The Prodigal Sergal
The morning held the usual routine for Aroha: at dawn, she woke up in the scrub bushes outside the city. As the sun burned the chill from the sand she approached the gates to snipe back and forth with the sentries until they grew bored enough to let her in. As the stallholders set up and struggled with displays and awnings, she stole breakfast and then ran to avoid being caught.Then, with her belly no more than a quarter-full and the crowd thickening, she begged until the sun rolled its way overhead. She didn't really have much patience for begging but for a homeless sergal it was something to do and sometimes productive, as frustrating as it was. Sergals and a handful of other species walked by. Right to left. Left to right. Tails sweeping the ground, claws leaving marks in the dust. Going about their business. Almost all ignoring her.She watched them pass, noticed with a fresh little bit of pain each time their determined gazes as they watched a point ahead of them. Anything to avoid looking at the homeless. Never seeing her and even for those who looked her way, never seeing her.And so it went until mid-day. She hadn't managed to beg enough to buy a decent lunch so as she stood up and brushed the dust from her butt, Aroha considered her options. She felt enough resentment at the ignorant masses that she wanted to run, just to steal and run! But she had to use that tactic sparingly - the more she did it, the more attention the sentries paid to her. And she'd stolen both yesterday and this morning.She'd been thinking about the southern sergal as she'd begged. About her feminine solidity and calm, about her lack of aggression, and her sharing of the fruit. At the time Aroha'd been suspicious and there was still a part of her that sourly wondered why, and just what the bigger sergal really wanted.But another part, a part in the pit of her stomach, mewled with misery at the harshness of the sergals she'd watched passing by all morning and which hoped - yearned - for companionship.Would she be there?Curiosity getting the better of her, Aroha took herself in the direction of the sentry's hut. A few streets' worth of travel, a few leaps and bounds, and she was there.Aroha had no food to eat so instead she settled, tried to ignore the grumblings of her stomach and enjoyed the solitude - the real solitude, not the enforced isolation of being ignored by a crowd - as best she could. It was hard to be alone, but when the crowds weren't in sight they were easier to ignore. Sort of.Something shaded her from the sun and she looked up to see a dark shape flapping its way down to her.Aheki."A'ight," said the Nevrean with an easy smile as his feathers settled."Hi," answered Aroha and smiled a little herself as she watched him cram his slender body against the cool, shaded edge of the turret and spread his wings wide to try and lose a little body heat. His
shades of green and red and almost-gold always brought a welcome riot of colour to Aroha's world of the beiges and yellows and greys of this city in the desert. "How's life in captivity?"Aheki hissed a little at this but it was playful enough. "His lordship's stressed. Some merchant business isn't working out. M'lady told me to stay out of his way until the caravan gets here. If it ever does," he added and settled deeper into the little bit of shadow he'd found.Aroha grunted and glanced at the exit, the way the southern sergal would come if she was coming at all.The look wasn't lost on Aheki. "Waiting for someone?"Aroha felt a stab of resentment and looked away. Why did he have to spoil things by being able to read her so well? Anyway, he didn't know anything about it. Or her. Or about anything.He laughed. "Okay your ladyship, what is it? Am I interrupting a tryst?""No," she sulked. She realised that this sounded like a 'yes' in disguise but in that moment she didn't care. It wasn't his right to know anything about her or her life if she didn't want to tell him."A-ho, I get it! Okay mistress, I understand when I'm not wanted." He still sounded jolly despite his words, and stood up and spread his wings. "I'll see you l-"Instinctively Aroha looked up and saw the brown face of her female companion peering over the edge of the roof next door. She was smiling, and easily made the leap to join them despite being burdened with a well-filled bag.Aroha glanced at Aheki, who looked at her in turn. He seemed surprised - he really had expected her to be joined by a male. He hopped from one foot to another as if unsure of what to do next.The bigger sergal settled down opposite Aheki and set her bag into her lap, the better to reach into it. "I'd like to ask your friend's name," she said with a friendly, conspiratorial tone to Aroha as she rummaged in the bag. "But he looks like he'll fly away if I do."Aroha was too surprised to speak and dumbly accepted the watercone offered to her.The other sergal said nothing more for now, simply smiled and pulled the first of the scales from her chosen fruit - a watercone - and bit the flesh from it."Aheki," said Aheki a few seconds later when Aroha still hadn't spoken.The sergal turned to look at him. "Kirimoana," she said with a kind of calm certainty that Aroha... enjoyed, for some reason she didn't understand.He tilted his head. "You like fruit?""Mm hmm," she said and reached in for a third cone, which she proffered to the Nevrean.Aroha didn't want him to take it but he did.THE END.