"One of the cows has been straying from the herd lately. I do believe it is almost time for her to bear her little one, Jakko," Dai said to his canine companion. The husky loped along by his master's side with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. Today was a warm spring day. Barely a cloud was to be seen in the crystal blue sky. A light breeze danced gaily across the prairie and spread the sweet scent of wildflowers over the rolling hills and dells.

Jakko was a good dog. He had the characteristic stocky body and thick fur one would expect a husky to have, complete with a bushy tail kept curled just so over his hindquarters. While this made life a bit uncomfortable during the summer on the plains, it was quite welcome during the cold, snowy winters. Jakko was usually very mild-mannered, but a scent caught his nose that he did not like. Jakko gave a low, guttural growl and broke into a run.

Dai chased after the dog and arrived to find him standing between a calf and a rivercat. Rivercats were nasty animals that had preyed many times upon their herd and many other unfortunate creatures that did not see them when they stooped to drink. Thankfully, this one slipped below the water of the river and swam away.

Jakko growled at the retreating form of the rivercat until it was out of sight.

"Good job, Jakko," Dai praised his dog as he hoisted the calf onto his shoulders. "Now, it's time you two came back to the herd." The calf bellowed to its mother and she lowed worriedly to him.

"You really should be more careful," Dai continued. "You lost an uncle to a rivercat, you know."

Jakko barked excitedly, which agitated the calf, and thus the mother as well.

"Kindly do not bark, Jakko. The calf is excited enough and he keep swatting me with his tail."

Jakko made a whining groan and fell silent as he trotted along near the cow.

Dai lived simply as the guardian of a herd of urych cattle. It was his duty to drive them back to the main herd in the south where other cattle herders would join him each autumn.

The urych were a very gentle breed. Dai's grandfather was one of the first to breed them. They were a cross of the ox and the local bison, and had the characteristics of both. It was possibly a gamble or bet that had led to the creature's existence. Before, none knew if the pairing would work. But it had and there was now a small business of it. The urych made good work and meat animals. Every spring the herders would set off from their home city of Wynfall to the plains for the herds to graze and raise their young. After the seasons begin to shift to autumn and before the cold winter set upon the land, the herds were driven back to Wynfall for shelter and for the bloodlines to be monitored.

Jakko's job was rarely to herd the cattle, as they were quite docile. His main purpose was to chase off predators and generally keep his master company. He had been in few fights. There were no wolves this far from the forest and the vicious rivercats that lived in the water were easily chased off with a few piercing barks. There were also coyotes, but they were content to yip at his passing and scamper off. His master always lavished attention on him and Jakko had an easy life.

Dai usually spent the winter months with his mother, who lived in Wynfall, after gathering his wife and child in the autumn.

Zihna, his wife, was not native to Wynfall, much less was she the same species as her husband. Zihna was a nomadic kurach, native to the rolling hills of the prairie. Kurach were creatures that resembled a man, yet had ears, tails, fangs, and claws like that of a wild canine, and had large, feathered wings. Like the others of her tribe, Zihna possessed the ability to change her form from that of a bestial creature to that of a human being.

Dai sighed as he thought of his beloved companion. He had met her out in the open years past. One of his urych had been injured and would have died had Zihna not treated it with a concoction known to her people. Dai had offered her one of his best milk cows in gratitude for her help. She led him back to her people, the Heyen clan. Since then, Dai had changed the territory he usually had his herd roam to that which would follow the wanderings of the Heyen clan so as to see her more often.

The two started courting after a few short weeks. Within a year of their meeting they had wed with the blessing of her clan. A few years later after that they had a son, who surprisingly bore none of the obvious kurach features.

Dai continued to follow the clan so he could be near his wife and son. When winter came the Heyen clan would take their usual journey into the forest to escape the harsh winter on the plains, and Dai and his family would enter Wynfall.

Life continued uneventfully this way for him for years and he was never away from his family for more than a few days while he was out in the plains. He had few complaints, all of which pertained to calves wandering too close to predators. His life was peaceful, and he couldn't have asked for anything more.

But one day, a little visitor arrived in his life. As Jakko was out roaming as was his wont while the cattle grazed lazily in a shallow valley, he had caught sight of a jackrabbit. As he had prepared to give chase for a bit of mid-morning fun, a girl dove from the sky and killed the rabbit. She was a kurach, with grey, furry ears and tail, sharp black nails on her fingers and toes, and black wings arching from her back.

The girl was hungry and had been stalking the very same jackrabbit as Jakko. He was not aware of how hungry she was and wanted to play. He lunged forward and grabbed her rabbit. She pulled back, trying to reclaim her supper. Oh, but what fun Jakko was having! He tugged back, wagging his tail and growling playfully. With a skilled yank, he broke the jackrabbit free from her grasp and began to run away.

The girl ran after him, yelling threats and curses as he pranced away. His master heard the shouting and was quite surprised at what came huffing and panting up beside him. It was a young kurach cub unlike any he had previously seen. Her hair was brown with blonde tips and forelocks, unlike the Heyen whose hair was either solid brown, red, or black. Her wings were pure black like raven wings, instead of like the Heyen's wings whose resembled that of one of the many hawks that glided overhead. She was considerably paler and was much more temperamental than the gentler Heyen. She ceased chasing the dog when she came across Dai.

"That dog stole my dinner!" she growled to him in an accent much closer to his own than the Heyen accent.

"It's a bad habit of his," Dai said. Jakko had been raised in the wilderness and often seemed to think he still had to struggle for his meals.

"Rats," she huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well I'd better get on the wing and far enough away I can keep the next one." She glared out over the hills, her ears have cocked in concentration.

"Jakko's my dog, so perhaps I could make it up to you?" Dai ventured. It was so strange for her to be hunting alone at her age.

"Seriously?" she asked, dropping her arms and some of the hostility.

"Of course. I don't have another rabbit, but I have some salted pork."

"Bleh, I don't like salt. Can you cook?"

"Jakko prefers my cooking to his hunting," Dai said tiredly. Jakko had also stolen Dai's dinner many times. Although her dislike for salt surprised him. The urych especially loved salt and often licked at his arms and neck on hot days.

"I saw some tasty antelope a bit ago. I prefer those over rabbit any day!" she said excitedly.

"Do you need help catching one?" Dai asked, curious as to how she planned to obtain an antelope.

"Help from who? Jakko would probably steal the kill and you don't have claws or wings," she said skeptically.

"I have a bow and a good horse. I've hunted antelope many times that way," Dai said as he stood.

"Prove it," she said simply with a smirk.

"What?" Dai was shocked. She was one of the most brazen cubs, or even children, he had ever seen.

"Show me!" she grinned. "Show me how you hunt! I've never seen one of your kind before and I want to know how you catch your dinner."

I must say I have never seen one of her specific kind either, Dai mused. "There's nothing special about my hunting. I just aim and let the arrow loose..."

"Hey, I'm eight!" she interrupted hotly. "Do I look like I've seen much hunting before!? Teacher took me on one, one, real hunt!" She held up a finger for emphasis, her wings flaring angrily and her ears completely flat by her head. "For a goat! A crippled goat! An old crippled goat that didn't even bother to run away!"

It took a great strength of will on Dai's part to appear to take her seriously at that moment. He wanted to laugh at her childish indignation.

"Katari and Hilael got to hunt deer!" Shanku began to pace. "Stags, with huge antlers! On their own! I didn't even get to touch that stinky old goat before the teacher offed it!" She continued to vent. "I'm not gonna be some ol' middle-aged cub-bearer with beaded hair and dyed feathers when I grow up. My sire is a warrior, my dam is one of the best hunters! Hells, my great-great-granddam was a legend! I am not gonna sit on my claws doing nothing instead of doing what I'm born to do!"

Dai listened patiently and let her calm down. He was not sure who the people were she mentioned or where they were, but this cub for the most part appeared alone and he felt it was his duty to see after her.

"What are you doing out here if you haven't been fully taught how to hunt yet?" Dai asked.

"Don't change the subject," she snarled as she laid her ears back and pulled her wings around her. "I need a grown-up to teach me how to hunt. You gonna do it or no?"

"Come on," Dai nodded. "We'd better hurry before we lose daylight."

Shanku's face lit up in delight.

Such an odd situation. She shows no worries of being missed or anxious of her clan wondering where she is. I'm not even sure what clan she could be from. Dai pondered as he saddled Sage and asked her where the antelope were that she had seen. He proceeded to explain the strategy he would use and her part in taking one. Despite her quick temper, she was an avid listener and seemed to comprehend what he said.

Dai rode out on Sage with Jakko following and the cub flying high above them.