You stumble through the rocks down to the lake side. Nearby is a small stream, a water source from the mountains. Though you had to climb down boulders you find the shore soft sand. Strange pug marks mixed with cloven hoof prints mark the wet sand and appear recent.

Curious you follow them along the beach. A nippy wind blowing across the lake and tugging at you with invisible fingers. Finally you come across a tumble of black rock that extends out into the water, partially submerged and the tracks disappear. You sigh and are about to retrace your steps when you come up with the brilliant idea of climbing the rocks to look around. Even if you can't see the source of the tracks you'll at least get a good look around and perhaps even get your bearings once more: This part of the Tir seems wilder and more chaotic than others and the paths seems to shift on their own.

As you heave yourself up over a boulder you see a dasarot and recognise her, crouched down inspecting rock pool. In the better light you look again on Kukiti a little taller and longer legged than most of the Dasarot you have previously encountered, her feathered fetlocks are long and dripping wet with lake water. As you move forwards your foot knocks a stone, sending it softly clattering down the slope. The Dasarot's head jerks up, throwing her ivory mane about like a silken banner.

She freezes for a second, muscles bunched to ready to flee if it is necessary. When she recognises you she relaxes a little and her whiskers sweep back into a friendly smile.
"Hullo again." She chirrups, her voice a feline pur. "What are you doing up here?"
You open your mouth to answer and almost get blown over by a buffet of wind. The dasarot looks over your shoulder and sighs.
"We'd better get down off the rocks and away from the lake: the winds picking up and it might storm later."
She hops nimbly down the rocks, her paws easily grip the slippery rocks. The going is not so easy for yourself, the stones seem to be made of glass in some areas, damp from the spray that the wind is now blowing against the boulders.
The dasarot sees your difficulty and halts. "Here, hold the end of my tail for support." She flips the tufted end of her lionish tail up into your hands and leads you down the last of the rocks, picking the path easiest for you.
"Thats better" She chirrups as you get down into a patch of forest, away from the biting teeth of the wind. "Whats your name?"
You tell her and her ears flick once, as though she is storing the memory away for later reference.
"You know I'm known as Kukiti but did you know that it is an Allori word for 'nimble'." She does a light footed dance on the spot as though to reinforce her name.
When you comment that she seems different from the other Dasarot you have met from the land of the Silver One her face splits into a merry grin.
"That's because I'm not." She laughs. "Many generations ago, when the plagues were at their worst, Allanon found a small pack..." She see's you shake your head slightly, the Tsubu forest plague only started a few years ago. You knew that... Something in Kukiti's tale is wrong. She seems to realise the source of your confusion.
"Not the plague that struck the Shi, before that, long before, there was another plague, back before the Tir was rift from the rest of the worlds, one which affected both Shi and Tulp: resulting in a slow and painful death.
She found a small pack of Shi and Tulp who had banded together for protection from the larger, fiercer, predators who hunted the area, fleeing one of the areas worst struck by the plague. After healing those ill she brought them back to the Tir. They are the ancestors of the Tshilp, what we term our sub species of the Dasarot: Neither Shi nor Tulp but a little of both. Until now we have remained hidden for fear of the plague coming to the Tir but Allanon's wards seem to protect us from it."
She shakes out her tail and shifts her weight.
"We lost many in the Summer Solstice of the Bulette though. There are only two small packs in the Tir now, and Yaan^ki, a Dasaroo from the homeland of our ancestors." There is another rustle and a worried canine face pokes from the bushes.

"Kukiti! I worried..." She freezes as she sees you and backs further into the bushes, ears flat in anxiety.

"It's alright Tirutua. There is nothing to fear from this traveller."

The other Dasarot backs further into the leaves. "How can you be sure?! That's what I thought of the last one!"

Kukiti sighs and leaves your side to comfort the other. "But you were outside the Tir then. Allanon would not let harm come to any of us. You know that." The canine dasarot looks at you uneasily but cautiously steps forward, keeping Kukiti between you and herself. It isn't until she has come completely out of the bushes and turned that you realise something is very wrong with her!

Instead of one of the usual tails of a Dasarot she has the shapely finned tail of a shark but it is scaled and shimmers softly gold and blue in the weak sunlight that manages to struggle through the thick leaves overhead. You draw an amazed breath and, seeing your eyes widen, she backs again.

"I knew it was a bad idea Kukuti!" She wails, cringing.

"Calm down Tiru!" The feline Dasarot side steps across to nuzzle the strange dasarot's cheek. "No harm will come of this one."

Kukiti turns back to you. "Tirutu once wandered from the Tir to explore. She was set upon by a group who feel that mutations are unnatural and therefore should be destroyed."

The shark tailed dasarot huddled against her pack sisters side, trying to make herself small. It is now that you notice the faint scars on her tail, almost faded now but once they were very deep and you are sure her saffron fur hides others. Tirutu seems to gain control of her fear a little, her voice is soft, accented, as most Tir native creatures are, and makes you wonder how a person could possibly wish to harm such a gentle creature.
"I would have died if Allani hadn't heard me somehow and driven them away... She was like a wolf: glowing with fury. I don't know how she got me home... but I am safe here." Her last words are a statement, almost challenging someone to try and prove otherwise.
Kukiti nudges Tirutua merrily, glad that her kin-sister is more confident. "Tiru's my half sister, we share the same sire. Her name means 'Grace' You should see her in the water! She's like a faefynn I swear!"

Tirutua's ears dip in embarressment. "I'm not that good..."
"Well you're water attuned gaduin!" The feline turns to you. "Waters the reason she has her tail." She glances at her half sister, requesting permission to continue. Tirutua flicks her ears in affirmation.
"Tiru's mother used to travel outside the Tir, when Tinuri was in cub with Tiru she got caught in the desert and was all but blind with thirst when she returned and all but fell into the pool where the streams Kaeo and Tani cross, not knowing where she was she drank from the pool."

Kukiti looks at you as if this explains everything but Tirutua notices your puzzled expression and gently continues.
"There are eight streams that feed into the lake of the plains, five come from natural sources, one from Raftnim's pool in the desert through an underground stream and two spring from nowhere. These two streams are Tani and Kaeo. It is thought that they are caused by the chaotic majik storms which still rage across the waste lands beyond the Tir's wards. The waters of these two streams contain highly unstable majik. When it reaches the lake it is all diluted to have no real affect but no Tir creature will knowingly drink from those two streams... It has had a... variety of effects on the imbiber."

There is a soft growl of thunder and it begins to drizzle. Kukiti licks her paws fastidiously.

"I'm getting out of the wet!" She states and bounds away, calling over her shoulder "Good travels K'zarti"

The rain begins to get heavier but it doesn't seem to bother Tirutua, She walks you to the edge of this part of the forest before stopping.

"Here is where you continue alone K'zarti. I give you the advice to be careful of waters that seem to glow. Raftnim's stream has healing properties but you can mark his by the purple-blue flowers that grow near it. Be wary of Tano and Kaeo. It is said that they are proof of nature's sense of humour. Caern nol g'z k'zar's."
She turns and seems to melt back into the shadows leaving you to continue on through the forest or venture out into the meadow.