Nightingale Palisade You break the rules and I'm the fool

@Lorcan // Freezing fog 2*F, -17*C Afternoon // Set a couple hours after this thread - gonna be vague about what happened/is going to happen + I couldn't help but make Niki have a bad day. I'm a mean person :x Also sorry for the lengthy post, Niki had a lot to say lol

Deciding he had had quite enough of his ventures in the Larkcall lowlands, Niki set forth ever Southward with a jovial bounce in his step. It had not taken too long for the tundra expanse to turn to the edge of a particularly deep ravine, one that looked like if one slipped and fell would be feeling very sore at the bottom. Standing on a rather cliff-like edge, the white yearling peered down, front paws gripping tightly onto the hard dirt and leaning ever-so-slightly backwards. He did not have 'falling off a steep ravine edge' written down on his to-do list for today, even if there was water there to somewhat cushion his fall. There could be rocks down there for all he knew! No, safety was a much higher priority, and he would rather it stay that way.

However, it seemed Mother Nature had a different idea in store for him, much to the displeasure of his heartsease, as when he stepped back from the edge the dirt beneath his paws crumbled and sent him tumbling head over heels with a verbal cry of "Ahh-!" Falling flat on his side, the wind knocked out of his lungs, Niki blinked rapidly to clear his fuzzy vision. "... Ow." With a groan, the white yearling lifted up his head, slowly testing his limbs for anything broken and, with a sigh of relief when everything felt okay, slowly stood to his feet with a wince. That was going to hurt later during the night, or even after the adrenaline wore off.

Tipping his head back to look up the ravine edge he blew out a huff of air, ears flicking back to momentarily rest upon his skull. Though he had not fallen all the way down the ravine as there had luckily been an overhanging ledge not too far down, it would still take some effort to get back up to the top. It seemed he could cross off 'falling off a steep ravine edge' on his not-to-do list for today. Just great. Not wanting to stay down in the ravine with night not too far off, Niki stood up on his hind legs and balanced his front paws on the steep face before him. If he could just get up the first metre or so until it evened out to terrain that he could somewhat easily walk up then he would be find, but finding a paw hold in the rock-like dirt stable enough to hold his weight was difficult. Pushing up with his legs the white yearling hoisted himself up, just reaching where it evened out when a hind leg slipped on a paw hold and sent him tumbling back down onto his back. "Uhh." Mother Nature was being particularly cruel to him today.

Rolling back onto his stomach and standing up once more, Niki scowled at the edge of the ravine, feeling the need to let out a few choice words that his mother would have something to say about, but decided that it was no use to curse dirt. Sitting back on his haunches, the white yearling eyed the ledge he was currently on, amber eyes flying over the shrubs and grasses that had made their home on it, until they rested upon a small bunch of light green leaves with small white flowers grouped in a flat shape at the end of long stalks. Yarrow! Maybe the fall was not as bad as he had originally thought. Moving closer, he inspected the plant with beady eyes even though it would not be useful in aiding his sore limbs from the fall over the edge.

607 words

Healer demonstration 1/3

The was a frosty chill to the air today. Lorcan had resisted the urge to stay curled up in the warmth of the communal pack den and forced himself to make himself useful for the day. He had risen later than usual, missing the fiery hot hues of the morning sunrise and instead woke up to cloudy grey skies. Fog hung like a sheet of gossamer spiderwebs, causing his normally sunlit surroundings to appear dim and spooky. The weather failed to deter the young subordinate though, and he had left the monadnock early that afternoon with every intention of returning back with some sort of meal to add to the pack's food stores.

He had travelled back to the palisade, returning to the exact same spot where he had met the hungry little dark haired girl, whom he had caught a duck for. An adoring smile pulled at his charcoal lips as he remembered back their encounter a few days ago, hot breath falling like smoke from his mouth as it hit the cold air. Thinking back, he wondered if perhaps he had been too hasty in leaving her to make her own way home; the thought that something could've happened to the delightful little girl brought an unwelcome shiver to his spine, one that he done his best to shake off as he traipsed along the edge of the river which bubbled at the bottom of the steep ravine.

Placing his paws carefully one in front of the other, the agouti male made his way cautiously along the river bank as his golden eyes kept their attention strictly on the frothing water. Pausing mid-step, his lean figure stopped for a brief moment as Lorcan gazed into the depths of the river to inspect the riverbed below, golden eyes searching for the familiar flash of silver that signified fish below. After hovering at the waters edge for a few moments, his russet ears fell back against his head in disappointment and his black tipped tail flicked once in silent frustration. Once again he had failed to spot any fish to catch, which meant he'd have to focus on other prey instead.

His chin lifted and soon after his neck followed, craning his head up so that he could glance about the terrain immediately surrounded him. Golden eyes flickered up towards the area of tall reeds where he had successfully caught the duck before. Perhaps, if was lucky, waterfowl would be on the menu again. Sauntering over, Lorcan crouched low to the ground to conceal himself behind the curtain of reeds before he slowly inched forwards, onyx black nose peering through reed stems in search of the mallard ducks. Once again he saw nothing. Jaw stiffened as he stepped back, shifting to sit alert upon the river bank, when suddenly disturbance up on the steep slope opposite caught his attention.

Standing again, the agouti male paced a few steps to the side to free the reeds from his view. He huffed with interest as his golden eyes traced back the tumbling rocks to a smaller paler figure sat hunched part way down the cliff. Salmon pink tongue swept hungrily across his charcoal lips as he toyed with idea of it being a dall sheep. However, the fuzzy white figure then stretched up into a wolf-like form, ruining his predatory pretence. Lorcan remained there for a heartbeat longer, watching as the wolf failed to escape from ledge which they were positioned on, before immediately concluding that they must have been stuck.

Heart beat a second faster as Lorcan paced back and forth as he tried to work out the best plan of action. It would take hours to walk all the way back around to the other side of the river. He'd have to swim. Glancing down to the rushing water which moved inches from his paws, a anxious chill crawled down his neck, causing his fur to bristle. The water would be freezing, but if he was going to help the wolf stuck on the cliff edge, he'd have to take the plunge. Looking back across to the white figure on the other side of the river, the agouti male barked to let him know that help was coming.

"I-I'm coming, don't move! I'm coming over to help you!"

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2017, 11:36 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

@Lorcan

If he had not been in such a delicate predicament Niki would have grabbed some of the Yarrow to take with him on his travels, just in case he met with a wolf who was in need of medical assistance, but as it was there was no use in grabbing some if he couldn't get off the darn ledge! With a huff he sat back, head tilted back to gauge if he should try and climb up again. The twinge in his shoulder said otherwise, however, but that never stopped him before. He was going to get out of the ravine and far away from this place as heights did not seem to be his friend. That was not to say he was afraid of heights, this one just seemed particularly hell bent on keeping him where he was. At least he had a plant for company.

Just as the white yearling was ready to scramble up the dirt once more he heard a bark and a male voice shout out from far behind him. Whipping around - wincing at the twinge in his shoulder - he stared with wide eyes across the river until he spotted a grey-ish brown form. Another wolf! His tail immediately began wagging behind him at the sight of a fellow canine, that is, until his mind processed what the other had said. He was being rescued! Thank the heavens. However, the other wolf was on the opposite side of the raging river which meant... "No! Th'river is too dangerous t'cross! You'll... drown-or-something!" He shouted back, rushing over the last few words in his attempt to get them out before the other wolf began the swim. Niki had no idea if he could swim, and did not want to be the cause of the death of the other wolf, even if their intention was to help. "Th'must be another way!" Amber eyes searched the area below him where it seemed to be a slightly more angled descent than the area above him, but still quite steep, enough that if he lost his balance he'd trip and fall in the water. Unless... He had an idea, and while it was not the best he figured it was better than trying to swim across the river. "See if y'can push that tree next t'th'river over, it looks unstable!" He just hoped his plan would work, otherwise the other wolf might just have to swim across the river, but if it did then he could carefully make his way down to the water and walk over the tree's trunk to the opposite side.

435 words

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

Healer demonstration 2/3

Onyx black nose dipped hesitantly into the freezing cold water before immediately recoiling. An anxious shiver shimmered from his neck and down his arched spine as Lorcan eyed the water cautiously. Slowly the agouti male lifted a single fore-paw away from the safety of the river bank and hung it in the air directly above the raging water. A last glance was made towards the pale fuzzy figure trapped up on the cliff-face opposite before he finally plunged his paw into the river. Water sprayed through the air in front of him, erupting from the loud splash that he had created with a single limb, before the rest of his paws followed in behind moments after, one after the other.

The freezing, frothing water pooled around his lean figure, quickly seeping into to the cracks and crevasses within his thick autumn fur to chill his pale skin. It took only a few steps, as his slender figure advanced forwards in the depths of the river, for the water to devour him up to his chest. Straining to breathe against the heavy onslaught of the current, the agouti male worked hard to hold his head up high, breathing deeply in attempt to fill his lungs up with precious oxygen before he began to slowly paddle his way towards the deepest part of the raging river.

The other wolf's warning about the dangers of swimming across the river had gone unnoticed, the agouti male having been too preoccupied in getting across to the other side of the ravine as quickly as possible. With every heartbeat, webbed paws battled furiously against the torrent of bubbling water. Lorcan had to work hard to paddle horizontally against the snaking curve of the river, the force of current pushing him off to a much less linear course - but it was only when he entered the deepest section of water that he truly began to struggle.

"Urrrgh!" A growl erupted from his gasping throat as the water began to splash around his neck. Lorcan desperately tried to quicken his pace, pale paws splashing violently in panic against the rushing current, only for his body to move a foot or so forwards. By this time his muscles were tiring and he knew that it would take everything he had just to make it across to the safety of the bank on the opposite side. Charcoal lips curled back to expose a neat set of pearl-white fang as he grimaced in frustration.

It was only then, in that brief moment of stillness, that Lorcan caught the muffled sound of the other wolf's voice straining against the hiss and rumble of the river. Russet ears perked up as he desperately tried to work out what the pale wolf was shouting. Still paddling with his paws to keep him afloat, the agouti male thrashed his head to once side to glance back at the tired looking tree which lent precariously over the edge of the river, its gnarled roots half exposed above ground. Brows furrowed as he considered the idea for a fraction of a second...

—to turn back around and swim back to the river bank closest to him, or to push on forwards through the toughest part of the river and make it to the other side—

With another snarl, his webbed paws pushed harder against the water as his slender form slowly curved around to face the very river bank he had come from. A pained grimace was plastered across his face as he once again struggled to swim parallel against the raging flow of the river, lean muscles growing hot and sore beneath the physical strain. Golden eyes focused ahead on the solid earthy surface of the river bank which offered him safety just a few metres away

Finally his paws hit the rough surface of the riverbed and Lorcan limped his way, somewhat shakily, out of the water. The crisp chill of the air against his sodden wet form did little to calm his shivering, but the agouti male still somehow managed to hoist himself back up on to dry land. Giving a thorough shake of his pelt, sending a harsh spray of water in every direction, Lorcan made quick work of drying himself off before walking directly over to the disfigured tree that he had spotted moments earlier on the riverbank.

Moving in to circle its wide circumference, the subordinate took in its size, trying to gauge exactly how much force it would take to shift its towering structure. Black nostrils flared as he sniffed at it, quickly noticing the scent of rot and decay. If he could target his effort accordingly, gravity should take care of the rest. Shifting to stand just to the side of the twisted exposed roots of the tree, Lorcan lifted up to press his fore-paws against the rough texture of the unstable trunk of the old tree, wincing as his ribs burnt with muscle soreness.

Tensing his muscles against the pain, Lorcan lent back on his hind limbs before quickly leaning forwards to send his paws barging against the tree, causing the tree to creek and groan as it shifted a little, tipping towards the river. Again and again he pushed the tree with all his might and  little by little the tree moved until...CRASH!! The roots ripped out from the ground, sending dirt and mud into the air as the entire tree plummeted towards river below.

Lorcan clenched his eyes shut, his body sinking to the ground in exhaustion as he listened to the tree twigs snap and branches break with the fall. By the time his black lashes fluttered open the tree had settled. Golden eyes stared in relief at the sight of the tree trunk forming a bridge between him and the other side of the river bank. His attention was then diverted solely to the young pale wolf who was still up on the ledge, silently wondering if all of his effort had been worth it.

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2017, 11:36 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

@Lorcan Damn he gives me so much muse lol

Crawling on his belly so he could be right on the edge of the ledge, Niki's amber eyes watched as the grey-ish brown wolf put one paw in the river, then another, with the rest of his body quickly following. A sharp bark left his maw as he watched with wide eyes. The wolf must not have heard him over the roaring of the river. "No! Go back!" He cried out, front paws gripping tightly onto the ledge edge as he waited in anticipation for something bad to happen. When the wolf reached the middle of the river he seemed to be struggling, and with a hitch in his throat, the white yearling watched as he struggled against the current. He did not want to be the cause of death for this wolf, but he would only hinder if he tried to help the other get across safely. Plus, the whole point of the other wolf crossing the river was to save him, not the other way around.

A sigh of relief left his body when the wolf began to turn around and paddle back to the opposite side, immensely glad that his cries had been heard over the rush of the river. Skittering back from the edge, Niki watched the grey-ish brown wolf circle the tree as if examining it to see if his plan would work. From his position the tree looked unstable on the edge of the river, but if the roots were still strong then it would not matter how many wolves pushed against it. When the other wolf began to push against the base of the tree the white yearlings ears shot up as his tail began to wag excitedly behind him, "Yes! Keep goin'!" He cried out even though he was likely to be unheard. He was going to finally be rescued!

It took many attempts to dislodge the tree and rip the roots up out of the ground, but even he heard the crash as the tree fell down across both sides of the river, creating a suitable bridge for him to cross over somewhat safely as long as he did not slip and fall into it. Exhaling heavily, Niki peered over the edge of the ledge, a shudder running through his body at the steep descent below. "C'mon, y'can do this," he muttered to himself. If that other wolf could attempt a swim through the treacherous river and push over a tree for him to walk across then he could make his way down to the water's edge. Using his claws to dig into the rock-hard dirt, the white yearling slowly let himself drop off the ledge and onto the steep incline where, one careful step at a time, he began to make his way down. "Gah!" He cried out as a dirt crumbled from beneath a paw and immediately lay flat on his stomach before he could topple over and fall, white ears laying flat against his skull as he bared his teeth in anguish. This was a lot more difficult than he first thought.

"Wha'would dad think o'ya?" He hissed to himself, trying to imagine his father's sneer when he got cast out of his home to psych himself up. It seemed to work as he felt his muscles relax enough for him to start moving again, albeit this time choosing much more stable paw holds. Falling off the ravine edge was enough for one day, he would rather not take a plunge in the river too. After a few more perilous stumbles Niki finally made it to the river's edge and scuttled over to where the tree lay like a bridge connecting the two banks. He sniffed cautiously at it, amber eyes scrutinising it to make sure it would take his weight and not break beneath him. Satisfied that it would do, the white yearling gingerly placed a front paw on the trunk and pulled himself up onto it. "Okay, I'm comin'over!" Each step made him feel as if he was going to slip and fall into the rapid river below, but he kept putting one paw in front of the other, his body low to even out his centre of mass.

Finally making it across the trunk of jumped off the end and landed rather clumsily on his paws, tail tucking beneath him as he glanced up at the other wolf who had helped rescue him. "Thanks f'savin'me," he exhaled out in one breath of nervous energy, tail twitching behind him in hopeful movements as a small grin crossed his face. "I owe y'one, pal."

767 words

Healer demonstration 3/3

Lorcan watched with baited breath as the young white wolf tentatively slid down the steep cliff face, sending dirt and rubble tumbling down to the raging river below. The agouti male winced, his golden eyes clenching shut when he feared the younger wolf had lost their footing. Silently he imagined a pale fuzzy figure hurtling down to their death before being swiftly washing away by the torrent of water beside him, but when his dark lashes fluttered open the young subordinate was relieved to discover that the white wolf was still clinging onto the cliff-face for dear life. Hot breath chuffed small billows of steam out from his onyx nose as he sighed as he felt his heartbeat calm just a little.

The young wolf looked nervous as they lay belly-down tentatively eyeing up the steep drop before them. Lorcan crouched a little lower to the ground, lean muscles tensing with nervous anticipation as he watched expectantly for the stranger to jump. Thankfully the other wolf saw sense and once again began descending slowly down the cliff-face, one carefully placed paw at a time and this time they managing to find more secure footing. Lorcan couldn't help but slowly sway his tail in delight as he watched the pale wolf safely descend from half way up the ravine, paws finally settling upon the safety of the river bank.

Now all they had to do was cross the river.

Lorcan observed silently as the pale wolf, who he could now just about make out to be a young male, hoisted himself up onto the tree that he had miraculously managed to push over to form a temporary bridge. Russet ears perked up when he caught the male calling over to him, reassuring Lorcan that he would be making the trip across the river. The agouti male nodded his head quickly in understanding as he shakily rose up to stand in anticipation.

After a few tantalisingly long moments, the young white wolf was safely across after pretty much crawling the entire length of the log. Lorcan greeting the younger male with a whine of relief and immediately rushed over to sniff curiously at him, inspecting him for signs of injury. Russet ears perked up when the pale male thanked him and Lorcan stepped back, nostrils still flared from inhaling the younger male scent, before dipping his head respectfully. "It's fine, I'm just glad you made it down okay." Lorcan smiled then, golden eyes meeting the amber gaze of the other male.

"I'm Lorcan, by the way—" His voice trailed off as his golden eyes flickered back up to glance over to the ledge where he had first spotted the young male. "—What were you even doing up there?" He asked, almost accusingly, white brows furrowing in confusion as his gaze returned to settle back onto the white wolf as he shifting down into a comfortable sit, shaking his neck to remove the last few droplets of water from his thick fur.

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2017, 11:37 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

@Lorcan <3

The white yearling stood still as the larger wolf inspected his body, ears perking up at the others concern. It had been a long time since another had been so worried over his physical well being... it was a nice change to the usual indifference. "Heh, it was pretty terrifyin' I mus'admit. No' used t'heights an'all tha'," Niki responded with a large grin on his maw. It did not even occur to him that he should be freaking out about the whole ordeal, but he was just so glad to have been saved and around another wolf that all of the excess emotions had been swept away, leaving behind his usual joyous self. Having decided that the earthy-toned male was friendly, his tail untucked itself from underneath his belly and wagged happily behind him.

"Nice t'meet y'Lorcan, th'name's Neem, although y'can call me Niki if y'wish," he breezed out in an excited rush, hopping from paw to paw at the excitement of conversing with a friendly wolf, though it could just be the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Niki's amber eyes followed Lorcan's gaze up to the ledge where he had fallen onto, an embarrassed laugh escaping his mouth at the other's somewhat accusing question. "Didn'mean t'ge'stuck up there, honest, sir. Was jus' passin' through an' decided t'take a look over th'edge an' over I went." His head ducked down low as he spoke, clearly showing his mortification at the event. "Although I di'find a Yarrow plant up there, thought tha'was mighty interestin'."The white yearling was not sure if Lorcan even knew what a Yarrow plant was, but decided it was good conversation fodder, and he had been pleasantly surprised at the sight of it, though there was absolutely zero chance of him returning to grab some of it.

His gaze returned back to the earthy male as the other sat down, shaking out the last of the water still in his fur. "Apologies f'makin' y'swim into th'river. If I hadn'been so clumsy y'wouldn'have needed t'save me in the first place." It seemed he was full of apologies that day, first to that Askan wolf up North and now to Lorcan. It just was not his day. Maybe tomorrow would be, though. Glancing at the felled tree still connecting both sides of the bank, Niki made a noise of admiration somewhere in his throat, only just noticing then how much effort and strength would have been needed to push it over. "Y'mus' be pretty strong t'have uprooted th'tree over there. Not sure if I could've done tha'." It was impressive to say the least, even if the roots had been partially rotted away.

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(This post was last modified: Nov 27, 2016, 12:35 PM by Neem.)

As his onyx nose hovered over the thick alabaster coat of the younger male, Lorcan was relieved to discover that he had received no serious injuries. In fact, the young male had been rather lucky and had escaped without much injury at all. The agouti male breathed a small sigh of relief as he lifted his head up to look at the stranger more directly, golden eyes meeting the amber eyes of the other male as he listened to his response. An amused grin spread across Lorcan’s charcoal lips then. “You should definitely avoid the mountains to the south of here then.” He joked, pointing his muzzle in their direction. The agouti male had only ever travelled across the mountains once himself, back when he had first met Craw, and the journey had been a long and treacherous one.

As the younger male returned the introduction, Lorcan found himself somewhat taken aback by his less than formal language. It reminded him somewhat of @Morganna, except that this boy spoke much faster and his words seemed to muddle together even more so that the agouti male struggled to even comprehend some of them. Blinking softly as he mentally digested the words that had just spilled like torrent from the stranger’s mouth, Lorcan finally managed to latch on to the words that mattered and dipped his head in understanding. Niki.

The answer to his question came in even more of a flurry. Lorcan frowned as he struggled to keep up and felt a bit awkward when the younger boy called him ‘sir’. The agouti male did not consider himself any better than the alabaster boy and so felt that he should not be addressed with such authority. Lorcan felt like stopping the boy, telling him to breathe and calm down, but before he could even begin to turn his thoughts into words, the male had started talking again. The agouti male pressed his charcoal lips together and waited for the alabaster boy to finish. Mention of a yarrow plant caught the trainee-healer’s interest and so before the Niki could spill out more words, Lorcan interjected. “You should have grabbed it, it won’t be long before they're all gone.” With winter taking a firm grip on the realm of Relic Lore, the plants were sure to die out until the spring. “Are you training to be a healer as well?” He added, hinting at his own training.

When Niki apologised, Lorcan dipped his head respectfully before shaking it. “It’s fine, I’ve made a few clumsy mistakes of my own.” He replied, smiling as he stretched out into a play-bow. Then conversion turned to the tree that now formed a temporary bridge between the two sides of the river bank. The agouti male shrugged off the complement, certain that it had only been a combination of pure luck and adrenaline that had allowed him to accomplish such an impressive show of strength.

(This post was last modified: Dec 03, 2016, 10:49 AM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

@Lorcan

Niki's tail wagged happily behind him in a blur of white at the earthy coloured male's joking words. He was already much nicer than the Askan wolf he had met earlier that day, plus there was the bonus that Lorcan had saved him from certain death, but he tried to give all wolves the same fairness. "I'll do m'best t'avoid 'em then," he woofed back with a grin also on his face, glancing over his shoulder at the mountains. They did look quite formidable with their crags and steep edges, but after living in a forest all his life he thought it would be interesting to see the world from the highest point. Maybe one day when he had better balance he would make the trip up there with a friend in tow just in case. He figured he could never be too careful in life, especially after the near death experience he just had.

White ears flattened along his skull, splaying to the side apologetically at Lorcan's words of how he should have grabbed it. "Sorry, th'thought slipped m'mind," he mumbled out rueful tone, hoping that the earthy male was nor angry with him for leaving it up there. It was too dangerous to go back and grab it now; he was not sure if he could even get back up there without going up to the very top of the ravine and going over the edge that had trapped him on the ledge. "'m sure there's more 'round here?" Niki said with a questioning lilt to his words, sure that if there was one plant then there must be more. He was about to offer to go look for some but Lorcan's question of his healer abilities distracted his train of thought.

The white yearlings ears slowly lifted up from their flattened position, tail giving a couple wags as he nodded somewhat enthusiastically, thinking that maybe Lorcan was not mad at him after all. "M'dad taught m'some stuff but I still got a ways t'go b'fore I know everythin'." He knew a variety of medicinal herbs that treated different ailments, but definitely had a lot more to learn. If he had stayed for a couple more months then maybe his father would have taught him everything there was to know, but due to... certain events, that had not been on the table. Niki would have to find another wolf to teach him more. "D'y'have a mentor?" He questioned curiously, amber eyes shining with intrigue. He remembered Askan telling him the wolves to the North in the Larkcall Lowlands were not very nice, of course in much cruder words, and he wondered where Lorcan had come from. Surely not that pack? He was too nice. "Are y'part of a nearby pack?" Niki asked, head canting slightly to the side. He could smell other wolves on the earthy male's pelt, and it would be nice to already know someone if he joined a pack.

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