Sun Mote Copse Dear Daddy-Long-Legs

wraen peered at arcturus with one eye, divulging she knew exactly why ram were not often on the menu. arcturus smiled to himself, waving away her statement with a shrug. "oh no, i've been hit. but rau did not know what these sheep were capable of, and one day he decided to stalk up the mountain range and study them.

he studied them for several days, always climbing higher. a few times he thought to make his move, but the sheep had many eyes in the foothill, and all of them trained on him. so he climbed, chasing one ram in particular -- who was full of golden fur and advanced in years. one day, the dirt beneath his feet had become shale, and the going was treacherous. still rau pressed on after the gilded ram, believing the old man would soon die on the mountain.

rau had seen many sheep fall from tall heights, and had never found their bodies below. what he did not know, was that sheep were born with the mountain in their soul, eyes, and feet -- and were every bit a part of it as the rock he stood upon.

the rock he slipped upon." arcturus noted wraen's eyes were closed, and so continued.

"rau fell.

unlike the sheep, he did not land well -- and when he landed his right front leg became trapped in the tumbled stones. he tried and tried to break free, but the more he struggled the more wedged his leg became, until at last it seemed he might die on the mountain.

he started to howl. first for his friends, and packmates, but they were long gone. then he called for anything, feeling dread overcome him like a cold wash of water. when at last he felt his voice give way and he could cry no more, he saw a shadow cast over him.

that shadow belonged to a ram -- the very ram he had been following. 'help me,' rau begged of the creature, who watched him flatly from a safe distance.

at first, it seemed the ram would do no such thing. it turned once, away --

and then turned back, head dropped -- and punted rau and his trapped leg right off of the shale.

rau landed in a heap several feet down the mountain, his head and shoulders ringing -- but he was free -- and after catching his breath and waiting out the pain, rau stumbled down the mountain.

but that is not the end of our story -- for the golden ram followed."