June 15, 2021, 01:09 PM
AW!
It had taken time to settle the children in to their new rendezvous, deep in the heart of the territory. Mou had not scouted much of the area while he had worked to corral them together, and to be honest the field where he had planted them was not the best place.
The field sloped gradually east towards a bluff, affording a small lookout spot that could be used to watch the goings-on of the plateau's lowland forests. Mountain hemlock bordered the bluff and provided ample cover for their small bodies, interspersed with old growth white pine, yellow cedar, and the occasional fir tree.
He had not thought to dig a hollow for them, but it did not matter; @Vesper had found a thinning patch of grass within the field and started up a game with @Blueberry and the others, during which they took turns trying to build a castle; Mou had left them sleeping in their dirt-and-grass wallows like a cluster of little somnolent piglets.
He was not far — but the desire to be child-free was strong, and gave rise to the first of his many wanderings around the area.