One fine day Yinkin was hunting in Orandaro the Spirit Forest (which was dangerous for him, as he had already chosen to stay with his half-brother Orlanth, instead of with the other beast folk like Telmor). As he hunted silently on padded paws, his ears twitched with the sounds of Telmor rapidly approaching. While Yinkin wasn't afraid of Telmor, really, he didn't want to run too much, and Telmor just wouldn't stop. He looked around, but his stalking of Jemral the Green Deer had taken him far from any trees. Not far away, however, was a pile of bones from a long-ago hunt. Thinking quickly, he ran to the bones and turned his back on the approaching wolf. As Telmor approached, he heard Yinkin say "Boy, this sure is good wolf" and casually throw a bone over his haunches. Telmor slunk away quietly, not wishing to disturb a god that could kill and eat a wolf so casually.
Eurmal was passing through as a Sky-blue chipmunk, and saw how Yinkin had fooled the wolf. Yinkin had chased him earlier in the day, and he was still breathing hard from having to run and jump so much. Eurmal decided to get his own back on Yinkin, so he went to Telmor where he was resting near his den.
"Telmor, you have got to be the stupidest animal in all of Orandar" said the
chipmunk. He felt brave, for he knew that wolves couldn't climb the tall
tree he was in. "Yinkin fooled you. He can't catch and kill a wolf, you
should know that!" Eurmal explained what Yinkin had done, and Telmor grew
angry. "Where is that little furball?" he howled, "I'll make a toy for my
pups from his ears, I'll use his body for playing Catch and Run! Hop on my
back, chipmunk, and we'll find that miserable excuse for an animal." Eurmal
hopped down from his branch onto Telmor's back, and away they went.
Yinkin, however, caught a glimpse of Telmor approaching, and saw Eurmal on
Telmor's back. He knew that his ruse had been revealed, and that trouble
would soon be here. Thinking quickly, he again turned his back on the pair.
"Damn that stupid Eurmal," he said in a voice loud enough to be heard by
Telmor, "I'm still hungry and sent him off more than an hour ago to bring me
another wolf."
Roderick
End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #352
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