I woke feeling more refreshed than I had in days. The afterglow of a good fucking running through my veins. I moved my feet and placed them on Bongani’s side and shoved him awake. He stirred and moaned as I noticed his erect greeting to the morning. He turned looking up at me with a dreamy look on his face as he stared up my body as I looked down on him.
Grunting, I kicked him aside and stood up. I stretched the tight muscles of my body, unwinding the tension running through my body as Bongani got himself up and to his feet. “Let’s find out more about this place. It is so much larger than anything I have seen.” I grabbed his hand and dragged him out. Letting myself feel an old curiosity and interest in the things around me that had long since been beaten out of me.
It was still before the sun rose and only a few people were out and about this early. My eyes adjusted to the Moon’s light easily enough and soon enough I was walking around a little wide eyes at all the different homes and how they were made of such different materials than what I was used to. No longer was it mud and wood holding things together. Idly I scratched at the stone, it was truly as hard as rocks and seemed to have something caked between each of the strange squares.
Holding onto my male we walked into a wakening area filled with tables with draped cloth over them. Men and women were hauling baskets full of goods onto the table and produced strange signs with unknown symbols carved onto them. I noticed that most of them shared the same sigils and I wished deeply that my feat would let me understand all of what I was seeing. I approached one woman who had a stall set up with plenty of shirviled fruits sitting in baskets.
“Miss, what are these?” I asked pointing at the fruits as I let myself feel young again.
“They’re dates, miss. Only six coppers per stone’s weight.” Her voice was smooth like honey as she smiled at me brilliantly. Her teeth were flat and hard, unlike the jagged cutting teeth that my people had. I noticed then the docile eyes and strange nose on her face. Two stubs of horns grew from her forehead just barely visible underneath the hood she was wearing.
“What’re dates?” I asked as Bongani kept his head on a swivel looking at everything around us.
“They are a sweet and delectable fruit that is great when it is dried. It also helps the body in so many ways.” The woman held a single fruit up to me, “Here try it.”
Taking it from her hand gingerly I looked at it and sniffed it lightly. I did feel a tinge of sweetness hit my nose as I looked at it and then the woman. Slowly I placed a little of it in my mouth and tore some of the flesh free. It wasn’t juicy but was still soft despite being dried. I chewed as the sweetness of the fruit slide across my tongue as I pushed a hard seed to the edge of my mouth and tucking them in my cheek.
I shoved the rest of it towards my male as I looked at the other goods the woman set up. All of them were dried and smelled delicious. “What’re coppers?” I ask.
She looked at me like I was dumb and sneered, her warm demeanor falling away in a moment. “If you don’t have money don’t waste my time. Get out of here!”
I felt myself bristle and reached across the way seizing her by the collar and pulling her half over the table as I stared into her eyes threateningly. “I asked a question. Don’t make me beat it out of you.” I kept my tone near a whisper.
“It’s money. Don’t you know what that is?” SHe looked scared and I could smell it wafting off her.
Vague memories of Ade holding bags of coins after selling the slaves after a conquest filled my mind. The promise she said about how it would buy the metal we needed for arrows and spears. Such things weren’t used around our village though. It was all about what you could do for the village that got you anything.
“Show me this stone, how much is that?” I demand as I let her go and press my knuckles against the wood of the table.
She produced a strange T shaped device and a single round smooth stone with a flat bottom. I picked it up and felt the heft of it. “How do they make these? Where did you get it?”
“I don’t know how they make it, I got five when I got my merchant’s license to sell things here.” I could still hear the disrespect in her voice as she spoke to me. Obviously looking down on me. “Now stop harassing me before I call a guard over and get you taken care of you fucking savage.”
“What’s a guard?” I ask as a hand it settled on my shoulder. It is broad and powerful.
“I am,” rumbled a thick voice.
Turning I looked up slightly into the eyes of a bestial buffalokin with wide slightly curled horns that were thick and spread out from the top of his head. His elongated snout had the thick textured nose of the beasts and his grin showed the thick flat teeth that the woman had. Shrugging off his hands, “That doesn’t tell me anything.”
“We walk around and make sure some savages don’t go around causing trouble. Now, why don’t you tell me what you are doing to this merchant?” His voice was a rumble I could almost feel in my chest as I looked at him.
“Asking questions, is there a problem with that?” I demand as I straighten my back and flex my muscles to show my strength in the face of this man. I was sure I could take him in a fight.
“There is when you grab someone like you did. We don’t take it lightly when people try to threaten others to steal from them.” He pressed a wooden club against my chest and tried to force me back a step. I stood my ground as he grunted.
“I’m not stealing anything. I’m not some pitiful male. Now tell me. How do I make some of this ‘Money’. I’ll have some for myself soon enough.” With one hand I brushed the weapon away from me.
The snake like hissing voice cut through the air as the bestial man’s ears flicked.
“She isss with usss, we will pay.” I looked around the beast to two of the lizardkin that had been guiding me yesterday. “You’re awake early,” he switched to the common tongue.
Shrugging I stepped around the guard. “I need to know your name and we need some money for some things. Weapons, shields. I need to be ready to fight.”
With a simple nod he motioned, “I will buy thingssss for you. Let me bring you to the right people.” Dutifully he turned and I stepped behind him. In the cool heat of the day seemed to effect the man more than me. His movements were sluggish.
“Your name,” I demand.
First he lets loose a series of hisses and a click nothing that my feat would translate, “The town calls me Tala. This is my wife, Wafaa. Do not mind her, she cannot speak the common tongue, her tongue is too savage.” I looked at the woman with him curiously. She had no breasts to speak of. Even her hips were barely visible underneath the flowing robes. I wouldn’t have been able to guess.
I wanted to strip the woman and study her body. See the differences that might entice or arouse me. She didn’t even smell of anything as we walked. My ears flicked as I felt myself burning with more questions.
“She has no assets. Is that normal?” I ask, not caring if I was being rude.
“It is rude to ask such things. We lizardkin do not like to discuss such things like savages. Women are meant to be quiet and submissive.” The voice of the man was filled with irritation.
I felt my ire rise in my chest as I wanted to dispute what he had to say. But I bit back on it as I had to realize that things were different between all the kin of the world. “Hmmm, I guess we will have to disagree on things. I’ll still be your champion though.”
I had to be fine with having to be a champion for someone that looked down on women. Who were the rightful rulers of things. I could only imagine how backward everything they did would be. Without us women there would be nothing done properly.
“We appreciate that. Let’sss go.” The sun was rising and I could smell a new scent on the wind. It was metallic like blood but far less appetizing. It came with a heat that would sear the nose if one wasn’t careful. Buildings with signs hanging above them lined a straight rode as the scent of burning fuel and the clang of metal rang through the air. “Welcome to the artisssansss area. Let’sss get you geared up.”
