he had come back to the plateau upon ending his talk with the swiftcurrent girl, and promptly fell into a deep sleep. now, with the september day high above him, the gamma awoke, cleansed himself in the stream, and set off in pursuit of game. he had not been in such turmoil for quite some time; lasher found himself uneasy, conflicted.

his first attempt at rabbit-catching went poorly, and his second fared no better. dismally, he turned away. perhaps he would try such at a later point in the day. murkwater gaze caught sight of a familiar form wending its way through the wood, and his heart lightened somewhat. "pura," lasher called, tail waving affably behind him. the child was growing fast, no longer small. pura boasted a frame that, when overlaid with the muscle of adulthood, would be formidable and large indeed.

lasher was pleased to note that pura's speech had only improved, and while he did not speak with the jaunty fluidity of one to which talking came easily, he was amiable and sweet in his words. "good morning. i was hunting, but so far i am empty-handed," the gamma trilled self-deprecatingly. "what are you up to?" he had seen the boy out before, and assumed pura was taking up the task of patrolwork, an admirable trait.

"would you like some company?" came his next question, gentle enough to be pushed aside if the young man wished for solitude.