The su and covered the barren meadows of the steppe in e light. The huts of the small vilge seemed lonely in the wide ndscape. taurs were nomads. Their huts were nothing more than stable tents in which often rge families lived together in a fined space.

  Of course, there were also some perma vilges. But these were often on the edge of the steppe, close to the adjat forests, and were inhabited by humans. A single river ran through the try, which reached into the mountains of the dragons and whose source was in the marshnd. At the edge of the forest, the river nourished some streams that did not reato the vast steppe where people settled. There were also small settlements of elves and werewolves. Some lived with the humans. On the banks of the river, where no humans, elves, or werewolves lived, the steppe was at its liveliest. There were tall bushes, juicy grasses, and flowers of all shapes and colors. The vilge was not far from the river. A few teenagers sat on its shore. The three taurs y iall grass and looked at the clouds. In doing so, they tried tnize forms. Kalle, who at een was the oldest of the group, had just discovered a cloud that looked like a star. His best friend Aurel, who was two years younger, was thrilled with the find, as he himself had discovered a moon cloud. His twelve-year-old sister Amarillis trotted along the riverbank and challehe two boys to a water fight. The two of them didn't feel like it.

  "Then at least you should join me, Flordelis!", the girl called out to the oher girl in the group.

  Flordelis groaned. "Why did your sister e with us again?"

  Aurel sighed. "She pio Mom that I didn't want to take her with me. Well, now I had to. Little pest!"

  Flordelis was sixteen years old and had long, blond hair, while her horse-like body was bck, in trast to her pale skin. Aurel, just like Kalle, thought she retty. But her boy had dared to tell her yet. Aurel and Kalle both had brown hair. Their horses' bodies were also brown. They looked alike, almost like twins, although they were not reted. At least that's what their parents cimed. The adults iribe weren't so sure.

  Amarillis was now soaki. Her bck hair g to her and her brown horse's body gleamed. "I'm bored! I want to py with you! Mom told you to py with me!", she grumbled angrily. "But you just sit there and stare at the sky."

  "You could look fures in the clouds with us", her brgested.

  "That's b!" The twelve-year-old pouted. "You never do what I want! Now, e on! A water fight!"

  "As wet as you are, you don't need a water fight anymore", Kalle remarked, amused. "Maybe you should get out of the water before you catch a cold. It's autumn!"

  "I'm not cold!" Even the clothes Amarillis wore on her human torso were soaked. She was more remi of a kelpie than a youaur. Her brother suspected that she was actually one. Kelpies lived far away. Far beyond the desert ons. But there should also be some in the sy waters of the vampires.

  Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Frightehe little girl galloped out of the water to the other teenagers. "What was that?", she asked.

  "A dragon", Kalle replied. His gaze crossed the sky. "There!" He had spotted a shadow between the clouds and poio it. The other three taurs looked up.

  "Where does it want to go?" Amarillis stared spellbound at the shadow.

  "In that dire lies the snd", Flordelis answered the question. "What does it want at the ss? Nons are living there."

  "As far as we know", Aurel murmured.

  "Maybe the dragon has friends there!" Amarillis grinned. "Or he's going on a trip? Like we did with dad the other day? Wheook us to one of the human vilges? To exge jewelry fetables?"

  "Your father shouldn't deal with humans", Kalle snorted. "They are intruders. They should be grateful that they are allowed to live here!"

  "Don’t be stubborn, Kalle!" Flordelis snorted and threw a tuft of grass at him, whided on his head. "They've been living here almost as long as we have! In addition, they do not get so far into the steppe. The nd is too barren here."

  "My father says other tribes treat humans differently!" Kalle wiped the grass out of his hair. "He says we're too peaceful. If we are not careful, they will eventually try to drive us away! Or worse!"

  "Your father sees ghosts!", murmured Aurel.

  "Am I? Elves and werewolves are ensved by humans! That's what Dad told me! What if they try to do that with us?" Now Kalle set.

  "No, that are the witches and they do here", Flordelis objected. "And what should humans do against us? We are stronger and faster than them. And we live longer. How long do humans live? Eighty years? We live up to four hundred! And manipute their will. So what are they supposed to do to us?"

  taurs were feared by many humans. Those who lived on the edge of the forest were refugees who wao escape the Queen's rule. Just like the elves and werewolves. taurs were sidered relentless and dangerous. An adult taur could subject the will of several people to his will at the same time. Also the will of other taurs. They were not all equally strong. The strength varied. The stro were the leaders of their tribes. If there was a dispute between two tribes, and this could not be easily resolved, the leaders peted mentally against each other. The winner of the dispute was who broke the will of the other and thus forced them to give up.

  Children and adolests were not yet able to manipute the will of others and they were still immuo it. The ability awakened, between their fiftieth and huh year of age, when they were sidered adults. Iribe itself, it was forbidden to manipute the will of others. The young adults used petitions to train their gifts and ohey were fully grown, to maintain their rank iribe. The more talented a taur was the higher his reputation. All adults took part in these petitions. The young fight for their pce or to learn and the older oo keep their pce. As soon as the talent awakehe young were allowed to practice with their parents and friends. This was not sidered official manipution, as it was a mutually agreed upon. The four youngsters could hardly wait to take part in the petitions, even if they had to wait many years for that.

  "I don't see the dragon anymore", Amarillis mehe sun had set and a cold wind was blowing. The little girl was shaking a little. Her wet clothes did not improve the situation in the slightest. She was freezing.

  "Let's go home", Aurel suggested.