Part 14: Humanity

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 14 and be on the lookout for updates to the next parts!


HOOTING NOISES DRIFTED upon the air, past the drapes which floated on the breeze, and down to Nehekhi-Kana's ears. His nose twitched in his sleep. Thi'usa slept beside him, his head and arm nestled against the Kana's breast; it was the way he sighed and shifted in his sleep which finally dragged Nehekhi out of his drowse, and he yawned widely, lifting his free hand--his other arm was preoccupied, embracing his Moru--to rub at his eyes.

The hooting sounds came again, a clanging noise following them.

Nehekhi blinked his eyes open and frowned, looking up at the canopy. He glanced at the window, then at the door, then at Thi'usa. Apparently no one else had heard the sounds, or else had decided not to bother letting him know what they were. He tried closing his eyes again but a resumation of the noise made his muzzle crinkle in annoyance. His sleep was shattered; there was no way he could hope to doze off now. Besides, he hadn't relieved himself in quite a while, and the pressure on his bladder was growing irksome.

He carefully sat up, cradling Thi'usa and then settling him back onto the bed. The slave sighed again and curled in on himself. Nehekhi decided to leave him. Thi'usa was trustworthy enough to never give him any trouble with escaping, and after all they had done last night he doubted he would be in any mood to run off; apparently the realization that his two females were with child had been enough to bring him out of his poor mood, and he had practically worn his master out the night before.

Either that, or I am simply getting old.

Nehekhi swung his legs out of bed and yawned, stretching his wings and scratching his back. He stood and made his way slowly to the door, tossing on a kilt and sandals as he did so.

"Lord...? Where are you going?"

Nehekhi paused and looked back. Thi'usa sat up, rubbing at his eyes and also yawning. The Kana suppressed a sigh; he truly hadn't meant to awaken him. He went back to the bed and scratched Thi'usa behind the ear, earning a purr.

"I merely heard some noises outside, is all. They woke me up. I could not sleep and so decided to see what they are about. Nothing more."

Thi'usa pushed the sheets aside and rolled over onto his belly, stretching like a cat. Nehekhi ached on seeing those lithe muscles beneath that creamy fur. "I do not feel I can sleep either...would you mind if I came along with you, just this once, Lord?"

Nehekhi blinked. "After all of that last night, you truly feel up to walking about? I should have thought you'd sleep the next two days through!"

Thi'usa collapsed to the bed and gave him a lazy smile. "You were the one begging for it to end, as I remember it, Nehekhi-Kana."

The Kana rolled his eyes and gave an amused snort. "Very well, you can tag along after me, but only on the condition that you tell no one else what you just told me! Or I do not know what I will have to do to you!"

"Whatever it would be, I hope it would involve that wonderful thing between your legs," Thi'usa returned, and Nehekhi had to swat at him as he climbed out of bed. The Moru yelped and danced out of the way as he retrieved his kilt, but Nehekhi tossed him one of his own.

"Here, wear this one. You were a little fast last night, remember? Right after I touched you you practically squirted in my mouth--and my mouth was nowhere near you! Remind me to burn that thing once we get back!"

"You were fast as well," Thi'usa groused, but accepted the fresh kilt and wrapped it around his hips. He followed Nehekhi out the door and Nehekhi waved at the guard before they set off down the hall.

"What sort of noises were they?" Thi'usa asked, rubbing his arms as if cold.

"Oh, I do not know...it sounded as if someone had merely had too much to drink and was proclaiming it to the world. Still, you think they could at least keep it to their own house, and not wake up the entire tribe..."

"I have never understood the purpose of getting so soused anyway," Thi'usa mused as they exited the household and made their way down the steps and outside the gate. He stood by, still rubbing his arms as Nehekhi paused and leaned against the wall of a neighboring building to relieve himself. "I believe I got drunk all of once, stinking drunk that is, and probably said some things I will always regret..."

"I remember, that was the first time you came on to me," Nehekhi said, shaking himself off. He smoothed down his kilt and waved at Thi'usa, ignoring the Moru's gape as he made his way back toward the street. "Yes, there are plenty of things you are not aware that I know about you. Gods, should I have gotten you a shawl? You look fit to freeze out here."

"I am fine! But what is this about me coming on to you--? Are you certain you did not imagine that...?"

"As if I could imagine the image of your drunken face making eyes at me..." Nehekhi retorted, then trailed off. He frowned and squinted up the street. A small boil of activity had arisen far ahead, where a group of Kana appeared to be busy with something, hooting and waving their swords at the air as if just returning from a triumphant battle. A Kana a little further from the group turned and spotted the two watchers, then started jogging their way. Thi'usa's fur prickled and he stepped behind his master; Nehekhi grasped his arm tightly, before recognizing the one who approached, and then relaxing slightly. His lieutenant came jogging up, saluting and panting.

"Taka?" Nehekhi said, puzzled. "What are you doing out at this hour?"

"Apologies, Lord, but we got word something was happening at the gate...it looks as if the old bat's been up to his old tricks..."

Nehekhi's hackles rose. Of course, it had been far too long on General Djiu's part to go without a raid on some human settlement; the brothel girls he'd picked up a few months ago must have finally tired him. He knew the reprieve from the general's madness would be only temporary, yet a part of him had hoped it would last a little longer, at least until he had figured out what to do about the situation. He craned his neck and peered at the crowd ahead.

"I heard them hooting like drunken fools all the way down the street; I could have sworn they passed right by my house."

"This they did, Lord; they came from the main gate."

"The main gate--?" Nehekhi gave his lieutenant a sharp look, and the other Kana nodded.

"Yes, Lord. They came from the north."

Something about this information filled Nehekhi with dread, though he wasn't certain why. So far, none of Djiu's raiding parties had bothered heading north; most of what could be found there was desert and more Apsiu tribes, not many humans. The pickings had been ripe enough to the south and east and west...so why would Djiu suddenly send a party north...?

"Lord, there are only human prisoners with the party," Taka said, as if attempting to read his thoughts. But for some reason this knowledge didn't allay Nehekhi's fears any. "There is no way they could have even remotely stood up against..."

"I know you are going to say the East Tribe, Lieutenant, and that's not what I was thinking of. But thank you anyway." Nehekhi craned his neck to try to get a better look. "Aside from his change of raiding directions, what else is so special about this party? I have not noticed such a ruckus over this matter in quite a while."

Taka rubbed at his neck. "Well, Lord...the bat's changed more than his directions...it seems he brought back more than females this time."

Nehekhi gave his lieutenant another sharp look, but the crowd was already drawing closer again. Nehekhi saw Djiu himself in the lead, and the general beamed at him widely as he approached.

"Nehekhi-Kana! I am sorry we must have awakened you, but what luck to see you here. I should have thought of sending a party north long ago. I suppose the timing was right for we came across a human in the desert, and followed his trail straight back to his village. Seems he was wandering about on his own! Much like yours once was!" He waved at some of his men behind him, and only now did Nehekhi notice that they were restraining several females--he assumed the more attractive ones had already long ago been spirited away to Djiu's household--but not only that, they held onto several males, and children, as well. Nehekhi stared in disbelief when two Kana dragged one of the humans forward, pushing him so he landed hard on his knees with a gasp of pain.

"This is the one," Djiu said with an amused look. "He protested and put up quite a fight--tried to even keep us from locating his village, yet of course that was a waste of his time..." He grinned cheerfully and waved at the bewildered-looking human. "I can see you are confused, Nehekhi-Kana...I don't normally bring back any of the men or small children...but for some reason, this one made me think of you. It is about time you had a little companion for your Moru! And I thought it would be generous to give a male or two to a few of my men who...ah, may be more interested in that type than in a female."

"General Djiu-Kana is most generous!" one of his men, grasping the wrist of another one of the human males, yelled. There was a chorus of assent from the others holding onto captives, and Nehekhi had to swallow the fire rising in his throat. He could see the looks on the faces of the Kana holding onto the children, and did not have to ask Djiu why he had brought them back.

"Well, Nehekhi-Kana--?" Djiu's voice brought him back, and he looked at him. Djiu gestured at the human on his knees again. "Go ahead; he's all yours. You deserve a little gift, for being such a loyal Kana."

Something pinched Nehekhi's wrist, and his glance flicked down to see Thi'usa gripping it in his hand; he'd been reaching for his dagger again, not even aware he wasn't carrying it until now. He looked up to see if Djiu had noticed, but fortunately the general was too busy yelling responses to his men's cheers to have seen the gesture. The human was scrambling to his feet, and Nehekhi blinked stupidly as he bolted for the gate, even though there was no hope of reaching it from here. A second later the human was restrained again, this time by his lieutenant. Taka bent the human's arms behind his back so that the man grimaced in pain, but did nothing else.

"Lord?" he questioned. "What should I do with him?"

Nehekhi had to shake his head to clear his thoughts, they had become so chaotic by now. "Take him back...back to the Moru quarters," he mumbled. "I will deal with him when I am ready. Perhaps Ameni can handle him better until then."

He looked up in time to see a startled look from the human, and frowned, wondering what it meant, but already Taka was dragging him away. Nehekhi merely stood in the middle of the street, rubbing his eyes. Thi'usa took his arm again.

"Should I go back...?" he murmured.

"I believe this would be best right now, Thi'usa-mate. Gods know what other ideas he might come up with soon enough." Nehekhi gave his Moru a tired look. "You can make it back on your own?"

"I will just follow Taka. I should be safe enough with him."

"Should you catch up, tell him to get that human some food in my quarters before taking him back to the Moru. He is likely half starved by now. Unlike Djiu I would not appreciate a dead human on my hands."

Thi'usa nodded and quickly bowed his head before turning and jogging away. Nehekhi cast a look at him as he departed, then back in the direction Djiu had gone. He fought to suppress a snarl and was surprised by the rage which suddenly flared up inside him; it was best not to let such emotions overtake one. He started walking in an effort to stave it off a little while longer.

* * * * *

Taka watched the strange human with much suspicion. Although he would never disobey Nehekhi's orders, and knew the captain to be in full possession of all his faculties, still, sometimes he wondered about his judgement. The Moru, Thi'usa, had informed him that Nehekhi wanted the human cared for in his quarters before being taken to be with the other slaves. It was well enough that he had ordered him properly fed, but in the master's quarters?

For his part, he sensed the human was cannier than he let on, but couldn't prove it. The food table was already prepared in Nehekhi's room and the lieutenant brusquely pointed it out and nudged the human forward. He received an angry look which made him bare his teeth and flare his wings; although he fully intended no harm, still the human took the hint and turned back to the table. Sometimes they needed to be nudged, was all.

The human sat on one of the chairs provided and picked up a piece of bread from the little table, tearing a small piece loose and chewing it slowly. The two of them stared at each other as he ate. He also drank some of the beer which Taka poured into a cup sitting beside him. After a while the Kana began to notice by the shadows on the floor how much time was actually passing, and wrinkled his nose in irritation. Now he could tell the human was stalling.

"If you're thinking of keeping me from my duties, Moru," he muttered, "then you'd best think again and start chewing a little faster!"

To his surprise, the human appeared to understand. He started eating a little more promptly, though still giving Taka that same dark look. The Kana snorted and turned to look out the door, tapping his foot impatiently and telling himself to keep silent. He would have much preferred guarding the Moru quarters, getting drunk in a tavern, puking in the street, anything other than this. Why did Nehekhi think so little of him as to make him babysit a human?

After some time the human finally seemed to finish eating, at least what was sitting out on the table. He seemed reluctant to leave, but Taka didn't give him any time to dawdle. He grasped the man's wrist and pulled him to his feet, ignoring the protesting look on his face as he dragged him toward the door.

"Come on, you've been welcomed enough. All you ate just there was much better than what I usually get!"

They exited into the hallway and started walking. Taka sighed to himself and rubbed his head. His shift was set to end soon; perhaps he could talk one of the guards at the front gate into taking over for him until then, while he went out and got a drink. After this chore, it was the least Nehekhi owed him. Besides, he could get more done in the taverns anyway.

He let out a yell of surprise when the human abruptly tore loose from his hand and spun on one heel, bolting back up the hallway. Taka gawked for just a second before following. The human was quite a fast runner, despite looking to be slightly past his prime--but no amount of running could get him past the two guards at the end of the hall, who caught hold of him as he darted past. Taka reached them, panting, as they exclaimed in amusement and pushed the human back and forth between him as if he were a ball. They laughed at the other Kana as well.

"What's the matter, Brother? You two make a bet and he won the race?"

"What were you going to offer him, Brother? Perhaps your next drink? You look as if you should cut back anyway, with how you're panting like that."

"Funny," Taka snapped, although he felt the banter was anything but. "Give him back before you break something." He grasped the human's wrist again, harder this time, taking a small bit of satisfaction in the twinge of pain that crossed over his face as he turned back the way they'd come. He felt like snapping a witty retort at the two, but could think of nothing, his head hurt so much. What a dull way to spend the day! He walked briskly now, practically dragging the man behind him.

"Listen, you," he growled, still uncertain whether the human understood his tongue or not, "if you don't quit acting up, you may as well forget what Lord Nehekhi said, for even he will not tolerate disobedient Moru. Be grateful he's ordered me to be gracious to you, like that other human! Otherwise you would be wallowing in some meaner Kana's pit, or else looking out over the desert with your head stuck on a stick!"

As he reached the Moru quarters and pulled open the door, yanking the human forward, they briefly made eye contact--and the man blurted out, in perfect Apsi, "Other human?"

Taka blinked. The man said nothing else. It had to be mimicry; humans didn't understand Kana unless they were taught, and who among them would care to learn? With a snort he pushed the human inside the dim quarters, and brusquely slammed the door.

* * * * *

The door to the Moru quarters opened, letting in a stream of light. Ameni, lying in the straw with his head resting upon Thi'usa's breast, lifted it to see what was going on; one of Thi'usa's ears pricked.

"This must be he," he murmured to Ameni. "I told you they'd be bringing him here soon enough."

"What is so special about another Moru?" Ameni said sleepily, burrowing his head against Thi'usa's chest again. "I am only surprised Nehekhi-Master doesn't purchase them more often..."

"I told you already, silly! There was a raid, and something different has happened this time..." Thi'usa trailed off, then whispered, "I did not tell you details...for I thought you had best perhaps learn it from him."

"Him who...?"

"This one Lord Djiu decided to grant to Lord Nehekhi. He is not Moru, he is one of your kind."

Ameni sat up completely now, heart beginning to race. "My kind? You--you mean, human?"

"Yes, human. Nehekhi-Kana ordered him brought here so perhaps you might speak with him...I am guessing he would prefer a human face to look at, after what he's gone through..."

Ameni rose from his spot and crept closer to where the Kana guard had stopped in the doorway, another shape standing beside him. He held something up toward the human figure, but the latter cringed back with a noise that sounded like a hiss. The guard--Lieutenant Taka--stepped back into the light with a sour look on his face.

"Fine, then! Have no collar. I do not care if you end up stolen. You might want to ask these others what fun it is to be stolen, though!" With this he turned, shutting the door behind him and plunging the room into abrupt darkness. The human figure stayed where it was, seeming dazed and confused, before daring to look around warily. The rest of the Moru, by now all of them awake, stared back.

"Who could he be?" Ameni whispered.

Thi'usa crept up beside him. "I don't know. Perhaps someone come looking for you? You did have friends in your village, did you not?"

"Well, a few..."

"Perhaps this is one then. I would search, had I lost a friend with no explanation."

"But the northern village was so far away, and there were none there who would care to come so far..."

As if hearing them, the person turned to look at them, and Ameni could see his eyes go wide. Then he started stumbling toward them. As Ameni's eyes adjusted to the dimness, he could now see the other man's face--and gasped and stood straight with recognition.

"K--Kahef!" he stammered.

Thi'usa glanced up at him. "You do know this human, Ameni-Moru--?"

"Ameni! Ameni!" the man cried, babbling and laughing incoherently. He reached Ameni and threw his arms around him, hugging tight. "I thought I should never see you again!" he exclaimed. "And I learn now that the rumors were true, the Kana took a human prisoner--only to find that prisoner is you, after all! Dear friend, if I had known, if I had believed the stories, I would have come for you much sooner!"

He pulled back enough for the two of them to look at each other. Ameni smiled at him, eyes wet. "Kahef," he said again, and struggled to find the right words, any words, to say. "It's been so long...how are things back in our village?"

Kahef's face grew shadowed, but just briefly, before he smiled again; Ameni had enough time to frown before his friend spoke. "The village...we can always talk of the village later. I am much more concerned about you!" He put his arms around him again. "Dear friend! I'm so sorry! The things you must have been put through here..."

"I'm fine, Kahef," Ameni was quick to reassure him. "They've treated me kindly here."

"...such brutes, and the things I've heard about them..."

"Truly...I mean it, Kahef, they've been most kind to me. I was lost in the sandstorm, but Master Nehekhi rescued me."

"...only to find...rescue? M-'Master Nehekhi'?"

"Yes, friend." Ameni carefully extricated himself from Kahef's arms. "He is our master, here."

Kahef stared at him, eyes gaping. "M...Master?" The joy slowly drained from his face. "Oh...oh, dear Ameni...they've made you...made you Moru? You are...you are a slave?..."

"Yes. No! No!" Ameni shook his head vigorously. "No, Kahef...you misunderstand. I chose to become Moru. I had to, else the other Apsiu would have killed me. Master Nehekhi gave me my life, if I would become his Moru. And so I did. I was afraid at first, admittedly, but I have..." He trailed off, trying to think of the best way to explain himself. "Well...I have become used to it."

Thi'usa reached out to squeeze his hand. Ameni hadn't even known he was there until he felt the Moru's fingers against his, and squeezed his hand back. Kahef saw the gesture and his look grew dark. He glanced up at Ameni again.

"Well...undoubtedly they've put thoughts in your mind. Improper thoughts." His eyes softened, as if sympathetic. "You've simply been among them too long, friend...I've seen similar things happen before, they mess with your mind, until you no longer know who you are..."

"I'm fine, Kahef. I like it here."

"You must be tired. They probably starve and beat you here...this we may talk about in the morning. And you and I may try to think of some way out of here, as soon as possible. As soon as possible we shall depart from this place forever."

"Ameni-human!" Thi'usa cried, clasping his arm. Ameni gently pulled it free and looked Kahef in the eye.

"No, friend. I stay here, now."

Kahef shook his head. "We talk about it in the morning, come daylight, when you are thoroughly rested." His face suddenly grew weary looking, and Ameni had to wonder just how far he'd come on his own, and how far the Kana had brought him. Had he really walked all this way from the northern village...? "I suppose I am expected to rest within this hideous place, as well," Kahef continued, not sounding in the least bit pleased. He shuddered, eyeing the other Moru who stared back at him, and sidled closer to his friend, giving Thi'usa such a dark look that the Moru retreated a step. "Ameni...where is the safest place for me to bed down tonight? I doubt I will get much rest, but I at least must try..."

"Over there," Ameni sighed, pointing out a vacant spot on the other side of the room. "I'll help you prepare a spot...though I don't know why you wish to bother talking in the morning, things will just be the same..."

He found Kahef already making his way to the secluded corner, avoiding the other Apsiu, in particular the two males, the twins Hiakh and Kiakh, who sat against the opposite wall, staring at him curiously. Ameni saw one of them--he could never tell which was which--lean over and whisper something to the other, who licked his lips and nodded with a faint smile. He merely sighed again and moved ahead, helping prepare his friend a bed for the night, hoping there would be no trouble in the morning. He was grateful for Thi'usa's warm touch when he returned, and the two of them sank down to the floor again in a gentle embrace.

"Ameni-mate," Thi'usa murmured to him, touching his face. "Does he trouble you by being here? I am certain Nehekhi-Master meant only the best..."

"No, he does not trouble me. He is an old friend of mine, from the village. I had just...not expected to see him again, is all."

"What is this he says of you leaving here--? Surely you do not mean this?"

Ameni shook his head. "He is simply confused...he does not know the Kana as well as I do by now. If he still wishes to discuss it come daylight, then I will clarify where we stand. You do not need to worry about me, Thi'usa-mate; I do not plan to go back there, ever."

Thi'usa was silent for a moment. "The memories are not good," he murmured quietly at last, "are they?"

Ameni stared off to the side. Thi'usa touched his arm, then sat up, taking Ameni with him, and touched his face again with a smile.

"Do not think about it, then. I find this is the second-best way to keep from having bad thoughts."

"Oh...?" Ameni raised an eyebrow. "What then is the first best way...if I even want to ask...?"

Thi'usa's smile grew crafty and he ran his finger down Ameni's arm. "You already well know the best way...and as fate would have it, we have only until daylight." He kissed Ameni quickly on the cheek. "I may keep your thoughts preoccupied until then, if you wish."

A slight smile came to Ameni's face. It was only what he and Thi'usa had been planning to do, before the commotion in the rest of the household had detained the Moru from returning. "I do not know," he said. "My mind is very occupied already."

"Then I will just have to seek something else to occupy." Ameni started when Thi'usa brushed a hand against his loincloth, and the Moru laughed softly when the move had an immediate effect. "See, already I've found it something to do."

"You will have to do a little more than that," Ameni whispered, a bit breathless, and Thi'usa laughed again and got to his knees, nuzzling against his neck.

"I suppose I will have to, then! Though only if you preoccupy me!"

Ameni took the Moru's hint and kissed him in return. He made certain to give his friend a knowing smile as he got to his hands and knees, and the way Thi'usa brushed against him as he untied their loincloths and moved into position quickly banished all dark thoughts from his head.

* * * * *

Kahef sat with his back against the wall, staring warily at the rest of the Moru surrounding him. Every once in a while his eyelids drooped but he forced them to remain open. He didn't like this place, not at all. Even while most of the Moru slept, he could still hear one or two, doing--he didn't want to guess what they were doing. He wished he'd been able to stay closer to Ameni, to make certain no one tried anything with him. There were far too many Apsiu, and far too few of them.

They have already gotten to poor Ameni. He thinks he is a slave! That he is one of them! What could they have done to him to make him think this? The Ameni I knew would never call himself a slave, nor remain here by choice...

He heard a slight noise and again lifted his head, blinking in the darkness. He glanced over toward where Ameni had gone to bed down, and saw that he and the strange winged Moru were still talking to each other. Kahef scowled to himself. He didn't like that Moru; simply by his build he could tell he had once been Kana, and if there was anything worse than the Moru, it was their masters. He wasn't even interested in knowing the unfortunate slave's story. He saw him lean close to his friend to nuzzle at his neck, and Kahef's eyes widened in surprise.

What is he doing? It is just as I thought! These creatures have no shame at all--!

What startled him even more was when Ameni then leaned forward and appeared to kiss the Moru in return. That could not have possibly been what it looked like--! As he watched Ameni knelt on hands and knees with his legs spread wide and the Moru moved behind him, quickly moving his hands. Kahef saw him toss aside their loincloths--two of them--before he grasped Ameni's buttocks and abruptly mounted him, pushing himself forward. Ameni tightened and dug his fingers into the straw, letting out a slight noise; a moment later the two rocked upon the floor, hips locked together, panting and shifting in unison.

Kahef willed himself to get up but couldn't. His limbs went numb and he could only stare at them in disbelief as they quickly moved.

A...Ameni! How can he do this to you! How can you wish to stay here, when they do this to you...!

He felt rage start to seep up into his breast at witnessing his friend's defilement--it must be fear that kept him here and so subdued. He'd seen the way the Moru clung to him earlier--Ameni had not touched him back out of affection, he had done so because there was nothing else he could have done. He'd known this was going to happen! Yet as soon as Kahef convinced himself of this, he saw the way Ameni put his head back and allowed the Apsiu to lick his neck--and not only this, but his friend moaned softly as well, saying the creature's name--"Th-Thi'usa"--and at last Kahef noticed how the Moru kept one hand beneath him, quickly stroking Ameni's shaft, which stood out quivering and erect. Ameni arched his back in what looked to be ecstasy rather than fear, and his delirious moan carried across the room--"Oh...Thi'usa-mate...yes, yes...yes..."

The rage in Kahef's breast surged up as irrational as ever and he ground his teeth in fury. He started to rise to his feet--only to feel a hand upon his shoulder, effectively stopping him. He turned to see who it was, and his eyes grew wide with panic.

This...this cannot happen! This cannot happen to us--!

* * * * *

Thi'usa panted, gripping Ameni's arms while he finished, shivering deliciously at the tang of his seed leaving his body. He let out his breath and pulled out of his mate, supporting him as they sank to the ground, their chests heaving. It had been a simple night, but a good night, nonetheless.

Thi'usa turned to look at him, and smiled lazily. "We have had much pleasure this eve, Ameni-human?"

Ameni smiled in return and touched his cheek. "As always, dear one...as always when I am with you."

"You see? I knew I could keep you preoccupied." Thi'usa kissed him on the shoulder. "I had thought that perhaps we might spend a little time with Tai'ihet later on tomorrow. She is heavy with child, yet this seems to only make her hungrier for nesakh'ai; many are the times she and Ki'amit leave me tired!"

Ameni laughed. "Well...this is what you get for getting two mates with child at once!"

Thi'usa rolled his eyes. "I had hardly expected it, Ameni-human! It had been so long that I honestly did not think they would ever drop any more for me!" He sighed and dropped his head back on the pallet. "They always manage to surprise me...agh...morning and night they both pester me to satisfy them, what shall I do?"

"Be at peace, silly, I'll see what I might do to make them happy...though of course you will have to assist me, as well."

"Well, did you expect that I would sit and play with myself while you enjoyed all the fun? You humans can be foolish!"

The two of them laughed softly together. Thi'usa rolled over and lay down over Ameni and they kissed and touched each other, their legs rubbing together, when Thi'usa's ear cocked and he placed a finger to Ameni's hungering lips. "Hush, wait...I hear something."

Ameni made a face. "Oh, ignore it...it's probably Tai'ihet looking for someone else to entertain her, since we're too occupied!"

"No, it does not sound like her...and the smell..." He sniffed. "It smells like Hiakh and Kiakh."

"You can tell this much?"

"Yes, of course. And...the third, does not emit such a musk as they." He sniffed again and frowned. "Ameni-human, where is your friend this eve, the one who came for you?"

Ameni paused. "He was at the other side of the room, just as I left him."

"This is from where the musk comes...was he alone when you left him?"

Ameni felt his skin grow cold. "Yes...I feel now I should not have!" He started to stumble to his feet when Thi'usa grabbed his arm and pulled him down again, stopping him.

"Wait!" he hissed. "Remember, Ameni-mate. When you came after me for being with Ki'amit. You were much mistaken as for what we were doing, what was going on, and remember what happened. You would have killed me had you had the chance!"

Ameni struggled to get free. "But he's human! Like me. He doesn't know your ways!"

"Are you so certain of this?"

"I know what I know. He could be in danger. Please, let us go see to him!"

Thi'usa at last let go of his arms. "All right, all right, dear one...but please, do not speak until I tell you to. First off we shall see just what's going on, yes?"

"All right, I promise...please, hurry!"

They both rose and, keeping themselves low and close to the ground, hidden in shadow, they made their way around the other Moru, some sleeping, a few coupling, careful not to step upon anyone. Ameni lost track of where his friend had been sleeping, the room looked so differently in the near-total darkness which had fallen since the lamps had died down a while earlier. He was ready to yell out Kahef's name and beg to know if he was all right before Thi'usa dragged him down again, covering his mouth and hissing at him.

"Quiet! I see!"

"Where?" Ameni whispered, desperate, before Thi'usa's hand upon his head steered his view in the right direction.

"There, Ameni-mate." He laughed under his breath. "See what I told you!"

Ameni squinted. Even after living among the Moru all this time, sometimes he found he was not able to see as well as he would have liked. But after a moment the scene at the other side of the room became very clear.

He could see Kahef, plainly--or rather--part of him. His legs, and his face. He lay upon his back, with one of the twins--Hiakh or Kiakh--under him, the other hovering over him. Ameni still could not tell the two apart, but the one above was nuzzling against Kahef's crotch, tongue licking, his hands deftly massaging up his legs. The one beneath held him tightly, legs wrapped over Kahef's thighs; even in the dark Ameni could plainly see his penis, long and pink, pushing slowly into his friend's anus--just entering him, from the look of it, as Kahef arched and cried out loudly--and the second Moru dropped his head back with a wide lolling smile. Kahef's entire body went stiff against him, his face twisted in an indescribable rictus, all of his muscles tightening. Ameni could not tell whether he enjoyed it, or whether it pained him severely.

He started forward again but Thi'usa again held him back. "They hurt him!" Ameni whispered, trying to get free.

"Do not judge so hastily!" Thi'usa insisted. "He is merely surprised. Those two, they tend to be to the point. They most likely gave him little chance to hesitate. Yet I feel he is not being forced."

"You can't tell this for certain. He might be frightened!"

"By them? Should he fight, they would easily fall off without protest."

"What if he doesn't know he can fight?"

"Just watch them for a moment," Thi'usa coaxed. "It is already begun, so what good could we do anyway? I know that Hiakh and Kiakh would not knowingly force your friend. But let us be certain before we rush in, please, Ameni-mate?"

Ameni clenched one first, then loosened it. "If they hurt him..." He left the threat dangling in midair before turning an anguished look back at his friend.

* * * * *

A pressure upon Kahef's shoulder immediately stopped him from rising and bolting toward Ameni and the Moru who mated with him. Looking up, he saw two more of them--two Apsiu, staring down at him. They looked exactly alike--he couldn't tell one from the other. And the grins they gave him caused him no end of anxiety.

"Look," one said in Moru, "I told you he was already awake."

"Probably because some of us keep him so," the second replied.

"Wh...what do you want?" Kahef asked, voice faint.

They blinked at him, then their smiles grew wider. "To welcome you, human," the first said. "You speak our tongue? How?"

"I learned it," Kahef snapped, drawing in on himself when one of them stroked his arm. "What do you want with me? I know you hardly mean to welcome me."

The Moru pouted as if insulted. "This is what we wish to do. You are alone, long away from your own people?"

"Why does this matter to you?" He hissed and drew away again when the other one sniffed at him.

"He has a good scent!" the Moru exclaimed to the first, who smiled and then looked at Kahef.

"How long have you searched for Ameni-Moru? You must be a good friend, to come looking for him so."

"This is none of your business. And don't call him that! He's human, one of my kind!"

The Moru shook his head. "No, he is Moru. He has said so himself."

Kahef's face went pale. "Wh...what?"

"Ameni-Moru has been with us for a long time," the other one said.

"Already he is one of us," the first added.

Kahef grimaced with disgust. "And that--I suppose he does that of his own free choice?" He gestured toward the two swaying figures at the other side of the room. The two Moru glanced up before turning to him and smiling.

"Oh, that is only Thi'usa. He and Ameni-Moru love each other very much."

"Love?" Kahef spat out the word as if it tasted bad.

The two nodded. "Yes, many a night they enjoy nesakh'ai together."

Kahef made a gagging sound. "Never Ameni! Not with YOU vile creatures!" He spat on the ground beside him.

They pouted again, and he was angry that they didn't get angry as well. "He has merely been long from his people," one murmured to the other, as if in reassurance. "He misses his friends, and when he finally finds one, he is preoccupied with someone else."

"You had wished to be with your friend?" the other one said, looking at him. "For nesakh'ai?"

"Sex?" Kahef bared his teeth. "Of course not! He's my friend, not my lover!"

The Moru blinked. "Not a lover?"

"You two, you are close friends and yet you do not love one another?" They both seemed surprised by this information.

Kahef made a face. "Of course we love one another. But not in that manner. What kind of disgusting creatures are you, that will mate with anything!"

"Of course," one of the Moru said, nodding, looking sympathetic. "He is merely lonely, is all."

"Lonely, yes," the second agreed. "From the long voyage to find his friend."

"Leave me alone!" Kahef hissed, recoiling as they drew nearer. They both smiled at him and reached out their hands.

"Ameni-Moru is busy with Thi'usa, but we may keep you company, human."

"What is your name, so we may know you?"

"Kahef," he found himself answering, for some bizarre reason. He slapped away one questing hand. "Go away! Do not touch me!"

"Kahef-Moru...I am Hiakh, and he is my brother Kiakh," the first Moru said. "Even Ameni-Moru cannot tell us apart." And he laughed.

Kahef's face went bright red with rage. "Don't call me Moru!!"

"But you are."

"I am NOT!"

"Kahef-human," Kiakh said soothingly. He caressed the side of Kahef's face and the man hissed and cringed away. "Please do not be afraid of us. Even the master is good to us all. You need not fear anyone in this place."

"Especially not us, we would never hurt a one!"

"We wish merely to welcome you, little human. You are far from home..."

"You must have journeyed far, to come this way, and leave your people behind..."

"Come, let us welcome you, Kahef-Moru..."

Kahef continued shrinking away from them, but they reached out to him at once and he had nowhere to cringe back to, without touching the other. He tried curling up on himself to escape them, but they touched him gently yet firmly, taking his arms and his legs. He wanted to start fighting. But their words slowly started to feel like balm to his nerves, after his arduous quest here, the fear he'd felt first being captured and brought in, all he'd had to put up with...his family he would never see again...

Slowly his muscles began to relax without his willing them. He whimpered, praying they would not hurt him. Their touches disgusted him. Yet...they were so comforting, and soothing, and thoughtful, not violent or brutish as he had expected them to be...and though he nearly cringed away when one of them, Kiakh, leaned down to gently nuzzle at his neck, he found that he liked the feeling, the warm nose whuffling next to his ear, sending small tingles down his spine. He let out a shaky gasp and shut his eyes.

"Ah, see..." Hiakh said, somewhere above him. "He is lonely, far from his home."

"We will welcome him, then, since Ameni-Moru is too busy to do so..."

Kahef heard them stop talking, but heard something more. He could hear his friend and the winged Apsiu murmur and shiver in climax, then rustle in the straw and talk to each other quietly; and around him, elsewhere in the room, he could hear the faint gruntings and moans of others coupling now that the dark favored them with its privacy. The sounds made his body shiver, and every new touch from his two tormentors felt like a shock to his skin.

He gave a soft moan.

Hiakh laughed quietly. "Little human, we may take that pain away from you should you want us to!"

"Come, Hiakh," Kiakh said plaintively. "I am full of sap for him, I ache inside."

"He has not yet said whether he desires us or not, Brother..."

"But is it not evident? Ah, I cannot wait anymore. I must have him."

Kahef tried to speak, to enunciate his fear, but couldn't. He opened his eyes to see Hiakh's dim shadow shrug and move.

"All right, dear Brother, if you must...I will pleasure him from this end...though he is clothed, the rest of his body is most delectable..."

Kahef felt himself lifted, something shifting into place beneath him and drawing him down again into a warm embrace. Kiakh's arms went around him and the Moru nuzzled at his neck.

"Dear little Kahef-Moru, do you say the word? Or does it elude you? Either way, say something, and I shall grant it to you, whatever you ask..."

Kahef tried to speak. Nothing. Only the softest moan passed his lips, and it could have meant anything.

The Apsiu grunted. "Good, good, Kahef-Moru...then just allow me, and I shall give you everything you've ever desired..."

"Be ready!" Hiakh said, before Kahef felt something warm and wet envelop his penis--the Moru had pulled up his kilt to his waist and was massaging his hips, sucking at him slowly--and he felt like squirming in his heat.

"Yes, dear one..." Kiakh breathed in his ear, "...be ready, for me..."

"I..." Kahef whispered, unable to speak. He sucked in a breath. Then came the words he had never thought he would say--"I'm...ready..."

He heard a small squeal of delight from the Moru beneath him. "Oh, he is ready for me, Brother!--then accept me, Kahef-Moru, for here I come, to claim you as mine..."

"Claim...claim me..." The phrase was a strange one, yet somehow seemed right.

Legs wrapped tight against his hips, arms around his own, clasping him to mold their bodies as one. And they did become one. Kahef jerked to feel something hard and hot prodding into him, then slowly sliding up inside. At first, it hurt, and he cried out loudly. The two didn't let him go.

"Sweet little one," Kiakh whispered. "He was iat'ah, but I have plowed his virgin fields."

Hiakh said nothing, just murmured. Kahef gave a soft sob. Fingers worked deftly around his testicles, rubbing and massaging. Kiakh clasped him tighter and pushed again with a grunt, then began pumping his hips, slowly but firmly. Kahef's head dropped back to his shoulder and his moan came loud and hoarse. The Moru nuzzled at his neck, making him shiver again.

"Do I hurt you, dear little Kahef-mate?"

"N...no..." Kahef panted heavily, his head foggy with lust. "Love...I...I love this feel..."

Hiakh chuckled around his mouthful. Kiakh shared his mate's moan and swayed into him, bodies writhing upon the ground.

Kahef couldn't believe it. He had not thought it possible...but he was excited, and pleased. The two Moru were most skillful in their touches and motions, as he began to pump his own hips upward, into Hiakh's willing mouth, with each movement. His own hands clasped Kiakh's arms, then reached out for Hiakh, begged him to come closer. It was something he never would have done back in the northern village, where he had never even been with a man before...yet somehow, it seemed appropriate, now that everything had changed...

"Moru-mate..." he whispered huskily. "Fill my mouth...please, fill me full..."

Another chuckle. "I had thought you would not ask, sweet one, but now that you do, do not fear...Hiakh-Moru will take your pain away..."

The Apsiu swung his hips over Kahef's face and entered his mouth with a grunt and a sigh. Kahef's eyes rolled and his body quivered. He accepted the hot thickness, like a searing rod within his throat, and began to suck, hoping for the warm gush of seed to come to quench his thirst. His own desire confused him as greatly as anything, but it no longer mattered anymore. The northern village was gone--Ameni was no longer Ameni--and he was no longer even himself.

Oh gods, yes!

His nose burrowed into Hiakh's grizzly hair. He sucked in the hot musky scent and salivated. The pushing within him, the swirling around him, drove him mad.

A soft laugh came from nearby. "You see, dear friend? He most certainly enjoys it!"

Kahef's eyes opened--to see the strange Moru, Thi'usa, and his own friend--Ameni--crouching right beside them, both naked. His senses briefly returned and he struggled to free himself, but the two brothers would not loosen their hold. He murmured in panic, unable to speak.

Ameni merely smiled at him, his eyes understanding. "Please, friend," he said quietly, "this is how things are, here. You will not be reviled for joining in pleasure with another. I felt it would inevitably happen. I only hope you are not too shocked...Hiakh and Kiakh can be a bit impatient!"

Kahef stared up at him. He could tell from the possessive manner in which the Kana-Moru held him, arm around his shoulders, muzzle lightly brushing his neck, hand trailing down his front to caress his thigh--that these two were...lovers? What an unpleasant thought! But Ameni allowed it, even listened to the Apsiu whisper something to him, hand gently squeezing his testicles. Ameni turned to Kahef again and smiled uncomfortably.

"Um...if you'll excuse me, dear friend...but we must take care of some...pressing matters...I'm certain you'll do fine." He and Thi'usa then turned and moved back to their bed, where Kahef saw them turn to one another, giggling and talking softly, hands roaming each other's body. Kahef tensed, feeling a shock.

Oh gods!

Within moments Ameni lay upon the ground, knees bent wide and buttocks trembling at the air as the Apsiu coupled with him most heartily. Ameni arched his neck and moaned with obvious desire. Thi'usa's hips barely moved but to pulsate quickly, and within a short while, the scene had switched, with Thi'usa kneeling and allowing Ameni to plow him deep. All his suspicions from earlier fled--it was obvious these two were in fact lovers, not enemies.

Ameni groaned aloud, and the sound--combined with the hot gush of Kiakh within him--sent a jolt through Kahef's body. He let out a muffled cry, his hips arching wildly into the air, penis spurting hard into Hiakh's throat. Kiakh gave a contented sigh and brought him back down, holding him close, nuzzling his neck with a pleased murmur. Kahef suckled furiously at the warmth spilling inside his mouth, its salty-bitter taste filling him. When the Moru pulled from him he lay gasping and spent, shivering at Kiakh's touches. The scent of their musk and sweat filled the air.

"Well...little Kahef-Moru?" the Apsiu panted, lifting his head to smile at him and stroking his hair. "My brother and I, did we not please you?"

"Has your first night among us been made tolerable?" Hiakh added, unstraddling him and snuggling up beside him to touch his chest. "We would not want you to be lonely, Kahef-human..."

"If you are still lonely, we are still here for you..."

"And Ameni-mate and Thi'usa-Moru are here, as well, once they are finished with one another..."

A soft cry. Kahef looked to see Thi'usa toss back his head and tremble, Ameni kneeling upright, buttocks quivering in climax. He stared hard at the looks they had upon their faces...they smiled even as their mouths hung open, eyes shut or glazed with desire, muscles taut in the sweet culmination of their coupling. When their bodies relaxed, they sank into each other and rolled over upon the ground, embracing and kissing, laughing softly and touching one another like young lovers experimenting in the grass. Kahef let out his breath, watching them. They were so...happy, Ameni and his Apsiu.

Why should he not be, if it is as he says? He had no one left in the northern village...yet here...

Kiakh pulled himself out and released him, but the feeling was so empty. Kahef moaned anew, and the two Moru cuddled against him, one on each side, murmuring and caressing, muzzles touching him softly, fingers trailing warm over his aching flesh. He shut his eyes and sighed as the two murmured softly to each other.

"See, we have taken away his loneliness...no longer shall he be afraid of us here."

"Sweet little human, you must join with us again, later on..."

"Yes, yes! Hiakh and Kiakh will please you again, most greatly! If only you will let us, Kahef-human..."

"Will you let us? May we be with you yet again? We shall all be most happy..."

"Yes," Kahef murmured, nodding sleepily. The frenzied lovemaking had left him drained...but...as they said...happy. "Yes...when I am rested...more nesakh'ai...the three of us...together..."

Kiakh gave a tiny squeal. "We shall enjoy it most greatly!"

"One plowing, and two, to keep us satisfied the whole night!"

"Let us drift you to sleep, sweet little one, so we may enjoy one another later!"

They murmured and cooed to him, tongues soft on his skin. He heard Ameni and his Apsiu mate sink into sleep, and felt himself begin to do the same, not dreading the moment he would awaken now, but anticipating it, dreaming already of the next time he would feel his companions' bodies against and inside his own.

* * * * *

Ameni did not get to sleep in very late the next day, as Kahef awoke him rather early, anxious to know more about where the two of them had ended up. He fidgeted impatiently as Ameni yawned and stretched and dressed himself, averting his eyes when Thi'usa sat up, still naked, and yawned and stretched as well. Ameni could tell that now that daylight had come, the other human was again reserved and self-conscious, and he darted a glance at Thi'usa which told him to cover himself. Thi'usa sought out his kilt and wrapped it around his hips, staring at Kahef curiously.

"There is no privacy here," Kahef murmured as Ameni stood. Ameni wondered why he was still so anxious following what had happened last night; perhaps that was merely the way Kahef was. The two of them were friends, but they had never been remarkably close. He sensed that Kahef's senses as a human of the northern village had at last returned, leaving him feeling somewhat embarrassed by his actions of the night before--the glance Kahef cast at the two brothers still sleeping at the side of the room only confirmed this belief--yet he said nothing of it. "Where could we talk?"

"There is a wall, over there..."

"But they might still hear us."

Ameni gave him the same odd look Thi'usa had. "Why are you afraid of them hearing? Most of them do not speak our tongue, anyway."

Kahef glanced at Thi'usa again, but the Moru had turned onto his side and apparently gone back to sleep. He then looked at Ameni anxiously. Now Ameni wondered how he knew that Thi'usa spoke Kemeti.

"He spoke in his sleep," he said, as if reading Ameni's thoughts.

Ameni frowned. "He spoke Kemeti in his sleep?"

"I assumed you had taught him."

"I did not teach him, but I suppose it could happen...he is asleep now, anyway. And you hardly have anything to fear from Thi'usa."

"You speak of him like..." Kahef trailed off when Ameni met his eyes, then averted his own to look at a section of the floor. "...as if you are old friends."

After what he must have seen last night, I wonder why this is such a surprise for him... "Come," Ameni said aloud, touching Kahef's arm. "No one will bother us behind the wall. Thi'usa is the only one who speaks Kemeti so well; the others know only a little, most of them none at all, and besides they are too preoccupied to pry anyway. You do not know the Moru like I do. This isn't the sort of thing they'd be interested in."

The look on Kahef's face told him he didn't completely believe that, but he didn't argue. They walked carefully across the room, trying to avoid stepping on anyone though Kahef jumped and flushed when his foot met the tail of one of the sleeping Moru, resulting in an indignant squeal. He seemed ready to flee the room, but the Moru merely rolled over and went back to sleep, and Ameni took him by the arm and pulled him forward.

"They do not hold grudges the way we do, Brother," he said as they went behind the partition.

Now Kahef frowned. "'Brother'?"

Ameni felt his face grow warm. Had he truly said that...? "Yes," he said hesitantly, after a moment. "It means..."

"I know already what it means, Ameni. It means you have been here a long time."

"Surely you knew this already."

"Now I do. But it wasn't always like that." Kahef's brow furrowed. "I, we, had thought you dead, all these months, and more...hearing your name from that Kana...and seeing your face after all this time...I still do not quite know what to say. It's almost as if I am seeing a ghost."

"I am no ghost, though I'm also not the Ameni who wandered off into the desert that day."

"So the sandstorm took you? How did you come to be in this place? Were you dragged here, the same as I?"

Ameni shook his head. "It was nothing like that...I came here freely. As freely as I could come," he amended himself, remembering how Nehekhi had had to drag him, part of the way, before convincing him of the prudence of his plan. "I must assume that the northern village was raided," he said quietly, and Kahef again looked at the floor. He sat down with his back against the partition and his arms around his legs, and Ameni sat nearby. Kahef's fingers played over the edge of his kilt.

"There were search parties for you, the first few weeks after you vanished," he murmured.

Ameni blinked. "Search parties...? I was hardly this respected in the northern village, friend. Surely they were small search parties."

"You commanded more respect than you know, Ameni. Despite what has happened in the past, you still have at least one friend in a position of power."

The color drained from Ameni's face. "Do...you mean that...she...?"

Kahef nodded slowly. "There was never any official word...but who else, whom you know, would have had the power to send out such search parties? And would care enough to do so week after week, when anyone else would have given up? Granted, I was just as anxious to find you myself, but over time hopes fade. They would not search for you forever. Even I had to give up. There was simply nowhere left to look. Everyone believed you were lost in the sandstorm, killed, buried in the sand. Even I have never seen a storm that ferocious. It was as if the hand of Set himself clawed across the desert!"

"Yet somehow you are now here," Ameni said. "And the rest of the villagers are not with you. Why is this...?"

"Some of them were brought back..." Kahef waved at the confused look on Ameni's face. "I cheat you by not telling all you've asked...it is true, that I had to give up looking for you, as I had nowhere left to turn, and everyone else had already given up. Many thought me mad for how I kept insisting that the searches continue. Part of me knew you were dead, but part of me still hoped. I cannot explain it. The heart is too confusing. I knew it was foolish, but I gathered what food and water I could and set out into the desert myself. I planned to walk as far as I could before my rations gave out, and only then would I attempt to make it back home."

"Kahef! This is madness. You would have starved, or worse yet--"

"I did not care, Ameni, for you were--are--a good man, with the best heart in the village, and the way everyone has always turned their backs upon you has always infuriated me no end. So you made a mistake in the past. Everyone has. Why it was held against you so severely, I do not know. If I did not make it back, then I did not care. That village was full of heartless vipers anyway." He paused. "I was down to my last waterskin, and my last loaf of bread, when I found the pieces of your walking stick. You carved that yourself, I remember. I told you you were stupid for wasting such a nice piece of wood on such a trivial thing, when there was nowhere to walk to but the desert. Do you remember?"

Ameni nodded. "I remember."

"Yet you carved it anyway. And there it was, all broken up in the desert, near the cliff wall. Part of it was burnt. There was not much of it left there...I never found the whole thing. Did you take part of it with you?"

Ameni nodded again, puzzled by Kahef's absentmindedness.

"I thought so...at least this was what I hoped." Kahef stared into space. "I also found dried blood upon the rocks near the cliff...I was so close to panic...but I kept walking, and I found..." He shuddered now, and drew his legs in even closer to himself.

Ameni frowned and leaned forward. "What did you find? Please, friend, it's only a memory--you can see I'm still alive, right here."

Kahef nodded. "Aye, I know, and that wasn't what made me shiver...rather it was the thought of what else could have happened to you, besides being lost in the sandstorm, which filled me with such dread. I found the decayed head and limbs of a Sha, piled beside the cliff wall. They had not been put there at random. Some hyenas or jackals or some such had picked at them a bit, true, but they were still in some sort of order. Almost like a little shrine, or memorial. Our people do not have Sha. And if we found one, we would never treat it like that."

Ameni sat in silence. He'd forgotten about the Sha he and Nehekhi had eaten along the way through the desert. He had not been present when the Kana had butchered the beast, nor when he'd laid its body to rest beside the cliff. He could tell almost from the first that he had cared for the creature, however, so to show respect toward its bones was little surprise.

"I knew then what had happened," Kahef murmured. "And forgive me, but I almost wished you had died in the sandstorm."

Ameni still said nothing. He could think of nothing to say that would get rid of the look on Kahef's face. After a moment or two he felt the other man touch his hand, and Kahef leaned forward as if in confidence.

"What did happen--exactly?" he asked. "You were sparing in your details last night...was it bad...?"

Ameni shook his head. "No, it was not. Master Nehekhi is not a cruel Kana. Many of them are not. I do not know if you met him, but he..."

"I know. He is the one who ordered me to be sent here. Though he had that damned lieutenant of his feed me first, impatient lout that he is..."

Ameni trailed off and looked at Kahef more closely, his brow furrowing. "How did you know what Nehekhi ordered?" he asked. "And come to think of it--how did you know his guard is a lieutenant? Much less what 'Brother' means--?" He cut himself off and his brow furrowed even more. "Do not tell me you speak their language--!"

Kahef nodded, and his eyes grew sharp. "Though I would hardly let them know..."

"But--how could you know such a thing? The only way to learn it is from the Kana themselves..."

He trailed off, staring at his friend. Kahef returned his stare for a time before letting his own drift to the floor.

"You were very young...too little to remember much. The Apsiu tried to attack our village long ago. There were more of us back then, but they surrounded us for the space of a month. They had every chance to kill us all off, and every night we all went to bed expecting them to, yet they did not. I still don't understand why. Perhaps they were merely gloating--they seemed to take much pleasure in ordering us about, having us serve them drinks, sharpen their swords, mend their clothing. We took the chance they gave us and overtook them, instead of the other way around. If they had merely killed us all at the start, they would probably still be alive today. Instead all of them but a few were killed...I do not want to tell you what the others did to the few they let live, but to say that they did not live long, thank the gods." He paused, seeming to note the look on Ameni's face, then said, "That month, and the week or so following, gave me plenty of time to learn their tongue. What little I do not know, I can figure out. This is how I know about the Kana and tried to keep you warned about them. I have seen them, and even spoken with them. They are not strangers to me."

"They are not all the same," Ameni said.

Kahef's eyes turned hard. "I full well know this--yet this tribe you have ended up amongst gives me no reason to think so!" He put his hand to his eyes. "There is no one left in the village, Ameni. The village itself is gone, from what I have heard. They killed almost everyone--yet they left a few alive. I truly think the only reason I was spared was because I was not there--I was out looking for you yet again. Your walking stick? I knew you were still alive when I found it. I don't know how, but I knew. I fully intended to come find you...but they found me first."

Ameni had gone pale. "You are not the only one they brought here...?"

"No. Did you not hear the commotion? Those who found me dragged me back with them. They came upon me first, and I tried to distract them...but a few grabbed hold of me, while the rest went on to the north. It seemed as if forever passed while we waited for their return. I could see smoke in the distance, and hear a terrible wailing. The village was already gone. Most of those they have brought back with them are women--yet there are a few men, most younger than myself, and even a handful of children." He lowered his hand and Ameni could hardly stand to hold his stare. "I know how the Kana think, Ameni, and that's why this makes no sense to me. Yet when I saw those women I think I figured it out. But if this is so...then why am I here? The men? And the children...?" His voice faded, then he said, "Please do not tell me it is the reason I think it is!"

Ameni looked away. "It is," he murmured. "At least, this is all I can guess...it is the general Kana...he has gone mad. All here know it, yet none are willing yet to act on it. If what you say is true, then some of them are even taking part in it now...and I cannot help but think it is my fault, for coming here in the first place. I know the general did not have such ideas before I arrived. And I have brought not only this, but so much grief on poor Nehekhi-Master himself..."

"Master," Kahef echoed. "Quit calling him that! You are not one of them! Even if you came here willingly, you are still one of us, and we do not belong here."

"I am Moru and this is where I belong. Do not bother," Ameni snapped when Kahef opened his mouth to protest. "If you knew even half of everything I have gone through in the time I have been here, you would not even argue. I have been through far more in my few months here than I ever went through in my lifetime back in the northern village. This is where I live now, and as horrid as it sounds, there is no longer a northern village even for you to return to."

"Yet you expect us to simply take this and stay here?" Kahef stood, drawing the attention of a few of the dozing Moru in the other section of the room. "Even if you mistakenly believe you are really one of these creatures--I am not! Nor are any of those others they dragged here. Even if you are Moru, Ameni, do not tell me you will simply sit and call this fate!"

Ameni stood and grabbed Kahef's arm hard enough to make him wince. "Lower your voice!" he hissed. "You do not know the difficulties Nehekhi-Kana has gone through holding his own tongue over all of this. You think all Kana are so bad? He is the reason you and I are alive right now. There is a little girl who owes her life to him also--otherwise she would have ended up the general's plaything! And even if he cannot do a thing, know that Nehekhi-Kana is wishing he could do everything for those others who came here with you!"

Kahef's mouth twisted in anger, yet he managed to keep from shouting. "And so what do you suggest we do?" he whispered sharply. "You yourself said this general is mad. Based on how you and your 'master' reacted, this is not the first time this has happened, either! How long will you let this continue--?"

Ameni opened his mouth to speak, yet a sound from the direction of the door interrupted him. The two of them turned to see it crack open, light coming in from the hallway. Ameni shielded his eyes and recognized the guard, as well as Nehekhi, standing outside. He grabbed Kahef's arm again and pulled him out of the partitioned section, hoping to make it look as if they had been asleep in the main room, but the two Kana noticed them and looked their way. The lieutenant held up a lamp and Nehekhi held a hand to his eyes before entering the room and walking toward them. The two Kana halted in front of them, looking Kahef over. Ameni saw how his friend seethed yet said nothing, and bowed his head to Nehekhi. Nehekhi looked at him again.

"Ask him if he has any home to return to," he said.

Ameni glanced at Kahef, then back at the captain. "There is no more northern village," he murmured. "They destroyed it all."

Nehekhi's eyes hardened. Kahef seemed to take this as a threatening gesture, but the Kana didn't even look at him.

"Ask him where he would intend to go if he were to escape from here."

Ameni turned to Kahef again. Kahef gave him a harsh glare and muttered under his breath, "As if I would tell him where I would run to!"

Ameni looked back at Nehekhi. "He knows the desert," he said. "He would find a place to hide, until he could find another city."

Nehekhi nodded curtly. "Tell him he will be released tomorrow morning, then. He must stay the day here to allay any suspicions, but after that I will hardly have a prisoner on my hands. If any ask I will say I had to kill him."

He turned away, gesturing at the lieutenant, and they went back for the door. Kahef stared at them with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Ameni took a step forward and called out.

"Lord...?"

The two Kana halted and glanced back.

Ameni fiddled his fingers over each other. "What of the rest of them...the women and children?"

Kahef gave him a look that clearly said he felt Ameni must be insane. Nehekhi's eyes turned flinty again, making the other human cringe, but Ameni knew the anger was not aimed at them.

"I cannot help most of them. Those with Djiu will remain with Djiu. A few of the others are with Kana I know, who merely acted as if to want them; they will be released. The pups...I will see what I can do about the pups. I cannot promise anything. But I will do what I can."

Ameni nodded, and bowed again. Nehekhi turned and the Kana left, shutting the door behind them. Kahef stared at the door for a while before turning to look at his friend. Ameni met his stare, his eyes level.

"Nehekhi-Kana is not the one you have to fear. Fear the one who slew the northern village, if you must fear anyone. But Nehekhi-Kana is not your enemy."

"How do I know he will keep his word?" Kahef said quietly.

"I know that he will, thus you know that he will. I have never lied to you, friend."

"And come morning, where will you be--? Will you come with us?"

Even before Ameni shook his head, he could tell Kahef knew the answer. Kahef sighed and turned to look at the Moru still dozing in the room, and his fingers played silently over the edge of his kilt.

"You truly do believe you belong here...don't you?"

"I do not believe. I know." Ameni paused. "Perhaps at one point in the past, I would have returned with you. But things have changed too much. I may have been little more than a slave and a prisoner when I came here, but I am more than that now. More than I ever was in the northern village. I understand if you do not belong here, but I do. And so I will not be going."

Kahef looked at him once more, and Ameni was surprised to see him offer a rueful smile. "Well, you were always the stubborn one," he said. "No matter how much you think you've changed, there's that one thing that seems to be the same." His smile faded. "Do you believe this Kana of yours can do it...? That he can help us escape, without bringing trouble to himself?"

"I do not know. The general is mad, but as I am here, I think he feels Nehekhi-Kana is a comrade. Nehekhi-Master only plays the part of a brute; he is not like this at all. Ask any of these Moru and they will tell you. If he can find a way to spirit you out of the tribe, then he will, and his men will gladly assist. If there is a way, then you and anyone else he may rescue will be free come tomorrow."

Kahef looked troubled, but he nodded just the same. He squeezed Ameni's arm in a friendly gesture, then stood and went to sit beside the wall, staring out over the sleeping Moru. Ameni decided to sit beside him and keep him company until the door should open and separate them again.

* * * * *

Morning came much sooner than either human expected, as a small group of Kana arrived at Nehekhi's household long before dawn, the stars still twinkling in the sky. Ameni had to shake Kahef awake this time when the lantern peeked in the door, and the other human stumbled out of the Moru quarters in confusion, still not fully awake; he managed to glance over his shoulder at his friend, his eyes wide, but a parting gesture of his hand was all Ameni could offer, before he was gone. He and the rest of the Moru stared at the closing door in tense silence.

Kahef somehow kept his tongue still as the Kana hustled him down the hallway. He did not recognize any of them, and would have panicked and fought them off had he not remembered what Ameni had told him. Still, he wished they would speak, so he could gauge what their plans might be. They halted near the back exit of the household leading out to the kitchens, and here was the captain himself, apparently overseeing their departure. He looked Kahef up and down as he had before and nodded at one of the Kana holding his arm; a moment later Kahef stumbled under the weight of something being shoved at him, and he had to regain his balance before he could see what it was. He noticed he held some sort of large pack in his arms.

"To contain food, water, provisions," Nehekhi said in stilted Kemeti. Kahef realized Ameni had never told him he could understand his language. "Enough to carry through desert to western cliffs. To head due south one night, then due west to Lizard Tribe."

Kahef blinked. "Lizard Tribe--? I am hardly going back to more Kana!"

Nehekhi scowled, making him bite his tongue. "Messenger to arrive before daybreak. Friends in Lizard Tribe. No human settlements for a long way; to go to Lizard Tribe, or die in desert. Lizard Tribe to provide with more provisions, send on way to nearest human settlement. Only way back to your people."

Kahef continued chewing his tongue a moment before nodding curtly. Ameni had not denied that the mad general's attack on the northern village was not his first; he could only guess why there were no human settlements within a great distance of the Red Tribe. They must have all been slaughtered long ago. The thought of setting foot onto more Kana territory was almost more than he could take, but at the moment anything was better than remaining here.

He heard a slight commotion, and his eyes grew when he noticed another group approaching the back gate, several Kana pulling a group of humans between them. Kahef recognized a few of the men and women from the village, and their faces lit up when they saw him; they surrounded him and threw their arms around him, babbling incoherently, as if he were their leader. Nehekhi's scowl grew and Kahef did everything he could to quiet them down, though their cries rose once again when yet another group arrived, a few more Kana escorting several children. Those whose parents had somehow survived and made it here jumped into their arms; the others were scooped up by the rest of the adults as if they were their own, and immediately all eyes were on Nehekhi. The Kana nodded sharply at the exit from his property.

"Follow lieutenant. To take out of city. To hurry, and do not look back."

One of the lieutenants stood at the open gate, gesturing. It didn't take much convincing for the other humans to hurry outside. For the briefest moment Kahef thought it might be a trap--what if the mad general and his men were waiting just outside, before they could reach the city wall?--but he looked hard at Nehekhi, and the captain held his stare, his own eyes as flinty as they had been the night before. Still, he could see no malice there.

Kahef bit his lip. Then he set the pack of provisions on the ground and placed his arm to his chest, bowing his head. Nehekhi blinked in surprise to see the familiar gesture coming from a human, then nodded. Kahef picked up the pack and slung it over his back as best he could, staggering under its weight.

"Lizard Tribe are brothers," the Kana said. "To be safe with them. Go back to own people."

"You've treated my friend well," Kahef said.

Nehekhi merely looked confused at that. Kahef bowed his head again, more quickly this time.

"You are a good Kana," he said in Apsi, the phrase he had heard most commonly exchanged among the comrade Kana who had first assailed the northern village so long ago. Nehekhi seemed surprised by this comment as well, no less than by the flawless tongue in which it was spoken; Kahef turned and jogged out of the gate before he could say anything more. Although he was sorely tempted to, he knew he would see nothing more worth remembering, and so he did not look back.

* * * * *

Nehekhi's head pounded. He hadn't been able to sleep well for the past several nights, his mind filled with thoughts of what would become of the humans that had been released, and not only of them, but of his men should any find out what they had really done with the prisoners. And when he managed to stop thinking about that, he would then think about those they had not been able to save...he had seen at least two or so bodies being disposed of outside the city wall, and had ordered his men to gather them up when they had the least chance of being spotted. There was no way they could be returned to their companions, wherever they were...but they could be interred in the western caves, where the desert would dry out and preserve their bodies naturally, as he knew the humans' ways dictated how their dead should be dealt with.

Despite this action, every night he tossed and turned, and tonight his head was literally pounding from the inside out...

Thump thump thump thump. Nehekhi's muzzle twitched. That wasn't his head making that noise.

His eyes opened onto dimness, and he stared at his canopy for a brief moment before sitting upright and staring wide eyed at the drapes surrounding his bed. The thumping was coming from the door. He had to sort out his confused thoughts before he could rise from the bed and make his way to the door, unlatching it and cracking it open. Lieutenant Taka stood just outside, panting heavily. Nehekhi couldn't believe how large his eyes were.

"What is it--?" he started to ask, but the other Kana interrupted him as if he were not even speaking.

"Lord--you must come. At the west wall--the far end of the city--something terrible! You must come!"

"Terrible--?" Nehekhi felt a twinge of irritation at being awakened for something so vague, but pulled on a clean kilt anyway when a thought passed through his head, alarming him. "My Moru! Are they--?"

"They are safe. Not them. The west wall. Hurry!"

The captain blinked now in disbelief. He froze where he was and his fingers curled in toward his palms in indignation.

"You come to my quarters and then think to order me around--?" he snapped. "In case you do not know who wears the red lappets, Lieutenant--"

"PLEASE!" Taka yelled this so loudly that Nehekhi immediately fell silent, stunned. The other Kana clenched his own fists and only now could Nehekhi tell he had been restraining himself all along. "Lord...forgive my abruptness, but you have to come. Now. It is that important. You may thrash me later. But please hurry."

Nehekhi bit his tongue. The younger Kana's insistence still bothered him, but he could hear the urgency in his voice, and even now, a rising commotion outside. What was going on out there...? Had Djiu raided another village?

The Lizard Tribe! Has he gone after them--? Does he know--?

"Hurry, then," he ordered the lieutenant, who dashed from the room, not needing to be told twice. Nehekhi followed, realizing only once they were jogging down the steps that he was barefoot. That didn't seem to matter, based on how everyone outside was reacting. Some of them were barefoot as well, a few clad in nothing more than their loincloths. All were hastily making their way toward the far side of the city.

Nehekhi's brow furrowed with unease. What...?

"This way," Taka urged, forgetting to add a respectful title, but Nehekhi bit back his retort and obeyed.

Dawn was just breaking, judging by the pale light forming in the east. This had not quite managed to reach the inside of the west wall just yet, though the dim glow illuminated everything well enough that they could see vague forms all around them. The two reached a large crowd that had gathered around the wall, all of the other Kana--and even some of their slaves--staring upwards and chattering excitedly. Taka pushed his way through them, cutting a path for Nehekhi although some of the others protested before seeing his lappets and backing away. He nearly ran into his lieutenant, he stopped so abruptly; Nehekhi opened his mouth to demand to know why they had come here, when he saw his answer up on the wall itself. His jaw fell open of its own accord and his eyes grew wide, all of the color draining from his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Something...something that had once been Kana...hung suspended from the wall. Nehekhi could only tell it had been Kana from the wings that spread from its back, although they were in horrible shape. The body was suspended by its ankles, dangling upside down from a stake that had been pounded high up in the mudbrick, cracks fanning out from around it. The cords around its ankles were cutting through the skin, indicating it had been here a while already. Although the air was cold at night, still it had already begun to decompose, its limbs slightly puffed and its face black from all the blood that had gathered there. Its tongue stuck out of its mouth in an almost comical expression, but its eyes were already gone--ripped out, or pecked out by birds, Nehekhi had no idea. As for what exactly had killed it, he also couldn't be sure, though he thought he could see wide lacerations over its ribs and across its throat, matching those torn through its dangling wings. Its arms were bound behind it, so he could not see what state its hands were in. Perhaps most gruesome of all, its clothing but for its lappets had been removed, and there was a great bloody patch between its legs. The color of the fluid which had pooled on the ground below matched that of the lappets themselves, which were red. It was only on looking at this last detail that Nehekhi finally realized who he was staring at, and he sucked in a breath, taking an involuntary step back, his fur prickling.

"Siktu!"

Taka turned to look at him, still with those same wide eyes. He swallowed convulsively, and Nehekhi could tell the sight almost made him ill. "He was found here just this morning, not that long ago--though he must have been here all night. We managed to briefly check at his household. Everyone there is remaining silent! They are terrified of something! Someone wanted him to be found like this!"

Nehekhi swallowed now as well, then met his lieutenant's eyes. The younger Kana blinked on seeing the look there, then held up his hands in supplication.

"We had nothing to do with this, Lord--I swear! We have been following him, as you asked--but that is all--we had no plans to attack him--we thought we might find a way to blackmail him, instead. And last night...we broke our watch just for a bit, to get a drink...and we could not locate him again until now! That must have been when it happened! We were nowhere near his household at the time, Lord, I swear it..."

"I believe you," Nehekhi grated, cutting him off. "Yet I do not know who else will." He glanced nervously at the crowd around them. "Do any know you've been watching him--? Were you spotted?"

"I do not think so, Lord, yet I cannot be sure--we were not looking out for ourselves. But there is no one who can truthfully place us near him when this happened!"

"They may not need to, if anyone suspects--I know just about all are aware of exactly what we felt toward each other--!"

He noticed now how the crowd had begun to fall silent all around them, and jerked his head upright, nostrils flaring. The other Kana started to drift backward, away from him, and only when a new voice came from behind, making the fur on his neck stand on end, did he understand why.

"Lord Nehekhi? What brings you here?"

Taka had already turned his head to look behind them, his face pale. Nehekhi slowly followed suit. The crowd had moved off to both sides and fallen completely silent, all of them staring at him; in the wide space left by their parting stood General Djiu with his lead lieutenants at his sides, his eyes coolly meeting Nehekhi's. Nehekhi could only swallow. As if he had made some sort of gesture, Djiu's gaze rose, and he finally noticed the macabre sight upon the wall. One of his eyebrows rose and his ear twitched.

"Hm. Captain Siktu."

The other two Kana could only stare at him mutely. From the corner of his eye Nehekhi could see the panicked look on Taka's face, and wished he could have advised him to look more neutral, though he suspected his own face was much the same. Djiu lowered his eyes to look at him again, and it took Nehekhi a moment to realize his expression had not changed. Not one bit.

"Unfortunate for him," the general mused, as if thinking aloud. "It looks as if he met a rather awful end."

Nehekhi saw Taka open his mouth as if to speak, and flicked his tail violently from side to side. It was the only gesture he could think of that the general might not notice. Fortunately his lieutenant did, and fell still. Nehekhi spoke instead.

"I assure you we have no knowledge of what happened here," he said, his voice cracking.

Now something changed in Djiu's eyes, and if Nehekhi had had to name it he would have said it was...amusement? "I believe you," he said after a moment, and Nehekhi let out his breath. Djiu flicked a hand at his lieutenants, who then pushed their way through the crowd toward the wall and started ascending the rope ladders hanging off to the side. "Cut him down from there and dispose of him properly," he said, sounding almost bored. Nehekhi had started to relax when he added, "I should think that being tossed into the desert would be a fitting disposal for refuse of this sort."

Immediately the bristles of Nehekhi's mane prickled, and he felt every single muscle tense. Djiu had started to turn away to return to his household, but he chose that moment to glance back over his shoulder, making eye contact with the captain. His mouth twitched in a faint hint of a smile.

"Should we ever find out what exactly transpired with Lord Siktu, I'm certain we'll learn his demise was not entirely unwarranted. After all, good Kana stand by their own, and bad Kana...well...it's quite obvious what happens to them."

He turned and with another dismissive gesture parted the crowd that had re-formed around them. The other Kana gathered started murmuring amongst themselves again, no longer paying the slightest attention to Nehekhi and Taka; but all that Nehekhi could see was the general's purple lappets flapping as he walked away, his step jaunty and even cheerful. Nehekhi felt a slight twinge of pain in his hand, and just barely noticed that he had clenched it at his side as if trying to grasp an invisible dagger. His fingers were ice cold.

His lieutenant took a hesitant step forward to stand beside him, his own face pale.

"He..." he managed, before his voice choked off. Nehekhi already knew what he was thinking.

He has done this...because of ME! If this is how he treats me as an ally...then what will happen if he finds out I am not...?

"Siktu was a dung-eating bastard," Taka whispered hoarsely, "yet even we had not planned something like this! What is he doing? What is he trying to say...?"

He cut himself off again, looking down to see Nehekhi's hand grasping his wrist painfully tight. He winced slightly and rubbed at it when the captain let go, still staring after Djiu, although the general was long gone, his lieutenants finally cutting Siktu's corpse loose and pulling it up to heave it over the city wall. The thudding sound of its landing jolted Nehekhi out of his daze, and he blinked and jerked his head, his eyes clearing.

"Lieutenant," he said in a harsh voice; the other Kana snapped to attention, noticing his tone. "Go back to my household...find the scribe, and have him pen a message. Captain Elite Nehekhi of the Red Tribe requests assistance in a matter of grave importance. A response is expected immediately. No details must be given in the message or the response itself, on pain of death. Only the sparest details are to be told to the messenger, so the proper urgency is conveyed. The message itself is to remain as vague as possible to alert the least suspicion should he be captured. Pick the messenger you trust most implicitly. This has gone on far too long." His voice cracked and faded, and he had to force his frozen fingers to unbend, although he wished more than ever that he'd had a weapon at his side, no matter how many of the general's men surrounded him. Ameni had told him to wait--but that time had to end. He couldn't begin to think what might happen next, if this was allowed to continue.

His lieutenant still stood at his side, waiting for the rest of his orders. Nehekhi took a breath to steady his nerves, and the hard steely glint returned to his eyes, a trace of smoldering fire behind it.

"Address the message to Captain Elite Mahakhi of the East Tribe."

Continue:

"Part 15: Interference" 


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