Dusk, outside

[scots_wolf]

Urquhart is outside, watching the early sunset.

He's not shooting anything right now. The black fur rug he was making is finished.

Instead, he stands, with a mug of mulled wine in his hands, feet planted deep in the snow, and watches the daylight fade into the odd brownish yellow typical for snow clouds, and then, darkness falling, along with more snow.

It settles on his shoulders and in his hair.

Comments

[scots_wolf]

"Cars are valuable," Urquhart says. "Why would anybody dump one?"

[young_womble]

"Because it's broken? Tobermory made it run on clockwork."

[scots_wolf]

"If valuable things are broken, you repair them!" Urquhart says. "These people in your world must be stupid!"

[young_womble]

"We try not to think of them like that. Just misguided."

[scots_wolf]

"You are kinder than they deserve," Urquhart says.

[young_womble]

"Well they do give us plenty to live off."

[scots_wolf]

"Do they give it to you," Urquhart says, "or do they just discard it, and you reuse it?"

[young_womble]

"They discard it. But a Womble can live off what a Human Being leaves behind in a day, for a month."

[scots_wolf]

"You seem to be very hardy and crafty creatures," Urquhart nods.

[young_womble]

"Oh yes, well we all have different skills. Most of us just collect. I'm the librarian so I spend more time indoors."

[scots_wolf]

"What kinds of books do you have?" Urquhart asks, interested.

[young_womble]

"Oh all sorts, from learn to read to degree level biochemistry."

[scots_wolf]

"And you're researching all that to re-use the humans' discarded technology?" Urquhart asks.

Beat.

"Why don't they do it themselves?"

[young_womble]

"I'm sure they do, just we don't see it."

[scots_wolf]

"Well, then they're really stupid to throw away their raw materials," Urquhart says. "But then, most humans are stupid."

[young_womble]

"But you are a human being." Wellington says. "If you can see it, why can't others?"

[scots_wolf]

"Because I had the best education you could get in the West in my time," Urquhart says, "which of course is only useful for a brain that works well. Which mine does."

Occasional bouts of PTSD notwithstanding, right?

[young_womble]

"Well I suppose we do have thirty years or so in the Womblegarten." Wellington muses.

[scots_wolf]

"Thirty years just for education?" Urquhart says. "That is thorough."

[young_womble]

"Well, that's until we come of age." Wellington says. "I'm one of the youngest working Wombles."

[scots_wolf]

"And how old are you?" Urquhart asks.

[young_womble]

"Thirty five. I think." Wellington says.

[scots_wolf]

"Oh," Urquhart says. "How old are the oldest wombles?"

[young_womble]

"Well Great Uncle Bulgaria hopes to live to three hundred, and he's the oldest in our burrow." Wellington says. "I'm only a young adolescent, really; I'd be about twelve in human years."

[scots_wolf]

"Well, in that case," Urquhart says, "it's no wonder you're all clever and learned. You have time for it."