The races

Rhian and Tyrin took Syrin to meet Moran and Yana and their eleven children. Syrin took an instant interest in the couple’s young children. Tyrin and Rhian saw this and thought that things would be better. Syrin spent several days walking and talking with the couple’s children. Moran and Yana left them with Syrin, knowing that Rhian and Tyrin would let no harm come to their children. Syrin learned all the animals’ names. He experimented with his powers in games he played with the children. K'yesh, the oldest, he took aside and made his ears longer and pointed and gave him vision of the night like that of the tiger. They played long into the night games of tag and stalking. The next day Syrin took the second son, Moiran, and gave him wings like a bird. All that day they played spying games and games of strategy. The third day he took aside the third son, Oggrish, and made him three times the size of the other children, making him muscular and distorting his facial features into a grotesque picture of what he used to be. All the third day they played games of monsters and victims. As the days progressed he changed each of the children except the youngest, Kiyanne. Syrin watched as the children played the games he taught them and he smiled a cold, lifeless smile to himself.

-from the Tales of Creation