Just Another Day

Shanku was finishing breakfast with her family the next morning when they heard somebody by the door.

"Who's there?" Zanzen called warily.

"Good morning, sir," Katari nodded as he pulled back the curtain.

"Hiya, Katari!" Shanku squeaked. "Come, sit!"

"What brings you here so early?" Zanzen asked and motioned for Katari to join them.

"I know Shanku is going before the council and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind that I went with her," Katari replied nervously.

"How come? You think we can't handle it?" Shanku grinned.

"No," Katari said and sat down. "I'm just wanting to get at damage control quickly for when you get into another fight."

"What makes you think I'm going to go around cracking heads?" Shanku asked.

"You've tangled twice with Jagan in the two days you've been home," Katari said flatly. "You're getting a new reputation, and it's a lot like your old one."

"Do your parents know about me already?" Shanku asked curiously.

"Yes."

"And they let you come over here anyway with the evil little trouble maker?"

"No," Katari sighed and then smiled. "But that never stopped me before."

"She always was good at corrupting your better judgment," Nari squeezed him on the shoulder and cleared away the breakfast dishes.

"I know," Katari replied and grinned at Shanku.

There was another stirring at the door and Zanzen inquired who was there. Bibot announced himself and entered the room.

"Hiya, Grampa!" Banhi said cheerfully. Bibot smiled and rubbed the top of her head as she bounded up to him.

"Shanku, Hilael. I have gotten an audience for you this afternoon," he stated. "I'm afraid it won't be very pleasant."

"I'm not surprised," Shanku said uneasily.

"You will also be judged for coming in two weeks early," Bibot said heavily. "I don't know how easy they will be on you, considering..."

"Considering my history and how I keep running into Jagan," Shanku finished.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Sir Bibot," Nari said tiredly. "Would you like to stay for a moment?"

"No, I fear I have much work to do. It was good seeing you again, Zanzen and Nari. Cubs," Bibot nodded to them and excused himself.

Shanku waited nervously with her parents and Katari as she waited for the summons. Hilael seemed pleasantly distracted while he worked on some crocheting. His needlework was nearly as skillful and deft as his mother's work. Banhi and Muso were playing quietly in the floor with their dolls. Katari was chatting casually with Zanzen. Nari was working on a stew to feed them for a few days. Shanku changed into her nicer tunic for the audience after she had helped her mother get the stew going. She was outwardly fretting and tapping her foot on the floor as her building apprehension felt it would pull her apart from the inside out.

After what seemed like much longer than it actually was, an escort arrived to call forth Shanku and Hilael. Katari rose and fell in line behind them. Nari wished them luck and out they went into the passageway. Shanku thought at first they were being lead to the the great hall, but the escort turned off near the entrance and lead them down a different path.

Shanku noted an immediate change in the cut of the stone. The walls and floor were smoother, and the passageway was straighter. The brackets on the walls holding torches and candles were more ornate, even more so than the elite quarters of the upper clansmen. The passage opened into a great cavern. Seats had been carved out of various stalagmites. Shanku looked up to see parts of the ceiling were of glass, which explained the glass above ground. It let in sunlight and lessened the need for torches during the day.

The escort lead them to the center where at a semi-circular table sat the seven elders and surrounding members. They came to a stop. Hilael stood in the center behind the escort, with Shanku on his right and Katari on his left.

"Hilael and Shanku, cubs of Zanzen and Nari Zefana, and Katari, cub of Ritava and Palani, come to seek audience pertaining to the Imperial raiding parties," the escort announced. The leader of the elders, Niranjan, nodded and dismissed him.

"State your case," Niranjan said flatly.

"Greetings, honoured Elders, and thank you for lending your ears to us. We have received word from the far north that the Imperial Sylvan are raiding not just their Feral kinsmen, but also some of the Arctic and northern Plains kurach. They have agitated our fellow kurach to the point the Arctic and northern Plains are close to declaring war on all the Sylvan if the raids are not stopped," Hilael spoke clearly and calmly, with a gentle monotone that put Shanku at ease.

"This is truly troubling. Where did you hear such things? You are just a hunter, are you not?" Niranjan asked.

"My sister, Shanku, has travelled many places, and spent time with the Arctic kurach, where she was given the message to bring back to us," Hilael replied.

The Elder turned his gaze toward Shanku, who was standing quietly by her brother. "We sentenced you to exile, did we not?"

"Yes, sir," Shanku nodded. She tried to speak with the same evenness as Hilael, but her voice wavered a bit. She was not trembling, but she was still very nervous. And that pesky twinge in her chest was back, sharper than ever.

"And if memory serves, you were not due back yet," Niranjan narrowed his eyes. The other members of the council began to whisper to one another.

"No, sir," Shanku inhaled deeply. "But I am barely two weeks early. I felt the message was more important."

"Do you remember why we exiled you?" Niranjan asked pointedly as he peered at her.

"Because I had made friends with a gryphon and dragon," Shanku said simply. "I was accused of wanderlust."

"And did your banishment not discourage you from seeking further allies where you should not?"

"With all due respect, sir, I would have died if I had not sought new allies since my current ones had abandoned me," Shanku said and clasped her hands behind her back. This is not going well... She clenched her jaw and tried to ignore the growing sensation in her teeth.

"I certainly hoped you would have learned your lesson," the Elder said coldly as he stared down his nose at Shanku. "But it doesn't appear that you have. You've roamed further than any other Sylvan. How do we know you weren't the one that triggered the raids?"

"Please, sir, there are more important matters at hand, and I haven't seen another Sylvan on the mainland since I left the Nyre all those years ago," Shanku said slowly. She looked down and away. There was a throbbing in her head that was harder to ignore than the other sensations.

"Do you know the penalty for returning early from exile?" Niranjan asked coldly as he leaned in toward her.

"Do you have any idea what kind of life I've had because of your stupid decision?" Shanku growled vehemently as the Elder tried to go into a long lecture. That twinge in her chest was burning and how her teeth itched so!

"Oh, jeepers, here we go," Katari muttered. Waves of almost a tangible sense of aggression were pulsing from her and Katari cautiously took a step away. Whatever plans he had for soothing ruffled feathers might prove insufficient now.

"I had to fight a minocentaur and nether monsters to save a town from being eaten. I got stuck on a ship with a crabby crewman and a chef obsessed with potatoes for years, then my entire crew was slaughtered before my eyes by pirates who then kidnapped me and made me turn into a big, angry hairball. Then, when I escaped them, I was taken prisoner by a bunch of big, angry hairballs who made me haul grit for a bleedin' dragon, who later sent me to work in a smothering forge with an overbearing dwarven smith! On my way home, I got caught in a blizzard and nearly froze to death. I went toe to toe with a yeti to protect one of the Arctic kurach and then I got threatened by a priestess because of the stupid Sylvan raids!" Shanku drew herself up to her full height, her ears laid back and her wings flaring around her dangerously as her growls became more aggressive.

"And that's not the worst of it. I was taught how to hunt by humans and a cat. A cat! What kurach is taught to hunt by a dang cat!?" A blue aura started to form around her. "You have failed in your duties as an Elder. It's your job to protect us and teach us. Instead, you threw me into the wild to find my way on my own, as you hid away in your protected seclusion from the other species in our world. There are many wonders and alliances that could deeply enrich and strengthen our clan, and you isolate us from them, leaving us weak and vulnerable. You are a disappointment far worse than I ever was!" With a sharp growl, Shanku felt herself transform into her feral form. She jabbed a clawed finger in his direction. "Don't you dare start in with that 'hope you learned your lesson' garbage again, and don't even think about trying to exile me again, because I'll be teaching you a lesson this time! The whole clan could die in ignorance and isolation and all you care about is your arrogant, irrelevant rules!"

The entire hall fall silent as a Feral gone feral stood breathing heavily among them, her black lips drawn in a vicious snarl. Her whole body felt on fire to finally said what she had wanted to say for years. The only thing that could make it better was if she could actually sink her teeth into those who had torn her from her family, who had made her face that frightening minocentaur, who had condemned her aboard that cursed ship to take so many innocent lives.

Two guards came forth to take her away. With a flash of her eyes, Shanku struck one fiercely in the jaw with the heel of her hand, and just as quickly spun around and kicked the other in the stomach with the pad of her foot. She held her stance a moment, ready to kick again. It took a great measure of control to restrain herself from continuing. Both of the guards were dazed and edged back a few paces. Shanku did not pursue, returned her foot to the ground, and turned to face the lead Elder again without further incident. Hilael, unfazed, had merely stepped aside so he would not be struck by a falling guard. Katari had ducked his head and held his face in his hand, shaking his head slowly in embarrassment.

"Cub," Nirjanhan began with measured words. "I think you need to calm down."

"I am calm!" Shanku snarled as her eyes flashed dangerously. "I spent months in the mountains being taught control by the Highland, instead of cowering in fear in a hole in the ground, afraid of anything that so much as reflected light or cast a shadow."

Hilael stared at the ground, quiet as always. This couldn't get much worse, he thought with a bit of amusement. While his own emotions were fairly level, if not a little blank, he could feel Shanku's anger radiating out of her in strong waves. It was strange, how he rarely felt passionate about anything, yet could feel the passion of others as if they were his own. He hadn't met many who also experienced that, so as usual he kept quiet about it.

Katari was also staring at the ground, wishing a hole would just open up and swallow him so he would not have to be present at this disaster in diplomacy. Why did I want to come along again? I am so useless at reining her in.

"If the Imperials are going feral as the Arctic said, you're not going to stand a chance against them," Shanku said and crossed her arms, finally starting to feel calmer. Her impulses were still tickling her senses and trying to cloud her judgement, but she could suppress them again without much thought. "There's more to being feral than just being angry. They're stronger, faster, their senses are keener. Their hides are thicker and their claws are sharper. If these skirmishes escalate, they will slice you to ribbons before you so much as tickle them. If your guards couldn't take me, soldiers with years of training against a mere cub on the cusp of adulthood, what hope do you have against a flank of fully grown Sylvans with a lifetime of training as ferals and who are comfortable with it?" Shanku paused and sighed. "I wish no ill will to my clan. This is still my home. I was very distressed when the priestess gave her ultimatum. I'm just as passionate about our survival as you are. Risking my life is worth it if it protects my fellow Sylvans."

Hushed whispers echoed throughout the hall as various Elders and council members conferred with one another. Shanku waited patiently, all the while keeping a steely gaze locked on the eldest of the lot. Katari risked a glance up at the leading Elder to see his reaction.

Niranjan glared coldly down his nose at the three cubs before him. Two were meek and quiet, as they should be. But that one cub, that one bothersome, rogue cub, who dared stand before him and evoke magic. Even worse, assumed the forbidden form! However, she was dangerous. Much too dangerous for them to face head on or even keep in the clan.

"I do believe," Niranjan said at length. "It is time to send you away once more." Shanku narrowed her eyes at him, silently daring him to try her patience and banish her once more. "You and your brother should go, and we will send an escort with you to the Imperial Grove," Niranjan said cooly. And give me time to seek a permanent solution about you.

"What are your wishes?" Hilael asked calmly.

"Reconnaissance," Niranjan nodded. "If what you say is true, we will need to confirm it for ourselves. Approach them in their own courts and gauge their reactions."

"Sir, I'd like to volunteer as scout," Katari spoke up. "I'm a trained hunter and used to passing through quietly."

"It will be dangerous, cub. But if you insist, you will be the scout," Niranjan nodded. "This is hardly something a cub will have sufficient skills for. I will be assigning a more experienced scout to accompany the lot of you."

"Thank you, sir," Katari said solemnly and bowed.

"Yay!" Shanku chirped, irreverant as always, and allowed herself to return to her natural form.

"Hilael, you are to be our primary spokesperson. This brash sister of yours is bound to get us all killed. I've still half a mind to lock her away," Niranjan said and laid his ears back in irritation. Hilael nodded and Shanku crossed her arms indignantly.

"There's one other matter," Shanku said coldly.

"What now, cub? You try my patience," Niranjan sighed.

"Your grandson. When I came in the other day, I found him and his friends attacking my younger brother. I've since learned this has been going on for a long time, with complaints from other clan members as well," Shanku started. Hilael nudged her to be quiet, but Shanku continued. "And this isn't the first time those of the highborn have picked on us lowborns for the dumbest of reasons, especially my family. Either it stops, or I put a stop to it."

"I will speak to him. Back to the matter at hand," Niranjan said. So this is who cracked his friends' ribs and jaws.

There was still tension in the room, but not due to having a cub gone feral this time. The council and the Elders began to discuss with one another and the cubs about what they would do when they reached the Imperial Grove. With the focus returned back to Hilael, he was able to help the council create a thorough plan for their journey, and for what they should do if the Imperial clans refused to listen. After many candlemarks, they were permitted to return to their families.

"How did it go?" Zanzen asked anxiously as his cubs and Katari returned to his den. Both his and Nari's parents were waiting as well, and for once weren't bickering with each other.

"Shanku nearly got us all arrested!" Katari exclaimed and sat down on a chair. He put his head in his hands and shook his head in frustration.

"Shanku, what did you do?" Zanzen asked sternly.

"She only went full feral in front of the council members and assaulted two guards!" Katari groaned. "Madam Nari, do you have any wine about?"

"I think I'll have some as well," Nari muttered and went to fetch some for all who desired it.

"Can you not behave yourself even for two candlemarks?" Zanzen demanded. Bibot was beyond words and just glared at the rebellious cub.

"Hey, it got the point across!" Shanku said and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hilael made a good case, but they were too distracted by my stupid exile to focus. After I settled that, Hilael was able to do his thing again."

"So, what happens now?" Haro asked.

"We're being sent to the Imperial Grove to talk to them directly," Hilael said. "Confirm reports of raids and shapeshifting, learn why they're doing it."

"We'll be sent with an escort too. It'll be the three of us, plus a fancy guard!" Shanku grinned. "Kind of exciting!"

"And very dangerous. How do you plan to get their plans?" Bibot asked, not hiding his worry.

"Ask them," Hilael said simply.

"What if they're not feeling very talkative?" Bibot pressed.

Hilael began to fall silent and looked away.

"Hilael, I am speaking to you!" Bibot said roughly.

"Hey, give the cub a break," Haro bopped Bibot on the head with his cane. "Ya know the cub's had a rough day and needs some quiet time."

"Something he needs to get over he wants to make any progress," Bibot growled back.

"Enough!" Shanku barked. "Grandpa Bibot, you need to learn to accept Hilael as he is! For every gift, there is a price. Hilael is very intelligent, he's a great planner, he can be a great diplomat, but the cost is that he needs time to rest and gather himself. Especially true with sparrows. So deal with it! And Grandpa Haro, quit smacking him so much, I've about had it with your bickering. I'm a much better sneak than I was as a wee bairn and I'm sure I can eavesdrop as necessary to bridge the gap."

Nari looked at her daughter curiously and Zanzen stared in shock at Shanku. Bibot and Haro both flustered, but did not retaliate. Ysu sighed heavily and Misen surpressed a snicker. She is my granddaughter! Misen chortled quietly.

"Um, Shanku, should you talk that sharply to your grandsires?" Katari asked awkwardly.

"Only when they start acting like fledglings," Shanku grumbled. "We've never been able to do much as a family because they're always bickering."

"Coming from the one who fluffed up at the council?" Katari asked flatly.

"It got the point across," Shanku shrugged. "And I've been holding that in for several years. It was going to eat me alive if I didn't get it off my chest. It's not like I've been telling it to them for years and years on end, like how those two are always doing. I've still got too much adrenaline in my system to be patient with it and I'll deal with the backlash later when my nerves settle." Bibot was still glaring sharply at his grandcub and she was starting to avoid eye contact. "The Imperials are raiding for resources. All they do is steal from the Arctic. If we can get on friendly terms with some of the locals, maybe we can find out if they're suffering some sort of shortage.

"Alright, then," Nari quickly downed what was left of her wine. "I think that's enough for one day."

She ushered her guests out the door, and then her family to bed as soon as Muso and Banhi came back from visiting their friends.

Late that night, Nari lay awake in her nest by her mate. Her family all seemed to be sleeping so peacefully. All around her was their gentle breathing as they slept. Carefully, she got up and left her nest. She crept over to the cupboard for a glass so she could get herself a drink from their water vase. Nari crossed the room and sat down on one of the cushions at the table as she slowly sipped her water, her mind racing with thoughts and worries.

She pricked her ears forward at a soft rustling. In the dim light she saw Hilael get up and join her. Nari smiled softly. His breathing was always so calm and so controlled she rarely knew when he was asleep or just lying awake. Hilael seemed to have inherited her trouble falling asleep.

"I lose two cubs this time," Nari whispered softly.

"Not for long," Hilael replied, whispering as well.

"I'm going to miss my gathering buddy," Nari smiled gently. "But at least I know Shanku will be in good hands."

Hilael ducked his head shyly. "Katari will be there too."

"He's a good cub and a good hunter, with a bright future," Nari nodded. "But you are one of the best gatherers of the cubs, and Misen's shining pupil. They'll need your knowledge should they become ill or injured, or if game is scarce."

Hilael sat quietly and said nothing.

"How do you feel about this trip?" Nari asked.

"Not much," Hilael said slowly after some thought. "But, a lot too. Nervous about doing something I've never done before, travelling with an escort I don't know, going into a new territory with new smells and trees..." Hilael paused and cringed.

"Lots of new changes and experiences," Nari nodded.

"But I'm curious, so it won't be so bad," Hilael said with a shrug. "Katari will be there, and Shanku is a good fighter. Innugati is a fast friend. We'll be safe."

"Good enough a fighter to hold off an Imperial fleet if things go wrong?" Nari asked worriedly.

"Between her good fortune and my cunning, we should get away," Hilael grinned. "Better to be exiled from the Imperials than the Ferals."

"Try to get some sleep, sweetie," Nari said gently. "You'll need your rest for this one." She finished her cup of water, kissed her son on the cheek, and went back to bed. Hilael sat at the table a moment longer before returning to his nest with Muso.

"What? What do you mean you're leaving? For the Imperials?" Muso asked in distress as Shanku gathered up her belongings the following morning. Muso and Banhi had been out playing with other cubs and had missed last night's exchange. Hilael was waiting patiently by the door. He had already said his goodbyes.

"Yes, I'm going to see if they can be made to see sense," Shanku nodded as she finished packing some provisions. "It was Hilael's idea, remember? You were there when we made plans the other night. And we're under orders from the council to do so!"

"But... but..." Muso scrambled. He had just gotten his eldest sibling back, and now she was leaving again. And taking Hilael with her! And worse, what if...? "Do you know what this is going to do to me? I'm going to be captain! I'm already getting picked on enough because of you, and this is just going to make it worse! They won't let me be captain!" he cried.

Shanku stopped for a moment and looked at her youngest brother. He was trembling and full of passion. And he was right. Her actions long ago had certainly caused her family so much more harm than she had thought it would. She knelt down to look at him levelly and took his small hands gently into her hands.

"I know, and I am so sorry now for what was. This is something I must do. And you must do what you must. If it is right for you to be captain, and I am in the way, you must declare separation," Shanku said.

"But—" Muso protested.

"No 'buts'," Shanku shook her head. "Disown me, Muso, if that's what it takes. We each must live our own lives. If I fail, I may never get to come back. And you must not let that get in the way of your being happy or doing what you were meant to do," Shanku kissed his little fingers and stood. "I know you'll be a fantastic captain someday. The Scissortails are probably going to need you all the more if this doesn't work."

Shanku gathered her backpack, kissed him on the forehead, and left their den. Muso was speechless. He looked about frantically, trying to think of some way to keep her from going, from making things worse. He screamed his frustration, curled up in his nest, and sobbed bitterly.

Outside, Shanku brushed away a tear of her own. She simply had to succeed now, for both the sake of her kind, and for that of her family. Muso and Banhi could not be allowed to grow up as Hilael had! Or worse, as she had when she was with the pirates and forced to kill regularly. With new determination, she strode off to where she and Hilael were to meet Katari and their escort on their way to Imperial territory.