Moonspear i lie perfectly still

I'm so sorry!

 

Unlike Lyra, Rannoch was still within the den. There were too many thoughts, which he couldn't quite shake off, that kept him from his usual mid-day rest. At this point, a nap at the day's brightest hour had become a routine, but, today was different. Rannoch found himself fretting over Liffey's whereabouts. Under normal circumstances, the Iota would have been able to reason with himself to assure that everything thing would be alright. But, with Liffey's whereabouts unknown, logic did not seem plausible to the turquoise-eyed yearling. Something terrible had to have happened to her-- just like the eventual fate of anybody he had ever loved. 

The scent of another, whose perfume carried the smell of the mountain, and an inquiring thought broke Rannoch from his deprecating thoughts. Though he was further away from the mouth of the den than usual, he was still able to make out some aspects of the stranger that curiously lingered. Recognizing that this was somebody he had yet to meet, Rannoch cocked his head before calling out to Farrah. 

"Hello?" he asked as he picked up his shoulders so that his posture would mirror that of a laying Sphinx.