I took a look into their thick, beautiful eyes. The eerie yellow light emitting form them was always a view of beauty for me. The thick grey flanks of fur surrounding them slowly rose as they slept. To find one of these creatures was considered an omen of luck, however, an entire pack of them was considered an omen of death. I had seen 5 single ones in my 16 moons of living. Luckily they were all asleep, otherwise I would be food for the pack. There they were, the majestic 'Discora Lezahnt', or, the Lezah.
I wasn't fearful for this supposed 'death omen'. Death was never a fear of mine. On the planet of Terrace, death was a minor issue. At 13 moons, we are forced to join the hunt. We find animals for food, gather water, and more importantly, we defend against the Moutolds. The only other tribe of our planet. I am part of the clan Huntrez. The Moutolds spend time in the mountain areas, while us Huntrez prefer the solitude of the forest. Before you hear anymore, you should know of the Huntrez and Moutolds origins. It all began 200 moons ago. A group of people came. They were shorter than us, and seemed to have a way informing each other of things in odd manners of making sound. We found them with a large technical device, with many tools and skills. They taught us language. It took a mere 3 moons for us to learn English. The men (from a tribe know as 'Earth') began to teach us basic tool making, survival skills, and even the basics of diplomacy.
The 'Other Siders' came from over the hills. They had tools much like us, and we had seen them before. However, they did not recognize the men. They were immediately fearful of the things they bore, and attacked the men. The five men that came were overwhelmed quickly by the hundred or so Other Siders. From that day on, we vowed to fight for the men who died. They traveled in the ship known as 'Hunter', so we named ourselves the Huntrez. The Moutolds are named for their extreme want to live in the uncivilized ways of the old tribes.
So, back to my tale, I watched the Lezahs sleeping peacefully. I did not wish to disturb a single one of them, so I slowly backed away. I slowly made my way back to the Hungar Grotto to regroup with my hunting team. After a long, quiet march through the nighttime woods, I found the other three team members. I was lucky to be with such skilled hunters. There was Gerva, the hunt mistress, she was leading us through the night woods. At the age of 19 moons, she is the youngest to become a hunt mistress, and is a skilled leader. She had literally memorized the Agrevious Woods (which we had just exited). She was very kind, and never made a sacrifice unless entirely necessary. She has been known to make herself a shield and guard other members at the cost of everything she has.
Then there was my close friend, Terbic. He was a shorter, Earth-descendant Huntrez. Earthling Huntrez were considered very important in the clan. They had a mind and thirst for knowledge unlike any other species. They also are very handy in needs of survival. That is why the Earthling Huntrez have been called 'Life-Keepers' for over 100 moons.
There was the Makalesh named Higex. A Makalesh was very rare among the tribes. Makalesh are much like the famed spell-casters in Earthling culture. They can summon the elements to use to his advantage. He was very tall, and had skin so tan it looked like Bocco (an animal much like a cow) hide. He was basically the solider in the group, which leaves me.
I was a, believe it or not, a Conluzion. I was a master of the body, mind, and earth. I had the ability to heal wounds, trick others into courage or fear, and alter the world. I could levitate objects, create light, make someone's skin as hard as Lezah hide, and make a man my minion. All the power was mine, until the hunt of Scorch, moon 304.
We traveled along the Hungar Grotto quickly. We only had caught 3 Quibs (much like squirrels) and a single Bocco. We had to find more food, and we were growing desperate. I looked over to Higex and asked if there was any chance of catching something dangerous, but big.
