Binki Fuhren was a soft and beautiful young fenki. She brushed her fine, long spotted fur at least one hundred times each day and carefully filed her long sharp claws before heading out to hunt.

Whenever she hunted alone, she would wait behind a certain pile of large boulders for a fat clacker to happen by, then she would pounce suddenly and bite his neck with her fangs.

On this morning, Binki planned to do just that. She had a strong craving for a good clacker meat meal and could think of nothing better.

Crouching behind the stones, she waited quietly. An hour later, still crouching, she pressed back her whiskers with her paw. Her stomach was growling with hunger and she was growing impatient. Stretching her legs out behind her she readjusted herself and settled back down.

Finally, a bright jade clacker happened by wiggling it's pincers wildly. She hunched up, ready to pounce. She sprang out with all her might toward the clacker but just as she did, he turned his head to the side. Instead of landing with her teeth in his neck, her sharp fangs sank right into his hard clacker shell.

Binki's fangs were firmly attached to clacker's shell and try as she might, she could not break free. She pushed with all four paws and pulled with her head to no avail.

Suddenly, clacker started to thrash his feet and rock back and forth to get her off his back. Each time he rocked and threw him self left or right, her neck would twist but she couldn't hold him still.

While she began to realize that she might be in more trouble than she thought, something wet touched her cheek. She couldn't see anything but coarse brown fur but she knew that smell. The fear of death gripped her. It was an ulbernaut! Attracted by all the racket, the ulbernaut could smell the clacker meat juices running down the shell and it was a little confused by this vision of ... stacked up creatures.

The ulbernaught pushed the great flailing heap around a bit and then decided that yes... clacker smell means clacker meat even on this day. He grabbed the clacker feet all in one arm and began to pull the clacker closer. Feeling his fur against her paws, Binki planted them against the ulbernaught's legs and while he was pulling, she pushed with all her might. The Clacker shell shattered with a loud >CRACK!< and she spun away running as fast as she could.

She ran all the way home to her pack and fell among her siblings in tears. Her mother, seeing that her mouth was sore and swollen, coaxed her after much pleading to let her have a look. Just like everyone feared, Binki sat with her mouth open showing only one fang instead of two. One of her fangs was lost in the skirmish and was most likely in ulbernauts belly by now.

Binki ran crying to her bed and would not come out. After about a week, Binki still refused to leave the den. She was too embarrassed to be seen with only one fang and didn't want to hunt anymore. Binki's mother sent her father hunting in the valley the next week and when he returned he called everyone out.

"I have gifts for all of you!" he said smiling as he dug through the large sack that was bulging with treasure and token from the hunt. Her mother got enough meat for two cycles and all her siblings were given their trinkets when her father approached her. Binki raised her dewy eyes to her father sadly. Whatever it was, she planned to thank him for his kindness and then hurry back to her room.

"Hold out your paw" he said as he smiled down at her. She held out her paw and he placed something there. When he drew his paw away she looked down and saw it... a fang! Her eyes widened... "Where did you get this?!"

Patting her fur, he explained. "It's a tefusang tooth. It is around the right size and length. The town healer is waiting for you now. He will plant this tooth where the other one was."

Not sure if it would work or not, Binki took the tooth to the healer. He pushed the root into the hole from her lost fang and stitched it neatly. After a few weeks, the new fang was much like the old one but Binki never hunted clackers again.

Once, long ago, a Nolthrir girl named Seritasa was working with her sisters gathering seaweed for an especially significant family event. Nevra, their oldest brother was leaving on an adventure to explore the region and his brave stories of conquer and quest would be missed by all until his return. The girls would prepare him a feast for his going away party. His parents and grandparents would honor him with gifts and prayers to the gods for a safe journey.

Seritasa worked and worked all day with her sisters and still they were hardly effective. Tired from bearing the weight of the great bundles of seaweed and fish they were carrying, they longed to begin the task of preparation. After all, rushing the recipes with poor preparation would be of little benefit to anyone, Seritasa thought herself. She glanced about to find some sort of solution.

"Of Course" she whispered aloud as her bright blue eyes found her uncle's megaras. The huge beast swelled against it's enclosure as she approached to judge it's worthiness. It was very great and strong. If only she could load him up, the work would be done with plenty of time to spare!

Seritasa suddenly jumped atop the animal and released the holding reins. He was much too powerful for her and she could only struggle to hold on for her life as he dashed out into the wilderness... her long emerald hair trailing behind her from his back.

After what seemed like an endless time, he bucked her off and she landed down roughly in a nearby pond. When she hit the water she of course felt revived and could only try to shake off the confusion. She looked down to discover that she had quite seriously injured her left leg. She sat still for a while until she felt some strength return and then hobbled home.

Reland combined both herb and potion for hours until he came up with a poultice for her leg. It was so effective that the recipe became a well known treatment all over the land and that's how he became a famous healer.

Little Azuder was a very small Klyros. She wasn't sickly or weak... just small. She watched the bigger Klyros jump and play but she felt out of place so she would usually find an area to play alone.

Azuder loved to fish of course and was always bringing home a bag of fish or crabs. She would often tie a bit of leather sinew between her toe and her fishing pole so that she could spend her time dreaming of the day she would grow up as tall or taller than everyone else.

On one of these days she was lying on her back with her wings spread out softly on the grass when she felt a quick tug on her toe.

Not wanting to leave her dream, she ignored it for a while until the persistence became annoying. Sitting up, she picked up the pole and began to pull in her catch. "It doesn't feel like much" she thought, as she reeled in the line as carefully as she could.

Once she pulled the fish on to the shore she couldn't believe her eyes! It was very small but it had a large horn on its head and its scales were a bright bright blue. Not knowing what to make of this thing, Azuder picked him up, looked closer and noticed the fish changing color! She dropped the fish and stepped back three or four steps. What kind of magic was this?

The unicorn fish sat up on his tail and looked Azuder straight in the eye. Please let me go back home.

"What?!" she cried incredulously.

Let me go back home wee girl. Me mum will have me scales fer this if'n me don't git home directly. Me give ye anything ye ask. Jis make yer wish.

Azuder stared wide eyed at the now bright orange, horned, talking fish. Deciding she must have fallen asleep next to the river again, she thought that she must be dreaming so why not go along with it?

"I wish to be bigger" she blurted.

"Bigger eh?" the fish looked up at the figure before him. He could see that she was serious. "Okay, okay. Close yer eyes then. Close them!"

Azuder closed her eyes and wondered if it would hurt. She felt a warm tickle that started at the tips of her toes and was working its way up fast! Losing her balance, she fell into the grass before she could uncover her eyes.

The unicorn fish had gone but something felt... different. Could it really be true?! She ran to the river and approached the water in a slow flowing place. As her reflection came into view her mouth dropped open further.

The magic unicorn fish had made her bigger! She was much bigger! But unfortunately, her wings were still the same small size. From that day forward, everyone called her Limij, meaning "flys with difficulty".

Limij resigned herself to a life of fishing and dwelling in or near the water. Some Nolthrir swore that she had a glowing tint to her skin if the light of the crystal shone on it just right. If you ever see her, you can decide for your self.

 

I love it!! You're such a great writer. I look forward to reading more.

Wow great story!!!