welcome to existence

Gargoyle had heard his mate?s howl from his hunting ground in the northern woods just a ways away from the cove itself. At the very sound he let fall the hare he?d caught ? forgetting all about it in the explosion of worry and excitement that went off like fireworks in his head. He didn?t hear the rabbit plop to the forest floor. He didn?t even think to try to bury it to hide it from scavengers. He just ran.

He?d known that Ocena?s time was getting closer and closer, and for her own sake he?d hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Was it just his imagination or was she larger this time? How much bigger could the little black dwarf get? Gods Above! ? what if she just popped?!

WHAM!!!

?Apparently Gargoyle had forgotten one other, very important little detail: Don?t run into trees. He?d been going at a full charge with his brain a thousand miles away. He?d dashed this way and that, scrambling over logs and rocks and, on finally finding what seemed like an open enough stretch of forest, he?d gone into a dead sprint. He?d nearly forgotten his way home ? and he?d made a sudden right turn to adjust his course? and run smack into a sycamore. The thinner branches of the twisted old tree shuddered a little, but didn?t seem to mind too much. Gargoyle on the other hand had rebounded off like a bouncy ball and immediately plopped into a heap among the roots.

He was seriously lucky he didn?t just break his skull open with a crash like that, but as it was he was out cold for the count. Hopefully he?d wake up in a few minutes, though, with a splitting headache that would probably cross the line into minor concusion. Didn?t matter how much it hurt though, the wound to his pride would end up being far worse. Thank goodness he was still a good couple of miles from any of the dens.