A kitten-like yowl echoed through the narrow alley. Eurig quickly wrapped his small hands around the tiny brown ball which the sound came from but was met with piercing needle-like teeth in the palm of his right hand. His immediately reaction was to let go, which he smartly did. He sucked his palm where droplets of blood were proof of Aneira’s handy work. She had scurried up against one of the walls large rage filled golden eyes narrowed as her back arched defensively and ears flattened.

“Seriously?” he said, his own anger teetering and glaring at her with his own pair of golden hued iris’s. “Why would you do that? It could leave a scar!” The once gold maine coon adolescent cat had been dyed a rather fitting shade of mud, Eurig held no sympathy for her now. After all, she had just bit him. He wiped his hands on his dark trousers and folded his arms against his chest.

“Because!” She rasped between each hiss at the odd looking gangly flightless bird who had been staring at the both of them in bewilderment, unaware of the chaos it had just caused. “That thing ruined me!” The word “thing” was said with such distaste it would have left a fowl taste in anyone’s mouth. She started to groom herself, muttering a variety colorful words they had picked up. Eurig chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head and his short brown hair. “Serves you right for walking with your nose so high.” he stepped over to the ostrich stroking underneath her chin and down the stretch of her neck fondly, “Besides, you should be thanking Ruby, she finds some of the best gems.” Aneira rolled her eyes but Eurig never looked at her again, “Says the one that holds his nose higher then anyone else. And she eats most of them anyways!”

Eurig shrugged, deciding he didn’t care anymore. If Aneira wanted to act like a princess, then she’d better learn how to walk like one without falling in mud puddles. Normally he’d care about making sure she’d be presentable before once again being within the public’s watching eyes, it probably was his fault that she was this way. His materialism and borderline narcissistic ways fueled her own. He looked down at the crude looking rings made out of gold and various vibrantly colored (and poorly cut) jewels, some more appealing then the others. Magic he was good at, but the art of crafting jewelry was something totally different, and he was learning. Each ring a reminder of each year, an important testament to how he was improving, or not.

Without taking a last look at Aneira, Eurig walked away with a pleasant spring in his step. Aneira quickly scurried after him, afraid to be left alone, and screeching for him to stop.

***

thrump a quarter sized natural piece of gold flew up from the earth. Eurig caught it mid air before it reached the waiting open mouth of Ruby the ostrich. He turned it, examining it in his hand and watching the sun glinting off the raw materials. A smile slipped across his lips as he hastily opened his poppins bag and dropped it in. With a satisfying clank against the other gems and precious metals they had found and then he closed it. Ruby’s neck stretched as she peered around him and pecked at the bag, a little perturbed that her next meal had been stolen and stored away. Eurig shooed her, waving hand just inches from her face.

He’d often come to this clearing, not far from the market place. Sometimes he was able to sell the things he gathered, and others to trade for food. Today, he didn’t want for either but nonetheless the young boy kept busy. He could still hear carts winding down the road not far from him. Aneira, who had returned to her former glory was basking in the sun on a large rock with her back to them, still sour from earlier in the day. She never really bothered with helping anyways. She liked to reap the benefits but never bothered to get her paws dirty.

The boy and his bird eventually grew weary and sat next to Aneira on the ground with his back propped up against the rock. She had turned to scowl at them, that was until Eurig opened his poppins bag to evaluate that days findings. She peered over his shoulder as Ruby plopped herself next to him. Ruby always liked this part, since anything that wasn’t valuable would get tossed her way. They didn’t pay much attention to the fact that their backs faced the road. And while they started sorting completely unaware that someone had spotted them.