Rings of Gold

A meeting

Shara spent the next two days hiding in the back alleys that surrounded the market. She made sure to keep out of everyone’s way and she only emerged to drink water from the public fountain. Her mind felt blank and she was still in a state of shock despite having regained much of her Sejd. She had started the journey to Shakthep to join the local temple and having been denied that she was at loss for what to do. Shara was not really willing to risk moving out of Shakthep and search for temples in other cities. Few temples accepted any other kin than lizards or anubians and she did not know how to find them other than to follow the roads, which was dangerous even for a group of armed travelers.

On the third day since having been thrown out of the temple, her hunger finally won out over her bruised ego and she was forced to emerge into the market once more, hoping to find something to eat.

She was just about to head over there when she suddenly heard some voices and a strange growl that sounded unlike anything she had heard for at least two years. She turned around quickly and noticed two children that raced along the streets. One was a pale blue lizardess and the other was a dark male anubian. They raced up a flight of stairs and stopped at the top, panting as another cub laughed and proclaimed that the female lizardess had clearly been faster. She heard other voices from the top of the stairs, and she forgot all about the temple for the moment as she climbed up another flight of stairs so she could see better what was going on.

From the top of the plaza that the stairs led up to she could see a pack of kids. At least a dozen young cubs were gathered, and she saw anubians, lizards, a fox and other some kin she could not identify. Such gatherings were common in towns such as these and most parents allowed their children to play not just across kin, but also across different strata of society. Most parents considered it to foster a good sense of self and knowledge of rank. Shara was wondering who the leader of the pack was when he appeared from out of a nook between two buildings. The instant she saw him, she knew that he was the alpha of the pack as he was a lion, just like her. To her great disappointment however, the young male was nothing like the powerful warriors that she had come to know as she grew up in the temple. He was short, barely even reaching her shoulder and he seemed scrawny. He was clearly well fed and the golden rings he wore around his wrists indicated that he belonged to the upper castes of the city. She caught herself thinking that he could barely be half her size and she had a hard time seeing that the rest of the pack would obey him, but as he spoke, she saw that they did. He had judged the competition and he thought it only fair to punish the looser by having him run the circuit one more time. The winner was awarded a single coin that he had with him and the lizardess seemed happy to receive it. It was strange that the pack obeyed the male, but she could not stop herself from feeling some sort of kinship with him as he was a lion.

Shara had made up her mind before she even knew it. She had to join that pack…

Xelia stared at the contestants as they came rushing down the street and neared the stair that was the final obstacle of the racing course that they had set out for the competition. The pack members always contested over status and influence over the other members as the days went by and often it was a lot of fun doing so. Their pack was not much different from the packs that could be found all over the world in cities such as Shakthep, which by their very design had become multicultural. Shakthep was primary an anubian city, but it was far older than the anubian empire and it had been inhabited by many kinds of kin over the ages. While the lizards and anubians were clearly in the majority today, other kin moved through the area and it was not rare to see cats, gazellas, foxes or even the fabled wolves of the north.

Xelia leaned forward over the edge of the plaza platform, and she held on to the stones to keep herself from falling. The raised platform was located at the eastern edge of the market and was built to give a vantage point over the stalls that were located below it. A flight of stairs connected the platform to the ground below and the topside floor tiling was made to resemble some ancient god that had been worshipped before the anubian empire claimed the city and the lands around it. The tree that had grown there had since been removed and only the soft dirt in the middle of the platform revealed that it had ever been there. The platform bordered a building on its easternmost point and the other edges were open and it was possible to leap down and land on the ground below the platform if one was not afraid of getting hurt. There was a width of open ground between the platform and all other nearby buildings, which gave the platform the illusion of being the highest point at the market. As no stalls were permitted topside of the stalls and the guards usually patrolled other parts of the market, the raised platform had become a natural haven for the pack of cubs where they could spend their days without being hassled by the guards or other grownups.

Xelia’s blonde hair had begun to darken to the brunette hair that she shared with her mother. She had soft green scales and her light blue eyes matched the daytime sky and the markings that she had along her back. She was slim and most agreed that she had begun to take after her mother’s appearance, which was truly something that she hoped she would as her mother was considered exceptionally beautiful.

As the contestants passed the last few stalls, it was clear that they were on even footing. The young anubian boy was tall and fast, but he had yet to learn how to use that to his advantage and he had spent a lot of his energy in the beginning of the competition and that had cost him dearly when they reached the long slopes that you had to pass to get around the racing course. The other lizardess had saved her energy and kept a steady pace throughout the race and thus had much more energy now that the competition neared its end. The anubian boy growled and snarled as he fought to stay ahead of the lizardess, but only moments before they reached the stair, the lizardess suddenly rushed forth in a burst of speed and took several steps at once. She passed the anubian boy and landed on top of the stairs, sweat pouring from her body as the rest of the pack jeered and called out her name.

Tishii had pale blue scales and her hair had begun to take on a deep shade of blue. Her eyes had taken the same purple color as her mother’s and her brighter chest and belly scales matched Xelia’s. Most lizards had some sort of unique and distinct markings on their bodies, but Tishii seemed to lack those. What made Tishii truly stand out however, was her quills and large horns that grew from her head. It was rare for lizard females to have horns and Tishii’s had begun growing even though she was still young. It was usually a sign of great virility in a lizard male and females usually found horns to be attractive, which would cause confusion in some females as Tishii grew older without doubt.

Xelia felt pride and she went up and hugged her friend “great work!” she said as she held her for a moment before letting her go. Tishii stretched and panted for a few moments more before saying “I know, right? I knew I could take him if I saved my energy!” she smirked at the anubian, who was teased and jeered at by the rest of the pack. He was clearly not too proud over his loss, and it would probably make him stop teasing Tishii about her horns… He had started it when he joined the pack a few weeks ago and the other kids had quickly caught on to pointing them out. Despite this, Tishii had proven herself quite capable of handling the jests though and she had, together with Xelia, become one of the more popular girls in the pack.

She was just about to ask for a reward when the shadows at the nearest building parted and the alpha of the pack appeared. He was a young lion and while no one dared point it out, he was a runt who barely reached to the shoulders of the other cubs. He was thin and scrawny as he lacked the muscles of most other lions, and it was known that his father was less than pleased with his son’s stature and build. Karaz had inherited his father’s ruby red glowing eyes, the black mane of his ancestors and the black-of-the-eye that that marked him as a true blooded sphinx. His fur was a darker color and he stood out if seen from a distance. His would-be mane also had a golden streak in it that made his status as an alpha even clearer.

Despite Karaz size, he had more than one advantage that the rest of the pack did not have. Karaz was not just of noble birth, but the blood of a sphinx poured through Karaz blood from his father’s side. In another era, a Sphinx had mated with Karaz ancestors and produced one of the strongest bloodlines that the anubian empire had seen. It was clearly noticeable on Karaz as his eyes glowed and his aura flared up when he was angry… It had also gifted him with a shadow that seemed almost alive. Shadows and darkness seemed to draw themselves to him and whispers of a curse could be heard if one talked to the right people. Karaz did not mind the rumors as it further enhanced his status as alpha of the pack and he had so far never talked about it. Adding to his status was also the tremendous wealth of his family. Karaz family owned almost all the fertile land near the river Az, and they had the largest palace in Shakthep which surpassed that of even the anubian governor. Karaz father, Arathar was considered wealthy even among his kin, and he was the leader of a clan who had more power than most governors. Karaz was the only logical choice for alpha and even though others could challenge him, it was clear that it was a bad idea to challenge him if one wanted to have a future in the city. When Karaz grew up, he would become the most influential man in the city just by his birthright.

Karaz looked at Tishii and grinned “It would seem that we have a winner!”. The anubian boy was about to protest, but Karaz shot him a glance that made it clear that he had no interest in debating against the anubian. “As we have a winner…” he continued once the anubian had backed off “…the looser knows his punishment”. Some of the cubs seemed gleeful, but Karaz held up his paw and shook his head “I will settle for you running the course again”. The anubian groaned as he was already tired, but it was a very lenient punishment for loosing so he did not protest against Karaz decision. “For you on the other hand…” Karaz went on as he approached Tishii. She stretches somewhat and smiled as he produced a single silver coin from the pouch on his belt before stating “as promised” and pressing it into her hand. Tishii giggled and held up the coin to view its glimmer in the sunlight and she hasted over to Xiela to show her just as the Anubian disappeared down the stairs for another lap around the market.