The old matriarch had lived at least five turns of the sun longer than most of her kind. She had ruled over her sisters, daughters, granddaughters, cousins, and her younger sons, and nephews. The older ones had long since wandered or been driven away. For several days, a growing weakness had consumed her body. Today, in the late morning, her hind limbs had given way, no longer able to support her huge bulk. Some of her closest sisters and daughters drew a close ring around her to protect her from predators and allow her to die in peace. Within an hour, the matriarch heard and smelled a pack of wolves circling them. She no longer saw anything other than light and dark. The matriarch felt her body slowly shutting down. There was little pain, but she knew she would not get up from this place again, nor see this day's end. She began slipping in and out of consciousness. Time slowed. At some point, she was dimly aware of Urho, her oldest son still with the herd, gently caressing her with his trunk. She knew she should have driven him off months ago, but they had an unsually close bond. Now, her sister, Traloo, would assume the duties as matriarch and have that duty to perform. She was glad that she had not had to do it. A wonderful euphoric light filled her. All her senses had shut down, except for her hearing. She could hear the snap and snarl of the distant wolves, the warning stamp or trumpet of her guardians, the murmurs of affection and sadness; but little of it made much sense anymore. The euphoria absorbed her; she tingled with delight and anticipation. With a deep sigh, she breathed out the last remenant of her life. **************************************************** I've always had a fascination for the Ice Age and the Age of Mammals, so I was delighted when Content Paradise offered (for free no less!) this wonderful wooly mammoth model, plus three other critters from the Age of Mammals. I wish CP would tell who the creator was. The grasses are from DNA Grasslands series by modualz. The vegetation texture for terrain is by Judith Ward. The glaciers and its textures are a terrain that I made from a picture of a portion of the Southern Polar Ice Cap. I duplicated it, slightly lowered it, and applied Judith's texture to provide some green areas. Worked well, I think. Comments are always appreciated and thanks for viewing. Jeremy