Author's note: To see artwork inspired by this story, go to the DeviantArt account ArtEpona. I can't give a link, but the piece is called, "I'm Always in Trouble". Equipagan also has an Archive of Our Own account PaintedPagan, or you can find her artwork on Facebook ArtEpona. Go check it out!

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The vast city was nothing but a playground to the young male. Exploring dangerous, abandoned mines and houses kept him alert and on his toes. Sneaking into factories let him practice his stealth, and filled his head with knowledge on how different components are made. Trespassing sated his curiosities, and scaling private houses proved to be a great workout. No one ever appreciated him snooping around though.

Kv'var-de'luar-ke quickly scaled the side of a stone house, digging his strong nails into the grooves of the bricks. At the top, he suspiciously peeked out onto the roof. The owner had caught him lounging on their roof before, and hadn't taken kindly to him. It seemed clear, so he jumped up and tensely scanned his surroundings. There was a separate building on the other side, far enough away that he'd never attempted to jump to it.

Today, he was determined to try. He glanced around again, still expecting the owner to find him, then began to stretch. All of his older brothers were busy training with professional masters, honing their skills and learning to hunt with precision. His bearer had run out of funds to hire another private trainer, and the free class lessons bored him. Thus, he was forced to train himself.

He let out a deep breath and backed away from the edge to get a running start. Kv'var-de'luar-ke sized up the gap between buildings and prepared to run. A flash of green exploded at his feet, throwing off his focus. The owner had caught him, and had brought a weapon this time. He took off running, loud blasts falling close behind him.

He lept off the roof, and a rush of adrenaline flooded his system. For a few seconds, he was airborne, and he felt capable, felt powerful. The moment was short lived. He smacked the side of the other building, his vision blurring slightly. He held on through the pain, determined to lift himself up and still consider it a victory.

Nevertheless, the owner of the property was still shooting at him, and foiled his attempt. Three green blasts crumbled the edge of the roof right in front of his sharp fingernails. He plummeted to the ground and landed on his back. His dreds cushioned the blow to the back of his head, but he wished they hadn't. The pain was almost unbearable. Chunks of rubble fell down on top of him too, one piece landing on his groin.

He cringed in pain, and glanced up at the roof where the owner was standing with his gun. The owner of the property didn't shoot him. He didn't want to kill him, only to teach him a lesson. Kv'var-de'luar-ke got the message this time: stay off his property. He slowly stood to his feet, his body aching, and left the area.

He walked off the pain, then quickly found more trouble to get into. On the edge of town, there was a junkyard of sorts, and he enjoyed sneeking in and evading the three guard animals. They looked like mini T-rex's and it was a great cardio workout running through the maze of spaceship hardware with them at his heels. There was just a trench and a wire fence between him and the junkyard. He'd climbed the fence dozens of times, and didn't think twice about it.

This time though, was different. The second he placed his hands on the metal fence, electricity jolted through his body and burned his palms. He jumped back, his muscles still in a painful spasm. He hadn't thought anyone knew he was seeking into the place, or cared. It turned out he was wrong, seeing as they had installed a new electric fence.

He spent the next several hours just free running, until he faced an immense wall hidden in the center of the city. He'd tried to climb it many times before, but always failed. It was solid like concrete, without uneven bricks and grooves to necessitate easy climbing. It had less texture than tree bark, making it hard to maintain any grip. It seemed impossible for him to reach the top before his muscles grew tired, or he lost his hold and fell.

Kv'var-de'luar-ke was always up for a challenge though. He undid his belt and left his dagger at the base of the wall, hoping it would make him lighter. He kicked off his shoes as well, and then began to climb. He had to be cautious, and secure every hold. It was time-consuming and his muscles were bunched tight and straining.

He couldn't believe it when he actually reached the top. He flopped on his stomach, giving his sore muscles a few minutes rest, and looked to the center of the stone perimeter. He had been hoping for many different exciting things, but instead it was just a mere garden. The wall, it seemed, was not guarding anything special. It was just for privacy.

He tried not to let the disappointment get to him. After all, he'd accomplished his goal and scaled the wall. He doubted that many of his older brothers would have been able to do the same. Kv'var-de'luar-ke slowly stood and began to walk on the slim top of the wall, curious about the garden. Now that he was paying more attention, it was not like any garden he'd ever seen.

It had tall trees with fruit and dense brush with berries. A small pond was filled with swimming critters. What interested him though was the colors. In the foliage, there were small clusters of oddly colored leaves radiating out from a stem. He decided to climb down and have a better look when he heard a noise.

He expected a guard animal of some kind, but was astonished to see something else entirely. It was an alien pet, an ooman, and it was female. He crouched at the top of the wall, and stared down at her. She was stunning.

The ooman had long black hair, darkly tan skin, and big brown eyes. She wore strange alien clothes that held more color then a sunset, and they covered up much of her body. What little skin she had showing was decorated in fading ink and small jewels. He was completely captivated by the secret he'd discovered beyond the wall. However, he didn't fail to notice the hunting hound stalking close behind her.

After the hound tried to bite her leg, she finally spun around. His blood rapidly pumped through his body as he dashed to the nearest tree. He saw the girl shove the massive hound, but he knew she couldn't defeat it. The hound attacked, rumbles and growls coming from its massive chest. Kv'var-de'luar-ke lept down off the wall, landing on a branch and then quickly clamored down.

He heard a tussle ahead of him through the brush, then a high-pitched shriek from the girl. He ran through the brush, loosing sight of her now that he was on the ground. When he saw her next, the yaut hound was on top of her, it's lipless jaws close to her face. He didn't even know the ooman at all, yet he rushed to protect her.