Part 55: Awakening

Note: This item has been rewritten and edited. All text in rose is BRAND NEW MATERIAL for this chapter of the story. In addition there are many minor changes to the original text itself. Please enjoy this new, expanded version of Part 55 and be on the lookout for updates to the next parts!


MORNING DAWNED UPON the Great Red Tribe, bringing with it a few early traders straggling out of their houses, yawning widely, to go set up shop for the day. The taverns set out their open signs although business would not pick up until after the noon hour; the fruit and meat vendors put out their mats and their goods. The market square had been cleared of its scaffolding, and everything was as it had been before, except that the streets were busier than usual, even at this hour, strange Kana wandering the stalls and chattering on the corners. If it had not been for the fact that they wore lappets which announced that they were of the River Tribe and the Yellow Sands Tribe, it would have seemed a normal morning like any other.

Lieutenant Djuta elicited a few glances and greetings as he walked down the main street of the settlement, making certain to at least nod at everyone who addressed him. In the past, he had usually been an earlier riser than Resikh; but events lately had taken their toll on him. Still, he'd arisen earlier today, and rather than wake up his drowsing companion he'd set out alone.

"Good morrow, Lord!" one tavernkeeper, standing in his doorway, called, waving. Djuta nodded and slowed his step.

"Good morning, Khesa." He glanced at the busy street. "Is it just me or has the town suddenly become more popular--?"

"'S not just you, there are many more Kana about." Khesa waved vaguely. "You caught the end of the fight last night, surely?"

"Of course. Mahakhi-Kana won." He looked at the other Kana wandering the street and made a face. "Do not tell me he offered them refuge for the night--? Within our city?"

"Apparently so! There was some odd to-do with their captain afterwards but I'm afraid I missed it; something about the physician having to see to him." Djuta frowned slightly--he hadn't been told any news like that--but Khesa continued talking. "From what little I hear, that was taken care of, but 'Hakhi allowed the rest of them the chance to sleep here until they should leave. They have free reign throughout the town, just so long as their weapons remain at the gate."

Djuta's muzzle wrinkled. "This is an addlebrained plan! I had always though Mahakhi had more sense than that!"

Khesa shrugged. "What can you do, Lord?" He suddenly beamed. "Not that I'm complaining any--enemy Kana make for excellent business! Good morning, Lords!" he greeted two Yellow Sands Kana as they arrived, and he stepped aside to usher them in. "Go right on in, my daughters are more than willing to see to you!" He missed Djuta rolling his eyes, but turned back in time for the lieutenant to catch his attention once more.

"I had wished to ask since you are most likely to know. Have you seen Lord Tefkha lately? I heard that this is his favorite haunt."

"Aye, this is definitely his favorite place to drag his tail into! And yes, I see him at least once nearly every day, yet not this early, Lord; he tends to sleep in when able." He grinned again. "I suppose he shall be sleeping in today! He was giving me fine business last night!"

"Was he with anyone?"

"Well, he did pass a pretty enough time with my younger daughter!"

Djuta's face screwed up. "You mean to tell me that mutt actually enjoys a female now and then--?" he snorted, without thinking.

Khesa shrugged nonchalantly. "I would not know his preferences! All I know is she was giggling her ass off during most of it!"

"When I asked if he was with anyone I rather had Kana in mind!" Djuta gestured at the street. "You know, males--? Was he in any of their company--?"

Khesa let out a laugh. "Oh, of course! Just the usual--some of his men, a great group of them. You know Tefkha! Always popular with the masses!"

"Any more popular last night than usual? By this I mean, did he leave in anyone's company."

Khesa put a finger to his chin and thought. "Hm...not that I recall. Apologies, Lord, but he is just like a lamp--always surrounded by a crowd of moths! I rather lost track of him after he was done with my girl. They were not busy for long, but you know that it is quality and not quantity that counts." Djuta had to keep himself from making a gagging noise. "I rather hope she drops a pup because of him...could use another hand around the tavern. In any case, he was still toasting the rest of the louts when he left, but I do not recall seeing any leave at the same time as he. Before him, and after him, surely, but no one stood out." He cocked his head curiously. "Why, there has been some sort of complaint--? I can assure you no fights of any sort broke out last night, Lord, in case you were wondering. In fact I was prepared for such a thing and surprised when it did not occur! I fully thought those River Tribe dogs would start something, but it turns out they were the most genial of the lot! One of the Yellow Sands fellows even ordered drinks for the house!" He guffawed.

Djuta sighed. "No, I was not thinking of a fight. Rather I was wondering how Tefkha-Kana was acting when he left, since you do not recall anyone following him specifically. This is all."

Khesa wiped at his eyes and caught his breath. "Acting...? Well, as I told you, Lord, he was quite cheery...as always...though I think maybe he drank a little much, even for him! Perhaps he took that Yellow Sands Kana up on his offer, for who is Tefkha to turn down a free drink--? In fact right after that he ordered a round for the house." He grinned from ear to ear. "He and that other lieutenant are welcome back ANY time!"

"A little much--?" Djuta prompted, sensing that he was quickly losing the tavernkeep's attention.

Khesa nodded and stepped aside as a few more Kana went in. "Aye, he wove a little bit as he walked, and had to lean against the doorjamb. Ah, now I remember, that's why I noticed him leave. Never seen him walk like that, no matter how much he drinks. He gets loud and mouthy sometimes, but never tipsy." He shrugged once more. "But eh, as I said, everyone was imbibing a little bit more than the usual last night, for sure! Battle will do that to you!" He turned to head back inside and waved cheerily. "Have a good day, Lord! Stop by yourself sometime, we could stand to corrupt more upstanding Kana like yourself!"

Djuta didn't bother saying farewell as the older Kana was already within, chatting up his early patrons. He turned and started walking down the street toward the barracks. The sun was rising, and it wouldn't be long before the air was insufferably hot.

He checked at the barracks gate first, just to make sure that nothing odd had been noticed; but the presiding lieutenants had nothing to offer, and were more preoccupied with the greater numbers they now housed, the Kana of the two enemy tribes having taken up temporary residence in those barracks buildings which were not currently in use. Djuta left them before he might spot one and be forced to hold a conversation; no matter how well mannered they might be, they were still the enemy, and he was hardly in the mood to chat.

He reached Tefkha's house as he remembered it, and made his way inside, glancing around at the halls before reaching the anteroom with its couch where they had left the lieutenant the night before. Lieutenant Tefkha still lay there, sleeping or unconscious, Djuta couldn't tell, his limbs splayed every which way and his mouth hanging open. Djuta's nostrils flared and he pulled his head from the room. He wandered toward the back of the house, seeking the storerooms to see if he had any food or beer. He finally located the storage cellar, and pulled out some bread and dried figs, as well as the weakest beer he could find. He returned and set them down upon a table, and uncovered the windows so that the sunlight reflecting off of the whitewash of the buildings opposite them shone inside. He was busy tearing into the bread and unstoppering the beer when he heard the first faint groan coming from the couch, and turned to see Tefkha rubbing his forehead and grimacing. He pulled his hands away from his head and slowly pushed himself up, dark circles ringing his eyes. He lifted his head, saw Djuta, then blinked a few times as if wondering who he was.

"Did I bring you in here?" he murmured after a moment, rubbing one eye.

Djuta's muzzle wrinkled. "Hardly. I came on my own. You couldn't even bring yourself in here unassisted last night."

"So...you did come back here with me...?" Tefkha blinked, looking confused, then scratched at his ear and made a face. "This is strange because I don't even remember picking you up."

Djuta rolled his eyes and snorted. "Perhaps you'd best keep your mouth shut, before you find your nose broken." He carried a plate and cup over to the couch and held them out. "Here; eat some of this, and drink some of this. But not too much, lest you lose your memory again."

Tefkha accepted the bread and figs and beer that Djuta handed him, taking a small bite and grimacing as he chewed. He took a long drink and wiped at his mouth. "You must not have been very impressive," he mumbled, "since I can't remember anything."

Djuta restrained himself from punching the lieutenant in the face, instead taking back the rest of the beer before he could become too acquainted with it. Tefkha sighed and stretched his wings, then tried to stand up. He staggered a bit and grabbed hold of the side of the couch, nearly tilting over a table. Djuta glanced at him as he made another face and started flexing and stretching one wing as if it hurt.

"So you mean you remember nothing of how you passed the time last night?" Djuta asked, crossing his arms.

Tefkha's own muzzle wrinkled. "If I did, I would probably still be sleeping just so I could dream about it, rather than wake up feeling like puking. I must have run across a foul batch of beer; Lord Khesa will be damned if I ever stop by his place of business again."

Djuta frowned. "A foul batch of beer or a foul batch of Kana? Do you not even remember how we found you? Sprawled out in an alleyway with your tongue hanging out?"

Tefkha stared at him for a few moments, squinting and blinking in the light. He finally snorted, and didn't bother justifying the question with an answer. Instead he took the cup from Djuta and finished what was in it.

Djuta crossed his arms. "Well? I doubt you got there on your own."

Tefkha made a face at the beer as if it tasted oddly. "So? Perhaps I was in a fight or something; I could hardly tell you now. Khesa's patrons can be quite challenging every so often. Perhaps you would know this, if you were not such an unat'e like your friend. Even he managed to loosen up, at least once." He sniffed at the cup and snorted. "Not that he was the most fabulous lay in the world, himself--you two are welcome to each other."

"How much exactly did you drink?"

Tefkha gave him a curious look before yawning and stretching. "Why are you so concerned? Are you my mother now? I drank a bit too much, got in a fight, and ended up in an alley. This happens. It is hardly an incident worth dwelling over. Stop being an unat'e."

Djuta paused for a moment or two while the other Kana started poking about at the food, grimacing with distaste and pouring himself another drink. His nostrils flared.

"So you are going to spend the day drinking to forget, then."

Tefkha sipped at the beer and swallowed a fig. "To forget what? The only thing I wish to forget right now is this damned ache in my head..."

"And so you truly do not remember? Who put you in the alley and why?"

"I said I care little, didn't I?"

"Most of us care, when we have been assailed."

Tefkha's ear flicked and he raised an eyebrow, taking another drink. Djuta felt like hitting him for his ignorance. "Do you care to elaborate?" he asked after a moment.

"Assailed. Attacked. Assaulted," Djuta spat. "You really need me to think of more colorful words?"

The lieutenant gaped at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. He had to set down his drink and hold his head with a groan as he did so.

"Oh! I think you might need to keep away from the drink more than I. What a funny idea! I rather believe I would remember if one of Khesa's honorable patrons decided to take me out into the alley and have his way with me." He started laughing again, then winced and clutched his head.

"Not if he dropped something in your drink, of which you had plenty. Perhaps he didn't even have to, you imbibed so much of it!"

"Truly, Brother, maybe you'd best take a drink yourself, or just go home. You're not making much sense."

"And the bruises you have upon your legs do make sense? And that musk upon you?"

Tefkha shrugged nonchalantly and turned again to his drink. "You dream too much. If I got in a fight, of course I'd have some bruises on me; and who knows, maybe the other party was turned on by it." He started chuckling again, and Djuta had to turn away with a scowl of disgust.

"Very well. Sit here and drench yourself in drink. I have better things to do."

"Have a good one, Brother, since you really should."

Djuta didn't bother justifying him with a response. He turned for the door and started toward it, and it was only once he had reached it that he halted, remembering what he'd been told the night before. He paused, glancing back at Tefkha, who was pouring himself another drink and looking at a fig as if it were made of sand; he ground his teeth, hating to continue speaking with him in the least, yet made himself turn around.

"I meant to ask you, if you passed any time in Captain Tas'hukh's company last night," he asked irritably.

Tefkha bit into the fig and looked at him with arched brows, then stifled a laugh. "Oh, I remember! You are the one who was his Moru for a while." Djuta clenched his fist, ready to hit him at last, but the barracks lieutenant just waved at the air. "Yes, I passed some time with him, before the fight started."

"Passed--"

"Specifically, I humped him and then he humped me." He got an odd look. "You want details...?"

"Just tell me if the two of you went to the tavern together, or if you met him again that night, and that will be it!" Djuta snapped. How had Resikh managed even one night with this Kana? How infuriating.

Tefkha sipped. "As I said, we went at each other before the fight, and then that was it. Truthfully, I sense he had other more important things to tend to...like that pretty private he has been so interested in." He started chuckling. "No, he did not accompany me to the tavern and no I did not see him again. Did you learn to be an unat'e from him? It shows. I have seen him set foot in a tavern once in his entire time here, and he hardly enjoyed it. If you are thinking he spiked my drink and then left me in the alley, then I really do wish I could remember, just for the sake of seeing something novel." He took a drink, then sputtered and started choking. "Piss! Somebody pissed all over him...maybe he needed to go take a shower or something. ANOTHER shower!" He started cackling with laughter.

Djuta turned away from him one last time and departed from the room before he could start destroying the furniture, no longer even caring what the other Kana was talking about. He stormed from the house in a foul mood, heading back the way that he'd come. This was the last time he did such a favor for Resikh.

* * * * *

Captain Tas'hukh's morning went very well indeed. At first when he awoke he feared that all the events of the night before--the lesson in the pool, the sight of Private Ri'hus's wet body, the feel of himself inside him at last, the desirous moans the young Kana had let out as they moved--had been but a dream, albeit a pleasant one; then he had feared, that if they were real, the object of his affections would no longer be present, perhaps having run off back to his family or at least to his own quarters. He would not have blamed him; he had a tendency of losing his lovers in stranger ways.

But when he yawned and opened his eyes and reached out his hand, he found Ri'hus exactly where he'd left him the night before, sprawled upon the bed beside him, his breast rising and falling in sleep. Tas'hukh pushed himself up onto his elbows to look at the youth, and couldn't help but smile to himself. Ri'hus was lean and graceful; even in sleep every limb and every muscle was beautiful. His fur was soft white, his eyes a lovely blue when they were open. Although he had given his age as seventeen the night before, he was smooth between his legs, his sheath just a slightly darker shade of cream; Tas'hukh knew that the treat it contained was a pleasing pink tone, not very large or long at all, but pleasant to look at and touch. The tuft of fur on the end of his tail was the same shade of cream, and his cheeks were still just slightly flushed from their earlier activities. Tas'hukh enjoyed everything about him. Last night was the best night he had spent in ages.

As he stared at him, he couldn't help but reach out one hand and trail a claw down the youth's chest, over his abdomen. The muscles tensed just barely; then Ri'hus gave a wide yawn and stretched as gracefully as a cat, his spine arching. Tas'hukh had to take a breath, the sight was so beautiful. The private finished his stretch with a scratch to the side, and blinked sleepily a few times, looking around himself. He spotted Tas'hukh and the captain tensed. He knew of everything that the young Kana had been through, and his reaction to him in the pool the night before had been rather abrupt. He still feared that he would think he had simply taken advantage of him, and waited to see how he would react now that daylight had arrived.

Ri'hus's blue eyes opened wide enough to finally see him, and he blinked once more, as if confused. Then a lazy smile spread across his face and he pulled himself across the bed to snuggle up to Tas'hukh, putting his arms around him and twining his legs about the older Kana's. Tas'hukh's heartbeat picked up and after a brief surprised pause, he embraced Ri'hus back. The young Kana nestled his head against Tas'hukh's breast and started to purr.

Tas'hukh, for his part, had to fight down his disbelief. Surely this couldn't really be happening...? None of his mates had ever treated him such! He was reminded of a few of the times that he had spent with I'anen, when the sergeant had been in his better moods, not so pouty and sulky; even the sound the private let out was the same. Yet I'anen's good humor had never lasted for long, before his purrs changed into snarls. He had never even heard Djuta purr.

He stared at the top of Ri'hus's head for a moment or two, trying to collect his thoughts. Surely, at any moment, he would lift his head and make some sort of sen'akha or old man joke, as I'anen had been fond of doing, even when he had not been so pissy. When Ri'hus shifted and lifted his head to look up at him, his eyelids heavy and that contented smile still on his face, Tas'hukh steeled himself for the insult, and told himself that it was only what he should have expected.

"Good morning, Lord," Ri'hus murmured.

Tas'hukh blinked, then pushed his surprise aside and smiled gently at the younger Kana. "You slept well, I take it, young one?" he asked, stroking his face.

Ri'hus's eyes drifted shut and he allowed Tas'hukh to rub his chin as if he were a cat full of milk. "Very well, Lord," he replied with a sigh.

"I hope I did not leave you feeling sore." Tas'hukh meant it; his smile faded a bit as he remembered how strenuous their loveplay had gotten, further along the way. He felt a sudden surge of guilt--why did he always feel like he was taking advantage of this one?--but Ri'hus didn't appear to notice. He yawned and stretched again, and his leg brushed against Tas'hukh's in a manner which made his breath catch.

"No, Lord, not at all...though a swim would be good, before the day begins..."

Tas'hukh's smile returned. He sat up, and Ri'hus pushed himself up as well, rubbing at his eyes. "It's still early yet. So the courtyard should be relatively empty. I will make out today's schedule for your training, and you may refresh yourself at the pool."

"What--?" He started at the suddenly sharp tone of Ri'hus's voice, and turned to look at him, as he'd been climbing out of the bed and looking for a kilt. His ear flicked when he saw the look in the youth's eyes. He seemed...disappointed?

The captain didn't get to ask. Ri'hus pulled himself across the bed and wrapped his arms around Tas'hukh's thigh, peering up at him with large blue eyes--the same look I'anen had gotten, whenever he'd wanted something. "I had hoped...maybe...we could go down there together," he coaxed.

Tas'hukh stared in disbelief, furrowing his brow. "You...you wished for me to accompany you...?" he echoed, confused. Ri'hus smiled and leaned against him, his head unnervingly close to Tas'hukh's crotch; he didn't believe that Ri'hus noticed, but he certainly did, and had to fight to keep himself still. Ri'hus ran a finger up and down his hip.

"There is so little point in going alone, Lord...I would have nothing to do," he said plaintively.

"But I thought that you wished to refresh yourself before..."

"Oohhhhhh," Ri'hus moaned, cutting him off. He rolled over onto his back, not letting go of Tas'hukh's thigh--Tas'hukh was treated to a most wonderful view of him, from his head down to his toes, and his wonderful naked torso in between. "You wish me to say it, Lord? Aloud?"

Tas'hukh's head was growing remarkably foggy, looking down at him like that. "To--to say what--?"

The young Kana pushed himself up to his knees now, wrapping his arms around Tas'hukh. He smiled into his face with heavy-lidded eyes, a look which made the captain's heart beat faster. Dirty old sen'akha! Dirty old sen'akha! I'anen's voice shrilled in his head, yet Ri'hus just trailed his fingers up and down the captain's back, flicking his tail lazily from side to side and apparently not even noticing the stirring between Tas'hukh's legs.

"I hoped perhaps we could enjoy each other a little bit more, before the house awakens," he cooed softly. "It was so pleasurable last night; you would make me go the entire day without just another little taste?" He pouted. "Make me wait until nightfall again?"

Tas'hukh had to swallow, as his throat had suddenly gone dry. Ri'hus noted his goggling expression and laughed softly, pressing his muzzle to the older Kana's neck. Tas'hukh sucked in a breath and felt his sheath begin to swell. At just that moment Ri'hus chose to run his hand down his front, and Tas'hukh tensed when his fingers halted upon his sheath, the youth now noticing the growing bulge; he lifted his head and glanced down, then back up, smiling. For some bizarre reason, it was only now that Tas'hukh fully realized that they were both still stark naked.

"Lord...?" Ri'hus said softly. "What do you wish to do...?"

What Tas'hukh did next went against all reason, against every behavior that he'd ever engaged in before. He grasped Ri'hus's forearms in an iron grip, pulling the youth from him; he then turned him about, and pushed him down onto the bed, falling atop him to pin him down. The bed bounced as they landed, and Ri'hus laughed. Tas'hukh panted harshly as he ran his claws down the youth's body, biting hard at his nape and causing the younger Kana to gasp and stiffen momentarily. A growl rose in his throat and he clutched Ri'hus's hips painfully hard, but the private didn't protest. Instead he only laughed harder, wriggling in obvious pleasure as Tas'hukh roughly caressed him.

He scored the skin of Ri'hus's shoulder, running his hands up and down his sides. The warm throbbing between his legs burst forth as his shaft arose, and he rubbed himself against the younger Kana's backside in a heated simulation of sex. He started to loop his ankles about his younger partner's, licking his hand and rubbing it against himself; Ri'hus responded by spreading his legs wide, arching the small of his back to part himself. He glanced over his shoulder with the brightest smile that Tas'hukh had seen, since he had offered to sponsor him.

"Please come, Lord!" he exclaimed.

"This I intend, pretty one," Tas'hukh muttered, slipping his hands beneath Ri'hus's thighs to hold him in place, and bringing himself forward. He pushed inside quicker and deeper than he'd intended, but all that the private did was jerk briefly, and then accept him as he slid inside. They both arched and moaned aloud, pausing for just a brief moment, before Tas'hukh bent down to seize his nape, and set a quick rhythm, thrusting rapidly.

What could have been a simple diversion became a pleasant way to pass the morning, as Tas'hukh realized that training could hold off until after the noon hour. He grunted heavily as he pushed, and the high-pitched cries that the younger Kana let out set him on fire inside--Djuta had never cried out as such, and I'anen had only done so to flatter him. There was nothing else that he could give Ri'hus that he hadn't already given him, though, so the private had no reason to try to flatter him--when he ran his hand over Ri'hus's sheath, and stroked his own quivering shaft, the youth trembled and moaned in such a way that Tas'hukh could tell he wasn't faking. Ri'hus's wings rose on his sides, fanning the air, and the captain leaned his head over to lick along the membrane, making Ri'hus squeal and shake. When he leaned back down to nuzzle at his neck, the private shut his eyes and arched, his mouth open and his breath coming out in quick short gasps.

"Oh...My Lord...Tas'hukh-Kana...oh, please..." he panted breathlessly.

Tas'hukh had to shut his own eyes lest he lose it. He growled and sank his teeth into the youth's nape again, one hand gripping his penis and roughly stroking it up and down, the other clutching his hip, and he flapped his wings as he drove into his lover as deeply as he could, tail flicking and chest heaving and hips plunging. He let out a loud heated snarl at climax, and Ri'hus's long, loud cry of release stimulated him, making him feel more invigorated than he had felt in a long time.

"Tas'hukh-Kana!" Ri'hus wailed, stretching his wings before sinking in a gust of breath and collapsing to the bed. Tas'hukh sank over him and they lay panting heavily, their bodies already slick and wet, the scent of their musk thick in the air. For a while Tas'hukh simply lay there upon him, sucking in his smell and feeling the other Kana's body against him, his warmth around him, not so tight anymore, but still wet and welcoming. He hated pulling himself out, and judging by the way that Ri'hus softly moaned he did too, yet Tas'hukh simply collapsed on his back beside him, and they rested, catching their breath and regaining their strength. Tas'hukh very nearly smiled up at the canopy. A good night, an even better morning...he had not expected such things in his life, ever. It seemed almost too good to be true.

After some time the young Kana stretched and rolled over, snuggling next to him again with a sigh. He burrowed his head in the crook of Tas'hukh's arm, and the captain stroked him absently. "At this rate, we will be lucky to ever get out of bed," he murmured, at which Ri'hus laughed softly and cocked his head back to look at him. His blue eyes glimmered.

"Perhaps this is not such a bad thing! Lord...?"

Tas'hukh blinked, then smiled from ear to ear. He gave a soft laugh of his own and hugged the youth to him; he still expected the claws to come out at any moment, yet all that Ri'hus did was purr again. "I am glad you decided to stay the night," he said quietly, stroking Ri'hus's arm. "I was not certain if this was what you truly wished."

Ri'hus propped his head up and rested his chin upon Tas'hukh's chest. "Why would I not, Lord...?"

Tas'hukh tilted his head to the side a little. "I suppose I am just used to it always being that way," he admitted, and scratched Ri'hus's chin.

Ri'hus's eyes shut and he purred even louder, tail swishing. "But you were so good, Lord," he said.

Tas'hukh blinked again. "Good--?"

"Of course, Lord." He yawned and stretched, scratching his wing. "In the water. I did not even think...any of that would be possible!" His ears went pink and he rolled over with a laugh so that he was sprawled across Tas'hukh's middle, his ribs in the air. Tas'hukh's eyes nearly goggled at how the youth was contorting himself all over the bed, but he managed to swallow the lump that arose in his throat, and rubbed Ri'hus's belly. Ri'hus started giggling as if he were ticklish, bringing up one knee and flicking his tail against Tas'hukh's side.

"I am sorry," Tas'hukh said abruptly, and Ri'hus stopped laughing, blinking at him in puzzlement. Those large blue eyes made the captain ache inside and he tried to bite down the bitterness in his voice.

"I am sorry for everything you have been put through," he said, and Ri'hus's brow furrowed even more. "For the trial, and those dogs in the barracks, and your father." Ri'hus started to slowly slide back down to the bed, his wings shrinking toward him and his limbs drawing in toward his middle. "You did not deserve a single one of these things, to learn things the way that you did," Tas'hukh went on. "I am sorry that this has been your lot in life. I hope that perhaps, I can help to make it just a little bit better."

Ri'hus's eyes shifted to peer up at him; he looked so much smaller than he had but a moment ago, all sprawled out without a care; now he looked again like the Ri'hus who had been standing in the street, ready to flee the tribe forever. "I..." His voice came soft and hesitant. "I am here because...you pity me...?"

Tas'hukh blinked, stunned, then pushed himself upright. "Never! This was never the reason." He paused, and bit the inside of his mouth. "I...do pity you, Ri'hus-Kana...but not in the way you think...only because I have been in this position, and I know exactly the feeling you must feel. I know I have had that same look in my eyes that you once had...and it would have killed me inside if I had not done what little I could to rid you of it. It may sound odd...but in a way, when I saw you it was like looking at a younger me. You may not agree but I do fully believe you can become a lieutenant someday, and be just as good as the rest of them. I have not been able to do much for this tribe--it does not even feel like my home here, no matter how long I stay."

"Yes!" He started when Ri'hus spoke, sitting up and putting his hand upon his abdomen. The private's eyes were wide, his mouth open as he looked down at him. His wings flared.

"This--this is exactly what I feel!" he exclaimed. "This tribe--like--like it is not my own! Like--I do not belong here. I mean--I know no other tribe, but--still--"

"You feel as a stranger here...?" Tas'hukh suggested; Ri'hus's eyes widened even more and he nodded vigorously. "Then you know the exact feeling that I do, young one, both here and in my old tribe...like there is no one who will ever understand--"

"And nowhere I belong!" Ri'hus added. "And nothing that feels right!" He flushed a little, appearing to catch himself, then spoke a bit more meekly. "You...you mean that you have felt it too, Lord...? I am not the only one, then...?"

Tas'hukh brushed his claws against his face. "I am willing to bet there are others like us, sweet one, besides; yet I can say that I have never met them." He sighed to himself. "I felt useless in this tribe, until meeting you gave me a reason to stay. I was fully thinking of leaving this place; who knows where I would go. Another place where I am not wanted. There was no reason left for me to stay here. In a way..." He paused, uncertain whether he should keep going or not, yet the look on Ri'hus's face prompted him to do so. "...In a way, your misfortune gave me a reason to keep on."

Ri'hus blinked at him, mouth parted, and his ears flicked. He blushed and averted his eyes. "You..." He had to try a few times before he could find his voice. "Then...you did not...just bring me here for...well..." He peered around them at the mussed bed, then back at Tas'hukh, eyebrows rising.

"Of course not, pretty one!" Tas'hukh sat up now and cupped his face. "I would lie to you terribly," he said, feeling his own face going red, "if I said that I had not hoped for this...but I did take you in for exactly the reason as I say. I want to make a better Kana out of you." He winced to himself. "If I approached you too abruptly...then I apologize for this. If we should have waited..."

Ri'hus blinked again, then his cheeks went pink. Before Tas'hukh knew it he had fallen back against him, and pressed his cheek to Tas'hukh's, draping his arm behind his head. He smiled up into Tas'hukh's face, that same lazy-eyed purring smile which made the captain's sheath start to feel uncomfortably tight again.

"Lord! Truthfully, if you had waited too much longer, I think I would have only trained much worse! If this is what you wished then I cannot believe you waited so long! The very first night you brought me in...I fully expected to spend in your bed! And this would not have been a bad thing!" His purr grew louder, and he gave the sweetest smile that Tas'hukh had ever seen. "In fact...this is why I awoke so early that next day!"

Tas'hukh snorted, shifting his leg and struggling to contain himself. "Something you must learn, Private," he said in a strained voice. "You must learn to start telling me things!"

Ri'hus laughed and pulled away from him. He got onto hands and knees and gestured Tas'hukh after him. "Come along, Lord!" he cried, creeping back across the bed. When Tas'hukh started to get up he clapped his hands and laughed. "The pool, Lord! I still have yet to wash myself off...and you as well...why do we not just make a pairing of it!"

The breath came loud out of Tas'hukh's nostrils and he followed the youth across and out of the bed. "You had best hope that the halls are empty," he grunted, hurriedly seeking out a kilt and tying it on as Ri'hus was doing. "For I think we might not get to that courtyard quite in time, at this rate!"

Ri'hus only laughed yet again. The two of them made their way down to the pool, the young Kana always a step or so ahead but holding onto Tas'hukh's hand, laughing gaily as they went and casting him numerous coy looks. The older Kana followed, disbelief at his luck still swirling within him. None had looked at him in such a manner since I'anen, and even I'anen had had his all-too-frequent poor moods. While he had loved Djuta dearly, and still did, Djuta had never reacted in the same way; there had always been something proud and standoffish about him. Ri'hus, on the other hand, so far was a delightful lover, giggling and pulling Tas'hukh forward into the courtyard. They stopped beside the pool to shed their clothes again and as the private descended into the water, the lithe muscles of his back rippling, Tas'hukh watched him with a deep ache. Why was Ri'hus treating him so? He was getting old; while still in moderately good shape, he was not as attractive as many of the younger Kana. He was not nearly as agile, nor as energetic. He had taken to coupling with pottery, for the gods' sakes, when he couldn't procure a mate. Why then did this youth respond to him so enthusiastically?

Ri'hus turned around in the water, submerged up to his chest. He held out his arms with a wide smile. "Come, Lord!" He bobbed up and down in the water, and splashed Tas'hukh playfully when the older Kana stepped into the pool. Tas'hukh sputtered, then splashed him back. Ri'hus laughed and they spent a moment or so simply playing as if they were both children, splashing and dunking each other and swimming in circles. Tas'hukh soon found himself laughing as well. For some reason...he felt younger, out here.

This feeling was only enhanced when Ri'hus swam toward him and looped his arms over his shoulders, pressing close and murmuring happily. Tas'hukh snorted and pulled himself upright. Strangely--he felt strong and virile, like Mahakhi--even younger than Mahakhi. He had never felt so in his prime, even in his younger years. When his shaft arose anew, hard and strong, he didn't even feel a surge of embarrassment or shame; Ri'hus noticed it as well, and blushed, but still smiled. He took Tas'hukh by the hands and led him into deeper water, where they embraced and kissed one another, floating and bobbing in the currents caused by their motions. This time, Tas'hukh saw nothing wrong in splaying Ri'hus's buttocks and mounting the younger Kana upon himself; the youth merely gasped and dropped back his head, his eyes fluttering shut, and that was all. Tas'hukh clutched him and grunted thickly, letting out a guttural growl, as he pushed, and pushed deep, hard. A fire surged within him, quenchable only by the hot fluids which his lover could coax out of him. He reached deeper and Ri'hus bucked and laughed, then moaned--and the fire blazed as it never had before.

Tas'hukh pulled out, turned his mate around and placed him over the edge of the pool, and mounted him with a zeal and majesty he had not shown in ages. For the next half hour, the courtyard was filled with the private's high-pitched cries and the captain's harsh, heavy grunts as he claimed his pleasurable prize.

* * * * *

My men and I thank you...

The look on the enemy general's face was one he had never quite seen before. The mixture of outright disgust and hatred, tempered by confusion and sympathy, was a strange one...he could tell that this Kana had no real idea what to think of him, a captain who challenged him, only to submit peacefully once the battle had been lost. Had he expected outright slaughter? This had never been his intention, but by now, he couldn't be certain what his intention had been. All that he knew was, he must have had just as strange a look on his face, when he had been beaten to the ground, and found that general's sword aimed right at his throat.

You have won. I may join my brother in peace now.

You think I will send you to the same place as that vile dog Sut'khut? Then you have another idea coming!...

He could tell that the general had not planned to let him go. Then again, he had noticed how he had lifted his head, to look across the square...he was fairly certain that he had seen the young lieutenant over there...had the general been looking at him...?

You are not the only one who grieves, Captain. I myself lost a dear friend upon that day, who was also the father of a lieutenant now present. His son shall now never see the pride he brought him...

We are not unalike, you and I, General...are we? You may speak louder than I, and flare your wings, and stomp your feet and flail your sword...but in the end...we both want the same thing. We want our tribes to return to normal. We have lost the same things. We have reached the same place, and we have both been forced to act on behalf of our tribes. We have both seen the looks in our men's eyes. They lust for revenge, yet they also grieve. If it were not for Kana like ourselves, General, this bloodshed might go on forever. I was fully prepared to die for my tribe, and you were fully prepared to kill for yours. Yet you were the one who decided to end it, before more blood was spilled...I saw the loss of respect from our men, both yours and mine...yet this is the price one pays, for leading a tribe, and for deciding what is best in times like these. We cannot always do what is most wanted, but we can try to do what is best...and hope that our men learn from our example...

Was it my lieutenant's eyes which stopped you? Could you see a part of your own tribe there, one of your own men? This captain whom you lost, did I remind you of him somehow? Your eyes reminded me of my brother's, for a moment, when you were ready to kill me...yet when you turned to me again...you looked much like another Kana I know...your eyes looked just as mine looked, when I looked in the mirror at myself that day...you did not want this fight, either...

What times are these, General, that we are forced to hate one another? I honestly feel that if things had been just a bit different--if we had not met in battle long ago, if our generals had been in better shape, if our men had not been so aching for war--then we would have been friends. Your Tas'eta, my Meteri, they are after all but brothers in arms, simply of enemy tribes...Captain Nehekhi, and Captain Yekh'ef, they were but fathers of young sons, trying to teach them as best as they could, and cut down too soon...and you and I, we both have the same pride and fear and concern for our tribes, and would do all that we can to protect them...and all of us, every Kana and Moru, mourns just the same as the next, and if I killed you, and if you killed me, we would both bleed just the same...

What times are these, General, that we are enemies, when we should have been allies? For allies are too few in these times, and good Kana are too few, and it seems that all there is nowadays is bloodshed and war and death...we can ill afford to continue this. Someday, we will both meet an enemy greater than either of us...and then what will we do...?

I saw the look in your eyes change, even as I can tell that you still despise me. What was it that changed your mind? Was it my lieutenant's eyes, or my own, or some other's...? Do they all look the same to you now? Did you realize that, if it were not for circumstance, we may have met not in battle but as friends? Did you believe that this was something you could change?

Do you realize yet how much you have already changed it...?

A swordtip, stabbing through his breast. That was what it had felt like, even though he had been away from the general, and no sword had pierced his breastbone. The pain had forced him to halt anyway, and his skin went cold, and the roar of the crowd faded, and his vision went black at the sides, and it looked as if stars were falling around him. All that he could do was fall. The voices rang hollow in his ears as he tried to breathe, the stabbing pain shooting through him and crippling his wing, but they made no sense anymore, if they ever had. Everything began to grow hazy as if he looked at the world through muddy water and he felt himself losing his balance.

Khanef-Kana--

Here is hoping you can carry your own damn name...

Ikhi'et-Moru--

To remember, and come back quicker than last time. Please...?

Meteri-Kana--

I fully believe in you, Lord...

Lord! Lord Fe'kheru!...

He heard his voice, faint, faraway, as if deep within the desert. He could not see him, or raise his voice to reply, as whatever was happening had stolen all of his words from him, and he could not even raise his arm to wave. The stabbing tearing pain made him fall to his knees, and the next thing that he knew, he was looking at the ground, feeling the cold earth against his face, his own breath fanning against the dust, and the ground was vibrating as if a hundred Sha were racing across it. He felt hands pulling at him, and vaguely saw faces looking down into his own, yet his vision was so faded that he could not tell who they were, could only see indistinct faces with bright lappets dangling from their ears, blue and purple, and someone was yelling for a physician...

He felt a hand take his own, saw one of the vague figures, in blue lappets, drop its head to his throbbing chest, felt warm tears trickling against him, heard its words, tinny and muted in his ears, muffled and indistinct.

Please, Lord, you cannot die...

Meteri-Kana...where will you be? Who will be there for you if I am gone? You have lost so much already...everything I did today, I did for you and for our tribe...yet I could not do this without hurting you...what will you do if I must leave you...?

'Teri-Kana, you must promise me something, no matter what the outcome of all this.

Anything, Lord.

Promise me you will stop being afraid to be imperfect. Your father was imperfect, and so was your brother, and so am I. So are you. I am proud that you always did your very best. But I wish you had let yourself fail, sometimes. You would only be in good company. All of us must fail sometimes, and there is nothing wrong with that. Promise me that once you are back home, you will let up on yourself? You will fall apart completely someday, if you do not let yourself fall apart a little sometime soon.

I will try, Lord...

After this, he remembered little, as everything had gone dark and silent then, and it was as if he slept a dreamless sleep, though as he drifted slowly out of it, he did seem to remember having thought of home, with Khanef smiling and waving at him, and his Moru throwing her arms around him, and Meteri meeting his eyes, with pride in his own...though it could have simply been a memory...

He tasted something then, an odd bitter taste which made him sputter and cough. Something touched his neck. He heard voices, two of them.

His heart. It beats regularly now. He recognized Meteri, and would have touched his hand, had he known how.

Then another voice, which he did not recognize.

It will still take a while to be effective. He will be weak, and he should not try to exert himself. But he should begin to recover now...

And this voice just made him want to frown in puzzlement. For it was a female's voice, saying these things, and females never spoke in such a manner, at least, not that he knew of...

The darkness returned, for how long he did not know, and though he still did not dream, he felt as if he slept. The sound of birds singing was what finally began to draw him out of his slumber, and the soft noises grew more distinct as his senses began to awaken, and he took in a breath and his eyes slowly drifted open, blinking at the sight of the ceiling high above, now dimly illumined with daylight.

Captain Fe'kheru stared upward for a few moments, still blinking and trying to adjust himself. He felt something against his belly and tilted his head to look down. Lieutenant Meteri sat slumped forward with his head resting against Fe'kheru, his right arm outstretched and his left hand placed against Fe'kheru's chest. His eyes were closed and he was sleeping, his breath coming slow and even. Fe'kheru stared at him for a while, studying his face--he looked even younger in sleep, now that he was not awake and tense and on edge like he usually was--then looking again at the ceiling, listening to the birds and the noises of the household. After a while he started to carefully sit up, gently taking Meteri's head and arm and moving him so that he rested against the cot instead. He sat on the edge of the cot and lifted his left arm, stretching and flexing it; then he stretched his left wing, yet neither of them hurt anymore, and in fact, both of his wings felt better than they had in a while, as well as both arms and legs. He sat opening and closing his hand for a few moments before getting to his feet, placing his hand against the edge of the small table nearby as he still felt somewhat dizzy. He rubbed at his head and waited for the dizziness to pass, before stepping tentatively toward the window overlooking the avenue between the courtyards.

He stopped here and looked outside. The sky was brilliant blue, even bluer than he remembered it ever having been; the tiles were pristine white, the shrubs effulgent green. The flowers looked like bits of fire flaring from the greenery and Fe'kheru took in a breath, smelling their sweet scent, as well as the dust from the city and the moisture from the river. He lifted his head to look up into the sky, and marveled over the colors he saw. A laughing noise caught his attention, and he lowered his head to see two Kana make their way down the opposite avenue past the courtyard, a young one, in black lappets, holding the hands of the older one, in red lappets, and laughing as he trotted along, the older Kana smiling at him in return. Fe'kheru watched them for a moment before a smile came to his own face, and he stepped away from the window.

He turned his head to look back in at Meteri, who still slept. Fe'kheru stared at him for a long time, before every remaining trace of worry left his eyes, and he smiled again, slightly, and fanned his wings.

* * * * *

Djuta entered Mahakhi's residence with a sour look upon his face. It felt as if hardly anything could go right today; he tried to remind himself of Rithukh'het, and what bit of good news she had brought him, at least, yet it was difficult to remember this amongst the piles of other bad things that had happened. He thought of Khetai and winced; where was she right now, still in the Moru quarters? He thought of Resikh, but had not seen him since that morning, and wasn't inclined to look for him now, not after the time he had spent in Tefkha's company; he felt he would probably end up biting his friend's head off, when he hardly deserved such treatment. He did allow himself to feel a bit peeved, however. He had no idea what Resikh had ever seen in that barracks lieutenant; he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up dying of some awful disease of the genitals, or if he were mugged by a band of roving Moru. He was certainly strange enough for it to happen. If his own men didn't decide to do him in first.

His look just grew even more sour when he saw who was walking toward him down the hallway. The enemy lieutenant who had arrived with Fe'kheru's tribe. What an annoyance. Lieutenant She'hekha didn't bother looking at him as he turned and stepped into the courtyard, and Djuta would have gone on without saying a word to him, perfectly fine; yet as he started to pass, the other lieutenant spoke, and he ground his teeth together in irritation.

"Do you know, where I come from, a thank you is a typical thing," She'hekha said, halting beside a column and leaning against it as if resting, his back to Djuta.

Djuta halted and scowled. "I never asked for your assistance," he said, "therefore no thank yous are owed."

She'hekha snorted and crossed his arms. "You think I mope about waiting for something I believe is owed? I have bigger things to think over. I am merely surprised that you seem so unconcerned about that miraculous healing female of yours."

Djuta frowned and slowly turned to face him. "How do you know this much about her...?" he asked.

She'hekha's ear flicked. "Firstly, she recommended that I rub this wonder-oil called kanana upon this ear of mine, to better help with the sting. Secondly..." He glanced over his shoulder, a bored look on his face. "I happened to accompany her down to the river, to seek out another miracle plant, so that Fe'kheru-Kana would be recovered and your tribe would be spared."

"Recovered--?" Djuta clenched his fists. "What are you talking about? What sort of story is this--?"

She'hekha peered at him. "News apparently does not spread as fast as I had thought," he said, and waved his hand at the air. "I suppose you were so busy attempting to escape our company that you missed it. Fe'kheru-Kana suffered the onset of a malady last night, and likely would have passed on to Amenti by now, if not for that female of yours. She fed him a plant. I was witness, and helped her pluck it down at the river. From what we saw last night, he had improved."

"Khetai did this...?" Djuta's brow furrowed and he lowered his head. For Khetai to see to a captain, and to be released from the tribe no less, would have required the permission of a very powerful Kana. The only one he knew of was Mahakhi. But Mahakhi hated Khetai. Why would he have allowed this...?

"What became of her afterward?" he demanded, feeling that the other lieutenant likely wouldn't know.

She'hekha shrugged. "She was led back to the Moru quarters, from what little I could see. Your general did not seem much inclined to keep her about." He cocked an ear. "So this is the Moru who would be Kana, who I have heard so much about? I had thought she was merely mad, but it looks as if she has some useful skills to speak of. I hear you are no longer allowed to keep her."

Djuta's muzzle wrinkled. "This is none of your business."

"It is actually my business, seeing as I was present when that mutt nullified that deal of yours." He frowned slightly. "It's odd. I was rather expecting a few lieutenants at my door this morning, yet none were forthcoming. I would have thought they would be interested in speaking with me about my part in the affair."

"I already told you this is none of your business," Djuta echoed himself, turning to look up the hall.

She'hekha looked almost ready to scowl. "You mean you did not mention me--?" he asked, and Djuta's look grew much the same. "Forgive me for seeming pissy, and it is not out of any need for praise--but judging by the way your general talked to you, I doubt he would take your word and that of a Moru over what that ass of a captain is sure to have said." When Djuta said nothing he wrinkled his own muzzle. "You did not even mention this? Is this the reason why that female is now in the Moru quarters and not in your room--?"

Djuta flared his wings and bristled. "I do not need your damned help!" he snapped.

She'hekha scowled. "And I did not need to become involved in your damned affair! But that I saw that dog treating a Moru as if she is a sulky Sha, and killing a pup in the process. You would let him get away with this just so you can avoid trouble?"

Djuta bared his teeth. "You would have preferred getting into grievous trouble with our general--? Then you should have made this clear from the start. I do not need your pity and I do not need your help. All I wish is for you to go back to your tribe, as soon as is possible."

The Yellow Sands Kana's eyes narrowed. "I hardly did this for you," he growled in return. "And if you think I do not know how to handle a pissy general, then you'd best learn some things. If you do not mind your Moru being treated so, then I will step out of it. I had just had the fleeting thought that you were another sort of Kana than that."

With this he turned away again, facing the courtyard, and Djuta ground his teeth together, hating to lose the last word but not wishing to start it all over again. He started to continue on his way when the other lieutenant stretched his wings. Djuta slowed when he again noticed the crisscross scars marring his back, and frowned without even thinking; he was certainly no stranger to ill treatment, but whatever this one had gone through must have been atrocious.

"You are wondering where they came from?"

Djuta flushed. He hadn't even realized that he'd been staring, until he noticed She'hekha looking at him over his shoulder, that infuriating smirk again on his face.

"I take it you are not so asocial as you had led me to believe," he added.

Djuta's ears folded and he turned away. "Not exactly, as I suppose they were well deserved."

"You look as if you have much time on your hands, and no inclination to go visit with your Moru, so I will tell you anyway. I know you will not be able to pass the day without knowing." He turned back to the courtyard once more, leaning against the column; Djuta steamed to himself but decided not to give him the satisfaction of leaving. She'hekha didn't look as if he'd care if he left or stayed anyway.

"It took me a period of years to earn my scars," She'hekha said in an almost bored-sounding voice. He examined the claws of one hand. "This is why some lie atop the others. They were put there by a whip. Or several different whips, I should say, as the first ones wore out. I suppose I have scars also on my wrists and ankles, though they are not quite so obvious to see." He yawned and stretched his wings again. "I received them whenever my father would tie me down and assault me."

Djuta blinked. The explanation had come out so abruptly, and in such a neutral voice, that he wasn't certain whether he'd heard correctly. "Your father--?" he echoed, before even realizing that he was speaking aloud.

She'hekha glanced over his shoulder again and his mouth twitched as if in amusement. "You find it difficult to believe?"

Djuta had to collect himself before replying. "Not very," he said, in the blandest tone that he could muster. "Though it was not exactly..." He trailed off, and hated that he couldn't think of a decent way to finish the sentence.

She'hekha smirked and finished it for him. "It was not exactly what you expected to hear? You most likely assumed I was captured by some enemy tribe or something and subjected to hideous tortures until being freed, am I close?"

"Something akin to that."

"This is what most people assume. I will not bother relieving them of their incorrect assumptions unless they should so ask. But this is not at all what happened. I have never been captured by the enemy; I would kill them first before I would allow that. I have the skills to defend myself...now." His smirk grew, and Djuta felt like shuddering, the smile seemed so out of place. "But I could not always say that. I only began to excel in the Kana army when I had almost reached adulthood."

"Allow me to guess," Djuta said. "This was when he stopped."

She'hekha nodded. "Or else, when he realized that I might begin to pose an actual threat." He shrugged. "All I can say is that I trained harder than the rest of those louts, and attained the rank of lieutenant in a matter of merely a year. The only reason I have not chosen to become captain is because of the politics it involves. I would much rather do battle than watch my back for the nearest dagger that may be plunged into it."

"I assume you would be quite tired of watching your back," Djuta agreed, then gawked at himself for having said it. To his surprise, She'hekha started laughing.

"Yes, this is true! Though little good it did me before. Wariness is nothing without strength and skill." He stretched his wings so that the scars showed again, and ran his finger along one particularly deep one, spanning from his left side down to the base of his spine. It disappeared beneath his kilt. Djuta nearly winced thinking of the pain it must have caused.

"I remember each one of these clearly, unfortunately," She'hekha murmured. "This one here. I was then fourteen years old. He was not quite so violent with me, when I was younger. In fact he did not even start on me until I was about twelve."

"As if it matters?" Djuta winced, not wishing to hear any more. But She'hekha continued.

"For some reason as I got older he liked to use the whip more. And his hands. Bruises fade in time, but scars tend to stay with you for a while." He traced the ragged outline absently. "He was angry for some reason, but I do not remember why. He was always angry as it was. More so than usual this time. He swayed from his routine that day, and beat me first, then proceeded with his purpose. I did not lose consciousness once. I remember clearly every moment of the five hours he spent raping me."

Djuta's ears folded back. He took a step away from the courtyard, but his legs refused to move further; the sight of the pool, for some reason, made his head suddenly swim, and he had to lean against another column to keep his balance, his breath starting to come quick in his throat.

She'hekha didn't even notice his reaction. "At least on that occasion though, he sated his anger all at once. When I was sixteen, he kept me tied to the bed for three days, and spent the greater part of two of them with his cock inside me. Perhaps he would have done so longer, had not my lieutenant started asking where I had gone off to. It was not long after this that I stepped up my training. He did not dare to tie me down again." He turned and looked at Djuta now, and raised one eyebrow when he saw the look on his face. Djuta couldn't tell how he looked, but he did know that he felt like sitting down or else falling over. The other Kana stared at him for a moment before his expression changed and he nodded.

"Ah. I see I give more details than are needed. You have been there, yourself."

Djuta bared his teeth, panting and shaking. "And what makes you claim this?" he rasped.

She'hekha's nostrils flared. "Merely the fact that your face has gone white, and you look as if someone has just dug you up from the grave. And so who made you feel thus?" He put a finger to his chin and looked thoughtful. "I have seen how you act around the general...he is the authority here, and you do not seem to get along incredibly well, yet you do not act out against him...and so it must not have been him, or your father, or a superior." He tilted his head. "Another, then. A comrade, perhaps? Or a Moru?"

Djuta made the mistake of flinching, and She'hekha saw it. He nodded again and the corner of his mouth turned up.

"A Moru, then. This could be doubly humiliating, as a Kana should never be raped by a Moru."

"Be silent," Djuta grated.

"I will assume then that he was of larger-than-average stature, perhaps once a Kana himself, because you are in a better shape than to let a Moru assault you. Or else he was not a Moru at the time." Before Djuta could lunge forward to bash his face in, he shrugged and appeared to lose interest in the details. "Whichever it was, it makes the details of my story unnecessary. So I will refrain from sharing further." He turned back to the pool, and Djuta let out his breath. His arms were shaking, but he couldn't figure out why. He stretched them straight in an attempt to still them, and She'hekha spoke again.

"Perhaps this is the reason for their treatment of you?"

Djuta's nostrils flared. "What do you speak of?" he demanded, though he knew it would be better not to ask.

She'hekha glanced at him and his mouth twitched. "You must believe me blind, to miss the way the other men react to you." He turned away from the courtyard and came so close to Djuta that he almost flinched back in surprise. If She'hekha had moved any closer, their muzzles would have touched. For a brief ridiculous moment Djuta expected the other lieutenant to kiss him, but She'hekha merely smirked and murmured.

"You think I do not see the way they speak of you? The way they speak to you? Even your general. As if they must tolerate you for some reason, but only grudgingly. I have heard on the wind of this so-called trial that was held. Most obviously a charade, you being tried for attacking a child molester for raping your Moru."

"There was another matter," Djuta said in a tight voice, and She'hekha's smirk grew.

"Ah yes, the young private...the unwilling victim...or so I've heard. I've heard other stories as well, that right as of this moment he passes his time with another Kana much older than himself. So he is hardly a grieving victim. If he ever was at all." He tilted his head again. "And you, being tried for this. Your general and your comrades obviously cannot tell which of the three of you is the most useful and most skilled Kana."

"I was not punished, nor found guilty of these crimes."

"Yet you would think that they believe you are, would you not? With the way they stop laughing and relaxing with each other whenever you come near? With the way your general barks at you to follow his orders? He has known you for years, I suppose; and suddenly he is so willing to overlook you? Let me know--how often did he entrust you with important duties before this debacle? And how often afterwards?"

"This is none of your business," Djuta said, though he felt an odd pang inside at hearing She'hekha's words. It was true--Mahakhi hadn't entrusted him with anything important, since the trial. All that he sensed from the other Kana now was distrust and frustration. If this was so, then why had he let him walk free...?

The Yellow Sands lieutenant's mouth twitched. "As I thought." He took a step away, and Djuta shakily let out his breath. "And the other one, refusing to uphold this bargain you made with him. Your general only went along with this decision, and because of this your child is dead, and your mate will be punished. These are the actions of the men who respect you?"

Djuta said nothing, merely glared at him in the hopes that he would go away. But he didn't, not yet. He leaned forward once more and spoke so softly that Djuta had to strain his ears to hear.

"I have seen and decided for myself that you deserve much better than what these Moru give you. You have no reason to put up with the disrespect they show, when it is obvious you perform your duties to the fullest. How much longer will you continue to allow them to run you over?" He lowered his voice even further. "General Nehara is not of the same sort as your Mahakhi-Kana. The Yellow Sands Tribe knows well how to take care of its own. And you will never find a Kana elite treated like a base Moru. I can tell you are likewise frustrated with the way your 'comrades' have treated you, simply because one dog could not control his lusts, and because another decided in the midst of things to change his mind. When Lord Fe'kheru is well enough to leave, I will be leaving with him. But then I will be heading back to my own tribe." He backed away once more, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. "I rather like to believe there will be one more Kana leaving with us than when we arrived." With this he turned away at last, walking off down the hall, in the direction of his rooms. Djuta was left standing near the columns, staring off into space. He wasn't certain what he thought or felt.

After a long time spent thus, he finally let out his breath again--he hadn't even realized he'd been holding it, until his lungs began to hurt--and turned to go to his own room. At the moment, he couldn't stand the thought of facing another Kana.

* * * * *

Khetai sat curled beside the wall, as always, in the Moru quarters, staring off into space. Now that she had no scrolls to keep her company, no medicine, no duties, her hours were filled with nothing, and she had never realized that she would so much miss being confined to Djuta's quarters, or having to put up with him mating her; even that fate had seemed more bearable than this. She had never imagined that being a Moru could be so mind-numbingly dull, until she had finally been forced into living thus for herself.

No wonder Khetai-Kana wanted to save me. He must have known. He had Moru. He did not want me to feel the same way...

But that he had just let me stay a Moru, then I never would have faced all of this! I would be used to it all, and I could bear it!

Couldn't I...? I have barely known any life, other than that of a Kana...

She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't even approach any of the other Moru--not even Bikhthet, who resided here as well. The first time the other female had looked at her, with sympathy in her eyes, she had cringed and turned away. There was nothing more humiliating than this. More humiliating than the Moru seeing her as one of them...and pitying her.

I was supposed to be Kana! Why could I have not been born male--? Everything would have gone right--I would not have to be here--I would not have to feel like this--I would not have Moru pitying me! Pitying me for what I once was!

I hate you, Khetai-Kana, for cursing me like this...if you had known what you were truly condemning me to...

Why did you leave me, Khetai-Brother...?

She thought again of Djuta and her eyes stung; she shut them and stifled a sob, hating the sound. She huddled in on herself even more tightly and pressed a hand to her eyes. He had been nothing like her brother...but for the fact that he had treated her as more than a slave. Even when his own safety and reputation had been endangered, he had thought of her first. She couldn't bear to see him when he had arrived with Resikh. Mostly because she knew that she would not be with him again.

I did not like the nesakh'ai, Djuta-Kana, but you were the only one who respected me, after you knew...you even offered to kill for me. I know you do not love me, I know you did not want me, but this just tells me the truth all the more. You are the only one who cared enough to bother. I should have listened to you. If I had known how this would turn out, I would have preferred staying your slave forever. I could easily have lived out my life as your Moru, just so I would not have to face this. I failed you. I did not learn my place soon enough, so now, I learn it too soon...

I am sorry that I failed you, Djuta-Kana...but even sorrier that I failed myself...

She rubbed at her streaming eyes. The door to the Moru quarters opened and light streamed in. She didn't bother lifting her head. By now, she no longer even knew if it was day or night; all that she knew was that it felt like she had been in here forever. She did open her eyes to stare off into space again, and briefly wondered how that strange captain was doing, before footsteps came and stopped beside her, and a voice spoke.

"Moru Khetai?"

She dragged her head up to meet the Kana's eyes. It was a scribe, and she vaguely recognized him from the trial. He held a papyrus and a pen in his hands and Lieutenant Nehef stood behind him, chewing on his lip. Khetai's eyes flicked to the lieutenant's and she furrowed her brow at the look that they held. She felt the fur on the back of her neck start to prickle.

"Moru Khetai," the scribe said, and jotted something on the scroll before rolling it shut and lifting his head so that his lappets fell over his shoulders; he gave her the same superior look that most Kana did. "The accounts of the house of Djuta have been settled and your fate has been determined according to the terms of the trial. As you are unlikely to bear a pup within the time period set by the grand tribunal, you are to be sold to the next-highest bidder." He tucked the scroll away and gave her that cold glare. "The auction is to begin within the hour. You are to follow us to the west side of the square, where you will be handed over to your new master." He jerked his hand at her impatiently. "On your feet."

Khetai stared at him with her eyes wide and her voice stuck. Numbness settled over her, then a chill, then a cold sweat. Her legs refused to move. The scribe wrinkled his muzzle and jerked his hand now at the lieutenant, who started and then came forward, stooping down to take Khetai's arm. He helped her up though she was still unable to walk or move; the scribe turned to the door with one last gesture, and Nehef grasped Khetai's arm to keep her balanced as he followed, her legs moving mechanically as they went out the door.

Her own voice came weak in her head.

Khetai-Brother...what do I do now...?

Continue:

"Part 56: Exchange" 


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