"Master, I did it! A thousand believers, a thousand clever hairs! Maybe next time we can try more, more and more, more and more and... Let me count. A thousand, plus the last batch... and the batch before that..."
Stray Hair One called out as he bounced over to Ruger, his antics pulling Ruger back from his wandering thoughts.
Ruger watched him with a smile. A crowd of newly born, bewildered Fuzzies followed him, bouncing and darting about together, though some of the newborn spirit furs could not keep up. The thousand-odd hairs straggled along, dissolving into chaos before him.
His following had grown once again, and these new believers were lively and naturally loyal beyond measure.
Ruger was delighted, of course, but he also began to waver again.
As he instinctively cast Spirit Fur Nourishment to soothe these newborn hairs imbued with spirituality, his thoughts drifted back to his teacher's words.
He was to forge a path of his own.
He raised his head to glance at the dome of the Bedroom Space and faintly sensed another, relatively mild tremor running through it.
The Fuzzies laughed, and the older spirit furs surged over as well. More than two thousand spirit furs gathered to cheer. Ruger had no idea whether those who had joined them later even knew what they were cheering for. They simply cheered, their individually imperceptible strands of mental power gathering together to convey their joy clearly and resoundingly.
Smiling, Ruger did nothing to spoil their fun. He waved his hand, showering them with Spirit Fur Nourishment as he watched the Fuzzies celebrate.
"Master..."
Stray Hair One furtively climbed onto Ruger's shoulder.
"I must report Black Knight's unusual behavior..."
Stray Hair One climbed up beside Ruger's ear.
Ruger raised an eyebrow, initially puzzled, but soon understood.
The