The thundering paused every few minutes; the air rose heavy in anticipation of the next assault upon the soil. The rhythm was familiar to the groups of Unarra tending to the various tasks of the day. Some even used the noise to jolt them back awake after falling asleep from a night spent playing too many games of hyra. Atlak hated how the dust was stirred into the air, how his feet vibrated afterward and caused him to pause in his work to recover. Tynel Mellor and Tynel Atlak were lashing groups of vines together for the trainers' use. Mellor marveled at his spawn's ability to work single-mindedly, and had praised Atlak on many occasions at the amount he could accomplish in one day, even in comparison to such experienced workers as Mellor himself.

Mellor had hoped the long day would slow the relentless questions from his curious spawn, but such was not the case. Atlak paused only long enough to voice his frustration with the rippling ground swells experienced while taming the Pikatan. Atlak turned his attention back to Mellor and continued probing, "...but if Tallic had such obvious talent and empathy with the beasts why did the Tresed relinquish him to apprentice status for so long? Is that why he left? Some say you were friends. What was..."

"We are still friends." Mellor was thankful for the growing tremors of the Pikatan. "That is enough about Tallic for today my progeny; the taming exercises have begun."

Upset that his questioning had ceased, Atlak tried not to cough as the dust kicked up around him. "Of all the creatures, what is so sacred about the Pikatan anyway?" Atlak's scowl grew deeper and darker with every leap and hard landing of the Pikatan.

Mellor was amused. "Keep that up, Atlak, and your face will become etched like that."

"Just once, I would like to stomp through their valley and disrupt them while they are trying to get work done."

"I suppose you would also want to be revered as the Sacred Atlak too then?" Mellor smiled. "Perhaps you would teach the Unarra about the patience of taming as well?"

The reprimand was enough to keep young Atlak from continuing to outwardly show his distaste for the Sacred Pikatan. Atlak just grumbled to himself as clouds of dust mushroomed into the air not far from where they worked. However, the thunderous quakes caused by the Pikatan didn't stop this time. A telepathic warning was sent to all nearby, but Atlak was distracted by the sudden and chaotic rearing of the Pikatan. Something was wrong.

Most of the Pikatan were rounded up before any large amounts of damage were done. Yet, one crazed animal, its eyes rolling in its skull, careened forward with its strange loping leaps, dodging all attempts at capture. Atlak's insides churned, a mix of ice and painful heat as he looked up to see a silhouette of a figure on a near-distant hill. Atlak began to scream even before Mellor was trampled...

My Part:

...In the few days to come, Unarras all across the Hijordo plains were preparing for war. It was not an ordinary war, though. They were at war with General Sentos, the ex-leader of their military defense. He became the ex-leader when he started to force the Unarrans to pay for "protection." Through his many years as an Tyrusian outcast, he used the training skills he had witnessed the Unarrans perform to gain control of animals. Now he was a powerful tamer, and still a masterful warrior...

General Sentos pulled his spike-hammer out of the chest of the Unarra cadaver with a horrifying rip. he turned his blood-soaked head to the left to watch his beasts rip apart another Unarran soldier. He issued them commands and they dashed off to the north as he gave an evil grin to the body lying on the ground. "How weak your species is," the General whispered as he wiped his spike against the body to remove the blood. "I shall soon rule all of these plains with my Pikatan army."

As the General stood up, he could feel the presence of some wild Pikatans. Oh, good, new recruits, he thought to himself. These seemed a little too big to be Roq Pikatans, he thought. He telepathically called his ten strongest Pikatan. With him, they travelled west to the edge of a Kompa herd. There they were, Giant Pikatan and three of them at that!

As the General approached them, the three Pikatan let out a booming yelp and formed an attack triangle to defend against the General. The General started concentrating on controlling these beasts, but they were too strong-minded to penetrate. These ginats attacke the General and ripped an arm off with their powerful jaws. The General's own Pikatan did nothing to stop this. It was the fight for control of the pack for them! Sentos screamed in agony as a limb was ripped from his body.

Sentos watched as these three turned away from him and gave a commanding bark. His own Pikatan started to close in on him, and this was for the kill.

All over the Hijordo Plains there could be heard a scream...

...These three Pikatans, my spawnlings, became known as Greed, Hate, and Possession. You must avoid these three things if you want to be a great tamer. If you ever become greedy, hateful, or become possessive of animals, these three will come and take everything away. So, on this day of your first training, I, Spiritual Leader Tynel Atlak, promise to train you in the ways of a master tamer.

--Spiritual Leader Tynel Atlak
Opening Training Speech of
the Hijordo tamers.