The next morning was the same. The sun rose, the market slowly filled with the sounds and smells of the Lizardmen, and Kai sat in his cage, his hope was very much diminishing.
Around mid day, the last woman was sold. An older, solitary Lizardman bought her. She didn't struggle or make a sound as she was led away, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Now it was just Kai and the two other men, each alone in their wooden boxes.
An hour later, a new family stopped in front of his cage. A sturdy male with dark green scales, a slightly smaller female, and three children of different sizes. They pointed at Kai, chattering.
The dark-scaled guard lumbered over, his keys jangling at his side. He unlocked Kai's cage. The male Lizardman, the father, stepped forward. He grabbed Kai's arm and squeezed it, testing his strength. He grunted and then pried Kai's mouth open to look at his teeth. Kai tried to resist, but the lizardman was too strong.
Two of the children, a boy and a girl, watched with excitement, then came over and began poking him as well.
"Look!" the girl said with delight. "The skin is squishy!" She poked so hard she even left a small cut on his shoulder. Am I like their toy or something? He was livid.
"I know," the other one said. Then his gaze drifted to his hair, and he began to pet it. "And its so fluffy here!"
But the third one, a older child, held back. It came closer, but slowly, and reached out a small, scaled hand. It didn't poke. It gently touched the back of Kai's hand, its touch really light, before its mother pulled all of her children off him as they protested it. For a brief moment, Kai saw something in the older child's darker, round eyes that wasn't exactly cruelty or excitement. He thought it might be sympathy.
The father grunted, seemingly satisfied. "I'll get this one," he called. The darker lizardman walked over with a smug. He dropped a heavy pouch of stones into the lizardman's hand. The deal was made.
The male Lizardman took the end of the rope tied around Kai's neck. With a sharp tug, he pulled Kai forward. He walked, or mostly was dragged, for about four minutes. The Lizardman family chattered amongst themselves as they walked, their voices casual, as if they were just returning from a good day of shopping. He kept his face hard, his jaw tight, staring straight ahead with an angry expression. He refused to look weak in front of them.
They arrived at a property on the edge of the village. The hut was made of wood and mud, and behind it was a small orchard. The trees had thick, waxy leaves and were heavy with dark, round fruit he had never seen before.
His new owner pointed a claw at the orchard, then at a large pile of fallen leaves near the hut.
"You will pick the fruit," he rasped. Then, he pointed at the leaves, "And you will also weave baskets. I suppose I'll have to teach you how to do that."
He gave the rope a final, sharp tug, pulling Kai toward the trees. "Come."
Kai stumbled after him, his feet dragging in the dirt. The Lizardman led him to the pile of leaves. He picked up a handful of the long, waxy pieces. They were tough but flexible.
"Watch," he grunted.
His claws began moving. He bent one leaf, then another, tucking them and folding them over each other in a pattern Kai had never seen before. Slowly, the shape of a simple, sturdy basket began to form. He worked in silence for a few minutes, his movements precise. When he was done, he held up the finished basket. It was crude, but it would hold the fruit.
He shoved a pile of leaves toward Kai. "Now you."
Kai hesitated. The Lizardman let out a low hiss. "Now."
Reluctantly, Kai knelt down. He picked up a leaf. It felt strange and cool in his hands. He tried to copy what he had seen, folding and tucking the leaves. His first attempt was probably not the best. The leaves wouldn't stay together. He felt frustration. He glanced up at the Lizardman, expecting a blow or a harsh word.
The male just watched him, his yellow eyes unblinking. "Again."
Kai tried again. This time he paid closer attention to how the leaves fit together. It was slow, clumsy work. But after a few more tries, he managed to make something that looked a little more like a basket. It was lopsided slightly and weak, but it was a start.
The Lizardman grunted. In acceptance or not, Kai could not tell.
"You are Scrounge," the Lizardman declared, flicking his tail pointing a claw at him. "That is your name now."
He then pointed to the trees. "Fill the baskets. Do not stop until the sun touches the hills." He gestured to the west. With that, he turned and went inside the hut, the hide flap falling shut behind him.
Kai was left alone in the small, fenced in orchard. The named bounced in his mind. Scrounge. That was most certainly not his name. He was Kai. But here, in this place, he was just Scrounge apparently. How humiliating, he thought.
He looked at the lopsided basket in his hands, then at the trees full of dark fruit. This was the most stupid thing, but there was nothing he could do. The fences were smooth, tall, and unclimbable. Shouting would get him beaten. He would have nowhere to run. It was useless.
He sighed heavily, then stood up and walked to the nearest tree. The bark was incredibly rough. He reached up and pulled one of the fruits from its branch. It was quite heavy for it's size. An orange tear drop shaped fruit about the size of his thigh. He dropped it into his basket with a dull thud. A basket would only hold three of the fruit, four if lucky, so he would need to make a lot of them as well. He worked slowly. But he had to survive.
There is a way out of this, Kai thought. Just because I don't see it, doesn't mean it's non-existent. I can do this.
He worked for what felt like hours. He made three more clumsy baskets, his fingers slowly getting the hang of the repetitive motion. He filled them with the heavy, teardrop fruit, lining them up neatly against the fence. The sun moved across the sky, beating down on his back, making it excessively warm. It was very annoying. His stomach rumbled. The single piece of hard bread from the morning was the only thing he had.
He was reaching for another fruit when he heard the hide flap of the hut rustle. He froze, expecting the male Lizardman to come out and inspect his work. Instead, it was the child. The one with the sad eyes. He was in his younger teens, but was
It walked out into the orchard, its small, scaled feet making soft prints in the dust. Kai watched it approach, his body tense. He took a small step back, putting a tree between them. The child stopped a few feet away.
"I will not hurt you, it's okay," it said. The voice was quiet, but Kai understood the words clearly.
Kai stayed where he was, skeptical. He didn't say anything.
The little Lizardman sat down in the dirt, its tail curling around its feet. "My name is Sesh," he said. He looked at Kai, his dark eyes serious. "I think this is stupid." He gestured vaguely with one small claw, at the fence, at the hut, at the whole situation. "My father says it is our way. That humans are lesser. But I don't think so. You look... or I guess you seem pretty cool to me."
Kai stared, surprised. He hadn't expected this. He slowly moved from behind the tree but kept his distance.
Sesh looked down at his own claws. "They said at the market you were dangerous. That you would run. But you just look sad and mad, which I understand." He looked back up at Kai. "It's wrong that you are a slave."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "If I get a chance… I will help you. I can try to leave the gate unlocked one night. Maybe."
It could be a trick. A test. But looking at the small, serious face of the Lizardman child, he didn't think it was. There was a sincerity in his eyes.
Still, he was suspicious. He couldn't afford not to be. He gave a short nod.
"Okay," Kai said. He didn't promise anything, didn't show too much emotion.
Sesh seemed to understand his hesitation. He reached into a small pouch tied at his waist and pulled something out. He held it out on his flat, scaled palm. It was a piece of dried meat.
"Here," Sesh whispered. "My father said he wouldn't be feeding you until morning for some reason. It's really dumb if you ask me."
He placed the piece of meat on the ground between them, then slid it closer to Kai with one claw before pulling his hand back. A gift? Yes, yes it was.
Kai stared at the meat. He was indeed extremely hungry. He looked from the meat to Sesh's face. The small Lizardman's expression was seemed to be open and honest, probably.
Slowly, Kai knelt down and picked up the piece of dried meat. It was salty and tough, but it was the best thing he had ever tasted. He ate it quickly, not taking his eyes off the lizardman.
"Thank you," Kai said, and this time, he meant it somewhat.
Sesh gave a small, quick nod, and swished his tail a bit, as if embarrassed. He stood up, brushing the dust from his digitigrade legs.
"I must go back inside," he said. "They will wonder where I am."
He turned and walked back to the hut, slipping quietly through the hide flap. Kai watched him go, the taste of the meat still in his mouth. He was prisoner, but now its possible he would have an ally, sort of. Maybe their not all bad, Kai thought.
After a couple more hours of very unpleasant work, the sun finally touched the hills, just as his owner had commanded. Well, temporary owner. He would make this lizardman pay someday. The sky began to fade from blue to a orange and purple. Kai placed the last piece of heavy fruit into the final basket. He had made nine baskets in total, all of them full of three large fruit. He lined them up against the hut's outer wall and took a deep breath. He was exhausted. His back ached, his shoulders were sore from the poking and the cut stung with sweat, and his fingers were stiff from weaving. He waited, expecting someone to come out, to tell him what to do next. But no one came. The sounds from inside the hut were mute, the family was probably eating their evening meal.
Kai looked around the orchard. There was no bed, no shelter, not even a pile of straw for him besides a pile of leaves. Not even a single shed! He walked over to the fence gate and pushed on it. Locked tight.
He realized with a sinking feeling that they just expected him to sleep outside. On the ground. Like an animal.