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Counting Sheep (12) : All around the city, odd, lumpy mounds of snow have begun appearing--harmless at first glance, until one of them suddenly shifts, shakes itself off, and lets out a loud bleat. A large flock of incredibly fluffy, snow-covered sheep has wandered into town from who-knows-where. Their dense white wool blends perfectly into the winter landscape, and snow clings easily to them. They seem perfectly content in the cold and go about their business without a care, but it’s still startling to watch what looks like a miniature snowdrift suddenly get up and trot away. They're typically not hostile, but they will attempt to flee and avoid capture. They seem good natured--adorable, warm, and only occasionally a little chaotic.
Andreiya had never seen a sheep before. Not in real life, at least. He'd seen pictures.
He thought.
Andreiya couldn't remember if they had teeth, and he was unwilling to stick his hand in their mouth to find out.
Especially because he was currently surrounded by twelve of them.
The worst part was that Andreiya had been trying so hard to be observant. He was careful, diligent--here for research!
The twelve frozen, snow-covered lumps encircling the cluster of wildflowers were not important to him. It had snowed hours ago, and there were no footprints in the snow.
It was a perfectly logical thing to have thought they were bushes!
And then, between one sample and the next, they moved. Naturally, he'd stiffened, as if being completely still would have been enough to avoid detection.
It hadn't helped.
At first, the sheep trembled and shook, sending snow tumbling from atop of them. Clumps still clung to their fur but they seemed in no rush to finish the job.
Their noses wiggled. They stomped their feet. They bleated softly.
They moved closer.
Andreiya stood quickly, instinctively, but the sheep hadn't been the least bit alarmed. A few looked at him, but most of them had their eyes on the flowers, or each other.
They converged.
All around him.
Andreiya was completely frozen as the sheep shuffled closer, with coats so fluffy that they seemed to bounce off of each other when they bumped together.
Then, they started to bump into him, to.
His heart sank and his stomach flopped as he watched the sheep chew on the colorful flowers he'd just been investigating. All he had to show for it was the single flower he'd potted, clutched tightly in his hand and held high above their heads as if he could spare it the same fate as its brethren.
...But could sheep smell it? Were they only so docile because they were still half frozen? Would they come after his ankles next, and work their way up?
Andreiya didn't think he could climb over them before they battered him to the ground and devoured him.
So, he stood very still. And waited.
But, so did they.
Could he reach his blaster before they realized he wasn't a tree? Could he take them down before they all ganged up? How fast was a sheep? --Did his ComTech even know?
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. He couldn't tell.
But, the cold sank in. He wore hats, a scarf, gloves, a puffy jacket. It wasn't enough. The backpack with all of his supplies was still on the ground, by his ankles. He couldn't leave without it. It had too many research notes, too many tools, too many samples.
The sheep hadn't tried to eat it yet.
Maybe it was only a matter of time. He lowered his head, gazing at the sheep as they clustered around him. Not quite a perfect circle, but close enough. There were no openings.
He was trapped.
Kaefaux
