This is the Cheetah Kin tribe "the Spotted Hand". It is a very small tribe, indeed.

While they arrived to Planet Twenty about Six years Pre-Dragon (12 time), they were not placed into the same locale as the rest of the Cheetahs - they landed about where one solo 12 male did, north and east of Lion territory. This is of course the very worst place to be wandering, for a Cheetah of any bent.

This tribe somehow made it to the edge of the savannah from their jungle starting point - and realized that not only had they made a terrible mistake in leaving the lush area, but they'd just traded the elusive and private Jaguars and Pythons there, for the extremely extroverted and very social Lions. They thought about turning back. But with eight year old Laka begging them to head to where the other Tribe was, they moved on.

It was a disaster. The Lions they first met seemed rather kind, but when they slept the Pride managed to seal the small group into their hut, and later sell them into slavery for another more inner-savannah tribe. There, they were met with a Lion whose queer power not only took them by surprise mentally, but cancelled out their abilities unless he wanted them to be used.

With great hatred, and resentment growing daily, the small Hand did their duties for almost two years. Each of the slightly older Kin were made to use their powers, while young Jahkonu and Laka's had barely surfaced. When they did, both were exploited for months before Jahkonu's powers allowed them to create enough weaponry to escape.

They did so - at a cost of the lives of six young Lions, and two elders. This has earned them a terrible bounty on their heads, from the Lions. Fortunately, the Lion country is well guarded on the south western edge, by a stray Elephant Kin population who believe that the Cheetahs on the Plateau ought to be left alone. Not even the Lions mess with those Elephants.

The next full year was spent on foot traveling just a few miles a day into the southwest. The antelope Kin who lived in the area fearfully surrounded by Lions, could have been prey to the smaller feline Kin too, but they sensed that this would only give the Lions a better chance at bringing in that bounty. Carefully they kept hunting natural prey, meeting precious few others along the way.

On their journey, they headed directly west for a time, and wound up living on the beautiful coast just north of the Plateau. They could see the whole mountain range from there, but they yearned only for some privacy. They made friends with some local Hog, Hippo and Fowl Kin, with whom they traded their shaped goods for more comfortable clothing and some better news of the Kin to the south.

At last, they have made their way to the north end of the Plateau. Where, almost literally overnight, they have begun to see dragons gracing the skies along with those fanciful bizarre Zekirans and their ship.

While they are curious, they are also quite insular, and have little intention of fully joining the Twelve and One. They may, and their offspring might certainly come together, but this small group will be the northerly defenders against any other incursions - now that they have a solid wall to their backs and they have the company of the occasional dragon.

((Add two or three years to ages, now that they're bonded and their dragons are grown up.))

Cuhsoyi, female, age 20; leader of the Hand, Healer

Gold-Red Maaret bonded at Calyeni Caverns

Etehmaro, male, age 18; Point of the Hand, and its namesake since he's a Shapeshifter

Multicolored Erilainen bonded at Moire Protectorate

Eqahkali, male, age 17; Defiant Middle Finger of the Hand

Shielding Light Vlodzon bonded at Lantessama

Jahkonu, male, age 15; Ring Finger of the Hand

Flame-Sun Lieytrez bonded at Lantessama

Laka, female, age 13; Wandering Pinkie Finger of the Hand

Bark-Brown Female Gataraa bonded at Xidaver Isle