It was finally night. The prince stopped trying to teach me his dumb tricks. He had some food delivered to his room for his evening meal. Some of it was warm and smelled nice, but what I really focused on was the bag that smelled like jujan. He tipped a few into my dry bowl, the smell of the familiar food hitting my nostrils hard. As soon as he moved away, I pounced on the bowl. Grabbing a fruit, I sank my sharp teeth into it and ripped away the hard shell. I took a delicious, lingering bite before pulling away the rest of the shell and finishing off the fruit. There were only four in the bowl and when they were gone, I looked up at the prince pleadingly. I was still hungry, seeing as I hadn't been fed since the morning and I was used to eating whenever I wanted throughout the day.

The prince had watched me devour the food. When I looked up at him, he tilted his head in thought for a moment, then dropped a few more jujan in my bowl. I ate them a little slower than the previous ones. My stomach felt sufficiently fed now, the discontented grumblings ceasing. I almost told the prince "thank you", but then I remembered that he thought himself my master and bit the phrase back, unwilling to thank the man who kept me captive. Not to mention I wasn't allowed to speak. He wouldn't have understood me anyway.

The Kiavian ate his own food at a small table while watching me. When I was done with my meal, I scraped the fruit remains into a pile, then collected it all neatly in my dry bowl. I wasn't sure what to do now though. The prince was still eating, and I was waiting to see what he expected of me.

When he finished his meal at last, he picked up the tray with the empty plate and glass, dumped my jujan remains on the top, and left it outside his door. He stretched, then glanced at me. Muttering something, he took me by the collar and dragged me into the bathroom. He reached into the tub, fiddling around for a moment. The sound of rapidly flowing water echoed all at once through the small room.

I flinched a little at the sudden sound. What happened? The prince left the room for a moment, making sure to close the door behind him. While he was gone, I peeked into the large tub and noticed water coming out of a piece protruding from the wall. How did that happen? Do Kiavians have a waterfall running through the castle that they can open channels to whenever they like?

The prince reentered the room, finding me with my head peering over the edge of the tub. He chuckled, rubbing my skull a bit hard. I stepped back, shaking my head to rid myself of his touch. He dropped some spare clothes on the floor not far from the tub. I noticed he didn't have his wide collar on, and his shoes had gone off long ago. He touched the water, then began pulling his loose pants down. As soon as I realized what he was doing, I turned around and went to the opposite corner of the bathroom.

By Aqir's blue sky, why is he doing that right now? I'm still in here. Does he have no shame? I heard the waters in the tub move as the prince got into it. He released a large sigh and turned off the running water. The room was quiet as he relaxed. I softly crawled over to the door. I had seen the other Kiavians pull the handles down and open the door. I reached a hand up, wrapping my fingers around the handle.

"Aunjil!" the prince called sharply. "Ree! Paedens jahed." I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to listen to him, or risk just leaving. The water moved. It sounded like he had stood up. I didn't want a bare Kiavian chasing after me, so I released the handle and sat down in front of the door, my nose almost brushing the closed wooden entrance. He sat down as well. "Keewshil weds, Aunjil." He patted the side of the tub cheerfully. "Keewshil a." I didn't move away from the door. I didn't want to be anywhere near him, especially if he wasn't wearing anything. He sighed but gave up and was quiet for the rest of his bath. I stayed with my nose to the door the entire time.

When he got out of the tub, I stiffened, praying to Aqir that the prince wouldn't come near me. He wouldn't hurt me, because Kiavians believe Ajae to be nothing more than animals, but I didn't want to be near a Kiavian without any clothes on him. The prince stayed on that side of the bathroom for a few fractions. Then I heard him come up behind me and brush my back with his cool hand.

"Liera chei," he murmured, opening the door. I bolted into the bedroom with him following much slower. I went to my water bowl and took a deep drink, hoping to cool my heated face. He went to his bed and slid under the blankets.

I put the bowl down and looked around the room, trying to find somewhere to lie down. I settled on the rug in front of a chair. I didn't want to sleep on the chair because I was sure I would fall off. The rug was almost as soft as my sandy bed at home, but there was nothing like the bed I had slept on at home.

"Aunjil," the prince said. He hadn't laid down yet. I had, but I tilted an ear toward him, keeping my eyes open. I was facing the bed because I didn't want my back turned when I was vulnerable. "Keewshil weds."

Whenever he said "keewshil" he had wanted me to come to him. Is that what he means now? Why would he want me now? I raised my head, looking at him. He had to see my confusion, Ajae were very expressive with face and body movement to make up for our flat tones, we had ears and tails, it only made sense to use them.

"Keewshil, Aunjil," he said again, patting the bed. I didn't get up, so he did. He was wearing short, loose pants now, but still no shirt. I sat up when he came over to me, setting my ears back. He grabbed my collar and forcefully dragged me toward the bed. "Lan-lan, Aunjil." He patted the blankets. I balked, squirming, and trying to twist out of his grip when he wrapped his arms around my stomach. He dropped me on the foot of the bed and hoisted himself back on it as well. I stood on my hands and knees as I faced him, crouching a little. "Ghar." I knew that he wanted me to sit, but I wasn't ready to get comfortable on a bed with a Kiavian. He reached forward and forced me to sit, then lie down. "Liera chei." He rubbed my head and crawled to the head of the bed, nestling under the covers.

Am I supposed to sleep here? I stared at the prince as he settled. Why? What was wrong with me sleeping on the floor? I don't want to stay up here all night... but I don't want to make him angry. I'll just wait until he's asleep and then I'll get down. This bed is really soft. Why is he sleeping under the covers—doesn't he get warm? I'm kind of tired, I suppose I'll just lay here while I'm waiting for him to drift off.

I woke up while it was still dark. I must have fallen asleep while waiting for the prince to do the same. I was mortified that I fell asleep so near a Kiavian. Quietly sliding off the bed now that the prince was asleep, I curled up on the rug and tried to rest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I woke to the sound of feet walking around the room. I jerked my head up just in time to hear the door close. I think it was the bathroom. I stretched my arms out in front of me, then stood and stretched upward. My mouth was dry, so I dropped to my hands and feet again and prowled to the water bowl. It was almost empty. I drank the last of it, then rubbed my hand across the moist inside and ran the residue over my face to wake me up more. Leaning my head from side to side, I cracked my neck, then smoothed down my messy hair.

The prince was still in the bathroom, so I wandered over to the sack of jujan he had left on a chair. I took one out and bit into it, hungry after a long night of going hungry. Of course, that was the moment the bathroom door opened, and the prince returned to his room. I stared at him, a chunk of hard fruit casing in my mouth.

"Aunjil," he said admonishingly. "Sejse e wivo lanedo ve aedcee?" I tensed, trying not to choke on the shell. He sighed, walking over to me. I tucked my tail closed as I had to look higher and higher to keep his face in sight. He grabbed the sack, dumped a few more fruits in my bowl, and tied it up then set it high on the bookshelf, muttering to himself.

I spat the shell out and chunked away the cover of the fruit. I finished off that one, and then every jujan in my bowl. While I was eating, the prince refilled my water, then walked over to the wardrobe and withdrew a different pair of pants. I turned my back to him while he was changing. It was different having my back to him when he was occupied versus when he was just lying there.

He walked past me to grab my leash when he was done, then came back and clipped it to me. Are we going out again? Will he let me off the leash long enough for me to at least relieve myself? I've drank a lot of water lately.

The prince tugged me out of the bedroom and through the palace. He did take me outside. We went to a penned-in area, not where the phytrens were barking, but near it. He made sure the gate was secure, then unclipped me. I immediately dashed off to check the fence for any holes or weak places. The whole thing was practically perfect. I growled quietly in defeat, wishing Aqir had never granted intelligence to their species.

The prince had watched me inspect the fence and was chuckling a little as I finished. I glowered at him. He made a shooing motion with his hand, shaking his head. There were several trees and bushes within the enclosure. It was disturbing, knowing that the prince was standing not far off, keeping an eye on me, but I hid from his eyes behind a bush and relieved myself.

"Aunjil, keewshil!" the prince called after a few fractions in the enclosure.

He's only been trying to train me for a day, I can still feign ignorance, I thought, scratching around the fence as I had been for the past several fractions.

He came up behind me, reattached the leash, and led me out of the fenced area. We returned to the palace, but not to his room. Instead, he brought me to a room mostly filled with a large table that was surrounded by chairs. Several Kiavians were there, some of them sitting at the table, some of them standing along the wall. King Jofyn was at the end of the table, a male and a female on either side of him. The male I recognized at the other prince, and I guessed the female was the queen.

"Liera brewsad, Kijin," said Jofyn.

"Liera brewsad," replied the prince. Their conversation went back and forth for a short time as the prince looped my leash around a chair and sat in it. I discretely pulled on it, but the knot was firm. A Kiavian came forward and served the prince some food as he spoke with his father. He didn't acknowledge her.

I tried to undo the knot with my fingers, but the prince slapped my hand. "Ree," he said, then returned to his conversation. I waited a few moments, then leaned closer to the chair and tried to bite the knot away. This time he slapped my face. "Ree, Aunjil!" He covered the knot with his hand and started talking to his family again.

I contemplated biting his hand but decided against it. That will accomplish nothing. I'll just be punished. There is no chance of escape here—I'll have to wait for a better opportunity. I perked my ears at the other Ajae I saw lying beside the king and queen. They glanced at me, eyes mournful, but one nodded, just the slightest tilt of her head, at me.

The queen left not long after we arrived, taking one of the Ajae with her. Then the king walked out a little while later with his pet. I wished I had been able to speak with them, but no opportunity had presented itself. The two princes stayed, talking with each other, for what felt like a long time. I was bored, and the floor was hard, but there was nothing I could do. I just laid on the sandstone, waiting for the prince to become bored as well.

Finally, he pushed the chair back. I jumped up, not wanting to get stepped on. He started to untie the knot, still speaking with his brother. At last, we walked out of the room, going straight back to the prince's bedroom. When the door was closed, he unleashed me, then grabbed a ball out of a table drawer. Something in his demeanor changed as he crouched not far from me. He seemed more cheerful.

"Wivo va qerer, Aunjil!" he said excitedly, rolling the ball towards me. "Wivo va qerer!"

I watched the ball come towards me, putting a hand over it to stop it before it bumped into me. Then I looked at him. What does he want me to do with this?

"Liera chei! Unni cas navio edeld!" He made a hitting motion in the air with his hand as he chattered at me. "Unni cas navio! Keewshil a, chei!" I looked at the ball, then at him, and walked away, leaving the toy behind. I sat on the rug I had slept on, watching to see what the prince would do. He crawled forward, grabbed the ball, and batted it at me again. "Unni cas nevio, Aunjil!" I flattened my ears. I didn't know what he was doing, but I didn't like it. I picked the ball up and set it to the side. The prince looked at me curiously, then shrugged. "E redo ve qerer? Alki phesa." He stood up and pulled what looked like a string out of the drawer.

I narrowed my eyes as he came close to me and held the string out. He bounced it in front of my face for a few moments, then manipulated it forward so it brushed my face. I brushed it away with the back of my hand and he laughed. The string returned to my face. I batted it away. It came back and I hit it. Over and over again. The prince seemed to find it amusing, but I felt nothing but annoyance.

What is this accomplishing? Why is it so funny to him? I whined angrily at him as he made the string persistently brush my face, my tail lashing.

He laughed, reaching forward to ruffle the top of my head. I whacked his arm like I had the string. He beamed at me. "Eas koxesat." His tone was happy, but I didn't know why. All I had done was reject the string he kept trying to give me.

The next thing he tried was something like a pillow, but it was shaped like some sort of animal. He laid in front of me, hiding his face behind the pillow. He made some funny noises, occasionally making it bow so he could show his face.

I stared at him. Is he okay?

He made the animal-pillow reach it's arm out and bump my nose. I blinked in surprise, my ears turning sideways uncertainly. He chortled at my dumbfounded expression and did it against. This time I flinched back. He laughed again, clearly enjoying it. He tapped my nose with the pillow a third time. I shook my head, leaning backward. The pillow creature was brought forward again to touch me, but I ducked, lowering myself to the floor.

The prince looked thrilled, babbling to me like I was a child as he hid behind the pillow, then peeked out. He made the creature spread its arms as he popped his head above it, then hid, holding the tiny arms across the tiny chest, and repeated the process.

When I showed no more interest in the strange game, he put all the toys away and brought out the bag of brown squares from yesterday. He refined the commands he had taught me yesterday; sit, stay, and come. I did them reluctantly. I needed to stay well-fed in case I got a chance to make an escape and any food would help.

Most of the day passed similarly. We went to the large room for two other meals, and outside before each meal. In between, the prince tried to play with me and teach me his tricks.

At one point, he laid down for a nap, pulling me onto the bed with him. Instead of making me sleep at the foot, he hauled me up to his pillow and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I wriggled, trying to get out of his grip, but he held tight and scolded me. My heart was racing, but he didn't seem to notice. His body was touching mine in so many places. He was too close.

I kicked him. My foot hit his leg and he jerked it back, loosening his arms. "Aunjil!" In his moment of weakness, I made my escape and hopped to the floor, then turned around to see if he would chase me. He didn't. He just covered his eyes with his arm and sighed.

After his third meal, he fed me again. I ate all the jujan in my bowl, although it was a lot slower than before. Now that I was well-fed and hydrated, I didn't feel so worried. He seemed to want to take good care of me.

That night, there was a knock on the bedroom door. I had been lying on the floor in front of my food and water bowl but jumped up when I heard the noise. The prince was reading in the chair with the rug under it, but he closed the book when the knock came.

"Casas phesa, Aunjil," he said soothingly, standing to open the door. There was a female Kiavian on the other side, smirking when she saw him, and holding a plate. She said something coyly to the prince. He smiled and let her in.

"Ja alk er Ajae?" she asked, looking at me as she set the plate on the table.

"Bei," he said, walking over to me. "Tesu warth ja Aunjil." He hooked my collar and dragged me over to the female. "Ghar, Aunjil." I lowered my ears slightly. He didn't have any food with him. He lightly slapped my head. "Ghar!" I sat reluctantly, my tail slowly swishing from side to side. He may not have had any food to motivate me, but I was tired of being hit. "Liera chei." The female reached forward to pet me. I growled at her. It was bad enough I had the prince constantly touching me, I didn't want anyone else to get the idea that they could as well.

She jerked her hand back and said something to the prince, who reprimanded me with another slap. As soon as he let go of my collar, I stalked back to my food dish and glowered at them from afar. I could tell they were talking about me as they sat at the table. But after a while, the subject seemed to change, and they fed each other whatever food they had on the plate. The mood felt weird. I could practically taste it, but I had no idea what it was.

They both stood and the prince took the female in his arms. The two of them swayed to silent music. After a few moments, the prince leaned down and put his mouth over hers.

I watched in curiosity. What are they doing? They just stood there; mouths pressed together. I had never seen anything like that. The female put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer if that was possible. I could just barely see their lips moving together.

The atmosphere changed. It felt more intense. The prince made the female back up until she was pressed against a wall and pushed his body against hers, lips smacking noisily.

Is this some form of dominance? Is the prince making sure she knows he is in charge? But they both seem to be... pleased? One of my ears tilted to the side as I watched them.

"Ynnet," the prince moaned, slipping his mouth from hers to rub their cheeks together. His lips sought her neck, nipping the skin. They were both breathing heavily. The female managed to slip an arm out of her dress sleeve. She pulled her other sleeve away as their mouths met. Their movements turned wild as the prince began pulling her dress off her body.

I almost gasped. Blue skies, they're mating! I tore my eyes from them and dashed to the balcony. I knew I wasn't supposed to be there, but it was the farthest I could get from them. The air was warm, but a cool breeze was drifting through, brushing my burning face lightly. I didn't even know the prince had a mate. She hasn't been around at all. Their noises became louder. I flattened my ears and covered them with my hands, but I could still faintly hear them.

I had to listen to them for what felt like many movements. I couldn't sleep, though I tried. Their sounds kept drifting into my ears. Mostly, they said two words. Ynnet and Kijin. Sometimes they were soft and breathy, but sometimes they were shouting to each other. I didn't know why no one else had come to investigate—perhaps this was normal for Kiavians, or at least for the prince.

The moon was beginning to sink back towards the horizon when the loud sounds finally stopped. I didn't dare go back into the bedroom, but I curled up near the end of the balcony and was finally able to drift into a light sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My bones were unhappy with me the next morning when I woke to movement in the bedroom. The floor was a lot harder than I had anticipated. After a little while, I heard the door open and close. I didn't know if both of them had left or just one, but if the prince was gone, I didn't want to be in the same room as the female. She might try to pet me again.

"Aunjil?" the prince called. I had finally figured out that he had named me Aunjil. There was nothing I could do to correct him, even if I was allowed to speak, he wouldn't understand Ajae. He was still in the room, waiting for me to appear. I slowly crawled back in, lowering my ears when he saw me. We both knew I wasn't supposed to be on the balcony. He sighed. "Aunjil, eas redofingo ina ce vanne orint." He came to me and grabbed my collar, then hit me on the nose. "Ree hefses a ve moriaeli." His voice was stern. I suppose I deserved that. 

Thanks for sticking around—we're halfway through the story! Don't forget to vote if you have enjoyed it so far!

Stay happy!

~AJ.