Hala - Male, age 31
Partner/Offspring: Co-Leran (Zekiran quad) / Harlae, Cala
Partner/Offspring: Coda (IIKK) / Hark

This pale Cheetah Kin has always had a fondness for throwing things. From the time he was a kit, through to when he was deported with the rest of the Tribe, Hala would be playing with things small enough to be thrown far and accurately. When he found his throwing darts, thin metal shards, he knew he'd prefer them forever. He takes down prey like small birds, rabbits or other such quick, nervous animals which are quite difficult to hunt otherwise. He is popular among the clothiers for providing them with interesting pelts or feathers.

It is no surprise that Hala's powers are quite subtle. He has little in the way of empathic power, but he is an exceptional telekinetic manipulator. He almost didn't get deported - his powers are hard to detect because he only uses them when he hunts or is throwing things. His powers are able to speed or stabilize flying objects.

Hala watched as Omaciyu left the main hall. He wasn't jealous of the tall slender Kin, he valued Temih and her ideas of Human-Kin interaction too much. They were almost the same age, but what a huge difference their backgrounds made.

Hala curled up next to the main fire, glassy yellow-gold eyes reflecting in the flickering light. His tribe mates were full-bellied, their pelts would be smelly with the blood they hadn't thought to clean, later. It was a good smell - he thought - it was the smell of success.

They didn't need to show off, they didn't need to advertise they were there. The Tribe was simply where they ought to be.

Yes, yes. Temih was the only female. But there would be others. Wouldn't there? Other Kin were nearly equal in their gender mix. Hala absently wondered if they ought to try asking their normal Kin to come live out here, just to balance things out.

Of course, Hala could say that - because his powers were ...

"They are not weak," Hala said to himself, as he lifted a pebble off the ground with them. It floated perfectly, steadily. He tapped it with one copper-colored claw, and it spun gently around on its axis until he saw fit to stop it.

Hala let the pebble drop to the stone floor, and stretched out on his side. The long tumble of black hair he had fanned out, and he reveled in it. It was largely due to his powers that he could keep it clean - twigs and dust? They just came off like they were repulsed by him. It was a good power to have. The power to look good.

The last of the sunset poured into the cavern, and a couple of the males stretched out in that light matching it color for color. Qodara and Iryudyo had long since stopped their bickering, everyone knew that it was neither of them that caught the big buck out there. It was Utori's kill. The young Kin didn't really feel like stepping in to an argument between two of the more volatile members of the tribe.

Hala's attention was diverted by a big bug, fluttering past. He didn't dare chase it in here. That would be ... Almost impossible to resist.

His white tipped tail flickered back and forth, and he almost jumped at the big moth - but fortunately for Hala it drifted too high and into the middle of the chamber. He wouldn't leap out into the center of things, just to catch a bug.

Instead, he rested his muscular frame on one of the many scattered pillows in the room, and fell to sleep.

***

Hala rarely dreamed so vividly. His dream was of a bright object - he would later claim it was just remembering the moth - falling from the sky but being picked up by a large reptile. His perception failed him when he tried to look at the creature closely, but he thought it rather resembled a big lizard with wings. There were no such animals on Planet Twenty, that he knew of, but that didn't matter at all. This was a dream, after all.

The winged lizard swept over the plains, and Hala's view went with it. Almost as though he could see from its eyes. Though it was night time, in the dream, he could see as clearly as if it were day. Cheetahs' vision wasn't meant to be so keen at night as other Felines, so Hala knew that this creature could see in the dark quite well.

The stars danced in the sky, and pieces of them fell to the ground, some landed in the great Inner Ocean. They steamed, billowing out great plumes of smoky clouds from the water. Flying over the sea gave Hala a thrill - still in dreams he could conquer that ancient fear.

But when the animal dove into the water, Hala woke with a start. It was not even early dawn - not quite as late as he expected it to be. Hala's dream left him filled with some strange expectation. Almost like a hollow feeling - but he had never known that.

He heard someone, Oma? Yes, Omaciyu was up and about. At this hour? Hala remained where he was, and Oma passed by slightly muttering to himself. There was a strange hint in the air, though, something like a storm but not quite. Like nothing Hala had ever felt before.

He went back to sleep and did not dream.

Hala watched with interest the activities around him. DesCas was an intriguing place indeed! The group of humans and ... almost humans, didn't seem to mind his being Kin at all. The draks were surely curious. Some of them even went up to sniff at him.

At last, though, one of the Knights (the riders were called knights here. Hala endeavored to remember this fact.) who rode the female on the cavern sands came out and told people to expect the hatchlings to come out.

It was a while, though, before they did so. The mother of the nest, a lovely Water colored white and blue, exited first. She coaxed her offspring out, into a kind of shared area. Her mate came from the sky, dropping to the ground and watching with the kind of pride that only a male could give off.

One of the draklings ran off to her bond, then a male fire colored one paired off. A lovely Day male came out from his mother's shadow and tried to attract Hala's attention.

However, Hala was somewhat watching something else. Everyone seemed to know how cats were so easily distracted. Hala gazed at the Fire drak and his chosen, wondering how humans here accepted creatures and those near Planet Twenty didn't.

Hala's instincts peaked and he activated his powers - when several pebbles came into his vision, they hung in the air near his eyes. He focused beyond them, at the brilliant white-gold colored Day drak.

The drak tilted his head, almost smiling.

"Fyakiis," the drakling stated in a pleasantly childlike voice. Hala knew that was his drak - the one who'd chosen him!

Now, he imagined what they would be doing over the plains on Planet Twenty! Their territory would be vast indeed!

Hala went and knelt by his new bond. "I'm Hala," he said.

"I know. I am hungry, Hala. I will not sleep like my sister there," he indicated the first of the draklings to pair.

"Then I'll hunt for you. We don't need to worry about you going hungry."

"But you'll need to train," said the woman named Breeze, who was oddly not as human as the rest of the Knights nearby. "And I think you'd do well with me and Leniki."

"Leniki is my mother!" said Fyakiis happily.

"We will train to fly, with you?" Hala asked. Breeze nodded. "Good. I can smell some other place on you - like my home, only colder, I think."

Breeze was intrigued, but they would have time to talk about these things later on. For now, they found something to eat, and Fyakiis finally did fall to sleep.

***

Their training went extremely well, so far as Hala could tell. Fyakiis could spread his wings and fly over long distances. And Breeze taught them so many things!

As a squire Hala could have been a little better - he was never quite going to be comfortable around humans, but with all the draks there he did at least have other qualities that he could show off.

He was fierce in the air, and on the ground. A great hunter. His powers and his natural aim brought down many dinner-sized creatures.

And soon, came the time that they were to learn how to use the portals. Hala wasn't certain he wanted to leave, just yet, but Planet 20 and his tribe might all be waiting for him! How could he know that he was among only a few so far who had paired up? By the time they would get back, though, everyone would be bonded.

Hala bid Breeze and Leniki farewell, and Fyakiis nuzzled his mother one last time.

They headed home...