This will have to do until I am able to procure provisions, she thought as she crunched away.

The kits, who were nearly the same size as their mother, were excited about today's events. They were going to start their pull training and they were both anxious to prove themselves to their seasoned parent.

According to Ziz the training master, these sessions were purely for Shara's benefit. Track Cats instinctively knew how to pull, once they were harness broken. The training was strictly for Shara to learn how to control the strong animals so that they would work together as a well-coordinated team.

Once she had finished eating, Shara quickly gathered up her kits harnesses and they all left to go to the training area. It was being held in a wide open area, and Shara found that hers was not the only team being trained. There were ten other teams besides hers with their newly initiated kits that were gearing up.

Shara’s first lesson was how to properly harness her Track Cats. Once harnessed, they had to be double checked. Then, one section was hooked up to a dummy hing or sled. Shara was then instructed as to where and how to stand, and how to hold the guide leads.

"To start you must give them the verbal command to pull. Hei is pull, nuh is slow, yhuh is stop," Ziz instructed as he backed away. The kits, who'd been sitting, stood and awaited the order. Shara took a deep breath and called out.

"Hei!"

She had no idea what to expect. She certainly didn't expect to wind up practically flat on her face and dragged halfway across the track! Her heavy clothing kept her from getting serious abrasions. Ziz ordered the team to stop as other trainers ran up to assist.

"Are you injured, Shara?" Her friend Ahn asked as she helped her Vulcan friend to her feet.

"I am fine... I had not anticipated...," Shara replied.

"We always have spills on the first training day but you are our first non-native to learn how to drive a hing," Ziz said. He wanted to make a good impression on Starfleet. The last thing he needed was for the Vulcan to be seriously injured or worse.

"Thank you for your concern. I am fine," Shara said as she looked down at her cats.

Kiki had hissed at them and given them both swats for being careless. They were now sitting before her with eyes wide and ears pulled back, resembling large versions of a Scottish Fold. This was the typical Track Cat "sorry face." Shara reached down scratched both heads and murmured praise. It wasn't their fault that she fell.

"Let's continue the lesson," Shara announced.

"Are you sure?" Ahn asked.

"I've fallen before and this won't be the last time," Shara replied.

Before she remounted the hing, Ziz gave Shara a refresher on how to stand and hold the leads. This time when Shara called out, she was ready. The rest of the day except for meal breaks, was spent on perfecting Shara’s and her team’s technique.

Shara grabbed a few staples at the souk and made a bee-line for her quarters. There she cleaned up and dressed for bed. That was when she noticed Kiki and her kits sitting at the door.

You forget date, Kiki whispered mentally to Shara.

I've not forgotten, Shara replied. In truth she didn't feel like going. Her first day of hing training was a strenuous affair requiring every bit of her superior Vulcan strength. She was tired and wanted to rest.

Too late! He comes, Kiki exclaimed. To the Vulcan, it seemed the Track Cat was almost gleeful as she made that announcement. Before Shara could voice an objection the door chime rang once and in stepped Dr. Gomez bearing a large basket of staples, followed by his two faithful Greya. He took one look at Shara standing barefoot in the middle of the sitting room floor, wrapped in a blanket and frowned.

"T'Shara, you were supposed to be dressed and ready," he said as he set the basket on the sitting room table.

"I am not going," she replied.

"I heard you had a nasty spill at hing training this morning. Are you alright?"

"But for a few small scratches I am unharmed. I am merely fatigued and wish to rest," she replied, hoping he wouldn't see through her thinly veiled excuse.

"T'Shara, I've known you to go for days on end without sleep for the sake of research. Do you really want to miss out on personally witnessing a perhaps once in a lifetime event for a nap," Gomez asked, incredulous.

She had to agree. No one in Starfleet had ever witnessed the Alforian Grass Dance ceremony. It would behoove her to be there to witness it. Silently surrendering to logic, she turned on her heels and headed to her sleeping alcove to dress.

"I'll put this stuff away while you get ready. Don't take too long. We don't want to miss the Entrance Dance," Gomez admonished.

About five minutes later Shara was dressed and ready to go. She and Gomez hurried through the corridors following the crowd to the show area.