Chronicles of Zigrora : Wings of The Desert : Epic Fantasy Romance Shifter

4

The twin full moons adorned the night sky. Al' Kaar stretched his weary shoulders, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as he surveyed the tall mound before him.

"Ah, may you peacefully become one with the sand..." Al' Kaar mumbled, attempting to follow the human burial ritual.

The male Argon looked up and smiled in relief. The pair of bald eagles that had been bothering him had finally departed. He walked towards his camel, a shovel slung over his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go," Al' Kaar said after returning the shovel to its place and leaping onto the camel's back.

The animal moved past a giant grave containing a tiny dwarf. Al' Kaar smiled sadly, then uttered his final words. "Farewell..."

*****

Several kilometers passed before Al' Kaar decided to find a suitable place to rest. He spotted a not-so-large spring and halted Kamal's pace.

"I think this is a good spot to spend the night," Al' Kaar said, dismounting and tying Kamal near the spring.

The female camel immediately lowered her neck and began to drink. She ignored Al' Kaar, who started unloading his belongings from her hump.

Al' Kaar chose a relatively sheltered spot among rocks and a few cacti. He applied the knowledge he got from the traveling merchant by spreading fabric on the ground and setting up the wooden poles. However, practice was more difficult than theory, and it took him quite a while to finally erect the tent.

Kamal let out a soft snort. The female camel seemed to roll her eyes as the tent collapsed within seconds.

"Damn tent..." Al' Kaar muttered, kicking the now-heap of brown fabric onto the sandy ground. He breathed heavily and glared at Kamal. That camel was now facing away from him.

"I... a civilized Argon," Al' Kaar mumbled, regulating his short breaths into a more steady rhythm. "I refuse to sleep on the sand like a wild Argon..."

"Building a tent... is... easy work!" Al' Kaar's shout echoed in the deepening night silence.

With a sour expression, he gritted his teeth and rearranged the fabric to reposition the fallen wooden poles.

"Wild Argons would sleep in the open... but I am a civilization Argon... I'll build my tent like a civilized Argon and sleep inside!" Al' Kaar said, firmly driving each tent frame into the sand.

Several hours later, Al' Kaar finally stood with his chest puffed out. He stood back, admiring his work, before turning to Kamal. "I did it."

However, Kamal gave him a silent response. The female camel had fallen asleep long ago, ignoring her master's odd behavior.

*****

Al' Kaar looked at the girl who pinned him down with both hands. The distinctive reddish-orange hair of the female Argon hung down, brushing his cheeks.

"My handsome man," the girl whispered as her lips curved.

Al' Kaar's heart raced. The girl was wearing one of his earrings. He lifted his right hand and stroked her hair. "A-Kurla (my love)."

The girl chuckled softly and lowered her head. Their faces drew closer.

Al' Kaar's heart raced. He was finally going to start his own family. The girl was willing to bear his offspring.

Their lips met. Al' Kaar felt the warmth and wetness as they kissed. He moaned and opened his eyes.

*****

"Whoa!" Al' Kaar yelled loudly. He reflexively brushed away a ground squirrel that was busy licking his lips.

Sounds of pain came from the tiny creature as it rolled on the carpet covering the sand. Al' Kaar used his right backhand to wipe his lips. He glared at his first kissing thief. "You! Damn, desert rat! What did you do?!"

The brown-furred animal with three black stripes stood up on all fours, raising its tail and making a threatening gesture. However, Al' Kaar felt fearless. He stood to catch the squirrel.

"I'll skin you alive! And cook your flesh!"

The squirrel protested before spinning its body and slipping away under the tent just as Al' Kaar's hands almost caught it.

Al' Kaar glared at his future lunch-to-be. He wiped his lips with his white cloak, then sat on the mat.

The male Argon observed the light sneaking in through the tent gap as he sighed. "It's already morning..."

He shifted slightly to reach for the water bottle, then took a long sip.

"Damn, Desert Rat!" Al' Kaar cursed while wiping his swollen lips. He shuddered in disgust as he realized the female in his erotic dream was a male squirrel.

The male Argon clicked his tongue and then began to tidy up his belongings. He rolled up the mat, stowed away some useless equipment and gear that made him look more human, and finally stood, shaking both hands in satisfaction. "Finished..."

He carried the mat and pulled back the fabric used as the door. The blinding light made Al' Kaar squint for a few seconds.

Not long after, Al' Kaar's eyes adjusted to the light outside the tent. However, he gasped in surprise at the scene before him.

A griffin, a creature with the face of an eagle and the body of a lion, was slowly flying alongside its rider to the north. They seemed to be combing the terrain.

Al' Kaar immediately retreated into the tent and pulled the fabric door. He peeked from the side.

Al' Kaar's breath caught momentarily. The rider on the griffin, a young woman, stretched her bow toward a certain point and released an arrow, followed by a sharp screech from the lion-sized creature.

Worry filled Al' Kaar's heart. Had the Northerly soldier just killed an Argon?

However, his tense expression turned to relief as the griffin returned to the air, carrying a medium-sized animal in its talons.

Al' Kaar waited until the griffin was out of sight before deciding to leave the tent. It wouldn't be good if the Northerly soldier saw him. They could shoot him just for having blue skin.

However, Al' Kaar's steps halted as he witnessed the scene outside the tent. The man immediately ran and shouted toward his mount after overcoming his surprise.

"Kamal!" Al' Kaar exclaimed as his riding animal was busy gnawing at the binding rope that connected her to a tree trunk.

Kamal quickly turned towards her former master before breaking her tether and sprinting away at full speed. Al' Kaar's eyes widened. It was impossible to chase the camel while carrying the chest and the mat! It was highly uncivilized!

"Kamal! Stop!" Al' Kaar dropped the mat he had been carrying. The male Argon exerted all his strength to pursue that animal.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Copyright Luna S.Winterheart