Changes
David Given
active NPCs animals changing environment crashed spaceship ecology IF Competition 2012 IFComp Game non-human npcs science fiction telepathy transformation violence Xyzzy Awards 2012
%
You wake and see blood.

There's blood everywhere. So much blood, that at first you don't realise there's a figure behind the blood. It's alive, just; there's a face, twisted with pain, and more blood that bubbles from its mouth as it breathes, and a hand that spasms as it tries to paw at the thing projecting from where a chest should be. The eyes gaze into yours. There is still life and desperation there, but it it knows that it is quickly running out.

You want to help. You reach out --- and that is when you realise that you are looking into the inside of the reflective cockpit canopy, and that the face you can see is yours.



You wake.

Something's different.

You are immersed in a warm, comforting heap of something soft. It envelops you like an old blanket.
About you
You'll have to get out of this stuff first.
Exit
You fight your way free of the cottony stuff. Dim light blinds you for a moment.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. The air seems permeated with peacefulness.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.

You climb out of the pile of fluff to find it's heaped on a low, leafy dais. As you step off, the dais silently folds closed behind you to become one of the cocoons.
You examine the cocoon
(the closed cocoons)
On closer inspection, the cocoons are actually growing out of the trees. They're hard balls of veiny green leaves of all different sizes, from half a metre to several metres in diameter. You're not sure which one you climbed out of.
You open the cocoon
(the closed cocoons)
They open and close by themselves.
About yourself
You walk over to the water and study your reflection. The river is wide and dark, and in the dim light makes an almost perfect mirror.

Rather than the face you were expecting --- a battered one, but human --- you instead see a furry snout with bulbous eyes on each side and a wide mouth.

You recognise it from the survey report: the temporary name tagged on the creature is rabbit, for fairly obvious reasons. Numbly,
you find yourself interested that you're finally seeing one up close.

It's definitely you. Now you're actually noticing, it's
perfectly apparent that the body you're inhabiting is not your own. The fact that it feels totally natural is strangely unnerving.

But that still doesn't explain how, or why, although you can make a decent guess at where.
You examine the river
The river is wide and dark, and in the dim light makes an almost perfect mirror.

Yes, still a rabbit. You stare in horrified fascination for a few moments.
About yourself
You walk over to the water and study your reflection. The river is wide and dark, and in the dim light makes an almost perfect mirror.

Yes, still a rabbit. You stare in horrified fascination for a few moments.
You listen
It is utterly silent.
Smell
There's the faint wet smell of damp mud.
Dig
You scuff the soil a little.
You look around
The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. The air seems permeated with peacefulness.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.
You examine the trees
Your gaze slowly follows the tree trunks up to the canopy far overhead. It's an awesome sight. You've never seen anything this big that was alive before. At least, not in person. You recognise it from the Concerto's survey photographs: it's a Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree is, according to the Concerto, a commensal
plant which is semi-symbiotic on the surrounding wildlife. Actually getting more details was like pulling hen's teeth; the ship wouldn't answer questions about them, and the survey department seemed to be almost frightened. Eventually you managed to push enough alcohol down Francis so that he muttered something about taking life with one hand and giving it back with the other before he clammed up.
You climb Tree
It's just too big.
Smell the cocoon
(the closed cocoons)
There's the faint wet smell of damp mud.
Go north
Just as you're about to move, you see motion at the northern edge of the Mother Tree. In panic, you dive behind a tree.

A shape emerges from the light of the river arch: one rabbit dragging another. The one that is doing the pulling is a bit bigger than you are, and marked in black and white. The one on the ground... is obviously dead, eyes staring, grey fur tattered and muddy. It's heavy and awkward and the black and white rabbit is having difficulty moving it.

As you watch, one of the green cocoons silently splits open and unfolds. The black and white rabbit glances in your direction and then continues dragging the corpse after it into the cocoon.

...the rabbit knows very little, but it knows this: its companion
was once alive, and is now dead. And it wants it to be alive. This cannot happen, but there is a way they can be reunited, and the Mother Tree is kind. The rabbit is old and tired but it has enough strength to do this, and so it drags the rigid corpse to the Mother Tree. The strange zombie rabbit is watching it, but that is unimportant now. All there is left to do is wait.

...what just happened?
You wait
The cocoon closes, as silently as it opened, about the two rabbits.

Time passes.
You examine the cocoon
(the closed cocoons)
On closer inspection, the cocoons are actually growing out of the trees. They're hard balls of veiny green leaves of all different sizes, from half a metre to several metres in diameter. You're not sure which one you climbed out of.
You wait for a while
Time passes.
Go north
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight. Once your eyes have adjusted, you look up. Yes, this is Elysia. The Semiquaver at least
managed to crash on the right planet.

Although you were hurt pretty badly. Maybe the
Concerto picked you up and this is some sort of recuperative virtuality? That would at least explain the whole... rabbit... thing.

Assuming for sanity's sake that this is real, the shuttle should be around here somewhere.

Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

Something... very strange... starts to happen. You find yourself with this strong feeling of peacefulness, except you know it's not you feeling it; you can even sense the direction. You never felt anything like it before, but nevertheless, you can distinctly feel peacefulness from the west.
You feel
What do you want to feel?
Peacefulness
All you can tell is that it's coming from the west.
Taste peacefulness
That doesn't seem possible.

That isn't available.
You go west
This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, and you wonder what it would be like from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

You're suddenly face to face with a swarm of small furry creatures, scattered across the grass. For a moment you panic... and then you recognise them as other rabbits. Some of them look at you, but mostly they ignore you completely. You study them, fascinated. You never realised they came in so many different colours.

A very small rabbit pokes its head out of a burrow, and then goes back down again.
You enter the burrow
The burrow is blocked by a large rabbit. It stares at you calmly. It's quite unthreatening, but it's still not letting you in.

One rabbit chases another a few metres.
Bite rabbit
A rabbit yawns.

Before you can move, the rabbits all turn to stare at you in unison. Then something... odd... happens. The next thing you are aware of is that you're sitting right where you were, disoriented, and there are no rabbits.
Look around
This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, and you wonder what it would be like from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

Eyes seem to be staring at you from out of the burrows.
Dig
You have a very strong feeling that the rabbits are more dangerous than they look. That's probably not a good idea.

A small group of deer-like animals, much larger than you are, gallop up from the east with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing. One of them turns its head to look at you.

The buck is completely secure in his world. He has few needs: his mates, enough to eat, safety. Here in the canyon the only thing he has to be at all wary of is that annoying little creature with the sharp teeth that is always hanging around; if it ever came close enough he could kill it with a single kick, but it always keeps its distance. There is a nagging itch at the back of his mind, however: somewhere in the canyon there is the smell of the Wonderful Plant. He just can't find it.

There. It happened again.
Smell
The air is good, nearly as good as the Concerto's, but
uninteresting.

One of the younger deer bites its sibling, and there's a brief altercation.
You examine the deer
There are five of the creatures. One male, two females, and a couple of juveniles? It's very hard to tell, as they're all very similar apart from the size. They're smaller than you were expecting from the survey, barely the size of a large dog, but the blue-green fur is just as startling as you remember. They each have a single forward-curving horn that looks extremely sharp.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north.

A vicious-looking brown and white creature trots up from the east. You see bright eyes and hunger. The survey report mentioned these. It's a...

The fox is hungry, but it is always hungry. A long time ago it was mauled by one of those horrible animals at the dam, and was unable to hunt and was starving; then it found a dead deer, and gorged itself on the half-rancid meat. It was the best thing it ever experienced, and for a few brief hours afterwards, it was replete. Now it follows the deer around endlessly. They are far too large for it to kill, but it lives in hope of another windfall. In the meantime it scavanges for insects and tiny furry things. And, of course, it's always on the lookout for a bigger meal.

You blink, disoriented.

It eagerly begins to chase you.
You enter the burrow
The burrow is blocked by a large rabbit. It stares at you calmly. It's quite unthreatening, but it's still not letting you in.

The fox pounces on you. You just have time to think oh, sh---
as its jaws close on your neck, and then everything stops.
Go west
You were wrong: the view is terrible from here. Outside the canyon there is just barren, sandy wasteland, with the occasional scrubby plant, stretching away in all directions. There are mountains on the horizon, but there's no way you could survive out here long enough to reach them. Down to the east the oasis of the canyon is mostly hidden behind the terrain. There is a rise to the south, near where the land stops.

There's that strange sensation again, of excitement and caution from the east.
You go south
A narrow finger of rock points out over the cliff. Unlike the desert, the view here is extraordinary: the lush green canyon falls away to the west, and the endless cloud ocean of the Elysian Lowlands fills the eastern horizon, thousands of metres below. Straight down you can see where the river falls away over the edge of the cliff.

Something large and metallic shines on the other side of the canyon.
You look at the canyon
It's spread out below you: the Mother Tree at the south end; then the meadows; the river flowing out of the lake, surrounded by forests; and far away at the north there's a distant cascade of water, almost too small to make out.
You go north
You were wrong: the view is terrible from here. Outside the canyon there is just barren, sandy wasteland, with the occasional scrubby plant, stretching away in all directions. There are mountains on the horizon, but there's no way you could survive out here long enough to reach them. Down to the east the oasis of the canyon is mostly hidden behind the terrain. There is a rise to the south, near where the land stops.

You can feel caution from the east.
Go east
This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, much better than it was from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

Eyes seem to be staring at you from out of the burrows.
Go east
Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

You can feel caution from the west.
Go north
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.
Go west
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Dig
You go to work with your front paws and quickly clear the loose sand out of the burrow. It's surprisingly satisfying work.

There's that peculiar sensation again; the feeling of peacefulness changing to caution from the south.
You look around
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

You can feel caution from the south.
You enter the burrow
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The burrow is cool and dark, and the sandy soil smells pleasantly spicy. Emotionally, you feel totally secure here. Intellectually, you know that the unstable walls could collapse on you, and probably kill you, at any time.
Smell
Dry and invigorating.
You listen
It is utterly silent.
Look around
The burrow is cool and dark, and the sandy soil smells pleasantly spicy. Emotionally, you feel totally secure here. Intellectually, you know that the unstable walls could collapse on you, and probably kill you, at any time.
Dig
You scuff the soil a little.
Exit
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

You can feel peacefulness from the south, and irritation from the east.
You go to the east
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.

You almost run into the fox again. It eagerly begins to chase you.

You can feel annoyance from the south.
Go west
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

The fox is chasing behind you from the east.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
You enter the burrow
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The burrow is cool and dark, and the sandy soil smells pleasantly spicy. Emotionally, you feel totally secure here. Intellectually, you know that the unstable walls could collapse on you, and probably kill you, at any time.

You can feel excitement from outside.
Wait
Time passes.

You suddenly notice excitement changing to hunger from outside.
Exit
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

You can feel caution from the south, and hunger from the east.
Kick
(the burrows)
You give the sandy bank a good whack. Small avalanches of sand start cascading all over, one of them neatly filling up the burrow you dug out.

You sense there is a new feeling of annoyance from the south and the feeling of hunger fading from the east.
Dig
You go to work with your front paws and quickly clear the loose sand out of the burrow. It's surprisingly satisfying work.

The deer gallop up from the south with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing.

You sense annoyance fading from the south.
Smell
The air is good, nearly as good as the Concerto's, but
uninteresting.

The buck deer shakes itself. A cloud of dust rises from its mane.

You sense a new feeling of hunger from the south.
Go north
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.

The deer gallop up from the south with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing.
You look at the trees
The trees are peculiar, very similar to Earth trees and yet somehow different. The geometry is still based on a branching fractal structure but you suspect the rules are different. The leaves are very familiar, though, and unless you make a point of noticing the differences they're just trees.

The deer stare into space for a while.

You sense a new feeling of hunger from the south.
Smell
The trees have slightly acrid, slightly resiny smell that is not unappealing.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north.

The fox approaches from the south. It eagerly begins to chase you.

You sense hunger fading from the south.
You go north
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north.

The fox is chasing behind you from the south.
You go east
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

A half-dozen or so humped, stocky creatures are bustling about, working on the dam: Elysian beavers. They bustle about, working on the dam.

The fox is chasing behind you from the west.

The beavers suddenly notice the fox and start hissing threateningly. It stays well over to the west side of the dam.
You look at the beavers
Unlike the other Earth namesakes in the canyon, the beavers here look absolutely nothing like the Earth kind. They're small and
stocky, with a bulldog neck and serrated tusks that stick out sideways from their mouths which they use to saw through trees. They don't have big teeth, they don't gnaw and they certainly don't have the trademark tail. The dam they're building isn't much good, either.

You did ask Francis about them, you remember: he was the primary author of the survey report. He just shrugged. "They had a dam, and we ran out of imagination," he said.

The fox pounces on you. You just have time to think oh, sh---
as its jaws close on your neck, and then everything stops.
Go north
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

Over on the other side of the lake, a black animal is playing on the edge of the water. It never seems to stay still and it takes you a few moments to identify it as an Elysian otter.

The fox is chasing behind you from the south.

You can feel hostility from the south, and contentment from the west.
You look at the otter
It's not really an otter, of course; it's a quasi-mammal with the usual cartiligenous backbone that creatures have here. But it's got fur, warm blood, lives in water and eats fish, so the necessities of physics make it look vaguely otter-like, which means that's what everyone on the Concerto calls it.

The fox pounces on you. You just have time to think oh, sh---
as its jaws close on your neck, and then everything stops.
You go to the west
The trees here are stunted and wiry, and the steeply sloping ground is showing its rocky bones through the thin grass. The canyon is spread out below you: the lake to your east, the woodland covering the lower slopes, and the green dome of the Mother Tree far to the south, now shrunken by distance. The canyon ends not far to the north in a tumble of fallen rock.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north.

The fox is chasing behind you from the east.
Go north
You are perched at the very north-west tip of the canyon, where the slopes disintegrate into a tangle of smashed rock. Wiry, heather-like grass grows between the gaps between the boulders, and there are even a few trees. Below to the east is a maelstrom of white water at the head of the river; to the south, the slope begins to flatten.

Tiny multicoloured birds dart back and forth on the cliff face above you.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off east.

The fox is chasing behind you from the south.
You go east
The river pours out of an aperture in the northern wall of the canyon and tumbles down through a snarl of fallen rock before flowing into the lake, to the south. The noise of rushing water is everywhere. The eastern shore is a sheer rockface, but the western shore is a rocky slope that rises to meet the canyon wall in the distance. Some trees hug the edge of the water.

Water pours around, through, and over the massive pile of boulders. There are nooks and crannies and vortices everywhere.

The water swirling in one large rock pool in particular catches your eye.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off south.

The fox is chasing behind you from the west.
You go south
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off south.

Over on the other side of the lake, the otter is basking in the sunlight.

The fox is chasing behind you from the north.

You can feel concentration from the south.
Go south
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off south. The beavers relax, disperse, and go about their business again.

The beavers bustle about, working on the dam.

The fox is chasing behind you from the north.

The beavers suddenly notice the fox and start hissing threateningly. It stays well over to the west side of the dam.
Go east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

A pair of shining eyes stares at you from out of the thorny bush. After a few seconds, the shape of a vaguely anthropoid creature resolves around them. Ah, yes, you remember this: it's a lemur. You have just enough warning to brace yourself before...

The lemur stares at the strange rabbit with a distant curiosity.
Its mind is unfocused, blurred by the psychedelic drug in the leaves it loves so much. It knows that the rabbit is unusual, but it doesn't care. It doesn't care much about anything except the leaves. It just sits and watches the world, and occasionally, when the colours focus for a moment, interacts with it.

That was... unusual.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.

You can feel excitement and hostility from the west.
You examine Plant
Unlike the animals, this plant defies neat categorisation into the Earth ecosystem. A great froth of slightly furry parsley-like leaves shields long, razor sharp thorns underneath. It smells intensely of... something. Mint crossed with vanilla? It's very strong and not very appetising.

The lemur stares solemnly at you from out of the spiky bush.

You sense excitement changing to hunger from the west.
You take Plant
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur scratches itself.

You sense excitement changing to hunger from the west.
You eat Plant
You're not cut out to be a browser.

The lemur licks itself contemplatively.

You sense hunger fading and hostility changing to concentration from the west.
Smell plant
All you can smell is that plant.

The lemur gives you a suspicious look.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying a bundle of aromatic leaves in your mouth.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
Go west
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The beavers bustle about, working on the dam.

You can feel peacefulness from the east.
You examine fish
They're brown and trout-like, but on closer inspection the fins are all wrong and the tail is bifurcated. You think that Elysia could have some very plausible mermaid myths.

One of the beavers starts whittling a branch with its serrated tusks.

You sense peacefulness fading from the east.
You take the fish
(first dropping the bundle of aromatic leaves)
You easily catch one of the stranded fish and bite down on the back of its neck. Snap-crunch. You feel nauseous.

A couple of beavers scuffle meaninglessly for a bit.
You go west
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

You can feel concentration from the east.
You climb the rock
(the giant rock)
Dropping the dead fish, you jump and scrabble wildly with your powerful hind legs, eventually managing to haul yourself to the top.
Look around
Boulder (on the giant rock)
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

You can see a dead fish here.

You can feel annoyance from the south, and concentration from the east.
Down
You jump down from the boulder.

The deer gallop up from the south with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing.

You sense annoyance fading from the south.
You take the fish
In the absence of any other options, you pick up the dead fish in your mouth.

The deer suddenly prick up their ears, and then walk off east.

You sense a new feeling of hunger from the south.
Go west
You can't go that way.

You sense concentration changing to hostility and a new feeling of irritation from the east.
Go south
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.

You can feel hunger from the east.
You go south
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Dig
You've already cleared out one of the burrows.

You sense peacefulness changing to caution from the south.
You drop the fish
You carefully put down the dead fish.
Go outside
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Go north
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.
You go to the north
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

You can feel annoyance from the north, and concentration from the east.
Go east
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The beavers bustle about, working on the dam.
You take the fish
You kill another fish.

A small pack of beavers heads purposefully into the woods.

You sense a new feeling of annoyance from the west.
You eat the fish
(the dead fish)
It smells vile.

One of the beavers starts whittling a branch with its serrated tusks.

You sense annoyance changing to irritation from the west.
You go north
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

Over on the other side of the lake, you can see the otter with its head out of the water, staring at you intently.

You can feel concentration from the south.
You look at the bones
They're old and bleached the sun, and look well-gnawed. There's quite a lot of them.

Over on the other side of the lake, you can see the otter with its head out of the water, staring at you intently.
Wave
You wave, feeling foolish.

Over on the other side of the lake, you can see the otter with its head out of the water, staring at you intently.
You show fish to the otter
(the dead fish to the otter)
The otter is unimpressed.

Over on the other side of the lake, you can see the otter with its head out of the water, staring at you intently.
You drop the fish
(the dead fish)
Dropped.

There's a sudden splash as the otter surfaces just offshore. Close up, it's noticeably bigger than you are, with a pointed nose and alert looking whiskers. It stares at you with interest.

The otter is bored. And a bit hungry. And cross. Mostly bored.
There's lots of crunchy things in the lake, and they're good, but what it really wants is fish. And something to do. The creatures on the dam won't let it near the fish, but this rabbit has one! But there's something not right about it. Maybe it's dangerous? But it has a fish for the otter. It must love the otter!

While you're reeling from this bombardment of images, the otter wriggles ashore and scurries up the beach.
You take the fish
Which do you mean, the dead fish or the fish bones?
Dead
Taken.

The otter dives back into the water and vanishes.
You wait for a while
Time passes.

The otter sits back on its haunches and gobbles down the fish with every appearance of satisfaction. It watches you eagerly.
Bite otter
You're a rabbit. About the only thing you're capable of hurting are leaves.

The otter waits for you patiently.
Go south
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The beavers bustle about, working on the dam.

The otter follows you from the north, whiskers twitching. It appears to be a bit less confident. It looks longingly at the fish jumping in the pools, but eyes the beavers and stays well over on the west side of the shore.
Go west
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

The otter follows you from the east, whiskers twitching. It is getting a little puzzled.

You can feel concentration from the east.
Go south
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.

The otter follows you from the north, whiskers twitching. It is beginning to look disappointed.
You go south
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows. One of them has been dug free of sand.

The otter follows you from the north, whiskers twitching. It gives you a look full of betrayal, but is seems to have picked up an interesting scent from the burrow.

You can feel caution from the south, and hunger from the east.
Wait
Time passes.

The otter wriggles into the rabbit burrow. It's really too big to fit and the burrow starts to crumble around it.
Kick
(the burrows)
You give the sandy bank a good whack. It's already beginning to shift from the way the otter is wriggling about, and the burrow falls in on itself with a thump. There's a brief squeak from inside,
followed by a very faint, helpless whine which mercifully stops quickly.

You sense hunger fading from the east.
Dig
You start digging and quickly uncover the otter's body. You haul it out.
You take the body
Your absence of hands is a bit of problem, but you end up picking up one end of the otter's body in your mouth.
Go east
You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.
You go to the north
You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

The river is narrow and rocky here, and the river churns noisily between the boulders. Trees come down to the water's edge on both sides, and twigs and dead leaves spiral dizzyingly in the vortices. The woods are fairly dense here and seem to go on in all directions.

You can feel concentration from the north.
You go south
You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

You can feel peacefulness from the west.
You go to the west
You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, much better than it was from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

Eyes seem to be staring at you from out of the burrows.
You go south
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. The air seems permeated with peacefulness.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.

A cocoon silently folds open. There's a moment's pause, and then a grey rabbit leaps out, streaks past you, and is gone.

The cocoon closes again.

One of the cocoons unfolds, revealing a mass of soft, white padding. It seems to be waiting for you.
You put the body in the cocoon
(the closed cocoons)
You're carrying things around with your teeth. The only way you can do that is to drag it there.
You enter the cocoon
(the open cocoon)
You climb onto the open cocoon and burrow your way into the cottony stuff.

You laboriously drag the otter's body with you.

You are immersed in a warm, comforting heap of something soft. It envelops you like an old blanket.

The cocoon folds up around you, wrapping you in comforting, secure darkness.

"Telepathy?" you say.

You're in one of the Concerto's observation bubbles: a
transparent sphere of force field held just off the hull. The huge bulk of the starship extends for kilometres behind you, but you've seen it before, and right now you have eyes only for the glowing jewel of the planet Elysia rolling past below.

"Telepathy," repeats the Concerto. "The real thing."

"Some sort of organic radio, I presume," you say. "Or high bandwidth ultrasound. Or---"

"No," says the Concerto impatiently. "It's not
electromagnetic, nor a matter wave, nor chemical message-passing. I've even checked for gravity waves. This is something new. And you know what that means."

You don't say the words. You don't have to. New physics. A
new lead to the unsolveable mystery of the universe. New growth in the barren garden of science.

"The planet is soaked in it," says the Concerto. "I've built
some crude detectors --- just bits of animal brain inside NMR scanners --- and mapped the surface. The distribution's not even, but there's telepathic radiation everywhere."

squeamishness.

"Elysia is a perfect world," it continues. "Maybe too perfect. It may be too valuable to colonise. It may be too dangerous to
colonise. I have no idea whether there's any effect on human minds."

"You'll need some pretty hard evidence to persuade the exploitation team to stay in space when Elysia's right here," you say.

"And I don't have it," says the Concerto. "There's an effect.
That's all I know. That's all we know. We don't have any idea
of the what the implications are, only what they might be."

"You think the exploitation team won't buy it," you say. "You think they'll want to go ahead with full scale colonisation and only investigate this when they're down there."

"Of course they will," says the Concerto. "The exploration
team live in space. They'll be perfectly happy about staying in orbit for another decade to look into this --- most of them were going to stay here anyway. But the exploitation team won't tolerate that."

"So what are you going to do?" you ask.

"The exploitation team is still frozen, which means I hold their proxy votes," says the Concerto. "For important decisions I have to
wake a representative sample, and this is important. This means I have to wake them. I have to, you understand?"

The Concerto's own built-in safeguards limit how much it can
bend the rules. "When?" you say.

"Soon," the Concerto says. "I'll delay as long as I can. But
I must wake them. In the mean time... we need more data.
That's where you come in."

"Ah," you say. "You want me to go and look and then tell you what to say."

"Correct," says the Concerto.
Exit
You fight your way free of the cottony stuff. Dim light blinds you for a moment.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. Everything seems very quiet, as if you are being watched with caution.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.

As you climb out of the cocoon it silently folds closed behind you.
About you
You walk over to the water and study your reflection. The river is wide and dark, and in the dim light makes an almost perfect mirror.

The features you see have changed again. The narrow, weasel-like muzzle, the whiskers, the short, pointed ears --- yes, you are now looking out of the otter's eyes.

On close examination, you seem to recognise the features. Your new body is, you think, the same one that you dragged out of the sand pit up the side of the canyon. You don't really want to think too hard about the implications of that.
You go south
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Sheer rock walls tower above you to the east and west, and only slightly less impressive is the green wall of the Mother Tree to the north. But to the south the ground just stops, and the river pours endlessly into the void.

You can see a glint of metal high up to the east.
You go to the east
You eye the crumbling, and very high, cliff face dubiously. Not a chance.
You go to the south
your heart pound.
You go north
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. Everything seems very quiet, as if you are being watched with caution.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.
You go north
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

You can feel annoyance and peacefulness from the west.
Go north
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.

You can feel hunger from the west.
Go east
You easily swim across the river.

The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
You go east
You can't go that way.

You sense a new feeling of peacefulness from the south.
You go to the north
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel concentration from the west.
Go west
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The deer gallop up from the south with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing.

The beavers suddenly dash up towards the deer, trying to drive them away from the dam and the river bed.

The beavers are confronting the deer, forming a line blocking them from crossing the river.
You eat the fish
It's still moving.

One of the beavers darts in to nip one of the deer's legs, but a flourish of the deer's horn sends it running.

You sense a new feeling of hunger from the south.
You take the fish
You kill another fish.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north. The beavers relax, disperse, and go about their business again.

A small pack of beavers heads purposefully into the woods.

The fox approaches from the south. It reflexively begins to chase you.

The beavers suddenly notice the fox and start hissing threateningly. It stays well over to the west side of the dam.

You sense hunger fading from the south.
Go north
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off north.

The fox chases behind you from the south before realising that you're bigger than it is and coming to a rather confused halt.

You can feel hostility from the south.
Go east
You slide smoothly into the lake. The water feels cool and supremely comfortable against your fur.

The water is crystal clear, and rays of orange light shine down from above. The bottom is covered in grass-like weed, dotted with fallen boulders of all sizes from the cliff face above.

Crayfish run around on the lake bottom, snapping their pincers threateningly at each other.

You can feel hunger from the west.
You take the crayfish
(first dropping the dead fish)
You swim down, but whenever you get close to one, it hides under a rock, and all you can see are beady eyes staring balefully at you.
You eat the fish
It smells vile. Shouldn't you like these things now? You find
yourself feeling cheated and angry, somehow.
You go to the east
You can't go that way.

You sense hunger fading from the west.
Swim
There's nothing to swim in here.

You're already swimming!
Look around
The water is crystal clear, and rays of orange light shine down from above. The bottom is covered in grass-like weed, dotted with fallen boulders of all sizes from the cliff face above.

Crayfish run around on the lake bottom, snapping their pincers threateningly at each other.
You examine the boulders
They each have a waving mane of weed.
You look at the weed
Looking closely, you think it's the same species as the grass on the surface, but much larger.
You take the weed
(first dropping the dead fish)
You quite like the grass where it is.
You go to the north
You try to swim upstream, but near the head of the lake the current is too much for you.
You go west
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

You can feel concentration from the south.
Swim
You slide smoothly into the lake. The water feels cool and supremely comfortable against your fur.

The water is crystal clear, and rays of orange light shine down from above. The bottom is covered in grass-like weed, dotted with fallen boulders of all sizes from the cliff face above.

Crayfish run around on the lake bottom, snapping their pincers threateningly at each other.

You can see a dead fish floating nearby.
Go west
The trees here are stunted and wiry, and the steeply sloping ground is showing its rocky bones through the thin grass. The canyon is spread out below you: the lake to your east, the woodland covering the lower slopes, and the green dome of the Mother Tree far to the south, now shrunken by distance. The canyon ends not far to the north in a tumble of fallen rock.
You go north
You are perched at the very north-west tip of the canyon, where the slopes disintegrate into a tangle of smashed rock. Wiry, heather-like grass grows between the gaps between the boulders, and there are even a few trees. Below to the east is a maelstrom of white water at the head of the river; to the south, the slope begins to flatten.

Tiny multicoloured birds dart back and forth on the cliff face above you.
You go east
The river pours out of an aperture in the northern wall of the canyon and tumbles down through a snarl of fallen rock before flowing into the lake, to the south. The noise of rushing water is everywhere. The eastern shore is a sheer rockface, but the western shore is a rocky slope that rises to meet the canyon wall in the distance. Some trees hug the edge of the water.

Water pours around, through, and over the massive pile of boulders. There are nooks and crannies and vortices everywhere.

The water swirling in one large rock pool in particular catches your eye.
You look at the pool
Water's pouring into it, but there doesn't seem to be any exit. There's a narrow ledge leading round it to the north, but if you fell in, the sides are far too steep to climb out of...
Go north
You nervously crawl along the ledge.

You are balanced on a rock overhanging the north edge of the rock pool. The boulder is slippery from spray, and shifts under your feet when you move your weight giving you the feeling like it might give way at any moment. The narrow ledge to the south leads back to safety.

The rock pool churns unnervingly below you.
You look around
The river pours out of an aperture in the northern wall of the canyon and tumbles down through a snarl of fallen rock before flowing into the lake, to the south. The noise of rushing water is everywhere. The eastern shore is a sheer rockface, but the western shore is a rocky slope that rises to meet the canyon wall in the distance. Some trees hug the edge of the water.

Water pours around, through, and over the massive pile of boulders. There are nooks and crannies and vortices everywhere.

The water swirling in one large rock pool in particular catches your eye.

The deer gallop up from the south with a thunder of hooves. They spend several moments looking around with suspicion before returning to their grazing.
Bite deer
The moment the thought crosses your mind, the biggest deer turns to stare at you balefully, and you find yourself thinking about how that curved horn could so easily skewer your body to the ground.

The buck deer sniffs the air.

You sense a new feeling of hunger from the south.
You examine the deer
There are five of the creatures. One male, two females, and a couple of juveniles? It's very hard to tell, as they're all very similar apart from the size. They're smaller than you were expecting from the survey, barely the size of a large dog, but the blue-green fur is just as startling as you remember. They each have a single forward-curving horn that looks extremely sharp.

The deer suddenly look up, and then bound off west.

The fox approaches from the south. It reflexively begins to chase you.

You sense hunger fading from the south.
You go north
You nervously crawl along the ledge.

You are balanced on a rock overhanging the north edge of the rock pool. The boulder is slippery from spray, and shifts under your feet when you move your weight giving you the feeling like it might give way at any moment. The narrow ledge to the south leads back to safety.

The rock pool churns unnervingly below you.

The fox chases you from the south onto the ledge --- which abruptly gives way underneath you. You, the fox, and what seems like several tonnes of rock drop into the water in a shocking plunge that stuns you for a few moments.

From down here the sides of the pool are steeper and even less climbable than they were from above --- this is less of a pool and more of a well, and you are at the bottom of it. One of the many waterfalls crashes into the dark water near where you are and vortices in the water buffet you.
Swim
You're already swimming.

The fox is mindlessly flailing at the water in panic, trying to stay afloat.
Wait
Time passes.

The fox is clawing at the sides of the pit, trying to climb out. A few rocks come down but it can't get any purchase.
You wait
Time passes.

The fox is exhausted and can't keep its head above the water any more. Some bubbles come up.
You wait
Time passes.

There is a final convulsion, and the fox is still, floating with its head just under the water.
You take the fox
You swim up to the fox's body and take a firm hold with your teeth.
Go south
The sides of the pool and sheer. There's no way out that way.
Swim
You're already swimming.
Down
You swim down into the depths of the pool. A current grabs you and whisks you through a concealed underwater tunnel before spitting you out again.

You tow the fox's body along behind you.

The water is crystal clear, and rays of orange light shine down from above. The bottom is covered in grass-like weed, dotted with fallen boulders of all sizes from the cliff face above.

Crayfish run around on the lake bottom, snapping their pincers threateningly at each other.

You can see a dead fish floating nearby.
Go west
You haul the fox's body out of the water.

The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

You can feel concentration from the south.
You go south
You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The beavers bustle about, working on the dam.

You can feel peacefulness from the east.
Go south
You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

The river is narrow and rocky here, and the river churns noisily between the boulders. Trees come down to the water's edge on both sides, and twigs and dead leaves spiral dizzyingly in the vortices. The woods are fairly dense here and seem to go on in all directions.

You can feel concentration from the north.
You go to the south
You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.
Go south
You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

You can feel peacefulness from the west.
Go south
It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the dim light.

You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. Everything seems very quiet, as if you are being watched with caution.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.

One of the cocoons unfolds, revealing a mass of soft, white padding. It seems to be waiting for you.
You enter the cocoon
(the open cocoon)
You climb onto the open cocoon and burrow your way into the cottony stuff.

You laboriously drag the fox's body with you.

You are immersed in a warm, comforting heap of something soft. It envelops you like an old blanket.

The cocoon folds up around you, wrapping you in comforting, secure darkness.

You've barely sipped your vodka and orange when you hear someone call your name. You look up. "Oh, there you are," you say.

Francis Terrier, head of the survey department, and one of the few people who can tell the Concerto what to do, sits down
heavily beside you, takes his drink --- now warm --- and stares tiredly at the view for a while. The Concerto's vast garden
slowly tumbles around the pair of you. The Centrifugal Bar makes the planet-bred exploitation team nauseous. However, you're both in the exploration team, and after sixteen hours of continuous briefings you find it pleasantly relaxing.

"I need to tell you something," he says eventually. You raise your eyebrows at him. "Things are tense here. Really tense," he says.

"Did smalltalk go out of fashion while I was in cryo?" you mutter, and sigh. "Is this about the telepathy thing?"

"Keep your voice down!" he hisses, glancing around. "God, and you're supposed to be our hotshot intuitionist... no. That's not what it's about. It's about delaying colonisation."

"Are we?" you say. "I thought that hadn't been decided yet."

He says nothing for a moment, and then says, "What if I were to tell you that not all the exploitation team is frozen?"

You raise your eyebrows. "How is that possible?"

"The cryo facilities are run by humans," he says. "Part of the frankenstein safeguards, remember? And there's a fringe element of the explorer team that sympathises with the exploiters."

"There always is," you say. "It's called the human condition..." You frown. "Waking the exploitation team before the planet's been cleared for colonisation violates the protocols."

"Sure, but they think the Concerto is already
violating the protocols," Francis says quietly.

"But that's impossible," you says. "The safeguards..."

He waves your protests away. "I know that, you know that, and they would know that if they were thinking rationally, but they're not. They're terrified that this is a bid for power by the
Concerto, and they're taking action to prevent that."

"That's mad," you say flatly.

"It gets worse," he says. "In this scenario, you are an accomplice to the Concerto."

As you stare at him blankly, something moves in the back of your mind. "You think that they might strike at me, as a proxy for the
Concerto. You're trying ot tell me I'm in danger."

"Right now, you're popular," Francis says. "That work you did on Brimstone."

"But nobody falls faster than a failed saint," you say. The pieces fit together inexorably in your head: hatred, vilification, polarisation, extremism. Accusations of treason. An 'execution'. And, of course, if they truly believe that your decision is a foregone conclusion, there's no need to wait until you actually make it before
taking action. "Crap. How many of these people are there?"

Francis has been watching your face move as you work through all this. "Enough," he says. "I take it martyrdom's not your thing?"

"Hardly," you say. "What do you suggest I do?"

Francis gives you a hard stare. "Be very, very careful."

You wake.

Something's different.

You are immersed in a warm, comforting heap of something soft. It envelops you like an old blanket.
Exit
You fight your way free of the cottony stuff. Dim light blinds you for a moment.

The trees here are huge: massive columnar towers rising out of the soft green turf to support the dense leaf canopy above. Golden rays angle down between the trees, filling the vast space with dim light, and reflecting off the river that runs down the east side. Everything seems very quiet, as if you are being watched with caution.

Large green cocoons are attached to the bases of some of the trees.

As you climb out of the cocoon it silently folds closed behind you.
About yourself
You walk over to the water and study your reflection. The river is wide and dark, and in the dim light makes an almost perfect mirror.

As expected, the face looking back at you is the fox's. Yes. It's definitely the same one that you dragged out of the lake.

If this is the fox's body, what happened to the fox's mind?
You go north
You emerge, blinking, into the sunlight.

Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

You can feel peacefulness from the west.
Go north
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.
Go north
The river is narrow and rocky here, and the river churns noisily between the boulders. Trees come down to the water's edge on both sides, and twigs and dead leaves spiral dizzyingly in the vortices. The woods are fairly dense here and seem to go on in all directions.

You can feel concentration from the north.
You go to the north
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

The beavers suddenly notice you and start hissing threateningly.
Bite beavers
You brace yourself to leap --- the beavers are big and actually look quite dangerous. But then a wave of frustration and anger descends on you, and the world vanishes into a red blur and a flood of rage so intense that it's an unbearable pressure in your head. The riots on the Concerto, your helplessness on Elysia, the pointless
deaths above and below, all meld into one.

You come to your senses in the middle of a massacre. Torn beaver bodies lie everywhere. You've killed them all. You start shaking with shock and horror.

Oh, you think. That's where the fox's mind went.
You examine the beavers
Bloody and torn, almost mutilated. You shudder.
You eat the beavers
(first taking the dead beavers)
You don't even want to look at them, let alone touch them.
You go east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.

Pain suddenly hits you, and you realise that you're covered in scrapes and gouges and one nasty cut on the side of the head that narrowly misses your eye. The beavers fought back. You find yourself licking your wounds, numbly seeking comfort.
You take Plant
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.
You eat Plant
You're not cut out to be a browser.

You sense peacefulness fading from the south.
You go west
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

The grisly remains of the dead beavers are scattered among the rocks.

Some fish flap about in the pools.
Go north
You can't go that way.

Belatedly, you realise that whatever strange telepathic experience you shared with the other animals in the canyon did not happen with the beavers. You could sense their emotions, but beyond that they were as closed to you as they would have been had you been human.

Does this mean anything? Does that mean that the Mother Tree's mysterious miracle does not work on them and that they are now
truly dead, with no chance of living again?

It is horribly tempting to find out. Their bodies are right there, after all. But you need to be a fox too badly, and besides, you'd rather not know...
Go south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Go south
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the north.
You go south
You can't go that way.

You sense a new feeling of peacefulness from the north.
Go north
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur seems to find something very interesting under one armpit.
Bite lemur
You keep thinking about the beavers. Maybe actually killing
the lemur isn't strictly necessary.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
You go west
The river's in the way, and foxes can't swim.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
Go north
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Go south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
You go to the west
The river's in the way, and foxes can't swim.

There's a loud rustling of leaves as the lemur swings up from the south, runs down a tree and dives into the spiky bush.

You sense peacefulness fading from the south.
You go to the south
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the north.
Go east
The pass in the canyon wall, now behind you to the west, leads out into open desert. Barren sand stretches off in all directions to the flat horizon.

A track seems to have been scraped in the sand, heading south. There's something large and metallic in the distance that way.
You go north
There's nowhere to go out there.

You sense a new feeling of peacefulness from the west.
You take the lemur
(first dropping the bundle of aromatic leaves)
There's no way you, or anyone else, can reach the lemur while it's inside those thorny bushes.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
Go south
The desert abruptly drops away on two sides here: to the west you can see the green dome of the Mother Tree a few hundred metres below, and to the south the incomparably vaster drop down to the sea of clouds below. The cliff continues east as far as the eye can see.

Of considerably more interest, however, is the wreckage of the Semiquaver.

The shuttle's main hatch is tightly closed.
You examine Semiquaver
Looking at the smashed shuttle, you find yourself utterly astonished that it made it down in one piece. Most of the engine module is simply missing, the hull truncated half-way along in a jumble of twisted wreckage. The shuttle hit the ground to the north of here, and skidded south, stopping just in time --- you can see the burnt out shield projectors where the Semiquaver tried to dig into the sand in
a desperate attempt to stop itself. It worked, too: only a few metres more and the Semiquaver would have gone over the edge of the
cliff and fallen down to the lowlands. The nose actually overhangs the edge.

It looks completely dead. You hope the Semiquaver's simple
mind survived. You want to buy it a drink and tell it what a good job it did.
You open hatch
The access panel for the hatch is about a metre and a half above the ground. It obviously wasn't designed for foxes.

remedy this design fault.
You look at the hatch
The Semiquaver's main hatch is on the starboard side, now
facing west. It's not locked, per se, but in order to prevent accidents it will only open if you enter an access code on a little panel. (The code is written underneath.)
You look at the code
A little nine-digit keypad is next to the door. The access code is written underneath. (It's 314159, of course.)
Type 314159
The buttons are designed to be pushed by fingers, which foxes lack. Plus, it's too high to reach.
Smell
The air is good, nearly as good as the Concerto's, but
uninteresting.
NF-changes
Ok.

%% Enter a save filename to read:
NF-changes
Ok.
You go to the west
That would be suicide.
You go north
The pass in the canyon wall, now behind you to the west, leads out into open desert. Barren sand stretches off in all directions to the flat horizon.

A track seems to have been scraped in the sand, heading south. There's something large and metallic in the distance that way.
Go west
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the north.
You take Plant
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.
Go north
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

You can also see a bundle of aromatic leaves here.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
You go west
The river's in the way, and foxes can't swim.

You sense a new feeling of peacefulness from the south.
Go north
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.
You go to the north
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.
You go to the north
The river pours out of an aperture in the northern wall of the canyon and tumbles down through a snarl of fallen rock before flowing into the lake, to the south. The noise of rushing water is everywhere. The eastern shore is a sheer rockface, but the western shore is a rocky slope that rises to meet the canyon wall in the distance. Some trees hug the edge of the water.

Water pours around, through, and over the massive pile of boulders. There are nooks and crannies and vortices everywhere.

The water swirling in one large rock pool in particular catches your eye.

You can feel contentment from the west.
Go west
You are perched at the very north-west tip of the canyon, where the slopes disintegrate into a tangle of smashed rock. Wiry, heather-like grass grows between the gaps between the boulders, and there are even a few trees. Below to the east is a maelstrom of white water at the head of the river; to the south, the slope begins to flatten.

Tiny multicoloured birds dart back and forth on the cliff face above you.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the south.
You go to the south
The trees here are stunted and wiry, and the steeply sloping ground is showing its rocky bones through the thin grass. The canyon is spread out below you: the lake to your east, the woodland covering the lower slopes, and the green dome of the Mother Tree far to the south, now shrunken by distance. The canyon ends not far to the north in a tumble of fallen rock.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the south.
Go south
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the south.
Go south
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the south.
You go south
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the south.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
You go to the south
This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, much better than it was from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

Eyes seem to be staring at you from out of the burrows.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the east.
You go east
Here in the shadow of the Mother Tree the ground is flat and wet; reed-like plants with white flowers grow everywhere and the air is musky. The river winds slowly along the east side of the marsh with woodlands beyond it. To the west the ground rises to what look like a series of sandy bluffs. The ground looks drier to the north where the canyon ramparts start to close in.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.

You can feel caution from the west.
You go to the north
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.
Go north
The river is narrow and rocky here, and the river churns noisily between the boulders. Trees come down to the water's edge on both sides, and twigs and dead leaves spiral dizzyingly in the vortices. The woods are fairly dense here and seem to go on in all directions.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.
Go north
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

The grisly remains of the dead beavers are scattered among the rocks.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.

You can feel peacefulness from the east.
You eat the beavers
Not when you're carrying the bundle of aromatic leaves in your mouth!

You sense a new feeling of annoyance from the north.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying a bundle of aromatic leaves in your mouth.

You sense annoyance changing to irritation from the north.
You drop the leaves
(the bundle of aromatic leaves)
Dropped.
Go east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You eat Plant
You're not cut out to be a browser.

The lemur gives you a suspicious look.

You sense a new feeling of contentment from the west.
You go to the west
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

The grisly remains of the dead beavers are scattered among the rocks.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the west.

You can feel peacefulness from the east.
You go to the east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
You go to the south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

You can also see a bundle of aromatic leaves here.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
Attack lemur
You keep thinking about the beavers. Maybe actually killing
the lemur isn't strictly necessary.

The lemur licks itself contemplatively.
You examine the lemur
There must be something about Earth-like planets. In shape the Elysian lemur is a startlingly similar creature to the ones in the
Concerto's garden, with long spindly arms and legs and
delicate fingers. The green and brown mottled fur is different, though.

You suddenly notice that the lemur only has four fingers. So do your paws, for that matter; but the lemur's are long, dextrous... button pushing...

The lemur gives you a suspicious look.
You talk to the lemur
There's no way you, or anyone else, can reach the lemur while it's inside those thorny bushes.

The lemur licks itself contemplatively.
You take the thorns
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur seems to find something very interesting under one armpit.
You drop the leaves
(the bundle of aromatic leaves)
Dropped.

The lemur starts carefully pulling leaves off a twig and popping them into its mouth, one by one.
You go west
The river's in the way, and foxes can't swim.

The lemur scratches itself.
Go west
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

The grisly remains of the dead beavers are scattered among the rocks.

Some fish flap about in the pools.

You can feel contentment from the west.
You take the beaver
You don't even want to look at them, let alone touch them.

You sense contentment changing to irritation from the west.
Inventory
You are carrying a dead fish in your mouth.
Go east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.
You go to the south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can also see two bundles of aromatic leaves here.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Go south
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur seems to find something very interesting under one armpit.
You give the fish to the lemur
The lemur doesn't seem interested.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You drop the fish
Dropped.

The lemur scratches itself.
Smell lemur
There's no way you, or anyone else, can reach the lemur while it's inside those thorny bushes.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You take the thorns
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the north.
Go north
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

You can also see two bundles of aromatic leaves here.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
You give the leaves to the lemur
(the bundle of aromatic leaves to the lemur)
The lemur doesn't seem interested.

The lemur seems to find something very interesting under one armpit.
You drop the leaves
(the bundle of aromatic leaves)
Dropped.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You take the thorns
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur gives you a suspicious look.
You drop the leaves
(the bundle of aromatic leaves)
Dropped.

The lemur scratches itself.
You take the thorns
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur stares solemnly at you from out of the spiky bush.
Smell leaves
(the bundle of aromatic leaves)
All you can smell is that plant.

The lemur licks itself contemplatively.
Smell plant
All you can smell is that plant.

The lemur stares solemnly at you from out of the spiky bush.
You break the thorns
That wouldn't achieve much.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the north.
You go north
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
Break bushes
That wouldn't achieve much.

The lemur scratches itself.
You eat the bushes
You're not cut out to be a browser.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
About you
The fox is sharp, focused. You feel like a razor, slicing through the world. Everything around you looks dingy and grey --- but anything that moves appears in vivid colour. Knowing that you are a weapon, that you live to kill, makes you tense and on edge. You find yourself wishing you were the otter again.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
Look around
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
You go to the south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

You can also see four bundles of aromatic leaves here.

The lemur blinks.
Go west
The river's in the way, and foxes can't swim.

The lemur stares solemnly at you from out of the spiky bush.
Go south
The river is narrow and rocky here, and the river churns noisily between the boulders. Trees come down to the water's edge on both sides, and twigs and dead leaves spiral dizzyingly in the vortices. The woods are fairly dense here and seem to go on in all directions.
You go west
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.

You can feel contentment from the north.
Go west
You can't go that way.

You sense contentment changing to irritation from the north.
Go south
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Dig
You scratch about a bit, but you're not really built for digging.

You sense peacefulness changing to caution from the south.
You go south
This little grassy hollow half-way up the side of the canyon looks like it's been colonised by rabbits. The tough grass-like ground covering has been dug away and the sandy soil underneath is full of burrows. Down to the east the view over the Mother Tree is spectacular, much better than it was from the top; you can probably climb up to the west. The slope steepens and becomes impassably steep to the south, but the warren continues to the north.

There are burrows everywhere.

Eyes seem to be staring at you from out of the burrows.
Dig
You have a very strong feeling that the rabbits are more dangerous than they look. That's probably not a good idea.
You kill the rabbit
They're all down the burrows.
You go burrow
You're too large to fit.
Go north
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows.

You can feel caution from the south.
You take the flowers
(first dropping the bundle of aromatic leaves)
You quite like the flowers where they are.
You go south
The flat river valley here isn't as wet as the marsh further south, and has bloomed into an astonishing wildflower meadow. The flowers are all strange and alien, of course, but the air is fragrant and peaceful. The only sound is the gentle noise of the river to the east. Off to the west the ground begins to rise up to meet the canyon wall, while forests dominate the north.

You can see a bundle of aromatic leaves here.
Go west
Part of the canyon wall has fallen here, forming a huge bank of sandy rubble. This looks like it used to be part of the rabbit warren you can see to the south, but this section has been abandoned. Part of the mound has begun to be colonised by the woods that extend to the north. You can see the river in the distance down to the east.

The bank doesn't look very stable and is full of partially collapsed burrows.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
Go west
You can't go that way.

You sense peacefulness changing to caution from the south.
Go north
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.
You climb the Boulder
You jump and scrabble, but are unable to get a purchase on the boulder.

You sense a new feeling of annoyance from the north.
Go north
The trees here are stunted and wiry, and the steeply sloping ground is showing its rocky bones through the thin grass. The canyon is spread out below you: the lake to your east, the woodland covering the lower slopes, and the green dome of the Mother Tree far to the south, now shrunken by distance. The canyon ends not far to the north in a tumble of fallen rock.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the north.
You go to the north
You are perched at the very north-west tip of the canyon, where the slopes disintegrate into a tangle of smashed rock. Wiry, heather-like grass grows between the gaps between the boulders, and there are even a few trees. Below to the east is a maelstrom of white water at the head of the river; to the south, the slope begins to flatten.

Tiny multicoloured birds dart back and forth on the cliff face above you.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the east.
You take birds
They're far too far above you.

You sense a new feeling of annoyance from the east.
You take the grass
You quite like the grass where it is.

You sense annoyance changing to irritation from the east.
You take the rocks
That's hardly portable.
You go to the south
The trees here are stunted and wiry, and the steeply sloping ground is showing its rocky bones through the thin grass. The canyon is spread out below you: the lake to your east, the woodland covering the lower slopes, and the green dome of the Mother Tree far to the south, now shrunken by distance. The canyon ends not far to the north in a tumble of fallen rock.
You go south
A massive slab of rock has fallen into the woods from the canyon walls to the west. It is halfway sunk into the turf and looks almost sculpted. The canyon wall looms over you from the west. The woodlands parallel it, running north-south, although the canyon steepens to the north. Water glints between the trees to the east.

The huge boulder towers over the surrounding trees.
Go south
The ground rises to meet the canyon wall to the west here, and small trees are scattered across the slope. There is very little undergrowth, lending the woods an airy, garden-like feel. The trees get denser to the north and east, but space opens out to the south.
You go north
You were wrong: the view is terrible from here. Outside the canyon there is just barren, sandy wasteland, with the occasional scrubby plant, stretching away in all directions. There are mountains on the horizon, but there's no way you could survive out here long enough to reach them. Down to the east the oasis of the canyon is mostly hidden behind the terrain. There is a rise to the south, near where the land stops.

You can feel peacefulness from the east.
Go north
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

You can feel contentment from the north.
You look at the bones
They're old and bleached the sun, and look well-gnawed. There's quite a lot of them.

You sense contentment changing to irritation from the north.
Go north
The river pours out of an aperture in the northern wall of the canyon and tumbles down through a snarl of fallen rock before flowing into the lake, to the south. The noise of rushing water is everywhere. The eastern shore is a sheer rockface, but the western shore is a rocky slope that rises to meet the canyon wall in the distance. Some trees hug the edge of the water.

Water pours around, through, and over the massive pile of boulders. There are nooks and crannies and vortices everywhere.

The water swirling in one large rock pool in particular catches your eye.

As you approach the deer gallop off to the west.
You look at the pool
Water's pouring into it, but there doesn't seem to be any exit. There's a raw-looking scar on the north side where the ledge used to be, making the sides even steeper and more impassable and you're pretty sure that foxes can't swim.

You sense a new feeling of annoyance from the west.
You go to the north
There's no ledge there any more. If you really wanted to you could jump in, of course.

You sense annoyance changing to irritation from the west.
Go south
The lake nestles under the cliffs at the edge of the canyon, so that the east side is a sheer wall rising out of the water; but here on the west side the ground slopes gradually so there is a wide shore of pebbles and rough sand. Mats of grassy plants form little green islands here and there, some under the water. Beyond the beach, unkempt woodland rises up the west side of the canyon, while far to the north, at the head of the canyon, there is a distant skein of falling water as the river tumbles down the cliff into the lake.

Scattered along the waterfront are some splintered fish bones.

You can feel contentment from the west.
You go to the south
A haphazard but substantial dam has been built across the river out of logs and fallen trees. Water pours through the many little gaps to form a delta of pools and runnels, before joining back together into the main flow of the river, which disappears into the woods to the south. Upstream of the dam to the north there is a substantial lake, but everywhere else, all you can see are trees. The river looks crossable, to reach the east side of the canyon.

The grisly remains of the dead beavers are scattered among the rocks.

Some fish flap about in the pools.
Go east
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can feel peacefulness from the south.
You go south
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

You can also see four bundles of aromatic leaves here.

The lemur gives you a suspicious look.
Go south
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can also see a dead fish here.

You can feel peacefulness from the north.
You go southwest
It's too much of a drop.
You go south
The desert abruptly drops away on two sides here: to the west you can see the green dome of the Mother Tree a few hundred metres below, and to the south the incomparably vaster drop down to the sea of clouds below. The cliff continues east as far as the eye can see. The wreck of the Semiquaver is poised at the edge.

The shuttle's main hatch is tightly closed.
You go west
Nestled in the south-east corner of the canyon, the terrain here sweeps up from the river to a low pass through the canyon wall to the east. Through the dense trees you can just make out the green dome of the Mother Tree far below to the south-west.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can also see a dead fish here.
You take the fish
Taken.
Go north
The ground here is steep and rocky, but still covered with scrawny trees. The canyon wall rises precipitously to the east; there's a band of wet rock, and water oozes out and forms in a little pool before trickling down the slope to the river which you can just make out to the west. All you can see to the north and south are more trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

You can also see four bundles of aromatic leaves here.

You can feel peacefulness from the north.
Go north
The woodland here is quite unlike the west side of the canyon. The trees are short and gnarled and look quite unhealthy: they are also very close together and visibilty through the tangled branches is poor. Despite the gloom, the undergrowth is thick, with ferns, tall grasses, and less identifiable plants filling the space between the tree trunks. The forest sweeps east up to the rock face above and south as far as you can see through the trees.

Bushes of the thorny aromatic plant grow profusely.

The lemur is sitting in one of the thorny bushes.

The lemur scratches itself.
You throw the fish at the lemur
You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You take the leaves
(the aromatic bush)
(first dropping the dead fish)
You gingerly take a mouthful of leaves, avoiding the thorns.

The lemur languidly picks up a some small insect of some kind, stares at it for a while, and then pulls the legs off before throwing it away.
You throw the leaves at the lemur
(the bundle of aromatic leaves at the lemur)
You lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.
You jump
You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.

The lemur seems to find something very interesting under one armpit.
Dig
You scratch about a bit, but you're not really built for digging.

The lemur bounces out of the bush, shoots up a tree and leaps through the branches to the south.
Go upward
You can't go that way.

You sense a new feeling of peacefulness from the south.
You enter bush
That's not something you can enter.

There's a loud rustling of leaves as the lemur swings up from the south, runs down a tree and dives into the spiky bush.

You sense peacefulness fading from the south.
You kick the bush
That wouldn't achieve much.

The lemur just stares into space for a while.