Kevin L. O'Brien's Blog: Songs of the Seanchaí, page 4

Synopsis: Booted Feline (a Team Girl Alternative Reality story)

Eile is the youngest daughter of a miller. When he died, the only inheritance she received was a pair of dice and the mill cat. Eile decided to try to make her fortune in the big city, and the cat went with her. However, she took only one loaf of bread which was gone the first night. The second night she considered eating the cat, but as if it divined her intention, it offered to make her rich and powerful if she spared it. She agreed, and the first thing it did was to flush out a rabbit for her supper.

The next night it took her to a tavern. There it used the dice to win money to pay for room and board for a few days. Using the dice again, the cat won for itself a pair of boots, a chevalier's hat and plume, and a smallsword. Finally, it trapped two fine partridges and took them to the castle of the local viscount, Mabuse. It offered them in the name of the Margrave du Chica, a rich and powerful lord who was traveling through the viscount's lands and wished to do her honor. Mabuse was pleased with having the favor of such a high noble and invited "him" to stay at her estate. The cat agreed to pass along the invitation, but did not wish to make any promises, being as the Margrave was very busy. To sweeten the deal, Mabuse offered the cat a bribe, a purse of gold coins, and it said it might be able to persuade the Margrave to meet with Mabuse along the way. Mabuse then inquired if the Margrave was traveling with "his" wife, and the cat stated its lord was unmarried, being quite young when the old Margrave died and now having just reached 25. Mabuse then presented Sunny, her ward, saying that she was of an age to marry. The cat praised her beauty and promised that the Margrave would be at the river crossing the next day at noon. If Mabuse and Sunny arrived there at that time, its lord would deign to visit with them for a time. Mabuse agreed to the rendezvous.

When the cat returned to the tavern and explained what it had arranged, Eile was mortified, but the cat assured her that all would be well if she did exactly what it told her to do.

The next day, the cat took Eile to the river crossing. It made sure they got there early, and told her to bathe in preparation for the meeting. Eile took off her clothes and entered the river, and the cat took the clothes and hid them. When Mabuse and her retinue arrived with Sunny, the cat shouted to them, saying that bandits had robbed the Margrave and tried to drown her. It begged them to rescue her, while at the same time implying it was Mabuse's fault for letting bandits roam free on her lands, and that dire consequences would befall her if anything happened to the Margrave, who was a favorite of the Emperor. Fearful and greedy all at once, Mabuse ordered her men to save the Margrave, and they pulled a startled Eile out of the water. She was given a coat to cover herself and Mabuse took her back to her estate, where Eile was placed in a sumptuous room and given elegant clothing befitting her "station". Sunny herself came to tend to Eile's "wounds", but quickly discovered she wasn't noble. Rather than be appalled, however, she was intrigued, and agreed to keep her secret. She also taught Eile proper table etiquette.

The dinner went well. Eile pulled off her masquerade, and any faux pas was covered over by the cat or Sunny explaining that it was proper courtly behavior, or a new noble fad, or the eccentricity of a great lord, and the like. Mabuse, being a rural lord and largely unschooled in courtly etiquette, and wishing to ingratiate herself into the imperial nobility, eagerly overlooked any strange or improper behavior. And in time, the freely flowing wine made it difficult for anyone to distinguish proper behavior from improper, or particularly care. After the dinner, Sunny escorted Eile to her room, and took advantage of her inebriation to seduce her.

That night, the cat removed its costume and went among the servants. From them it learned of a legendary mark ruled by a female demon named Ceithlenn. Though the local nobility disbelieved, the folk were convinced the legends were true, and often claimed that vanished travelers were taken by the demon, who had a taste for the tender flesh of young men and women.

The next morning, the cat meets with Mabuse and informs her that the Margrave must return to her lands that very day. When Mabuse asked where her lands lay, the cat replied that she owned the mark the peasantry foolishly believed belonged to a demon. Pleased with this news, Mabuse agrees to take Eile home. The cat then awakens Eile and Sunny to tell them its plan.

Eile is mortified to discover herself naked in bed with the naked ward of the viscount, but both the cat and Sunny hush her. It admonishes them not leave until noon, feigning hangovers if necessary. It then departs for the mark. Eile and Sunny talk about what happened, and both admit to having affectionate feelings for one another. To pass the time, they decide to make love again.

The cat races north, and soon enters the mark. It throws down and hides the skeletons erected to scare trespassers away. When it encounters peasants working in the fields, it coerces them into announcing to any who ask that these lands are owned by the Margrave du Chica. It does the same with a group of craftsmen and a squad of soldiers. Finally it reaches the palace. It bullies its way in and confronts Ceithlenn. She is intrigued by the audacity of the cat, since everyone else is so frightened of her. The cat challenges her, saying that being a demon, she should be able to change her shape. To prove it, she changes into a lion and attacks the cat, who hides behind a cabinet. The cat praises her abilities, but states that any third-rate sorcerer can change into a big creature, but only the really powerful ones can change into a small creature. Piqued, Ceithlenn changes into a mouse, whereupon the cat pounces on her, kills her, and eats her. It then goes off to alert the servants to the change in management.

Mabuse leaves at noon with Sunny and Eile, and heads into the mark. Along the way, they encounter peasants, craftsmen, and soldiers, all of whom say the land belongs to the Margrave du Chica. Eile gets more nervous the farther they go, but Sunny calms her by holding her hand. Finally they reach the palace, and they are greeted by the cat and the servants. Mabuse is impressed by everything she sees, but she is not convinced until the cat shows her the treasure room. Immediately she announces the betrothal of Sunny to Eile, and the cat throws a great feast. During the merriment, the cat negotiates a bridal pact with Mabuse, which includes grants of land and allowing Sunny to stay until the formal wedding. In exchange, Mabuse is paid a generous bride price in gold and jewels.

Later that night, as Eile and Sunny rest after making love, they discuss their future and discover that they really want to marry each other.

Epilogue: A week before the wedding, an imperial messenger arrives, and reads a summons from the Emperor, Medb, for the Margrave du Chica and her bride-to-be to come to the imperial city. Eile is certain she's dead, and even Sunny is worried, but the cat smiles, accepts the summons, and assures them both that all will work out if they do exactly what it tells them.

The Pliocene Adventure -- Herbivores (Grazers) Part 2

Continued from Part 1

In going over these lists, it struck me that I was seeing three trends in the evolution of mammals from earlier eras through the Pliocene to later eras, down to modern times.

The first, obviously enough, was the megafaunal trend; the tendency to grow to larger sizes over time. One impetus for this was the extinction of the dinosaurs, which opened up all the megafaunal niches they had filled. Another was the presence of a great deal of lush vegetation, which could support large numbers of a wide variety of megafauna. A third impetus was the need for large bodies to fully digest plant material to extract as much nutrients as possible. While larger bodies require more energy, up to a certain point nutrient extraction can exceed nutrient use, so the largest size a species can maintain is that where nutrient extraction and use are balanced. A fourth impetus was the need to defend against predators that were also getting bigger and more powerful so as to successfully hunt larger prey.

It should be noted that the megafaunal trend was so successful that it survive the ice ages well into "modern" times (10,000 years ago or less). Why they nearly all died out at virtually the same time is still a mystery.

The second trend occurred because, since the end of the Mesozoic Era, the overall climate of the Earth had progressed towards cooler and drier conditions. This encouraged the spread of grasslands at the expense of forests. Though grasslands can support megafauna, the lack of cover meant that animals that could not rely on sheer size and strength to protect themselves had to develop a different way. As such, many species went in the opposite direction: not so much smaller but faster and more agile, so as to escape predators by running away instead of intimidating or fighting them. Even under these circumstances size could still be an advantage, but it is worth pointing out that while the megafauna had all died out by 7,000 years ago, the smaller more gracile runners survived and have thrived.

The third trend is more speculative, but as long as herbivores and carnivores remained big, they didn't have to be smart. Brain size, and presumably intelligence, had been increasing since the extinction of the dinosaurs, and large body size is not a definitive indication of intelligence, but fossil skulls indicate that during the Pliocene the larger animals tended to have smaller brains, whereas the smaller animals tended to have larger brains. This at least suggests the smaller animals were more intelligent. That makes some sense, in that the smaller animals must not only have to find food, but they must also avoid being eaten by bigger animals. An elephant or tiger can stand its ground; a horse or coyote can run. But a prairie dog or a ferret can do either of these and can also hide, depending upon whatever the situation calls for. This requires a level of scheming that implies higher intelligence. On top of that, the kinds of adaptations to the brain that permit animals to become fast, agile runners also most likely also promote and enhance greater intelligence.

It may be no coincidence that the animals that survive the extinction event at the end of the last ice age were probably smarter than the ones who didn't. By itself, intelligence may not have had any direct impact. However, there are only two ways animals can adapt to changing environmental conditions: by changing their bodies or their behaviors. Biological adaptation requires that the traits that make survival possible already be present, so the animal can take advantage of them. Behavioral adaptation, however, is more dynamic. It requires the ability to analyze a situation, understand the consequences of various possible actions, and choose which is the best. We humans are consciously aware of this process and have near total control over it. With animals it may be mostly or totally subconscious and thus beyond their control, but it still occurs, and it requires a level of intelligence that is very close to making conscious choices.

The point is, the megafauna may have lacked the biological traits to adapt and the intelligence to properly modify their behavior, and so went extinct, but the smaller animals and the runners probably did, especially the latter, and so survived. The irony is that a creature perfectly comfortable with harsh conditions may not be able to figure out how to live in a kinder, gentler world, especially if its food disappears and new predators show up, whereas an animal that just barely survived can now flourish because it can take advantage of all the new opportunities available.

Once again, the genus name for each creature is given in parentheses.

Llamas, Giant -- These Genera are extinct. Despite the fact that the llamas filled the gracile runner niche abandoned by the camels, they too evolved megafaunal forms, though they didn't reach the size of the giant camels. This most likely was in response to pressure exerted by the large and powerful predators that stalked the plain.

(Blancocamelus) -- This Genus had a similar build to Hemiauchenia, indicating that it too was a runner, but it was more than 50% larger; it stood 7 feet at the shoulder. In fact, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that this guy evolved from Hemiauchenia.

(Camelops) -- This Genus was a contemporary of Blancocamelus. It also stood about 7 feet tall, but it had a more robust body, with thicker legs, suggesting it was a slower runner, but a more powerful fighter.

TG & Differel note that the giant llamas, though grazers, are more generalized and eat whatever plants are available. As such, they spend time both on the grasslands and in the open-canopy savannas.

Pampathere (Holmesina) -- This Genus is extinct. They belonged to the same Order as the Armadillos and the Glyptodonts. They closely resembled Armadillos, but were herbivores instead of insectivores. They were also larger; Holmesina was 6.5 feet long and weighed 500 pounds. As such, they are often, if erroneously, referred to as giant armadillos. Holmesina preferred humid lowlands and tended to eat a wider variety of less course vegetation than the other Genera of its Family.

TG & Differel find only a few Pampatheres on the Denver plain, and most make their homes close to water sources. One lives close to their cave, and makes a daily circuit from a small open copse of trees to the beaver pond and back.

Pika (Ochotona) -- This is the contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species are virtually identical to the modern species. These are small mouse-like mammals with no tails that are closely related to hares. They prefer cooler environments, but can be found in mountains and grasslands. They eat a wide variety of green plants, from which they obtain water, but they will also drink from available local sources. They deliberately cache food in haypiles as a food source for winter. They prefer to nest within existing spaces inside rock piles, but they can burrow if necessary.

TG & Differel did not expect to find pikas on the Denver plain, but one day they catch one in a trap set on the Aurora ridge. At first they fear they have killed the only one, but Kitty (who often goes exploring at night) reports that she found a colony living almost at the top of the ridge, where the rocks are broken the most and provide many places to nest. They only come out at night and do not descend the slope, so TG/Differel never see them.

Prairie Dog (Cynomys) -- This is the contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species are virtually identical to the modern species. They are instantly recognizable to Denver natives like Eile and Sunny, even compared to other ground squirrels. Other than marmots they are the largest ground squirrels on the Denver plain, ranging from 1-1.5 feet long. They eat selectively, preferring grass over forbs, but they will change their diet as needed to meet changing conditions. They will also eat insects, larva, and the scat of large grazing herbivores. They can obtain water from vegetation, but they often live close to water. They prefer grasslands, but will live in open-canopy savannas as long as the trees are fairly sparse. They can serve as a keystone species, in that they enhance the biodiversity of most grasslands they inhabit.

Eile and Sunny would have been very disappointed if there hadn't been prairie dogs in the mid-Pliocene. However, they and Differel note that the colonies, while fairly large, are all located near the beaver ponds, the three rivers, and the numerous streams.

Pronghorn -- These Genera are extinct. These guys closely resemble African antelopes due to convergent evolution, but they are not themselves true antelopes. They fill a similar ecological niche, but receive some competition from horses and (in the Pliocene) gazelle-horses and antelope goats. They prefer open grasslands, but can be found in scrubland and sparse open-canopy savannas. They eat a wide variety of vegetation, such as grass, forbs, and shrubs, including plants that are toxic to other animals. Females form herds, while males are solitary. They are the fastest land mammals in the Western Hemisphere, and few creatures can catch them in a running race. Most predators rely on stalking and ambush, or take fawns.

Though they have different sizes and body builds, pronghorn Genera differ most in the size and shape of the horns.

(Capromeryx) -- These guys were fairly similar to modern pronghorns, but only weighed 100 pounds (modern pronghorns average 155 pounds) and were more gracile. They had horns with two small prongs of asymmetrical height that were straight and closely spaced. Later species during the Pleistocene would get even smaller. They preferred open-canopy savannas that were more dense, especially those with some underbrush.

(Sphenophalos) -- These guys were much smaller than modern pronghorns, weighing only 35 pounds. They had horns with a single core that branched into two small prongs at the top. They preferred denser open-canopy savannas and closed canopy woodlots and riparian zones, especially areas with dense undergrowth where they could hide.

(Tetrameryx) -- These guys were also smaller than modern pronghorns, weighing only 125 pounds, but they were more heavily built. They had horns with two angled asymmetrical prongs, a short one in front and a long one in back. In profile they look like check marks. They preferred sparser open-canopy savannas and grasslands

TG & Differel note that, after horses and llamas, Capromeryx and Tetrameryx together are the third most common running herbivores on the Denver plain. They also speculate that their speed has prompted the evolution of lighter, more gracile predators as opposed to stronger, heavier megafauna-killers.

Rabbits -- Modern Colorado has only one Genus; in the mid-Pliocene, it had ten. Though the surviving Genus is fairly adaptable, and can be found in a variety of habitats from forest to desert, it was less common in the mid-Pliocene, being one of the most recent, if not the most recent, Genus to appear. As such, most of the habitats it would eventually occupy were already filled.

Like the closely related hares, and the ground squirrels, rabbits served as major prey for a wide variety of predators, some of whom evolved to take advantage of their presence. Though grazers, they use hindgut fermentation, so they chew fecal pellets to recycle partially digested food. Most prehistoric rabbits more closely resembled hares, suggesting that hare morphology is the ancestral form, whereas modern rabbit morphology is a more recent adaptation.

(Alilepus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was fairly common and widespread, found in Europe and Asia as well as North America. It was closely related to a megafaunal form of rabbit in Europe, but was itself normal size.

(Aluralagus) -- This Genus is extinct.

(Aztlanolagus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was named the Azatlan rabbit after the mythical homeland of the Aztecs. It was smaller than modern rabbits.

(Hypolagus) -- This Genus is extinct. This was perhaps the most common and widespread rabbit during the mid-Pliocene. It was similar in size and appearance to modern rabbits, highly diverse, it lived in a wide range of habitats, and could be considered the quintessential rabbit of that era.

(Lepoides) -- This Genus is extinct. It more closely resembled a jackrabbit than a true rabbit, suggesting it had a similar lifestyle.

(Nekrolagus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was possibly the ancestor of Sylvilagus (see below). It was fairly widespread and common.

(Notolagus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was called the southern rabbit because it mostly lived in Mexico and the southwest United States. It was smaller than the modern rabbit.

(Pewelagus) -- This Genus is extinct. Like Hypolagus, it was common and widespread.

(Pratilepus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was called the meadow rabit becsause its fossils are found in meadow-like environments. It is possibly the ancestor of Aluralagus (see above). Like Hypolagus and Pewelagus, it was widespread and common.

(Sylvilagus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species are virtually identical to the modern species. It was called the cottontail rabbit because its white fluffy tail resembles a cotton ball. It has replaced Hypolagus as the quintessential rabbit of Colorado, and as the other Genera went extinct it diversified to fill the empty niches. Though the earlier species looked more primitive than the modern species, they still looked more like rabbits than hares.

TG & Differel note that rabbits are not as plentiful as hares or ground squirrels, and at first they assume they are hares until they catch one and analyze its DNA. The familiar cottontails are restricted to closed canopy woodlots and riparian zones, while the smaller rabbits live on and near the Aurora ridge. The rest distribute themselves across the Denver plain, inhabiting the grasslands and the open-canopy savannahs. TG/Differel sometimes trap some to supplement their rations.

Sloths, Ground (Glossotherium) -- This Genus is extinct. The third of three ground sloth Genera in the mid-Pliocene of North America, it was 13 feet long and weighed over a ton. It tended to be wider and more robust than the other two Genera. Its teeth suggested it was a grazer and it may have used foregut fermentation, but it probably ate other types of foliage as well.

TG & Differel soon learn why it was named the "tongue beast", when they find a family group living close to their home cave. They have long sinuous tongues that they use to grab and hold grass for biting, and to strip leaves, shoots, and twigs off shrubs. They use their claws to catch and pull tree branches down to their mouths. They are invulnerable to all but the largest of predators, who usually go after the young ones in any event.

Zebra -- These Species are extinct. The earliest members of the Genus Equus closely resembled zebra's, particularly Grévy's zebra. Most paleontologists even belief it had some striping. They tended to be smaller and slighter than modern zebras, but they probably lived a a similar lifestyle.

(Equus fromanius) -- This guy was probably a direct descendent of E. simplicidens (see below). It was taller and stockier, with longer legs, but still smaller and slighter than modern zebras. Otherwise, it closely resembled E. simplicidens, and probably also had striping.

(Equus simplicidens) -- Also known as the Hagerman horse and the American zebra, it is the oldest known species of the Genus Equus in the fossil record. It stood about 4 feet high at the shoulder, with a stocky build, straight shoulder, and thick neck like a modern zebra. The environment in which it lived was grasslands and floodplains. It was probably the ancestor of E. fromanius, E. idahoensis, and E. scotti (see above).

When TG & Differel first see these guys on the plain, they wonder if they may have been sent to Africa by mistake, but a quick check of the star positions confirm they are in Colorado. They had assumed that they would see some creatures that resembled the living animals of Africa, but they did not expect to see anything that was practically identical. They note that the herds confine themselves to the grasslands, the sparse open-canopy savannas, and the scrubland at the base of the Aurora ridge.

The Pliocene Adventure -- Herbivores (Grazers) Part 1

The diversity of the Herbivores in North America during the Pliocene rivaled that of modern Africa. In addition to animals familiar to modern people, including deer, antelope, peccaries, and prairie dogs, there were also camels, tapirs, ground sloths, and elephants. What is curious, however, is that more grazing animals eventually went extinct than browsing animals. Skimming this list reveals that, with one exception, all the big grazers died out while only the smaller ones survived (except for most of the the rabbits). This was superficially true of the browsers as well, but with the exception of the megafauna many of the big browsers survived while a fair number of the smaller ones went extinct. And the big ones that went extinct were probably out-competed by later more modern varieties.

Another interesting feature is that most of the grazers are large animals, especially megafaunal forms, while the browsers seemed roughly evenly divided between big and small animals, with fewer megafauanl forms, and most of those were megafaunal only in comparison with the other smaller creatures in their family. In other words, if marmots are normally only a foot long, a three-foot marmot would be megafaunal by comparison, even if it is dwarfed by normal-sized horses and camels.

However, this is to be expected, biologically speaking. Grazers obtain nutrition from the plants they eat by breaking down the cellulose that acts as skeletal tissue in plants. Animals have no metabolic means of doing this, but certain types of bacteria do, so grazers have special stomachs that contain these bacteria and act as fermentation vats, allowing the bacteria to break down the cellulose. These stomachs need to be big in order to be efficient, and foregut fermentators tend to grow big to provide that kind of room. Smaller grazers instead rely on hindgut fermentation, where the bacteria reside in the colon rather than the stomach. An interesting difference between foregut and hindgut fermentation is that foregut is more efficient, but hindgut is faster, and can better utilize food sources that are less nutritionally dense. As such, hindgut fermentation lends itself to fast active animals and large animal growth; the largest animals of all, the elephant family, are all hindgut fermentators, as are horses.

To increase efficiency, some grazers will re-ingest partially digested food to release more nutrients. Foregut fermentators will regurgitate solid material called the cud from their stomachs for rechewing; these animals are known as ruminants. Hindgut fermentators on the other hand will consume their own feces. These feces, however, have a high content of undigested plant material and look very different from feces that are finally excreted as more or less pure waste.

As a final note, it should be pointed out that some browsers are foregut fermentators, even ruminants, whereas some hindgut fermentators are grazers as revealed earlier, so the presence of one kind of fermentation over another is not a reliable indication of feeding mechanism, or vice versa.

Once again, the genus name for each creature is given in parentheses.

Ass (Equus cumminsii) -- This Species is extinct. The true ass is a different group of modern horses, but the body of this species was shorter and stockier than its cousins, so it seems reasonable that it occupied the same niche.

TG & Differel note that they prefer drier areas than other horses, with tougher vegetation, but still require access to water. They predominantly live close to the Aurora ridge, which is mostly scrubland, but well watered by rain runoff and springs. They tend to be aggressive towards predators and they live more solitary lifestyles than other horses. Some become quite friendly towards TG/Differel, leading Sunny to believe they could be domesticated like moderns asses.

Camels, Giant -- These Genera are extinct. Camels evolved in North America, first appearing 40-50 million years ago. The direct ancestor of all subsequent camels appeared some 20 million years ago, and looked more like a llama. When the Isthmus of Panama formed, camels migrated down into South America to evolve into llamas and guanacos and related groups. By the mid-Pliocene the North American camels had become a diversified group, including both megafaunal and smaller gracile forms. They had spread as far north as the Arctic, and subsequently crossed into Asia over the Bering Strait land bridge. They became extinct in North America at the end of the Pleistocene.

Even before the Pliocene, the true camels had shown a tendency to grow larger. By the mid-Pliocene all smaller gracile forms had become extinct in Colorado, leaving just three megafaunal forms. To fill the empty gracile niche, certain llamas evolved into running plains dwellers, but they also displayed a tendency to to produce megafaunal forms.

(Gigantocamelus) -- This was the second-largest camel to roam the Earth, standing 12 feet tall.

(Megatylopus) -- This was the largest camel to roam the Earth, standing 14 feet tall.

(Titanotylopus) -- This was the third largest camel to roam the Earth, standing at 11.5 feet tall. Its upper canines were larger than those of other camels, it had padded feet and toes like modern camels, and it had a hump for fat storage.

TG & Differel note that the limbs of all three Genera are long and massive, making them powerful runners. However, their size and mass makes them virtually invulnerable to all but the largest predators. They prefer the open grasslands, but also pass through the open-canopy savannas. They graze on grass but also any available foliage, including tree leaves and twigs. They are temperamental like modern camels and tend to be aggressive towards predators.

Capybara (Neochoerus) -- This Genus is extinct. This was the largest rodent to inhabit the Denver plain, larger even than the contemporary megafaunal beavers. In essence, it resembled a guinea pig with shorter fur and longer legs.

TG & Differel note that it prefers to live in closed-canopy woodlots and dense open-canopy savannas, but as close to water as possible, and are semi-aquatic. Hence they are common in the riparian zones along the rivers and the megafaunal beaver ponds. They graze on grass, aquatic plants, fruit, and bark. TG/Differel have observed them eating their own feces and regurgitating partially digested food to chew over again. A few have taken up residence around the beaver pond below the cave, but the trees there are not as dense as they prefer.

Gazelle-Horse (Nannippus) -- This Genus is extinct. This was the last of the pre-modern horses. It stood only 4 feet high at the shoulder, its body and limbs were thinner and more gracile, and its skull narrower and longer. It resembled a large gazelle and was probably a faster runner than modern horses of the same size. It had two extra toes rather than just one, but these were much smaller and did not touch the ground.

TG & Differel are rather surprised to discover these guys in the Denver plain, though they are represented by just one small herd. Though their affinity to horses is obvious, they look and act more like gazelles. They live on the grasslands and the more sparse sections of the open-canopy savanna. They eat mostly grass and other ground foliage, but they also take the leaves and twigs of young trees.

Glyptodont (Glyptotherium) -- This Genus is extinct. These were related to armadillos and essentially resembled turtles. They were heavily armored, with a tortoise-like body shell composed of boney deposits embedded in their skin. A boney cap covered the tops of their heads and their tails were surrounded by rings of bones. They were 6 feet long and weighed as much as a ton. Their armor had evolved to protect them from giant flightless carnivous birds, but when they became less common their shells still protected them from newer mammalian predators. Except perhaps a large bear, it's difficult to know what if anything could have preyed on them. They were slow because of their weight, and they were grazers, eating tough vegetation such as grasses.

TG & Differel first find a dead body being scavenged, then later find an extended family group on the grassland. As Differel later told Mabuse upon their return, they couldn't have been more surprised even if they had found a living dinosaur. The group does not follow any migratory path but instead wanders aimlessly. Even so, it stays in the grassland for the most part, though it does sometimes pass through the sparser open-canopy savannas.

Goat, Antelope (Sinocapra) -- This Genus is extinct. These guys were essentially wild goats that evolved more gracile forms adapted for a running life on the plains. They had fairly short straight horns, and while they most likely were grazers, their teeth indicated less wear, suggesting they may have eaten softer and less course vegetation.

TG & Differel observe a number of herds on the Denver area. They live in the grasslands, feeding within the sparser or along the edges of the denser open-canopy savannas. If threatened they either run away or seek shelter inside dense foliage, but a herd that lives along the Aurora ridge will head for higher ground along the steepest possible path.

Gomphotheres (Stegomastodon) -- This Genus is extinct. It was a contemporary of Cuvieronius the browser and was closely related. They even closely resembled one another, except that Stegomastodon's tusks were straighter and curved upwards. It stood 9 feet tall and was more robust than modern elephants. Its head was shorter and higher than Cuvieronius, suggesting its brain may have been larger, but the forehead was still long and low compared to modern elephants. Its teeth indicate that it ate tough plants such as grass.

TG & Differel discover a single herd that roams the grassland. They at first think it is just another herd of Cuvieronius, or perhaps a new herd of mastodons from the prairie beyond the Aurora ridge, but they manage to collect DNA from a stillborn calf and realize they had a different Genus instead.

Horses -- These Species are extinct. Like camels, horses evolved in North America, first appearing about 52 million years ago. The direct ancestor of all subsequent horses appeared about 13 million years ago, and looked more like the modern ass. The modern Genus Equus appears to have evolved about 4-6 million years ago. By the mid-Pliocene horses were already in the Old World, having crossed into Asia over an earlier incarnation of the Bering Strait land bridge. Equus was a diversified group with dozens of known species, but modern horses are limited to seven, of which one, the plains zebra, is the only wild horse that remains widespread and abundant. Otherwise, the most common horse species are the domesticated horses and the domesticated asses and donkeys. All horses became extinct in North America at the end of the Pleistocene.

Like a number of other Genera, horses showed a trend towards megafaunal forms; however, none of the known species became giants like the camels did. In fact, only a few species obtained any significant size bigger than modern horses, and most were smaller, though often more robust.

(Equus giganteus) -- This was the one true megafaunal form of the horse. It stood 6.5 feet at the shoulder and also had a larger head. Though individual modern horses have been taller (the current record is 7.2 feet), they tend to vary from 4.5 to 6 feet depending upon breed. It preferred open grasslands where it could use its speed and strength to escape predators.

(Equus idahoensis) -- This Species was descended from earlier more zebra-like horses (see Zebra in Part 2). It was larger than its ancestors, but it tended to be smaller than the modern domestic horse. It probably looked like a zebra but with a larger head. It most likely lived on grasslands or in open savannas.

(Equus scotti) -- This Species was also descended from earlier zebra-like horses. It was taller than its ancestors, as well as more robust with a larger head than other contemporary Species, but it was still smaller than the modern domesticated horse. It probably more closely resembled the modern kiang or onager. It was probably at home on both grasslands and scrublands, as well as savannas where trees existed.

TG & Differel discover that the Denver plain in the mid-Pliocene has a good many running herbivores, including camels, goats, llamas, and antelopes, but the horses are by far the most common, being as numerous as the antelopes of modern Africa, if not as diverse. The horses are primarily grassland, scrubland, and open-canopy savanna grazers, leaving the denser savannas and the closed-canopy woodlots and riparian zones for other herbivores, particularly browsers. Though the Species segregate themselves, the herds nonetheless graze in close proximity for better protection. TG/Differel even see horses among mastodons and the giant camels, both of which can deter even the largest, most ferocious predators.

Jackrabbit (Lepus) -- This is the contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species are virtually identical to the modern species. These guys are actually hares instead of rabbits. They live solitary lives and build above-ground nests instead of underground burrows. They prefer grasslands and sparse open-canopy savannas, but can be found in more arid environments. Their young are born with fur and open eyes, and can move about and defend themselves shortly after birth.

TG & Differel note that the Denver plain supports a large population of jackrabbits, which serve as prey for a great number of carnivores, avian as well as mammalian, but mostly of small to medium size, and most for generalized rather than specialized predators. TG/Differel will hunt them with snares to augment their supply of rations.

Llama (Hemiauchenia) -- This Genus is extinct. As the camels evolved into megafaunal forms and the more gracile forms died out, they were replaced by their cousins the llamas. Though modern llamas are themselves specially adopted for mountain life, originally they were more generalized, and by the mid-Pliocene had become diversified. This Genus adapted to life on grasslands and in open-canopy savannas, becoming a runner like other plains-dwelling herbivores. Nonetheless, they too developed a large body with long robust limbs, both for greater speed and strength; they stood about 4.5 feet tall at the shoulder. They also had larger than normal heads so as to consume greater quantities of tougher grass and foliage. They probably emulated their living cousins and were aggressive towards predators. (In fact, modern llamas make better livestock guards than dogs.)

TG & Differel note that, after horses, llamas are the second-most common running grazers of the Denver plain. They confirm that they tend to be aggressive towards predators, even defending smaller herbivores that associate with them.

Continued in Part 2

Going on Hiatus: Please Stand By

I published my first blog post on June 4, 2013. In the 16 months since I've been able to maintain a daily-blog schedule, with a few exceptions, something I'm rather proud of since I wasn't sure I could do it. In fact, I am rapidly approaching my 500th blog.

However, while writing blogs is fun, my primary goal is to write stories, and despite my best effort my productivity in that respect has been much lower than I would prefer. Not that I've been lazy, but with a 9-hour day-job and a 2-hour hour daily commute, that doesn't leave me much time to write in the evenings, and to date I've been spending that time working on blog posts instead of stories. As well, sometimes I'm too tired in the evening to be very productive, so I can't even get my blogs finished.

That leaves the weekends, but those are also the only time I can get certain life-sustaining chores finished, such as laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning, and so forth. Add to that an ailing mother I must take care of, and there is little time left for stories, and again I'm often too tired to be creative. Anymore, it seems that the only story writing I can get done is when I sneak in some time at work!

Meanwhile, my life is a mess. Except for temporary odd-jobs, I have been out of work since April of 2011, when I was fired from a web design job for reasons that still seem contrived. I've submitted hundreds of applications, but have had only a few interviews. At each one I felt like I had hit it off and would get the position, only to never hear from them again, and they never returned my calls. The same thing happens when I'm contacted by a recruiter for a possible temp job; they sound excited and eager to work with me at first, but after an initial conversation I hear nothing more and they refuse to return my calls. The only jobs I have been able to get are pretty much fit only for trained monkeys.

And to add insult to injury, I still can't get any of my stories professionally published. I've been writing and submitting for 35 years; you would think that in all that time some editor somewhere would like one of my stories well enough to give me a chance, but it's never happened.

Well, it almost happened, once, but then her publisher overrode her and said no, using an excuse that was so flimsy I can only describe it as insulting to the intelligence of a bedbug.

What really rankles is "friends" who promise to help, then never follow through.

Bottom line: the only success I've had in the last 3 years has been through self-publishing, and that's because I don't have to rely on anyone else to help me. Since I published my first story on May 28, 2013, I've had 32,000 copies of my ebooks downloaded. That's 32,000 people more than would have seen my work if I had waited until being published traditionally.

Unfortunately, to self-publish, I have to have finished stories. With a few exceptions, I have pretty much exhausted my reserve of completed stories, which means I have to write more. And I haven't been able to find the time lately, as I've explained above. I do have maybe a dozen stories that are very close to being finished, but time I should have spent on them I've spent on my blog instead.

So I have decided to suspend writing daily blog posts for the time being, so I can concentrate on my stories instead. That doesn't mean I won't publish in my blog at all. I want to continue the series I've started -- story tropes, the Dreamlands Bestiary, the Pliocene Adventure, ancient Roman culture -- and I plan to continue to post synopses. But it does mean that I probably won't post more than two blogs a week.

How long I will be on hiatus will depend upon how long it takes me to complete my stories. My goal is to have at least the short stories finished by the end of the year, and maybe one of the novels. After that, I will re-evaluate where I stand.

In any event, I want to thank everyone who has read my blog, to apologize for any disappointment, and to encourage you to stay tuned for news of my new stories.

Food Tropes - Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

It sometimes seems that storytellers can't make up their mind about how to treat food in fiction. There are those who ignore it all together, or just gloss over it as if it has no importance whatsoever. Those who do treat it more seriously, however, tend to go too far in the other direction. Forget about the fact that there are a plethora of food tropes already; these people tend to treat food in the same way others treat sex in pornography. Known as Food Porn , this is not sex with food. Rather, it occurs whenever far too much emphasis is placed on food, far more than it deserves, so that the audience lusts after it as they would a naked smoking hot babe or slab of beefcake, especially one they imagine would gladly go to bed with them. Essentially, the difference between a normal food trope and food porn is the same as merely saying Sunny is eating a ham and swiss on rye with mayo versus describing the sandwich, how she eats it, how it tastes, how it feels in her mouth, how the mayo feels sliding down her throat, how it drips down her chin into her cleavage--

You get the idea. Even if there is no sexual innuendo at all, just the overblown nauseatingly detailed description is enough to make it pornographic in a metaphorical sense, especially if the reader gets hungry for a sandwich after reading it.

I hope no one is disappointed, but I don't plan on invoking food porn in my stories.

French Cuisine Is Haughty -- French cooking is high-class gourmet dining; period, end of discussion!

***** Aelfraed thinks so, and he gets rather upset when Differel insists on traditional English or Welsh fare, especially "pub food". In contrast, Madam Trumbo is American, and while she was trained in French cuisine, she is more eclectic in her outlook.

Haggis Is Horrible -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; haggis IS horrible

***** Team Girl would agree, but Differel loves haggis. Haggis is also common in the Dreamlands, as a way to prepare and preserve animal organs. In fact, veteran Dreamers like to tell newbies about the wild haggis, a small furry creature that lives on mountain slopes. However, this sometimes backfires when the newbie turns out to be Scottish.

Hollywood Cuisine -- each nation only eats a few highly recognizable dishes, and nothing else

***** I ignore this trope as mush as possible, but I sometimes have my characters invoke it, such as when Team Girl expected to have Sunday roast with potatoes and Yorkshire pudding with Differel, only to be served poached filet of sole on a bed of rice covered in a light cream sauce. On the other hand, Differel assumed the height of American cuisine was hamburgers and hotdogs.

Horror Hunger -- when monsters must eat people to survive

***** Vlad Drakulya of course drinks human blood, but his rations are donated.

Depending upon their level of intelligence and malignity, monsters want to do one of three things to Differel if they catch her: turn her to their service; rape her to death; or eat her, literally.

I'm a Humanitarian -- when people must eat people to survive (if a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?)

***** In future stories, both Team Girl and Dribble & Maggot will run into people who habitually eat other people.

Improbable Food Budget -- a character's income should not allow her to afford to buy the quality and quantity of the food she acquires

***** Subverted.

In stories set early in their relationship, Eile and Sunny must be very careful about their budget, since they don't make much money at first, and they buy cost-effective food, but Sunny can still turn them into gourmet dishes.

Differel is so wealthy she doesn't need to worry about this.

Invited As Dinner -- a character invited to dinner serves as the main course

***** Not a perfect fit, but in "The Beast of Exmoor", the Cat From Mars ambushes Differel, but instead of killing her it drags her back to its lair to feed to its young.

In a future story, however, Dribble & Maggot are invited to a private soiree where they are intended to be the main course at the buffet.

The Zoogs in the Dreamlands have been know to do this as well.

Local Hangout -- the place outside of home where the characters spend time together

***** In the Dreamlands, Ulthar has three establishments that Team Girl frequent: the Hostel of the Laughing Cat, the Inn of the Quixotic Muse, and Gundersen's Tavern.

In the Waking World, Team Girl usually patronizes gay bars, so as to avoid being harassed by horny single guys on the prowl for a piece of tail. (Men are such PIGS!)

Made From Real Girl Scouts -- whenever something REALLY IS made from Girl Scouts

***** Subverted; in a sequel to "Gourmand Hag", Margaret distracts a hag from eating Differel with the claim that the Girl Guide cookies she's selling are made from real girls.

Mirror Chemistry -- when food is inedible because its chemistry is the mirror opposite of normal food

***** In a future story, an evil fascist version of Differel crosses over from a universe where the chemistry of life is reversed. Ironically enough, she uses mirrors as portals between the two universes.

The Need for Mead -- a visit to the tavern

***** Team Girl love to go pub-crawling, in both the Dreamlands and the Waking World.

No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You To Dine -- anytime the villain treats the hero in a courtly and civilized manner just prior to putting her in a deathtrap

***** The Prince of Dylath-Leen likes to play the gracious host before torturing his captives to death.

In later stories, the Princess in Orange will put Differel into situations that seem idyllic, until she springs her deathtrap.

One Drink Will Kill the Baby -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; an exaggerated stance based on the sensible advice to avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant

***** On the advice of their doctors, Eile and Differel abstained from drinking during their pregnancies, but took occasional drinks on very special occasions.

Plot-Powered Stamina -- a character is able to to carry on in a mundane manner as long as the plot dictates

***** Though I describe my characters cooking and eating in my stories, many times I ignore this when they are in action. Hence, theoretically, they can go quite some time before they eat again.

Real Men Cook -- men know how to cook as well as women

***** Aelfraed is Le Cordon Bleu trained. Giles Holt was taught field cooking as part of his Royal Marine commando raining.

Regional Specialty -- a dish that is unique and special to a particular area of a country

***** Eile and Sunny like to eat Rocky Mountain oysters when they're in season. The same is true of Differel and Norfolk Cromer crabs.

Spot of Tea -- Brits drink tea, and consider it the greatest drink in Western Civilization (after gin, of course!)

***** Subverted with Differel; she also drinks coffee and hot chocolate, is partial to orange juice and Welsh whiskey, and loathes gin. Aelfraed, on the other hand, seems to believe tea is the panacea for all of life's ills.

Supreme Chef -- the best cook around

***** Sunny, for Team Girl (see "Cats' Peril"); Aelfraed and Madam Trumbo, for Differel. Differel, for Dribble & Maggot. Medb is an excellent cook, but she usually defers to others when not traveling alone.

In "A Little Hospitality", Michael the Little Person proved himself to be an excellent cook, such that Differel doubted she could do better.

A Tankard of Moose Urine -- a really BAAAAAD alcoholic drink

***** The Dreamlands is awash with them.

Also, Differel encountered some really nasty local brews while traveling the English backroads as an outlaw biker.

Team Chef -- the one member of the team who is most often shown cooking

***** Sunny, hands down, whether in the Waking World or the Dreamlands. Within the Caerleon Order, this trope is invoked by both Aelfraed and Madam Trumbo.

January Ian Mariposa in "No Torrent Like Greed".

The Teetotaler -- the character who never drinks; ever

***** Subverted with Dribble & Maggot.

Differel seems this way, in that she prefers to drink tea, coffee, or soft drinks, but she will drink wine and spirits when the occasion demands it, she is partial to Welsh whiskey, and she drinks a lot of ale in the Dreamlands. She has also gotten roaring drunk with both Margaret and Team Girl on occasion. She got her reputation during her marriage and pregnancy, when she cut back on her drinking even more severely.

Margaret, on the other hand, seems the exact opposite, since she began drinking at an early age and loves cocktails, cognac, and wine, but in everyday life she abstains except for a single glass of wine at dinner and a single snifter of cognac before bed.

Thirty Minutes or It's Free -- Exactly What It Says On the Tin; a pizza or any product must be delivered, or any service must be completed, in a limited period of time, or that pizza, product, or service is free

***** Lampshaded and averted in "We Deliver", when the customer is informed that, because of the size of his order and the distance it must be taken, 30 minute delivery cannot be guaranteed.

To Serve Man -- aliens, demons, monsters, what have you, harvest or hunt people for food

***** If not for the Caerleon Order and its sister organizations around the world, mankind would have been reduced to this long ago. More than a few monsters still try to bring this about.

Trademark Favorite Food -- the one food a character would love to eat all the time

***** For Medb, it is irish stew (what else) and mead; for Eile, it's a double-decker cheeseburger with bacon, onion, and guacamole, and hot chocolate; for Sunny, it's lasagna and iced tea; for Differel, it's fish and chips (though welsh rabbit and haggis come in at a close second), and lady gray tea; and for Margaret it's oysters Rockefeller and Arabic coffee (she is also partial to rosewater Turkish delight).

Uncoffee -- the beverage you drink is coffee in all but name

***** Coffee exists in the Dreamlands and is known as coffee, but there are other beans and nuts that can be roasted, ground, and brewed to create coffee-like beverages that are not called coffee, but might as well be.

Wacky Cravings -- pregnant women have weird cravings, and I do mean WEIRD!!!

***** Downplayed with Differel; the weirdest her cravings got was when she started eating watermelon, and she didn't like it before then. However, Eile couldn't get enough of Sunny's peanut butter banana sauerkraut sardine mayo and raspberry jam sandwiches when she was pregnant.

Wine Is Classy -- only high class or sophisticated characters drink wine

***** Almost completely subverted in my stories: Medb prefers mead, brandy, or whiskey; Team Girl like wine, but prefer beer or hardened spirits; Differel serves wine only on special occasions, and normally drinks tea or whiskey. Only Margaret drinks wine regularly because it she thinks it makes her look more classy.

X On a Stick -- putting anything, including food, on the end of a stick to make it better, or at least more convenient

***** In the Dreamlands, lots of snack food sold to travelers in villages consists of grilled meat held on a short stick.

Next week I will discuss clothing tropes.

Dreamlands Bestiary: Birds

Birds are a kind of animal that inhabits the Dreamlands. Like virtually everything else in the Dreamlands, Birds are are present because Dreamers “dreamed” them into existence. As with all other lifeforms, however, once their existence became “fixed”, they took on a life of their own, and now they exist more or less independently of Dreamers. There are now many different species in the Dreamlands, most of them the familiar varieties from the Waking World, but exotic and legendary kinds are present as well.

Dreamlands Birds are intelligent and capable of speech, but the vast majority are only able to speak the common tongue of Birds and that of their own species. A few, however, are able to reproduce other forms of speech, such as that of Humans, Cats, or Zoogs. Similarly, most do not understand any language but their own; however, there exceptions in this as well.

Despite this, Birds are not Human, so they do not think or react like Humans. Even those who have lived among Humans for many years, and have adopted Human mannerisms and modes of speech will at times be unpredictable. As well, different types of Birds act in entirely different ways. Humans will tend to ascribe Human emotions to Birds based on their behavior: for example, crows are said to be sneaky, while eagles are described as noble. However, this is misleading at best, and can be dangerous.

Birds have complex relationships with other creatures. For example, they allow Cats and Zoogs to hunt them, provided certain Birds can hunt them as well. However, their relations with Humans are often very simple, such as being special “pets”, or scouts and pickets, heralds, jesters, even at times advisers and protectors.

Synopsis: Macroviral Contagion (a Sir Differel adventure)

Sir Differel Van Helsing arrives in a small Colorado mountain town to meet with Monsignor Canarde about a new treaty that will form a permanent alliance between the Caerleon Order and the Order of St. Antony Demons-Bane. By mutual agreement, they are each allowed to bring three supporters, but she is not permitted to bring Dracula or Medb. Differel brings Team Girl and a bodyguard/driver. They find the town deserted, but proceed to the square where Canarde is waiting for them. He has two priests and a monk, whom Differel identifies as Gabriel, one of the Archangels, who are the master monster hunters for the Antonians. Differel and Canarde confront each other, but Canarde reveals that he has no interest in forming a new treaty.

Instead, Miranda Guinevere Pendragon appears and Canarde explains that he has decided to make an alliance with the Fomorians instead. Monsters emerge from the surrounding buildings and swarm towards Differel and the girls. Sunny pulls machine pistols out of a big handbag for herself and Eile, and tosses a pistol to Differel, who also conjures Caliburn. They make a break for it and try to get out of town, but are cut off. Four of the monsters fire darts from their bodies, that hit Eile and the driver. As the monsters close in, Type 2 Mabuse robots appear, form a shield wall, and hold off the monsters as Differel and the girls get away. Outside of town, they encounter Mabuse.

As it turns out, Mabuse had overheard the girls tell Medb about their adventure with Differel. She decided to monitor their meeting, as much to protect Eile (who is pregnant) and Sunny as anything, but had detected the monsters early on. She has enclosed the town with automated siege machines, that will blast anything that comes too close. In this way, she hopes to contain the threat until it can be dealt with.

She examines Eile's wound and finds a capsule, which she identifies as a kind of egg, embedded in her thigh. She examines the driver, but discovers that the egg in him has hatched and has formed a mass that has spread tendrils throughout his muscles and internal organs. She puts him in a mobile secure containment lab to monitor his progress while she examines the egg taken from Eile. Meanwhile, the girls contact Medb and Lt. Gen. Morgan Leia Ross. They can mobilize troops, but they cannot arrive in less than two days. Gen. Ross also informs them that, if satellite images indicate the monsters may make a breakout, she will destroy the town with a plasma bomb. She will have a B-2 bomber on station in three hours, with a fifteen minute attack posture.

Mabuse discovers that Eile was protected from her egg by the high levels of the hormone placental lactogen in her blood. Otherwise, the egg would have hatched and formed a mass as in the driver. She tries injecting him with the hormone, but it has no effect. Mabuse expects to find a cure eventually, but the first few victims are likely to die. The mass appears to be consuming his tissues to form a group of monsters. Mabuse wants to continue observing him, to get an idea of how the process evolves, but Differel demands he be put out of his misery. However, he volunteers to sacrifice himself so Mabuse can figure out how to beat these things. Differel does not interfere, but it is clear to the girls that she is emotionally devastated by his decision.

Canarde is not happy with how things have gone. First, Differel gets away. Second, Mabuse's arrival has not only alerted the outside world to their presence before they are ready, but also effectively blockaded them in the town. If his role in this is found out, he faces being defrocked, excommunicated, even executed for treason. Aunt Mandy assures him that not only were two of them infected, thereby introducing her creatures into their ranks, but once the remaining townsfolk have finished incubating, they will have more than enough creatures to break out. Then they can scatter and begin infecting other towns. When he reminds her that she assured him no Catholics would be infected, she laughs, saying that he was naïve to believe she would agree to such a nonsensical restriction. He is horrified to discover that his two companions have been infected. She has not done the same to him because he still useful. He summons Gabriel, who attacks, but Aunt Mandy subdues him. She also has Canarde seized. She then announces she has special plans for them both.

Despite the emotional toll it takes on her, Differel refuses to leave her driver. She watches as he succumbs to the monsters and twelve emerge from his body. The first thing they do is consume the body, which sends Differel into a rage. The girls lead her out, where she explains about a past failure on her part that almost wiped out the Caerleon Order and got a good many of her agents and troops killed. She's never forgiven herself for that and she has become fanatical about protecting the lives of her people; hence her emotional turmoil whenever one is killed needlessly, especially through her own (self-described) incompetence. Meanwhile, Mabuse gases the monsters with carbon dioxide to anesthetize them, then removes one and injects it with pentobarbital to euthanize it. However, it awakens as she begins dissecting it, and it nearly kills her before Differel puts a bullet through its head. She and the girls then stay with Mabuse to help her investigate the monsters.

In a staging area outside the valley, Medb confers with Gen. Ross, who is the liaison for the Pentagon. Unfortunately, the overall commander of the troops being assembled is Torain Thegn, who has recently been promoted to Brigadier General. So while Ross outranks him, she cannot interfere with whatever plans he might have as long as he takes his orders straight from the Pentagon. Satellite images indicate that the monsters appear to be massing for a breakout. Thegn demands they employ the plasma bomb, but only Ross has the go-code and she will not share it with him. Before she decides she wants first-hand intelligence, so she decides to go in with Medb and a small detachment of Army Rangers to find out what's going on.

The girls greet the two women when they arrive and take them to Mabuse and Differel. Mabuse gives a report on what she has found. Essentially, the monsters are the macrobiological equivalent of viruses. Their only purpose is to infect people to create more of their kind. They are also powerful mindless killing machines. Once they reach maturity, their digestive systems atrophy and they live off their own tissue. As such, they can survive no more than a few weeks, but that is long enough to infect or kill many people. They are hermaphroditic and can self-fertilize their own eggs. These eggs are then encapsulated into sporophytic darts which can be injected into a human host. The capsule breaks down in minutes, releasing the egg, that then hatches. The zygote forms a mass in the nearest muscle, then sends out tendrils, like fungal mycelia, into the surrounding tissues and organs to absorb them for food. The only way to stop this is to either prevent the breakdown of the capsule or the hatching of the egg, otherwise the infection cannot be cured. As the zygote feeds on the host, it creates as many as a dozen embryos, which eventually break out of the body in an immature nymph form. These nymphs have digestive systems and feed on whatever source of protein is handy, even each other. They mature within hours into adults, who then fan out to infect and kill. A single creature can act as a seed to infect a community, from which more creatures will spread to infect other communities. Similarly, the spread can perpetuate itself through sparsely populated areas by the infection of any lone individual encountered. Enough monsters can survive long enough to find at least one person to keep the contagion going. Once begun, the only way to stop it is to exterminate every monster before they can infect anyone, as well as kill anyone infected. And while they are highly resistant to chemical, biological, and radiological agents, they are not indestructible. They can be killed by physical trauma. The problem is, the trauma must be massive, or the heart or brain must be destroyed. Otherwise the creature will keep on coming.

After Mabuse concludes her report, Medb remarks it sounds like typical Fomorian overkill. Ross states that she can evacuate everyone and call in the B-2 to launch the plasma bomb. However, Differel objects. First, they need to ascertain there are no survivors, such as Canarde. As much as she would love to leave him to be incinerated, he is still human. Besides, if she saved the head of the Antonians, the Vatican would owe her a big favor. Second, they must collect whatever records they can to help them understand how the monsters were created to find a way to deal with them more effectively. Otherwise, the Fomorians would just try again somewhere else. Thirdly, they cannot let Aunt Mandy get away. Medb agrees with her reasoning and Ross reluctantly agrees to help.

Shots outside the lab alert them to an attack. When they rush outside, they find Gabriel making short work of the Ranger and robots. He makes straight for Mabuse; she's the only one who can control the robots laying siege to the town. The girls put themselves in his path, but he brushes them aside. Differel and Ross empty their pistols into him, but to no effect. Even a headshot by Differel doesn't phase him. Medb intercepts him and stops his advance, but she can barely hold him. Differel attacks him with Caliburn; the blade wounds him, but he knocks her aside. Even as he has Medb in a death grip, Dracula appears and rams his hand into his back. He yanks out what looks like a cross between a snake and a grub --- a Fomorian embryo --- and rips it in two. Gabriel collapses and dies.

An alarm indicates that a breakout is occurring. The monsters are attacking one point in the siege perimeter, and while they are taking heavy casualties, they will break through. Mabuse gives Differel, Sunny, and Ross special powered suits that should protect them from the monsters' teeth and claws, prevent capsule implantation, and increase their strength and endurance. She gives Eile a prototype mecha she has developed. Differel will fight with Caliburn, but accepts a flechette pistol with a thousand round clip. It fires three flechettes per shot which can penetrate armor. They must hit the monsters in the head or heart to do any good, but Mabuse figures Differel's marksmanship should make the difference. Sunny and Ross accept shotgun-sized hand cannons that fire .75 caliber depleted uranium slugs. Medb disdains armor and firearms in favor a bladed staff. Eile's mecha is armed with a 50 mm autocannon, a 20 mm gatling gun, a grenade gun, and a rocket pod. Dracula prefers his ubiquitous huge-bore pistols. Mabuse will operate a self-propelled plasma cannon.

The arrange a three-level advance. The robots will march out in a phalanx; they will be followed by Eile and the other women who will mop up what the robots don't kill. Mabuse will bring up the rear to pick off stragglers and deal with any big threat. The robots clash with the monsters, and while many are killed, many robots are brought down as well. However, they eventually reach the center of town, where they find Aunt Mandy's headquarters. Medb takes over Mabuse's plasma cannon, and while she, Eile, Dracula, and the robots hold off the monsters, Differel, Ross, Sunny, and Mabuse go inside to find the records. They are attacked by monsters, but make it to the main control room. While Differel and Sunny hold them off, Mabuse breaks into the computer and downloads the contents of its hard drive and storage drives onto a 10 petabyte storage unit. She then inserts a USB flash drive that introduces a computer worm that wipes out the computer's memory and fries its processors. They then fight their way outside. Mabuse gives the storage unit to a type 1 robot, that goes off with a type 2 escort to the staging camp outside the valley.

As the women try to make it out of the town, they are confronted by Canarde, who has been transformed into a gigantic monster. Eile engages him in hand-to-hand combat, but he gains the upper hand and disables her mecha. As Sunny gets her out while the others cover them, Dracula attacks Canarde. Canarde rips him in two, but he reveals to the girls the monster's weak spot. They fire the mecha's cannon and destroy the mass of Fomorian embryos controlling him, thereby killing him. Dracula reforms and they retreat out of the town.

On the main road out, however, they are confronted by Aunt Mandy and the remaining monsters. Differel engages Mandy in a sword duel as the monsters are killed, but then Ross receives word that Thegn was given the go-code by the Pentagon and ordered the B-2 to make its attack run. They have five minutes left. Differel is nearly killed by Mandy, but she manages to overcome her and cut off her head. Her parting words are, "Do me a favor; stay dead this time!"

They cannot get out of the valley in time. Differel orders Dracula to take Ross to the staging area to countermand the attack. After they leave, Mabuse takes them to her camp and Medb secures them inside an isolation chamber while she makes a break for it. Moments later, the bomb detonates, destroying the town and the camp, but the chamber survives. It gets blown some distance from the camp, but while the women inside are banged up, none are hurt. Dracula reappears and rips it open, and a rescue helicopter appears and takes them away.

At the staging camp, they discover that Thegn had Ross arrested and he tries to arrest the rest of them, but Medb appears and bargains for their release with the computer data. He agrees to the exchange and Medb has the women airlifted out while Dracula takes Differel away, but the storage unit she gives him is blank. She then gives him an enigmatic smile as she fades away, an illusion.

On board the helicopter, Medb appears and gives Ross the real storage device, having found the robot and retrieved it. She gets Ross to agree to provide a copy to Differel. Mabuse checks out Eile and declares she and her baby are well.

Synopsis: Wonderful Life (a Team Girl adventure)

While out shopping, Eile and Sunny get into an argument, which Sunny technically wins, but Eile stubbornly refuses to acknowledge it. However, Sunny keeps pushing, and finally Eile explodes. She rails at Sunny, pouring out all her pent up hurt and bad feelings about their relationship. Sunny is surprised by what she hears: they’re married and Eile is pregnant with their child, and she chooses now to voice complaints? Eile rages that Sunny just doesn’t get it, then screams she wished she had never met her, and storms off. Sunny tries to follow, but Eile hails a cab and leaves her behind.

Sunny has no money but she has a bus pass. However, it’s dusk by the time she gets home. The house is dark and all closed up. Sunny finds the front door locked, but she doesn’t have her key. She goes around to the back and tries to get in through the gate in the fence, but finds it locked too, and scratches her hand on the redwood. She calls out to Eile, but she doesn’t respond. Snowshoe Kitty comes to a window and meows plaintively at her. Sunny calls the house on her cell phone, but Eile doesn’t answer. Finally losing her temper, she yells out that she also wishes she had never met Eile. She then stalks off as Kitty meows after her.

She goes to Giovanna’s house, but finds her gone. Not sure what else to do, she wanders the park, and to make matters worse, it starts to snow. She encounters Pastor Sjauken by the gazebo, who is surprised to see her out so late, and alone. She tells him what happened, and he commiserates, offering her a bed at his homeless shelter, and promising to mediate with Eile in the morning. Sunny however expresses remorse over the incident and chastises herself for being the source of Eile’s misery. When Sjauken tries to soothe her, she rejects his overture out of hand and declares that Eile would have been better off if they had never met. He tries to persuade her otherwise, but she is adamant. Finally, he looks up at the sky, as if listening to someone, then looks at her and says:

“Very well, Sonne Hiver. You have your wish: you and Eile never met.”

Sunny looks at him in surprise, but the only thing that happens is it stops snowing.

Thinking he made a joke, she decides to go back home. If she has to, she’ll break a window to get in. Sjauken volunteers to come with her, and she lets him. As she gets close, however, she realizes something is strange. Where the library should be is a two-car garage. Also, the lights are on in the living room. Sunny tries to call Masie, but gets an automated recording saying that the number she dialed does not exist. She goes up to the house and finds a young couple with three kids watching TV. She knocks at the door and the husband answers. She demands to know who they are and what they’re doing there. She claims the house belongs to her and her partner. The husband tells her to leave or he’ll call the police, and slams the door in her face. She tries to call their number, but gets another ‘number does not exist’ message. She calls Medb, and gets the same recording. As she checks her phone to make sure it’s working okay, she finds the scratch on the back of her hand is missing. Sjauken explains that since she and Eile never met, they didn’t meet Medb, and she didn’t acquire and modify this house for them. At first flabbergasted, Sunny doesn’t believe him, she thinks he’s trying to fool her. Confused and frustrated, she decides she’s at the wrong house, but is too tired and out of sorts to think straight. Sjauken again offers her a place to sleep, and she takes him up on it.

As they walk through the park to get to the nearest bus stop, they are confronted by two Vampires. One is Giovanna, but the other is Lucas Cornelia. Sunny tries to reason with Giovanna, but she claims not to know her. The Vampires threaten them, but Sjauken manages to drive them off. Sunny is shocked to see Cornelia is still alive, but Sjauken explains that because she and Eile never met, Cornelia didn’t turn Eile and so never ran afoul of Mabuse. Instead, he and Giovanna got back together and have claimed many victims hunting together. Sunny refuses to listen to more, and runs off towards the bus stop.

When she arrives, she discovers her bus pass is gone, along with her ID. She wonders if she lost them on the earlier bus, but when Sjauken catches up to her, he tells her not to worry, he can pay her fare. As they wait for a bus, Sunny sees a bag lady pushing a shopping cart as she searches through the trash bins. Something about her catches her attention, so she goes up to her, and is shocked to see it’s Bettie Stivic. She tries to talk to her, to find what happened, but she refuses and tries to get away. When Sunny tells her who she is, Bettie denies knowing her and runs off, leaving her cart and possessions behind. Sjauken tells her that, because she and Eile never met, there was no one to help Bettie deal with her obsession of going to the Dreamlands, and it overwhelmed her, reducing her to a delusional state. Sunny doesn’t want to believe him, but his words are starting to make sense.

They take the bus downtown, where Sjauken has his shelter, but as they walk to it, they pass an alley and Sunny sees someone collapsed in the entrance. When she goes to look, she finds Wendy Cleasa. She’s dressed like a cheap whore, and she is so cold she is delusional and nearly unconscious. Sjauken explains that because she and Eile never met, they didn’t uncover the white slavery ring at Jewels. By the time Medb found out, a number of her girls had already been sold off, and she was forced to flee Denver to avoid prosecution. Wendy was arrested on suspicion of complicity, but released for lack of evidence. However, her license to practice medicine was revoked and she was forced to turn to prostitution to support herself. William was taken from her, but placed in an abusive foster home. Sunny begs Sjauken to help her get her to his shelter before she freezes to death, but he explains that because she and Eile never met, they could not help him when he ran out of money and he was forced to close it, turning all of his families out into the street.

A police officer appears. Sunny recognizes her as Dolores Cadera-Hueso, but she’s dressed like a patrolman. She doesn’t recognize Sunny and tries to arrest her for assault on Wendy; there have been a rash of muggings against prostitutes and street people. Sjauken distracts Dolores and Sunny runs off. She heads for the shelter, but finds it abandoned and boarded up. She finds a way in just before Dolores can catch up with her, and the policewoman runs on by.

Sjauken reappears, and Sunny asks what happened. He tells her that because she and Eile never met, Dolores was made a scapegoat for the corruption in her division and busted back down to patrolman. Sunny can’t be sure this isn’t all just some sort bad dream, but she is willing to listen, so she asks about their other friends. Sjauken tells her that:

Her parents came looking for her and were killed by Ceithlenn;

Eile’s Uncle Gene languishes in a nursing home, his mind virtually gone, neglected and unloved;

Annis Nin was shot in a gang war and reduced to a permanent coma;

Snowshoe Kitty was killed by Mabuse, who was then killed by Joyce Luasaigh in revenge, which in turn meant that everyone she could have helped after her redemption are now dead, and the Dreamlands plague decimated the cats;

Sir Differel Van Helsing was usurped by the Serpent People and quietly took over the British government; Britain then fought a war with the Vampires, in which Dracula and Uallach Ruadhrion destroyed each other, and Monsignor Canarde had Differel killed; Britain is now in shambles with millions dead and millions more homeless and starving;

Marseilles Sheraton’s fake abduction worked; she extorted millions from her family and has continued the life of a celebutante as she continues to turn out snuff films using new victims;

Shasta Taffaday was killed by the sponsor of the dig in the Rockies when she refused to turn over to him the Flute of Kokopelli;

Neo Ivor Zorndyke succeeded in blackmailing the US with his supervolcano bomb, bankrupting the economy and throwing the nation into a new Great Depression; Lt. Gen. Morgan Leia Ross was killed while leading a commando team to try to take his fortress hideout;

Mariam Alina-Fuad is still in Arabia, in the haram of Sultan Jafar Faisal ibn Talib, who has continued to fund Islamic terrorists and kidnap more young girls;

Kojoro was killed by the Oni who kidnapped her;

Just about the only people not affected in any adverse way are Fael Cayleen and Liadan Fionuir, but having never met her and Eile, their lives are no better for it either;

He adds that because they never met, they never went to the Dreamlands, and so were unavailable to save it; it is now a nightmare world of chaos, misery, and despair.

Sunny can’t believe so much pain and suffering came from two people not meeting, but Sjauken tells her that one of the saddest truths of Humanity is that people just do not understand how each life touches so many others. Granted, she and Eile would have had a greater impact than most people would, but even the saving of one life enriches the whole Human race. Sunny asks if any good came of their not meeting. Sjauken admits that the events that occurred because they got together never happened, and so the relatively few people hurt or killed during them did survive, but when compared to the vast numbers who have died or will die because they never met, it is but a small benefit at best.

Sunny then tells him he never mentioned what happened to Eile. He states that shouldn’t be necessary; she knows enough now to realize her rash wish was ill-advised. Nonetheless she insists. She has to be sure, and the only way she can be is to see Eile and talk with her. Sjauken tries to convince her not to, but she is adamant, so he offers her his hand. She takes it —

— and finds herself in a cemetery. He points to a cluster of cheap wooden markers which he identifies as Denver’s potter’s field. Guessing the truth, Sunny rushes up to the nearest, which reads:

Eile Chica
B: 04-04-1984
D: 01-12-2009

Wailing in horror and misery, Sunny collapses on the grave and embraces the marker. Sjauken tells her that on the day she was to meet Eile on the Sixteenth Street Mall, she never called out to her and let her walk away. Shortly after that, Eile was sued by a number of her creditors. Faced with financial ruin and having nowhere to turn, she finally committed suicide, slicing her wrists while lying in a bath.

Sunny turns to him, still kneeling on Eile’s grave, and begs him to make everything right again. She was wrong, she knows that now, and she’d rather have things the way they were, no matter what happens, than have them as they are now. Sjauken smiles and tells her that’s all she needed to say.

An instant afterwards, he is hit by a bolt of energy and collapses. Screaming, Sunny rushes to him, but finds he is a charred hulk. Looking up, she sees Ceithlenn in her beautiful but horrific form. She gloats that she figured if she kept an eye on Eile’s grave, Sunny would come to it sooner or later. Now her revenge can be complete. She fires another bolt. Sunny manages to leap out of the way as the blast excavates Eile’s grave and destroys the coffin. Sunny runs for her life. Ceithlenn fires again and strikes Sunny on the side, leaving a gaping wound. Sunny hobbles away and Ceithlenn fires again, reducing her legs to charred stumps. Sunny collapses, but she manages to crawl to the base of a statue. Looking up, she sees it’s a depiction of Jesus with the little children. Out of options, she buries her face in the snow and prays, beseeching God to make everything the way it was, as Ceithlenn comes closer. She wants to go back. She repeats her plea over and over, as it begins to snow.

Ceithlenn calls her name. She turns over and screams at her to leave her alone, she doesn’t belong here. Ceithlenn orders her to calm down, she won’t hurt her. Then Sunny realizes she’s in her Human form. Looking down she sees that her legs are fine and her side is undamaged, but the scratch is back on her hand. Snowshoe Kitty appears and runs to her, and she embraces her as Ceithlenn calls on a cell phone that she found her.

Ceithlenn takes her to the entrance of the cemetery, where a van pulls up being driven by Medb. The side door opens and Eile rushes out, embracing Sunny in a desperate hug. She apologizes profusely between sobs for the fight, saying it was all her fault, that she was being stubborn and pigheaded, and she should have never locked her out. Sunny apologies for pushing too hard to get Eile to admit she was wrong. Medb suggests they hash it out at home, and they get in with Kitty. As she drives them home, Sunny asks what happened. Medb explains that Pastor Sjauken had contacted her, saying that Sunny was in trouble. She called Eile at home and found out about the fight, but as soon as Eile heard what Sjauken had told Medb, she became concerned and organized a search. Their available friends spread out over the city to look for her, and it was Ceithlenn who found her. Sunny seems to recall talking to Sjauken about something, but she doesn’t remember much after that. It must have been the cold. In any event, she’s just glad to be back with Eile, where she belongs.

Ceithlenn appears in the chapel of Sjauken’s homeless shelter as he kneels praying before the altar. She waits until he is finished, then accuses him of a monstrous cliché. Sjauken admits that had he a better option he would have exercised it, but he states sometimes the best solutions are the most obvious ones. She is far too cynical to do more than sneer at such sentimentalism, but he asks her what she would have done. Her first impulse is to deny she would do anything, but instead she considers the question, and then admits she cannot imagine a better solution. Smiling, Sjauken invites her to have tea, which she accepts.

Ancient Roman Military Camps

The Roman legions were one of the most efficient and effective armies in the history of the world. One reason for this was their military camps. Called castra (singular, castrum), they were a type of military town the legions could retire to for rest and resupply when not fighting or marching. There is too much information about the castrum to be put in a single post, so I'll just hit the highlights, but I would encourage anyone who wishes to learn more to read this fine article in Wikipedia.

My primary interest in researching the castrum was so I could use it as the basis for my design of an Ooth-Nargai military camp in the Dreamlands. As such, most of what I learned is mere background and will not make it into my stories. Nonetheless, knowing it helps me to create a more realistic setting and plot.

Roman regulations required that a legion in the field retire to a properly constructed camp every evening. This is fine once such a camp has been established, but the truly amazing thing is that a legion could march all day, then put up a camp in the evening in only a few hours, even when under enemy attack. The next morning they tore it down and marched another full day, before setting up a new camp. And these had fully functional defenses as well. It's questionable how strictly these regulations were adhered to within the empire, especially in places like Italy, Gaul, and Spain, but they almost certainly were on the borders, in foreign territory outside the empire, or in places with active unrest. Movies like Spartacus do not exaggerate when they depict legion commanders being severely punished for letting their troops be wiped out because they neglected to set up a proper camp.

The speed and efficiency at which a castrum could be set up was due to two factors: the legions contained everyone needed to build it, from engineers to carpenters to ordinary legionnaires providing manual labor, and they carried all the supplies and equipment they needed to construct a camp. Normally these would be carried in a baggage train, but in the absence of one the legionnaires were expected to carry them themselves.

There were two types of camps: temporary and permanent. Temporary camps were designed for specific lengths of time, and were even named after these periods, such as "a camp of three days". This suggests there may have been a repertory of camp plans. Permanent camps came in two designs. The summer camp was set up just long enough to house the legion for the campaign season. At the end the legion retired to the winter camp, which could remain standing for years, depending upon how long it took the Romans to conquer a new territory or put down revolt. The standing camp was built (or converted from a winter camp) once the campaign was finished, to house the troops needed to garrison the occupied territory.

The camps allowed the Romans to keep a legion in the field for days, weeks, months, or even years. Most of their adversaries, such as the Celts and Germans, had nothing like this, and were generally forced to withdraw and disperse after a few days, a week at most. As such, Rome could claim victory just be outlasting them.

A castrum was laid out as meticulously as any other engineering project. Despite the various uses and durations for each camp, the basic design was identical for all. It was laid out as a square or rectangle, with everything plotted in a grid fashion. The structure was oriented so that each side faced one of the four cardinal points of the compass, and the ground was leveled if necessary. There were two major streets running perpendicular. The via principalis was the main street, it ran unimpeded north to south, and it tended to be very wide. The other major street was the via praetoria. It ran east to west and was narrower, but where it connected to the via principalis it was interrupted by the camp headquarters. On the other side it continued on to the camp perimeter. The intersection of these two streets formed a square, that acted as a parade ground. Minor streets were formed by the buildings, but these had been pre-gridded.

Below is a diagram of a typical camp layout, with the important buildings indicated:



1. Porta Praetoria -- the main gate
2. Porta Principalis Dextra -- "right principal gate"
3. Porta Decumana -- the back gate
4. Porta Principalis Sinistra -- "left principal gate"
5. Quaestorium -- supply depot
6. Praetorium -- headquarters
7. Forum
8. Quarters of the Tribunes
9. Altar
10. Barracks of the Legionnaires, Auxiliaries, and Specialists

Not shown would be stables if the legion had a cavalry unit.

Surrounding each castrum was the outer defensive vallum or wall. For temporary camps this usually consisted of a fossa or trench, then an agger or rampart. At the top of the rampart stood a palisade of sudes or stakes. Permanent camps might replace the palisade with a brick or stone muras or wall, or erect the wall behind the rampart. They might also fill the trench with water. Long-term camps, or those under constant threat of attack, could have quite elaborate defenses, with multiple trenches and ramparts, killing fields of cleared ground covered with dead tree branches, and booby traps of stakes planted in hidden holes in the ground. See the diagram below.



At least four gates were placed in the vallum, protected by twin guard towers. These were connected to the two major roads. The porta praetoria served as the main gate and led down the via praetoria straight to the entrance of the headquarters. On the other side of the headquarters stood the porta decumana, which served as the back gate. It is generally believed that supplies came through there. The porta principalis dextra served as a secondary main gate and the entrance for the via principalis. It stood in the wall on the right side of the headquarters. It's opposite number in the left side was the porta principalis sinistra and served as the via principalis's back gate.

Just inside the vallum stood an intervallum or clear space that separated the buildings from the outer defensive wall. This allowed quick access to the vallum, but also allowed the placement of vigilarium or watchtowers at the corners and at intervals along the vallum and the legion's artillery (catapults). Cattle and booty could be stored there, but it also caught enemy missiles without damaging the rest of the camp. On the inside of the intervallum surrounding the camp buildings ran the via sagularis which acted as a service road. In addition to catapults, the camp would also have ballistae, which could be mounted on stone walls, and scorpios mounted on the guard and watchtowers as well as the walls.

The forum was a miniature version of the Forum in Rome. It served as the location for public activity, including tribunals for the arbitration of disputes and courts martial.

In larger more permanent camps, there were other buildings: horrea for storing grain, carnarea for storing meat, the valetudinarium or hospital, the veterinarium or horse hospital, and fabrica or workshops. There were also bakeries, sausage-making shops, an olive and wine press, and even a bathhouse. Also, camps of all sizes usually had followers who provided services for the legionnaires. These could include seamstresses, laundresses, first aid providers, entertainers and prostitutes. Such people were not allowed to live in the camp, but they could create a camp of their own outside the vallum.

In temporary camps, the buildings were tents with some wood structures, but in permanent camps they were constructed of wood, brick, or stone. Except for private facilities in the praetorium, the legionnaires used a brick or stone-lined ditch containing running water as a latrine. Drinking water was obtained from a well for a temporary camp or an aqueduct for a permanent camp. Surrounding long-term temporary and permanent camps was the territoria, the total amount of land required for maintaining the camp. It contained all the resources required by the camp: pastures, woodlots, water sources, stone quarries, mines, exercise fields, and attached villages to provide food as needed. A large camp or one meant to stay for decades might also support various satellite facilities to help secure the area, including watchtowers, smaller camps, and, if on a river, a naval base.

As a final note, in times of peace a camp could set up a marketplace inside its perimeter to trade with the natives. They were allowed in through the main gate, but only as far as the fifth row of tents. There a street ran perpendicular to the via praetoria and was called the via quintana or 5th street. The market was set up at that intersection, and the legionnaires were allowed to trade with the natives and any Roman merchants who came to the camp. Sometimes additional gates were placed in the vallum at 5th street; these were known as the porta quintana.

The Pliocene Adventure -- Herbivores (Browsers) Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

In a previous post I spoke of the difficulties with using the dates assigned to fossils in my database. Namely, that they are imprecise, so there is uncertainty as to when a creature actually lived. That got me to thinking about the issue all over again, and I came to two new realizations.

The first is that the ranges may be even more imprecise than I first thought. Aside from the problem of assigning dates based on stratigraphy and evolutionary descent, and the fact that the upper and lower limits given in the database are themselves averages based on collections of data points that represent a range of possible dates, there is the fact that many of them seem to be repetitive. That is, I saw a fair number of creatures with exactly the same age range: 4.9 to 1.8 mya. This just happens to correspond to the generally accepted age range of the Blancan faunal stage in North America. This made me realize that they were assigned this range, not because we know with any precision that they actually existed for that range of years, but because all the known fossils were excavated from Blancan deposits, and not from any that are older or younger. In other words, this date range doesn't mean a particular genus appeared 4.9 mya and went extinct 1.8 mya, but that it existed sometime during the Blancan, though exactly when we cannot say. The same is true for dates assigned to creatures still living today, except that to say a genus lived from 4.9 to 0.0 mya just means it first appeared sometime during the Blancan and has not yet gone extinct. This is especially true of creatures known from just a single type fossil, or perhaps a small collection, which is not enough to assign precise dates. So a range based on the faunal stage is a good way to hedge your bet, at least until more fossils are found.

My second new revelation was that the assigned date ranges can also be misleading. Many fossils in the database were found in deposits of the Irvingtonian faunal stage, which followed the Blancan and is assigned the range of 1.8 to 0.3 mya. It covered most of the Pleistocene, and along with the Rancholabrean stage that followed it featured the iconic "ice age" animals most people are familiar with. So, as with the Blancan fossils, the Irvingtonian fossils are generally given the same age range, 1.8-0.3, unless there is strong evidence for a more precise date. As I explained in a previous post, I rejected any genus that was younger than 3.3 mya, but what frustrated me was that many of the creatures that I wanted to include, like horses and camels and antelopes, were listed as living in the Pleistocene only. Which didn't make sense, because these were large families that included genera that lived before the Pliocene, and they lived nowhere else other than North America. So, if there were horses living 10 mya and 2 mya, but no fossils have been found from 5 mya, either they went extinct and then immigrated from somewhere else (which was impossible), or the fossils from the intervening years have just not yet been found.

However, I noted one curious feature of the database. For most fossils it lists what collections they belong to; that is, in what fossil beds they were found. These are listed by epoch or faunal stage, give the number of fossil beds excavated, and where those beds are located. For example, Sigmodon , the cotton rat, has been found in 188 beds throughout North America and places in Central and South America. Most of the beds contain Pleistocene deposits, so the genus is assigned a date range of 1.8-0.0 mya (it's still alive). However, 95 -- half -- of the beds are listed as being Blancan! So why is it given an upper limit of 1.8 mya? At first I thought that the people who maintain the database were hedging their bets; claiming that fossils could be Blancan because the cotton rat lived so close to that boundary. But then I took a closer look at the bed listed for Colorado, and I noticed that it had been assigned an age range of 4.9-1.8 mya; in other words, it contained Blancan deposits. Suddenly it dawned on me that the "official" date range for a genus might just represent the faunal stage that has the most specimens, or the range assigned to the first fossils collected before older ones were found (and intellectual inertia prevents the database from being updated in a timely manner). Regardless, what it meant for me was that it was evidence that some creatures lived before 1.8 mya, even if the database claims otherwise.

Now, this doesn't mean that these creatures lived 3.3 mya, but with all the uncertainties present in the dates, it no longer seemed important that the database had to show an exact date of 3.3 mya. Just stating it lived during the Blancan stage would be enough. I also learned that the database lists all the fossils collected from a particular bed, so I decided to go back and review all collections from all the Blancan beds in Colorado and the surrounding states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma, to look for creatures I had rejected because they were listed as living after 1.8 mya, but had still been found in Blancan deposits. I felt tempted to include Mexico, but in the end I decided not to since it was so far away, so my only Mexico-only creature will remain my rogue giant anteater.

I didn't accept everything I found. Some creatures went extinct before 3.3 mya, and as long as I couldn't find any information that contradicted that, I accepted it as true. Others seemed too local, either because they were found nowhere else, or seemed too small to migrate very far, or seemed to be anomalies that I couldn't justify. For example, according to the database there were no mammoths in North America during the Pliocene, but one Blancan fossil bed in Oklahoma did yield up mammoth bones. Still, I decided not to include it because, being as no other Blancan mammoth fossils have been found, it felt too much like an anomaly to be trusted. However, I was able to fill out the ranks of my horses and camels with more genera, and I received a few surprises, not the least of which was the American cheetah. I had wanted to have something distinctly American in my list of animals, like the American lion or the sabre-tooth tiger, but they all lived too late, so having the cheetah is a real bonus.

Once again, the genus name for each creature is given in parentheses.

Mice -- The mice of the Pliocene are virtually no different from modern mice. They are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of mammals in existence, indicating an ability to adapt to almost any habitat, environment, and lifestyle. Though technically herbivorous, many tend to be omnivorous, eating worms, grubs, and insects, and at least one, the grasshopper mouse, is carnivorous, even eating small animals, including other mice (see the post on Insectivores).

(Baiomys) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the pygmy mouse because it has some of the smallest species on record. It prefers grassland and open savannas.

(Bensonomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Benson's mouse"

(Calomys) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the vesper mouse because it mostly comes out in the evening. It prefers savanna and scrubland.

(Guildayomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Guilday's mouse"

(Hibbardomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Hibbard's mouse"

(Loupomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Loup's mouse"

(Nebraskomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Nebraska mouse"

(Perognathus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the pocket mouse because they have large cheek pouches in which to transport seeds. It prefers arid grassland.

(Peromyscus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the deer mouse because they are accomplished runners and jumpers. They prefer wooded areas.

(Pliozapus) -- This Genus is extinct. "Pliocene jumping mouse"

(Reithrodontomys) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the harvest mouse because they are frequently seen feeding on crops ready to be harvested. It prefers well-watered grassland.

(Symmetrodontomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Symmetrical-toothed mouse"

(Zapus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the jumping mouse because it resembles a kangaroo rat in body shape and is a prodigious jumper. They prefer meadows and forests.

The Denver plain is filled with mice, which serve as the basis for many food chains. Though Kitty is an important member of the team in any event, if all she did was catch mice who invade the cave her presence would be most welcome. TG & Differel are not frightened of mice, but aside from getting into their food, clothing, and other supplies, they pose a health hazard by exposing them to Pliocene diseases.

Muskrat (Ondatra) -- This is the contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. They live in wetland habitats, including rivers and ponds. They do not alter their environment as beavers do, but they can have an impact on the kinds of vegetation that grow in their domains. They also maintain open areas in marshes, which benefit many other kinds of animals. Though they can steal food from Beavers, they can also form cooperative partnerships. In places where they build mounds of vegetation called push-ups to live in, large herbivores can feed on them when no other food source is available.

Muskrats are plentiful on the Denver plain. Mostly they live in the rivers, but they also live in the lake-ponds of the giant beavers, whose shallow areas form marshes that the muskrats preserve and expand. A family also lives in the beaver pond below the cave, and TG & Differel observe them working with the beavers to maintain the ponds and keep the nearest of the lower ponds open. They kill and eat muskrat on occasion, and Sunny experiments with making clothing from their fur.

Peccary -- These are a subgroup of wild pig-like animals. They are not ruminants like cows, but they have have complex stomachs with three chambers, allowing them to digest course vegetation like grasses. Even so, they are omnivores and will also eat roots, seeds, nuts, fruits, and small animals. They live in herds, and they can be aggressive towards predators. They can occupy a wide range of habitats, from arid scrubland to tropical rainforests.

(Catagonus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. Called the tagua, they prefer arid scrubland.

(Mylohyus) -- This Genus is extinct. It was slightly larger than modern peccaries and lived in open-canopy savanna and grassland.

(Platygonus) -- This Genus is extinct. This is the megafaunal variety of this animal, growing to 3 feet long. It also had longer legs, indicating it was a good runner. It had a digestive system similar to a modern ruminant, suggesting it might have had a diet higher in cellulose than other peccaries.

(Tayassu) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. Called the white-lipped peccary, it can range anywhere from savanna to forest.

TG & Differel note that peccaries are fairly common on the Denver plain. They range from the scrubland at the base of the ridge west into the pine forests of the foothills, and north to south on the grassland and the open-canopy savanna, and in the closed-canopy woodlots. The megafaunal peccaries are the rarest, but whereas the other Genera occupy restricted territories, Platygonus goes wherever it will with impunity, except deep inside closed-canopy woodlots, where it would not have the room to fight or run. It is also more aggressive, probably because it is hunted by the largest predators, and it would rather fight than run.

In a major plot point, TG & Differel allow an injured big cat to seek refuge in the lower part of their cave. They decide to feed it until it can hunt again, and the first animals they target are a herd of Platygonus. Though they succeed in killing one, the rest of the herd attack them and force them to take refuge in a tree, which the herd tries to pull down. Sunny and Kitty have to come to their rescue, using another predator as an unwitting ally.

Porcupine (Erethizon) -- This is the contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. They prefer closed-canopy forests or open-canopy savannas, but they can adapt to a wide range of habitats, from desert to tundra. They prefer to rest in trees, but can create dens in rocky outcrops.

On the Denver plain, porcupines pretty much reside in the pine forests of the foothills of the Front Range, but individuals often follow river riparian zones or lines of open-canopy savanna deeper into region until they reach the grassland. They have not yet reached the ridge where TG/Differel have their cave. In fact, they won't even find out that porcupines exist until they encounter a big cat with a quill in its paw. Later they will encounter them when they take trips west to investigate the foothills.

Rats -- Like mice, the rats of the Pliocene are virtually no different from modern rats, they are also a diverse group, and they too show an ability to adapt to almost any habitat, environment, and lifestyle. However, the rats of the New World belong to a different family from the true rats of the Old World, which would not reach the Americas until the middle of the second millennium AD.

(Neotoma) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the woodrat because it is typically found in forests; however, it can adapt to a wide range of habitats, including deserts and rocky treeless environments. It is also called a pack rat because of its habit of collecting "treasures" and storing them in its nest.

(Repomys) -- This Genus is extinct.

(Sigmodon) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the cotton rat because it makes its nest out of cotton. It can be found in a wide variety of environments, but prefers grassy areas with shrubs, regardless of environment. It is more omnivorous than the other two Genera, and occasionally eat insects and other small animals.

Unlike mice, rats on the Denver plain confine themselves to their preferred habitats and do not range far beyond. They are also more wary, and try to avoid TG & Differel rather than investigate their equipment and supplies. Kitty considers them a welcome change from mice and ground squirrels.

Sloths, Ground -- These Genera are extinct. Aside from the mammoth and perhaps the sabre-toothed tiger, people would be hard-pressed to imagine any mammal more quintessentially prehistoric than the ground sloth. This was a diverse and extremely successful group that lived for 35 million years and only became extinct as little as 11,000 years ago. Though not all were giants, or even strictly ground-dwelling, their great size and weight, thick skin, and highly developed claws made them nearly invulnerable to even the largest most powerful predators. The only thing more impressive than seeing them stride majestically across the plains would be a herd of mammoths.

(Megalonyx) -- It was 8-10 feet long and weighed over a ton, and that was medium-sized for a ground sloth. It ate tree leaves and branches, suggesting it preferred open-canopy savannas to forests, but it may have dug for tubers as well, and even ate meat on rare occasions. It could stand erect on its hind feet and stout tail.

(Paramylodon) -- It was 10 feet long and weighed a ton. It could stand erect and it preferred more open spaces to forage for grass and tubers, but with access to trees to feed on leaves and branches.

Tg & Differel were disappointed that there were no mammoths in mid-Pliocene Colorado; at least, not near Denver. But the ground sloths made up for it. In a minor plot point, TG/Differel allowed their enthusiasm to get the better of them, and they got too close to a young Paramylodon, which attacked them. Though not harmed, it trapped them and Kitty had to distract it so they could get away.

Squirrels, Ground -- These are contemporary Genera, and their Pliocene species are virtually identical to the modern species. For all intents and purposes they live and behave like chipmunks or smaller versions of marmots.

(Ammospermophilus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. They are called antelope squirrels because their markings and fur color are reminiscent of African antelopes. They prefer rocky habitats with dry sandy soil and shrubs. They are omnivorous, eating insects, small animals, and carrion as well as foliage and seeds. They live in colonies and have been known to mob smaller predators such as snakes, even killing and eating them.

(Spermophilus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. However, it is no longer native to North America. It prefers grasslands with dry soil. It forms colonies for protection. It eats grass, foliage, flowers, seeds, insects, bird eggs, and sometimes chicks.

As far as TG & Differel are concerned, these small ground squirrels are nearly as bad as mice when it comes to invading their cave, for much the same reasons, though only the antelope squirrels are a nuisance because they live on the ridge. Though Kitty keeps them at bay, their tendency to mob predators means they can seriously injure her if she attacked a colony.

Tapir (Tapirus) -- This is one contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. Tapirs are large animals shaped like pigs, but with short prehensile snouts. Though they live in forests or open woodland, they prefer to reside next to water, because they spend a great deal of time in and under the water to feed, hide from predators, and cool off. They also like to wallow in mud pits. They eat leaves, shrubs, aquatic plants, fruits, and seeds.

The tapirs living on the Denver plain reside in the riparian zones along the rivers rather than the beaver ponds, because the latter do not have enough trees and shrubs to feed or protect them. They are vulnerable only to the larger predators, most of which do not hunt in the closed-canopy woodlots, but the tapirs sometimes venture out onto the grassland to feed on ground plants.

Voles -- These are small mouse-like rodents, but with significant anatomical differences. They live a similar lifestyle and occupy similar habitats. However, while they can eat seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, even carrion, they prefer small plants, roots, and bulbs. Like mice, they serve as the basis for many food chains.

(Lemmiscus) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the sagebrush vole because it lives in open brushy areas such as sagebrush lots. It resembles the lemming.

(Mimomys) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the water vole because it lives near water and often goes swimming. It is the largest vole in North America, often growing to 10 inches in length.

(Ogmodontomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Furrow-toothed mouse"

(Phenacomys) -- This is a contemporary Genus, and the Pliocene species is virtually identical to the modern species. It is called the heather vole because it lives in habitats with heather plants.

(Pliophenacomys) -- This Genus is extinct. "Pliocene heather vole"

TG & Differel don't have nearly as much trouble with voles as they do mice, because the voles do not live near them. In fact, they won't even know they exist until they trap some.