The drill core bit cleanly through the ice, deep into the permafrost and the rock below. A low, steady vibration ran up through the frame as Matthias leaned into the rig, boots braced, gloved paws firmly on the controls. The sound was constant, a controlled deep mechanical hum cutting into the frozen ground beneath them.
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The Valleys: Winter Fire Circle
This short story takes place during a winter fire circle gathering, under the full moon.
Tonight the fire was not right.
It was burning — but only just.
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This short story takes place on the same night, directly at the end of: Episode 50 – Full Circle
The Valleys: The Last Fire Circle Gathering of Summer
The fire had burned lower now.
The great stacks of wood laid earlier in the evening had settled into a deep bed of glowing coals. Smaller flames licked quietly between the larger logs.
The heat was now soft, steady, and even. Marshmallows had begun to appear on the ends of sharpened sticks and sweet campfire tea from an ancient blackened cauldron had been ladled into mugs.
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Age: 14
Full Name: Dieter — Warrior of the People
Family: Son of Ambassador Schönheit & Anna, brother of Hanne
Species: Hunde, German Shepherd
Role: The Courage — bold, loyal, humorous, protective, direct, pack-driven; main protagonist
Best line: Come here, buddy. Sleep with me — I’m a bit scared too.
Funniest line: So what you’re saying is that we’re gonna fire a buzzy-bug straight up that bug ship’s whizz-stick?
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Age: 12
Species: Neko-Human snow-leopard
Full Name: Taqqiq — Snow on Ice
Family: Son of Gazza & Tag’s Mammy
Species: Neko-Human, Snow Leopard
Note: Will only wear a shirt when his mammy makes him
Role: The Heart, emotional courage, empathy, instinctive trust, compassion, moral compass, main protagonist
Best line: The stones have protected us so far.
I reckon the stones are on our side. They won’t let us down.
Funniest line: I ain’t gonna lie — this whole thing just about has me packing darkies in my under-jocks.
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Age: 13
Full Name: Pukajaak — Sugar Snow
Family: Son of Altai & Eliza
Species: Neko-Human, Snow Leopard
Role: The Mind, thinker, observer, narrative centre, anchor, interpreter of events, main protagonist
Best line: Dad… do you think we could get a flush toilet installed at our cabin now?
Funniest line: Half past sparrow’s fart, I reckon.
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On the Eight by Four Railway — with extensions — early morning mist curled around the sleepy steam engines and mingled with the first wisps of steam as the firemen coaxed their fires into life for a new day’s work.
One by one, the engines gently woke on their sidings at Caerphilly Yard, their boilers bubbling as they stirred from sleep.
Pickle, a small green tank engine with a bright brass dome, yawned a cloud of steam. Today was his first day pulling the milk tankers to the Cheese and Gate Creamery, and his wheels quivered with excitement.
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Sunlight gleamed on the rails of Ddraig Goch station, polished by the passing of countless wheels. Two engines stood side by side, looking very important.
One was Mallard, an A4 class engine, large, proud and blue. His streamlined casing and nameplates shone and sparkled in the bright morning sky. From buffer to buffer he stood eager and ready at the station, steam drifting from his valves in impatient sighs.
Beside him stood King Edward VIII, a hardworking King class engine painted a deep, dignified green. He was broader and heavier, built for strength, and his brass snifting valve glowed warmly in the morning sun. He too was ready to start the day’s work.
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The Mammothants were on the move. The harsh winter conditions of the Cyanos Northern Tundra had driven the herd southwards in search of fresh food.
Food. Their one constant need — shared by all in the herd, except for the little ones who still relied on their mothers for milk. The herd held a mixture of adult females and juveniles. The males, once they reached maturity, had left and formed their own bachelor groups, returning only during the mating season.
Crossing the last exposed reaches of the northern plains, the herd neared the foothills of the mountains. Here, in a crisscrossed maze of valleys, they would find fresh food, trees with bark to strip, and plentiful grasses buried beneath the snow. Most of the valleys also held wide braided rivers that flowed down from the high mountain glaciers.
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Screw Pile Developments 