The following day, Shaman Onami strode out to where the cubs were waiting for him to find two had already transformed on their own after yesterday's class.

"I see that some of you worked through the night. Very well, return to your families while I work with the others," the shaman smiled warmly.

Bara nudged Eru sullenly. Eru was beaming.

"Good job, Shanku!" Rajé whispered excitedly to Shanku.

Shanku grinned uneasily and grabbed Eru by the hand. They returned to his siblings to help them prepare for the upcoming festival.

Before long, the others also succeeded after a few days work.

"Very good, cubs," Shaman Onami smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Shaman!" Rajé chirped, her hands clasped before her in excitement. Bara stood proudly with his arms crossed over his chest and Kya nodded once. They were very pleased to have completed this rite of passage.

The village was a buzz with excitement in preparation for the migration and festival. Families gathered supplies, sorted and organized belongings, and set building a travois for each of them or their horse to drag along that would carry their belongings.

Then the day of the Autumn Festival finally arrived. The clan gathered in the center of the village early in the morning for a long day of celebrations. Drums began to beat softly near the edges of the festivities.

The shaman came dressed in many feathers and strips of leather to represent the kurach form. The chief came as a human, having transformed before the ceremony. The two began their yearly dance and song, fleeing from and chasing each other in representation of the inner struggle each of the clan faced within themselves each year to chase away the animal form. One by one, each member of the clan joined in the chants, and they formed a long chain as they danced around the chief and shaman.

In turn, the chief and shaman would reach out to various members of the clan. Some would laugh and shy away, others would transform into men and stand their ground if the "kurach" shaman approached them. At the end of the ceremony when only the shaman had wings, he took off his carved mask and discarded the false wings to reveal he had transformed as well and to symbolize each had assumed their forms for the year.

After the dance, a last meal was served that the clan shared together before each went to take down their homes and load them upon the travois they had recently built. They began their slow march towards the forest after the last person had packed. The drums and chants softened as the sun set and they continued their quiet journey to safety.

For several days the clan would walk many miles during the day and huddle together at night. The horses and people would drop their burdens for a sleep before they were loaded up again the following morning.

Dai was not explicitly with the clan. He and his family kept a short distance from them. Soon enough, it was time for him to leave the Heyen behind and return to Wynfall. Anoki and Kadin were bid goodbye as Zihna and Eru followed Dai to the city.

Wynfall was just a stony blip on the horizon after a few days' travel, but Zihna was vigilant in seeing that the cubs did not transform back to their natural state. She often walked beside her horse and let the cubs take turns riding Calamri. She had very few belongings tied to her horse as Anoki was often charged with seeing after the tipi they shared.

As the great stone walls of the city loomed above them, Dai prepared to say farewell to his wife and son for a few days. He would have to herd the urych on to the stockyards as his wife sought out his mother, Mrs. Birchfield.

Iris Birchfield always welcomed her family with open arms and looked forward to their arrival every year. Her son's income afforded her to live comfortably and she saw to it they were well fussed over during their stay.

Dai spent his days reviewing the other herds and solving their problems. While he had his own herd, he was over many other herds who had invested in his family's cattle. His nights were spent with his family. He especially enjoyed reading stories to his son.

Eru and Shanku did not enjoy their days as much. To start with, they had to dress in clothes they were not used to. It itched and pinched, it was stiff in many places, and perhaps worst of all it covered their backs. Should they have needed their wings, it would have been painful to shift back to their natural forms. With all the layers of clothing they had to wear, it would have been downright impossible to remove them all in time so they could freely use their wings. Zihna did her best to teach them how to rely on their dulled senses and to read their surroundings so they would not be caught by surprise as often and would know how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

Mrs. Birchfield hired a tutor to oversee them. Master Woodstock lectured them from morning to afternoon on histories, theories, and many other things that bored Shanku to no end. Eru was not very entertained either. When not being instructed by Master Woodstock, they were tasked to many chores around Mrs. Birchfield's home to teach them responsibility. Mrs. Birchfield also saw to it to teach both of the cubs how to sew and knit.

"Cookin' and cleanin' all day long!" Shanku complained roundly to Eru one chilly afternoon as she carried a basket of dirty laundry.

"Except for school in the mornings," Eru sighed as the window he was cleaning squeaked.

"And why do I have to wear this thing?" Shanku growled as she tripped over the hem of her skirt once more. "I hate dresses!"

"Wynfall is a strange place," Eru frowned. He didn't much care for his clothes either. They were tight and scratchy, and at times he wasn't sure if he or Shanku was covered in the most layers.

⁂

"Time to rise, cubs," Zihna said softly as she did every morning. All three cubs slept in a nursery across the hall from Dai and Zihna's room.

Shanku moaned with displeasure. Eru sat up and began to wash and get dressed.

"Please, Shanku, not today," Zihna chided and pulled the covers back.

Shanku grumbled, growled, and muttered under her breath as she rolled off the bed. She dipped her hands into the basin on the stand between her and Eru's beds. She chirped and shivered as she washed her hands and splashed her face with the icy water.

"Today we go to market to pick up a few things," Zihna said as she got Hinto up.

"No chores?" Shanku asked excitedly as she yanked off her nightgown and tossed it onto the bed.

"There's always chores, Shanku," Eru said as he dealt with a tangle in his long hair.

"No school then?" Shanku asked hopefully as she struggled with a petticoat.

"No school today," Zihna nodded.

Shanku whooped and quickly buttoned her dress. She began to comb her ever-tangled hair. As usual, Eru had to take the brush from her before she flung it across the room and help her with her grooming. Shanku instead went to lacing up her shoes.

Fully dressed and ready, Eru and Shanku followed Zihna and Eru into the kitchen for a quick breakfast of porridge. Zihna saw to it that the cubs had good coats on before leading them all out the door, except for Hinto who was given a kiss and left behind with his grandmother. Snow was beginning to softly fall as they walked down the path toward the rest of the city.

Even at this hour, the streets were crowded with horses, carts, wagons, and people. Zihna expertly navigated them through the throng on to the market. Shanku looked up in wonder at the horses and all their trappings as they passed by. She stuck close by to Eru and Zihna for fear of getting trampled. Eru took her hand in his to better guide her through the streets and Shanku gratefully squeezed his hand in appreciation. With her senses dulled and her loss of wings this was all quite overwhelming and scary to her.

They arrived at the street vendors where many wares were on display. Zihna wandered slowly from stall to stall, examining the various breads, flours, and greenhouse vegetables she was considering purchasing.

Shanku looked curiously around her at all the strange things. The unusual clothes of those around her, their unique scents, and all the unknown structures and creations.

Eru was also observing his surroundings as Zihna conducted her shopping. He nudged Shanku and pointed at an odd person up the street. A shady character who had his collar pulled high was passing slowly through the crowd.

"Did he just... take that woman's coinpurse?" Shanku whispered to Eru.

Eru nodded silently and kept a sharp eye on the pickpocket, but avoided eye contact. Shanku watched Eru curiously.

The thief soon came close to them. As he reached out for another woman, to both his surprise and Eru's, Shanku suddenly grabbed and bit down on his hand. The thief howled with shock and pain as Shanku stepped back to Eru.

Zihna looked up bewildered and quickly realized part of what had gone on. "Shanku!" she exclaimed.

"He took her coinpurse!" Shanku pointed and shouted.

"I 'ave done no such thing," the thief blustered, shaking his near-bleeding hand.

"Did too! We saw you! That lady, and that lady up the street, and probably another's!" Shanku said hotly.

"It's true, I saw it too," Eru agreed as he suppressed a laugh at the red semicircle on the thief's hand.

Having now caught the attention of a few others, various women and men began to check their pockets and discover missing belongings. The guards began to come over and investigate, and soon the thief was being searched and items returned.

Zihna quietly paid for her goods and began to lead the cubs home.

"That was a good thing you did cubs. But you shouldn't bite people, Shanku," she chided softly.

"What else did you expect me to do in all these bulky clothes?" Shanku demanded. "It's not like I got claws anymore I can scratch him with."

"True, but never bite humans. For one thing, some might figure out whaot we are," Zihna reminded. "And for another, some of them carry terrible diseases in the blood you do not want."

Shanku nodded and followed on behind them.

When they returned, Zihna went to put away her purchases as the cubs were tasked out to various chores once more.