Khalb'hava was a Dog. He had many brothers and sisters but out of all of them he was the fastest. He was also rather smart compared to most of his siblings - at least on his opinion. When many of the Dogs started barking as soon as they smelled something or someone close by Khalb'hawa first carefully sneaked closer to see what it was. When his brothers and sisters with short fur shivered of cold in the depth of the nest while winter's breeze whistled Khalb'hawa ran enthusiastically after snowflakes outside. Often he teased his elder brothers to play with him but they all got exhausted when he had just warmed up. So he started to compete with the Wind. It was a tough adversary for him but extremely moody. It could tire out just in the middle of the tightest competition and didn't move for days. At times it could run, threaten and roar around for a week. So it wasn't too good of a playmate either.

Time passed until the nest became so crowded because of new pups that Mother Dog drove the older ones onto their own ways. Most of Khalb'hawa's brothers and sisters turned their noses to the warmer and lower grounds in the south. It was said that the food and prey was plenty there. However, Khalb'hawa realized that even the best grounds run out of prey if all of them settled there. Besides, he wasn't afraid of cold winds of winter, and thus he faced his slim nose north and sprang into run.

At first he ran across the northern plains. He found mice, moles and other little animals to eat. In the summer he contended the warm winds in the steppes and chased horned horses. In the winter however the northerly winds were too much even for him, and there was little cover in the plains. So Khalb'hawa moved to the slopes of the mountains that rose in the west. But the rocky slopes were next to worst ground for his long and slim legs, and hunting was nearly impossible now that he couldn't make use of his speed. Also many odd creatures dwelled in the mountains and the smell of them was anything but pleasant to his nose. Thus he descended to the hilly area between the plains and the mountains which was flat enough to run but which also offered sheltered caves and thickets where to hide from the winds. There were also plenty of little animals like rabbits and other rodents to feed on. There he settled to live in.

He wasn't however the only lodger in the hills. A Hawk hunted on the same prey. Many times a rabbit or a mole that Khalb'hawa had driven from its hole with great trouble ended up in the Hawk's claws. Khalb'hawa had little chance defending his prey from the Hawk who knew how to fly. Often did he try to find Hawk's nest in order to give him a lesson, but in vain. On the other hand Khalb'hawa sometimes managed to hunt down hiding animals that the Hawk had spotted and preyed on. So their relationship was grounded more competitive than hostile.

Like this they lived side by side for a long time until the Great Winter came. The sky grew dark and when the spring came snow didn't melt and air didn't get warmer after all. Clouds covered the sky through all year and when the sun sometimes glimmered through the clouds it was hardly brighter than the stars. Then one day filthy stench and howling started to spread out from the north.

Strange beasts wandered south through the hills. More and more of them came and went and finally some of them stayed on Khalb'hawa's territory. He tried to drive them out but some of them were too big and strong. And what was the worst, those beasts started to hunt everything that was alive in their hunger. Even though they were not especially good hunters they were so many that at some point the animals that Khalb'hawa hunted grew less. At times the beasts even tried to catch him but they were no match for him in a running competition.

At last there was so little game that Khalb'hawa's stomach was growling its emptiness as he hadn't eaten for a week. Just then a little, disgusting monster dragged past his den on its deformed feet. Enraged and enhungered Khalb'hawa leapt on it, bit it to death and sank his teeth into monster's soft flesh. And EWW, YAK and FIE! Creature's flesh, if you can even call it that, tasted unbelievably horrible. That way it became obvious that the monsters couldn't be used as food.

Those days Khalb'hawa found himself often watching in the sky where the Hawk continued hunting. For long did he fight his pride until the hunger won. He called the Hawk to him and asked how he could keep on hunting. But things were not better for him than what they were for Khalb'hawa. This week the Hawk's only catch had been a mole's leg and the week before that a crippled mouse. You see, the Hawk's problem was that even if he spotted with his sharp eyes all the little rodents and birds that hid in the bushes, he couldn't catch them through the thicket. Khalb'hawa's problem on the other hand was specially spotting the prey as all the tracks were ruined because of those stinking monsters.

In mutual understanding Khalb'hawa and the Hawk buried their old grudges and started to hunt together. Division of work was very simple. The Hawk took care of the most of spotting the prey and after spotting something he remained to circle high over the prey. After this Khalb'hawa had an easy job driving mice and rabbits out of the thickets and catching them. He left birds kindly for the Hawk to catch. Then they divided the food equally - or at least as equally as a dog and a hawk can. Together they also killed smaller monsters crawling from the north so that they didn't grow too numerous. They also kept watch in turns to keep the creatures from ambushing them. That way they persisted alive in the midst of still continuing winter.

Time passed and finally there was so little food that there wasn't enough for the northern monsters. They started to fight and eat each other. Khalb'hawa and the Hawk however found even the best-hidden grouse and mice. Khalb'hawa also dug up many kinds of berries and moss. They weren't good but at least something to put in mouth. The monsters were now easier to kill or drive off too now that they were hungry and tired.

This way fighting monsters and hunger they spent the ongoing winter until on one day the Hawk's relatives brought message from the south - darkness was withdrawing. And truly the sun got brighter, snow started to melt and the few monsters that were still left turned their sickening noses north and left.

Little by little life returned to the hills, trees woke into life and soon more mice and other that kind was swarming through the hills and valleys than ever before. But Khalb'hawa's and the Hawk's ways didn't separate. They continued hunting together - and so they do even today.

Author: Matias Rasi