Just Another Day

The giant kurach and another watched from high on the mountain at the little smoke trail coming up through the trees.

Shanku slept fitfully. She jumped at the sound of every snapping twig. As dawn slowly came on, she finally got up and tried to find anything to eat. Roots, mushrooms, something that couldn't run away, just enough to tide her over to be able to catch an animal.

Bleh, I feel awful! Shanku supported herself on a nearby tree trunk. She gingerly held her spinning head and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her stomach. Of all ways to die! To make matters worse, her skin was burning to the touch and her face felt flushed. The cold swim had surely given her a fever, if not something worse.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a pair of furry feet before her. She looked up slowly to see that same giant kurach who chased her the day before. Oh, sweet Algod, why ya doin' dis ta me?

The giant kurach leaned in, glaring at her. Shanku looked away and prayed he would kill her as painlessly as possible. To her surprise, but not necessarily to her relief, he and his friend bound her hands and feet to a sturdy rod they had brought with them. Each took an end and took flight with Shanku suspended between them.

Ta da pluckin' council, den, Shanku grumbled. It was a rather uncomfortable way to travel, with the ropes cutting into her wrists and ankles, and it didn't help her headache much either. If she had been in a better humour, it would have been almost fun to watch the trees and rocks come at her upside-down. Then she saw something strange that took her quite by surprise.

Holy mackerel! A city! A whole kurach city! Shanku stared in shock at the buildings that her captors were bringing her to. Most were long buildings with straw-thatched roofs and towers of stone and wood. At the center of what appeared to be the main town was a large, circular building, as if an overfed tower, and a similar building atop a hill where Shanku was being taken.

Shanku was dropped to the ground without much grace and her captors untied her. Shanku looked around at those who were watching. Not a single kurach around wasn't in their feral form. Some wore simple aprons, the guards wore bracers, loinclothes, and thigh guards, but most wore nothing at all. Shanku gulped nervously.

The one who'd originally chased her grabbed her by her upper arm and began to drag her inside.

"Hey, hey, easy! I'm a lot shorter den ya!" Shanku yipped as she half-hopped beside him. He grunted and didn't slow his pace.

The doorway arched high above them and the building was very spacious inside. The stone floor tiles were set in a growing circle from the center. Around the walls were open rooms with benches and candles set inside the walls. In the middle of the room, there seemed to be a giant pillar supporting the building. It was, in fact, hollow on the inside. An inner chamber revealed a semi-circle of steps leading up to a set of seven chairs high in the room. Each was filled with a serious looking kurach of varying ages and formal attire.

Meep! Shanku squeaked as she saw the committee before her. The last time she was in this situation, she had been separated from her mother for eight years.