Just Another Day

The sun beat down on the browning prairie as a chilly autumn wind blew through the waves of grass. The Urych herd plodded steadily on as Dai continued to guide them behind the Heyen. He had gotten out of range and hoped to see them again soon. Across his saddle was a young calf he had found a few days ago with its mother following behind.

Shanku was laying on top of the cow and enjoying the warm sunshine. She saw a small trickle of grey snaking up to the sky.

"Dai, smoke!" She exclaimed, sitting straight up on the cow.

"I know," Dai said nonchalantly. "There's a clan over that rise."

"Clan?" Shanku laid her ears back warily and her wings cupped around her. "What clan?"

"The Heyen Clan of the Red Wing. They might be some of your relatives," Dai said in a bid to goad her into telling of her origins. Despite his efforts over the past few months, she had been very tight-lipped on the subject.

"Oh, I doubt it." Shanku laughed and crossed her arms. "No high and mighty Feral dares leave the forest. Especially those of my clan, the Scissortails," she scoffed.

"You're a Sylvan?" Dai asked in surprise, partially at his plan working and partially because the Sylvans supposedly were extinct. He turned around in his saddle to face her directly. "I thought the Sylvans had died out centuries ago?"

"No way. They withdrew from everyone for some reason or another way back when," Shanku shrugged off his question as vaguely as she could. Even she wasn't really sure why the Sylvans behaved as they did.

"Why? What was the reason?" Dai pressed.

"Ta heck if I know," Shanku said grumpily and pointed at a young kurach near Jakko. "And that cub's about to get eaten."

The cub in question swung a leg over Jakko's shoulders and the two set off. He squealed and laughed as he rode Jakko around Sage and the Urych.

"Or not," Shanku muttered.