The first of fall stirred inside him as evening fell, a little shilly 
in the high altitude as he hiked up into the dark. His stirring 
wasn't anything strong yet, or stronger than it was most of the year, 
except that his thoughts of mating were harder to get out of his mind 
once they began, they entered more easily; coming earlier and leaving 
later. Orange leaves and a blazing soul, Chirin wandered alone again. 
He wore nothing but the old charm on his left arm, and the tattoos of 
the Mure'mar. 

So much had disillusioned him. He would start over somewhere where 
the beacon spell had no reach on him. He'd said he'd be back, he just 
needed an escapade alone, somewhere else from everything that seemed 
to entrap him in the far weat. He needd to see new lands and maybe 
meet the Mure'mar out here. The fabled ram with a hold on *denki* and 
spirits, who would know how to get Goldie free better than Chirin 
did. He wanted to seize those unoun and spirits by the neck and shake 
them. Evil lake, that took so much, that seemed to think its rule was 
absolute. He would free those poor souls down there...but for now he 
was spending the fall in a new land. 

Chirin stopped on the rocks to sniff the air and cast his powerful 
lights about. He was a very tall ram now, near able to look the 
average charizard in the eye. alone, height didn't matter. By himself 
he was neither short nor tall. ~Well,~ he thought, ~are you happy 
now? You're the biggest strongest ram now...now that Ira isn't here 
anymore.~ 

He would find Ira. chirin loved him with something that went beyond 
his lust for ewes. Ira was not here right now but he would find him. 
He'd go below and kill every one of those spirits who dared to call 
themselves guardians--

Standing along the top of the ridge, he saw other lights. Chirin 
blinked in question to them--alone, it seeled he couldn't help but 
seek more companions. Other rams, especially. But there was sometihng 
different about theselights; they were odd colours. He remembered 
Karama with her indigo bulb, and a trill of mourning scatched his 
powerful flash of greeting.

~

Keha stood, his nose sniffing, eyes watching. A light! He watched it 
closely. A ram! He looked at Brodi and Iris. This was his secret 
little valley of ewes! He never told anyone about it! He growled. 

"Guys, hide your lights!" Keha threw his in mud starting to coat it. 
He wasn't leading anyone into his secret little ewe stash.

Brodi shrugged and did as his brother said, his tail dipped into the 
mud.

"What are you up to Keha?" Iris thought they acted so oddly all the 
time. 

"Just do it please Iris?" Keha said in sweet drippy voice she, knew 
he was up to something. "Oh! I see....no competiton huh? Well! Check 
this out!"

Iris laughed as she flashed her tail. 

"Iris! Why are you always doing stuff like this!" Keha grumbled.

"It's fun seeing you mad. Your face looks cute when you're mad." She 
laughed. 

"Some friend you are. Come on Brodi she doesn't know the way!" Keha 
laughed running ahead. Brother at his heels. 

"Keha! Get back here! Don't leave me alone!" She didn't know to 
chase after them or just stay where she was. 

Chirin was too distant to hear the voices, but he clearly saw a ewe 
flashing hre light. He smiled. There was much trouble in his life and 
things to get done, but for now he would concentrate on what the 
year, Haru, and his body were all leading him to. No matter what 
happened, he loved ewes, loed their company, delighted in the trickle 
of their laughter and the river of their moaning as he mated them. He 
had also come to the far eastern slopes to fulfill the calling voices 
in himself. He would have his fifth fall this year--and at his size 
he stood to gain plenty. He started towards the lights, adding onto 
the twinkle of light-song she had sent him. He embellished it with a 
profusion of sparks as he made his way towards her, not hurrying. He 
had seen other lights that had suddenly gone hidden. He would let 
them oknow: There was on fear!

Glancing down the other side of the slope he could see it was a 
valley. He smelled water and many sheep, as well as many enemies. It 
was a place rich with life and passion, probably where these sheeps' 
flock was, and definitely agathering place during the rut. Ah, he had 
come to the right place.

He did not hurry, just sent back the light song with something 
special. He wanted time to build up to their meeting, and he loved 
the language of light.

Iris watched Keha and Brodi run further away. The two so much alike 
no doubt they were brothers. She saw the distant ram signaling. She 
returned it. She looked out to where Keha and Brodi would soon 
disappear into the night. 

She at last set to follow them but, a t slower rate. She kept her 
light bright. She would like to see Keha's face when this other ram 
showed up. She laughed and walked on after them.

*****

Keha laughed climbing as fast as he could. he wouldn't let his 
secret be known to some ram out of the blue! Brodi laughed as he 
followed hearing his brother laugh. 

"Like broh! This is gonna be like so far out!" Brodi laughed.

"You got it brother!" Keha made his way over the rocky slope.

She wanted him to come! Chirin felt his melancholy melt away right 
along with his loneliness. The tall ram signalled back with curls of 
twinkles, expressing utter delight. 

He bounded from rock to rock, leaping with his tail swinging its 
large red ball behind him. Chirin was on the chase, envisioning 
delicious things. They swung and swayed with him, around in the air 
like scents. Chirin was hungry, thirsty, and more relieved at teh 
same time than he had been in days. He had forgotten how good another 
sheep, no matter who it was, could make you feel just seeing its 
lights after so much time alone.

Keha nodded. "Ewes and fall! This is sweet!" He edged up the slope more. 
He was tired of Iris! She was just 
strange. She liked to piss him off some reason or another. He liked 
the idea more and more leaving her behind.

Chirin broked into bounding leaps from the stones. They stggered 
downward, then led him climbing back up. His lights had added all of 
her signals and woven them into a blinking flashing song. He 
accentuated it with sparks. He loved to hear the zap of his *denki*, 
and ewes liked to hear it too, hear how strong a ram was. He admitted 
he was out to impress. And he wsa immensely curious about the ewes in 
this new land.

He couldn't let the past drag him down anymore, andtonight he 
suddenly wasn't.

Iris heard them she rolled her eyes. They were in for a 
surprise, she smirked flashing her tail.

"Light-sister, *pharaa!*" Chirin's face was flushed, he had run as 
far as he had. His feet landed on rocks then leaped off. He delighted 
in the spring of his own young legs and the pulse of lust in him. 
Memories of ewes past blended with a bright shine of thought of the 
future. 

He slowed to a casual hike many paces way, close enough to be heard. 
She was heading over the other side of the ridge, so with a last 
playful glance behind him, as if a string of *pia* followed him, he 
too was over the top.

Iris turned around she watched his song. She returned it adding more 
of her own little improvisions. She could hear Brodi laughing. She 
wondered how sour Keha would be when she showed up with this other 
ram. She laughed, Keha was fun to tease and torture, he made the 
funniest faces when he was upset.

Chirin came with sparks glittering around his feet and setting off 
small firecracker zaps. He seemed to almost dance, well, he felt like 
he was dancing. what really constituted the difference, between 
running, leaping, dancing? When did one become the other?

"Good evening, light-sister." Chirin slowed till he was sauntering 
towards her, not too fast. He knew his size especially could 
intimidate, especially if she was a really young ewe. He could fel 
the cool mountain wind batting his skinny ears around. "How does the 
drape of Clef's time find you?"

"Evening...." She was expecting a normal sized ram. He was huge! 
She glanced toward where she could hear Keha and Brodi climbing. 

She took a few steps back. What had she done? Okay she thought it 
would be funny to teach Keha a lesson but...this was going too far. 
Keha could get hurt if he was dumb enough to challenge this ram. 
Knowing Keha he probably would. 

She sure ruined his fall plans she thought to herself. She just 
wanted to get him mad just a little. She didn't want to see him 
beaten up though.

Keha's ears twitched hearing the other ram's voice. He looked up to 
see Iris flashing her tail. 

"Iris! Damnit! Why do find this shit funny?" He began to climb down 
faster.

"Yeah like totally not far out!" Brodi followed his brother's lead.

Chirin stopped when he saw her less than happy. His ears flickered 
upwards, perking them in a cute mareep-like way. He didn't want to 
intimidate her. Thinking more strategically, he made a long leap down 
the trail sighted out by his eyes, finally placing himself on a lower 
rock than she was. "Hi. I guess you can see I am new here...i guess 
you could say, that I am just passing through." Twin whorls of 
sparkles danced in his big fat head jewel. She was very exotic 
looking, small and graceful looking, with a white tuft of fleece 
round her head jewel...not what he thought of when he thought of 
pretty ewes, but nevertheless...quite attractive. 

He was ugly! Her eyes went to his bald chin. She saw his 
tuftless head jewel. She held in her laughter. Oh boy! Maybe Keha 
wasn't going to have much of competition afterall, well that was 
with the island ewes anyway.

Chirin looked at her with a quizzical flicker in his lights. What was 
so funny? He glanced behind him, as if something could be found 
there. He wasn't sure whatit was, but at least she looked happy. That 
was what he liked to see, no matter what the circumstances.

"i can see....not around from here." She looked at that bald chin 
again almost wanting to laugh again.

"See?" Chirin had noted her exotic appearance. He had never seen a 
ewe like her before. She actually still had fleece on her head, a 
leavover from flaaffyhood. Perhaps she was recently evolved. But 
either way it gave her a charming look, it made her seem younger. 

"You mean you have never seen me before? Or that I have that blank 
look on my face that comes from, for all my displays of confidence, 
comes from not having a clue under Watakko where I am or what I am 
heading into? I guess cluelessness is pretty obvious." He laughed too.

She finally let her laughter roll out.

"you sure are lost aren't you!" She just saw that chin and began to 
laugh harder.

Chirin got the faint feeling that he was being laughed -at- now, 
rather than just with, even though he had joked about his being lost.

"No, not lost. Just in a new place. Lost is when you cannot find your 
way back or to where you want to be. And a valley like this is where 
I want to be, and I can always find my way back from where I was." 

His lights twinkled, friendly. "You have a pretty laugh. It reminds 
me of a splash of water in the face--on a sweltering day."

He squinted, still grinning. "Am I really that funny?"


"Uhhh...yeah you are funny...." She put a flipper to her mouth 
keeping herself from saying funny looking. Her laughter followed 
again. She thought to herself she had one mean streak!

Chirin knew when he ws being laughed at. He looked down at himself. 
He honestly couldn't figure it out.Was it his tattoos? Sometihng he 
had said? Or just the blank expression he was giving her now?

"Might I inquire, in what way? You see it unsettles me just a little 
to know I'm that funny without even trying--not that your laughter 
isn't a delight to listen to."

"Light-sister, do you call these slopes home? I'm just a wandering 
one myself, come to see and smell the many sights of a strange land." 
He paused, flickering his lights. "I am Chirin-chirin of Pharos."

Chirin thought he heard other voices--other ram voices. He didn't 
hear the clearly, though. He was too busy taking in the sight and 
scent of the ewe anyway. Her voice ran down his spine like a long 
cool trickle from rocks, like back in the jungle on a hot day. His 
sides and neck and temples were a little sweaty, and his musk drifted 
out, just beginning to gain the strength Haru blessed the rams' 
scents with for autumn. 

"I'm sorry if I startled you," he said to Iris. His red lights 
wavered in question and and revealed the near-hairline squiggly line 
tattooed on either side of his face, matching the bigger longer ones 
down his flippers.

"I'm Iris...." She wondered if she should scramble after Keha and 
Brodi. They had been her friends when no one else wanted to. "No, 
this is not my home. I'm here with some friends."

"That's a beautiful name. I love irises myself, the beauty of them." 
He glanced down at where he had heard the others. "Those other lights 
with you, were your friends? I am coming down into that valley to get 
a nibble on that lusious grass I smell. If you like, you can come 
with me."

"That's keha and his bratty brother." She giggled. "They are a pain 
in the ass!"

"Oh, well, there are those in the world. I've met worse pains than in 
the ass. I will say they seem most interesting. Delightful, 
even...especially if you can laugh at their antics too."

"They are....well Keha can be funny sometimes. He's too serious 
sometimes though." She got control of herself.

"I'm sure you'll make up with him." Chirn smiled warmly. Some friends 
just shouted a lot sometimes. One of his own friendships way back 
west came to mind. Although they had certainly never fought like 
that. "Autumn is coming, although certainly not soon. But things are 
changing towards it--everything taking on that tint. Tension can run 
high and maybe that's what got to those two."


The wind paused, then eddied around before smoothing itself back out. 
It brought the smell of good grass down there to Chirin's nose. There 
was plenty of greenstuff in that valley, and even if there hadn't 
been a ewe in sight, he would have happened into that area. A ram his 
size had to eat more than most, and spend more time doing it. He 
stepped another rock down and nibbled on a scraggly bush.


"Kiss my ass! Shut up Keha! You too you little brat!" She shouted at 
them. 

"Ah...are those...your...friends?" Chirin glittered his lights, which 
buzzed a little. He stood ready to defend her against them if they 
were not her friends, but out to hurt her. He liked Iris.

"Yeah....sort of." She looked down at them. "Hey! Guys! What's the 
rush?" 

She laughed knowing what Keha's hurried scramble was all about.

"I wouldn't kiss your ass if you were the most beautiful ewe in the 
world!" Keha laughed, he had it with her teasing and pulling stunts 
like this. He climbed only wanting to get to the flock before this 
other ram. Which he hadn't seen yet, but could hear his voice 
slightly.

"Yeah like Iris you treat us like dirt! And we are supposed to be 
friends? Not far out! I'm like not gonna talk to you again!" Brodi 
climbed down.

"Yeah well go to hell Keha!" She laughed at him. "Poor baby Brodi! 
He's heart is all a broken!"

Chirin was quiet while the teasing went on. They probably did this a 
lot. He edged further down the slope, "that grass is calling me! A 
big ram has a big stomach to match and I am eager for dinner. Won't 
you joine me? Maybe everyone can make up over an evening graze."

 "Sure." She began to follow him down the slope.

Brodi was too friendly he would forget the whole thing and be sweet 
as he could be with her again within an hour! Keha rolled his eyes. 
His brother was just a push over! Keha sure wasn't!

Chirin shook his head. Apparently there had been something of a 
disagreement between them. He blinked his lights to ward off any 
effects from feelings of hate. "It'a shame that had to happen on a 
beautiful night like this. I won't ask into it... Do you still want 
to head down into the valley?" he said to Iris,wondering whathe was 
getting into. Well, with a ewe, could it really be bad?

"Ha! Keha thinks he'll get rid of me that easy! He's got another 
thing coming to him!" She crossed her flippers. 

Chirin laughed. He liked her spirit. "Some folks like to think nasty 
words can really make much difference in a person's light path. They 
have a lot to learn." 

He crossed the rock to Iris. "I like how you don't let him get to 
you...you're better than that, anything is."

"Of course I'm going down. I have a few friends that headed out this 
way. I heard Keha mention their names and I was like so surprised to 
find out where they went, what they've been up to!" She smiled. "We 
all got sort of lost after we left Far-run's flock. I knew some of 
them went one way and we took another route. So now I know where 
they are!"

Chirin blinked his lights in response. "I would like to meet these 
sheep as well, especially since I'll be sharing the grass with them. 
So you are new to this valley too?" He walked alongside her, although 
he kept stopping to sniff or nibble at a choice bush or weed he 
passed by. This time of year, everytihng still flowed with its 
bounty. "The night is very much alive, and I thank the spirits of the 
evening for leading my light-path here."

He wondered if he would be meeting his fall competitors. He might be 
tall, but he could still use more mutton on those bones. It was only 
his 4th fall (did i say it was his 5th? blooper!)


He would apparently be in company with those two down there, but they 
would probably be friendlier after a time. It was, after all, still 
only early summer. They had many, many days before autumn brought 
them clashing together. 

The two of them sounded very young anyway. Young and obnoxious. And 
there was something haunting about their bickering. Well, Chirin had 
dealt with worse than bickering. He flicked his ears. They had just 
gotten a bit of a workout and he had a feeling they would be getting 
more before long. Chirin started to feed his way down the slope, 
stopping again by another bush. The grass was calling...as wel as the 
scents of many sheep, some more like him, and some more like Iris. 
Iris and those two other rams had distinctively foreign smells

Chirn sniffed the wind. "There are predators not far from 
here...perhaps they sensed something? They're not being too quiet 
abotu it though."

His ears wiggled shile his nose worked.

Keha and Brodi looked at the valley ahead. They both winked at one 
another. They began to run. Keha felt the night air and the light 
drizzle. It was so good to be back here! It would be better back at 
the caves. Ewes all about, food, all kinds of glorious food! Music 
at the Moon Hall. Those nectars the smeargles made, his mind was 
buzzing with all that excitement.

Brodi ran behind him. His little legs pumping him onward.

Chirin took in the night air and let the wind lift his flippers like 
it played with his ears. He was in a glorious country, just the right 
place to fatten for fall. The rut fell hard on rams. 

He didn't see the two leave with their hidden lights, just heard a 
few muffled footfalls speedingaway ito the dark. after that he didn't 
hear anything. He looked around, wondering what was here in this 
valley.

Keha stopped the ram was coming into the valley with Iris! She was 
making his life hell! He panted looking over at Brodi. He noticed 
the rain had washed most of the mud off. He would see their red 
lights heading right into the caves.

"Time to think Keha." He whispered to himself. 

He didn't see any mud that was useful. It all just seemed a bit 
runny around here. The only way around this was to mislead them. he 
began to walk back.

Chirin saw them now, as the rain picked up from its lazy drizzle. It 
had been spitting most of the evening and now was returning for a 
nighttime dance. So much for seeing Clef, but that wsa all right. 
Chirin's body alit as sparks ran over him to keep him warm.

They had been moving swiftly away, but now they were rounding back 
towards him. They had gotten over their anger, their shyness, or both.

Chirin stopped to look around as he headed downhill. He stopped at a 
choice patch of grass,nibbled and went on. "Mmm...the grass is 
delicious. I smell other sheep have been here a lot...a lot of 
pokemon."

"Predators too you know." Keha spoke. 'Lot's of them. I can sure 
smell them all around can't you?"

"Yes." Chirin blinked his lights in agreement. "Best we stick 
together and stay in the open. I'm Chirin-chirin of Pharos. What are 
your names, light-brothers?"

He knew the ram saw him as a rival and an unfair one at that. Chirin 
saw it on his face.

He perked up his ears, that was one big ram. And ugly! Keha rubbed 
his chin enjoying the feel of his bushy beard there. He might not be 
the same size of this ram but, he had the beard! The tuft! He would 
have trouble with theaminland ewes though, but hell he had trouble 
with them last fall. 

He looked at this ram and studied him. Keha would have to be 
careful. He began to think.  

Chirin noticed the beard and was immediately reminded of Loki's 
disguise, so long ago now. It had looked wrong then and it just 
looked wrong now. A beard on an ampharos? Well, he had to be open 
minded. They were different creatures, and had different looks. 

Chirin's eyes ere studying Keha as Keha studied him. He had thought 
the ram much younger from the fit of insults he had been screaming. 
But despite his rather small size he was a least as old as Chirin, 
maybe older. and he didn't dig it that Chirin was here.

"I am Ke-ha of Oceaciana." He looked about. There had o be some way 
to lead him out of the valley? Trick him.

Chirin's ears drooped and seemed to take his smile away with 
them. "Oceaciana?" 

"Yes, the great islands of Oceaciana." Keha spoke proudly.

He was silent for a moment. "I knew someone from there once." 

Chirin had a more flickery fear in his lights. "I was told, and 
learned in a vision, that it is an extremely dangerous place. But 
that might just be the past i was told about, I'm sure there are 
other better parts. I'd like to learn more about those parts 
sometime." He laughed. "That's me, I can't stop questing."

"That's Oceaciana alright, the main island at least." 

Chirin remembered the vision. Violence slashed through his mind's 
eyes. his lights gave off a visible shudder.

"Well, it 
is nice to meet you in light, Keha." he wasn;t sure if they were 
really meeting in light, but he gave it the benefit of the doubt--for 
now.
 
"Yes, in light. And in light i must say this is a very dangerous 
place. Maybe we should turn back? You know all these predators and 
all lurking about, this is not a place for sheep."

Chirin flicked his lights, beginning to smile again. "Wel, you are 
here...and Iris says she comes looking for friends here. I personally 
need to eat some grass down here before I head out--i'm about to 
drop."

And he was -not- about to trust much of anything on what this ram 
said. Not after he had heard him acting like an aggravated lamb just 
before. Anyone who acted like such an ass wasn't one he was inclined 
to trust, not until he knew them better anyway. 

He didn't smell anything really close. And Keha was clearly not very 
scared. He seemed to know the area better, though.

"Really?" he looked at Brodi, they had it in them to run some more. 
But, their lights would just tell where they went. 

Keha would have to be crafty. Maybe lead him out over the eastern 
ridge and then slip away down to the caves. No! It would take to 
much time! He kept thinking of ways to get this ram off on the wrong 
path.

"Hey pretty far out! What's the stuff on your face broh?" Brodi 
smiled his tail wagging.

"They are my *merkus na mure*." Chirin spoke plainly. Why hide them? 
He should be proud of what he had gone through to get them in the 
first place, although his feelings about them would always be mixed. 
He shouldn't have to hide who he was and what he had. He brightened 
both his lights to cst some illumination on the area around them. It 
was a vast valley and as green as the scents of grass had promised. 
And he smelled ewes. You could see his nose working. His lights took 
on a redder glow.

"The marks were given to me by another. They let me sense electricity 
better and they bring to me the impressions of the currents of many 
ancestors of our kind."

His nose was still smelling for where those ewes were. They were to 
his left somewhere. Looking that way he took a few steps over there. 
He saw no lights (they are all in cave still?) So...where was the 
scent coming frm? Had they all left because of some threat?

Keha said nothing. It was like what the mogurs did. What his father 
            had on his flipper. Keha turned to the side. Hiding his own marks. 
            "Interesting." He said at last. He didn't like showing off his 
            betaka lu horku. It was a reminder no matter how far he tried to run 
            away he was still the son of Far-run. 

Chirin was glad that was all he'd said. He noticed that aside from 
Brodi's one question, no one had asked anything about where he came 
from--unles they'd heard of Pharos? Many flocks and places he had 
passed through on his way here had never heard of it, but he wouldn't 
outrule it altogether. He also knew he himself was a bit on the 
curious side.

He started heading towards his left, the north. There was that most 
delicious scent of ewes toawards there, even through the rain. He had 
got enough to know he would head to it and figure out where they 
were. He went slowly, stopping to nibble as he did so. 

"this is delightful grass. i mean to ask you, Keha, do you roam this 
valley?"

"Yes, and I'm telling you south is where to go. Best grass is there, 
best everything." He nudged Brodi.

""Oh! Yeah like totally! Far out grindage down thatta way broh!" 
Brodi nodded.

Chirin grinned at them. The younger one sounded a bit too eager and 
he had seen the nudge. "Let me take my time here. Surely there is no 
rush?" He continued wandering north. It wasn't to far to the northern 
mountainside. Were the ewes perhaps on the other side? the wind had 
not told him that. He glanced at Iris to mke sure she was all right 
with everything. He had not known until now that these two rams were 
trying to steer him away from ewes, and he was feeling a little 
stupid. He didn't like being lied to, but he knew why they were doing 
it.

"Serious there is nothing but, a nest of preds in that direction. 
Smeargles, sneasals, mankies I mean a real nasty bunch!" Keha made 
himself shiver.

Brodi huddled up.

"Sneasals!" He hid by his brother's side.

Chirin turned around at them. Insted of glaring like he wanted to at 
being this insulted--did they really think they could fool him or any 
grown sheep with this act?, he smiled.

"I hear the ewes are deadly this time of year as well."

Keha growled. 

"Well then! See later!" He laughed and made his madden dash towards 
the northern fields. "Come on Brodi!"

"The race is like on!" He laughed, then he wondered what were they 
racing for? "Ummm. like we were going to go racing for 
something....but then again where we? Then what was I doing? Or what 
was it you were doing? Uh....." Brodi sat down all that thinking 
made his head hurt.

Race? Good Phos...He glanced at Iris. "are you coming?" Not that she 
had anything to hurry about. The way Keha was going, there were ewes 
already seeking rams...

What if there were? There had had to be a good reason why he had been 
so adamant about keeping him away. Chirin flashed his tail for Iris 
to follow, just because he didn't want to desert her or anything. 
Then again, there went her two friends. Chirin bounded aftre them on 
his long legs.

It felt so good to be running and even better thinking of the 
prospects for the day. His tail bobbed behind him. He was dashing 
headlong, right for that cave...

Cave? 

Chirin stopped short of teh entrance. Wailing spirits, haunting 
cobwebs and white bones, brown bones deep in teh dark, breathed out 
at him. His fear caught his muscles and held them there outside, in 
the rain. He realized the flock was in a cave. The wohle flock.

What was this, some kind of Bua na kuros relapse? Were sheep still 
trapped below? He glanced behind him at Iris. "The sheep are in--in 
there?" He didn't know why he was asking her. "Good Phos! Why are 
sheep in a cave..." It couldn't be voluntary. And...there was nothing 
for a sheep to eat in there! Unless it was a Garden? He shuddered. 
No, they must be possessed by evil or something. He had already had a 
surreal night, meeting a crafty pair of rams who had then led him 
towards a dark cave. His lust fought with his fear as he stood there, 
getting wetter and hotter. He could smell the ewes like a tantalizing 
meal. And also...as Keha had said...there -were- predators in there. 

What was going on? What abberation was this? Chirin pced at the 
cavern's edge. He made a loud ram's roar, deep and big as he could 
make it, from where he stood.

Keha listened to him screaming out there, he shuddered. His face 
reappeared near the entrance.

"Knock it off! Geez! You are going to make the mankies go apeshit 
all over the place." Keha shook his head. "Screaming!"

"I merely made a calling bellow," said Chirin too late; the ram was 
already turning away. How dare this Keha tell him to do something, 
especially without any decency whatsoever. "I have a right to call to 
ewes and I have a damn good right to be scared, I should think."

Keha ducked back in. He let his nose lead the way. It was quiet! Too 
quiet than he recalled. Why wasn't ol' Chari singing or something? 
He shrugged it off letting the scents lead him down the right halls. 
That ram could scream his head off all he wanted Keha was going to 
have some fun.

Keha had gone in. Chirin followed him this time. He had bellowed to 
let any ewes in there know that the good stuff (him) was out here! 
Well, he hoped they would think him good enough. 

Mankeys... Chirin remembered their fruit-throwing tendencies all too 
well in the jungle. Memories were quick to dissipate as he heard 
Keha's footsteps vanish. Was he really going to stand here and let 
that little ram tell him what to do?

Chirin stepped further into the caves and down the hall. He realized 
the sheep smell was all in here--mostly ewes. Keha had left his smell 
for Chirin to follow, since he had clearly left. 

He had to put behind the terrors he had known in caves. He had known 
many outside caves too, but caverns held a special curse to him. He 
reminded himself that he was possessed of a powerful gift, and he had 
a strong body, a strong mind and a good current to go with both. He 
had faced worse than a caveful of mankeys!...And sneasels...and who 
knew what else. If Keha had no fear then was Chirin going to wait ou 
here while he got to whatever he wanted so badly?

It could be a trick, he thought as he followed the smaller ram. Keha 
was anything but friendly; he was in fact one of the least friendly 
sheep--even for a ram--that Chirin had ever met. But who knew? Maybe 
he had had a bad day...

He shuddered as the entrance and open air grew further away. At least 
he had had a good graze.

Chirin ventured down a cavern after a sheep that already gave him bad 
vibes. The whole place gave him bad vibes. Hehad no idea why he had 
not just turned around toleave.

~Because it's summer, and summer leads to fall, and fall is when rams 
do stupid things.~

He smeled mankey allright, and sneasel, and all manner of pokemon 
which should have made him turn around and go home. Chirin knew it 
was about as bad as it got when he caught himself wonderingif this 
danger and darkness was really all worth getting laid. 

Iris had been friendly, even if she had been laughing at him. There 
was just something unpleasant about everyone he had met tonight. 
Perhaps they were only a few, and the rest of teh sheep were nicer. 
Oh, and the rest of these other pokemon too. By now it was obvious 
these sheep also had some kind of peaceful existence with these other 
pokemon. Well, he sure was no stranger to that. 

He thought of calling out to Keha, but Keha oviously didn't mind 
losing him, so Chirin sped up and contunied after the blue ambience 
disappearing down a hallway.


The Moon Hall? yes! He could smell them down that way. He noticed a 
few mankeys he knew. They looked surprised he was here. They looked 
at one another before running down halls.

"hey? Flindy? What's up?" Keha got no answer. The Mankey ran on 
ignoring him. "Fine! I won't talk to you!"

Where were the sheep? This close to the food caves there was often 
sheep milling about. Something felt wrong to Keha. He let it pass. 

"Keha!" Dorgo stood up. "you're back!"

"Finally! Someone who wants to talk! What's going on Dorgo? Where 
are all the sheep? hell where are the miltank?" Keha asked the 
smeargle.

"Well.....they sort of moved out. They decided caves were not their 
place to call home." Dorgo eyed him. 

Keha was getting worse feelings about this. Another smeargle bounded 
over. He didn't recognize him, a young one, must be new. 

"Well.....if you don't mind I'm going to see what's shaking in the 
Moon Hall." Keha grinned he went through the entrance. 

The smeargles glanced at one another. 

Chirin heard voices. Keha's first, then another's that was not ovine 
sounding. He realized he had hit a stopping point for the smaller ram 
and gunned his legs a bit. they motored him round a corner and out 
into a cavern where Keha was talking to a <pokemon>. 

"Uh...hi, and...I'll be right back." Chirin smiled. "I'm just a new 
friend of Keha's, you see, and he's taking me to where the other 
sheep are...or are suposed to be...and I'd better sfind out why he's 
in such a hurry...I'll be right back." He brushed past and after 
Keha, hoping they didn't have to go too much deeper into this place 
or else Chirin was going to start thinking he was not a real sheep at 
all, but agan, a trick. What if he was a haunter or somehting too? 
Like Loki? What if he WAS Loki?

No..Chirin knew how to see through that illusion, and the face this 
one had wasnot the "Chari" face that Loki had assumed. Keha was 
plainly real. There was no illusion.

"Like dude! Keha runs too fast for me." Brodi complained as he 
panted his way into the caves after his brother and that other ram. 
He noticed Iris still trying to catch up.

"Hi Brodi! Where's Iris?" called Chirin over his shoulder. "I thought 
she was coming too? I'll be right out, soon as I findout where Keha's 
taking us." He smiled and headed on, rushing aheadof Brodi. He 
wouldn't be nasty to them, especially not Brodi--there was no need 
to, not yet, and maybe they could somehow keep this light. 

He stepped into teh moonroom, not knowing wha he would find except it 
smelled like ewes in heat...so that narrowed down the options. ~Sheep 
in heat--in Summer? Well, now I think I've seen one for every season, 
haven't I.~ ^_~

"Like somewhere back there broh." Brodi forgot this was Keha's 
rival. He just smiled and sniffed the air. "Dude! I got the 
munchies! i smell some major grindage!" 

He was smelling the storage areas, heaped with food. His tail 
wagging. He wasn't the smartest ram. He laughed and set off to go 
toward them. But, stopped. This was his first time here and he might 
get lost. He sniffed and began to follow after his brother.

Chirin also smelled the food, and managed to smile at the *gumaru.* 
Brodi had a mind for food--although Chirin smelled it well and 
althogh it was delicious, it was not grass--and Chrin would get a 
sick stomach if he ate too much of that without roughage to wash it 
down. After a few seasons of life, one learned these things if one ws 
a sheep, andone never had to re-learn them.

He actually waited a moment for Brodi to catch up. The little ram 
wasn't going to really be competing--so whynot be more friendly 
towards him? 

It was him versus Keha, and Chirin hated to be casting his shadow 
over him, but that was the way things were in the fall. Rams who let 
other rams do as they would left no lambs.


~

The place hadn't changed much. He saw the little rippling waterfall 
that lead off to some underground stream. The moonlight pouring 
through the roof already. He took in the best smells he could.

"Ladies! It feels so good to be back!" keha stepped into the middle 
of the room and lit by the moonlight. "Introducing the new and 
improved you know who!" 

"Keha!" He smiled as the ewes came to him. 

He laughed being surrounded by the six island ewes. His mind going 
crazy with their closeness. Now he was being rewarded for his long 
travels. 

"So! Who is up for a little pampering ol' Keha?" He laughed as he 
slumped over a rock formation. 

"Still not a hint of modesty in you?" Lindini giggled. "Well what 
would you like?"

"Well I am a bit thirsty...and some food would go down very well." 
He left that ram out there screaming his head off so why not take 
his time? He seemed afraid of the caves anyways. "You know my 
shoulders are a bit sore."

He laughed and felt flippers massage him.

"It's so damn gooood to be guntaka around here." He grinned and just 
let things go as the would. 

Lindini came back offering an apricorn corn half. inside he could 
smell the fermented juice. He drank it, feeling better as he ate as 
well. He was enjoying this and nothing could ruin it at this moment.

Chirin startled. He couldn't believe it. There they were, six ewes,in 
various stages of readiness by their lovely scents. "I have to ask 
why, on such a lovely evening, you're all sitting in here cooped up 
in a cave, when you could be enjoying the grass outside? I've come 
from outside the valley myself and have rarely tasted grass so good."

Keha was wrong! Something just ruined it. He sat where he was, he 
felt a few fearful pinches into his skin.

"Hey! Ease off a little Hitoni." Keha gently unclenched her flipper 
from his shoulder.   

Chirin watched the whole thing with disgust. What was with this--
sheep in a cave!! He couldn't get over this, apparently voluntary way 
of living. "Are you really down here of your own will," he asked both 
Keha and the ewes, "when there is a whole open sky out there? And 
fresh air? Places to run and graze? Or is this just the way things 
are...where you come from? If it is, pardon me, because I come from 
these lands, just not in this valley..."

He digressed.

Really, why -were- these ewes down in this deep cavern? It struck him 
as more than odd. This whole night was in a different realm to him. 
He stepped fully over to the sheep, not over by the entrance as he 
had been before. anything was possibly and his heart beat danger 
along with growing lust.

The instincts pushed at him. Chirin wasn't even aware of what he was 
doing...or he was but everything else crowded it out. these were 
ewes -in heat.- Perhaps he was being a bit slow to pick up on it, so 
unusual was the rest of teh situation. 

He leaned his head forward at Keha and began to flash his lights 
aggressively at him.

"Lindi another drink for me please. And more of those berries 
please." He grinned popping a few into his maw. 

Keha slouched more just letting the ewes back away from the new 
arrival or stay put. It didn't matter to him. He was crafty he had 
always had been.

Chirin growled again, quite put off by Keha's refusal to even pay 
attention to his threat. Rams fought for ewes. It was time he got 
that through his head. At one end Chirin hated what he was doing. The 
other side was rushinghim forward prematurely into the heat of the 
rut. Chirin took a few steps back and advanced towards Keha, head 
leaned forward, he tossed his head agressively. Surely Keha did not 
mean to battle with him? He tried not to get in the wy of any of the 
ewes or hurt them as he made his way right over to the ram. 

"It is a fight of mating that is taking place here," said Chirin, "I 
do not want to hurt you."

"You obviously don't know the laws here now do you?" Keha sat up a 
little. "Now girls don't worry. No one is getting hurt."

"I know the laws of my kind...if that's what you mean..." The laws of 
Haru, of the ancients. They were very hard to disobey. The body rose 
to them, commanded to the rut. "It is why I am here now spoiling your 
little party instead of munching grass out there oblivious to ready 
ewes."

"Fighting is pointless and Huntkos will be dipleased." Lindi crossed 
her flippers.

Huntkos? Keha sat up, something was wrong here. Chari was leader, 
why would fighting matter to the smeargle Huntkos? His ears perked. 
That feeling of wrong was coming full circle. He looked about seeing 
that there was fewer mainland ewes here. He saw none of the mainland 
rams.

Chirin snorted. "If there is another ram here big enough to challenge 
me, he must not be shining both lights--or he would sure be here 
right about now." And already settling these ewes. 

"There are also my laws. I abide by them well."

Chirin charged and aimed his head in Keha's side--not hard, but 
enough to jolt him to reality and jostle him away. He would not 
seriously fight a ram so much smaller than he was.

"Hey!" Keha scrambled over the rock. "You are going to get us both 
arrested! Then no one has fun!"

Keha growled.

"he's right! Stop it before Huntkos gets wind of it." Lindi already 
gathering the young ewes about her. The elder ewe snorting at both. 

"To hell with Huntkos! He's not in charge around here!" Keha 
answered. "He ain't guntaka-dra here."

"He is leader now!" Lindi growled.

"Arrested?" Chirin snorted. "And who is going to arrest me doing 
anything?"

His charge had failed as Keha scrambled out fo teh way. Chirin 
prepared to lunge outright this time, not needing the running start. 
He could just force Keha away from the ewes withhis own weight. "We 
meet in challenge," he said. "Should another come to displace me, 
then that would be a challenge too. I see only you and me as rams 
here."

He lunged headfirst at Keha. Rizaa was in his loins and Watakko spun 
in his head.

"Well...shit if I'm going to get arrested might as well have fun!" 
Keha spun about throwing his tail at Chirin. 

"Shit! Fight!" Dorgo went about shouting. 

Oh! So he was fighting dirty! Figured...it was only the two of them 
and he really had nothing to lose.Chirin tried to leap to the side to 
avoid the tail ball. His body recoiled from the arc of light. A 
little too late, it struck a stinging glance off his thigh. Chirin 
jumped back. 

"So--you will not even fight clean. Well so be it. You picked the hard 
way of things. I have many ways to fight dirty. Understand that we 
could get through this without hurting each other very badly at all."

He jumped to the side and aimed a kick at Keha, low.

Keha was ready to spin for another round of his tail, he felt the 
kick catch him in the thigh as he spun, he fell face first into the 
dirt. 

Chirin dropped to pin him on his stomach. He rushed him from behind 
and fell strategically, flippers aiming to pin Keha's and legs doing 
the same to his. Perhaps once they were sitting a little more still, 
he could talk to the ram.

             Keha rose his head, he felt dazed, He tried to shake it off. He had 
to get to his feet. He shook his head again.

Chirin's rubbery body weighed down onto Keha.The ram had been knocked 
dizzy. That should be enough to convince him it was over. Chirin felt 
stabs of lust strike through him. He breathed quick.

His head leaned down. His legs and tail leaned onto Keha's, trying to 
immobilize him. Chirin's flippers fumbled over the other ram's. He 
used his weight. 

the ewes might not be pleased, at least all of them. But neither did 
ewes respect a ram who did not meet a challenge that he was more than 
up to. If Chirin had walked out of here and listened to Keha's orders 
he would never respect himself. 

"It is over. I do not want to hurt you, you know."

             "Over!" He bit at his ears, He Keha wouldn't admit defeat so quickly.

Chirin felt Keha's lower front teeth bite down on his ear and draw 
blood. "*Phaaa!*" He yanked his ear away. He held his head out of the 
ram's reach. He had him pinned; he knew he could just knock him on 
the head till he was dead and there was nothing Keha could do. Chirin 
would not kill him. 

A drop of blood fell from his right ear as Chirin's flippers tried to 
take hold of Keha's head and knock it against the dirt. This was not 
just an angry defeated ram, this was an insane ram...someone 
possesed. 

~Oceaciana. He is from Oceaciana.~

 Keha wouldn't go down like this. He growled he just had one thought: 
bite! Just like when Nightspot had him by the ankles. He bit at the 
flippers he had blood and spit in his mouth as he growled.

Chirin felt the teeth in his flippers now. And meanshile his ear was 
really hurting. He nearly yanked his flipper away. Insted he let Keha 
keep a hold. 

He fisted his other flipper and brought it into the back of KEha's 
head.

Keha shook his head about making sure it would hurt. His teeth 
clamping harder. With his flippers free they grasped the loose dirt 
on the cave floor. He tossed it at Chirin's face while shutting his 
own eyes.

He felt the room spin.


Nothing seemed to knock this ram out! Not even a good punch in the 
back of the head. He was truly of a strange power. How many times did 
he have to slam him in the head before he was out? 

The dirt struck him in the face. Chirin clenched one eye shut. He 
felt it tearing. Eyes clenched, he attempted to tear his flipper 
loose from the savage bite. He was going to get a scar fom that...if 
not a nasty infection. 

His gift wafted out through the room. Dirt sprang up from in front of 
Keha's face and flew at him. Apricorns and fruits flew to life. 

Chirin punched him in the back of the head again.

~

He had to see this for himself. The smeagle found the two rams 
battling it out. He saw Keha as they had said. He was back! He 
growled, Keha was trouble, being friends with Charivari that ram 
could stir trouble up here.

"Jordko! Have him arrested. Both! Especailly Keha." Huntkos stamped 
his staff.

Chirin snappedhis head up. Dirt was still in one eye an dhis flipper 
was bleeding badly. Keha had bitten into muscle. 

He jumped up and kicked at Keha from behind. His gift still held onto 
the room, the air, the dirt. 

He looked at the smeargle. Last smeargle he had met wsa Rigan and he 
saw the resemblance right away.

"What is this? Some kind of Oceaciana reunion? I suppose Loki's gong 
to come floating from teh shadowS?"

"You! Ampharos! Stand down." Jordko barked, the bulbasuar. He saw 
objects fly. "Sir! He's a mogur!" 

Jordko looked over at Huntkos.


Chiirn was watching all sides of him. The soil rose and fell like 
fountains. "You won't touch me. So this is it...a trick to lure me 
in? Tell me this--is Loki trying to kill me?"

He took a step towwards the exit. This wasn't worth getting killed.

"Loki? What is a Loki? Stranger I should be the one asking 
questions. We are a peaceful people here and you have come in here 
unannounced and breaking several laws. The worst a fight no less!" 
Huntkos cocked his head. "Now can we speak on a more civilized level 
or do you wish to further distrub the peace of this valley?" 

"I came to challenge Keha here," said Chirin, tryig not to let his 
pain show on his face. His flipper throbbed. Blood had run down his 
ear and onto the side of his head. "It is the rut. Or nearly so. It 
would have been a smooth challenge if Keha had not runinto this cave, 
then insisted on fighting me, not to mention fighting dirty. As for 
laws, what do you care what our kind do?" He snorted. 

And he began to move towards the exit, keeping an eye on Keha all the 
time.

"A mogur! Are you a student of Ke-Doma? This is too much! Ke-doma 
has attacked us before! If you are friends with that insufferable 
villian than arresting you is by all means necessary." Huntkos 
snapped his fingers, his mankey tribe slowly entering the room.

"I don't disclose who I am friends with or not light friends with. 
Get your stinking breath out of my face. and no I don't know a 
Kedoma. I am a student of anyone who teaches me things."

Chirin struck up his lightscreen when he saw the group coming. Sparks 
popped offhis head jewel. "Now get out of tehway so i can leave your 
caves peaceful again and go backto where I came. Phos's light to 
you." He blinked his tail goodbye.

             "Yes! You broke the peace. You should be arrested!" Jordko barked.

Chirin strobedhis lights at Jordko. "You're the ones making a big 
fuss over what my kind does naturally. And speaking of what my kind 
does naturally, hanging around in caves is not what we do. So I will 
be taking my leave. Phos;'s light to you. Among my kind, that means, 
goodbye."

He stepped towards the hall. He flashed his lights fo Iris. Where was 
she? He would rejoin her...she was his friend.

"The king of this valley has spoken to you! You should answer!" 
jordko snarled. "Let you go? So you can tell Kedoma what you have 
seen here? Tell him how to kill us in our sleep? If you refuse to 
answer you must be his cohort!" 

Chirin threw a spark at Jordko. e followed by spitting a wad of cud 
form his mouth.

"Kings? I have no respect for anyone woh calls himself king. You're a 
bunch of screaming mad pokemon."

He sent his gift out in greater power. A sudder ran up and down the 
walls of the caves. He sent a few shard of stone down. Sparks danced 
in the air. 

"Now are you going to get out of the way so I donot have to kick you 
out of the way?"

He was really scared. He waslooking for another exit cause this one 
sure looked blocked. ~Haru--Ira--get me out of here~

"Yes, we know about the rut. The previous guntaka-dra made it law to 
prohibit fighting. So far the peace has been perfect except till 
now. I didn't know of such things about Keha though. We have never 
seen him fight till now." Huntkos answered.

"I will tell you I don't know this Ke-doma. Believe it or not..I just 
want to leave with my life. I won't step ingo these caves ever again. 
Let me go; if you are a peaceful vally,you do not hold pokemon 
against their will."

  "I aim to have Keh arrested and you as well now. You worry me. You 
act out violent, you put up defenses and yet I have yet to order my 
tribe to advance on you. But, if you so wish to leave, leave. Don't 
return to the caves till you have learned some manners." Huntkos 
raised his staff. The mankeys backed away.

Prohibiting fighting? He had heard of that before. They took away the 
spirits of the sheep. Without a word, Chirin ran out the way he had 
come, growling. Let Keha mate the stupid ewes. There were more.

Iris...He looked for her in the hallway. He glanced behind him to 
make sure Keha and those others weren't coming his way. They had 
mentioned a Ke-Doma. Chirin was in search of the Mure'mar to the 
east. Well now he knew his name.

He had a milion things he wantedto say to Huntkos and them. So much 
more--but doing so would probably gethim kiled. He had been stupid as 
it ws. He had notknown how many of them there were--and that they 
were all ready to obey orders like that!

This was a very evil place.

"Iris?" he called, once hewas out of the area, out of their reach. 

Were they going to do something to Keha or not? He still didn't want 
the ram killed.

They never saw Keha's departure. Not even Keha saw it. He felt 
himself being dragged off. He just mumbled in his sleep. Something 
was grasping his ankles and dragging him. 

*****

"Keha is gone!" Jordko barked. "Find him!"

He barked orders.

Chirn heard it. They were going to hurt him. He felt the blood rising 
in him. Keha was a jerk; he had given him the wounds he had now. Why 
did he care? 

It didn't matter why. He did care. He would send that Huntkos to 
Rizaa's caves if he hurt him.

"Iris?"

"You idiot!" Iris huffed. She looked around for Keha and Brodi. She 
was getting lost in the maze of tunnels.

"I didn't know those *burakos* would come crawling out of thesescum 
caves to stick their dung-rubbed noses into our business!" Chirin ran 
towards the sound of her voice. The heat of rut wa still high in him 
but he felt bad about what he must;ve done to her. She was just 
coming here to see friends. He had caused a lot more trouble than he 
had ever meant to. All he wanted was fun and fall, early, now it was 
a nightmare.

 "Well they told you they were here! He told you this would happen! 
Now...I don't see how I'll find my sister. Sera is supposed to be 
here and I don't see her anywhere!" She shivered hearing the rush of 
feet in the caves. "And now....they want Keha and what for!"

"Like I would believe him after he tried to fool me first? Then--
Iris, this is unlike anything I ever encountered before. I simply did 
not know what I was getting into." He winced; his flipper was killing 
him. He took deep controlled breaths and concentrated to rise over 
the pain.

"Rams fight over ewes...that's wht I have always known and done. Then 
I hear this about prohibiting fighting? Who are they to tell other 
pokemon what to do? They can all go to hell. These sheep are here of 
their own will?"

"I know as about as much as you! I never have been here!" Iris 
panicked with each shout or scraping of feet coming from the 
adjoining tunnels.

"Iris? I'm sorry."

"I know you couldn't help yourself but...." She looked at her 
hooves, she just wanted to get out now.

"I'm sorry and I want to make it up to you, light-friend." Chirin had 
wandered into her life and put her in possible danger. "Would they be 
after you too? This--'king' and these other pokemon who follow him 
for Phos knows what reasons?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

Chirin kept quiet, even as he spoke. "We might want to find your 
friends and all get out. This is a very evil place. It is cursed."

Fear showed in his eyes. He struggled to keep it under control.

"Do you smell your friends here?" 

~

 Lindi and Brodi dragged keha along. Brodi panted and struggled, his 
brother was heavy! 

"Keha had to fight back. Why didn't he just back off." Lindi 
complained. "The ewes know his guntaka here. All he had to do was 
just get away and let them follow him."

"Yeah....I see....no wait? I don't see. What were he talking about?" 
Brodi had that lost look again. 

"just drag your brother." Lindi began to onder about this young one.

Chirin was fuming and panicking and longing all at once. He had 
rarely been in such a twist of emotion these days. He stopped to 
inspect his wounded flipper. 

The bite had penetrated the soft yellow skin and reached teh muscle. 
a soreness throbbed back to him when he flexed it; he could probably 
graze all right but he would be favouring it. His ear would hearl all 
right. Chirin used his gift to stop the bleeding. 

All this for what, a little fun? He had run into a nightmare! How did 
he just know Loki was involed in this? They claimed not to know him, 
but did he really trust anytihng they said? 

He was headed back towards the outside. He remembered the way he had 
come. He flashed his lights to throw off the darkness all around him, 
the evil spirits. But at the same time he felt like he had contended 
with them in the flesh enough already. 

Ke-doma. Where was he? Would Iris know? They had said he was a 
villain. But Chiir did not know enough to get Ira out of his prison. 
He needed to learn more about the enchanted glade, the spells and the 
spirit powers exerted on them. He would shove it up those guardians' 
asses. His best friend would be freed.

"Okay. If they are I will fight for you--I won't let them get us."

Chirin had long since become claustrophobic.He realized he was 
following her and she had not left yet. "Are you looking for Keha and 
Brodi? I hope Brodi is all right. As for Keha--i must say that he is 
rather mad."

If it hadn't been for Iris he would have been out of here, out of 
this valley probably. Chirin feared a curse like he had not in a long 
time. Loki and his nightshade came back him in his memory. He 
remembered animals screaming their deaths at the hands of the young 
ghost's temper. a pokemon with that kind of power would be dangerous 
now. Especially to someone like Chirin who had spited him.

"I think I hear sheep down this way." Chirin turned down another 
tunnel and headed on. The air smelled fresh enough, and he knew the 
way back if he didn't find anything down here. He was far from losing 
his sense of direction in this place; he had been in tunnels far 
longer and far worse in nature. These spirits were evil but young and 
restless. They were nothing like the old, tireless, patiently 
crushing darkness of the wailing caverns that had spawned Pandemonium.

"Brodi?" chiirn called out in a voice trying to sound half friendly. 
He knew he couldn't call for Keha, wherever he was. Keha and Brodi 
might be togheter, they might not be. "I heard them down this way, 
don't know about anyone else."

King. Chirin snorted and shook his head. Only his disdain for killing 
other creatures kept him from setting up some kind of plan to do away 
with that pokemon who would have others' light paths. He would never 
understand it. 

 "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Gundo the piloswine came 
into the tunnel. "I have yet to set eye on you before? What do you 
want here."

"Helping her here find her friends," said Chirin. "also trying to get 
out. I smell fresh air that way. I'll be headed on now."

He thought of trying to ask where Ke-Doma might be, but decided 
against it. Mentioning that name might get that whole hive of pokemon 
on his tail again. He was in deep dung already coming down this way. 

He lifted his flipper to rub his charm for luck, the one that hung 
around his upper left arm. The pain Keha's teeth had delivered stoped 
him. With a wince he let his arm fall back.

"Another question....I came to this valley smelling lots of sheep. 
Where might they be?"

 "Be smart....with the defeat of the guntaka-dra they are in 
danger....just like me." Gundo sat, he was waiting for death. "I 
would have no idea where the guntaka-dra would take them. He is 
running for his life. Huntkos will kill him just as certainly he'll 
kill me."

"Then...what ar you waiting for?" Chirin took instant pity for this 
creature. "Come with me! I know the way out, I'll lead you out of 
here, right now!" 

He forgot about finding Brodi. He suddenly cared oly about saving 
this pokemon from not only this Huntkos, but his own apathy.

"I'm a slow creature....for my own plots against the guntaka-dra I 
deserve to die. He did so much for me. I never realized it till I 
saw the hurt in his eyes." Gundo looked at him and the ewe. "Go 
while you can...I can't tell you which way they would go. Huntkos is 
sending hunting parties west, east and south. The biggest party is 
headed east, mostly where he thinks they might have gone." 

"I do not know what a guntaka-dra is," said Chirin, "but you do not 
deserve to die. I'm not going to let you sit here. come on...find 
your spirit. You can start again. I've started again I don't know how 
many times. I have done downrighr evil thigns and bounced back. Come 
on...come with me."

One tihng for sure, this wasa mess, a bigger mess than he had ever 
seen, of its ilk anyway. And he was crazy for still standing here. 

"I have dealt with worse than some smeargle. I cn get out pretty fast-
-we're not far from the entrance. Come!"" He hissed. "Please come! 
Now! You say you deserve to die now but that is not when you are 
dying. It is diferent then. I will take you with me, I wilhelp you!"

Sweat was breaking out on his forehead. He knew he only had so long.

Gundo stood. He was clearly not leaving unless he came. 

"You are foolish. I'll slow you down." Gundo began to follow. "I 
only come to get you moving."

"Think of your breathing body and your beating heart. Think of the 
good things," he told the piloswine (is that what he is?) as he 
trotted back up the hall. He rtied not to let his fear show, although 
at this point it was difficult. Gundo wasn't kidding about 
slow. "Think of a pikachu, and you will fel yourself growing qiucker. 
I have tried it. It really does work!"

He rounded the bend he had rounded before. Iris was easily keeping up 
(should she tag along?) at tihs pace. "Sunshine and love and things 
away from this cavern of tyranny. You think I talk silly now but it 
will get better! But you have to live first."

Gundo ran as fast as he could. He was rather bulky from a year 
of a lazy life advising Charivari. Of good meals and comfort. He 
grunted as he kept up the best he could.

Chirin leaned forward, using his flipper (mostly his left one) 
slightly as the tunnel sloped upwards. "We're almost there."

He droppedback behind Gundo, just in case they tried something. the 
stone close all around them echoed their breathing and he could hear 
Gundo's labouring lungs. The creature was having a real hard time of 
it, but a hard time of it was betterthan death.

"I come from another land, mostly the west and the far southwest," 
said Chirin as he went along. Right, keep some conversation and that 
would help distract them from the danger. He was sure they would be 
relatively in the clear once they wereout of these caves. He wasn't 
really under arrest...if that ws what it was caled..but Gundo must 
be. "Thus, I am rather ignorant...of the term Guntaka-dra. What is 
that? Is that a word that means king?"

A gust of wet rainy air and moist earth greeted him. He ran along the 
last stretch of tunnel back the way he had come. Never to cross back 
in. Never. Then again how many promises to himself had he kept?

"King? No Guntaka-dra is the flock leader, the flock father. Huntkos 
has abused it though. He thinks himself as king. Damn me! I didn't 
see his maddness till it was too late." Gundo grunted with the 
effort it was taking him to climb out the tunnel.

"There is time to change. It will get better. You are in the throes 
of the agony of your soul right now, if my experiences are anything I 
can judge you by." Chirin had a milion more questions but he would 
save them till they were safer. "You were right to leave Huntkos. 
This whole place is one big mess, and full of evil."

He saw the shades of deep blue marking the open night on the field. 
Chirin sped up, grabbed by the dsight of it.

"This place wasn't always evil. I helped destroy the peace guntaka-
dra created here. He made place for all kinds of pokemon to find 
safe harbor. I helped destroy his paradise." Gundo sniffed the air.

"Oh...well, in my opinion this looks like some kind of mess that 
would benefit far fewer than it would exploit. We're smart to be 
turning out of here and never going back. AndI don't care what anyone 
else calls Huntkos, just about the only good name I can think of to 
call him is *mûh'os.* That is what my people would say is an 
*asshole.*"

He stopped to listen, sniff about, as he neared the entrnceway. He 
wanted to ascertain that they were not waiting to jump them when they 
emerged. The way looked clear. 

"Are they held here against their will--any pokemon here? Or are they 
just in this because they somehow want to be? I cannot conceive of my 
kind preferring to swell in caves. Denryuu have always had a disdain 
for closed dark places."

"No one was ever held here against their will. The sheep here spend 
the day in the fields grazing, enjoying the sunlight and at night 
everyone takes to the caves where it is safe." Gundo stared out into 
the night. "Before earlier this evening we had a peaceful life. 
Huntkos slaughtered Tobias. One of us that helped betray guntaka-
dra. I would assume I'm next, he wants the power all to himself."

"I see. At least they are free to go. I say such situations become 
too easy to abuse--even if they are begun with good intentions and 
they nearly always are. Not always--I have witnessed much worse ones, 
started off evil--but there is always power and it corrupts. Now, we 
are leaving that behind."

Chirin bounded out into the drizzle with his lights low, but 
quiveriung with relief at being out of there. He shook himself off, 
just because he rfelt the residue of that skanky, scary place all 
over him. "Out into the fresh wet evening. I grew up sleeping under 
the stars and the clouds, and the flock kept the light vigil. I still 
do it every night."

He made sure Iris was with them, then stepped over to the piloswine 
and put his hand on the pokemon's furry shoulder. "Tonight you begin 
again. You made mistakes. You can begin again."

He stood back up and looked around. He would head south, and up the 
slopes. "Come on--it looks like tihngs are clear."

~

Ke-Doma felt the markings on his flipper itch, they tinged with the 
senses of something new to the valley. Something was happening. His 
eyes opening. Winds of change. Charivari was defeated? A new lord 
ruled the valley?

He uttered something into the winds. The invisible touch traveling 
outward. Grass shifting away as it traveled out to spy for him. The 
whispers told him there was much fear in the valley. Ke-doma 
listened to the spirits closely.

~

"This is all just crazy. I just want to find my sister and get her 
away from here." Iris shivered as she thought of all she heard. 
Those pokemon all sounded crazy.

"What is your sister's name--if you do not mind telling me?"

"Her name is Sera." She tried to calm herself down after the trouble 
in the mountain. 

Chirin shook his head. "I did not hear that name spoken in the cavern 
that I found Keha in. But all six ewes in there were of the exotic 
kind that you are. They looked and smelled it. So they may still be 
there. I don't know. I was lucky to get out alive. Perhaps if you 
signalled your light to her when they come out in the morning, she 
will see you if she is there?"

He put his palm on her shaking shoulders. Only lightly, and he didn't 
move it around or anything. "I'm going to help you. Us three can 
stick together for now...if we all want to. We're our own little 
flock."

"Thank you" She nodded, they had to work together.

Chirin stepped along teh grass. They were clear anyway, or so it 
seemed. He stopped to sniff the wind and then knelt down in front of 
a rock. He put his palm on the rock and close his eyes for a moment, 
while he let his gift drift out. There was evidence of it, left into 
the weave of teh stone, by some denryuu of days gone by, who knew how 
many days. He nodded to the rock, "thank you," and picked up going 
again. There was too much the caves had already told him. Huntkos and 
Keha and the actions of so many pokemon back in there had angered the 
very stone. Chirin remembered freshly the sensations as his *syon na 
denki* had crept up into the cavern's veins. Something had crept back 
down, into him, touching him through his marks and his *denki*. 
Something had recognized his soul inside his body and its spirit-nose 
was sniffing after him.

"What is it? Is there something....wrong?" Iris asked a bit 
nervously.

He opened his eyes and his lids fluttered to an shaky intake of 
breath. Rain dripped from his chin. Blood had crusted on his ear and 
flipper during their escape from the caves, and the rain had washed 
any free blood away. What remained was a fingerlike map of blood 
encrusted down the side of his head, and little islands of it on his 
flipper. His ear had actually bled worse.

"The spirits have been shady since I came into this valley. I stepped 
from day to night, from a quiet warm to a chaotic wild wind, flushing 
hot and cold. This place is vastly different in soul from where I 
came. I knew someone from Oceaciana once, and everthing here smacks 
of him. The spirits have been angered, and who knows what will come 
of that. Like angry pokemon, they strike out, or run or hide. And..."

He looked down, at his arm. "The ancestors of myself, those who gave 
me my gift and also those who joined my blood when I received these 
marks are speaking to me now. There are voices in Mother Megga and 
Watakko and all in between. Stone speaks, caves' mouths hang open. 
There is unrest...not that we didn't experience that first hand. A 
lot of evil, a lot of pokemon being shoved or conned into directions 
far from their rightful light-paths."

He glanced back there. "We are heading away from that for now, 
luckily. There were kindred spirits in ther too, or me and Gundo 
would probably not be alive right now."

He ducked his head to touch his chin, to the old wooden charm on his 
forearm. *Gunya-gunya, I feel you with me.*

"I...." She looked at her feet, should she tell him? "I am from 
Oceaciana too. We all are....those...that you say we have an exotic 
look."

All from Oceaciana, but Iris didn't seem like Keha or Loki. One of 
the things that had so scared him was how like Loki Keha had been. 
The beard and all had only increased the resemblance. That same rude 
ignoring attitude, like Chirin was not worth looking on or even 
paying attention to, had been the exact same attitude that Loki had 
given to Pyon. It had been downright eery.

"Well, I just mean that you look different from virtually all the 
sheep I have known in all the other places I have ever been to, on 
this land. This land is huge and I've only ever seen a tiny part. 
I've never been to this valley before, and until I did I never 
realized there was such an abundance of your kind of sheep. But 
really we're not too different. I lost all my fur when I evolved, and 
you and your kind don't seem to, at least not right away." He smiled 
at her. "I kind of miss my fur sometimes. Not often...but once in a 
while I do, like I miss galloping hard on four legs."

"Well our kind...we don't ever really lose our fur." Iris 
smiled. "We pride ourselves about our fur." 

Chirin smiled back and his lights sparkled. "My kind--if it's really 
a different kind, I guess it is--we pride outselves on a bright 
yellow skin, dazzling lights and powerful *denki.* I've never wished 
to be anything but a denryuu."

He stopped again, flippers and cheeks throbbing as he stood on a 
rock, tail swishing low as he looked around him. He could see that 
nearby there were no enemies coming from that cave entrance. Perhaps 
they were in the clear andperhaps not.

"How do you like the land here, since you came over? I guess you came 
over because of the danger?"

Chirin waited for them to catch him up on the slope. He was planning 
on moving along it and camping on the other side eventually, when it 
got too late to travel.

"The land is nice, in some places too cold to my liking. I haven't 
however gotten along with the pokemon here. Everything seems so 
strange here." She sniffed the air.

"Me too," said Chirin. she must be smelling the enemies. "Yeah, there 
are predators in those caves, many of them. So many different kinds 
of pokemon livingin those caves was bound to backfire somehow. I felt 
the wrongness the moment I stepped in. How those sheep could stand to 
stay inside a cave, and one with predators, that are also rather 
nasty in personality, at least so far as I have seen--is beyond my 
understanding. Not that predators are all bad. I myself have had 
friends among them, back out west. some of them I would consider 
closest friends. But those caves had spirits restless inside. I could 
feel them scrambling up the walls of teh stone and my skin, hudddling 
inside my lights and making them flicker. I was filled with a feeling 
of badness."

Chirin stopped to graze. Gundo looked like he needed a break, badly, 
and Chirin was hungry and tired himself. His flippers felt like tiny 
caterpies were crawling up and down on the squiggly lines that his 
tattoos traced. 

"If I may ask, and if anyone knows--where is this Ke-Doma that I have 
heard mention of? I come from out in the west seeking, among other 
things, the fabled Mure'mar of the far eastern lands, south of the 
mountains--the mountains of Megga's spine, far north of here. I have 
heard this Ke-Doma is called mogur? That sounds like a Mure'mar--and 
they took note of my gift in there. I seek more knowledge of how to 
wield my gift and speak with the spirits. There is a friend I have 
who needs help."

"Ke-Doma....He is to the east. He is very dangerous though Chirin. 
If you want I can show you where his territory is. If you don't 
becareful he'll attack for sure. The mogur only respects rams in his 
bloodline and those with special powers." Iris looked east. "You 
would have to impress him before he would give insight into his 
knowledge."

"I see," said Chirin. "Yes, tell me where he is. Not that I would 
just go to someone like that unless it were theonly way. In my 
knowledge the Mure'mar are helpful to those in need, regardless of 
bloodline. Their great powers and often longer lives give them more 
free time to help others, and of course much greater ability to. One 
Mure'mar is often happy to teach another because we are so few. I 
would be going to him to learn what he knows about battling powerful 
spirits. I have a best friend held wrongfully in a bind, in a place 
to the northwest. I have to leave him there but I vowed to return and 
gethim out, when I've gained the powers to do it. I tried already, 
and was lucky to get out alive."

He thought on this. Could this be the sensations he was feeling now? 
He had onve felt like the only onein the world with flippers and 
cheeks that bore tattoos that could feel the currents of others, the 
spirit and the *denki* gift of those who had passed through the area. 
It seemed like others cropped up more often than he had thought.

"Ke-Doma is powerful. He isn't very friendly either. Like I said if 
you want him to teach you anything you'll have to impress him." Iris 
knew all about Far-run and his flock.

"Thanks for warnng me. I don't likehim already, although I like 
prejudging even less. I'll take the warning to heart." Chirin leaned 
down and, with his left flipper, picked a pebble that did not want to 
unwedge itself from between his cloven hoof. His left flipper was 
clumsier than his right one, but his rightone was damaged. Chirin let 
his gift bloom within it, taking resourced of electricity from air 
and water and from himself, aligning with the spirits  in the place 
he stood to gear towards healing the wound. He had discovered through 
his seasons of usage of his gift that it was never the same from day 
to day or place to place. His mood and condition could have huge 
effects on how well it worked. It was like an eye that sometimes had 
to re-learn how to bring images into focus.

He looked abour him, arms slightly spread. His flipper, though it was 
healing, had ben left with the residue of a gift. His right flipper 
felt distinctly different from the other one. So did his right ear.

"Did Keha ever tell you anything about having a gift for it himself--
for being a Mure'mar?"

             "He never did. But...." She thought about it. "I don't know. He 
acted strange whenever someone spoke of Mure'mars and mogurs. Some 
kind of...sadness I guess you could call it. I call it strange 
because Brodi got down right curious and excited about such things. 
Keha was different, he wanted no part of it."

Chirin felt the presence of a gift in his wounds, both of the ones 
that Keha had given to him. They throbbed when he thought of Keha; 
they warmed up likethe sun shone on only the wounds, and his tattoos 
a little too now. The more he relaxed and thought of it the more the 
feeling grew, like he was nurturing it with all his mental 
attention. "I think he does. If there is nothing there now there will 
be. My own gift is sensing something from him, he gave me something."

"Keha? A mogur? Please Chirin! He is no where near that!" She 
laughed nervously. If Keha was a mogur? He always seemed to draw 
ewes to him. "If he was he would used it against youin that fight."

"I cannot deny what he has given me." Chirin held his arm like it had 
been poisoned. Or like someone was trying to steal it from him...or 
like someone had already stolen something from him that ran too deep 
to describe. "Whether he knows it or not it is there in him. And I 
understand if it makes you nervous. I would be scared too if he were 
to get that kind of power."

"Well....I haven't seen anything to make me think he has it. He acts 
like a big lamb too." Iris began to follow.

"Yes. He acts like someone who is used to getting what he wants 
without having to fight or work for it in any way. Andhe is not happy 
when he does not get what he wants." A spoilt brat with the gift? 
Yes, if he had it, wouldn't he know it at his age? But those who had 
the gift in any obvious way were not the only ones to carry it. 
Chirin knew this too well. Keha could have it without even knowing. 
Well, he had something. The marks did not lie. Neither did his gift, 
which was why the marks were alive in him in the first place.

He stopped on the low slope again and cast hislight around this time. 
Enemies would have seen them out here anyway. He saw no enemies 
following them (would he see any other sheep lights from where he is?)

And if he saw any lights, he would definitely hesitate to approach 
them. Shivers rubbed him down and he gave his head a shake. Spirits 
crawled around on hims like spiders.

A jerk--but he hid more than Chirin could have known. He might have a 
lot of growing up to do, but there was a tormented part of 
him. "Brodi has spirit--I might have liked himmore had I got the 
chance to travel with him. He seemed delightful, except that he was 
with Keha and following him." 

Chirin wasn'tsure what those ewes had seen in Keha, but who was he to 
presume he understood either the ewes or Keha? It had been hard 
enough to leave the place despite the dire danger, because of the 
scent of those ewes. 

The Moon cavern spun and the marks pulsed warmth, rusing to heat like 
hot oil had been rubbed on them. Caterpies turned to hot drops of 
water through the marks he had endured the application of, thorn by 
thorn, into his skin.

"Brodi can be a brat...but, he is a fun little guy. It's funny how 
he talks." Iris giggled recalling those lost looks on his face.

Chirin smiled, picking up to walk again. He had managed to make his 
wounds scab over well and they were not infected. When they stopped 
for the evening, he would delve into all of this. The brand of gift 
that Keha seemed to have given him--not in any added talent, just the 
ability to feel his gift's presence like he felt those of the others 
imposed on him over time--it was very different from any others that 
his own sense had tasted. And yet it was there, no duobt about it. 

He could smell it even in a guise, a mile away.


             "Yes....begin again...." Gundo thought to himself. He was a fool, he 
had betray a close friend and for what? Yes, he made mistakes.

"Perhaps to start over and correct a few mistakes." Gundo followed.

Chirin turned to him and smiled while he continued along the edge of 
the field, where slope met level plain. "That's right. I'm glad to 
hear you say that. You have your life ahead of you...we escaped them, 
and we will continue to." 

He made a ritual blink of lights to ward off bad luck that way. He 
reached up--he had healed his arm enough to--and touched the charm on 
his left arm. Touching it had always brought him good luck. It was 
the one thing he still wore and that he always would.

The ram's gift sense moved on over the grass and throuhg the air 
around him. If he had picked up Keha's signature gift, then other 
essences like it would begin to glow to him, glow with a light that 
was felt instead of seen. ~Ke-doma...I will see you someday.~ He 
didn't evenlike the ram, but he knew they would meet, for better or 
worse. It was as if they were both too big to avoid bumping into each 
other.

Chirin stepped up higher onto a rock. He leaped, tail swinging. He 
shone around to have a look around them.

Gundo took in the night air, he watched from under his brown fur 
whether there were enemies near. Those two seemed to have sensed 
something. He out his snout to the air. He didn't smell anything 
fresh.

Chirin glanced at Gundo, then back into himself and out from himself. 
Rustles in the grass as the wind beat over them, shivers in the 
bushes spoke a language. He was watchful, and at the same time he 
could not shake the feeling of being watched.

 "We escaped with luck. And it will be luck if we get out. My kind 
are slow beasts. You were better off leaving me be. You would be 
able to get away quicker." 

"We amps are slow creatures ourselves. Stop telling me I would've 
been better off without you...I made my choice, and you made yours." 
He had to snap him out of this cycle of self-pity somehow. He tilted 
his head to rub his palm against his squirming cheek. There was 
definitly another gift in the air. And it was not Keha's. It was more 
distant, like something so large and diluted that he couldn't even 
see what it was until he backed far away from it. He was standing in 
the middle of a soup of scared spirits. Their fear struck up a scent 
of fear in him. 

"Out meaning out of the valley?" said Chirin. He had thought already 
that this Gundo might betray him sometime. it was a risk he had 
taken.

"yes, out of the valley. Guntaka-dra kept scouts to roam the valley 
and report any danger back to him. It was an effective way of 
keeping enemies out. Huntkos might do it to find us. Though there 
are few...scouts left. Ray-ray was smart, he left with guntaka-dra." 
Gundo looked thoughtfully toward the slopes. "He is a loyal, loyal 
as they get...."


"Ke-Doma's domain is to the east. The Mogur has not been seen in a 
year. Some say he finally died, some claim he is merely traveling to 
strengthen his powers. I can't tell you what's true for I don't know 
what the truth is." Gundo shook some of the rain out of his bristly 
fur.

"Traveling to strengthen his powers." Chirin spoke half to Gundo and 
half to himself. Then he too knew what a rush it felt like to visit 
new places and learn its moods and the entities that inhabited them. 
Chirin thrived on experiencing the new and his gift was probably a 
large part of why. Of course, being a ram didn't hurt.

He shivered, the sensations pooling in his tattoos and rushing up 
like a frost setting in, zooming up over his shoulders to sting him 
in the backside. The thrub returned and would not go away. Every time 
his foot landed on another patch of grass, it seemed to reverberate 
inside him. And it bubbled to the surface in his marks, so much of 
which he still had yet to know how to read into properly, to 
understand. He had not fully understood Pon-pon's telling him that 
the receiving of his *merkus* had only been the very beginning of his 
teaching. 

"The truth will make itself known in time. There may be others out 
there besides Ke-doma. The Mure'mar i learned from told me that to 
the far east there was another Mure'mar, the only living one he knew 
of."

Gundo listened with interest. He knew Keha had something odd about 
him, something different but, some kind of specail power? A gift? It 
was strange to think of it.

Gundo sat resting, he watched about. He rooted around trying to 
find some wild tubers. He felt a pang of hunger.

Chirin knew how important it was to keep moving. The enemies could be 
on their ails and they might not even know it. He pushed forward even 
though he was tiring; he needed to sleep soon, do something to rest 
up. He just felt lucky to be alive.

"There's a flock down there." Amp lights could be seen for miles and 
standing where he was, he cuold make out a somewhat large-sizd flock 
perched high on the ridge to the south. He studied the lights to see 
any he recognized. He wasn't sure, he didn't think so. Some of them 
had odd colours--not the usual yellow, blue, or red. They were 
tightly knotted against each other, sitting on the rocks. 

"Anyone recognize that flock? We're kind of headed that way--so they 
have probably spotted us too." Chirin had big fat lights that were 
hard to miss.

 "That...could be guntaka-dra's flock. Those that escaped from 
Huntkos." Gundo stopped, he looked away from the lights. "I can't 
face him. Can't face him after what I did. I betrayed his trust in 
me."

"So..." It dawned on him now. "Guntaka-dra is not Huntkos. I thought 
that it was." So this piloswine had helped overthrow the old leader, 
who had not turned out to live up to this promises so well, he 
presumed. "'Kept' scouts? I don't like the way this whole thing is 
sounding, no matter what the intent. Something like that is too easy 
to abuse. That is what is happening now. This whole cave setup--it's 
wrong, I say just leave pokemon to their own devices. what happened 
seems to me to be very artificial. They had sheep being corralled 
into a cave! Like with humans puling sheep into a barn. That's what 
it seems like to me."

Chirin's tail had begun to lash. He had started to walk faster. "And 
in the end it fell into what I encountered tonight. Nothing good has 
come of it. Eventually things may return to their natural 
equilibrium...something like what is back there cannot last before it 
crumbles back down."

His flippers still ached and the discomfort changed colours as he 
moved from one spot to the next. There was definitely another 
Mure'mar near here, who had been here at some point.

Chirin looked sadly at the lights. For the first time he realized 
what being with Gundo meant; having him as a friend meant aligning 
against his enemies, at least to some extent. "If you're sure they 
would try to kill you. Or worse. they we will stay away." He kept his 
ears perked. 

"Guntaka-dra would never kill another. He is too kind...that was one 
of the reasons the others wanted him out of the way. We had 
predators attack us, a strange pack. He refused to attack them! We 
all saw him as a weak leader at that moment." Gundo followed. "My 
shame is I let Huntkos and the other two convince me he needed to be 
replaced."

"If he refused to attack back perhaps he was just rtying to keep 
himself from getting killed?" said Chirin. "Attacking packs are 
sometimes too much to stand up to, and as a rule, my kind flees when 
it can. Only when confronted by something that we can not run away 
from, do we fight."

He chewed his cud. He had to place his words carefully, lest gundo 
run back to the caves to be killed. His first encounter with flocks 
from here hadn't been so rosy, so why did he care about meeting or 
not meeting this one too? He had more important sheep to care about--
namely, Ira.

"Have you anyone, anywhere to go to from here? A family in the 
forests beyond here? I traveled past a woods getting here. From here, 
have you anywhere else but me and Iris?" He nearly mentioned, that it 
was because just he, Iris and Gundo together weren't quite a safe 
number. He didn't know how powerful Iris was, but gundo had barely 
been able to avoid fainting from exhaustion just gettingout of those 
caves. "If you don't it's all right. You can stay with me, and I'd 
sure we'll run into something before long. I travel a lot." He smiled 
at Gundo, then continued on south, although he didn't know why he was 
heading that way anymore.

"I did....most likely dead by now. Farm pigs don't live long." Gundo 
followed along.

"Oh...then you come from a Farm. I have met sheep who have, many in 
fact. Some of them are my verybest friends still, although not many 
of them still live, to my knowledge. They will always be close light-
friends to me. Well maybe in the morning we will go and see about 
approaching the flock? Unless you really don't think you would ever 
be welcome--I understand."

Chrin yawned and runned a raindrop from his eye. 
"I've got to sleep. I think we'll all feel better come Phos." Chirin 
turned up the slope and hiked up a ways, feeling safer the higher he 
got. He did not want to sleep anywhere except at or near the top of 
the ridge. He climbed up out of the sea of scared spirits, and the 
hissing offended dead, lying like snakes in the grass and the mud. 
They were watching, and through his gift he was watching them.

He reached a jumble of rocks not too fr from the peak. While he 
waited for the others to arrive, he sat himself down on a choice 
stone, loving the cool wet surface of the rock that relieved him from 
the warm night. He sat up a while, looking for danger, then he closed 
his eyes to test the winds in another realm for danger there too...

Keha could follow him there. Huntkos could follow him. Even the name 
made him think of hunting. Chirin's gift further healed his wounds. 
He had traveled a long way today with only Crazy Lights as a 
companion, only to find himself in trouble again, in this place. 

He had been dumb, but he was probably famous by now for having a 
brain he never really used much. He smiled as the rest of him 
relaxed. Deep breaths massaged him from the inside. The night was 
late, but not too late for some much-needed rest. Chirin lay down on 
his stomach and chewed cud, blinking at the valley. He yawned.

"Good night, Phos's light to both of youon your dream-journeys...may 
they take us far and to exciting places and may we all bring back 
power and energy from them. We have all journeyed far today. 
Tomorrow, things will be better."

His *merkus na mure* itched on his arms. His cheek twitched, as if 
something small were crawling on it. There was another half to his 
powers out there and it was like an insect, reaching out its antennae 
to probe over him. 

He sang low, ~*Ich pandemonium na nottos, I head for the open dark, 
sparkling with rain; *ich pandemonium na phata,* I journey to the 
open day, healing the pain.~

Chirin lay his head down, whispered a final utterance to the ring of 
little spirits round them, and closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Gundo laid down to sleep. He was tired, he was used to comfort, not 
running for his life. He shut his eyes. He didn't argue with 
anything the ram had to say. He just took it as something he might 
not have seen. He had been a fool after all.