In what seemed to be random intervals, he would completely disappear for hours, and none of them knew where or why.
Malik would meet up with the owl at those times, as it was following them for a reason he had yet to know.
He'd sometimes see it, or rather, him, float with a few birds different from its kin, seemingly wanting to bed anything his pink eyes landed on.
Over time, Malik started learning more about the people in the caravan.
He grew closer to the scouts and a few guards that Ali Baba trusted. Those ones actually bothered to clean themselves.
The others—newly hired guards like him—weren't worth being remembered. Even the one that kept pestering him since that night at the campfire, asking about tips on how to get with the ladies or something along those lines.
Ali Baba, though, seemed to remember everyone—even those he didn't really care about.
Despite being the leader, he was surprisingly hands-on.
