All the human members of the Roman contingent sat around a fire talking and joking with each other. One by one, they began to leave the circle so that they could get some rest. Eventually only Civis and Caius sat together. Caius stared into the dying flames, saying nothing.
"You need to get some sleep," Civis told him. "We are travelling again tomorow."
"Go on," Caius replied, picking up a pail of water, "I'm going to go for a walk around this city. I need to think."
"Alright, don't stay up too late."
Caius threw the water over the flames and watched the smoke swirl and eddy as Civis left to his sleeping quarters. Caius put down the bucket and walked towards the door of the stable. He wanted to be certain his camel was cared for. It wasn't his own, and it wasn't the best mount he had ever ridden, but his experience with other beasts told him that if you wanted to have half-pleasant rides, be kind to them.
As he entered the stable, the stench overwhelmed him. He spat on the ground in disgust. To his surprise, a camel near the door, spat as well. What surprised him more, was that it hit exactly the same spot on the ground that he did! He looked at the camel who gazed at him through unbelievably long lashes.
"Nice shot!" he complimented the humped animal. "Could you do it again?"
The camel obligingly spat on the same spot again. Caius stared at it in amazement. He walked to the wall and drew a rough target with a stick.
"Now," he said, "hit that."
The camel eyed the target, squinted, and spat. Bullseye!!! Caius was amazed! He had never in his life seen anything like this. A camel that was an archer!
He walked over to the camel, faced the target, drew a throwing knife and let it fly. The knife hit just sliightly to the left of the centre. The camel let another one go and hit with unmittigated acuracy once again!
"Wow, you're in better practice than me!" Caius told the camel who responded by sticking it's toungue out. "Well, if you're going to be cocky, hit that!" he demanded, pointing at a fly which had just flown over from the next stall, disturbed when the resident donkey rolled over.
The camel eyed the fly for several seconds, then took a shot. The buzzing stopped as the projectile flew through the air and hit the wall. The fly squirmed around in the sticky glob of saliva! Caius couldn't help but stare in admiration and amazement. He withdrew his knife from the wall. As he cleaned the blade with a rag he found nearby, he mused over what he had discovered. A camel after his own heart! Okay, so it sounded strange, but why not! He had the funds to purchase this one, and a marksman camel could come in handy. How, he wasn't sure, but he figured it would. He pat the camel on the neck and left the stable, purposely forgetting his previous mount now that he intended to purchase this one. He wondered if he would have to name it or if it had one already. His companions would think him to have lost all his sence, but he didn't care, his mind was made up.
A glob of spit splattered on the doorframe next to his head as he walked out into the night air.