Jujan fruit is the lifeblood of my family. It is the lifeblood of my people, the Ajae. It is full of red-orange flesh and juice, just a few shades darker than the hard, protective outside. Jujan fruit is essential to the Ajae because we live in the sandy forests, where there is little other food to be found. There are Yel berries, which are poisonous, or Xaeil, small, white flowers that have little taste and little mass. The jujan also provides a source of drink in the dry seasons when the stream that curves through our forest goes low. The juice is refreshing, and the flesh is a perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Any Ajae would gladly live off jujan alone, no food, no water, just the fruit, which we did for the most part.

The fruit currently in my hands was ripened perfectly to a sunset red color. With the aid of my strong jaws and twelve sharp front teeth, six on top, six on the bottom, I cut into the fruit, pulling the hard shell away from the oozing inside. The sharp, wonderful scent of jujan hit my wide nostrils, then the tangy taste followed, soon overlapped by its sweetness.

I settled more comfortably on my heels, continuing to peel the hard cover of the fruit away and tossing the pieces on the sand in front of me. Some juice ran down my arm in tiny, orange rivulets. I licked it away, then waved at Sinabi and Jareza, who were prowling towards me.

Prowling is a form of walking for the Ajae. We have three gaits: walking, prowling, and crawling. Walking is standing up straight and balancing on our two legs to get places. It's the fastest of the three, by a small margin, since running is often easier. The second fastest is prowling. Our legs stretch out behind us, and we stand on our toes and hands. Our wrists are designed to stay bent for long periods of time, enabling us to also crawl, which is using our hands and knees.

"Arala, hello," said Sinabi when they were in comfortable speaking range. "I haven't seen you in a few movements. Have you been snacking on jujan this whole time?" She giggled. I loved Sinabi's laugh, it was a little higher than the average Ajae's, but still throaty enough to make the sensitive hairs in my small ears vibrate a bit as they caught the sound. We had been friends our entire lives. Our birth days were only a month apart and we had both been born twenty rotations ago.

"Of course not," I replied, wrinkling my nose at her playfully. "I have high suns off. I was walking around the forest and making sand drawings." I had also spent time at my secret jujan tree, but no one knew about it, not even Sinabi, who was my closest friend. It was hidden several tree-lengths away from our large grove of jujan trees. I didn't know how it had thrived so far away from the others, but it created the best jujans I had ever tasted. I kept it for myself, but I knew it wouldn't belong to just me in a few years. Our grove was continuously expanding to ensure we would always have enough to eat, so someday my tree would also belong to the rest of my clutch.

"Well, I have low suns off at least," sighed Sinabi. "That means I can go to sleep earlier than you if I want." She smirked and flicked her tail playfully.

"It's almost time for your break," I said. "Just a few more movements and then you can sleep as long as you want. Well, until new sun, anyway."

"That means it's almost time for you to get back to work though."

The clutch of the Daguun sandy forest worked in alterations to collect the many jujan they would need for the dry season. Everyone worked two shifts and took one off. I harvested at new sun with Sinabi and low sun with Finis, a female Ajae who worked beside me quietly.

I scraped the broken jujan bits together into a neat, albeit sandy, pile. "Would the two of you like my help?" Sinabi spent high suns collecting with Jareza. I felt the need to be there, overseeing the job to make sure it was getting done right, even though they had both been doing it for rotations.

Sinabi shook her head, but before she said anything, Jareza jumped into the conversation. "Oh, no, we don't need three harvesters! That would kind of crowd up the grove, wouldn't it? I mean, I would love to have your help, but we don't want to make you work more than you need to. It's your break! Enjoy it! Did you say you made more sand drawings? Can I see one? Where did you make it?"

I sighed internally the moment she began talking. Once Jareza inevitably started to speak, she rarely stopped for a breath or let anyone else in the conversation. I was surprised she had been quiet for this long. She was a nice female, but I couldn't stand how much she spoke and at such a rapid pace. I thanked Aqir every day I wasn't partnered with her. While I felt bad for Sinabi having to put up with her, it was a better match because she had much more patience than I did.

I never got the chance to answer her questions because she kept talking. "What are you going to do for the rest of your break? I love to take naps on my breaks. Or eat the smallest jujans I can find because those are the sourest! I love sour things. It just pops in your mouth! The big ones are really sweet though, I like those too. Which ones are your favorite? I think—"

"Thank you for the offer, Arala," Sinabi said, speak under Jareza. "We can handle it."

"It's really no trouble," I said, trying to angle my ears more towards Sinabi so I could catch her words rather than the fountain that Jareza was spewing.

"We'll manage." Sinabi glanced at her harvest partner when the other female realized we were having a different conversation than she. "We should start moving, Jareza. Goodbye, Arala." She touched my forehead with her own, bringing her tail around to brush mine. She had a lovely dark brown tail, speckled with lighter brown that I had always admired. It looked divine against the white of my own.

Jareza lightly tapped her head against mine as well. "Goodbye, Arala! I hope you enjoy your time off! I'll see you later. Maybe you can show me some of your sand drawings. I always love them so much, they're so pretty. You are a wonderful artist. I wish I could draw like that. Can you draw, Sinabi? I've never seen you do it before. That doesn't mean you can't though!" Sinabi glanced at me, shaking her head a little, then lead Jareza away, tail draped over her back to make sure the other female followed.

I looked down at the remains of my jujan fruit and tipped my head to the side. My white braid slid onto my shoulder, dangling over the sand. I arranged the chunks into an irregular pattern, then etched a flower pattern around them, connecting the petals. When that was done, I dusted off my hands and stood to see the end result. It had turned out well. I liked it.

I glanced up at the rest of the forest. I think I should help Sinabi and Jareza. Just to make sure they do it right. I turned towards the direction of the jujan grove, intending to leave my art behind for someone to discover later.

My ears suddenly perked almost automatically as I picked up the sound of someone running. I couldn't see who was coming but that was the way of the sandy forest. It was so thick with bare orcaya tree and leafy mearrel bushes that you couldn't see anything until it was practically on top of you.

"Run!" That was Tikeesi's voice. He was a younger Ajae, only eleven rotations. I still couldn't see him, but his harried footsteps weren't far. Multiple, heavier footsteps followed behind him. If not for the terrified tone to his voice, I would have guessed he was playing with some of the older children.

Who is he running from then? There's nothing dangerous in the forest. Ajae were the sole creatures in our entire forest. We were occasionally visited by a tunnel-digging kanndrow, but they always left as quickly as they came.

Tikeesi finally broke through the trees and into my sight, only a tail-length away. His black ears were pinned down, dark eyes wide. He didn't stop running towards the rest of the village even though I was right in front of him.

"Tikeesi—" I tried to flag him down as he ran past, but something barreled into me, knocking both of us to the ground. An unfamiliar smell filled my nostrils as I was practically buried under a heavy body. I could vaguely hear the other Ajae panicking and running in the same direction as the child, but I still didn't understand the danger, although it was now confirmed that it was danger and not a trick or game.

I shoved a pair of large shoulders away from me and gasped as I stared into an unfamiliar face. I knew everyone in our clutch. There weren't many of us left since the Kiavians, ruthless, dangerous creatures, had hunted the free Ajae to almost extinction, either capturing or killing us. Our clutch had suffered losses some rotations ago before we moved to the Daguun forest, but not as much as others, or so I had heard. The Kiavians had taken entire clutches as their pets. We had no idea what exactly happened to a captured Ajae within the wall of Kiavian cities since anyone who was taken never returned.  We were too afraid to help them escape and find out about the horrors that Kiavians inflicted. There were rumors, none of them pleasant.

This face though. It wasn't familiar.

And it wasn't an Ajae.

His eyes widened as we stared at each other for a moment. Then I bit him on the neck, almost breaking my teeth on his tough skin, and shoved him off me. I scrambled to my feet as he cried out and grasped his neck. I turned, running away on both of my feet as fast as I could. The Kiavian, for that was all he could be, called to the rest of his group. The others had continued hunting my clutch but stopped when the first one shouted to them. I didn't understand their language, but I caught the word, "Ajae." The others began running towards me, as did the one who had knocked me over, despite his bleeding neck. I didn't know how fast Kiavians were, but I was afraid to find out if they were faster than an Ajae.

I had the upper hand because I knew this forest better than they did, and I was smaller than them, so I could dodge through the trees and bushes easier. But they were quick.

An Ajae sped towards us, catching my attention from the corner of my eye. Xaj. He was a few years older than me. We liked to hang out on occasion. He loved to fool around and distract others, but he was committed to anything he started. Apparently, he was brave as well. Ajae weren't fighting creatures, we didn't have the right bodily resources for battle, unlike the Kiavians, which is why they were able to conquer my kind in a little over a hundred years. Our clutch had also been instructed to run if we ever encountered the Kiavians. We needed to stay alive and free if we wanted to continue being the way we were. But he was disregarding those orders.

Xaj ran into one of the oncoming Kiavians with a deep, snarling growl. My running steps slowed just a bit as I considered helping him. I must run. I must run. I must live. I am a royal, I need to live to lead the clutch. But Xaj needs my help... I must run.... But I can't abandon one of my own to the Kiavians. It's not right... My thoughts were cut off by an Ajae cry of pain. It's sound slithered through the forest, ensuring every creature would hear it. It was a final call. A goodbye. Xaj. I stumbled. They killed him.

One of my legs was ripped out from under me. A Kiavian had caught hold of my heel and pulled me off balance, resulting in my face in the sand. Before I had time to do more than plant my hands, ready to stand, one of them practically sat on me, holding down my shoulders. Another grabbed my hands and yanked them up, making one of my shoulders pop. He tied my hands together while yet another tied my feet. I raised my head, growling, but it was shoved back into the sand by a firm hand. I tried to move my mouth away from the sand so I could spit out the grains that had become caught in my mouth, but the hand held me in place. My nose started hurting from being pushed so hard into the ground, white tail lashing furiously as I struggled beneath my captor, heated growls erupting from my throat.

When they finished tying me, the Kiavian hovering over me jerked me to my unsteady feet by the back of my shirt. As soon as I was upright, I bared my teeth at the others. The one behind me barked what sounded like an order.

They looked so strange, and it wasn't because I was unused to seeing new faces. Their hair, skin, and eyes were all various shades of tan. Their ears weren't on the top of their heads, they were on the sides, and they didn't have fur on them. Just skin. No tails swung behind them to assist communicating their emotions. Ajae used their ears and tails to display how they felt and sometimes to even speak. How did they converse without those things?

Kiavians must not be very animated creatures. I glowered at them, being sure to show them my sharp front teeth as one of the odd creatures approached me. His hand shot out and shoved my chin, so my mouth closed, then he clamped a square-ish, stiff piece of leather of my mouth. It was like a mask, covering the bottom of my nose to just above my chin, and stretching to both sides of my mouth. It was tied so tightly behind my head that I could feel it pressing my lips into my teeth and gums. My furious growls didn't deter the Kiavians from their task, nor did my wildly swinging head.

The one behind me, a male I figured, they all seemed to be males, put his arms around my middle and picked me up so my tied feet were no longer touching the ground. As I struggled to wriggle out of his arms, he said something to his companions. They all laughed over the sound of my increasingly desperate snarls.

The Kiavian holding me adjusted so I was slung over his shoulder. He held my legs so I couldn't kick him, and it was difficult to move while I was upside-down because my breathing was partially cut off. Nonetheless, I hit his broad back with my fists as hard as I could.

"Let me go, you—you—you beast!" I howled as best I could through the gag, although it still came out as incoherent. I shifted my hips to try and slide off his shoulder but failed. Someone gave my tail a jerk and I yelped at the suddenness of it. They laughed. I was used to other Ajae touching my tail with their own, but no one had the audacity to pull it unless it was my parents or Sinabi playing with me. Ajae tails were not to be pulled, or even touched besides an occasional brush of another tail; it was considered rude. It hadn't been the Kiavian who was holding me who had pulled on my tail though, his hands hadn't moved. Another one must have snuck up while I was struggling. Calloused hands were running my tail through their palms now. It gave me a shivery feeling that I did not like.

He tugged my tail again, but harder, so my yelp was one of pain now. The Kiavians laughed again, apparently my pained sounds amused them. The one holding me chuckled, then spoke to them. A moment later, we were walking through the forest. My forest. My home. They knocked down one of the round homes on their way out. It had belonged to Jareza's family. I had helped them rejuvenate it just last month. Our homes were made of orcaya branches and mearrel leaves, so they needed redone every few months, depending on the season. While they were being rebuilt, the family would either stay with other Ajae, or they would temporarily move into their emergency home that we used when waters grew too high in the wet season.

I took notice of a Kiavian with a shaggy head of hair. He looked to be older than me, but not by much. He was the youngest in the company as far as I could tell, although I hadn't gotten a good look at most of them. But it wasn't just him the caught my eye. He was carrying someone over his shoulder as well. An Ajae. For a moment, my heart thudded in a confusing mix of despondency and excitement. I didn't want anyone else to be captured, but at least I wouldn't be alone.

Then I realized how heavily the legs of the other captive rested against the Kiavian. It wasn't another apprehended Ajae, carried towards its hopeless fate. It was Xaj. They were bringing his body along for Aqir knows what reason.

I let my head droop; my neck tired from holding up my head to stare at Xaj's legs. My chin jolted against the Kiavian holding me, but I jerked away, determined to touch him as little as possible. Xaj is dead. It's my fault. He should have been running but he came back for me. I hesitated. I never hesitate. What happened to my confidence and decisiveness the moment I needed it most? Aqir, what have I done?

A Kiavian dropped behind the one holding me. He had a cocky smirk to match his bright sandy-yellow hair. His strange, pale eyes were too close to me for comfort as I strained my head up to glare at him. His face was chiseled sharply, a trait not often seen in my clutch. Rounder, gentler faces that spoke of health and contentedness were more in abundance. His smirk morphed to an exaggerated pout, and he said something condescendingly to me. I had no idea what it was, but it sounded mocking. I growled low in the back of my throat, but it only amused him and the others. He reached out, tugging on a lock of my hanging white hair a few times. I whipped my head back and forth to free the curl. He laughed again, then leaned close and murmured something. I didn't like his tone. For once, I was glad I couldn't understand Kiavian. I didn't need to know what dirty obscenities he was whispering. 

"Kaseo tesu san, Chacser," the Kiavian carrying me called over his shoulder. 

"Asensi tesu ja kounes," my antagonist whined. But based on his smirk, he was feigning the pouting tone.

"Chacser," the other said warningly. They had strange voices. Their tones fluctuated up and down a lot more than Ajae, who had low, flat voices. Perhaps that was to make up for the lack of ears and tails.

We walked out of the shade of the trees and into the sunshine. A few fractions later, the forest border was in my sight, drifting farther away. That made me panic. I was leaving home. If I left now, I would be hard pressed to survive the desert to return. My body was made for the shade of jujan trees and mearrel bushes, not the baking, relentless heat of the desert sun. I began violently squirming again, but my grunts sounded pathetic, even to my ears.

One of the other Kiavians called to my guard, who responded with an irritated tone. My ears heard hooves occasionally thumping against the desert sand. The low sound was at least a little more familiar than the Kiavian's fluctuating tones. My ears were made to pick up low sounds, like jujan falling from the tree, so hearing the weirdly inconsistent and occasionally high-pitched tones was beginning to give me a headache. Of course, that could have just been from being pounded into the ground twice today.

I was set down surprisingly gently on the sand and my Kiavian stood over me with his arms crossed. I glowered at him. It was still strange seeing an unfamiliar face. He had stubble on his cheeks and square chin. His hair was cut to the point he almost looked bald. Ajae always had longer hair, so I was a bit taken-aback by it. There was dried blood on his neck from a bite mark. He was the first Kiavian I saw in the forest, the one who had called the other Kiavians over.

Strange scents hit my nostrils and I twisted a little to look around. My heartrate increased at the sight of the large, four-hooved creatures standing around. They must be the nantars I had heard stories about. They had short, white hair, and were built lightly. Their tails were like braided whips, their eyes small with thick eyelashes. Each wore a set of ropes around its face, presumably to control them.

My eyes were wide as I stared at them, and a slight shiver went through my stomach. Their backs were as tall as my chin, not to mention their lengthy necks holding their long heads. Their hooves looked soft, but they were harder than Ajae hands and feet. The way they stomped and swished their tails gave me the impression they were either bothered by the insects or had bad tempers. Their ears were perked towards their owners, some of them shaking their heads.

Aqir protect me. I've never had a lot of experience with animals. I don't know what to do around them. What if I make the wrong move and they attack me? Will the Kiavians stop them or just laugh at my pain? What are they doing with them?

My guard was watching me stare at the creatures while the other Kiavians inspected them. When they were done, the Kiavians each swung up on their own nantar and fought to keep the suddenly excited animals still. My guard picked me up again, then set me on the nantar, my legs both hanging off one side, unlike the others who straddled them. He jumped on behind me, grabbing the rope with both hands, my body between his arms and pressed lightly against him. He called to the others, then nudged his nantar. The creature leapt forward. I almost fell off, but the Kiavian wrapped an around me and pulled the creature back to a jog. He adjusted me so I wouldn't fall, then prodded his creature again to catch up with his companions, who were already practically out of sight on their speeding animals.

Our nantar jumped again, breaking into a racing pace. I gasped through the gag as we dashed across the desert. I had never gone so fast. My shoulder was pressed against the Kiavian's chest, his arm wrapped securely around my other shoulder, keeping me fastened. As we caught up to the others, I could see Xaj's body draped across a nantar's shoulders, in front of one of the Kiavians. His blood was dripping onto the desert sand. If his body was still at home, the other Ajae would have found him, buried his body near the jujan grove, then planted a new tree over his grave. His body would provide nutrients for the growing tree, which in turn would provide for future Ajae, who would eventually die and be buried, starting the circle over again. We called this cycle the life tree.

The Daguun forest was getting farther away. When I looked over my guard's shoulder, it was practically out of sight. I have never been so far from my home before. Sometimes we would have desert excursions for fun at night so we could see the stars without any trees obstructing our view. We never wandered far though. It wasn't long until the forest was out of sight, and we were surrounded by nothing but blinding white sand. It was terrifying.

We rode for a least a movement until another forest came into view. It looked smaller than mine, mostly comprised of orcaya tress and mearrel bushes. There seemed to be very few jujan trees, so there couldn't be many, if any, Ajae here.

When we reached the forest, the Kiavians slowed their nantars, then halted and dismounted. My guard slipped off the animal, taking me with him. He threw me over his shoulder again, driving a feral growl from me, then lead his nantar through the trees to the stream each sandy forest possessed. While his creature was drinking, Chacser, I assumed that was his name, approached him. They exchanged words, then my guard left, allowing Chacser to watch over me.

I glowered at him, but he only chuckled and slid his eyes over to another of the Kiavians. I followed his gaze, my heart becoming heavy when I saw Xaj's body slung to the ground. The Kiavian leaned closer to me. I flared my nostrils threateningly.

"You know what they do him?" he said in broken Ajae. His accent was still Kiavian. I almost didn't understand what he said from the thickness of it.  

My eyes probably looked huge to him as I glanced around to make sure none of the others had heard. I tried to speak, but the gag made it impossible. He took it off but held his knife up to indicate I had better not attack him. "You can speak Ajae?" I asked lowly.

He smirked a little. "Have Ajae once. Think I friend. Teach me Ajae."

I was afraid to ask, but I did. "What happened to him?"

"She dead." He was grinning now. "Punish."

I shivered, despite the warmth of the day. "What are you going to do to him?" I looked at Xaj's body to indicate who I meant.

"Fill." I tilted my head to the side slowly, not understand what he meant. "Fill," he said again. "Take out inside. Put in wool. Put on stand so everyone see. Sell." His gaze was wicked as he watched me.

My stomach turned over as I realized what he meant. Stuff. He's going to stuff Xaj and sell him. I looked away from Chacser, my eyes welling up as I considered the abominable things that would be done to Xaj. Because of me. He came back to save me. I should have helped him. Why did I hesitate? Aqir, why has this happened?

He reached out and ran a lock of my hair through his fingers. "Not you. You for..." He struggled for a word. "Big Kiavian. You pet. Pretty pet for big Kiavian."

Pet? I jerked away from him. Big Kiavian? They're not going to kill me, but I'm not sure if I prefer the alternative. "Who..." I licked my lips. "Who is the big Kiavian?"

"He big Kiavian," Chacser shrugged. "No word."

He doesn't know enough of our language... likely a good thing. He doesn't need to be tormenting other Ajae with terrifying tales. I am inclined to believe him though, based on the horrors I have heard about the Kiavians in the past.

My original guard was returning, so Chacser quickly put my gag back on, then was dismissed by the suspicious-looking Kiavian. The younger one winked at me, then went to his own nantar. I was slung on the animal again, and we dashed across the desert once more. We stopped about once a movement to water the nantars, but only for just long enough for them to drink their fill and the Kiavians to do whatever they needed. I was offered water occasionally, which I took because I didn't want to dehydrate. No opportunities to escape presented themselves, although I continued to raise a fuss whenever they touched me.

The Kiavians continued steadily across the desert, even after the sun dropped out of sight and the stars presented themselves. The sand went from blinding whiteness to soft, glowing shadows, the empty space around us eerily quiet.

I was exhausted. I wasn't used to the continual motion of riding a nantar, not to mention the speed at which they ran. I was also accustomed to sleeping as soon as the sun fell beyond the horizon, or not long after. I wondered if this was normal for them, or if they were in a hurry to get somewhere.

Finally, after movements and movements of traveling, a Kiavian city rose from the sandy horizon. It was much larger than my forest, I could tell even from this distance. There were huge buildings made from sandstone and mud, as well as a great wall encircling the city.

The sight first shocked me, then terrified me. I can't go in there. I'll never come out alive. Heart racing almost as fast as the nantar, I struggled against my Kiavian guard to free myself. My twisting didn't amount to much against his strong arm, but he whacked me in the back with the excess reins and grumbled. I hit him back with my tied fists, striking him in the side. He only grunted, purposefully dropping the nantar's reins onto its neck to free his hands. He adjusted me so I was lying across the creature's shoulders, just like Xaj, and pinned my hands with his leg. He rested one arm on my back to hold the nantar's rope, and the other hand held my tied ankles up to my tail by their rope so I wouldn't kick. My threatening growls didn't seem to affect him. The ride was much rougher this way. My stomach was resting right on the shoulder bones of the nantar, which dug into me like a thorn. I could feel every step the animal took, every jolt of its hooves against the sand.

It didn't take much longer to get to the city. In fact, we were at the gates fractions later, waiting for entrance. I jerked when one of the gates opened, the loud, low creak nearly scaring the life out of me. The Kiavians spoke among themselves for a few minutes after they entered the city and waited for the gate to close.

My face felt pressured from facing the ground for so long, but I could have sworn the blood drained out of it when I heard the solid thunnn of the gate slamming closed. I'm never leaving here. Aqir, will you leave me here to die? What of my family? Are they safe? Will I be the pet of an arrogant, cruel Kiavian for the rest of my days? Why are you letting the Kiavians get away with this? This abomination to my kind? Where are you?

The Kiavians nudged the now exhausted nantars into a walk, heading, as far as I could tell, deeper into the city. The largest building was in the center of it all, casting moony shadows over the others.

The big Kiavian. I am sure he lives in the big building. Could that mean I am to be a pet to royalty? Could "big Kiavian" be the Kiavian king? Now I'm sure I won't survive. Every Ajae had heard of Jofyn, king of the mighty Kiavians. He had originally been our hope of salvation. The one who would fulfill Aqir's prophecy. When he was crowned king, we had hoped beyond what we should have that he would end his father's acts of terror towards us. His father was the one who had begun taking Ajae as pets in larger quantities. For a long time, an Ajae pet was a rare sight, but when Dajier started capturing us, all the other Kiavians did as well, and he did nothing to stop it. Jofyn seemed to be everything the prophecy spoke of. He was a royal of mingled blood, his mother was from a far Kiavian city; he was to take over the throne; and since he had grown with Ajae always around him, he had a connection to them. Everything seemed to be in place, but it was not to be. Jofyn was just like his father. He continued the previous king's reign of horrors, encouraged by his Kiavian subjects who were enjoying their pets. But since he wasn't destined to be our savior, he had become our nightmares. He persisted in the captures, determined to ensure little to no Ajae were left free. If I were supposed to be his pet, I would surely die in that palace, because he would never free me.

We approached the huge building. There was nothing I could do. No one was here to save me from this fate. Xaj had tried and look where that got him. It won't be easy, but I'll have to save myself. I cannot give up. I am the future of the Daguun Forest clutch. They are counting on me.

Just before entering the courtyard of the palace, the riders stopped and conferred. All of them except mine turned their nantars away from the building. Before leaving, Chacser glanced at Xaj's body, then at me, and grinned wickedly. I felt tears prick my eyes, not only because my head was hanging upside-down for too long.

Oh, Xaj... I'm so sorry...

My guard headed into the courtyard, then dismounted, taking me with him, and handing the nantar's rope to another Kiavian who had rushed out. He called out, and another Kiavian appeared. After he received instructions, the newest Kiavian ran off again and my guard slung me over his shoulder. I growled angrily, giving him a good hit on his back. He slapped my calf in retribution. My tail whipped around as I wriggled, but as usual, nothing I did deterred him.

We walked through several long hallways. He walked; I hung off his shoulder. Finally, he entered a room. My ears perked as slightly more familiar smells hit me.

There are Ajae here.

The Kiavian lowered me, then slid my body into a cage that was built up from the floor. Its walls were made of thin sandstone, as was the ceiling. The only opening was the crisscrossed wooden door. He locked it, spoke to the other guard who was sitting in the room, then left. The room was very silent. The guard was reading a book, only glancing at me and the other Ajae occasionally.

I put my face as close to the door as I could without pushing against it. It was a little difficult with my hands and feet tied, but I made it. I could see a glimpse of another Ajae in the back of the room. It looked female. "Hello?" I said quietly. The gag made it difficult to enunciate, but I was hoping she would understand. Her ears were focused towards me, so she was listening. "What's your name?" There was no way she understood the muffled words, but I saw one of her ears flick away, which meant "shh."

The Kiavian guard stood and tapped a stick against my cage door, scaring me to the back of the cage. "Ree kamises." I stared at him with wide eyes until he walked back to his seat and picked up his book.

I crept forward again, receiving a side-eye from the guard, then focused on the other Ajae, who had retreated to the shadows of her cage. "Are you all right?" I whispered, hoping she understood. Of course, she wasn't going to be perfect, she was a pet of the Kiavians, but I wanted to know if she was hurt.

The guard stood again and hit my door harder. "Ree kamises." His voice was sharper than before. My ears pinned back as I growled at him. I knocked the door with my fists, but he just struck the door again, creating a loud noise my ears didn't appreciate. I rolled back on my heels to sit at the back of the enclosure, glowering at him. He waited a moment, then sat back down.

I wanted to stay awake in case anything happened, but as soon as I leaned against the wall, I felt the exhaustion climb over me. I curled up on the hard floor and closed my light blue eyes, allowing sleep to cover me.

Sorry that chapter got so long, I didn't realize how long it was until I went to upload it. 😅 Anyway, thank you so much for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it and will continue onto chapter two! Add this story to your library so you don't forget and also don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this!

Stay happy!

~AJ.