I seemed to have startled some woodland creature; there was some scuffling of in some underbrush. Readying my camera, I wandered over to the area, wondering if some poor creature were in trouble. A small brown head appeared from among the green leaves and turned large, dark brown, wary eyes on me. I tried to keep very still so as not to startle the little animal.

No sooner had the critter looked at me that another, much larger animal emerged, an alert head atop a horse like neck, but with long, gently curved horns. I stared. Could this be a pah'llock? The smaller animal was most likely an ayole, a Faidian species of small forest equine. But the larger animal was from foreign parts, and well known. The stallion was giving me a cautious look; I wasn't the master of these parts and he was obviously not likely to speak with a stranger. With a snort, after a few minutes, he and the ayole turned and faded back into the brush.

After some hesitation, I decided to follow them. Pah'llocks were sentient animals and he could probably tell that I didn't mean any harm to him or the ayole. Cautiously padding along, keeping a respectful distance, I followed them through the brush to the other side of the wood where the treeline made a gradual end into a pasture that had been made awhile ago for some now derelict cow byre. A pond was nearby with a stream flowing into and out of it, and a figure stood in the shallows; a second pah'llock! His black mane whipped softly in the wind, his horns bobbing slightly as he trotted heavily through the water to sniff his two oncoming companions.