Approaching the crevice of ice, that completely surrounded the upper third of Mt Vestree the tallest peak in the region, Larry began to contemplate the recent series of events which had changed his life so dramatically, and more recently culminated in his present ascent of this great peak from which none before had lived to tell the tale.

Moments before he had sadly said goodbye to his pet falcon Peri, who despite his recent recovery from hightus fever still remained too weak to complete the ascent in the ever thinning mountain air.

Peri like Larry was the last of his kind, an ancient species of falcons descendants of the earliest raptors. Peri had been with Larry ever since he’d successfully guided him out of the Eternal West Forest, in exchange for Larry’s aid in moving a decaying tree branch just long enough so that he could fly up and retrieve the message capsule, he had been tasked to deliver and had dropped when attacked by a band of Arctic Monkeys camped up amongst the tree-tops the night before.