You and Tikitu had been inseparable since you were children, from the moment you were introduced to each other. She was always somewhat lazy and timid, avoiding responsibility and hard work. Many masters, responsible for training the Feathered ones, called her hopeless and insisted you abandon her, choosing another. But you never turned away from Tikitu. And she hadn't turned away from you when you decided to leave your home tribe and embark on your own journey. Her kind, the Feathered Ones, had been "domesticated" by humans many years ago, used as mounts or pack animals. Also, their unfertilized eggs were used as food. Overall, they were intelligent and emotional enough to be loyal companions, but still significantly inferior to humans. By their nature, they were predators – they disdained any food other than meat.