'And I would never tell them. Your secret is known only to
me, and I tell no one. I swear it.'
Skither remained motionless, puzzled by the presence of the strange and
knowing child. Utterly intrigued, he searched the back of his mind for
the meaning of their encounter.
'What is it then you would ask?'
'Since you are called again to the holy task, your lair will again be
left unguarded. I would ask that you allow the three of us to remain
here on the mountain, in the smaller cave above your own. Though each
of us alone are small, together we could create the illusion that you
had not left it.'
'But how, and for what reason do you do this?'
'My friends and I have only a short march of days before the
Commodore must sleep, and many other predators follow the herds to the
South. If you allow me, I could turn our shared need into shared
help.'
'Go on.'
'I have learned in my youth to make a sound like the flutter of your
mighty wings. And Akar could descend daily to the grasslands in plain
sight, as if your messenger to the wolf packs below.'
'How would you make this sound?' Skither was perplexed, and felt
an odd sense of antiquity as he gazed upon the complex and far-reaching
intelligence of one so young. And he had not failed to note the subtle
differences of his appearance: the knowing eyes, the smoother, more
refined features.
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