The Sow and the Piglets

Robin was glad that he was alone. He was not expected to take part in any of his duties or training for three days, and nobody was supervising him. He planned to go to the top of Electric Peak and hope for a good quality stone to work. The easy ones would have already been picked over, but if he went higher, he might find the proverbial diamond in the rough. He could not be too choosy, however, as he had to complete something quickly.

Robin knew the path well enough, and had been brooding on the disappointment his family was going to feel at his failing to achieve an ensign's duties. As his mind was elsewhere, he had not noticed one of his fellow trainees walking off the trail, somewhat hidden in the deep blue of the forest, with a basket of mushrooms, until about four meters away. The young woman was carrying a small pouch and short dagger. At about 180 centimeters in height with soft blue eyes, a reddish-brown crop of hair, fair skin, a long, thoughtful face, and still unscarred by the wear of a Glider's life, she would be considered by one of the wingless as being cute, though perhaps a little awkward. Through the eyes of a Glider, she looked different, and different standards were applied. She appeared to be a bit dowdy, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and ungracefully tall. Her wings, which vied with the face as the basis on which a Glider's physical beauty was judged, had an unfortunate blocky pattern of red and black, like a checkerboard, instead of one of the more refined patterns that would attract positive comments. Her primary physical virtue to her fellow Gliders would be her soft and pleasant voice, and she could sing and speak well, when she put her mind to it. Robin's own wings were considered fine, with graceful gold lines surrounding a golden cross at the center of each wing, on a field of white.

Robin was not in the mood to talk with Checkers, and he felt fortunate that she seemed to be intent on taking notes on something, and appeared not to see him. Word had already leaked out that she had been given the warning, and could potentially be ostracized from the RDL. To be seen with her was a serious social liability, and in the year since the warning had been given, it was even more difficult than usual to carry on a conversation with her. Checkers was a reminder of what could happen if a young Glider was not attentive, and did not complete his tasks well - which was something weighing heavily on Robin's mind.

Ninety minutes later, Robin had reached the hardscrabble of Electric Peak. There were many angular rocks here, split and scorched by the frequent storms that formed in this area. Robin could look down into the valley and see the tiny village of Electric Pass at the saddle below, as well as two other looming peaks of the Red Dolomite Range. The view at the top was even better, but he would not have time today. He just wanted to find an adequate rock and go home. He would not take chances this time - he would choose it for stablity of construction rather than beauty. He did not have the heart to attempt another masterwork.

Robin had not yet found a rock that even came close to his requirements when he felt a tap on his left wing, and a soft voice that said "Got you." Robin turned around quickly. "Checkers, can't you see I am busy? Shouldn't you be concentrating on practicing your right turns?"

Checkers withdrew from Robin, abashed at his criticism. Robin knew that he should not have said what he did. Tracking was a legitimate skill to practice, and Checkers had gotten the better of him. If he were out in the woods, hostile animals could have snuck up on him and attacked - another unwelcome reminder of how far short he was falling of the Glider ideal on this day. And the remark about the right turns really had to hurt her, as it was her failure to understand that command that led to her warning. To her credit, she did not react to it angrily. Robin would have to talk with her to save face.

"I am sorry, Robin. Did you lose something here? Maybe I can help you find it. I am a decent tracker."

As she had shown. Robin replied, "No. I am just trying to find a good stone for sculpting."

"I thought that you were working on your required piece for the judges. Are you finished with it?"

"It is finished with me. It shattered."

"Gosh. That is hard, as it is only three days before the judgment. Any plans?"

"I was hoping to get a smaller rock here and make a quick sculpture, and hope my description of lessons learned would impress the judges."

"If you are looking for good rock, there is a nice deposit on Midnight Peak. It is a deep red, and not prone to fissure. The lightning has made all this rock difficult to work with, and I would not trust it."

"Thanks. Unfortunately I do not have time to go all the way to Midnight Peak. I will have to take my chances."

"I have something at home that you might be interested in. I was working on statue of a sow suckling her piglets as a practice piece using that stone, but if you could get use out of it, you would be welcome to it."

Robin thought a bit. He could legally accept her offer. It was not unprecedented for one Glider to cooperate with another, but it did not happen often, as there was an indirect competition for place. For Checkers, in her situation, to do this was very generous, even if the piece was probably not very good - a practice piece. He could probably refine it into something servicable.

"Are you sure that you can spare it?"

"That is no problem. As you know, I will have to submit my piece next year, if there is a next year for me."

Robin wished that Checkers had not brought that up. It reminded him that he was putting his faith in someone who was in trouble herself. He changed the subject to ask Checkers what she was doing. He got a discourse on the flora of Electric Pass and the surrounding area, with an emphasis on its use when camping in the wilderness. Robin gladly let Checkers do the talking. Although not vitally interested in the subject as she was, he was glad to have something distract his mind from his predicament.

Robin was stunned. He was expecting a simple practice piece. This was not quite finished, but even in its unfinished state, he could tell that this would save him. He preferred the stag because it was the work of his own hands, but this would probably be considered a better work. Checkers had matched the grain and color of the rock perfectly with the subject. He almost felt that the sow's belly contained milk for the piglets until he touched it and felt the cold stone, and, unless he looked closely, he thought that the piglets were little statues of themselves, seperable from the mother. He would have little work to do on the mother, and the work that he did on the piglets could be done within a day. The scale was larger than he had thought; he would need help to get it home.

"I do not know how to thank you," said Robin. "You really should keep it for the judgment next year."

"The topic is not quite what I would want to submit. I will borrow a cart from my father, and we can push it home."

"Will he object?"

"Oh, no. He will be fine with it." replied Checkers. "He will be happy to see someone from Robin's family talking to me. Perhaps that will give him some hope", she thought.

With some difficulty, Checkers and Robin loaded the statue onto the cart, and covered it with a coarse cloth to protect it. As one of Checkers' sisters was using the horse, the two would have to pull it back to Robin's home. Robin and Checkers' father talked briefly, with Robin complimenting her for the tips on choosing rocks. Her father smiled - perhaps Checkers was a late bloomer. Positive notice from a Goldenrod could not hurt. Neither Checkers nor Robin could let him know exactly how much work she had done.

1. Robin and Checkers transport the statue to the Goldenrod home.

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