The egg

Egle now listened to her reasons, hearing her explain and argue about the comparison Egle had made about her. He was quite thankful that she thought of them as useless as he did. He than sat with a little more interest about her shifter. A flyer. He looked at her with slight curiosity, given the anoying situation but no pity was shown for her. He figured she was almost giving in on her position and role to her house... Egle kept quite still, thinking there really was no need to keep talking. He trode on for a while longer without a cough or rupt of sound coming from his mouth.

------------------------------------------------------------ 16 Hours later

After stops and countless trugging, they had finally made it to the gates of Jazar. The towering walls cast shadows on them from the unhidden sun in intimidation. Egle was in relief and thankfulness that his sanity had survived the long journey with Kami at his back. He knew that once he throws her in jail, things will be over and done with. As pety as the quest was, he will soon ear his rank.
 
Kami didn't bother looking up, she was exhausted, if she could she would probably collaps on the ground and sleep for a few days. She prayed to Litsa, the goddess of flight that she would be kept safe, althought who knew what the goddess thought safe was.

She was relived about arriving, even if it meant she hadn't escaped, it meant the journey was over and she could finally rest. She looked at Egle for a second and debated whether or not she should ask what now, she decided against it, she would be using precious energy that she should save for when she escaped, because she would, she just needed a chance.
 
The doors opened for them, the larg spikes going inward, men and woman both in armor. They saluted to Egle and Egle did so back. Calypso soon enough eased with his hoofs and stopped inbetween the two very large houses. A man of pale skin, small horns where the brow is and a tattoo marking craling over his face came forward to Egle his suit in duller grey than the rest.

"Son of house Kuzur, you bring a prisoner?" he asked almost in a shout. His light eyes glared at Kami and back to Egle in formality. Egle nodded to his answer to quickly get off his horse. He went to Kami and untied the rope that connected to his saddle bags. He walked quickly, Kami behind him, keeping her in range where she is close. They go past a community of people. Old beside young and people cautiously looking at the scene before them. The tower of the prison cells is before them. He lead her to a small round room, two large cells on either side. Both full with people, though, the other side looked to be filled with drunks and homeless men. The other was filled with women that have done wrong.

"Your choice." he said to Kami eyes with the same blankness
 
Kami felt the anger in the demons tone when he asked Egle about her, she sensed that he had let her live when he had been told he should kill her, she hoped that meant he was honorable. She put that in the back of her mind for future reference. She felt the eyes on her as he lead her into the prisoners block, she lowered her head and followed him into the room without a fight.

There were two cells, one filled with women the other with men who looked shabby and honestly scared her, thank the gods he asked her which one she would prefer.

"Women please." She knew her voice squeaked but she didn't care, being afraid of large groups of men was nothing to be ashamed of. She was only a woman, she didn't have any skill whatsoever to protect herself if one of them got free and tried to hurt her, if one of the women got free they woulnt bother with her. Besides, the women's cell had a barred window, if she could get her hands free she knew she would be able to get between the bars.
 
Egle walked forward paying no mind to the other warriors standing to their feet to address him. Egle quickly untied her before lightly pushing her into the cell of crowded women. The cell was not made of bars but a steel cage with very small holes, knowing how shifters can easily slip in through a bar. Egle locked the door with a flip quickly. The woman hovered an opening for the new supposed criminal, Kami. They all gawked in fear, for she was much different, rather middle class looking than the rest.

Egle had walked away at this point, saluting to the fellow men from before and walking out rushly. His duty was done with the woman, now setting foot towards his house. Egle goes back to his horse and the armored man, where he had left them. Egle jumped on to his horse, and looked down to the demon soldier.

"I was sent on a mission from a Lord... That is why I brought back that woman. She did no killing... So I locked her up for now." he explained, the soldier still stared attentively up at him. The soldier kept silence and just nodded looking down, with no further questioning Egle rode off.
 
They all stared at her, eyes wide. Kami felt very out of place. They were all women but upon closer inspection she realized she wasn't just the highest rank in the room she looked the part. She swallowed and took a step into the room, she wondered what the custom was for entering a crowded prison. Was she supposed to introduce herself or stay silent.

The decision was made for her when a voice asked "What did you do?"

Kami looked up but still didn't know who spoke, she rubbed her hands together trying to get feeling back into them. She wondered if saying nothing would be alright, because she hadn't done anything and lieing didn't seem like a good idea.

"I refused an order." That was close enough to the truth yet told them nothing. Except she had a spine and didn't back down, that might be a good idea, saying anything more would surely get her into trouble so she sat in a clear spot and waited for an opertune moment to pull her escape.
 
"Refused an order?" one of the woman asked over the crowed. A couple women giggled, one woman cackled loudly.

"If I went to a jail cell every time I refused something, I might as well live in it!" almost everyone of the cell started to giggle among themselves. The women knew that a woman to be put in a cell must have done something more than turn her cheek away. Most of these women have stolen from children or have committed crimes of threatening other women and men. Most have been in the cell more than once. Woman getting better benefits for their petty crimes sometimes do things on purpose to meet with the other woman, as odd of a hang out it is. The women glare at her for a while before they loose interest and discuss with one another. A child, no younger than 13 sits next to Kami's feet looking up at her shyly. She would turn away every time Kami would catch any notice of her staring.
 
Kami listened as they said her reason was stupid, it was, but she was not about to explain the whole story. Her body tensed as they looked at her and it felt like ages before they turned back to their own conversations. She breathed a sigh of relief and sunk against the wall.

After a second she felt someone watching her and instinctively straightened her spine and looked up. No one was looking at her, she knew her feelings were generally right so she waited a moment and caught a flicker of movement next to her feet. There was a little girl sitting there.

Kami stared, this was as close to a demon as she had ever been. The little girl had short green hair and little horns popping out of her head, but besides that she looked completely normal. Kami didn't know how to deal with that, she had always been taught that demons were ugly monsters who fed on human flesh, she doubted this child had ever attacked anyone.

"Hello." She said quietly so that no one would overhear her.
 
The child, glanced away, flickered her eats that were hidden beneath her short mushroom cut. The child looked over at her with big gleaming eyes, eyes any child would give to someone they were curious about. The child's eyes flickered from Kami's nose, to her mouth, to her hair, and finally to her eyes. The child did not know what to do with the sudden gentle attention she got from the luminous stranger... The child kept quite and out of pure shyness tucked in her knees close to her face and rested her head there. A girl of 13 made herself out more innocent of good behavior out of first impression, still unsure if she wanted a first impression with Kami. She blinked her long lashes up at the woman dreamily. The presence of Kami almost made it seem like something new and the little girl had no idea what to do with it. As wish-washy a child's mind is she scooted closer to Kami's feet still glanced up at her.

"Did you kill somebody?" the girl had quitely but almost bluntly said.
 
Kami watched the girl as she tighten up and closed herself off. She waited a moment, knowing how to deal with a skidish animal, she figured the rules still applied, make sure they know you're there and then wait till they come to you. Of course when they come to you they don't usually ask such blunt questions, had she killed someone?

Like she could pull off something so grim, she was a lady and had never learned any of the warriors ways, the best she could do was scream or fly away. Kami watched the girl for a moment and then sighed.

"No, I just went somewhere I shouldnt have." another cryptic response, but she not about to reveal anything about herself, nothing that the warrior Egle didn't already know. In fact if she could she would prefer not admitting anything to anyone. Least of all a demon child who would probably turn her in for a hearty meal. No matter how nice she was, that little girl needed food more than friends.
 
"it's okay if you did." she reassured in same quite tone but nicer, as if luring out a shy animal as Kami tried to do.

"My mom tried to killed a man. But... That's because he was mean." the girl explained in all innocence, she glanced at her dirty hands and bandaged thumb. Eyes looking over at Kami here and there for a response. When there was a still gap of silence the child felt even more comfortable talking, still playing with fingers.

"Momma was in love with mean man... But the mean man would beat her." her tone did not become so quite but now casual. She turned her full attention back to Kami who had seemed to sit and listen, something the little girl probably lacked. "The man got killed by a shifter from one of the big houses because he beat my mamma... But my mamma went in the cell for a couple months... But... Mamma was sick, so mamma died of illness." the little girl kept going on, eyes still consistently looking up to her.

"I guess in the end, two wrongs don't make a right." she paused for a while and looked away at the woman as if to think more on the thought. Or maybe she thought of the grief it held against herself that her mother died. She finally had turned back to the woman, hands cuffed to her bony knee.

"I guess you are lucky you did no wrong." she had finally but faintly said before her soft eyes glanced away, head on her knees back into her seclusion.
 
Kami listen to the girls story with interest. Her mother was getting beaten and a shifter had killed the man. That must mean the shifters had honor here. Kami hadn't know that, she pondered it a bit as the girl finished the story, where her mother died and then she said two rights don't make a right.

That was deep, the childish innocents allowed her to believe that, nothing more. Then again it was said that children were the most wise because they were not colored by the worlds cruelty.

"I did a wrong, just nothing that justifies imprisonment." Kami admitted, the childs story put her in a more open mood. If the girl could admit so much to a complete stranger Kami figured that maybe her secrets wouldn't be safe, but her feelings would be. "I feel like a fool" She said honestly.
 
The girl perked her ears a bit as her moist eyes, from with emotions or dryness from the air, looked up at her with quite attentiveness. The girl had most likely comapred Kami to her mother, hence why she had opened and crawled to her side. The girl did not once glance away for the long pause after Kami talked.

"Why?" the girl suddenly asked curiosity in tone.

-----------------------------

Egle had made it to his house. He opened the front door to find his sister sitting at the table in waiting. She turned to him non nonchalantly, a bit arupt and not as pleased as most would expect.

"Why'd you run away like that!" she bossed, arms crossed and face looked as though she was ready to strike him. Egle just giggled lightly in response, accustomed to this personality of his sister. Egle sat down next to her and leaned closely as if it'd make her understand better.

"I had to go on a quest."

"Really? Another one? I heard you brought home a lady"

Baffled a bit by her sudden accusation he gave a look of disgust and doubt. He smiled with his eyes rolled.

"Yes of course, a woman that is from the human territory." he said in a sarcastic tone, soon enough he heard prompting foot steps behind him, whisking around the corner. A mother frizzy hair had a look of despair and slight anger.

"Now, what is this I hear?" her tone raised, over hearing the conversation, but not of the sarcasm.

"You have ruined, defined, and sacrificed your fam-"

"Mother.." he almost plead.

"You put a disgrace on our hou-"

"MOTHER" he stood tall, hovering above her short length, strong hands clasped down upon her small shoulders.

"Me and sister were joking..."

"Oh... Well it's nice to have you home!" she had a sudden look of happiness like a flick of a switch.
 
Kami saw that she was drawing the girls curiousity, the girl asked why and Kami had to stop and think for a moment.

"I did exactly what I was told never to do, and I did it by accident." She couldn't help but keep dancing around her human alliance and her possition there as princess, at least the habit of self preservation hadn't completely abandoned her.

She watched as the other women glanced at her from time to time, still wondering why she was there probably. Kami pursed her lips, she had to have a distraction in order for her to escape, she had to escape. She closed her eyes to keep her tears from falling, she had to escape and find the dying man and find the stone and be free forever.
 
Egle had soon forgotten about the burden of the woman during the discussion in his house hold. He had talked about the tedious journey with his mother, as she went on about how worried she was, Which was a thing that all mothers did, she would interrupt and speak about the shifter- Kami. Egle would try and avoid it, for he barely knew anything about her other than personality factors he had used against her, and her name.

"So... What did this woman do?" she asked as she folded her fingers gently against one another, sister playing with a toy box in a distant seat beside her.

"Nothing... As far as I'm concerned" he replied glancing into his mother's eyes, for his mind was boggled by it. He could see it on her face that she was now boggled.

"Did she have no sense of direction and got lost?" she seemed to have questioned herself out loud glancing away from eye contact. She held her fingers dramatically close to her mouth. Puzzled now.

"I am still unsure..."

"Woman never gave you an answer?"

"No." he had made simple, with a very big nod. For the woman was truly stubborn and seemed hard to be cooperative. He thought back to the mudd hill and how exhausted she was. She was also not a woman of strength or reliability on herself. He drifted himself away from past thinking and back to his mother which had gotten up to prepare a meal for the house, which what the table maid was for but she wasn't the one to have others do things for her.
 
After Kami spoke the girl asked a lot of questions that felt intrusive and Kami did her best to answer as truthfully as she could without telling her that she was royalty or that she was even from human lands. Eventually she managed to turn the conversation away from herself and onto the girl, Artio. She was apparently 13 and was living on the streets after her mother died. She had been stealing a few peices of fruit and had been caught which was why she was in the cell.

Kami was sad and wished she could help the little girl. But she had nothing with her to give the girl and she had no advice, she didn't know how to survive in the demons lands.

After a few hours Artio exhausted herself and fell asleep leaning against Kami's leg. Kami thought it was adorable and patted her head as she slept. She felt bad for a moment, she would be leaving and this little girl would be alone again, if she could just get some sort of distraction, she could shift quickly then fly out the window. The cell had been made to keep shifters in, with holes that were as long as her thumb, but the space between the bars on the window, she could tell, we're slightly bigger, just enough that she could squeeze through, she hoped.
 
The men in front of the cell had turned there backs away, possibly in an in depth conversation or laziness inquired them. A shifter man of balding and broad shoulders, which were the most noticeable things about him, moved beneath the table and pulled of a board. A board with weird shapes of snakes and designs. He had two metal balls appear into his hands, her smiled with a mouth full of crooked and yellow teeth.

"Anyone up for a game of BullSnake?" he looked around, the way predator would with a feast before him. He gave off an aura of cockiness before rolling the balls into the sunken board game. The other man had finally sat down in front of him. Women and people from the cell across from them began focusing their attention on the game that was about to unravel. A man took the two silver spheres into hand and rolled lightly, the two bounced around the board walls and into one of the snakes mouths. The man fell silent as he waited for the other one to fall into a carved pit. It fell into the stomach of the other snake. He did not look so happy...
 
Kami felt the attention of the room shift, to an ugly man trying to act like he was good at something, which was obviously not true according to his scowl. Even Artio was paying attention to the game, she felt bad for leaving the child but figured the girl would be alright.

She crept slowly to the back corner under the window, she prayed that game was as interesting as they all made it seem as she shifted, sending sparks into the air around her. She couldn't wait around and see if they noticed, she flapped her little wings and got to the window, she could make it if she did it right. Luckily this was something she was good at, she landed on the edge and sslipped through with her wings against her sides. Once she was outside she chirped in joy and flapped away.
 
All the people watched the silver balls shift each hand to the other, now a third player in the game. The man from before was loosing and he began to become furious. He stood from his seat and was ready to beat the demon guard in front of him. The people banged against the bars, it was as if this is what they truly were waiting for. Chanting "fight fight fight" as hands began to slam louder against the steel walls. Soon enough the man picked up the littler man with one hand and threw him down flat.

Egle had stepped out of his house, his conscious telling him he should go check the prison. He knew that he needed more answers before he could present her up for trial. His mind would not rest until his questions were answered and there was more reasons. Though, in his head, she wasn't even worth a jury and if anything should be kept as a prisoner. He knew that if he were to let her go, that would be endanger for the city, for she now knew where the capital was... Even though he highly doubted she ever payed attention to the trail.

As he got closer to the prison house he heard the loud rucuss and brawl going on inside. He gritted his teeth and dashed through the door. He saw one of the prison keepers on top of a gaurd. He glanced at the BullSnake board at the desk. He figured that must have been the cause... No one payed no mind to his entrance besides the few that fell completely silent. Egle knew that he had to act with action. Before the man could take his anger out on the guards face. Egle grabbed him by the wrist. The man with blind fury tried to punch who ever interfered. Egel with a swift other hand grabbed the intruding fist. The impact made him skid back a bit, but his hand still clasped on his fist firmly. Egle gave a glare of anger down at the fat man on his knees...

The man became wide eyed and begged for forgivness with his eyes, his anger ceased and he now looked like a child that just been disciplined. Frozen from the sudden hold Egle leaned in with the same glare.

"Enough..." fury reaked from his throat before pushing him back and the man slammed on to his back. The Demon that layed there in shock scurried away beside the other guards. Egle looked around blankly, now just plain annoyed. He looked to the woman's cell to see Kami. She was gone.
 
Kami felt the wind beneath her wings and reveled in the feeling, how she had missed this. She did a loop and felt exile rated, like the past day hadn't even happened. She looked down and saw the city laid out beneath her, it was actually nice, not nearly as bad as she had been told. She wondered if anything she knew about demons was true. She circled a bit, just being happy to be free before she got down to deciding where to go.

If she went home she'd be married off within the hour and nowhere in the demon lands was safe for a shifter from the human lands, she decided heading north towards the mountains would probably be her best get. Maybe she'd het lucky and find a village on the way where she could get food and shelter. She doubted it but couldn't help the fantasy that floated in her mind, clean water, hot food and a snug bed.

Angling her little body north she started her journey, her long journey. Maybe she should jump in a lake first and get all the mud off her dress, even in her Summer Tanager form she could feel it weighing her down. That would probably be best, but she'd wait till she was at least an hour from the city, she could fly fast enough that she would be ahead of anyone from the city, enough to spend at least 15 minutes cleaning the soiled fabric.
 
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