Angel Eyes: the Eternal Circle
by Rydia
Chapter 4


Aelia had never realized how near the city of Windia was to the
entrance to the Caverns until she got there on the third day of travel,
around noon.  She also never imagined how huge it would be.  Maybe
twice the size of the Caverns, with lots of towers and windmills, but
this - !  The city seemed to go on forever in every direction.  The
highest of the towers were lost in the clouds and the city walls went
on for as far as she could see.

The guard at the gates barely paid them any mind as they walked
through. Once inside, Aelia could see why.  Hair came in every color of
the rainbow here, and some not found in the rainbow.  There were people
with and without tails.  Feathery wings weren't that uncommon.  Fur or
scales or bald skin, too.  It was amazing.

She moved with the flow of traffic, making sure not to loose track of
the wolf, whom she had dubbed Angel because the name fit so well.  The
crowd lead her to the market areas where all manner of wares were being
peddled.  The crowd slowed down and she could catch a few bits of
conversation.

"Spring's late this year"
"gonna be a cold one."
"latest gossip from the castle?"
"Damned foreigners"
"zenny for the poor"
"nasty weather"
"baby's due this summer"

There were so many voices at once that Aelia had trouble keeping track
of anything around her at all.  It wasn't at all like the Caverns,
where it was nice and quiet.  When Angel tugged on the hem of her cloak
and lead her to an alleyway, Aelia was quick to comply.  No wonder her
clan was separated from those of the overworld, she thought, in all
that noise and light, they'd surely be driven mad in an instant!  Aelia
leaned against the wall and rubbed her aching temples.

Angel growling alerted her to someone else in the alley.  As the man
approached, she couldn't help but be amazed.  How could anyone 'walk'
like anyone else with the lower half of their body like that of a
snake's?

* * *

"Are you all right?" Jeric asked the young woman leaning against the
wall.  He stopped moving closer because her pet was eyeing him
dangerously.

She had a similar expression to that of nearly every person in this
city when they first saw him; some variety of surprise.  That's what
happened when one belonged to an uncommon clan, he supposed.  People
forgot they even existed.  But this girl didn't seem to be of a common
clan either.

Actually, there was something familiar about this girl with the short
dark fur.  But that was impossible.  He hadn't been away from his
studies in magic for over fifty years.  No other clans lived as long as
his and he was certain he would have remembered this girl.

"I-I'm fine," she said.  Jeric had half forgotten he'd asked a question
at all, so taken with her appearance as he'd been.

That pet, some sort of domestic wolf, he supposed, looked about the
chew his arm off.  He decided to make a hasty exit and not tempt it.

"I must be going," he said, "You don't look well, perhaps you should
stop in at the medic's."

She nodded, "Thank you."

He slithered away in the general direction of Castle Windia.  He was
_supposed_ to be finding out if there was a Princess who might be the
reincarnation commonly known as Nina, not chatting with strangers who
happened to have very large pets.

* * *

Aelia watched the man leave in fascination.  The way he moved was so
different than anyone who had legs.  She suddenly blushed when it
occurred to her how what she was doing would be had he legs instead of
a serpent tail.

She looked down at Angel, "You certainly were friendlier when you first
saw me," she commented, "Except for those goblins.  Is that it?  You're
a ladies wolf?"

He seemed to know she was making fun of him.  His ears lay back against
his head and he tried to give her the Look.

Aelia giggled at the expression.  With only a little imagination she
could picture what Angel would look like with no ears.

Angel managed to give her a very accurate look of long suffering.