Chapter 12 – From one Deprived to Another

In a small oasis with a little palm tree near it, where four people gather by a campfire. The frilled lizard with them drank the water on the oasis. A horned man covered in bandages was overlooking the fire while his arms were crossed. A cat-eared woman tended to a little girl who is looking at the unconscious human with them. The weather was cold and damp. The desert was hot in the morning while it was freezing cold in the evening. The warm kept them awake while the smell of roasted meat made the three who was awake feel their stomachs growl.

“The food will be ready.”

“Uh yeah...”

“Are you okay Leiko?”

“I am okay Shig...” she glances at the human who was sleeping on a fur sleeping bag.

“He’ll be fine Leiko. I know that you owe him now but no need to think hard about it.”

“Yeah...”

Leiko heard what happened. Kioko told her and she said how horrible it was to be dragged by the hair. Luckily, she was saved by Joshua who killed his perpetrators. Knowing this made Leiko feel like she owes this human a favor. She doesn’t like it but what can she do? Her weakness was her sister and even though her blind racism and hatred for humans outshine the kindness in her. She still knows that what Joshua did was worth owing him favors.

“The human...he did well.”

“He did. He saved my sister. That’s good.”

“Leiko...look at him. He is squirming around. He’s probably having nightmares.”

“It may have been his first kill,” says Leiko as she stares at Joshua who’s having terrible nightmares about what happened at that place.

“The first act of taking a life is something you’d remember for the rest of your life. I killed at the age of thirteen. I was a foolish boy that wanted to know the glories of war. I thought that I’d be okay but when I first killed someone. I vomited and I wasn’t able to consume anything for two days. What about you Leiko?”

“My first kill was the human raiders.” She said with a bitter cold look on her face. “Pardon, but I rather not talk about this.”

“That’s okay.” Shig lowered his shoulders he then kindled the embers on the campfire. “Anyways, having to kill for the first is nasty. It’ll never leave you until the day your roll down your grave. At least the reasons he killed for is to protect someone. Isn’t that right Kioko?”

“Yes!” said Kioko as if she understood.

Leiko frowned. She looks at her sister with heavy eyes. There was this look of pity and sadness on her face. It was a face that Shig could understand. He wanted to speak about it but the look on Leiko made Shig understand that it is for the best. Ignorance is bliss. After all, how can a little girl like her still act that way despite all the hardships she has gone through?

Leiko knows that someday she had to talk about that to Kioko. But at the moment she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to see her little sister to become a lifeless doll again. How would you cope in the face of despair?

“See? Even Kioko agrees. Indeed, one should not be judged by their race, but by the content of their character. We don’t know what his real thoughts are. But we know that he is a good guy. Would a typical human rescue your sister? Would he risk his life for Kioko if there wasn’t any goodness in him?”

“No.”

“That’s right.” Shig smiled, “Leiko, the world’s a cruel and a beautiful place. All of these are parts of life. I am not saying that you should forget about your grudges and hatred. I just want you to understand that not everyone is out to get you. The world isn’t after you. And really, I think Joshua’s reason for saving Kioko is that she was his friend. You see them play a lot so it was obvious what he would do.”

Leiko was still undecided. He looked at Joshua and he was still wriggling. There are tears in the corner of his eyes. There was this look of helplessness. Like a lost puppy that was taken from his home. Kioko saw this look and immediately tap Joshua’s forehead. This gesture made Joshua calm down.

“Mother...”

Although Leiko was unable to understand his words, that sweet and wanting word made her understand who she was calling for. When it was dark and the night was terrible. She and her sister would call out to their mother. It was obvious whether human or demi-human they would long for the embrace of their mother. And hearing that made Leiko remember her days in her tribe, those peaceful days she longed for. Just playing around with her little sister, and training with her older kinsmen. She and sister would be then running around the riverbanks of the Cattus River while the flying fishes are trying as they climb the upstream river. The wind would blow from the great plains of Acatusia and she would see the sunset in the distance as her mother along with her father carrying their meal for the night would tell them to come home. At night she would enjoy their meal and when they are tucked to bed. She would dream of the stars and her dreams and the big world out there. She once dreamt of traveling the world. She couldn’t understand her elders once. But now that here she was in some small oasis. Leiko felt like there was something missing inside her. Such empty feeling that made her wants to claw her chest out.

The campfire fizzled and sparked. The burning of wood could be heard. She looked at the flames before closing her eyes in thought. She gave a big sigh of relief as she looked at Shig.

“Fine...I’ll trust him a little. But that’s all I can give him, Shig. From one deprived to another.”

“I see. That’s good enough.” Shig smiled.

After that, they rested for a while before starting their journey to the City of Avilla where they may find shelter and a bit of hope.