Page 11 of Diamond

Its fuzzy tail, about half the length of a horse's, but shaped more like a dog's, flicks periodically, likely to swat any insects.

Tehlmar heads straight for the animal, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Is he really that bold or just arrogant? Approaching a sleeping animal this large could be dangerous, unless he's with it? I stay rooted to the spot, watching as he bends down to inspect it.

The animal stirs, glancing at him sleepily before shutting its eyes and opening its mouth in a wide yawn. The lack of sharp teeth helps me relax a bit.

My heart aches, wondering how long it's been trapped here. "Does it know you?" I ask.

"He's an argila, native to my home world. They're very docile creatures."

I hum a response, relieved that I'm not at risk of being attacked anytime soon. Tehlmar continues to speak as his thin fingers work to untie the knots of the ropes around the tree.

My gaze lowers to the animal's feet, which are gnarled pads of thick brown skin.

"Do you think there are genali nearby? I mean, it feels like a trap to leave a cart in the middle of a clearing like this," I say, a chill creeping up my spine.

I look around, feeling a spike of anxiety, as though we've walked right into an ambush.

"They are not here," he assured me. "Dust has gathered on the cart, there's no slime, and the animal seems smaller than it should be. It's a few cycles without proper food and water. Whoever left it probably doesn't even remember it exists."

Rage replaces my fear as I think of the poor creature, abandoned by its owners after they'd used it and moved on. The similarities between these hunters and some human sits very uncomfortablyin my stomach. If it were a book or film, I'd assume they were just a metaphor for evil.

Despite its awkwardly bent knees, the argila is still taller than me and I have to stretch to reach its head. It lets out a soft whine as I touch it, revealing gentle, rubbery teeth that look more like the ribbed baleen of a whale than anything threatening.

Dust motes fly out from its fur and a musky, pleasant scent follows. Nothing like a horse, with a hint of pepper in it that makes my nose twitch.

Lowering my hands, I scratch at its neck, ready to speak, when I feel a sharp twinge in my own neck. Groaning quietly, I turned back to the argila. "Did they hurt you?" I murmur in Farsi. The animal's tail wags a little faster, and it lets out a long, braying sigh of contentment, its skin twitching with delight. It startles me for a moment, but when I look at its face, its eyes are tightly shut and its mouth is open, with the tip of its large black tongue peeking out.

I laugh as its eyes flutter open, skin still twitching, but much more gently now.

"You are so strange," I say to the argila and it bellows in a deep, tuba-like tone before bumping its head to me. I scratch its neck, feeling a surprising sense of comfort with this alien creature, who is sweet and guileless.

My musing ends as the argila nudges against me one last time for attention before crouching slowly in front of me.

Realizing that it wants to graze, I step back and watch it with horror as its knees jut out on either side until they are almost touching the ground as well. It must stay that way for its short, broad neck to reach the grass.

My initial revulsion quickly turns into amusement, and I wish I could communicate with it. I'd probably get clearer answers than from Tehlmar.

The argila, bending low like this, looks straight out of a horror movie, yet it's somehow the cutest thing I have seen. It says a lot about my mental state, but I don't care. My sense of nearly everything was warped the moment I woke up on an alien planet.

If I had come across something like this on Earth, I'd have screamed and run. Now all I want to do is pet it and make sure it's okay. I keep watching the animal as it eats, the rubbery stuff inside its mouth grabbing at the feathery grass. Big, dark lips pulling the blades into its hungry mouth.

It needs a name.

The argila lets out a small hissing bleat and I face it, smiling as a name flashes across my mind.

"Roshan," I murmur under my breath. The argila looks up at me, its warm, bright, beautiful eyes filled with what feels like recognition. I smile softly. "I will call you Roshan because you have brightened my day."

The argila brays joyfully, as if accepting the name, and I repeat it a few times, delighted by its reaction. Encouraged, I step closer,scratching at its neck while babbling nonsense to it, my words a mix of affection and relief. For a moment, it feels like a small, comforting reprieve from everything else.

I let out a soft, wistful sigh, gazing into Roshan's mustard-colored eyes. "It's not our day, is it?"

"Stop startling it. They don't handle surprises well," Tehlmar chides from behind me.

I open my mouth to protest; I hadn't startled Roshan, but before I can say anything, Tehlmar speaks again. His green hair falls forward as he leans down, picking something up from the base of the cart.

"Get into the cart," he says firmly, his voice brooking no argument. "We need to leave before someone else follows the tracks and finds us."

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