61 THE GUIDE

CHAPTER 61 THE GUIDE A light drizzle was falling on the travelers. Although they weren't actually traveling at the moment. They were standing still and staring up at a steep mountain of rocks. The robot had plenty of rock-climbing experience, but one bad fall out there and she could be stranded forever. So Roz carefully picked her way up the slippery slope, while Brightbill fluttered along beside her. They hadn't gone far when there came the sound of hooves clattering on stone, and then a horned creature leaped from the mist and smashed right into the robot. CLANG!—Roz went flying backward. CLANG!—Roz crashed onto the ground. Standing on the rocks above the robot was a wild ram. He had big, curling horns and a crazed look in his eyes. Brightbill flew to his mother's side, ready to defend her. "Stay away from my mama!" he hissed,

spreading his wings. But rather than charging, the ram hung his head and started to cry. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he blubbered. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Sometimes I just lose control and smash things. I feel awful about it, really I do!" Roz brushed herself off. "I believe those are your instincts," she said. "We all have them—they can be very powerful. I only hope your instincts do not end up breaking me." "Don't worry," the ram sniffled. "I'll try not to let my instincts break you." "I appreciate that," said the robot. "My name's Thud," said the ram. "Which way are you headed?" "We are trying to find our way out of these mountains," said Roz. "But they never seem to end." "You're almost there!" said Thud. "Let me show you the way—it's the least I can do after smashing you." The ram pranced away and led our friends to a narrow path that wound up the rocky mountainside. Roz tried to stay close, but Thud was born to climb. He easily scrambled up the steep slopes and vanished

into the mist. A minute later his friendly voice called out, "For a creature without hooves, you're not a bad climber!" And there he was, peering down from a cliff ledge. The path opened into a foggy meadow where a whole flock of wild sheep were grazing. They reminded Roz of the cows, grazing in the pasture, and she wondered how Hilltop Farm was doing without her. Thud pranced through the flock. "These are my new friends," he announced without stopping. "They're lost, so I'm guiding them out of the mountains." The sheep raised their heads. Thud had a habit of making weird friends, but these two were definitely the weirdest. The flock watched as the ram, the robot, and the goose continued up the mountain and disappeared into the mist. Higher and higher they climbed, above the tree line, to where there were only rocks and scrubby plants and trickling mountain streams. They occasionally came upon a dirt road or a hiking trail, and the ram trotted across casually, while our friends crept across cautiously. At one point, the ram got that crazed look in his

eyes again. His horns came flying at the robot and she jumped out of the way just in time. Then Thud cried and apologized for his instincts, Roz forgave him, and the group carried on. They finally hiked up from the mist and onto a mountain ridge. Above, the sky was clear. Below, a blanket of puffy clouds spread outward in every direction. The sun was setting, and the western clouds were burning pink. Roz thought of the mountaintop on her island. If only she could be watching the sunset from that peak instead of this one. But they still had a long, long way to go.

Thud pointed our friends to one last path. "This will take you down from the mountains and through the foothills," he said, smiling. The ram suddenly got that crazed look in his eyes again, and the robot prepared to jump. But this time Thud pulled himself together. He said good-bye to the travelers, and then he pranced away.