There were voices around him. Strange, human voices speaking that harsh human language of theirs. It was a language he only understood because of his sensitive mental awareness. It was something only a few sira had, and he had once heard a legend that it was a gift from Niaryalii, and the strange starburst mark on his chest was a sign that the gift had been passed along to him from an ancestor.      But that was neither here nor there. At the moment, all Haaji cared about was figuring out where he was, and why humans were so close to him.      "We can't get at it," the voice said. He thought it sounded male.      Another voice questioned the first. "And why is that, exactly?" This one, too, sounded male, and seemed to have authority over the first.      "Every time we try to get close, she curls up around it and lashes that spiked tail of hers," the first said, an edge of defensiveness in his voice. Whoever they were trying to get close to wasn't cooperating, clearly.      The second voice sounded annoyed when it replied, after a deep sigh. "And you haven't restrained her because..?"      There was a short, almost imperceptible pause before the answer came. "She only just arrived, you know," the first said, that edge of defensiveness growing. "We managed to get her caged, but," the second cut him off abruptly.      "You should have put bonds on her before caging her," he said reproachfully, and Haaji felt the other man's embarrassment, though he was sure none of it was apparent to the man in charge.      The voices retreated for the moment, and Haaji took the time to feel out his situation, first mentally, doing a quick sweep of the area, before opening his eyes. To his surprise, there were humans everywhere. At least fifteen of them, scattered about a relatively small area. Could he have been picked up by that human settlement? There were no other humans in the area when he'd last checked, but he thought he had been moving away from the settlement. It was strange that he so suddenly found himself amongst them.      That mystery would have to wait, though, because his next discovery was even more perplexing. He was in a cage. Just large enough to accommodate his sleeping form, but not much larger. He couldn't have stood up in it, and stretching his cramped wings was out of the question. His cage was in the center of a large tent, with no other occupants.      This all rang just a little too familiarly with the sira. He had been captured by mages. What could they be planning for him? His life was already miserable, how much worse could they make it? His own tribe already hated him. His promised had already been taken from his side. He was lost and alone in the world. Even death could be seen as a release.      The egg was still nestled safely in his pouch, and he curled up around it, finding comfort in the one thing that he remembered happening the day before. At least it hadn't left him.      A pair of new humans were approaching, so Haaji closed his eyes and resumed his faux sleep.      "Wow," one said as they entered. Another male.      The other whistled softly. "That's the first one I've ever seen this color. Do you think it's a natural occurring mutation?" This one was female.      They were clearly talking about Haaji. He was the only thing in this tent.      "I suppose there's only one way to find out," the man said, and Haaji sensed his pleasure at that prospect.      "I suppose first things first, though," the woman said.      "Start with the tail?" the man suggested, moving around to the other side of Haaji's cage so that he and the woman were flanking it.      "Yeah, they have those spikes. She could break free if we left it unbound," the woman answered.      Wait, 'she?' They thought Haaji was a female? Oh, that was just too much. Certainly he looked more slender and delicate than your average male, and the egg in his pouch was definitely suspicious looking, but didn't these people at least know the most basic siran anatomy?      Haaji opened his eyes and lifted his head, glaring at the female human. He would have told them that he was not female, but now that he knew what they were, he was keeping his mental touch as to himself.      "Uh oh," the woman smirked, "looks like she's angry. We'd better work fast."      The man agreed, looking less amused in response to Haaji turning to glare at him as well. He made a gesture, and suddenly the sira's tail was pinned to the ground as though tied there. A swift, alarmed glance showed that to be the case; vine-like rope snaked up his tail, holding it absolutely motionless, and holding his spines flat against his tail.      "Nice," the woman said with approval, and as Haaji turned back to her, he caught motion out of the corner of his eye. He turned swiftly, and jerked his forepaw out of the way, but the rope followed his motion, reaching from the upper left-hand corner of his cage. It struck lightning fast, and Haaji's left paw was caught, pulled up to the top of the cage and restrained there.      This was going nowhere good. Haaji stretched his head forward and attacked the bond with his teeth, almost snapping the rope before another bond snaked around his neck, pulling him away. He fought until he saw stars, and his vision went dark.      It must have only been a moment or two of unconsciousness, but when he awoke, all of his limbs were pulled back and tied to the corners of his cage, leaving him belly-down on the floor, resting uncomfortably on the egg. At least it hadn't cracked.      The humans were gone, though he felt their retreating amusement as though it were leftover bodyheat.      Haaji shifted his weight, taking as much of it off the egg as he could, pressing his wings against the top of the cage. This was bad. Testing the bonds around his limbs only caused them to tighten painfully, so after a while, he stopped.      The question of how long they expected to leave him like this was answered almost before he began to wonder, two males walking into the tent, bringing with them the scent of pine trees.      "Ah, much better," one of the two men said with approval, his voice identifying him as the one in charge. A moment later, Haaji felt himself being lifted and tilted back, relieving some of the weight on his limbs, but exposing his belly. And the egg in his pouch. Definitely not good.      "Now, see how easy that was?" the man in charge was striding forward, sure of his safety, while the other man hung back and sulked. When he was about foot away from the cage, he studied the albino sira within carefully, spending several moments eyeing his pouch.      "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I do believe this one may not be female. Either that, or there is something about siran anatomy and life cycle that we have somehow missed. Interesting."      The mage lifted a hand and drew a rectangle in the air, creating a door in the metalworking where there was none before. "Come and see," he said, gesturing with his other hand. The second man took a few steps forward and peered over his superior's shoulder as he worked. The cage door opened at a touch, and the man reached in.      Haaji's eyes grew wide when he saw what they were reaching for, and he struggled, throwing his weight to one side, then the other, straining the bonds around his neck and legs in an attempt to curl up around the egg once more. Again, he saw sparks as his vision blurred and went dark, but this time he did not pass out. His muscles went limp and he was forced to hang from his forepaws, but he was still very much awake as the man reached into his pouch and slid both hands around the egg's smooth surface.      "Yes indeed," the man murmured, "very interesting."      It was taboo in siran culture to touch another's pouch without permission, and even then, only the closest of siblings or mates ever actually allowed it. And only young kits were allowed to enter either parent's pouch. This human stranger, this mage, had not only touched, but reached in to pull the egg out, which was a violation no sira would stand.      Haaji gathered his strength, even as he felt the egg being pulled away. He was preparing to deliver a serious mental blow to the man, but somehow he had expected it.      "Quickly," he said to the other, who reached into the cage through the bars and stuck Haaji with something sharp. Almost instantly, he felt himself go limp again, his mind filling with a dense, confusing fog. Darkness closed over him once again. This was getting to be a habit. Back | Next