Bearclaw Valley come up to the clouds my lamb

The commotion stirred in him an attentiveness; the kind of clarity of focus one gets when the docile homestead is upended by unhappy parents, or the like. In this case it was Merrick versus some unfathomable beast the likes of which Glaucos had never seen before.

At its heel came Merrick, grinning wide, clearly enjoying himself. The boy did not know what to do. He tread a step closer only to fall back by half, wanting to investigate this thing and the dance they shared - but also afraid, wondering if he should be there at all.

A nervous whine pealed from his clenched jaw and Glaucos looked around for others - as surely he was not alone in witnessing this creature, and someone of stronger mettle could aid the man (dare he think, step-father - his eye gave a little twitch).