Rhys finally tried to make a move, but his step caused her to take a step back.
'I guess they got to you, too,' Rhys thought. Instead of walking away, he tried an absurd, off-the-cuff idea—something that had never once crossed his mind to try until now.
He sat down, folding his legs into a yoga pose, and extended his right arm.
Considering everything demi-humans possessed, Rhys hoped this trick was part of their primal instincts, right along with the sharp hearing, keen scent, and tail-wiggling. But this was going to be a waiting game. So, Rhys forced himself to be patient and sat there.
He didn’t have a watch, but he wasn't going to give up either. He simply waited, and the little girl stared back at him.
Before long, his hand started to throb. Holding his arm out straight at a full one hundred and eighty degrees was taking its toll. He couldn't even swap hands because of the injuries he had sustained during the Neutral City War. They had been treated, but only to a degree.
It took time, but progress came. The little girl finally began walking toward him—cautiously, almost as if she were trying to sneak up on him.
'Hold it,' Rhys. 'Hold it. It’s all about patience,' he thought, watching her close the distance.
She reached arm's length—so close he could have forced himself to grab her hand if he wanted to—but she stopped. She stood there, frozen, for a long while.
Finally, it paid off. The girl stepped forward and sat right on his lap.
“Hey, she’s mine,” a canid said, standing tall and looking down at Rhys.
“Why would you let your child walk alone at this hour?” Rhys asked.
“Child?” the canid scoffed. “She’s not even a canid—that’s a felid. And she’s my slave.”
“She’s a felid?”
“Yes. Her and her brother. Found them during the war. I’ll....”
“I’m not giving her to you.”
“What do you mean, human?”
“She’s mine. In fact, where is the other one?”
“Do you know you’re in demi-human territory? I’ll fucking kill....”
“I don’t want to separate you from your children, so please, give me the other one.....”
“You are a slave! A slave!”
“Stop shouting. You’re making too much noise,” Rhys cut in calmly.
“What is happening here?” another voice called out.
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“Alpha Vaikor, this human has my slave!” the canid barked.
There was only one human in the camp, so the moment Vaikor heard the word, he knew exactly who it was.
“Rhys, that’s.....”
“A young girl. How old? Less than ten? She just lost her family and only has a brother left, who is also a slave—and barely a few years older.”
“Rhys, the same thing is happening to canids who are found with felids,” Vaikor warned.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” Rhys said. “I won’t make you look bad, but I’m telling you: if I saw the brother, I would have taken him, too.”
Rhys told the little girl to stand up.
“Alpha Vaikor, this human slave....”
“Alpha,” Rhys interrupted, “this young one is hungry. I think we’re going to go eat. Good night.”
“Alpha?” the canid protested.
“I’ll pay you for her, and the other one if he ever See's him. That much I will do,” Vaikor told the canid as Rhys walked away, holding the sleepy girl’s hand.
Rhys walked back and sat down in the carriage. Sely was nowhere to be seen for a minute, but she eventually showed up.
“Didn’t take you long,” Rhys said as she sat down.
“I was....”
“Following me. Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t have allowed me to walk out alone,” Rhys added.
“She’s young,” Sely replied softly.
“Found her standing around. Looked lonely.”
“Must be six or seven, maybe touching eight,” Sely said, leaning in closer.
“Wants to sleep, but she’s going to be hungry.”
“Vaikor talked to me. Said we’ll be moving out soon.”
“We could move out right now. Why wait this long?” Rhys asked.
“There are pregnant women, children, and the elderly.”
“Let’s not disturb her,” Rhys said, closing his eyes.
It felt like two minutes, but it must have been much longer. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until a hard bump jolted him wide awake.
“I slept?” Rhys asked, looking down at the girl still resting on his chest.
“Yes, for many hours, actually,” Sely replied.
Rhys looked outside; it appeared to be early to mid-afternoon. 'It's hot,' he thought.
“She’s still asleep. That’s a lot of sleep,” Rhys said, gently shaking her.
It took some effort, but he finally woke her up. The little girl yawned right in front of his nose—not that he minded much. Her eyes didn't open until she finished stretching, and the puzzled, priceless look on her face spoke volumes about how confused she was.
“Hungry?” Rhys asked, looking at her bewildered face. Her red eyes didn't seem to know what to process, but luckily, her stomach answered for her with a loud growl.
“Bring her to me,” Sely said.
Rhys couldn’t stand upright in the small carriage, but the girl could easily manage with her small frame. And she was definitely a felid—fluffy ears poked out, impossible to hide even under her thick white hair.
Rhys grabbed a bun. The carriage was moving, and he wanted to step outside to see what was happening, but he knew Sely wouldn't allow it. She would just find a way to keep him inside, so he sat back and watched the girl devour bun after bun.
'Must have been starving,' he thought.
Hours passed before the convoy finally ground to a halt. By then, dusk was settling in.
“Feeling better?” Vaikor asked, approaching the carriage.
“Yeah, but nothing really happened. What about you? Good day?”
“We’re moving, so I’d say it’s not bad,” Vaikor replied, resting his arms on the edge of the carriage.
“How many carriages are there?” Rhys asked.
“Close to ten. Maybe more.”
“I haven’t really thought to ask—what do you need me for?”
“We’ve heard about Ravari Village. It’s actually one of the best places around, village-wise, at least,” Vaikor said.
“Is that so? Good to hear.”
“Our villages have severe water and food shortages. We prefer meat, but because of last season’s drought, we’ve been struggling.”
“And even though our tribes aren't far apart, we aren't exactly on friendly terms,” Vaikor continued. “Hence why there are two Alphas here.”
“You hate each other?”
“Not us personally, but the previous Alphas did. The older generation still wants things to stay that way—stealing each other’s food and fighting.”
“As for the water problem, we can dig wells. Is there a stream anywhere near here?” Rhys asked.
“Not nearby. It’s far, and Minotaurs pass through that area using the same water source,” Vaikor explained.