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

13

The sun's rays had faded as Al' Kaar arrived at his destination, the outskirts of Gloirwall. The sandy expanse became grassland, and a large spring lay hidden among the trees.

The man jumped down from the weary Kamal and let the camel rest by drinking as much water as possible.

Al' Kaar looked around. He saw a wolf lurking near a group of desert goats. On the other side, there were some bighorn sheep grazing.

There were no signs of any argons around.

Al' Kaar sighed tiredly, feeling like his journey might be in vain. However, the familiar sound of the wind caught his attention.

Three male argons, taking the form of winged lizards, descended from the sky and landed near him. Their three pairs of yellow eyes stared at Al' Kaar curiously.

Al' Kaar smiled warmly, raising his right hand to greet them. "Good evening."

One of the argons suddenly breathed fire toward Al' Kaar's robe, making him quickly dodge. "Please don't do that. These clothes are my last set."

The argons chuckled at Al' Kaar's reaction. Their scales softened back into the skin.

"Why are you wearing human belongings?" asked one of the blue-skinned men. He was the bulkier than the other.

Al' Kaar assessed the leader of the argon group with judgment. The one communicating with him seemed mature and familiar with human culture, while the other two argons were young, perhaps just entering adulthood.

"I am Al' Kaar, an envoy from Ikh Da'af, the leader of Mar'tack City. I invite you to join us."

The two argons on his sides transformed into blue-skinned humans. One of them jeered, "Is your masculinity so fragile that you have to hide it?"

Laughter erupted from the other argons, causing some animals to run away. However, Al' Kaar responded to the mock by smiling faintly, unaffected by their not-so-funny jokes. He looked back at the argon leader, his gaze determined, then asked lightly, "Tell me, how many argons were in your group to begin with?"

"Why do you need to know?" Their leader puffed up his chest to display his muscles.

The desert air blew, playing with their dark blue hair. Al' Kaar answered softly, "At first, we were a group of twenty. Five died when our leader, TrahKe'ul, led us to attack the borders of Ragzur, where the elves reside. Then three more died when the griffin troops drove us out of Northely ..."

The three argons who were joking earlier fell silent. Al' Kaar's voice grew softer. "I saw my brother killed while trying to steal livestock from one of the Gloirwall residents... We never got to rest, even when we were full; we always had to stay alert for the arrival of the Death Worm."

"Is that why your mind seems disturbed?" quipped one of the young argons with a chuckle.

"Quiet, Dra'z!" their leader snapped. The man's demeanor suddenly turned solemnly. He looked at Al' Kaar again and asked, "What do you offer?"

"Security," Al' Kaar replied confidently. "Comfort."

"What do you want from us then?"

"Mar'tack City is a civilized home for argons, provided that you're willing to adapt; we'll welcome you with open arms." Al' Kaar extended his arms as if to embrace them.

"Do we have to imitate humans?" their leader seemed uncertain. He examined Al' Kaar's appearance with a frown on his face. "Use their things and act like them?"

Al' Kaar nodded gently, pointing to the iron necklace around his neck. "You must wear this as a reminder that we can't change forms recklessly and burn everything around us."

"Are you crazy?! How can we survive if we can't change forms?!" the young argon who had been listening exclaimed.

"We use this." Al' Kaar tapped his head with his index finger, then drew his weapon from his waist.

"Human weapons," the young argon growled with an angry glint in his eyes. He started to shift forms.

However, their leader extended his left hand in front of him. "Stop, Ork."

The young argon obeyed, although eyes still held a hostile aura towards Al' Kaar. Their leader patted his chest and said, "I am Trah' Luah. Tell me, how does your living place look?"

Al' Kaar breathed a sigh of relief. Trah' Luah seemed to have some common sense. The sounds of nocturnal animals began to accompany their conversation.

"Every argon has their own home, though some of us choose to live with Ikh Da'af," Al' Kaar casually explained. "Argon females only allow one male partner, so we can be sure the children are ours."

"They agree?" Dra'z asked, wide-eyed. "I had to fight for weeks to be a female's partner before she kicked me out ..."

Al' Kaar grinned widely. Information about civilized argon females was always intriguing to argon males.

"You can try farming, gardening, even trading like humans... no more argons dying in vain just to fill our stomachs," Al' Kaar continued.

Trah' Luah fell silent. The big man pondered Al' Kaar's words.

"What if you try it for some time first?" Al' Kaar, still smiling, tilted his head. "There's no pressure to stay there permanently."

Trah' Luah's yellow eyes sparkled with hope. He glanced briefly at the two young argons under his care before saying, "Show us the place."

"Tomorrow," Al' Kaar answered cheerfully. But for now, let's learn a few things about culture.

"Oh, before that..." Al' Kaar walked over to where Kamal sat and rested. He pointed to her, saying, "This animal is my ride. Please don't eat her."

The three argons watching Al' Kaar furrowed their brows in confusion. They huddled together, and their leader asked, "Isn't it much faster to use wings than to ride that animal?"

"That's not civilized," Al' Kaar shook his head gently. "Besides walking, we use camels or horses to reach our destination."

Trah' Luah didn't argue with Al' Kaar's words. Yet, his expression showed disagreement.

Al' Kaar removed the tent from Kamal's saddle for the journey. He started setting up the basic structure while explaining slowly, "Now I'll teach you how to make a shelter."

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Copyright Luna S.Winterheart