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Just dropped off my book at City News and Pipe Shop in Cheyenne. Great little bookshop!

C is for Cutthroat Trout. There are four species of this colorful native trout in Wyoming and all feature an orange slash on their jawline. You will find them in the creeks and rivers across much of the state.

Pick up my book “Wyoming From A to Z” on Amazon at https://goo.gl/guBBbE or at Barnes and Noble at https://goo.gl/vmNpDr

They were once thought extinct until their rediscovery outside the town of Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981. One of the most endangered mammals in North America, they live in prairie dog towns.

Pick up my book “Wyoming From A to Z” on Amazon at https://goo.gl/guBBbE

 

Sometimes mistakenly called a buffalo, it is Wyoming’s state mammal and the symbol on Wyoming’s state flag. It is also the heaviest land animal in North America.
Pick up my book “Wyoming From A to Z” on Amazon at https://goo.gl/guBBbE

In 2014 I was attacked by a grizzly bear while archery hunting. I sold the story to Wyoming Wildlife Magazine and the article is out in the January 2018 edition. I hope you will check it out.

Just creating my kwbunyap.com site. Thanks for stopping by!

My children’s reader book, “Wyoming From A to Z” has been published and is available on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle editions. I hope you’ll check it out.

It’s a delightful book that uses the alphabet to introduce children to some of the wonderful people, places, and things that make up the great state of Wyoming

Mortal men look to the stars as evening turns to dark
Their hearts hunger for love, their souls for Aradun’s spark

A tiny flame within them burns, anxious to ignite
To banish darkness; ridding them of fear, of dread, of fright

Alas, their tiny flame burns low; they feel impending doom
Without His blinding, white-hot light to drive away the gloom

The Creator’s light is righteousness, a beacon on the path
That marks the road to eternal life, away from the Fallen God’s wrath

The Creator hears their cries; sends a mortal to kindle the flame
A seer of realms beyond the veil; Rand shall be his name

The Zadahrathi will gather adepts, and root out from their holes,
The minions who stand ‘tween death and life, guarding the well of souls

An alliance of fairy, illiri, grimm, and the Captain of the Guard,
With nightshade turned, and the soulless one, they’ll form at last The Star

A united seven against darkness, as a war sweeps across the land
the Zadahrathi must turn the tide to stay the Fallen God’s hand

~Hadrin the Old, 3rd Ciad of Frost, 41AI

I woke up this morning and watched the sun rise.

I sat on the bed, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

Something’s different this morning, I thought as I sat.

Where is the dog?

Where is the cat?

 

They sleep in our bed, usually hogging our space.

At dawn, the cat purrs and the dog licks my face.

Our pets wake us up every morning, in fact.

So, where is the dog?

So, where is the cat?

 

I put on my slippers and looked high and low.

They were not in the bed, so where did they go?

I looked under the sofa. I looked under the mat.

Now, where is that dog?

Now, where is that cat?

 

I searched and found nothing but dog and cat toys.

What if I vacuumed and made some more noise?

They bark and they hiss when I get out the vac.

Would that bring the dog?

Would that bring the cat?

 

Our backyard has a pool. There is also a tree.

Did they go for a swim? Or a climb? Could it be?

I found nobody swimming or climbing, out back.

Oh, where is that dog?

Oh, where is that cat?

 

I looked everywhere and was about to give up.

No sign of that kitty. No sign of that pup.

Then, I heard a bark. A meow. What was that?

Do I hear the dog?

Do I hear the cat?

 

I tiptoed down the hall to the nursery. Peeked in.

And found baby smiling, his face a big grin.

As he stood in his crib, guess what he pointed at?

He found the dog!

He found the cat!

 

~The End~

The world of Eilean Reul has been without magic for centuries. War over the Septenaria, the jeweled sources of the seven elements of magic, destroyed them long ago and magic was lost. The memory of that ancient war has faded into obscurity until all that remains are tales of myth and legend.

But the monks of Shadowyn remember.

They are ever watchful, their vigilance undimmed down the long march of time. They await the coming of the Zadahrathi, who alone can rekindle the powers of elemental magic to prevent the Fallen God from destroying the world. When rumors of a strange boy with the gift of spirit-sight reach their lofty halls, the monks of Shadowyn suspect they’ve found their Zadahrathi. The magic of the seven elements has returned.

Rumors of elemental magic spread like summer wildfire across the continents, and the stories of a boy with spirit-sight throw the known world into a panic. The return of elemental magic heralds the arrival of the Fallen God and many fear the end of the world is at hand. But not everyone is afraid. Magic equals power. There is rejoicing in dark places as an ancient lust to possess that power reawakens.

Now, three armies find themselves on the brink of war.

First is the Darkken horde, who seek to reignite the ancient war to make way for the Fallen God, who has escaped the Void and is on a quest of revenge to destroy all Creation.

Second are the greycoats of Nightedge, who desire to conquer the known world. They worship the Twilight, that brief moment between daylight and darkness when the world is in shadow, and they can tolerate no other beliefs. Led by a Druin warrior-priest, their strength grows daily as more and more countries fall under their merciless rule.

Third are the twelve united clans of Bregainne, who worship the Light and stand for peace. As they prepare to defend their homeland against the evil tyranny of both greycoats and Darkkens, they know the real threat is the Fallen God.

With the threat of war looming, Shadowyn monks fan out through Bregainne in a frantic search for the mysterious boy with spirit-sight. They are not alone in their hunt, for Darkken spies and greycoat assassins both seek to eliminate him, their only true threat. The rumors lead them all to the small village of Cheyne and a disheveled street urchin, all but orphaned, who lives in the detritus of the village sewers. The fate of the World lies with this timid boy who possesses both tremendous power and debilitating weakness; the gift of spirit element magic and a paralyzing fear of everything, even darkness itself. And now the forces of Light, of Darkness, and of Twilight have all learned his name.

Zanevon Ryke.