*

wiktopher.md

@@ -2973,22 +2973,22 @@ That morning Lupin got up early, eager to set eyes on Tarka again after dreaming
     Nono's eyes widened in surprise. "Nono happy to hear!" Eka leaned in close to whisper the name. "Sosae'di!" Nono said, ecstatic, pulling Eka in close, the Finiku's short arms barely able to encircle The Wonder.  
     Lupin also said goodbye, but spent the most time with Klev, chatting away in Ilken. Both Verido were using the short form, whistling away while the villagers stared, perplexed by the absence of a worded conversation. Klev had finished the isilk bracelet, and gave it to Lupin as a parting gift.  
     "Now you carry Bala with you."  
-    "Thank you, it's lovely." Lupin said, fingers stroking the braid, its red hue evident under the two suns. Then, the Verido removed the skyrock necklace and handed it to Klev. "It's a piece of skyrock. A reminder that the world is bigger than the Ilk, bigger than the Soronan Desert even. It's an amazing place and there is much to see."  
-    Klev took the necklace, eyes locked onto its shiny, smooth surface. "Wow. Thank you."  
-    In a changing world this object, Lupin hoped, would offer Klev some comfort.  
+    "Thanks, it's lovely." Lupin said, fingers stroking the braid, its red hue evident under the two suns. Then, the Verido removed the skyrock necklace and handed it to Klev. "It's a piece of skyrock. A reminder that the world is bigger than the Ilk, bigger than the Soronan Desert even. It's an amazing place, and there is much to see."  
+    Klev took the necklace, eyes locked onto its shiny, smooth surface. "They're as small down here as they appear up there. Incredible."  
+     In a changing world this object, Lupin hoped, would offer Klev some comfort.  
 
-    Then finally, it was time to leave. The two stepped aboard the sandfin and raised the sails. Having picked a windy day to cast off, the sails filled with air and the sandfin plowed forward.  
-    All in the village waved as Tarka pushed away. Nono held up a scarf, the wind catching it and sending ripples throughout. The others in the group did the same, waving whatever piece of fabric they happened to have.  
-    As Eka and Lupin left Renate, they could see the scarves undulating in the wind, like colorful arms of knitted fabric. Lupin could hear the Ilk of Balandri singing a parting tune, the sound resounding throughout the desert. The Verido knew that this song would catch Vol's ear, and for a moment, wondered if perhaps it would convince it to slow its pace, or alter its course. Lupin knew this was silly though, as it is impossible to dissuade anyone from taking a Leap. When the body and mind are ready, little can be done.  
-    Lupin's mind went to Levi then, and to a day they'd spent together in Volare...  
+    Eka and Lupin stepped aboard the sandfin, each taking on the tasks they'd agreed on the previous day. Lupin pulled on the mainsail halyard to raise it, while Eka kept the rope rings securing the sail to the mast from catching. Once the sail was all the way up, the rope was tied off and Eka moved to loosen the sheet to let the boom hang to one side, to catch the wind. Having picked a windy day to cast off, the sail filled with air and the sandfin plowed forward, breaking out of its mooring spot in the sand.  
+    All in the village waved as Tarka sandfinned away. Nono held up a scarf, the wind catching into it and sending ripples all along its length. The others in the group did the same.  
+    As Eka and Lupin left Renate, they could see the scarves undulating in the wind, hundreds of colorful arms of knitted fabric waving goodbye. The Ilk of Balandri sang a parting song, the sound resounding throughout the desert. This song would catch the ear of the other two Ilk, and for a moment Lupin wondered if it could convince Vol to slow its pace, or alter its course. Lupin knew that thinking this was silly, it was near impossible to dissuade anyone from taking a Leap. Lupin's mind drifted to a day when Levi was still alive, a day they'd spent together...
 
-    There was nothing special or important about that day, and that's why Lupin liked it. Levi was feeding Henbi, then put a nose to the bubbly and sour smellydough starter, smiling before picking through a sac of freshly-picked woodgeon berries. Lupin's heart ached then, troubled by thoughts of Henbi. No one was there to feed it. The smellydough starter was a family heirloom, all members of Lupin's family had handled it, and contributed to its health and growth, feeding it everyday, and eating from it for annums and annums. Lupin liked watching it expand and settle during the day, like it was breathing. Henbi was likely dead now. Lupin swallowed hard, sitting with this loss for a moment before returning to the main memory. Levi was crouched down over a large bowl full of dry woodgeon berries, hands running through them to shake the skins off. In this memory, Lupin was lying in the hammock on the upper floor, with the overhead shutter open to invite the sun inside. Lupin's skin was warm, and this nose could detect the subtle fragrance of the woodgeon berries as Levi moved them around, these ears also helped to form the memory, remembering the sound of Levi's fingers catching the bottom of the bowl.  
+    There was nothing special or important about that day, and that's why Lupin liked it. Levi was feeding Henbi, then put a nose to the bubbly and sour smellydough starter, smiling before picking through a sac of freshly-picked woodgeon berries. Lupin's heart ached then, troubled by thoughts of Henbi. The smellydough starter had been a family heirloom, all members of Lupin's family had handled it, and contributed to its health and growth, feeding it everyday, and eating from it for annums and annums. Lupin liked watching it expand and settle during the day, like it was breathing. Henbi was likely dead now. Lupin swallowed hard, sitting with this loss for a moment before returning to the main memory. Levi was crouched down over a large bowl full of dry woodgeon berries, hands running through them to shake the skins off. In this memory, Lupin was lying in the hammock on the upper floor, with the overhead shutter open to invite the sun inside. Lupin's skin was warm, and this nose could detect the subtle fragrance of the woodgeon berries as Levi moved them around, these ears also helped to form the memory, remembering the sound of Levi's fingers catching the bottom of the bowl.  
     This memory made Lupin happy and sad, these two emotions manifesting together at the same intensity. This Verido sat with this wonderful memory for a while, and then let it go. That day, Lupin made a plan to try and plant a garden in the desert, like Zucca. "I wonder if woodgeon shrubs can grow down here..."  
 
-    As Renate faded away, they settled into their respective tasks, taking bearings, checking the horizon for obstacles or other vessels. Lupin took notes of all they saw on a map. Tarka was sandfinning itself, bow pointed toward the Rupture.  
+    As Renate faded away, they settled into their respective tasks, taking bearings, checking the horizon for obstacles, or anything that could help them identify where they were. The Soronan Desert had many mountains, used as landmarks by countless sanfinners and foot travelers to find their way. Traveling by foot, Lupin had learned to read the land then already. In the Central Rim, the wind always circulated in the same direction. To find sawa’tae, all they had to do was walk with the wind at their backs. On days without wind, these eyes looked at the sand dunes. Each dune was shaped by the wind and the direction of the slant indicated sawa’tae. Finding yorama’mu was easiest after the second sunset, all avians slept with their heads pointing in that direction.  
+    Lupin took notes of all they saw on a map. Tarka was sandfinning itself then, bow pointed toward the Rupture.  
 
     About midday, cruelly, the wind died. Lupin kept an eye on the horizon for wind, but not a single grain of sand was shifting. With all of this time to think, the Verido remembered The Tale of Three, Uno's gift.  
-    Every page was full of annotations and drawings, Uno had tracked the paths of the three Ilks for annums and annums. There was a drawing of their world route, along with all of their usual stops. There were also notes on the three founders Otora, Balandri and Volare. Lupin couldn't believe it, Uno had been there with them! Uno put all of their conversations and meetings throughout their lives to paper. In one of the exchanges, Uno told Volare about the location of the nesting grounds of the Ilk. The book had handwritten letters scattered throughout, one of them was written by Volare themself! The letter was written in ilken, and comprised a series of notes, like a set of instructions on how to play a song. Those with a background in music could play parts of the song, but many notes were specific to ilken and would be difficult to decipher. The meaning of this letter was meant for Voices, or those with a deep understanding of Ilken. Lupin read it, and saw that it was addressed to Uno...  
+    Every page was full of annotations and drawings, Uno had tracked the paths of the three Ilks for annums and annums. There was a drawing of their world route, along with all of their usual stops. There were also notes on the three founders Otora, Balandri and Volare. Uno had been there with them. Uno put all of their conversations and meetings throughout their lives to paper. In one of the exchanges, Uno told Volare about the location of the nesting grounds of the Ilk. The book had handwritten letters scattered throughout, one of them was written by Volare themself! The letter was a series of notes, like a set of instructions on how to play a song. It was written in Ilken. Lupin read it, and saw that it was addressed to Uno...  
 
 >     Today the Verido have found salvation. To think that the solution lies with the giant desert walkers. Our collaboration will ensure both of our futures in this desert. I don't like to think about us, or them, falling into nothing. I made the foolish assumption that Ilk were beyond death, but their lives, like yours, are finite and near-spent. I will keep my promise to you dear friend, we will care for them until the very end. Already, I've secured dealings with cities, they will provide teaweet on passage, and *we* will carry items for them, and sell what we produce using materials that grow on their backs.  
 >     The world really is changing though, isn't it? Food is scarce. At least, it is for giants like the Ilk. You told me that there was little room for giants in this new world, but I do not believe it. I know that this is me being wilfully foolish again, I cannot help it. I know you are tired, and that it is greedy of me to ask you to stay. I will do what I can for the Ilk, to spare you and your companion of this demanding task.  
@@ -3001,41 +3001,40 @@ That morning Lupin got up early, eager to set eyes on Tarka again after dreaming
 
 ## The Tale of Three
 
-    During an annum of terrible desert storme three Verido siblings, Otora, Balandri and Volare, took it upon themselves to save their race from the hardships of the Soronan Desert. The eldest, Otora, proposed that they build a moving machine, a contraption that could keep the town moving so they could stay ahead of the weather. All places on this dust planet were dangerous at one point or another. After designing this machine they realized that it would not be possible to build.  
-    Such a machine would require the use of too resources. It was too extractive, this detail worried Balandri. They would need to dig the earth to mine crystals, further damaging the desert. The Veridos had great respect for nature. Balandri, in turn, proposed that it be powered by wind, like sandfins. But no one in the land could help design a sandfin large enough to carry a small city. They considered a flotilla of smaller vessels too, but given their sizable population it seemed difficult.  
-    Volare, who had once walked along the Central Rim by foot, proposed that they walk. The others did not share Volare's love of trekking through hot deserted lands.  
-    Volare thought on this for a long time, but could not figure out a way to keep everyone safe. One day, a tall stranger arrived at Volare's tent. "I have a solution for you." The silver-eyed giant said. The next day, Volare announced to Otora and Balandri that salvation was at hand. Together, they walked across the desert to a lonely mountain, following the giant's instructions. They rested in the day, and travelled at night. Eventually, they reached Tor mountain, and went through a pass carved in its middle. On the other side they found three Ilk, busy grazing on bibiskiss and hempawoods. The three appeared thin, and tired.  
-    The giant told Volare that this was their main grazing ground. There were three Ilk, and three Verido leaders, nothing could be more perfect.  
-    The Ilk were desert walkers, as tall as mountains. They had strong backs and legs, their feet were wide and gave them stability for walking in sand. In times of storms, they could anchor deep into the soil to wait it out. They had long slender necks, and long snouts with a set of horns.  
-    They spent annums learning about these giant beasts, befriending them. They learned how to approach them, and how to communicate. One day, the Ilk lowered their heads and invited the Verido on their backs. This was the beginning of a friendship that would last for a long, long time. Each befriended an Ilk, and soon built cities on their backs. The Verido built houses made in the hollows of the hard skin on their spines. They learned to speak with the giants creatures. Before every passage, each sibling would climb up the long neck to The Ear to do so.  
-    Travelling on the backs of the Ilk ensured both their survival. The Verido were safe from the weather, and kept the Ilk healthy. Many hands worked at keeping parasites away, inspecting every inch of skin from head to toe for bruises, and tending to them. One annum two Ilk became sick with a rare fungus, but the problem was diagnosed early and the fungus was eradicated. Verido did not use outside materials to build their city. They could build anything using isilk and carapace shavings. The Ilk had a tough carapace covering their backs, also found on their elbows and knees. It would re-grow after harvested. Every annum it was measured, and the Verido would only ever harvest if it had grown back enough. Food and drink was harder to come by, but they soon found ways to harvest it.  
-    This happened hendreds of annums ago. Otora, Balandri and Volare died, but the Ilk continued to march. The Veridos became a race of travelling merchants, craftspeople and inventors. They would carry provisions from village to village, where they also sold their wares. This was a way to keep the Ilk fed, as the Verido could not manage it alone. The desert wilds had grown thin, and could no longer sustain three Ilk, not without outside help.
+    During an annum of terrible desert storms three Verido siblings, Otora, Balandri and Volare, took it upon themselves to save their loved ones from the hardships of the Soronan Desert. The eldest, Otora, proposed that they build a vessel, a structure that could keep the town moving so they could stay ahead of the weather. All places on this dust planet were dangerous at one point or another. After designing this vessel they realized that it would not be possible to build.  
+    Such a project would require too many resources—this detail worried Balandri. They would need to dig the earth to mine crystals, further damaging the desert. The Verido people had great respect for nature. Balandri, in turn, proposed that build a large sandfin. But no one in the land could help design one large enough to carry a small city. They considered a flotilla of smaller vessels too, but given their sizable population and lack of experience sandfinning, it seemed difficult.  
+    Volare, who had once walked along the Central Rim by foot, proposed that they walk, but the others did not share Volare's love of trekking through hot deserted lands.  
+    Volare had many more ideas, but could not figure out a way to keep everyone safe. One day, a tall stranger arrived at Volare's tent. The stranger had heard about their predicament. "I have a solution for you." The silver-eyed giant said. The next day, Volare announced to Otora and Balandri that there was one other option to consider. Together, they walked across the desert to a lonely mountain, following the giant's instructions. They rested in the day, and travelled at night. Eventually, they reached Tor mountain, and went through a pass carved in its middle. On the other side they found three Ilk, busy grazing on bibiskiss and hempawoods. The three appeared thin, and tired.  
+    The giant told Volare that this was their main grazing ground. There were three Ilk, and three Verido siblings, nothing could be more perfect.  
+    The Ilk were as tall as mountains. They had strong backs and legs, their feet were wide and gave them stability for walking in sand. In terrible storms, they could anchor their toes deep into the soil. They had long slender necks, and long snouts with a set of curved horns.  
+    The siblings spent annums learning about these giant beasts, they learned how to approach them, and how to communicate. One day, the Ilk lowered their heads and invited the Verido on their backs. Each befriended an Ilk, and with their permission, they built houses made in the hollows of the hard skin on their spines.  
+    Travelling on the back of an Ilk ensured both their survival. The Verido were safe from the weather, and kept the Ilk healthy. Many hands worked at keeping parasites away, inspecting every inch of skin from head to toe for bruises, and tending to them. One annum two Ilk became sick with a rare fungus, but the problem was diagnosed early and the fungus was eradicated. Verido could build anything using isilk and carapace shavings, materials endemic to the Ilk. The tough carapace covering their backs, elbows and knees was an incredible resource. Every annum the carapace thickness was measured, and the Verido would only ever harvest if it had grown back enough. Food and drink was harder to come by, but they found shroos, and mosses. The moss was engorged with water, and they found clever ways to harvest it. Overtime, they were able to grow favorites from their time on land, like bibiskiss, looberries and looma roots.   
+    Otora, Balandri and Volare taught their children how to converse with the Ilk. A child from each mapa took on the role of Voice. The Veridos became a race of travelling merchants, craftspeople and inventors. They secured agreements with various cities, carrying provisions from village to village. They gave away their wares to people from Montore, Edonor, Tiu’va, in exchange for feed for the Ilk. The desert wilds had grown thin, and could no longer sustain three Ilk, not without outside help.
 
                                             ~
 
-    "Wow." Lupin said, eyeing the various drawings and notes in The Tale of Three. One drawing by Volare featured a rough design of the city on Vol, another tallied all the residents. Just as the Verido was reaching for another letter, the wind rose again...  
-    "Sail's up up up!" Eka bellowed, running to the foredeck to raise the headsail, then tied off the line and ran amidships to raise their main sail. Tarka started to shift forward, and as the wind continued to rise its twin keels cut through the dunes, sending sand flurries all above deck.  
-    Lupin hurried and put the book away to avoid getting sand lodged between its pages, but the wind caught one of the letters and sent it flying. Eka was there to catch it, and handed the sheet over to Lupin. The Verido smiled back, and secured the pile together, and put it away inside. Now, it was time to focus on sandfinning again.
+    "Wow." Lupin said, eyeing the various drawings and notes in The Tale of Three. One drawing by Volare featured a rough design of the city on Vol's back, another tallied all the residents. Just as the Verido was reaching for another letter, the wind rose again...  
+    "Sails up up up!" Eka bellowed, running to the foredeck to raise the headsail, then tied off the line and ran amidships to raise their main sail. Tarka started to shift forward, and as the wind continued to rise its twin keels cut through the dunes, sending sand flurries all above deck.  
+    Lupin hurried and put the book away to avoid getting sand lodged between its pages, but the wind caught one of the letters and sent it flying. Eka was there to catch it, and handed the sheet over to Lupin. The Verido smiled back, and secured the pile together, putting it away inside. Now, it was time to focus on sandfinning again.
 
     That evening, both took a seat on deck and watched the stars.  
     "You tired?" Eka asked Lupin.  
     "No, I can take the first watch."  
-    Eka nodded, and went inside to sleep. The woth was with them on this trip, and was awake too, on deck and hiding behind a bulkhead from the wind.  
-    "How's your night so far?" Lupin asked Wiktopher the woth.  
-    The woth moved its antennae, but not because it was replying to the question, but because it was busy working bits of sand out of them.  
+    Eka nodded, and went inside to sleep. The woth was on deck, hiding behind a bulkhead from the wind.  
+    "How's your night so far?" Lupin asked the woth.  
+    The woth moved its antennae, not because it was replying to the question, but because it was busy working bits of sand out of them.  
     "Do you know what lies ahead Wik? A pass," Lupin paused for dramatic effect, "Dorake's pass."  
-    Dorake's pass was an opening between two sets of mountains, the meeting of two great capes. In this area, the cape effect accelerated the trade winds, the height of the surrounding mountains too shared the blame. The day before, Nono had helped them plan their route to the Rupture on a map, and the Finiku explained that taking Dorake's pass, although treacherous, was a shortcut and their best bet to intercept the Ilk in time. The wind was strong in that area most days, but they'd timed their departure after the passing of a dry cold front, sandfinning on the trail-end of it. They knew it would take time before another would come trailing behind it. Nono had gone through the pass many times, unharmed, when countless other sandfins were buried and suffocated in its blowing sands.  
+    Dorake's pass was an opening between two sets of mountains, the meeting of two great capes. In this area, the cape effect accelerated the trade winds, the height of the surrounding mountains too contributed to this acceleration. The day before, Nono had helped them plan their route to the Rupture on a map, and the Finiku explained that taking Dorake's pass, although treacherous, was a shortcut and the best way to intercept the Ilk. The wind was strong in that area most days, but they'd timed their departure after the passing of a dry cold front, sandfinning on the trail end of the system. They knew it would take time before another would come trailing behind it. Nono had gone through the pass many times, unharmed, when countless other sandfins were buried and suffocated in its blowing sands.  
 
 >      "How did you make it through safely all those times?" Lupin had asked Nono.   
 >      "When glass fall, sandfinner make sail small. When sky yellow to brown, sandfinner put anchor down."   
 
-    Nono had many more rhymes to help memorize the signs of bad weather, and how best to respond to them. Lupin remembered them all. "Ring around kira, all gone is sawa..." The Verido said aloud to the sand, the stars and the glowing skyrocks, "not tonight. Tonight sawa is with us."  
+    Nono had many more rhymes to help memorize the signs of incoming bad weather, and how best to respond to them. Lupin remembered them all. "Ring around kira, all gone is sawa..." The Verido said aloud to the sand, the stars and the glowing skyrocks, "not tonight. Tonight sawa is with us."  
     Tarka sandfinned through the night. Their vessel's sails were well-balanced, and required little adjusting. Lupin would loosen and tighten the sheets as needed, skin black with pinny tar. It appeared as though the Verido had no arms, like the night had them swallowed up. Lupin laughed alone in the dark, and then decided to stamp a pinny tarred-covered hand on this face. After doing that Lupin laughed even harder.  
     Eka awoke a few moments later, and climbed out of the cabin. "Time for sleep Lew!" But saying this, Eka noted that the Verido wasn't in the cockpit. "Lew?" It was dark, but the sky was clear and the skyrock Retna illuminated the entire deck from bow to stern. No Lupin. The Wonder returned inside to search there, but that space too was devoid of Veridos. Eka returned outside, eyes locking on the dim horizon line, wondering if maybe Lupin had fallen overboard. "Oh no... Lew!" The Wonder grabbed lines and was ready to turn the sandfin around but then heard laughing overhead. Lupin was perched at the top of the mast. Eka was relieved, and whistled in Ilken, the sound penetrating distance and air. Lupin heard, and started coming down, coming to meet Eka on deck.  
-
     "Beautiful night, eh?" Lupin said smiling, but then noticed Eka's expression. "What is it?"  
-    "Thought you'd fallen off..."  
-    "Sorry if I frightened you. It can't happen though I've got a tether and everything, *see*? With a good knot too." A line encircled Lupin's middle, and led back to the mast.  
+    "Thought you'd fallen off."  
+    "Sorry if I scared you. It can't happen though, I've got a tether and everything, *see*? With a good knot too." A line encircled Lupin's middle, and led back to the mast.  
     Eka's eyes inspected the knot, following its twists and turns and could see that it had been tied correctly. The Wonder noticed the dark hand print on Lupin's face, "the mark of a true sandfinner," saying this, one of Eka's fingers traced around the print. "You looked at home up there Lew."  
     Lupin nodded, "Yea. It's like being on much shorter Ilk, but having more control you know?" The Verido stared at the sails, their bellies taut, hundreds of hempa strands working together, and thought it beautiful, elegant. "Balandri wanted our people to travel by sandfin. It didn't make sense then, but *now*..."  
     "Mind's a-whirring tonight!" Eka said, "I'm proud of you you know."  
@@ -3058,16 +3057,15 @@ That morning Lupin got up early, eager to set eyes on Tarka again after dreaming
 *First sunrise*
 
 Hello Logbook. Dorake's passage is a day away. Our progress is good, but slow. The wind comes and leaves as it wants, and when it's gone all we can do is wait.  
-    Long periods of still desert paired with a clear, clear sky, makes it difficult to believe that the wind will ever return. Tarka's sails hang from their ropes, as if asleep. Everything but my mind is still. I am impatient, unaccustomed to a carrier dependent on weather for movement. The Ilk never has to wait for wind.  
-    My eyes found movement in the sand, spotting the top leaves of a cactub off Tarka's stern. Plants like cactubs can survive almost anything, that is, unless they fall prey to a hunter. In calm weather they emerge to take in moisture and light, but small avians time their exits with theirs to take bites out of them. Many of the desert perennials I've seen have leaves or nubs missing, their flesh covered with craters.  
-    I used to think I knew the desert well, but I had a giant's perspective, blind to tiny details. From up there, the world below looked quiet and barren, but there is life here.  
+    Long periods of still desert paired with a clear, clear sky, makes it difficult to believe that the wind will ever return. Tarka's sails hang from their ropes, as if asleep. Everything but my mind is still. I am impatient, unaccustomed to a carrier dependent on weather for movement. The Ilk never had to wait for wind.  
+    My eyes catch every movement in the sand. Earlier I spotted the top leaves of a cactub off Tarka's stern. Plants like cactubs can survive almost anything, that is, unless they fall prey to a hunter. In calm weather they emerge to take in moisture and light, but small avians time their exits with theirs to take bites out of them. Many of the desert perennials I've seen have leaves or nubs missing, their flesh covered with craters. I thought about the craters in my own flesh then, the desert leaves marks on us all.  
+    I used to think I knew this land well, but I had a giant's perspective, blind to tiny details. From up there, the world below looked quiet and barren, but there is so much life here.  
     Most creatures here live in the topmost layer of the sand dunes. Some live here always, while others dig out temporary homes in passing. Many creatures will only ever show themselves under specific weather conditions, creatures like hespers. Hespers bloom into existence every sixtyfour annums, but have very short lives. They're in constant flight, soaring on wind currents. They go where the wind takes them. That is all they can ever do because they don't have limbs, or wings. I think I saw one floating high above the mast yesterday, carried by an impossible wind. I climbed up to see it, but by the time I made it to the top it had already drifted out of sight.  
     There are reptavians flying around our vessel too, the sound of their leathery wings evident in this quiet. I've never been good at identifying reptavians, but Eka can put a name to them straight away. Crested-hirudines. They are quick flyers, with red crests on their heads and bright green scales on their bellies. Their movements are jerky, but precise. They always fly in tight groups, sweeping up together against the sky, twisting at great speed. I sat on deck a while to enjoy the show, gasping whenever the group narrowingly avoided our mast. They would fly near and around it, mesmerized by its perfect verticality.  
-    In Volare we have hololomimos. Small, bulgy-eyed reptavians that like to nest in houses. We didn't used to have them, we think they climbed aboard during one of our stops. They like it on the Ilk because there are plenty of shroos to eat, but of course this is a problem for my people because our food supply is limited. No one wants to harm the hololomimos, so now we have volunteers that look for nests to move them back on land. When I was last there, the relocation efforts were going well.  
-
-    I spotted a group of yellow avians with long forked tails. They stared at us for a long while, immobile, feet well-set in the sand. Eka and I were sitting on deck and stared back. We did this for a while, neither us or the avians wanted to be the first to look away, breaking off would mean losing the staring game. But then the group all moved at once, quickly, scattering before diving into holes in the ground for shelter.  
-    "We won," I had told Eka then, but I then understood the reason for their hurry. The wind was back. They had sensed its return and knew that when the wind came back, bigger and faster wind-reliant avians and winged reptavians would also return, putting them at a disadvantage.  
-    We too rely on the wind for forwardness. The air filled our sails, and Tarka's hull creaked as it began to slide forward. I pulled in the sheets for extra power, and we started to glide.  
+    In Volare we have hololomimos. Small, bulgy-eyed reptavians that like to nest in houses. We didn't used to have them, we think they climbed aboard during one of our stops. They like it on the Ilk because there are plenty of shroos to eat, but of course this is a problem for my people because our food supply is limited. No one wants to harm the hololomimos, so now we have volunteers that look for nests to move them back on land. When I was last there, the relocation efforts were going well. Now Verido nests may have to move onto land too, seems like. This effort to move the hololomimos might have been all for nothing.  
+    Later Eka & I spotted a group of yellow avians with long forked tails. They stared at us for a long while, immobile, feet well-set in the sand. We stared back. We did this for a while, neither us or the avians wanted to be the first to look away, breaking off would mean losing the staring game. But then the group all moved at once, quickly, scattering before diving into holes in the ground for shelter.  
+    "Yay! We won!" I had told Eka then, but I then understood the reason for their hurry. The wind was back. They had sensed its return and knew that when the wind came back, bigger and faster wind-reliant avians and winged reptavians would also return, putting them at a disadvantage. In other words, it wasn't a true win.  
+    Tarka, our winged beast, also relies on the wind for forwardness. Its hull creaked as it began to slide forward. I pulled in the sheets for extra power, and we started to glide.  
     The calm was over, now it was time to fly.  
 
 *Second sunrise*
@@ -3079,14 +3077,14 @@ Hello Logbook. Dorake's passage is a day away. Our progress is good, but slow. T
 
     Having so much time to think is nice, but it also makes me realize how forgetful I am. I forgot to ask Renzo about the story of Aristollo. I am so distracted most days that I don't have the mind space to remember these things. Out here my eyes lock onto the horizon, and thoughts that lie deep inside my brain have plenty of time to bob to the surface. All day they transit in and out of my head. Sometimes I latch onto a passing thought and hold onto it for a long while to dissect.  
     I wonder what Eka is thinking about now. I ask a lot, and fear I've asked too much already.  
-    Yesterday Eka was thinking about the mountain top. The green place that could charm anyone into staying forever. I think about it a lot too, and hope that I get to go again. There are plants there that I've never seen anywhere else. Sometimes I catch their scent in the air, as if the wind carries their perfume across the desert, and that these nostrils were lucky to catch them in passing. Tarka is comfortable, but no place can rival the fragrant mountain top, not even my hammock in Volare.  
+    Yesterday Eka was thinking about the mountain top. The green place that could charm anyone into staying forever. I think about it a lot too, and hope that I get to go again. There are plants there that I've never seen anywhere else. Sometimes I catch their scent in the air, as if the wind carries their perfume across the desert, and that my nostrils were lucky to catch them in passing. Tarka is comfortable, but no place can rival the fragrant mountain top, not even my old hammock in Volare.  
 
-    I prepared roasted plumpkin for midday. I scooped out the seeds and will leave them to dry on deck, weather permitting. The seeds are very good to eat as a snack when dry, they are crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. As taught by Eka, I eat one, and toss one. A determined traveller could re-trace our steps by following our trail of seeds. I hope that they grow into plumpkins, and that they form a long green line across the desert.  
+    I prepared roasted plumpkin for midday. I scooped out the seeds and will leave them to dry on deck, weather permitting. The seeds are very good to eat as a snack when dry, they are crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. As taught by Eka, I eat one, and toss one. A determined traveller could re-trace our steps by following our trail of seeds. I hope that they grow into mature plumpkins, and that they form a long green line across the desert.  
     The mountains ahead are getting closer and closer. A thick, yellow and brown cloud layer is obscuring the top of the tallest peak. Nono did say that a cloud of that color was indicative of rain. Rain. I am excited, but also concerned because I remember something else Nono said, that if the sky showed that same hue it could mean severe localized weather. The sky doesn't have that shade now, but I'll keep an eye on it.  
 
 *First sunset*  
 
-    It's Eka's turn to prepare food. We had a dinner of bonan chips with a looma root stew. Because Bala was in Renate, we were able to get some of my favorite produce. We now have a basket-full of looma roots and shroos. Wik ate some of the leftover chip crumbs, glad that we are messy eaters. The deck was licked clean of all food particles, same for the ones lining our fingers.  
+    It's Eka's turn to prepare food. We had a dinner of bonan chips with a looma root stew. Because Bala was in Renate, we were able to get some of my favorite produce. We now have a basket-full of looma roots and shroos. Wik ate some of the leftover chip crumbs, glad that we are messy eaters. The deck was licked clean of all food particles, the same goes for the bits lining our fingers.  
     Our woth friend likes to walk up and down the side of the mast. The wind is a bit stronger now, and Wik is unaffected, its legs anchored to the mast.  
     The cloud on the mountain ahead is getting puffier, but again, no sign of a yellow brown sky. Eka and I prepared the storm anchor. Neither of us have ever used it before. We did not experience severe weather on our passage to Tiputa on Etyl. Nono explained how to set it up during one of Tarka's test runs. It was easy. All we had to do was to pull the anchor out of its locker, and to attach a long rope to it. Then, we had to douse the sails, lash them down and throw the anchor off the bow, tying the bitter end to a strong point on deck. Doing it during calm weather wasn't hard, but Nono said it might be challenging with more wind. I practice my knots to make sure I can do them well, even in stressful conditions. Mago would be proud.  
     Eka is a fast learner, and always gets everything right on the first try. I sometimes wish I was the same. I know that wishing for this is useless, because it's not how I am, and my way of being is also fine. Something to remember.