The Warrior's Pet(10)

Kagan's people and the armies of the Vidya Cadi had steadily pushed at the Scelus Cadi but the war was at a stalemate. The victories not seeming to outweigh the losses, land lost here when it was won there.

The borderland boundary wavered but currently it was a large valley on the primary continent nestled between a split mountain range. The area stretched from north to south and contained several vastly different zones. In the north closest to his home, Vidya Cadi, was a grassy plain which narrowed as the mountains pinched in, before reaching the southern marsh lands and a jungle at the edge of enemy territory.

But for the moment they traveled the rolling southern grassy foot hills, this area not so different to his home, perhaps more arid. There were numerous villages that they passed, and even though they were inhabited by Scelus Cadi warriors these weren't of the Anzac guard serving directly under Vigdis quo Carnager. These were regional armigerent and only a threat in large numbers.

Kagan wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down around any Scelus Cadi warrior though. Vigdis' warriors followed the tyrant unquestioningly because reprisal was swift, violent and tended to extend to ones family as well.

Kagan shook his head as he maneuvered his manx over another hill the smaller mountain peaks coming into view. On the other side they would drop their goods before circling around to meet up with Vigdis who was taking the easier route further south.

Kagan threw his fist up to halt his men.

"We camp." He announced.

Kagan clapped his hand on Dagaa, his lieutenant's shoulder as the male barked out orders to the men and Toufik slaves in their party. His commander pleased him. If Kagan didn't know the surrounding men, he would've been certain they were a band of Scelus Cadi traders. Their disguise was that good.

Before long there was a fire and food going round. One of the Toufik quietly approached handing him a platter of meat and vegetables. Kagan made the hand signal for ‘Thank you’ and the hairy female nodded before attending to another warrior.

The men talked quietly as was wise given the circumstance. Usually Kagan would listen to their amusing tales and even join in but tonight his mind wandered to the fair skinned diminutive female in the gilded cage at the market. Her long hair reminded him of the tall dry grass on the plains. She was practically half his size, but she had to be full grown for her species if the fullness of her breasts was any indication. The female had no coda stretching out behind her like his kind, only the smooth swell of two soft looking creamy globes. Such a delicate looking creature and yet her expression had flashed with determination.

Kagan shook his head. Why was he so preoccupied by the little creature? What would he do with a pet? He was constantly on the battlefront rarely returning to the Vidya palisade. Maybe he could release the female from the gilded prison and put her among the Toufik females to serve the warriors.

Kagan snorted. He doubted the little female could do the back breaking work that the Toufik females were required to do. The tasks weren't that difficult but for a woman so small they'd be too much. Then again Kagan recalled how spirited the female had been.

Even as Kagan lay looking up at the stars waiting for sleep to claim him a pair of ocean blue eyes plagued him.



Giselle

Despite how cold the wind was Giselle could find no relief from the sun's rays in the cage. Her skin was becoming chapped and red as the caravan of brutish men moved in a long line down the road. They stretched out before her as far as she could see, there had to be at least a hundred guards and nearly as many Toufik. None of them cared that she suffered from exposure, they probably assumed the pink tinge of her skin was normal.

Giselle looked over at the bowl of water on the cage floor. She debated taking a drink knowing she needed to stay hydrated, but that posed another problem. There was no place to pee in her fancy prison and she wasn't about to attract attention so someone would let her out. As long as she stayed inside the cage she was ignored for the most part.

Something struck Giselle's side, and she turned to see a piece of yellow fruit laying on the floor of the cage. Giselle looked up to see the taunting eyes of Vigdis. The asshole had decided that was the best way to feed her, throwing tidbits into the prison as he snacked. Giselle grabbed the fruit and bit into the tough lemony skin. The meat of it was watery sweet, so she gobbled it down avoiding the pit in the center. They hadn't fed her much so despite her chagrin at how the bastard fed her she couldn't turn her nose up at the morsel.

There was a noise ahead. Giselle watched as the strange hovering vehicle approached. The vehicles that were commonplace on this planet looked like a mechanical hovercraft crossed with an open air chariot. Some pulled one or more hovering wagons of supplies.