The Twin Continents - Sabhakhi - The Shadow-Walkers

Little is known about how the Sabhakhi (Sah-vah- kee ) came to be. They are desert-dwellers, wanderers and mystics, worshippers of the demi-god Sabanu - the jackal of the shadows. Like the Khara'a, they appear most often as humans bearing the features of their canine patron; however, while is it an ability demonstrated only by certain members of their race, the change of shape has not been denied them. The fragmented mythos claim that they are descendants of the children of Sabanu and his consort, Shu'ka; cast out of their territory by the larger and more powerful Linnir. Silently, clad in robes of linen or silk, they move across the desert sands; ever-searching for a place to call their own.

Creatures of twilight and shadow, the Sabhakhi are active at night and skilled in the oracular arts; yet, few, if any, are ever revealed to carry the powers of the dark gods. With their love of music, dance, and self-decoration, they are not unlike the Corasae, and the two can occasionally be found travelling together in the caravans of the Free Ones.

Most often, though, the Sabhakhi prefer to form small, more-or-less permanent packs of three to five members, not counting immature offspring - a mated alpha pair, and two or more 'helpers', who assist with hunting and the raising of whelps. Whelps - the term both for pups, and the process of birthing them - are always either singular or twinned - never more. Single births are slightly more common, with the ratio of male to female whelps being roughly the same. With twins, the chances of both pups being female increase, thus skewing the actual population. Upon attaining maturity, pups will depart to seek out either a mate of their own, or a position as a helper in another pack. ( Extended Pack Heirarchy )

Jackal-kin mate for life - while many enjoy the pleasures of multiple partners when young, once a breeding bond is formed, they remain monogamous. Often, young females are coerced into sexual play during their first heat, though they may not yet have displayed any real interest in mating and would not have agreed to it otherwise. Though this is not considered by the 'kin to be rape, the female's ability to consent is definitely in question, and it could be likened to engaging one who is under the influence of alcohol or other awareness-altering substances. It is rare that a Sabhakhi will conceive during her first heat, whether she is sexually active at the time or not - this may be a natural means of protecting immature females from being forced into motherhood before they are ready. Conception is more likely during detectable estrus-phases thereafter, but can occur at any time if the female is fertile. Not all Sabhakhi are fertile, and those that are can supress it in times of need - droughts, famines, abductions by flesh slavers. All female 'kin, fertile or not, go through at least one heat; after it, the female's scent changes to the one she will be recognized by for the remainder of her adult life. 'kin who have been supressing their fertility will go into a heat-phase as soon as the supression stops.

Beyond the immediate family, bloodlines that are especially close may opt to remain together as a tribe. In any group, the eldest member is the lore-keeper, regardless of gender; the eldest male teaches the ways of war, and the eldest female shares the secrets of the moon - the oracle, the Shift, and the Shadow-walk. ( 'Kin Gifts )

'Kin history is passed down through oral tradition, both spoken and sung; in some regions, there are wall-paintings left by ancient travellers. During times of ceremony, they will also paint their bodies with henna; lore-keepers and warriors occasionally opt to display their personal tales permanently in the form of tattoos. Non-ceremonial makeup may be worn by any member of the pack. Many, too, are fond of piercings, and, much like the wilder Ævani, sometimes chain one piece of jewelry to another.

Under normal circumstances, Sabhaki are pseudo-territorial - as they are nomadic, permanent claiming of land serves little purpose - however, they will mark and defend areas where an extended stay is taking place, should they feel threatened. Places of 'prime real estate', such as oasises, may be shared by a number of packs, all of whom will define their own private living space; but necessities such as water are considered to be public property and may not be claimed. Packs who set up on the edges of these areas cannot, under 'kin law, prevent non-members from having access to them, even if they must move through personal territory to do so; they can refuse to allow outsiders to remain for longer than it takes to attend to their needs. Still, genuine territorial disputes are rare; 'kin are fond of the company of their own kind, and there are even occasional large gatherings, or Kin-Moots, though not all packs are always able to attend.

Both territory and individuals are identified by scent, though unlike true-canines, Sabhkahi mark their space with blood and perfumes rather than musk and urine. There is a generic 'Kin-Scent' that says, "Sabhakhi are here," as well as personal scents that, even in the case of an unfamiliar individual, are identifiable for gender, fertility, and age. An approximate rank can sometimes be inferred from these: females who have bred, for example, are often the alpha of their pack. The personal scents of females vary the most: females who have bred, who have not but can, who can but suppress their fertility, who cannot. The scents of males tend more toward simple designations of maturity: immature (pup), semi-mature (sub-alpha), mature (alpha).

Words and names are both thought by the Sabhakhi to have great power. They are adept at learning new languages, even with only a small example to work from; though for many, this is a skill that is rarely, if ever, used. Within the pack, they speak both their own tongue and that of the il-Azellian nomads; with outsiders, only the latter, or another humanoid tongue, is spoken.

Most 'kin have three names, and on occasion, may even have more - the long pack name, which is used only among 'kin - normally in formal introductions - and encompasses the individual, his or her skills, and a brief parentage; the short public name, which is used both on a familiar, day-to-day basis and in introductions with non-'kin; and a by-name, which is a descriptive in the Common tongue that serves as a surname when, again, dealing with non-'kin. Bynames for use in non-'kin society are often purposefully self-deprecating - for a society that places such weight on the power of words, this might seem strange, but there is a reason for it: As it is not their true pack-name, it gives the wielder no power over them. In addition, it can serve to put those who believe them to be a potential danger off-guard; someone who presents him or herself as a 'Watcher of Clouds' is more likely to be thought of as a simple nuisance than one who comes as a 'Slaughterer of Children and Sheep'. The Sabhakhi commonly known as 'Nazimah', the Poem, might therefore be introduced to a distant relative as 'Nazimahsati-sata-Orabiyah-hera-Hanu' (Poem-for-the-MoonQueen, daughter of Shining Spring and He-Who-Laughs), and to an Azel trader as 'Nazimah Chases-the-Cat' (or even 'Nazi', though this is obviously not the best example of an overshortened public name). Being female, her dam is listed first when giving the pack name, followed by her sire; in the case of a male, the order would be reversed.

Rarely, a Sabhakhi who has some sort of reputation among humanoid society may opt to simplify the feat that earned it for use as a by-name; such as in the case of U-wa-ys Of-the-Palace (who spent some fifteen years as a companion of the youngest daughter of Prince Zulan Nahida, and was dismissed with half his weight in gold on the day of her wedding - one of the few 'kin to have anything other than a questionable reputation at best).

Few are the settlements that welcome the 'kin. Their four-pawed cousins are widely believed to be tricksters and thieves in Al-Khor; and so, too, are the Sabhakhi viewed by many. They are indeed prone to scavenging and the playing of pranks, but it is rare that they perform an act of lasting harm. While they are more likely to go unnoticed in the larger marketplaces - particularly when clad in the robes of il-Azel traders - should one be uncovered, they may well be chased from the bazaar. Even when in possession of coin, the general tendancy of the more 'civilized' humanoids is to believe that they have stolen it - true, this may well be the case, but it is a way of life they have been forced into through centuries of persecution. For the Sabhakhi, scavenging and thievery are both a necessity, and a futher condemnation - they cannot legally purchase what they need, but they are shunned for the only methods by which they can acquire it. When they cannot procure food, they must make do with what they can scavenge as well - and this, too, adds to the fear and misbelief surrounding them; for they eat the dead.

There are strictures regarding both the active acquiring of sustenance, and the use of the dead as a passive means of doing so - but many non-'kin - particularly humans - are either not aware of this, or are so disturbed by the prospect of being devoured after death that the presence of such regulations bears no weight. As children of the Guide, the Sabhakhi are keenly aware of the existance of a proper time for a death and the right of others to live. Animals considered to be non-sentient may be hunted and killed as necessary, with no restraint, and their bodies taken when happened across. Under no circumstances is it permissible to kill a human, humanoid, or human-hybrid, as well as certain sentient creatures, strictly for food - however, if a 'kin must kill for self-defense, he or she is then permitted, even encouraged, to feed on the victim's flesh; sharing it with the pack if there is enough to go around. In this fashion, the death is not so much a waste of life as it serves to sustain another.

True, it does not help that some of the craftier of the 'kin have devised methods of getting around the restrictions, while still seeming to follow the letter of the law itself. For example, should Sabhakhi come across a place where the bodies of the once-sentient dead have been left, untended, in the open, they may also make use of them; but only if there are no other options available. Not all 'kin adhere as strictly to this law as it might be intended - many packs, during times of hardship, will follow armies and hover on the edges of war; waiting for an opportunity to dash in and claim the fallen of either side. The desecration of graves is both a crime and a sin, and is not practiced, even for food - but a 'grave' is a tended place for the dead to rest in peace; so a body that has been abandoned - such as the victim of a murder left hastily covered in the desert sands - is not considered to be in a grave. A very few will even attempt to rationalize murder as self-defense, and earn their meals in this fashion. These are most often the packless, however; who have no one to keep them in line, and may well have gone mad.

Shadiyah Bites-the-Hand
Sketch by Kei; coloured by me. Ignore the wings; it was originally meant to be another portrait of my inner self, but it came out so well I decided to use it for Shadi, too.

Asunder - The Twin Continents