The mighty Kur leaves its cave hidden in the high snowy Ta-Thassa Mountains, its summer so he has food enough in deer, which feeds at the alpine meadows, but he has problems with lice and decides to catch a human female who he can train as pet to groom his pelt. The Kur moves slowly down ward and reaches the foothills of the mighty mountains bordering the northern side of the Gorean plains. For days it walks through the grassy plains, now and then catching an animal for food. Suddenly he smells fire, he hides in the grass and sneaks towards the burning fire, careful because fire means men, and men can e dangerous, specially when they are with many.

Dajanira is supervising the slaves of her sons, she speeds the girls to work. Satisfied she nods when she notices the sluts are working hard now and she goes to the hills surrounding Omen Valley, which is the most northern place visited and inhabited by the wagonpeople to which she belongs. Married to a Kataii she norally lives else where but now her brother the Tuchuk haruspex Kutaituchik and her son Hakimba needs her at the place where the omens are read. She enjoys the moonlight on the plains and thinks she has still half an hour before the herd sleen are set loose at the plains. She hears some animalistic breathing suddenly, she worries, has her son set out the sleens earlier, he must know she is still outside the harigga. Suddenly a dark shape towers above her, a filthy mouth stench almost makes her faint. She screams loud andtries to run but gets a blow of a mighty paw which makes her dizzy. Daja notices a hairy manlike creature of almost 9 feet, she tries to scream again but the blow has taken all her strength and she falls unconscious in the grass.

The Kur sees the woman in the grass, unaffected by her beauty he notices this is a sturdy speies and capable of surviving winter in the mountains. He takes her leg and swings her over his shoulder so he can start the long walk back to his cave in the Ta Thassa.

Kutaituchik sits meditating on his dais, then suddenly hears a female scream. Normally he would not notice because sreams of scary r punished kajirae he is used too. No this is different, suddenly he is extra alert, he recognizes the scream. Its of his sister Dajanira. He jumps up and runs to wards Hakimba’s wago were he almost bursts into his nephew, looking bewildered. “did you hear that scream, its your mother “ he says.

Both men ran around in the grassy fields behind Hakimba’s wagon, seeing its bend and trampled by mighty feet. Clawlike imprints they see in the ground, this is not a bosk which ran here. Suddenly Kuati notices a piece of cloth , he rans to it,. Small drops of blood lay at the grasshalms, more textile he sees . The imprints in the sand of the plains show that a mighty predator has taken his sister. Hakimba comes near “the Others, he says in awe, a Kur, I heard Lady Aphris slave, who is a Northman, speaking of it, they must be terrible, almost human, but strong and fast as a bear”.

“He has grabbed your mother, maybe we can free her, if we track and follow him with some men,  get the herdsleen”. Hakimba ran’s to his sleen cae and leads the 6 footed animal with the excellent tracking nose out, he brings it to Kutai who holds the rag of Daja’s cloth. The herdsleen sniffs the blooded textile and starts pulling the leash Hakimba holds “it wants north, to the Ta Thassa, he outrider says”. “Seems logical” Kutai, the haruspex, answers, there they can hide in caves, this will be dangerous , but we must save our family member. Also 4 outriders, Hakimba, Kutai, Khuyildar and young Kamchak move North, following the very visible trail, and the puling herd sleen which now is in the hunting mood and will not stop before it found its prey.

After the days the hunting group reach the foothills of the Ta Thassa, they enter a steep valley and come higher and higher,. So high they reach the snow line, Suddenly the sleen turns wild and pulls like a mad at the leash. Hakimba bows and unleashes the sleen, which rans through the snow, growling. The young scout running behind it, sword drown. The others try to follow but they can not match up with Hakimba who s the youngest, even so young he even has no courage scar. Kutai is soon a 100 meters behind his nephew end the others even more. He hears screaming and growling. Then he arrives at the place of battle. Hakimba is attacking a brown Kur, of average height, his sword slashing the animal, which in return uses its ax. Kutai sees his sister laying in the snow, unconscious, but apparently unhurt. The snow covered sleen is at the neck of the Kur, snapping its fur, weakening it with its sharp teeth.

Hakimba swings his sword, he tries to exhaust the more powerful Beast. He slashes at the paws, diving several times under the swing a. He is satisfied with his sleen who helps but who also not have the strength to hurt the animal heavily. However he notices the Beast gets frustrated he can not grab fast moving Hakimba, and which already breaths heavily. He already hears the war cries of the others. Soon the Kur will face 5 enemies, including the sleen.