The morning sun shone brightly. Al' Kaar stood facing the sky, waving towards the three argons flying towards Mar'tack City. The man smiled happily, knowing his mission had been successful.

Al' Kaar looked at the tent they had used to rest in the previous night and sighed. He hadn't liked setting up and taking down the tent; it had been quite bothersome but effective in keeping out the cold desert air.

The three male argons had felt comfortable inside the tent and had decided to visit Mar'tack City to experience having a permanent home.

Al' Kaar pouted his lips and then whistled, humming the only song he knew. He had released the tent's poles and fabric, neatened them, and headed towards Kamal, who had been waiting.

"We'll reunite with Rilka," Al'Kaar said, sounding cheerful. He had successfully convinced three male argons to join, and, of course, it would be easier to bring back a female argon.

However, Kamal was not impressed. The female camel snorted disdainfully and turned away.

Al' Kaar ignored his mount's reaction. He jumped up and started urging Kamal at a moderate pace. "Come on, let's go. We shouldn't let that girl find a mate before we arrive."

Unfortunately, as if testing her master's patience, Kamal walked slower than usual, but Al' Kaar didn't force his mount. He had just completed a mission and felt content.

A little relaxation hadn't been a bad thing.

Al' Kaar predicted that he and his loyal camel would arrive at Rilka's territory the next day. He involuntary remembered that girl's attitude and smiled softly, thinking she might have been baking the wooden box he had left or using one of the water jugs as a cushion.

Nothing negative would occur, and Al' Kaar trusted his instincts.

*****

A day was passing quickly. Al' Kaar's face brightened as he saw the cave he left a few days earlier in the distance. The various ways Rilka might have welcomed him had made him chuckle, and he had nudged Kamal to move faster.

Al' Kaar leaped down from his mount before tying her to the nearest tree. "Wait here. Just don't munch on too many cacti. I don't want you to be so full that it's hard to walk."

However, Kamal blinked her curly eyelashes. She turned away and started chewing on whatever had been closest to her mouth. The female camel might have thought her master didn't have the right to limit how much cactus she could eat.

Al' Kaar rolled his eyes. He wasn't interested in earning respect from a humpbacked animal that didn't understand manners.

He looked at the surroundings. There are no signs of male argons. Rilka seemed to have kept her promise. With a bright smile, he walked towards the cave.

****

Al' Kaar stood in front of the cave's entrance. He peeked inside the cave and called out, "Rilka! Are you..."

However, Al'Kaar's words froze in his throat. His eyes widened as he saw the shattered clay jug, the scattered wooden boxes, and the cooking tools. Burn marks on the cave's walls and other signs indicated that Rilka had been in a fight with something.

Al' Kaar's heart raced with worry. He quickly stepped further inside and started examining carefully. He crouched to examine the ground with a pale expression. If Rilka had died, he would find the remains of the ashes there.

Al' Kaar's fingers trembled as he gathered a handful of ashes. However, relief washed over him when he found the ashes hadn't been the deep blue-black color, which meant they hadn't been from an argon's body.

Suddenly, Al' Kaar noticed a long scratch on the ground mixed with sand. It was traces of chains.

"Human," Al' Kaar whispered.

The male argon stood up abruptly and rushed out. Humans who often clashed with their race had been from Northely, located opposite the cave's location.

"Damn it!" Al' Kaar cursed. He remembered the dwarf's corpse he found some time ago.

Al' Kaar sprinted towards Kamal and jumped on. He ignored the camel's protests, yanking the reins before urging her to move.

"Let's go!"

Kamal resisted momentarily, but Al' Kaar kicked her side, making her understand that it hadn't been a time for stubbornness. The camel complied, running fast in the indicated direction.

*****

The hot sun scorched Rilka's blue skin, only partly covered by cloth. She collapsed onto the sandy expanse and coughed. Her throat burned from not having water since the day before.

A fair-skinned white man squatted, facing her. He tugged the chain around her neck, forcing her to look up.

"Hey! Give her your bottle! This lizard is thirsty!" The man yelled at the three other men before them.

With blurry vision, Rilka looked towards two horses pulling a cage containing a small two-tailed kitsune, a fox. Much like her, the creature found itself in captivity.

The large, blond man who previously hit her with a club approached, tossing a leather water pouch to his comrade. "Don't use it all."

Peter Raiboal – a name Rilka heard – opened the bottle and pushed it to Rilka's lips. She drank the water greedily but choked and coughed as someone pulled her chain.

"Not as tough as before," a skinny, tall man with brown hair said, laughing at their captive.

Rilka glared at the man. She didn't understand their words but knew they made fun of her.

A rough tug on the chain around her neck startled Rilka. She looked back at Peter Raiboal, who had grinned disgustingly.

"Not too bad if we ignore the skin color," Peter remarked, leering at Rilka's exposed upper body.

Rilka's instincts sensed danger, and she instinctively struggled. She snarled, baring her tiny fangs and trying to break free from the chain with her hands.

"Careful, that lizard can burn your face!" Another jest came from the last man, who had a long scar on his right cheek.

Peter Rainboal laughed heartily. He stood up and asked, "Is the fox still alive?"

The man closest to the horses kicked the cage, causing the creature inside to awaken and move back fearfully.

"That damn creature nearly snapped my pinky. I want to cook its meat."

"You can do that later when it's no longer useful," Peter Rainboal replied, pulling the chain harder. His action made Rilka stand despite her shaky legs. "Come on, Lizard Girl! Let's see how much gold they'll give for you."

They continued walking towards the border of Northely at a slow pace.

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Copyright Luna S.Winterheart