The Beast Master - Hosteen Storm, Bk 1 Author:Andre Norton Hosteen Storm is the Beast Master, a mustered out soldier after the end of Xik war, who has managed to keep his military team of animals together - two meercats, Hing and Ho, an eagle, Baku, and a sand cat, Surra, all genetically enhanced animals with whom he shares a telepathic bond. With Earth destroyed in the war, he has chosen to live on the... more » planet Arzor, since he prefers outdoor living, and he hopes it will provide employment opportunities for himself and his team. Hired on to help herd the native equivalent of cattle, he makes friends with the local native intelligent race, the Norbies, a people whose anatomy precludes their being able to talk and have therefore developed sign language to an art. Their culture in many ways mimics that of the Dineh (Navajo), in which Storm was raised, a heritage to which he clings.« less