Just Another Day

"Well, I reckon that settles that," Shanku mused. She and her family began to make their way back to their quarters to gather what belongings they had brought with them and head back to Scissortail territory. As they grew nearer, they found their way blocked, and there was a ruckus in the old court yard as many of the Sylvans had begun to fight and brawl with each other. Some of the fundamental Fernwick were unhappy that they had lost, and were taking it out on the rebels. Surrounding allies would try to pull them apart, which in turn caused the fight to become larger and larger as more got involved. Many others focused on getting the cubs out and away from the scene before they could become injured by flaring tempers, and the various commanders began sending in their warriors under explicit orders to separate disgruntled participants and not to let it go further.

The growing squabble was quite roundly disrupted by the sound of cracking bones as a dozen calopus charged in. The kurach quickly began to scatter and prepare to defend themselves from their new attackers, and found themselves surrounded by a great pack of calopi.

"Now that I have your attention, it is nice to see you again," came a low, rumbling voice as a dark figure materialized at the edge of the forest. A gigantic, shaggy black wolf with glowing green eyes and leathery wings stood before the nervous Sylvans. "The guardians had hoped the games would settle your dispute. It would seem my wishes came true instead."

"Who are you?" demanded the Falnor commander.

"How could you forget me?" the wolf asked nonchalantly. "I am Kleu, the goblin hound, and the one who created your species, so very many years ago. And I have come back to claim you as mine again, seeing as how you're not faring so well on your own."

A silence fell over the Sylvans. A deep, hidden, and forgotten piece down inside each and every one of them knew what he spoke was true, and recognized him, even though he no longer was in their conscious memory.

"I'm glad there is still some of me in you. I feared the fae had stamped it out when they made you docile. But, it would seem that spell is broken. You have made me proud with the chaos you have caused," Kleu continued as he began to walk around. "Oh, come now, don't be shy. It is boring to have a one-sided conversation. I'm sure you have questions."

"Can we go home?" asked a small cub, who was quickly grabbed up by his mother.

"Of course, cub. You will all come home with me to the nether realm for a season, and I will teach you what it is to be kurach once again," Kleu said gleefully. "Then we'll return to this plane, and have fun, like we used to."

There were many shudders and whimpers among the Sylvans, and they huddled closer together. One tried to take to the air to flee, but Kleu was considerably faster, and knocked him back to the ground.

"Don't be hasty. There is plenty of time to fly later," Kleu said with mild disgust after he had landed again. "Sorry to have to use such a heavy paw, but you are as unruly as me."

"So he's just lonely?" Hilael asked his sister.

"Eh?" Shanku asked.

"He's not attacking us, he's been disciplining us, and the reason he gave is that he wants to be around us again. Kleu, the goblin hound, is lonely," Hilael explained. Innugati trilled in agreement from atop his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess he is," Shanku said thoughtfully. "Hrm..."

"What are you thinking?" Hilael asked quickly.

"I think... we should go talk to him," Shanku said slowly.

"Are you insane?" Hilael hissed.

"Almost certifiably," Shanku giggled.

The sound of laughter caught Kleu's attention and he turned to find the source of it. Zanzen and Nari ushered Muso and Banhi behind them as Kleu advanced on their daughter who seemed to have finally succeeded in getting her death wish.

"You are not scared like the others," Kleu noted curiously as he stopped near the siblings. "Why?"

"Why should we be?" Shanku asked. "It's not like you want to hurt us. You just want some company. Aren't you the mysterious black dog that wanders the deserted roads in the mist, sometimes helping lost travellers, sometimes killing bandits? How bad can you be?"

Kleu tilted his head to the side and pricked his ears forward as he studied the two cubs. He cautiously sniffed them. "You are an interesting little family. You keep company with fae and goblin alike, and actually do know of me. Are there more like you?"

"Doubtful. If something weird is gonna happen, we're likely to be involved in it," Shanku chuckled. "I brought a dragon home bigger than you when I was a wee thing. I trained with the massive Highland kurach that are about your size. Well, maybe a little smaller. I watched a dragon sling molten sand through the air and make trinkets in moments from it. I have a little goblin and gremlin friend that I used to could see every winter. I fought a yamaer and won. Why should I be afraid of you? You seem normal to me." To Kleu's surprise, and that of any who were watching, Shanku placed a hand on the nose of the goblin hound. "And you're kind of family, aren't you?"

Kleu stared at her for a long time. Not only did she not shrink under his unblinking gaze, she even moved her hand to scratch the ruff below his cheek. He stepped away and gave himself a quick shake.

"So, maybe instead of us going with you, how about you stay here with us?" Shanku suggested. "The Nyre is a big place. There's room for you too."

"Frankly, I don't give two hoots where any of you go, so long as the whole lot of you clear out soon and let me have me old rocks back," grumbled the grouchy old Keeper from his perch on a dilapitated arch. "I did as you asked and got them to get it all cleaned up, Hound. Now you do your part and get them outta my feathers."

"Pray, another night, gryphon," Kleu said.

"Opinicus!" snarled the old Keeper, who then hissed and clucked in disproval, but resettled himself and did not protest further.

Kleu turned to face the crowd of Sylvans again. "A final night, a final warning. Make a decision about our future." Kleu walked away to the edge of the forest and laid down. The Sylvans began to retreat to their quarters they had hoped to vacate that morning, and the various leaders of the clans present locked themselves away together to figure out what was to be done about the ultimatum they were given.

"Shanku, are you out of your little feather-plucking mind?" Zanzen exclaimed when they were back to their room. "That thing could have snapped you in half without the slightest inconvenience!"

"I don't think he would have," Shanku replied.

"You've done some really reckless things in the past, but this is by far the worst," Zanzen fumed as he paced.

"I can't explain it, Da," Shanku shrugged. "Just an instinct that came over me."

"Everybody else's instincts were to give him a wide berth and a good bit more respect," Zanzen snapped.

"He didn't seem offended to me," Shanku said. "In fact, he went from an absolute to an ultimatum. I think he softened up a little."

Zanzen threw his hands up in frustration and continued to pace silently. Nari began to prepare their daily meal, and later to help the cubs get ready for bed. Soon they were all laid down without another word.

But Shanku couldn't sleep. All she could think about was the fearful goblin hound and an urge to see him again. Quietly, she slipped out of her nest, and crept away.

"What are you doing?" came a voice behind her that nearly made her yip and lose what secrecy she had left.

"Don't do dat!" Shanku hissed as quietly as possible. "What do you want, Hilael?"

"Why do you want to see Kleu so bad?" Hilael asked calmly.

"I dunno," Shanku replied softly. "Just... I have the same pull to him that I do to go explore. I know it doesn't make sense, and goes against any kind of sense, but it's just how I feel."

"Well, you're going to need somebody a lot better at sneaking to get you near him," Hilael said and crept ahead of her.

Shanku was surprised at her brother's attitude, and moreso at the level of stealth he possessed. Hilael was able to keep them out of sight and sound of both the kurach guards and the calopi as they sneaked through the old tunnels and into the forest where Kleu was waiting.

"You are a bold one," Kleu remarked and turned to face them. "It's you."

Shanku grinned sheepishly and gave a small wave.

"You are not like the others at all," Kleu said and tilted his head. "Why do you run so boldly toward that the others fear?"

"It's just the way I am," Shanku shrugged.

"And you?" Kleu asked Hilael.

"Somebody has to make sure she has at least a bit of caution," Hilael replied.

Kleu slowly circled the siblings, looking them over carefully. "What do the others say of your wings?"

"Oh, well," Shanku stuttered, taken by surprise. "Jet black wings are regarded as lucky, although they seem to just get me into trouble."

"Unless they are a solid color of another shade like mine, in which case you're considered lesser," Hilael added.

"When I made the kurach, they all had solid black wings. Like the rook," Kleu said as he sat down before them. "Rooks are funny little birds. They are neither as revered as the raven nor as hated as the crow, smaller than both but larger than the colorful jays and pies. Many of you are now as colorful as the lesser birds. You were meant to have only one color. You are both fortunate. Tell me what you mean by 'trouble'."

Shanku relayed her story of the mischief she got into as a cub and the various adventures and misfortunes she had had while travelling until she was sent home. "And I've heard a lot of things about us," Shanku frowned. "Like how we used to be more like you, and then we made a bad deal with fairies, then some other weird stuff."

"Bah! Evil little fae," Kleu grumbled. Innugati trilled indignantly at him. "It's the truth, dragon-bug."

"The same is often said of goblins," Shanku reminded him.

"Not all goblins are bad," Kleu huffed.

"Neither are all fae," Shanku countered.

Kleu stared at her for a long time. "I guess I'm glad to see some of my rebellious nature still exists in you creatures."

"How do you plan to get the kurach to be like you again? They're nothing if not very stubborn and headstrong, not to mention territorial. Forcing them out of their homes isn't going to win you any favors," Shanku said. "We still have a lot of you in us."

"What of the calopi?" Hilael asked. "They seem to follow you everywhere and do your bidding. Do they not keep you company?"

"But you are mine," Kleu growled. "I made two of you, whereas the calopi were just assigned to me for the duration of this conflict. In the beginning, you were my playmates and you followed me everywhere. We chased things, hunted things, and we helped things. We were a nice little pack. Then the fae got jealous. The things they had tried to make ran away, chasing each other through the night sky and never returning to the ground. So they decided to break us up. They tricked you into thinking it would be more fun to be like 'real' animals, and took away your immortality. You couldn't come back to the nether realm with me."

"...Then how did you plan to take all of us there?" Shanku asked.

"It's been a long, long time. That initial spell has grown weak, and I can counteract it," Kleu explained. "But now you're a whole species! And have lived in this plane for so long that now you're under the rule of the spirits that guard life here. I wasn't allowed to come near you unless you started getting as unruly as you used to be, becoming like me again, that I could take you back to where you belong."

"What if we don't want to go? What if we're happy here?" Shanku asked.

"Can't be all that happy if you were about to cause another war across the whole of L'aernth," Kleu said flatly.

"Well, about that," Shanku said sheepishly. "We almost had it resolved. Our grandsire is on the council and he told us that the clans had been working out lots of ways to fix things. That brawl earlier today was an isolated incident since it's going to take some time to get used to the new way of things. Or old way of things, as I understand it."

Kleu huffed and looked down sullenly. Shanku sat down and scratched her head. Hilael leaned back against a tree as he continued to watch the two interact. Shanku studied the lonely old hound for a while before speaking again.

"Even though I'm in no position to barter on behalf of my people," Shanku began slowly. "What if there was a way you could regularly start spending time with the kurach again, without us getting swept away to who-knows-where?"

"Given that my name has not been allowed to be spoken out loud for so long, I doubt any would be willing," Kleu remarked. "It's why my only option seems to be to trap you so you can see for yourselves I am not the monster the fae made me out to be when they originally took you away. I don't appreciate how that lie has stuck."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Shanku asked as she grinned broadly.

"You are not normal for the way your kind currently are," Kleu shook his head.

"But I'm not the only one. Four cubs have been exiled in the past fifty years, three of which for wanderlust. Isn't that a throwback trait from what we once were?" Shanku asked.

Kleu peered narrowly at her. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, it's no fun getting completely cut off from family, I know that from personal experience. So I was wondering that, instead of exiling those of us with an adventurous streak, instead they call you to take them out?" Shanku suggested. "You'd have some company that would enjoy taking off on a wild time, and you wouldn't be stuck with several thousand grumpy house guests. Perhaps they could come back home to see their family when they wanted too."

"That's certainly an interesting idea," Kleu replied. "It has bothered me that the little ones most like me are abandoned so readily. It may work. I should mention it tomorrow when I meet with the elders. So, what about you? Would you be the first?"

"Oh, golly, don't tempt me!" Shanku said quickly. "I just recently finished my ten year exile for wanderlust. I want to spend some time with my family. But, I have to admit, I'm really wanting to get back out on the road."

"Well, cub, when you're ready, you call for me," Kleu said warmly. "Return to your family."

Shanku bid the goblin hound goodnight and Hilael lead her back to their nest without their parents ever knowing they had been gone.

To the alarm of many, Kleu appeared shortly after breakfast the following day.

"We thought we had until night!" cried one of the elders.

"I have had a change of heart," Kleu began, and many whispers were shared among the gathered kurach. "It has come to my attention that some of you may unknowingly remember me after all. I do believe most of you dismiss this as 'wanderlust', and banish them from your clans?"

Many of the elders present shifted uneasily and one of the Ferals replied, "It has not been kind to us. It caused a terrible war between us and mankind, many of our families have become lost over the years from it, or brought terrible things back home with them such as diseases. We just want to live in peace."

"It is an innate part of your nature, and you should stop resisting it," Kleu said sternly. "I understand not all of you have this desire any more, and although it pains me to admit it, that includes not wanting to be with me. So, what I propose is this; you satisfy the demands of the guardians by resolving your conflict through these games. No more wars that risk destroying the entire forest or the lands beyond. Secondly, when you have those who wish to roam, you leave them in my care. No more exiles for having a free spirit. I can satisfy them without danger being brought to you. As for any diseases, well, I'm sorry. Illness is a natural part of life that will not go away, so the sooner you learn to treat what is out there when it is time to come your way, the better for you all."

The Sylvans talked among themselves for many moments as the elders quickly huddled together to exchange thoughts. Kleu waited patiently as they deliberated. A Weolcen elder stepped forward. "What will become of those we send you?"

"They will not be harmed," Kleu replied. "They will travel with me until they wish to return home. All are welcome to travel with me, but I will take what I can get until you no longer fear me."

"But what if there are too many for you at once?" he asked.

"At your current rate of eleven clans dismissing a handful per hundred years, it would be a comfortably-sized pack to manage. They are your worst offenders, are they not? The others could be easily allowed to travel inside your forests, sent to study with other species, or whatever it is that interests them, and I would appear regularly to offer guidance. Other creatures came quite readily to help you with judging the games, so surely you have some sort of alliance set up between you that could satisfy their curiousities and your desire for safety."

"It might take some time to convince the clans who are not present here today," warned a Falnor elder.

"After explaining the alternative, I imagine not," Kleu chuckled. "So, what say you? Is this not an acceptable compromise? You all get to stay in your homes, your wanderers come with me, and things go back to being more peaceful. Everybody goes away somewhat happy."

The gathered elders talked among themselves once more, at times becoming a bit heated. At length, they finally separated, and each of them nodded.

"Then, it is settled. The games are over, the Nyre kurach have won. Meet their terms and all return to your respective territories. No more of this squabbling nonsense. I will be in touch," Kleu said. He closed his eyes as he bowed his head, and vanished into the forest.

The clans from the Eor forest gathered their belongings and left the Nyre, and the Feral clans returned to their homes. The Fernwick were left to decide among themselves how to restructure their clan in a way to stay compliant with their tribe and allies with their Nyre neighbors. Word soon reached distant kurach clans on the plains and far north that the Sylvan clans had a change of heart and were seeking a possible trade route instead, and the human settlements didn't have any more trouble with raiders, but still had to take care they did not trespass into kurach lands.

Autumn was turning into winter and an early dusting of snow fell across the Scissortail den. Shanku sat on a bench in the large communal hall that held a few fire pits for warmth, and worked on some needlework. Her grandsire came and sat down beside her.

"Howdy, Sir Bibot!" Shanku said cheerily.

"Evening, pup," Bibot nodded to her. "You're doing well on that."

"Banhi could use a new pair of gloves, and Ma is busy making a new blanket, so I'm doing it for her," Shanku said proudly. "What all have you been up to lately?"

"Busy with meetings, of course," Bibot replied. "Working out new statutes for rebellious roamers and all."

Shanku giggled mischievously. "That's good to hear."

"I do find it interesting that the goblin hound suggested such a change to our laws," Bibot said casually. "Makes me wonder how the idea got put into his head."

"Not a clue," Shanku replied nonchalantly as she continued to work on the gloves for her little sister.

"I'm sure a certain brash young cub with a history of skulking about had nothing to do with it," Bibot mused.

"They'd have to be very good at skulking to get away from their parents, avoid the guards, and creep past all those scary calopi," Shanku nodded. "Very good."

"It may be good that they did, though," Bibot suggested. "After all, he was all set to tear us from our homes and lock us up in some horrible place against our will. Who knows how many generations would have been stuck there, if any of us ever returned at all?"

"Not an adventure most would want to go on," Shanku noted.

"For that, it has been decided that past offenders will be pardoned," Bibot remarked. "Seeing as how their rather adventurous and unconventional ideas lead to the Sylvans being spared of something so unpleasant caused by more acceptable behaviour, it was the least they could do. We still have to decide how much we can let the goblin hound be apart of our culture again without it being detrimental to us or sparking his wrath, and there are bound to be many uncomfortable changes, but they express their gratitude nonetheless."

"I'm glad to hear it," Shanku said warmly.

Bibot nodded and got up. Shanku watched him leave, absentmindedly aware of her stitching. I wonder if that means I'm finally welcome here?

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• How the Kurach Came to Be