Hala - Male, age 31

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.