Just Another Day

"Have supper and go to bed, cubs," Zihna said. "Anoki and I need to talk."

Anoki curled his tail around his hips worriedly as his sister gave him a stern look. Eru picked up on his tension and was reluctant to move. Dai was silent and spooned out some stew for the cubs. Shanku, oblivious, gladly tucked into a bowl of stew.

After Dai had taken the cubs away and put them to bed, Zihna beckoned for Anoki to walk with her. They walked in silence for a ways and stopped on a grassy knoll overlooking the settlement and the Urych sleepily grazing nearby.

"Why?" was all Anoki asked.

"To learn their scent," Zihna said coldly. "I have not forgotten that day any more than you have. I want him to learn their scent and learn their patterns, so he can avoid them more easily in the future during the migration."

"Is Dai's scent not enough? Smelled one, smelled them all."

Zihna shook her head. "Not quite. The metal of their armour, the oil of their equipment, it's much different than a herder. A herder smells earthy, almost as us. Soldiers... are different."

"You mean you intend to bring him close to them?" Anoki asked warily.

"No. Just close enough for him to see them. To recognize them and learn their movements. Just in case..."

Anoki sighed heavily and stared out over the gently rolling hills. At length, he spoke again. "Very well."

Zihna nodded. They sat together a few moments longer and watched the grazing beasts before returning to the village.

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.