Stone Circle le petit prince

He felt his heart thump-thump-thumping in his chest, and likened it to the racing tempo of a charging doe; he had seen so many of them in his observations, always trying to steal closer and get a better look, but they always found him and they always ran. He often wondered what it would be like as the prey rather than the predator, not that Oiseaux could ever fully comprehend the difference, his empathy reaching out across a great divide.

The woman spoke of family, of how such a place ran as a meritocracy, that everyone had to pitch in. It all made sense. It was all very familiar to the little family he came from, although at a grander scale. He gradually looked up to her, his gaze shy but hopeful and attentive. He nodded lightly to indicate he was listening.

How about I will accept you, she explained, causing his heart to transform from the constant doe-thump to something more erratic, like the pace of a racing rabbit. But you will have to show that you contributed, or at least are learning. It was not a difficult caveat for him to wrap his mind around.

The boy nodded more fervently, enthralled by the very words she spoke. The opportunity would not be squandered. Yes, please, thank you! I'll learn everything, everything! His tail was a blur behind him, low though it was and curled nearly to his belly, it had unfurled and now bat mercilessly at the grass.