Nathan and Stephen Dakota were born to two tree-hugging squirrel-kin and spent the first eight years of their lives on the road between Territories. Dad worked as an independent planner, scouting the layout for roads that fell on Native land. Mom was skilled in all three Native languages and made sure the negotiations were peaceful and fair.

Often left to themselves, the twins passed their days climbing trees and making up stories about their surroundings. At night, their mother reinforced their colourful imaginations by passing down Native folktales. Brave, painted Ursidae and dignified Mustangs became larger than life; the self-sacrificing nobility of the Raiken warrior was an immaculate standard to which the twins strove to uphold.

By the time other domestic children were just learning their letters, Nathan and Stephen were saving each other from falling into the Shadow of the Dark Moon. Destroying the Amber Eye that imprisoned one's spirit guide. Falling into spontaneous trances and communing with the Elders of their Tribe.

Or Clan.

Or Pack. It often depended on the day.

Yet, while Nathan and Stephen's own internal adolescent politics were often childish shades of black and white, those in the outside world were conspiring to bring their nomadic home life to an abrupt end. When treaties between the Territorial government and the Ursidae Natives went awry, the twins' parents found themselves suddenly out of work. Taking refuge in the only Territory open-minded enough not to find them offensively eccentric, the Dakotas settled in South Barkshire.

But the twins weren't willing to give up the world they had created, one filled with talking spirits, noble warriors, and magic...