Little Boy Of The Mountain W

--W--

Wind whistling in his ears, he sped back down the path, after bypassing the bridge by leaping the river, jumping from rock to rock. He vaulted the stone staircase in one bound and followed the river trail the way he had come.

Returning to the fords of the stream, he found Clipper munching on some grass in a sunny glade near where the boy had left him. Knowing he would be faster on foot, he tied the beast down with a peg so that it would not wander, and sprinted back up the hill on the valley path towards the ring of standing stones. As he ran he began to feel properly now the pain of his toes that had kicked the tripod in his great haste back at the waterfall. His stave was beginning to be a burden to run with, and his water-pouch, slung over his shoulder, bouncing and sloshing as he ran, began to feel very heavy. He tried to count his steps as he ran, to take his mind off the pain and inexplicable worry that coursed through his veins.

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