Just Another Day

"Shanku!" Nari cried.

"Ma!" Shanku said excitedly. She ran to her mother and they embraced each other in a long hug. "I'm so glad to see you again!" She squeaked.

"Oh Shanku," Nari squeazed her daughter. "I haven't heard of you in three years."

"Three years?" Shanku pulled away, puzzled. "But I haven't been home in ten!"

"Mothers have ways of keeping an eye on their children," Nari said with a twinkle in her eye. "Been diving at a charging minocentaur, have we? That was very dangerous for a little cub, you know."

"Aw, Ma, it was just one time! Where did you hear about that?" Shanku asked, embarrassed.

"Oh, no. Not a story from me until I have your whole tale. Sit," Nari pointed.

"Well, um..." Shanku began uneasily as she sat down on one of the cushions around the table. She looked thoughtfully at the table as she took off her pack and set it behind her. She had told her tale so many times in the past to others, mentally logged little tidbits to share with her mother should they ever meet again, and now that she was here and had the chance she found she could not speak.

"They chased you from the Nyre..." Nari prodded.

"Um, yes, I left the Nyre and came to the Lura plains. Big, rolling sea of grass!" Shanku said excitedly. "Full of so many pheasants and rabbits, and if I ever eat another rabbit again it'll be too soon. But, I was up in the air, stalking a bunny, and when I dove and caught it, this stupid dog took it away from me!"

"You did a hunting dive?" Nari asked as she continued to prepare supper.

"Yes, it's how I hunt. Very dangerous, I know, but it's the easiest way to do it, even in the woods," Shanku said absently. "I have been scolded so many times for using it on deer."

"Very good, Shanku," Nari nodded. "Most are too clumsy to attempt it. I was going to teach it to you when you got older."

"Really?" Shanku asked, puzzled.

"You're not so bad a hunter after all. You just needed some time," Nari smiled gently. "Please, continue."

"Well, Jakko, that was the dog, ran off with my rabbit! My lunch! Daggum dog," Shanku shook her head. "Anyway, I chased him for a while, but I lost him. And I met a man, he was the dog's master."

"Your first man, then?" Nari asked.

"Yes. He wasn't as bad as the old tales made them out to be. He was a herder. His grandfather started a weird breed of cow, and he owned the herd, and has all sorts of other herders that answer to him. Well, he apologized for Jakko taking my rabbit, and he took me hunting to make up for it. We took an antelope!"

"An antelope?" Nari asked in confusion.

"Yeah, it's like a deer, but smaller and even skinnier, if you can believe that. Kind of a goat deer. Did you know men hunt with bows? It's a stringed stick that shoots little sticks with feathers. He even taught me how to use it! I got good at shooting pheasants and rabbits," Shanku beamed with pride.

"Even though most weapons are frowned upon when we hunt," Nari laughed. "But, very good. We might have to see what these 'bows' are like, they'd be much better against the minocentaur than the little slingshots and slingstaves we have. So what happened next?"

"He introduced me to his wife! His wife was a Plains Kurach, but his boy was a man like him," Shanku continued. "And then later they had a little girl who was Kurach like her mother."

"What?" Nari asked, quite shocked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And the Plains can change shape, Ma! They can turn into men! And they taught me how to do it too! Want to see?" Shanku said excitedly.

"Um, Shanku, sweetie? Did they teach you how to use magic?" Nari asked quietly.

"Yes, yes, but it's not so bad," Shanku waved her hand dismissively. "I didn't like it at first, but it's really come in handy. Because every winter, the Heyen have to pass by Wynfall on their way to where they winter in the Nyre. Oh, Zihna is from the Heyen clan. Their shaman, Onami, was the one that taught me and the other cubs how to change shape. I got on really well with Zihna's little brother Eru. I went with Dai and Zihna to Wynfall that year, and Eru came with me."

"You wintered in a human city?" Nari asked incredulously.

"Well, it was either that or come back into Scissortail territory without permission!" Shanku shrugged. "I didn't have much choice. So, off we went to Wynfall. I spent six months as a girl and it nearly drove me crazy. Humans have such dull senses, I don't see how they get by sometimes. Dai's mother, Mrs. Iris Birchfield, saw to it that I and Eru had a tutor, when she wasn't working us to death with stupid chores like washing and mending while wearing big, bulky, useless clothes. And, Mother, he was the most boring man I have met so far!"

Nari chuckled. "You never liked school."

"And certainly not his schooling! History can be interesting and all, but not when droned on and on by some old man in a feathered hat," Shanku shuddered. "That spring, he married Mrs. Birchfield. We left not long after so Dai could tend the herd and Zihna could return to the Heyen clan. I wanted to travel some more, so I left them there."

"Were they kind to you?" Nari asked.

"Oh yes, Dai and Zihna were like second parents to me," Shanku nodded. "I wrote letters to them when I came in from the Meriweather."

"The Meriweather?"

"I'm getting ahead of myself," Shanku shook her head. "After I left Dai and Zihna, I went south. I skirted along the edges of the Nyre where the Scissortails don't go much, and there I met a little goblin."

"Oh?" Nari asked as she put the pot on top of a stove in the center of the room.

"He was very sweet. Grubber had a little winged gremlin as a companion named Gremmy. They were obsessed with fairies. Well, Grubber was. I think Gremmy just hangs around for easy beetles," Shanku replied. Nari sat back down at the table.

"Did you get to meet the fairies?"

"Not really. Sometimes I'd go with him to watch them dance and fly, but we never really talked. But, anyway, after Grubber scampered off, I met a guardian! He was a faun named Kyros, and he told me about a man that was coming deep into the Nyre. Being obedient as I am," Shanku said sheepishly. "I sought him out."

"Your time in Wynfall made you a little too relaxed," Nari shook her head.

"It paid off though. I bowled over a pack of goblins that had him cornered by some rocks. He thought I was a demon! Me! Can you believe that?" Shanku laughed. "I may not listen well and may have a bit of trouble follow me around, but that doesn't mean I'm a demon. So Kyros pops up, like he always does, and told us that the little monsters that had decimated a nearby human seaside city were summoned by a minocentaur warlock, and where to find him."

"And that's the bull you fought?"

"Yes, Ma, that's the bull," Shanku grinned deviously. "Kinda felt bad for him. Some hunters went and poached his wife and calf, even though hunting minocentaur is illegal in Tephras, and that sent him off the deep end. He summoned these big, dragon-like demon things. They were really nasty. They had glowing green eyes, and their blood burned anything it touched. I had to clean my hands quickly because it was pretty caustic. They ambushed us one night. The next morning, Rhett and I tag-teamed him and brought him down, along with more of those monsters. Oh, speaking of which, on the way to finding his cave, he gave me this," Shanku withdrew the dagger that was always on her hip.

"You have your own knife?" Nari handled the blade gently and examined it.

"Yep! Not as elaborate as Granny Shanku's ceremonial blade, but this is solid and functional. I've tried hard to keep it in good shape, despite what all we've been through together."

"It's beautiful," Nari handed it back to Shanku. She got up to go check on the stew and give it a stir.

"Thank you!" Shanku sheathed it. " Rhett had taught me a bit how to use a knife, but I forgot in the heat of the moment and used my claws on the monsters and the warlock. I never got quite used to wielding a dagger."

"So you killed the bull, the monsters, and avenged the town," Nari grinned. "I'd never have thought you the hero type as much trouble as you like to get in to."

"I know, right?" Shanku laughed. "Anyway, I showed Rhett I could change shape, so as a girl I helped him rebuild the town. I've never washed so many clothes... That old washerwoman kept me busy! We stayed there for about a month when this gorgeous fluyt sailed into port. Oh, Ma, she was such a fine ship," Shanku said sadly with a wistful look in her eyes.

"Something bad befell the Meriweather?" Nari asked grimly. Although she knew the answer from the time she went looking for her daughter and came across Rhett Talbot.

"Yeah... I'll get to that in a bit," Shanku shook her head. "I bid farewell to Rhett, and climbed on board to look at it. It set sail while I was up in the masts. When I came down, Whitten caught me and turned me over to Dr. Newbury."

"Did they hurt you?" Nari asked warily.

"Oh, no, Ma," Shanku said wistfully with a sad smile. "Dai and Zihna were like family, but the Meriweather crew was family for six wonderful years. Dr. Newbury and the guys taught me so much, and we went so many places in L'aernth, Mruha, and even Bhadarukia! I helped Dawson settle down with Shalu the Scarlet Dancer in Mruha. Every winter, Captain Morgan would give us the winter off and I'd go into the Nyre with Rhett, Kyros, and Grubber. I miss them. If it wasn't for the Brelland Seacat, I'd never have come home and still be skulking around the Peridæ territory. Maybe even joined the Peridæ."

"I guess, in some way, I owe my thanks to Brelland Seacat."

"I know I should too, but I hate them. With every last part of me, I will always hate the Brelland Seacat," Shanku growled.

"What was so bad about them?"

"Bloody pirates killed my crew," Shanku said darkly. "Came aboard my ship, killed my crew, and burned the ship into the sea. And to make it even worse, made me join them and hurt people! All except Dawson, because he lived in Mruha and I got his old post. At least one of them survived."

"Oh, goodness," Nari shuddered. "And they spared you? They don't sound the type."

"That's because uncle Turai was on board."

"You found Turai?" Nari exclaimed. "Out, far away at sea?"

"Yup," Shanku nodded. "He captured me and dragged me onto that cursed ship."

"I didn't think he'd remember you!" Nari said excitedly.

"He didn't," Shanku said flatly. "He just wanted me on board because of my black wings thinking it'd help his crew scare targets into losing morale faster. I told him I would not. But if they wanted me so bad, and despite everything I didn't want to die, I told them they'd give to me the one who killed Dr. Newbury. If I won, they had me. If I lost, well, at least I'd be dead and wouldn't have to become a pirate."

"Oh, goodness," Nari said again. "I didn't think he'd gone so far. I assume you won?"

"He hadn't, really," Shanku shrugged. "But after he found out who I was, he was a right uncle and watched out for me. He's still a good guy, deep down. Just a thief. He was a killer, but not a murderer like some of the others. He only killed when cornered, and didn't relish in it like bloody Maston. That blasted Maston... We were both tired and he had the upper hand, and he had the bad idea to gloat. He started bragging about killing the doctor. And then, I snapped." Shanku paused as some very bad memories and feelings came to the surface.

"Snapped?" Nari asked warily.

"I was so furious... I tore into him, beat him low, and ripped this throat out. I went to take on the rest of the crew, but Turai tackled me and held me back. I still haven't forgiven him for that, even though should I had been able to kill them without dying in the process, it takes more than two to man a ship. We'd have been lost out at sea."

Nari nodded and said nothing for a moment. She continued to tend the venison stew, lost in thought. At length, she continued their conversation. "How did you escape? Did Turai go with you?" Nari asked eagerly.

"A year later, I'd had enough. That was a very long, hard, dark year, I fled when I couldn't take it anymore. To hell with the chance of getting hunted down by pirate or guard, I fled. I'd had a bad row with Captain Dodger, and while we were ashore shortly after, he sent some of the crew to off me, even though at that moment I was still being an obedient little ruffian and staying put."

"What a bunch of—!" Nari started.

"Cut throats? Yup. That's what they do," Shanku shook her head. "And I was one of them. Ma, I killed so many who didn't deserve it," Shanku's voice cracked.

"Shh, shh, it's not your fault," Nari began gently. "Those pirates would have killed them anyway, the most you'd have accomplished is getting yourself killed for disobeying orders."

"But that doesn't make it right, does it?" Shanku snarled.

"No, it doesn't," Nari agreed flatly. "But I don't hold it against you."

"Ah, well," Shanku exhaled harshly. "What's done is done. He sent his mates to finish me, but I killed them and didn't regret that. Er, with help from Ryoichi the cat."

"You were friends with a cat?" Nari wrinkled her nose and stopped stirring the pot of mushrooms and roots. "Goblins are one thing, but a cat?"

Shanku burst out laughing. "Oh, wow, really? You draw the line at a cat? After everything else I've befriended?"

"Well, it's a cat! Sneaky little devils," Nari sputtered.

"Aw, daggum," Shanku wiped a tear away and calmed her giggling. "Alright, so I was a friend of this little yellow devil, who took me hunting in his home in the jungle several times," Shanku teased. "And he had my back when those pirates jumped me."

"A feline..." Nari shook her head. "A feline taught my daughter to hunt!" She closed her eyes and sighed. "At least he had the loyalty of us canines."

"Aye," Shanku nodded. "He showed me a cave to hide in lest the others of that awful ship come after me. While Turai was looking for me, I fled out the back. He talked me into trying to stay on that ship in the first place. He was probably right in saying lots of other brigands would hunt me down for deserting a pirate ship given my long history on the other side of the law, but I still didn't like it."

"So that was the last you saw of him?" Nari asked quietly.

"Aye, but I'd heard of him later on," Shanku said uneasily.

"What? What did you hear?" Nari pressed.

"He went feral and killed the crew," Shanku said quickly.

"Turai did what!?" Nari exclaimed. "Where did he learn to do that?"

"I, um, uh... me," Shanku said in a small voice. "I did it first and showed him how by accident. Right after I was brought onto the Brelland Seacat, I said I wouldn't pledge my loyalty to the captain unless I got to kill the bastard that killed Dr. Newbury. So halfway through the fight with Maston, I got so riled up I kind of shifted into my feral form the first time, and if Turai hadn't pinned me down, I'd have killed the whole crew then and there."

Nari sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Becoming human is one thing..."

"And going feral is truly another," Shanku shuddered. "But that's not the end of that! I went north from there, and ended up in the mountains across the plains, and found the Highland Kurach, who are feral all the time and proud of it."

"How did that go?" Nari asked, very worried.

"At first, just as well as you'd think. I was going hungry, hadn't eaten in days, so I went up on the mountain to get a goat. I got the goat, and then not long after, a guard got me and said I'd stolen it. So I went before the Highland council and was sentenced to a month of work to repay the debt."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Nari growled.

"They were quite nice, actually," Shanku shrugged. "Sigrid, my escort, was strict and mean as a bobcat, but she taught me things about the Kurach. And she taught me so much about fighting and group hunting too. She even had me flying laps the whole time I was there! It was very exhausting."

"What did she have you do to repay this 'debt'?"

"Not her. I worked with a glasscraft dragon for a week, helping him mix stuff together to make glass."

"You worked under a dragon?" Nari asked with a grin.

"Oh, and he was easy compared to Arloda Shimmerstone! That little dwarf damn near ran me into the ground. In fact, she just as well did because her forge was underground!"

Nari laughed heartily. "Yes, dwarves are incredibly hard workers. Sometimes we request help from them when we have a big job, like hollowing and expanding the den."

"I was wondering how y'all dug it out so well. But she gave me this because I stuck it out!" Shanku held out her pendant proudly. "Taught me a bit of smithing so I could make it myself!"

"You made that?" Nari asked incredulously and admired Shanku's pendant. "It's beautiful."

"You should have seen Arloda's work," Shanku nodded. "And she let me bunk with her. I lived with Arloda while I was with the Highland. Who, by the way, made me stay feral the whole time I was up there. They treat it as a rite of passage and a mark of their control and skill. Blasted hairballs didn't wear any clothes half the time either!"

"I should think not, it's not necessary with so much fur. Long ago, we didn't wear clothes when we had fur," Nari said thoughtfully.

"I was gonna stay with them. I'd lost all desire to travel or even be around people when they first found me, and I was content to stay with them since I found a job hunting for those whose duties didn't let them get their own fresh meat. I even did a bit of gathering."

"And to think, the teachers feared you'd never learn how to hunt enough to take care of yourself," Nari chuckled.

"Turns out, I'm not so shabby after all," Shanku said with a wry grin. "Kept those hulking hairballs fed quite well! Right before winter set in, the giants descend from the high peaks to renew alliances with the Highland. And the ambassador's kid ran off. Again."

"Sounds like somebody else I know," Nari shook her head.

"Aye, and because of that, I found him. But Rin, the guard who originally caught me, had found him first. Small problem. The sabrewing gryphons were circling and he couldn't get the kid away. Guess who's old pheasant hunting trick scared off the gryphons so we could get the kid outta there?" Shanku grinned deviously.

"You are certainly a risk taker!" Nari's eyes widened. "How have you not gotten killed yet?"

"Ya know, Kyros and Dawson and Sigrid all asked me that!" Shanku giggled. "After I wintered there, I set out. Sigrid and Arloda mentioned something about Kurach who lived way up north."

"And you went after them?"

"Of course!"

"Of course," Nari shook her head. "What did you find?"

"Innugati," Shanku said and gestured to the fairy dragon resting on her pack.