much that he wanted to do, and yet, nobody came to save him. Nobody except Nanulak. This was the day that the large dinosaur became his savior, an angel that had come to his rescue at the very last moment, the very second that he needed saving most.
The wind whistled in the valley surrounded by mountains. Snow had already covered a large portion of the mountains, and every so often, it became a large mass of powder, and came falling down the mountain, destroying anything in its path. It was a relatively loud evening - the bellowing of mammals, and reptiles alike filling the air, piercing through the momentary silence that fell as they caught their breath. It had been snowing for days upon days, something that wasn't uncommon during this season. However, that didn't exactly mean that any of the dinosaurs were exactly prepared for it. Many had already been killed in the snow of the last season, and herds had not yet recovered from the mass of losses that they had to deal with. Dinosaurs had been in mourning, and found themselves unprepared when the snow began earlier than usual. Food stores were low, and dinosaurs were struggling to keep themselves warm, and safe. The land was vast, and unforgiving - the snow that pelted the soil having trapped many a dinosaur, those who were unable to float across. It was a dangerous place to be, and even more dangerous for a hatchling like Akash.
Stories had been told over the years of hatchlings becoming lost in the snow, and only being found when the snow inevitably melted - to say that it was heart-breaking would have been an understatement. There was nothing more upsetting for parents than finding their young child trapped under a mass, knowing that they had struggled, knowing that there was nothing that they could do.
The small, bird-like reptile had found themselves alone, and unsure of what they were to do. The snow was unrelenting, beginning to encase him ever so slowly. He began to panic, frantically shaking off what little snow he could, having to repeat the motion multiple times even to uncover his eyes. He was becoming more scared as every moment passed - the snow was showing no signs of stopping, and he had nobody around him to pull him out of the hole that he had created. He had remembered his parents telling him that he had to move on, that the snow was beginning to get worse, and that they simply had to go. Akash hadn't wanted to leave home, he was rather comfortable there. It was close to everything, and he had spent his whole, while short, life there, with his siblings. His siblings had learned how to fly already, and thus, they were much stronger than him when it finally came to their leaving of home. His parents ignored his concerns, and left the home in the dead of the night, in fear of the snow that was to come. He remembered his wings becoming tired, he was only young, and he could only fly so far. He had only been beginning to learn how to fly the morning before - thus, he could only stay in the air for a few, short moments before plummeting down to the earth below. His parents hadn't stopped, perhaps they hadn't noticed the hatchling falling, and shouting for them. Either way, now he was alone. Either way, he didn't have to time to worry about that right now, what he needed was to find his way out of this mess, and back home. Maybe somebody else would pick him up, and take him back to his home, where it was warm, and safe.
He found himself calling for help, to anybody who could possibly hear him. His calls were to of no avail, however, as the whistling of the wind seemed to drown out even the loudest of calls. He has afraid, to say the least. To imagine that his parents had left him, knowing well that his other siblings would be able to follow after them, simply broke his heart. He was the youngest of the hatchlings, the runt of the litter, if you will. He was frightened.
He made his way onto his feet, hopping about in the snow. He was becoming cold - and even he knew that he wouldn't survive all that long in the snow, considering that he was small for his age. He could hear others of his kind above him, almost as if they were taunting him for not being able to join them in the sky. He called for them, desperately, hoping that that would be able to hear him - that somebody would tell his parents where he was, and that he was stuck. He began to think of what he would say to his parents when they finally came back. He didn't know if he would be angry, or if he would be upset, but he was sure that he would be relieved. He day-dreamed about what his siblings would say - they would have to be proud of him, of course, he would have survived something that had ended the lives of so many dinosaurs before him. All the while, the snow continued to pile around him, encasing him in an icy chasm that was sure to become his finally resting place.
Yet still, nobody came.
For what felt like hours, but could only have been minutes - he called at the top of his voice, sucking in as much air as his little lungs would allow him to. Even then, nobody came.
He became even more panic as the time went on, hopping as much as he could, even though the small muscles in his legs had begun to burn, and he felt as if he could barely stand. He was beginning to give up hope - the snow beginning to pile up around him once more. In truth, he had given up completely, understanding that there simply wasn't anything that he could do anymore - he was doomed.
Until somebody did. A huge dinosaur, much bigger than Akash, came bounding through the snow, forcing the soft powder away from it as it moved. Akash began to call even louder, begging that they hear him. Luckily for him, they did. A large dinosaur by the name of Nanulak had appeared, a savior, at last. He felt as if all hope was no longer last - and maybe, just maybe, he had a chance at survival. Akash waited until they were right in front of him, before beginning to flap his wings, harder than he had ever done before. The adrenaline had begun to set in, and Akash felt a sudden, new lease of life. He could see above the snow, and saw a future. He rose steadily, before finally being able to land himself right onto the other dinosaur's back. Safe, at long last. The other dinosaur began to make its way steadily towards its own den, an area that wasn't quite as snowy as the mountains. Akash was beyond relieved to finally be saved - having struggled so much.
The two got on extremely well - learning from each other as the years passed. Nanulak taught Akash everything that he came to know, and acted as a parental figure for the young hatchling. The two did everything together - Akash found that, after being abandoned once by his parents, he had a new anxiety of being alone. Nanulak understood this fully, and was willing to allow the younger dinosaur to be with him whenever he needed to. In essence, Nanulak raised Akash as his own - and for this, Akash is eternally grateful. Each snow-season, Akash becomes anxious once more, returning to the spot where he was certain that his life would end. Even though it didn't, every time that he returned to that spot, he became upset. He remembered everything that had happened extremely vividly, and as if it had happened simply moments prior. Nanulak always comes with him on this journey, of course, being sure to allow him to sit on his back if he needed a break.
It was a welcome change for Akash, when he was saved. He finally felt the warmth that a parent could give - a care that only Nanulak gave him. It made him feel special, more than anything, as if he were loved. And he was. Nanulak loved that boy as if he were his own - and cared for him with every fiber of his being. It made him happy to know that Akash was well-cared for, and knew that nobody could care for him as well as he did. And thus, that's exactly what he did. Nanulak made sure to teach the hatchling to fly (as best he could), to love, to care, to be responsible for his actions, to make friendships. As Akash grew up, their bond never faded, even after they would argue, even after they would say and do things that they didn't mean. The love that formed between them kept them warm into the night, and kept their souls alive. It was a bond like this that Akash had found himself needing in life.
Nanulak had given Akash a home, which was something that he came to cherish forever. A home, and warmth, and security, and safety. Akash grew up to be a large reptile, being able to make friends wherever he went. He credited Nanulak with this, of course, he always believed that Nanulak had been asking people to become his friend - which Nanulak denied, of course, he would never admit to it. He simply wanted the young boy to be happy, and by God he was. He was happier than he had ever been with his family - although he now considered Nanulak, and the herd that came with him, his "real" family. They had raised him, and taught him, and nurtured him. They were to blame for Akash's success, they were to blame for his life.
Akash made them beyond proud, and he loved to be a part of their herd, even if they did get odd stares from others, of course, they didn't look alike. The herd would migrate each year, Akash soaring above them, making sure that they stayed on the right track, keeping an eye out for danger. It was an extremely beneficial system for both of them, and less dinosaurs were lost each year, with Akash's eagle-eye keeping them all safe. Many memories were formed as Akash lived with the herd, and it made him beyond happy when new dinosaurs were brought in. He became known for teaching the babies certain things, from how to forage, to how to stand, at times. Every so often, he would bring the newest members of the herd into one of the caves, during the snow-season. He would wait until the snow began to block them in, with their parents near-by of course, and he would begin his tale. Those who knew him knew that he would sometimes exaggerate, but the new members didn't need to know that. He would amaze them, before Nanulak would come barging through the snow, to rescue them once again.