Uncaged [Sequel to Forever Caged]

Arna was standing in front of Kyran in a defensive crouch. He'd been watching the boy practice for a while, so he knew his style. At the same time, Kyran had the advantage of the fact that Arna didn't really know what he was doing himself. He shrugged, and decided to test his luck, running to Kyran and raising his piece of wood in place of an axe.

Kyran jumped back from the swing of the sharpened stick with almost no thought, holding his long curved swords up in defense. He was wearing the leather arm guards and vest Shinda had gotten him, and so far they proved useful. It was a little hard to move in the stiff equipment, but he and Arna both were made to wear it so it would conform to their bodies.

He flipped one sword so the long end was forward, keeping the other curved along his left arm. He fixed Arna with a steeled gaze, focusing on the fight and not the person. He darted to his right, long legs carrying him quickly in a half circle around Arna before diving in with a downward slash.

Arna circled back, and hurled his stick-axe at Kyran with all his might. His tunic hindered his movements a little, which made his aim questionable, but he was certain it'd land the blow.

Kyran saw the motions in time to dodge roll to the side, letting the stick fly right by him and bury itself into the ground. He stopped in a kneel, frowning at Arna.

Shinda was watching the fight from the wagon. He called out, "Never throw your weapon unless you have a second one to make up for it. If you had done that in a real fight you'd be dead now. Pick it up and try again."

Arna sighed and picked up his stick. "Alright," he said. He eyed Kyran again, getting back into the stance he was in. He ran at Kyran again, but fell into a slide, sticking one leg underneath him. He rolled onto his back, and kicked the boy in the air. If Arna didn't know what he was doing, he gave himself points for creativity.

Kyran readied for another swing, not expecting Arna to drop into a sliding kick. He grunted when his legs were kicked out from under him, and instantly his wings emerged from his back to catch the fall. He twisted and floated back quickly, dropping back on his feet. He spun his right blade back around to run parallel to his arm, raising both defensively again as he walked a slow circle around Arna. His eyes went over everything, picking out the weak points in the armor, and any unsteadiness in Arna's stance.

Arna crouched low, turning as Kyran circled him. He knew he had to be extra careful now, assuming he had pissed Kyran off.

Kyran rushed at Arna, wings propelling him faster, and he darted to the boy's back to deliver a low hard spinning kick.

Arna tried to turn but couldn't make it in time. Kyran's feet collided with his side and he fell hard to the ground with a loud "Oof!" It took him a moment to get his wind back, and he stood back up.

Kyran wasted no time following through with his assault, and lunged forward. He aimed the tip of his right sword for Arna's throat as he brought that arm forward, preparing to stop should Arna not dodge it.

Arna just barely missed the blade. He swore he saw strands of his hair fly from his head, and decided to take a chance. He swung his arm up with his stick-axe, intending it to land on Kyran's stomach.

Kyran drew that arm back to defend while he brought his left forward in an arc, aiming the edge of the blade for Arna's neck. The solid wood collided with his right sword, causing him to stumble back and to the side a bit before his left sword could connect. He shook his arm a little to get rid of the shock, then lowered his stance.

Arna just barely dodged the next blow as well. He got close to Kyran and swung hard at his side with the stick.

Kyran twisted and raised both arms to his side to defend against the strike, body going rigid as he stood and took the blow. He wasn't expecting to get pushed back, and wound up skidding along the dirt on his rear. He rolled into a kneel, then rushed Arna again, preparing to swipe at his legs.

Arna danced back and almost stepped on one of Kyran's arms. He brought the stick-axe down on the boy's shoulder out of reflex.

Kyran dropped and rolled to the side when Arna evaded one too many times, narrowly avoiding the swing to his shoulder. He stood again at Arna's side, and spun both blades forward before spreading his arms and going for a strike on both Arna's front and back.

Arna watched Kyran come at him, but didn't turn. He stood his ground and held his arm out, his hand doubled in a fist.

Kyran saw the fist and pulled both arms back, instead twisting around to Arna's back to get close. He slipped his left arm around Arna's waist and brought the other up to his neck, edge of the shorter end lightly against the skin.

Arna cursed, almost certain that would work. "Ok, I died. I'm done."

Kyran smiled and pulled his arm away and hugged with the other, then nuzzled his face against Arna's neck. "You did well."

Arna raspberried at the air, blushing a little. "You whooped my ass."

Shinda gave a short applause. "Great job Kyran. Arna, if you want I'll show you a few tricks to wielding that thing. But for now, it's late, and we still have a long trip. So let's get to bed eh?" He turned in the driver's seat, and crawled into the wagon.

Kyran pulled back from Arna and walked around to face him. "Yes, but you're learning a new weapon. You'll probably have me beat in a couple of weeks or so."

"Don't do me any good if we get attacked tomorrow." Arna tossed his stick aside, put his arm around Kyran and walked with him back to the wagon.

Kyran hopped into the wagon first and put his swords away, then pulled some thick blankets from his black bag and laid them over the floor.

Arna hopped in afterwards, followed by Lesara. He coiled around every one, intending to use their body heat to keep his blood warm. Arna threw a blanket over his tail, intending to use it as a pillow.

Shinda crawled under the covers with the boys once they were snuggled together, settling next to Kyran. "Try not to toss us out of the wagon when you wake up, all right Lesara?" he said with a grin.

Arna curled an arm around Kyran. "And you don't try to steal my snuggles." Lesara stifled a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah," Shinda said before turning his back to the boys.

---

Kyran woke to the wild jostling of the wagon, and was glad he was snuggled so close to Arna otherwise his head might have knocked against the floor. He groaned, and wrapped his arms tighter around the younger boy. He saw Lesara's tail coiled in one corner of the wagon, but the top of his body was nowhere to be seen. He looked up, and saw the tail disappear past the curtain that separated the driver's seat from the rest of the wagon. He twisted to look behind him, and saw Shinda huddled in the other corner near the front, hanging on for all he was worth.

Shinda returned the glare with steel grey eyes, obviously annoyed. He climbed up from his spot and stuck his head out the curtain, looking up at Lesara. "Is there a reason you're forcing them to go full speed?" he called over the racket. "We're not going to die if we don't reach the next town before nightfall."

"What are you talking about? I think we're going a might bit slow, don't you?" Lesara was merrily swishing the reins, making the orns sway a little.

Shinda grumbled, and climbed onto an empty spot on the seat to join Lesara. "You're going to shake us right out of the wagon at this pace."

Lesara laughed. "Oh we'll be fine. Both the boys have ridden with me before. Look, Arna's so used to it, I bet he's still sleeping." And the naga was right. Arna snored softly as the wagon jostled this way and that.

Shinda squinted one eye at Lesara, and twisted to peek back into the wagon. "How does he do that?" Kyran shrugged at him, then just settled to rest his head on Arna's shoulder.

Lesara slowed the orns down a bit. "Are we happy now?" He noticed they were a bit winded. "Perhaps we should let them rest?"

"Yes, we are very happy." Shinda leaned back against the seat, thinking for a moment. "Slow them to a trot for a while. There's a small lake just over that hill and we can stop there."

Lesara did as he was told. When they slowed a bit, Arna scowled in his sleep. "Kyran," the naga spoke back. "Be a dear and hand me my purse will you?"

Kyran slid away from Arna to rummage through their things, and produced the purse. He reached forward through the curtain to hand it to Lesara, then settled back down.

Lesara took it, and wagged his tail tip gleefully. He pulled out his jar of syrup, undid the lid and stuck his tongue in it. "Mmm, I've been craving this all morning. Shinda, should we hunt something for breakfast or prepare something a little more grain based?"

Shinda made a face, then just looked away and shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. We still have leftovers from last night if we wanna use those up."

"Not a bad idea," Lesara said, thoughtfully lapping at his jar. He rode the way to the lake in silence, enjoying the ride.

Once they pulled to a stop, Shinda hopped off and released the orns from the wagon. He led them to the lake, where they happily lowered their heads to drink. Shinda tied their reins to a nearby tree, and left them there to rest before heading back up to the wagon. He clambered in through the back and grabbed his bag, trying not to disturb the boys yet. He smiled, seeing Kyran had fallen asleep again, then hopped back out. "So do we want more zutren or bird this morning?"

"Yes." Lesara wagged his tail again. His ears twitched as he heard rustling in the bushes, but he shrugged it off, thinking it was an animal.

"Both?" Shinda asked. "Well, whatever. Get some bread and what have you and I'll reheat the rest." He tucked his bag away and went to go collect some branches.

Arna rolled in his sleep, pressing his chest against Kyran. He grumbled a little, then opened his eyes. "Did I hear food?"

Kyran grunted and loosened his hold on Arna, then looked up at him groggily. "I don't know." He frowned, then pushed himself to sit up. "Hey, we've stopped."

Arna sat up with him. "Hey Master? What are we doing?"

Lesara was digging in his bag. He pulled out a loaf of bread, and said, "We're making breakfast. There's a lake outside. I'm going to bathe after eating, and I suggest you do the same, Arna."

Arna gave his master a dirty look, and soon as the naga turned away, he smelled himself. "Yeesh, I'm ripe. I'm gonna bathe now."

"I think I'll join you," Kyran mumbled. He reached for his bag and pulled out a bar of soap and a washcloth, then took all three with him as he walked with Arna to the lake. He found them a somewhat private spot where they weren't in direct view of the wagon, set his things on a conveniently placed large boulder, and began to strip.

Arna tossed his clothes to one side. "You think we should wash these?"

"Yes, but not here. We can do laundry in the next town." Kyran waded into the water until he was waist-deep, then dove under. He came back up a ways out, treading the surface as he twisted to face Arna. He grinned at him. "Feels good out here."

Arna stepped back a bit, ran towards the edge and leapt into the air. He ungracefully landed in the water, then came back up, whipping his hair out of his face. "Wow! Bit chilly."

Kyran's laughter echoed a short ways along the water. "A little bit." He aimed a splash at Arna, then kicked away.

Arna splashed after him, laughing. Lesara was helping light the fire for breakfast, smiling. "Ahh... I remember being so young. I miss those days. I'm not as spry as I used to be."

Shinda batted Lesara's hand out of the way, then held his own over the pile of sticks and tinder. After a few seconds, flame shot from his palm, and they had a happy little fire crackling away. He pulled back and set up a small pot. "Really? The way you act you had me fooled." He chuckled, and headed down to the lake to fill a metal cup with some water. He came back and dumped it in the pot and left it to boil.

"Is that so? I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." Lesara flipped his hair over his shoulder. "Can you braid hair?

Shinda smiled and moved behind Lesara, brush already in hand. "Of course. I have enough of my own to deal with." He slid the brush through Lesara's hair, working out some nasty tangles here and there. When he was finished with that, he started to separate the hair. "How tight do you want it?"

"As tight as you like." Lesara smirked, waving his tail tip. Arna's shrieks of laughter echoed, and the bushes rustled again.

Shinda quickly braided the long blue hair, slightly uneven, but it would hold. He glanced at the bushes, eyes narrowing, but relaxed when two white little eskaras darted away. He grinned and tied a string around the end of the braid, then took the tip of it and tickled the naga's ear, ready to leap away.

Kyran was done playing for now, and swam back towards the edge of the lake. He took the soap and washcloth and began to scrub, assuming breakfast would be ready by the time he was done.

Lesara's ear twitched, and he swung his arms back to grab at Shinda. "Watch it! I'm sensitive there."

Shinda chuckled and leaned back out of Lesara's reach. "I know. Just thought I'd have some fun." He stepped away from the naga, seeing the water boiling now. He pulled the leftovers from his bag and unwrapped them, then dumped them into the pot. He tore open another package, adding the brown powder to the mixture. He pulled out a ladle and began stirring, and before long there was a thick stew brewing.

Arna took his turn scrubbing, then went to where Kyran was. He wrapped his arms around him and smelled the air. "Mmm, smells good. Think we should hurry up and finish?"

Kryan was already done, and turned in Arna's arms to plant a kiss on his lips. He smiled before pulling away, and reached into his bag for a towel. "Probably a good idea."

Arna grinned and went underwater, swimming around for a bit. "Arna, Kyran! Breakfast!" Lesara called

Kyran quickly dried off and left the towel on the rock to dry, then put away his dirty clothes in exchange for some fresh ones. He slipped on a pair of black jeans, finding them more suitable for the cooling weather. He put socks and boots on, then a plain thin white sweater. "Come on, Arna," he called.

Arna popped back up. "Dammit!" He got out of the water and shook off, wringing his hair out. He rummaged for a pair of faded blue jeans with a hole in one knee, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Kyran grinned at him, then had an idea. He reached for his dagger and fastened it to his left arm, then slid his sleeve down to cover it. He went back to the others with Arna, stopping at the wagon to deposit his bag before sitting by the fire. Shinda was busy filling their bowls with the thick gravy and meat of the stew, and once they were served, he took a slice of the bread for himself and plopped down. "You two feel better now?" he asked Kyran and Arna with a grin.

Kyran blushed a little and nodded. "A little cold, but I don't feel gross anymore."

Arna took a bowl and stirred it a bit. "Careful. Your nads will fall off." Lesara almost choked on a piece of bread, and laughed.

Shinda laughed at both of them. "Is it really that cold?"

Kyran chortled and shook his head. "I didn't think so, but you might."

Lesara gathered the bowls when they were done and went to the lake to wash them up. He dipped his tail in the water and decided that it was, in fact, cold.

Kyran let Lesara clean up, and helped Shinda put out the fire and put things away. He stretched out, grunting softly. "When do we reach Feru again?"

Shinda shrugged. "Well with Lesara driving, probably early tomorrow afternoon." He packed his things away once they were clean, then said, "I guess I can teach you guys eleshad while we travel."

"I heard my name!" Lesara called over the bushes.

Shinda chuckled, and called back, "I'm telling them all your dirty secrets!"

Kyran grinned, and walked back to the lake to pick up his towel. It was nice and dry now, and he rolled it up and headed back to the wagon.

Lesara poked his head over the bush. "I'll show you a dirty secret," he joked. Arna was sitting in the wagon already, fluffing up the blanket. He didn't exactly find his master's tail the comfiest thing in the world.

"Really? I'd like to see that." Shinda went to untie the orns and led them back to wagon, where he started hooking them back up.

Kyran crawled in and plopped next to Arna before rummaging through his book bag for his journal. He decided to take this time to write in it, since it would be impossible once they started moving again.

Arna looked at Kyran. "What'cha writing? Journey log?"

"Yes. This is the first trip I've been on, so I'd like to remember it when I get older." Kyran gave a small smile, and started to write.

Arna nodded. "Might not be a bad idea." He stretched his legs. "Did Shinda say when we were gonna hit town?"

"He said with Lesara driving, we should be there by tomorrow afternoon."

"Awesome! I wonder if it's any different." He grinned at Kyran. "Maybe we should pick up a tent while we're there?"

"Knowing Shinda, I think he's already got a tent. We're just sleeping in the wagon because it's easier." He paused, writing a few things down quickly.

Arna was kind of glad that they had thought to bring those purses along. It made travel easier. Lesara slithered up into the wagon, then through the curtain. "Alright, are we ready?"

Shinda scrambled into the back and into his corner of choice. Kyran sighed and put his journal away. "Ready," he and Shinda both said at once.

Lesara whapped the reins and soon, the wagon was continuing its insane shaking down the trail.