Changing Rain

The Teaching

Animals and people brushed against Eric as he walked upright through the crowd of shifters. He could see Telrin and Soren keeping an eye on him as they moved. They needn't have, Eric had no idea where they were, nor where they were going. He had no choice but to follow along with the flow of the crowd. The shifter called Greck was walking directly to his right, eyeing him with wide blue eyes every now and again.  

He could see the man they call ' General ' up ahead with Linsum, both kept glancing back at him. Eric could feel himself starting to grow angry. If only they had left him back home. He might have never discovered what he was. He kept trying to picture it, his kind and gentle souled mother lying to everybody, to his father, even him. It just couldn't be, and yet it all made sense. No family on her side, she hadn't had any history that she would share. But no one had ever seemed to care, her pure soul seemed to be enough for everyone. Then to find her whole past had been twisted and dark as creeper plants. The very thought made his stomach roll.  

" Are you all right Lad?" Soren was at his side, watching him.  

" What do want?" Eric snapped at him before he could stop himself, he was feeling edgy and wound. The multitude of shifters surrounding him was overwhelming. Soren raised an eyebrow in a stern manner.  

" Be it a good idea to anger me within an army of Netsanii?" Eric quirked his head ever so slightly to the side.  

" Netsanii?" Soren looked ahead before he answered.  

" You think we always went by the human name ' Shifter'?"  

" I never thought about it. " He admitted, looking ahead as well, watching Linsum giving orders to a solider.  

" I suppose most the young ones don't, even for our people. " He mused, " Our old ways are nearly gone. Netsanii is one of our last words. " He sounded sad as he said it. Eric felt his ever present curiosity rise, despite himself.  

" Your old ways?"  

" Aye, our culture. This war has gone on so long that our history was first lost, then forgotten. Though I suppose humans have had some losses as well. " Greck phased to ask a question.  

" Really? Like what?" Soren scratched the grey stubble on his chin.  

" Aye. Your village may not be as bad as the rest, but in the human cities to the north and east I know for sure be too frightened of Netsanii to even step into the forests to hunt. They don't even dare to tend their fields on alone. They no longer keep livestock because they fear Netsanii spies. " Greck turned to Eric in surprise.  

" You don't have livestock?" Eric blinked at him.  

" You do?" 

" Of course, how else are we supposed to get ham?!" Eric shrugged, the idea of a people who turn into animals owning them themselves was very strange.  

" We keep only a few chickens, and an ox or two for plowing and moving the carts. " Greck shook his head in mock despair. " So, you don't even know what lamb tastes like. That be so sad. " Eric felt himself start to smile, the first in a long, long time. Greck straightened suddenly, and turned a critical eye to his clothing.  

" Wait... Without sheep, how do you get wool for clothes?" 

" We use Cotton." He said, and at then at the same time they both asked.  

" Whats wool?" 

" Whats cotton?" 

" Cotton is a ball of fluff that comes from a plant." Greck looked slightly impressed. 

" That's brilliant, clothes from plants. Wool be a sheep's fur, they grow tons of it every year. " 

" You wear animal hair?" Eric made a face.