Chapter One : Homeland

Howa

The prey was close. He could nearly smell adrenaline that swam through the air, tingling against his senses. Still, he remained unmoving, as resemblent to a statue as possible for him. The limb his body perched upon threatened to creak in strain with his wait. Howa was no small individual. His twenty five, nearly twenty six years of life experience had graced him with a build as solid as brick, muscles that edged over his body in an impressive stature. At six feet and two inches it measured him out to a hard two hundred and thirteen pounds.

Somewhere just out of his line of vision he heard a rustle of dried foliage that was spread over the ground. His mind perked back to attention as his deep brown eyes scanned the area. The hunted was nearby…and Howa had no intentions of letting him escape his grasp this time.

As if on cue the object of the chase came into view. His frame slinked over the grown, constantly glancing over his shoulder. He was alert, running from the one who sat just above him. Well, nearly just above. Only a few more feet left. A bit closer…

"Hah!" Howa laughed in triumph as he sprang from the tree. "Caught you!"

"Oh, hardly." The other smirked, his long black hair whipping over his russet skin, eyes sparkling with excitement. "You have to tag me first."

And before the bigger of the two could even protest at this change of rules, his target was off, soaring through the forest with an inhuman speed.

"Kohe! Damn it all." Howa scowled as he ran in pursuit, the twigs snapping beneath him with every footfall of his weight. He hated being out-run, especially by one of the ones he called his brother. If it were Arrow he would have had him caught in mere moments, but Kohe was faster, more likely to slip through your fingertips like butter. Kohe was the runner, Arrow was the tracker, and Howa was the leader. This was the way it had always been between the three of them. Their circle of friends was large, but the three of them had been closer than any others. The laughter rang through the trees as the leaves and shadows became mere blurs in the line of vision.

"Fine!" He finally slowed his pace, panting for breath. "You win. This time."

Ahead of him Kohe's footsteps ceased, scattering dirt about as he froze to see if his hunter was really stating the truth. After he eyed him suspiciously, he snuck closer in the direction he had just come from. Howa grinned while he watched, then casually sat down on the ground as if showing him that he'd really given up.

"About time you realized I'm faster than you," Kohe chortled as he plopped down onto the ground, laying flat on his back and staring upward at the blue sky that shined down on them through the trees.

Howa simply smiled, then reached over and rested a hand on his friend's arm. "Tag."

"Crap!"

This was their life. By morning they worked, pulling their weight on the reservation, some attending jobs, others heading off to school. Come afternoon they chased one another through the forests, went out on trips to the nearby towns, ran over the plains, lived the live that normal people their age did.

However, Howa and his world were far from normal. When night fell they continued to run. Though, they took on a different form, calling out to the spirits and the elders in which they gained their gift from. Some would look at it as a curse, but those who inherited these abilities saw it as an honor. They shed their human bodies and let fur cascade over them, seeing the world through canine eyes.

There was nowhere else in the world Howa would rather be, he thought to himself as he made his way home. The sun was reaching closer to the horizon, calling out the close to another day, another beautiful day in the paradise they created amongst themselves.

"Neta called for you," his mother announced as he walked through the door. A smile broke across his lips. Neta was his love- his reason for living the life he had, working for the future. They had grown up together, finally seeing the spark in their relationship almost two years ago.

A month ago he had taken her out to his favorite place to stargaze and proposed to her. Of course she had agreed, thrilled. She'd cried for him. Their love was legendary in his eyes, something he intended to grasp onto for as long as possible.

"How long ago?" His pushed past his sixteen-year-old brother, inhaling the savory scent of the pot roast that was cooking on the stove.

"Less than an hour ago. And if you touch that I'll break your fingers."

Seheso, his brother, snickered under his breath. Traditional Cheyenne names were somewhat of a system in their family. Regardless of the fact that both Howa and Seheso had lived through the elementary and high school taunts of the other students named 'Daniel' and 'Matthew,' they'd learned to take pride in it.

Seheso had it easy, Howa had always thought. His name was short and simple, where Howa went by his nickname since nearly every person he'd ever met that did not live on the reservation couldn't even pronounce his full name.

"What are all of you doing tonight?" His mother asked as she began setting the table, forcing a reluctant Seheso to put out silverware.

"Arrow and I are going for prowl. Kohe's got family visiting so it's just going to be us two." Howa pulled himself sit on the counter, thinking about the plans for the evening. "Then afterward we're leading a run down by the river."

"Well, you be careful," she warned, waving a wooden spoon at him in that ever-so-motherly fashion. "I here Don is running his cattle through that area lately."

"I know, but he won't be running them at two in the morning, Mum."

The laughter persisted until everyone was too busy shoving food in their mouths to speak. When dinner was complete, Howa readied himself for the evening, kissing his mother on the cheek, then headed out into the night.

The burrowing owls cooed out their song as the rodents skittered across the grasslands. The last of the kill-deer stirred, returning to their ground nests to tend to their soil-colored eggs. Somewhere far off there was a distant sound of a magpie. At this time of year the wildlife flourished. This fact invigorated Howa, for it made the nightly runs so much more entertaining.

Before he went to collect his best friend he had a stop he had to make. He brushed his finger through the jet-black tresses that covered his ears and stepped up to the small house. It showed a bit of wear, too small for more then two or three people, but it was perfect for those who occupied it. He knocked on the door, leaning on the frame while he took on the most alluring pose he was capable of. For Howa it wasn't a difficult task. He was a beautiful individual. He knew this, but did his best not to allow it to bloat his ego.

"One second," the sing-song feminine voice from inside called out. The sounds of someone coming from one end of the house to the other filled his delicate ears, her scent growing stronger. Finally the door opened, a set of deep green eyes peering at him from underneath a layer of ebony bangs that hung over the woman's deep russet skin. His breath caught in his throat, as it did nearly every time he saw her.

"Neta," he sighed, pulling her into his arms. She fit so perfectly there. The world was more beautiful all of a sudden.

She snickered and slipped her arms around his neck, playing with the tips of his hair. "You act as though you haven't seen me in days."

"Hours, days, close enough." He chuckled quietly. "Can I come in?"

As they walked into the home the chattering of birds greeted him. The scarlet macaw and the African gray parrots hovered on their perches, crying out for the pure joy of making noise.

"Yes, yes, little beasts," Howa soothed at he walked over and gently stroked their feathers. As usual, the gray nipped at his hand, not in the mood to be touched. African grays were generally a one-person bird, Neta being that person.

This was something he would have to get used to, though. His boxes were already packed up, piled in his room at home. Soon enough they would all be escorted here so him and Neta could begin their life together.

How could anything in his life get any better?