03-05-2009, 11:01 AM
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It was full night by now, the sun having set more than two hours ago, but Lannen was still in plain sight. Even at full dark, the white man's coat set him apart against the sky of black. Sometimes he despaired of that fact. Although winter was not his favorite season by any stretch of the imagination, the snow that fell plentifully at least afforded him some sort of camouflage. The rest of the year, he stuck out like a sore thumb. That, and a white coat was a bitch to keep clean.
Lannen had scraped and dug himself a fire pit close to the borders. He sat outside his den now. He had dug it out quite a few weeks ago. It was a small, cramped space, but Lannen didn't have the heart to invest any effort in anything bigger. Although his den was very modest, he spent most of his time mobile and away from 'home' anyway. He found that living in close proximity to the borders was a salve to his mind, too, soothing territorial instinct.
The white man, by some miracle, had managed to find dry, viable fire wood. The storms had stopped, for now anyway, so it hadn't been as hard as he had initially anticipated. Kneeling next to the ring of stones and wood, he struck at it until the wood leapt into flame. He squatted on his haunches, looking into the vibrant warmth searchingly.
Lannen had scraped and dug himself a fire pit close to the borders. He sat outside his den now. He had dug it out quite a few weeks ago. It was a small, cramped space, but Lannen didn't have the heart to invest any effort in anything bigger. Although his den was very modest, he spent most of his time mobile and away from 'home' anyway. He found that living in close proximity to the borders was a salve to his mind, too, soothing territorial instinct.
The white man, by some miracle, had managed to find dry, viable fire wood. The storms had stopped, for now anyway, so it hadn't been as hard as he had initially anticipated. Kneeling next to the ring of stones and wood, he struck at it until the wood leapt into flame. He squatted on his haunches, looking into the vibrant warmth searchingly.