Neither boy exhaled, their breath caged in their lungs in case it further betrayed their covert activities. Below they could hear the creaking of floorboards as the householder made their way to the window and looked out to find nothing but a calm, cool night. Oré opened his mouth to whisper something but was halted by the right hand Enkerai raised in warning.

"Come on, come on!" Enkerai repeated in his head, willing the person to return to their bed.

"Enk-" Oré began, but Enkerai thrust his hand a few inches higher, this time in annoyance. He had snuck out of his house many-a-time to play in the forest after dark back in Manyatta. This kind of clandestine movement required a certain understanding of tired adults. Tired Adults were paradoxical by nature – they yearned for peaceful sleep, but were ever paranoid regarding the safety of their possessions.

Finally, the light flicked off and the creaking floorboards gave way to silence.

"Phew," Enkerai sighed, and then motioned onwards.

They reached the barn in no time and carefully lowered themselves down onto the cobbled streets using crates of supplies stacked against a wall.

"Semolina, Oats, Barley...They really were planning to stick it out until the Army came, weren't they?" Oré noted, reading the labels on some of the crates.

"And they refused anyone who came to them for assistance, or even to trade," Enkerai said, "Imagine if you and your dad had done that to me?"

They approached the old, wooden door that served as the entrance to the bar. It had definitely seen better days, its structure supported with a number of quickly nailed down planks that crisscrossed irregularly.

Enkerai peeked through a crack in the door. Nothing could be seen inside, but a pungent odour could be smelled emanating from the gaps. Enkerai looked to Oré, who nodded and gently began to open the door.

"By the One!" Oré gasped in shock.

Inside was even worse than they had expected. Illuminated by the soft moonlight slipping through the holes in the roof, dozens of cages could be seen stacked side by side against the far wall. Each cramped cage, no taller than Enkerai's shoulder, housed three Queen grooperds. The grooperds lay emaciated on the floor of their cages, their ribs protruding beneath shaggy hides, pale patches peppering their bodies where the fur had begun to fall off. Each queen also sported a number of cuts and bruises in various parts of their bodies.

Grooperds were not creatures of the night and in the dimly lit space, the creatures saw little more than two silhouettes coming towards them.

"Careful now," Oré warned as Enkerai stepped closer, lifting his hand to shield his nose from the stench.

The grooperds's glassy brown eyes followed the silhouettes as the pair approached. As the boys entered crossed a ray of moonlight the animals clambered backwards towards the rear of their cages, recognising that Enkerai and Oré were human.

"They're so scared of us," Enkerai whispered, "These huge animals are scared of us even coming near them!"

"This is barbaric," Oré hissed. Both Enkerai and Oré were in the business of livestock, both loved living things, and cared for them as if they were their own family. This was no way to treat animals, this was not the way that any Oorun, any Gaian, any Human, should treat any other living thing.

Enkerai looked on, his brain struggling to find sense in all of this, but Oré could bear the sight no longer and directed his attention to the barn itself – he reasoned that there must have been keys somewhere nearby. He found a few sets hanging on a curved iron hook to the right of the door they entered through. He lifted them off and threw a few to Enkerai. Enkerai nodded his approval and the two began to open the cages.

The queens looked up in curious confusion, no doubt wondering if they were being moved, or about to be attacked again. They remained at the back of their cages, unsure of what to do.

Dipping his head, Enkerai entered the nearest cage and grabbed the closest grooperd by the neck and embraced it in a gentle hug; he rubbed its mane and whispered gently in its ear. The queen grooperd quickly came to realise that Enkerai wished her no harm, and after a sniffle of her whiskered nose also noted that his scent was distinctly different from the humans that had harmed her. She accompanied Enkerai out from her cage and extended her neck to its full height, a clear head taller than Enkerai. It may have been malnourished, been bruised and stunk to high heaven, but it was certainly a majestic creature.

"That's a good girl," Enkerai said, patting its weak neck softly.

"Impressive animals, I should like to see one in good health," Oré said coaxing another out.

"I thought you hated these things?" Enkerai laughed quietly as they led the queens towards the door.

"I hate the little juvenile ones," Oré corrected, "These ones are growing on me."

They chuckled quietly as they stepped out of the barn. They now had to get the grooperds out of the city. This was the part of the plan they had not finalised, and now, it was clear that they were going to have problems.

"And what do we have here?" the voice was low but menacing, and it came from ahead.