the long wolf-trot carried him from the plateau. some tension had settled there, betwixt the ruby and the willow, though he hoped it would pass. 'twas not something that needed to be fed, not with atticus lying damaged in the den of the woman who would have been wife to him, mother to his children. he pitied blue willow for many reasons, though taltos was tactful enough to keep such sentiments to himself.

the day's noon found the delta perched upon the stone ridges of a cliff riddled with sheep odor. he had eaten before departing his den, yet it stirred the primality within him all the same. glancing upward, lasher began to climb higher, disdaining the danger of his decision, a low, amused hum thrumming in his throat.

he did not know why he climbed, only that it seemed to satisfy a deeper longing within him, a void thus far unfulfilled. and though it was foolhardy, the celt no mountain creature, he hauled himself ever higher, pausing only to let tongue loll in a pant as his toes gripped the edge of of a tiny stone shelf. it was then that he heard a voice, but distant as it was, lasher did not hear its words. murkwater eyes narrowed; the slim form of a dark young wolf had darted toward the foot of the cliff.

fanacht ann! the delta called down to what he supposed were one of the children, come to follow him upon the slopes. a great anxiety seized taltos; he should not have clambered so high. thus, he began to make his way back to the safety of the earlier cliff in an ungainly fashion, hoping to deter his companion from imitating his dangerous decision. such was his distress that lasher did not realize he had spoken the tongue of the glen, sliding unbidden into it.

in true osprey fashion, she did not heed him, but began to clamber higher, despite his tone. the man grit his teeth and continued to let himself down the outcropping, intending to speak coolly to the girl for her misbehavior, and as his backfeet touched down upon an outcropping not far from her intended point, lasher clutched desperately at its edge and let his murkwater eyes bore down upon her traveling form.

enough! the delta called down to her, his tone more forceful with these words. it is not safe, osprey junior. go back. if she had a sense of urgency, she would heed his warning.

junior halted, thankfully, and lasher dropped down to his previous ledge. had he been another beast, perhaps he might have scruffed the child for her insubordination, but there was a soft spot in the creature's heart for the young ones of the plateau. a vague expression of amusement passed across his features as she settled herself dramatically, and he drew to her side. it means 'stay there' in my language. sometimes when i am quite upset, my tongue forgets what it is we speak commonly.

he eyed junior presently with a mixture of affection and trepidation. what would you have done if you had fallen, fearless one?

he liked her cheekiness; out of the four young ones, junior reminded lasher most of peregrine. he smiled as she spoke, giving her a genuine nod of agreement. i do not think you stupid because you are young, simply somewhat reckless, but we are all reckless in one way or another. he glanced to the cliffs above them, then returned his attentions to the girl.

what was it you were doing out here? taltos asked suddenly, a cheeky glow in his eyes to reflect her own. if she did not wish to tell him, that was all right; he would not press her. the child was old enough to roam alone and guard her own secrets.

junior was given a slow blink, mild fear dawning briefly in his eyes. yet it was not fear of the unknown, but rather how to phrase such things to the little osprey, in such a way that she did not immediately run to peregrine with a butchered version that would insinuate the delta's guilt in the ruination of her mental innocence. you will not like what i have to say, dear junior, but that is a question better suited for your father.

having no knowledge of junior's wisdom when it came to carnal activity and reproduction, lasher wanted lastly to confuse her with alternate versions of such sport; if she had not yet received the quintessential lesson from her father or her aunt, how could he find himself worthy of informing her? a rueful expression floated into existence upon his face. this is a branch of a talk that is not mine to give you.

he half-expected the fiery words, but true to form, he was less inclined to speak of what had transpired during that odd night between himself and peregrine. instead, his gaze cooled somewhat, and he regarded her with the hint of a disapproving frown tugging at the edges of his mouth. junior, the man spoke, and his tone was firm. i am not the one to ask. this is a conversation which you must have with your father, and you must accept that.

to her commentary upon his 'special' role, taltos gave no response, but his eyes warmed once more to the thought of exploring. if you stay with me, and heed me if i say we must turn back, we can attempt to climb as high as the mountain sheep, he invited, wondering if she would accept his stipulations.

i do. it is a good role for you, he answered, placing paws against the rock face and levering himself up several feet. he was greatly amused by junior's 'weiner' comment, but decided not to laugh at it, lest he encourage such words or offend her.

it is my intention. when i was very high up, i spotted a couple of lambs. of course you know how nimble sheep can be, but perhaps we will earn our mountain legs today. tossing the girl a mischievous smirk, taltos threw himself into the business of climbing, knowing she would be alongside him.

the young osprey kept fine pace with the glen-man, and he smiled briefly to himself as they climbed. at length, a thin, long ledge became reachable; lasher gestured that they should pause here, to regain their bearings. as he perched precariously upon the stone lip, he gazed down with dizzy joy at the ground far below them, and grinned brightly at the young outrider.

murkwater gaze traveled upward; he spotted the thin footpath of the mountain sheep, and presently he heard their bleating. gingerly, he straddled the tiny trail and began to haul himself higher, eyes casting sideways to monitor junior's progress.

he crouched in the path presently; a young goat was well within sight, its hindquarters turned toward them. the angle of the wind was not enough to bring the scents of himself and junior to its nostrils, he supposed, though a more wary adult with sharper eyes might have spotted them immediately.

still, taltos felt the rush and the risk was worth the experience, and presently he lunged up the tilted side of the mountain and snapped for the kid. his first blow did not land, but a deft sweep of forepaw against hindleg caused the animal to stumble. the young goat was small, but its size belied latent strength; it bleated loudly as lasher caught fast his teeth in its rump, and he struggled to maintain his hold, expecting junior to aid him in the next few moments.

she moved to help him, and when she lifted her mouth from the flesh of the kid, he noted the blood with satiation. eartip flicked at the long bellow of the deprived sheepmother; her horns glinted menacingly in the sunlight, and lasher did not know if she would approach, but did not dare to take such a chance.

moving himself to the lip of the cliff over which they had come, he dragged the kid forward and began a descent. with junior's help to alleviate the weight of the burden, they would be able to move it to the more stable cliffs, from which they could either continue the torturous trek down, or drop the kid and descend after it.

whatever was decided, taltos had enjoyed himself immensely, and managed to give the girl a fond look as he clasped their burden in his jaws.