A strong paw gripped Chuktik’s arm, righting him in his saddle in the midst of sliding off.  He blinked hard and looked at Dingatet with blurry eyes, then straightened and brushed the Keeper’s paw off his arm.  Chuktik had stayed awake throughout the previous day and the long night that followed, only nodding off when faced with the rising sun.  His back ached and his rump was on fire.  The horse beneath him continued to run, but desultorily—a languid wandering from one side of the trail to the other, and he no longer had the strength to hold her steady.

Dull night had given way to exuberant morning, the birds waking long before daybreak and filling the arching canopy over the trail with brilliant song.  His head throbbed from the noise and he rubbed it with an unstea...

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