As Tytula crossed over yet another golden sand dune, she spotted a figure running in the horizon. Remembering legends of bandits in these deserts, she felt a chill run up and down her spine. She walked quickly in the direction of Dracogrex, guided by her uncanny Lesthpoldian sense of direction.
The figure was growing clearer and clearer. Tytula squinted, and saw that something was chasing it. It appeared to be two people, one chasing the other. The one chasing was twirling something in the air, while the one being chased appeared small and very frightened.
As the people drew the closer, Tytula could hear the chaser shouting.
"...And you better not come anywhere near me crops again, ya little scoundrel!" the man screamed, lashing out with the thing he was twirling. Tytula realized with shock that it was a whip. The person being chased fell to the ground, and the man stormed away.
Tytula waited until the man with the whip was gone, and then ran over to the person on the ground. With a jolt, she realized that it was a small boy. He was Drow, no older than 10. He was a wretched-looking kid, with dirt, dust, and grime all over his skin and clothes. When he looked up at her, his eyes were full of fear.
"Please don't hurt me," he pleaded in a small voice. "I'm just hungry. I didn't mean to steal your corn, I didn't know it belonged to anyone...." The child burst into tears.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Tytula said gently. "My name's Tytula. You're hungry, you said? Come with me, I'll give you something to eat."
"No, you won't!" the boy yelled, startling Tytula. "I've heard that one before. You'll take me back to the workhouse! I know you will!"
He began to run away, but Tytula called out to him. "If I'm lying, you can have this." She held out a pretty gold chain. It glittered in the sun, and the boy pouted for a moment.
"All right then," he said finally. "I'll come with you. And if you're lying, I get that." Tytula began to go back to Dracogrex, with the little boy tagging along behind her.
* * *
Finally, Tytula reached the portal to her cave. When she and the boy stepped through, Perturmiles was there to greet her.
"What IS that thing?" the boy cried as Per jumped up to lick Tytula's face.
"This 'thing' is Perturmiles," Tytula explained as the Drakkin sniffed the Drow boy. "He's a Drakkin."
"Oh, that's why," the boy said simply. "He's still so little, and I'm only used to seeing the big ones that guard houses from hungry people like me."
"That's right," Tytula said, "you're going to need some food. Otherwise, I'll have to give you the gold chain I got from my big sister Amaryllis."
"You have a sister?" the boy asked with interest. "I guess I used to have a family. I don't think they liked me, though. They left me on the streets, and I had to live in a shelter for a long, long time. The shelter had to close down because they couldn't give us food and water, so we all had to live on the streets again."
Tytula felt a pang of sorrow for the poor boy. Seeing that he was getting very depressed, she changed the subject. "What's your name?"
"Kody," he replied. "And you're Tytulie. And that Pertur...what?"
"First of all, it's Ty-tu-la. And he's Per. Perturmiles."
"Oh." Kody opened the cupboard doors, and gasped at the massive amounts of food stored there. "What IS all this stuff?"
"Let me see," Tytula said, slightly amused at the boy's exhuberence. "That's sugar, and that's salt. There's some pepper, and meat seasoning for Per. I'm a vegetarian...."
"How can you live without meat?" Kody asked in awe. "What other foods are there?"
"Here's a treat called cereal," Tytula said. "That's celery, bread, jelly, peanut butter, lettuce, apples, bananas - you'll love those - pears, grapes...yes, Per, you can have some of those later...."
* * *
"I don't think I can eat anything else!" Kody exclaimed. "I've never felt so full in my whole life!"
"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" Tytula said.
"Uh-huh," Kody replied, closing his eyes and yawning. "Can I stay here for the night?"
"Tell me," Tytula said suddenly, "where will you go after you leave here?"
Kody seriously considered this for a moment. "I don't know," he said finally. "Back to the dunes, I guess."
"So, you have no home?" Tytula asked sympathetically.
"I guess not," Kody said. "You can't really call the dunes a home."
Tytula nodded. "Tell you what. If you help me keep this place clean, and if you aren't too much trouble, you can stay here."
"Thanks!" Kody said happily. "I'll get going in the morning. Where do you need me to --"
"I don't mean you have to leave in the morning," Tytula said. "It gets awfully lonely out here all alone, if you know what I mean. So, you can stay here for as long as you need to."
It was as though a light switch had been turned on behind Kody's eyes. He squealed with delight. "Thank you, Tytula, thank you," he gasped.
Tytula, who felt her eyes watering up a little bit, quickly changed the subject. "I also need a helper to teach me about the Drow culture. Do you know much about it?"
"Of course I do!" cried Kody. "I'll tell you everything I know about Rileikoul."
"Cool!" Tytula said cheerfully. "Here, I'll show you the spare bedroom. It's yours now...."
