47th of Ash, 113
Liu's odd jobs came to an abrupt end in Searing, and with it came terms and agreements proposed by the wolf herself. Their income had drastically reduced, and their lifestyles had to change accordingly. The first agreement was that they wouldn't spend money on anything but Cojack's medicine and food. The second was that they needed to ration the food they bought, and could only eat every other day. Once a week, they went for two days without eating.
It had been the best part of two months since these terms were issued and accepted. Originally the intent was to alleviate pressure from Liu, who had been burning both ends of her candle with long shifts at the produce store, followed by late-night jobs with loud, threatening humans. But, she'd been going to work hungry since Arkash insisted she quit the night jobs.
Part of him thought it would be better if he returned to work, but Cojack couldn't even go to the bathroom by himself anymore. Who would look after him? In a way, they were lucky that there were three of them, or Cojack could have hurt himself already. But, the old horse was sleeping, and he'd be out for a while or so Arkash believed. So, he spent the time he'd gained in the day on desperate measures.
Scavenging, as his parents called it, was the process of looking through the trash of higher castes for uneaten food. It was uncommon, but it appeared sometimes. It was something they'd done a number of times where their strict weekly budgeting was thrown to the wind by some accident or other. Sometimes the planks in the roof gave out and let snow in, so emergency supplies were bought to fix it with the money they put aside for food. Sometimes, their clothes were torn in the mines or woods where they worked and needed replacing. That wasn't so true for Liu and Cojack as it was for Arkash, however. Regardless, life was full of accidents, and saving money wasn't as linear a path as one might hope for.
So, Arkash scavenged. And if he couldn't find anything, he'd be off to the farms in hopes of finding some uneaten pig slop. That was to be their life until they left Lorien for good. It was the only way they'd save money. As a cold-blooded rathari, he didn't need as much food to sustain himself. Most of his search was focused on vegetables and the like for Cojack, and hopefully some meat for Liu.
The lizard wandered through Inner Nivenhain; a place he rarely ventured. To him, the Outer district was too fancy. It was the place that commoners lived and rested their heads with a few upstart businesses and shops, but in the Inner district, business was booming. The number of people there amazed him, and it was said that the streets were only busier at night, which was when some of the less savory gentlemen's clubs opened.
The disparity between the street he lived on, with it's boarded windows, run-down homes and ramshackle shacks, and the place that the humans went to have a fun night baffled him. Everyone around him lived so comfortably without wondering when they'd next eat or running from wolves just to get some firewood. A lower part of him was jealous. He knew it was wrong to think that way, but it didn't feel fair. Knowing that a lot of the people he passed were born with more money than he'd make in his life and that they looked at him like filth infuriated him.
He was glad to spot a restaurant, then turn into the alley to get away from the crowd. As he glanced back, he caught a few heads that turned to stare at him as they passed. The lizard hissed and proceeded deeper into the alley, where he'd be out of sight. He stopped at the back door of the eatery, then began to peak through the crates left for the rag and bone men. If there was anything, it would all be in one crate, rather than mixed with the bones and broken china.
The bones were useful, however. Liu enjoyed the marrow inside, and Arkash was plenty capable of digesting them. So, Arkash bagged them. There weren't too many, mostly just little chunks of bone that would be found in a larger cut of meat. They were picked clean, of course. Humans enjoyed their meats just as much as he and Liu did.
He'd already slung his backpack back onto his sore scales when he spotted something else in the crate. The lizard squinted, then carefully moved some broken china aside. There, amidst the rubble, was a half-eaten loaf of bread. The lizard's eyes widened, and his hand reached to pick it up. It was hard, nearly rock-like aside from how brittle it felt, and there was blue-green mold growing in patches as big as farthings all over its surface, but it was still an impressive find. Cojack could eat that while he and Liu ate the bones and their marrow.
Very pleased with himself, the komodo dragon tucked the bread away, then gave the rest of the crates a once over in case there were any other hidden gems like that one there. Alas, nearly all of them were empty, aside from the two he checked. He didn't have to stop by the farm though, this would see them through. They'd still be hungry, but less so.
Arkash proceeded into the street and kept his head low as he walked. Just thinking about the bread in his backpack had him hungry. His sunken stomach growled while he walked, which prompted him to hush it verbally, as well as cover his scales with a tight pull of his arm. He'd last ate two days ago; he could stick through if he ignored the twisting pain... and the dizziness. That was one thing Arkash couldn't get used to whenever they fasted, and that was the random dizzy spells that struck him after being physically active.
'Just a bit further,' he told himself, then shut his eyes tight for a moment or two as he pushed through the bustling streets.
When he finally arrived home, there was some chatter behind the door. It was Liu, speaking with Cojack. Arkash bared his teeth in a cringe; the horse had woken up while he was out. Or had Liu woke him? The curious lizard peeked through the hole in the planks. Sure enough, Liu stood there and stared back at him. Her ears were too sensitive; he'd never get the drop on her.
"Come in Ark," spoke the wolf abruptly, and cut off Cojack mid-sentence. So, Arkash did. He fiddled with the flimsy lock on the door and walked into the thin wooden walls of his home. "Where were you?" Questioned his mother as he closed the door behind himself.
Both pairs of eyes were on him, Cojack's and Liu's alike. "I was scavenging," he said simply, then held up his backpack. "I found some bread," declared the lizard with a smile.
"Well you shouldn't have left your father, anything could- Wait, really?" she paused, and her train of thought became derailed.
The lizard nodded, then put his bag on the floor before him. From its contents, he drew the stale, moldy bread he'd collected from Inner Nivenhain, and presented it to the pair. Liu's eyes widened.
"Wow... I mean, it's seen better days, but nice find, Ark." The young rath, very proud of himself, began to nod quickly and moved to the counter, where he put it down. When he turned around, both Cojack and Liu were watching him with insecure eyes.
"...What?" Asked the young rathari, unsure. Cojack exhaled a raspy sigh and looked to Liu, who nodded. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Arkash's heartbeat began to pick up in speed. He didn't like surprises.
"Well, you might have gone scavenging for nothing..." Started Liu, and Cojack began to smile behind her.
The lizard furrowed the ridges that formed his brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned, bewildered.
"I mean..." Resumed the wolf, only to pause again as she brought her own backpack from the ground, and opened it to reveal its contents to the young rath. His eyes widened. "...My boss let me take home the stuff that looked off, or was closing to spoiling. So, we've got a bunch of veggies for you and your father."
Arkash could hardly believe it. There were humans that kind in Nivenhain? Didn't Liu's boss dislike her? There were a few holes in the story, but Arkash saw the presented food and almost subconsciously decided to ignore them. "But what about you?" Spoke the lizard when he snapped from his trance-like hunger.
"Oh, I'll be fine..." She started, but that wasn't good enough for Arkash. She didn't have a plan for herself. So, Arkash reached into his bag and gathered up all the bones he could with one hand, which left them all cluttered in his clasped claws.
"Here," spoke Arkash. "I found these too, I want you to have them." With that, he placed the bones in Liu's open hand, which was far larger than his own. The wolf smiled a little, then put her bag down to brush over his head with her one free hand.
The vegetables were indeed close to spoiling, and it reflected in the taste. But, Arkas's and Cojack's bellies were full. They split the bread between themselves after cutting the mold off, and Liu spent the rest of the night crunching through bones and eating the shards and marrow alike.
Arkash didn't know it, but the spoiling produce hadn't been given to Liu; she'd stolen it. In the months to come, Arkash continued to put a blind eye to the holes in her stories, and she continued to get bolder. Soon came the frost of Arkash's sixteenth Year...
Liu's odd jobs came to an abrupt end in Searing, and with it came terms and agreements proposed by the wolf herself. Their income had drastically reduced, and their lifestyles had to change accordingly. The first agreement was that they wouldn't spend money on anything but Cojack's medicine and food. The second was that they needed to ration the food they bought, and could only eat every other day. Once a week, they went for two days without eating.
It had been the best part of two months since these terms were issued and accepted. Originally the intent was to alleviate pressure from Liu, who had been burning both ends of her candle with long shifts at the produce store, followed by late-night jobs with loud, threatening humans. But, she'd been going to work hungry since Arkash insisted she quit the night jobs.
Part of him thought it would be better if he returned to work, but Cojack couldn't even go to the bathroom by himself anymore. Who would look after him? In a way, they were lucky that there were three of them, or Cojack could have hurt himself already. But, the old horse was sleeping, and he'd be out for a while or so Arkash believed. So, he spent the time he'd gained in the day on desperate measures.
Scavenging, as his parents called it, was the process of looking through the trash of higher castes for uneaten food. It was uncommon, but it appeared sometimes. It was something they'd done a number of times where their strict weekly budgeting was thrown to the wind by some accident or other. Sometimes the planks in the roof gave out and let snow in, so emergency supplies were bought to fix it with the money they put aside for food. Sometimes, their clothes were torn in the mines or woods where they worked and needed replacing. That wasn't so true for Liu and Cojack as it was for Arkash, however. Regardless, life was full of accidents, and saving money wasn't as linear a path as one might hope for.
So, Arkash scavenged. And if he couldn't find anything, he'd be off to the farms in hopes of finding some uneaten pig slop. That was to be their life until they left Lorien for good. It was the only way they'd save money. As a cold-blooded rathari, he didn't need as much food to sustain himself. Most of his search was focused on vegetables and the like for Cojack, and hopefully some meat for Liu.
The lizard wandered through Inner Nivenhain; a place he rarely ventured. To him, the Outer district was too fancy. It was the place that commoners lived and rested their heads with a few upstart businesses and shops, but in the Inner district, business was booming. The number of people there amazed him, and it was said that the streets were only busier at night, which was when some of the less savory gentlemen's clubs opened.
The disparity between the street he lived on, with it's boarded windows, run-down homes and ramshackle shacks, and the place that the humans went to have a fun night baffled him. Everyone around him lived so comfortably without wondering when they'd next eat or running from wolves just to get some firewood. A lower part of him was jealous. He knew it was wrong to think that way, but it didn't feel fair. Knowing that a lot of the people he passed were born with more money than he'd make in his life and that they looked at him like filth infuriated him.
He was glad to spot a restaurant, then turn into the alley to get away from the crowd. As he glanced back, he caught a few heads that turned to stare at him as they passed. The lizard hissed and proceeded deeper into the alley, where he'd be out of sight. He stopped at the back door of the eatery, then began to peak through the crates left for the rag and bone men. If there was anything, it would all be in one crate, rather than mixed with the bones and broken china.
The bones were useful, however. Liu enjoyed the marrow inside, and Arkash was plenty capable of digesting them. So, Arkash bagged them. There weren't too many, mostly just little chunks of bone that would be found in a larger cut of meat. They were picked clean, of course. Humans enjoyed their meats just as much as he and Liu did.
He'd already slung his backpack back onto his sore scales when he spotted something else in the crate. The lizard squinted, then carefully moved some broken china aside. There, amidst the rubble, was a half-eaten loaf of bread. The lizard's eyes widened, and his hand reached to pick it up. It was hard, nearly rock-like aside from how brittle it felt, and there was blue-green mold growing in patches as big as farthings all over its surface, but it was still an impressive find. Cojack could eat that while he and Liu ate the bones and their marrow.
Very pleased with himself, the komodo dragon tucked the bread away, then gave the rest of the crates a once over in case there were any other hidden gems like that one there. Alas, nearly all of them were empty, aside from the two he checked. He didn't have to stop by the farm though, this would see them through. They'd still be hungry, but less so.
Arkash proceeded into the street and kept his head low as he walked. Just thinking about the bread in his backpack had him hungry. His sunken stomach growled while he walked, which prompted him to hush it verbally, as well as cover his scales with a tight pull of his arm. He'd last ate two days ago; he could stick through if he ignored the twisting pain... and the dizziness. That was one thing Arkash couldn't get used to whenever they fasted, and that was the random dizzy spells that struck him after being physically active.
'Just a bit further,' he told himself, then shut his eyes tight for a moment or two as he pushed through the bustling streets.
When he finally arrived home, there was some chatter behind the door. It was Liu, speaking with Cojack. Arkash bared his teeth in a cringe; the horse had woken up while he was out. Or had Liu woke him? The curious lizard peeked through the hole in the planks. Sure enough, Liu stood there and stared back at him. Her ears were too sensitive; he'd never get the drop on her.
"Come in Ark," spoke the wolf abruptly, and cut off Cojack mid-sentence. So, Arkash did. He fiddled with the flimsy lock on the door and walked into the thin wooden walls of his home. "Where were you?" Questioned his mother as he closed the door behind himself.
Both pairs of eyes were on him, Cojack's and Liu's alike. "I was scavenging," he said simply, then held up his backpack. "I found some bread," declared the lizard with a smile.
"Well you shouldn't have left your father, anything could- Wait, really?" she paused, and her train of thought became derailed.
The lizard nodded, then put his bag on the floor before him. From its contents, he drew the stale, moldy bread he'd collected from Inner Nivenhain, and presented it to the pair. Liu's eyes widened.
"Wow... I mean, it's seen better days, but nice find, Ark." The young rath, very proud of himself, began to nod quickly and moved to the counter, where he put it down. When he turned around, both Cojack and Liu were watching him with insecure eyes.
"...What?" Asked the young rathari, unsure. Cojack exhaled a raspy sigh and looked to Liu, who nodded. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Arkash's heartbeat began to pick up in speed. He didn't like surprises.
"Well, you might have gone scavenging for nothing..." Started Liu, and Cojack began to smile behind her.
The lizard furrowed the ridges that formed his brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned, bewildered.
"I mean..." Resumed the wolf, only to pause again as she brought her own backpack from the ground, and opened it to reveal its contents to the young rath. His eyes widened. "...My boss let me take home the stuff that looked off, or was closing to spoiling. So, we've got a bunch of veggies for you and your father."
Arkash could hardly believe it. There were humans that kind in Nivenhain? Didn't Liu's boss dislike her? There were a few holes in the story, but Arkash saw the presented food and almost subconsciously decided to ignore them. "But what about you?" Spoke the lizard when he snapped from his trance-like hunger.
"Oh, I'll be fine..." She started, but that wasn't good enough for Arkash. She didn't have a plan for herself. So, Arkash reached into his bag and gathered up all the bones he could with one hand, which left them all cluttered in his clasped claws.
"Here," spoke Arkash. "I found these too, I want you to have them." With that, he placed the bones in Liu's open hand, which was far larger than his own. The wolf smiled a little, then put her bag down to brush over his head with her one free hand.
The vegetables were indeed close to spoiling, and it reflected in the taste. But, Arkas's and Cojack's bellies were full. They split the bread between themselves after cutting the mold off, and Liu spent the rest of the night crunching through bones and eating the shards and marrow alike.
Arkash didn't know it, but the spoiling produce hadn't been given to Liu; she'd stolen it. In the months to come, Arkash continued to put a blind eye to the holes in her stories, and she continued to get bolder. Soon came the frost of Arkash's sixteenth Year...
