A/N: Welcome, readers, to Lost and Found, the first installment of what I hope to turn into a series. This story is my take on how the modern Irken came to be. There are theories that they were created by another species and than became stronger than their creators. Other theories say they just are, that Jhonen Vasquez would have created some nonsensical but incredibly humorous explanation for the Irkens. So here's the beginning of my take on them. But I hope it's more than just a theory, I hope people actually like the characters. It's a theory, yes, but told through the adventures of what I believe were the early Irkens.

Oh, and anyone who read Salvation and/or The Waltzing Matilda, they're from the same storyline as this one is. Just farther up the timeline than LaF is.

Disclaimer: Jhonen Vasquez owns the Irkens. I guess I somewhat sorta kinda own these early Irkens, but they wouldn't exist without his version. Since this is set in the (very distant) past, I own all the characters and all other species mentioned.

P.S.: Did you know I love reviews? ; Okay, I'm done with the comments now.

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Prologue: The Hunt

Hoots and hollers followed Taipa as she ran. Trees and shrubs cried, the ground rumbled, and snarls ripped the air. Birds screamed, caking incessantly, as they were uprooted. A Detretal lowed, the sound low and throaty.

She pushed herself faster, scrambling up a large, bulky rock embedded on the crest of a long, steeply sloping hill. Claws scratched frantically at the boulder, searching desperately for purchase. With each minute crevice that she was able to dig her claws into, she pulled herself steadily upwards. Soft, sharp gasping pants escaped her mouth as she gathered her limbs under herself. She crouched, tensed, and then launched her body off the rock.

Behind her, a member of the hunting party roared. The pack's footfalls thundered behind her as they swarmed down the hill. They parted around the rock before merging back together again, a sea of rich green and deep crimson.

Taipa crashed back into the forest, trees and branches scratching her skin. She weaved in and out of the trees, scrambling and jumping over the thick roots. She ran onward, leaping over the gnarled roots of another tree.

The leader of the hunt growled deeply, the sound rattling in his chest and rumbling in his throat. His crimson eyes flashed as his front legs stretched before his body. Fingers dug lightly into the earth as unsheathed claws ripped into the soft ground. Then both flattened, muscles pulling, joints bending to shift his arms to support his moving weight. Legs swung forward through the air, fell, connected with the ground, pushed, and launched his upper body skywards, arms and claws extended towards the ground, waiting to grasp and tear at the ground again. He lowered his head for a fraction of a second as he ran, before lifting his head again, mouth stretching open to release another roar.

Taipa heard the fury in the call, fear dancing across her mind. Visions of her fate swam before her, blocking out the forest around her. Roots loomed up before her and distracted, unseeing, she launched herself over the lifelines. With her end occupying her mind, she miscalculated, clearing the roots but missing her landing.

The party's leader growled, pushing himself harder. Another male gained ground on his right, pulling level with his shoulder blades. Behind them, the rest of the party crashed through the wooded territory. The scent of their target filled the group's senses.

Taipa let out a pained gasp of surprise as she crashed down on the other side of the roots. She took the impact almost solely on her front left arm, pain shooting up the length of the affected limb. With a cry, Taipa's arm crumpled and she fell to the ground.

Pounding sounded all around her, grunts and snarls sounding from the forest. The ground trembled slightly underneath her. A herd of Okapin screeched, bouncing wildly through the forest. Bird cried in alarm, exploding upwards into the sky, turning black as they passed the sun and reclaiming their colors as they dipped, circled, and selected a new perch.

Pushing the pain aside, Taipa struggled to her feet. The pack's snuffling grunts sounded before her and behind her. With a quick, quiet gasp, she broke to the left, running as fast as her injured arm would allow.