Follow Mairr dangerously near the Graciles

Mairr strode out of the gate of the Robust town, towards the foothills where the tree he needed for the tool he wanted to make grew... and towards Gracile territory. His mind was curiously quiet – not buzzing with worries and plans for what he would do if a band of Graciles tried to attack him, or even with plans for how best to cut down the tree and drag it back to his shop. Instead Mairr felt only a vague sense of anticipation, like the electrical tension in the air before a thunderstorm. In reality it wasn't stormy at all, it was a beautiful summer day – bright blue sky with just a trace of clouds here and there, birds singing, bugs humming, and a slight cool breeze to offset the warmth of the sun. It was only inside Mairr that everything seemed to hang in a tense balance. It was not that Mairr was afraid that he might encounter some Graciles. He truly had no fear of them; it had been love at first sight when Mairr first saw a Gracile, and it's hard to be afraid of something you yearn to have the chance to love.

Instead Mairr knew he was doing something stupidly risky, and he was afraid that if he let himself think about it his common sense would order him to go back to town. But Mairr was not going back to town. He was lonely, his life was going nowhere, and being sensible would only keep him trapped in that dead-end rut. So if doing something a little crazy gave him half a chance at really living – which Mairr defined as falling in love – then he was damn well going to do it. Since he was determined to do it, there was no point telling himself he was being an idiot, because that wouldn't change his mind, only darken his mood. And since he had no idea what might happen, there was no point trying to plan for it or worrying himself over possibilities that probably wouldn't happen. So he didn't think, he just walked, enjoying the light exertion and the weather and the anticipation that something different was going to happen.

Unfortunately... what happened was that Mairr found his tree. Of course, ostensibly he had been looking for the tree, but... Mairr heaved a sigh. Well, why should today be any different? He had felt the same sort of anticipation before he had gone to deal with the Gracile traders for the first time, and absolutely nothing had come of that. He really shouldn't be surprised that his life showed no sign of suddenly throwing off its harness and running free, but instead was plodding stolidly onward just like always. But he couldn't help feeling piercingly disappointed. He sighed again.

As Mairr had done with his nervousness before, now he refused to think about his disappointment. Instead he opened his pack and began laying out his tools for felling the tree. A rope, an axe, two wedges... The familiar work helped him regain his mental equilibrium. He told himself that it was silly to be disappointed. Maybe nothing interesting had happened, but in a way today had been a victory, because he had been courageous and taken a step out of the safe normalcy of his life, and even though it hadn't worked, he wouldn't quit now, he could just try something else even more outre next, like... maybe asking a Gracile trader if the Graciles had such things as heat houses and hired heat companions, and what the price for such a thing might be? Contemplating this possibility, Mairr tied the rope into a lasso and tossed it over the top of the tree. He snugged it tight and walked the end over to a much bigger and sturdier tree. Leaning all his weight on the rope, he tied the rope around the bigger tree so that it was pulling his little tree in this direction, the direction he wanted it to fall. Then Mairr walked around the other side of the tree to pick up his axe.

Suddenly a faint cry echoed through the air, then was gone as quickly at it had come. Mair froze. “What on Down was that?” Maybe it had only been a bird but... it had sounded pained. He strained his ears, listening for the noise to come again. For a long moment there was nothing, but then he heard a low groan. That was no bird, that was unmistakably a dragon, an injured dragon! Was there some other, less willing Robust being **** right over there?! Or maybe someone had been attacked by a tree-cat?! Without sparing time for thought Mairr grabbed the axe he had been planning to use on the tree and hurried as quietly as he could in the direction the noise had come from. It was difficult to be quiet though, because the area was full of underbrush, and Mairr had to shove some of the bushes out of the way before his big frame could fit through. Where had that painful cry come from?