page 10
Poal glanced over at the Aaroun crouched fearfully in the seat beside him. Her dark eyes were enormous in the light mask across her face. Her paws clung to the cloth with instinctive desperation. He could see her little sides heaving.But, ah, that perfect fur. The broad shoulders, heavy with muscle and bone already, the sleek loins, and the balance of exquisite proportions. She was a beauty, as Aarouns went. Had he not lost everything else, she would have meant his fortune. Now she meant his salvation.
As a newborn, however, she presented him with a problem. She was too young, yet, to go long without proper care. Aaroun cubs could be slow to get started. Poal was not prepared to keep her for a few days, to hand-feed and pamper her.
Right now, freshly plucked from her mother, she looked in prime condition. Her pelt was shiny and soft, and her sides were plump. In a day or two, she might collapse from fright and grief. Often Aarouns this young failed to thrive away from their families.
He would lose money by selling her this early, but he wasn't going to be greedy now. He wasn't even going to risk the auction at premarket. He could no longer afford to take chances.
Poal knew of a dealer in the rare and costly, a Gorlican who specialized in supplying pets to affluent households. Like all his kind, the Gorlican possessed repellent manners and a visage so ugly he kept it hidden behind a mask, yet Gorlicans were a useful race, hardworking allies to the Viis empire. Most were merchants and shopkeepers, like his acquaintance, eager to partake of the buying and selling so repugnant to the middle and upper Viis classes. Poal decided to take a chance and go straight to the pet dealer. Tynmez would not hear about the golden Aaroun he had missed until it was too late to steal her.
Inflating his air sacs, Poal hissed to himself and gunned his transport even faster.
End of Chapter One
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10
h o m e • a l i e n s p e c i e s • e x c e r p t • a n e w u n i v e r s e • o r i g i n s • a r t