Rilka looked surprised. She snarled while standing guard. "Stay away from me!"

Suddenly, Al' Kaar felt offended. His face turned annoyed, and he said, "Hey! What's wrong with me?!"

Rilka bared her tiny fangs with determination, her body poised in anticipation of action. Unintentionally, her spirited stance ignited a flutter in Al' Kaar's heart.

The man blinked a few times before regaining his composure and yelled, annoyed. "For all female camels! Can you cover yourself?!"

"What do female camels have to do with me?!" Rilka retorted. "I want to have children whose clarity of mind is unquestionable! Stay away from me!"

Al' Kaar inhaled a sharp breath. His suspicion was correct! The girl thought he was crazy!

"I'm sane!" Al' Kaar shouted, standing up in frustration. "I'm handsome, smart, and agile!"

"Then what are those things on your neck, ears, arms, head, and lower body?! No argon wears weird things like that!"

They slowly walked, facing each other, in a half-circle. Al' Kaar pointed to his clothes and said curtly, "I told you, this is all culture!"

"And I'll be damned if I let someone like you be the one to father my children!" Rilka replied with a fiery passion. "The male argon who deserves to touch me isn't the strange argon wearing culture on his body!"

Kamal snorted as she observed the fight happening. The camel felt bored and preferred to watch the swirling dust outside the cave entrance.

Al' Kaar glared at the wild girl, who seemed unaware of his charisma. He quickly walked to retrieve his robe while Rilka instinctively moved back. "Rest assured, the female argon I'll choose as a mate will be someone who appreciates culture and understanding. My interest doesn't lie with you."

Rilka's eyes narrowed for a moment as she felt suspicious of him. However, she ignored Al' Kaar and glanced at Kamal instead. A loud rumble came from her stomach.

Al' Kaar gasped. He quickly blocked Rilka's view with his body. "Don't you dare eat my camel! He's not food."

Rilka made a face as if she considered the argon facing her somewhat insane. Her action made Al' Kaar furious. "And I am sane!"

The sound of the wind from outside filled the quiet atmosphere that followed. Rilka finally walked over to a pile of bones that seemed to be from desert wolves. She sat before grabbing a piece that still had meat and started eating.

Al' Kaar shuddered in disgust. It had been years since he last ate raw meat. He felt obliged to express his observations. "You should cook it first."

Rilka halted her action. She had opened her mouth wide to bite into her lunch, but now she looked suspiciously at Al' Kaar.

Al' Kaar sighed. The female argon in front of him needed a lot of education. He opened his backpack hanging on the saddle and took out a piece of cooked meat that had been smoked and wrapped in coconut leaves.

Rilka immediately smelled the offered food. Her nose was only a few inches away from the coconut leaf package. "What is this?"

"Well-cooked rabbit meat," Al' Kaar answered. "Try it."

Rilka's hand moved quickly. She took the thing from Al' Kaar's hand and bit into the package. He watched her with wide eyes as she did, then burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?!" Rilka asked, sounding threatening. "This food felt bad."

"That's because you haven't unwrapped the leaf. Return it to me." Al' Kaar extended his open right hand again.

Rilka looked at the food in her hand and then at Al' Kaar's hand, alternating between the two before giving in. She handed the food back to him. Al' Kaar unwrapped the leaf that covered the smoked meat, then gave it to the female argon.

Rilka took the food hesitantly. She smelled the dark brown meat for a moment before tasting it.

Time-shifted from seconds to minutes. Al' Kaar leaned against the cave wall. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched Rilka enjoy the food he provided. She even licked her fingers with a satisfied expression.

"Do you like it? I can teach you to cook."

Rilka looked up. Her gaze shifted to the saddle mounted on Kamal's hump before she asked, "Is there more?"

Al' Kaar smiled. It turned out that taming the girl was as simple as giving her food. He pulled out his robe and tossed it toward Rilka. "Use this to cover yourself first."

Rilka looked at the pile of fabric on her lap for a moment before grabbing it and wrapping it around herself haphazardly. Al' Kaar chuckled softly. He moved closer to her and said, "That's not how you wear it."

However, the girl suddenly snarled, showing her upper fangs, causing Al' Kaar to abandon his attempt to fix the fabric that failed to cover Rilka's upper body.

"I just want to help," protested Al' Kaar while he examined the argon female's new appearance. Rilka covered the top part of her body without caring about the rest.

However, Rilka continued to growl until Al' Kaar sighed in defeat. He stood up, took out two pieces of smoked meat from his backpack, and dropped his butt not far from the girl.

Al' Kaar handed one over. However, just as Rilka was about to take the food, he pulled it away from her reach. "Fix that robe first."

Rilka's yellow eyes glinted angrily. With lightning speed, she changed her position to crawl before darting toward Al' Kaar to snatch the piece of meat from his grip.

Al' Kaar quickly dodged by rolling to the side. However, Rilka immediately pushed him until he fell backward before she pinned him down.

Al' Kaar's eyes widened as he looked at those two beautiful features inches from his face. But before he could react, the female argon had snatched the two pieces of meat from his grasp and retreated to her original spot.

Al' Kaar tried to get up using his right arm as support. He looked at Rilka, who was greedily devouring the meat and said, "That's the last food I have. You'll have to learn to cook if you want more."

But Rilka ignored his words. She tore open the second package and took a bite while licking her lips.

Al' Kaar sighed. If he wanted to teach civilization to Rilka, he needed to go hunting before she attempted to eat Kamal alive.

The sky gradually cleared up. Al' Kaar looked outside before glancing at Rilka, who seemed full. "Before I leave, I'll teach you to cook. Are you okay with that?"

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Copyright Luna S.Winterheart