"Don't tell me what to do, stinkin' abjad!" Kaya sputtered as she struggled to untangle herself from Quinlan's bonds and regain her footing. Once she did, she gave him a sharp kick to the ribs. Just to remind him just who was in charge here. But she didn't stick around after that. Kaya didn't so much as glance back at him before she shot out the tent, even faster than all the times she had before. The excitement of the messenger seemed to put more fire beneath her feet than the embarrassment of interacting with a strange, half-naked man!
Kaya was gone the rest of the night and much of the next day. Though, with his master's watchful eyes gone, the goatherd dog crept into the tent and lay beside Quinlan for awhile. When the sun was dipping down towards the horizon, the dog's ears suddenly shot up and he scurried out of the tent. Heralding the return of Kaya.
And boy was Kaya walking high! She couldn't believe her luck! Not luck, skill. She was the best. She was the very best. All six of the eggs had hatched! All six! Even Kheema usually didn't hatch one or two eggs. She'd hatched all six! Two oily black like their mother, one gold like Myshhusu, one midnight blue, one green... And even more impressive, with opal scales - one of the hatchlings was winged! Winged Sirrush were very, very rare. It was a recessive trait that only cropped up once in every so many generations. Kaya couldn't wait to tell Kheema. To tell everyone!
Except, of course, the stinkin' abjad.
But Kaya wasn't even cross with Quinlan when she returned. She could have been walking on clouds. She was so pleased, pleased with her Sirrush, and pleased with herself. When she came back, she gave a short dog-whistle for Quinlan.
"Sorry, boy!" she 'greeted' him happily, as though she were talking to a chained up dog. "Forgot to come back to take you out! Come along! Then I'll cook us something good. And," she grinned at him, throwing him an overdone wink as she undid his chain from the stove, "if you behave, I might even try to fluster you again!"
