The sky was dark, almost black in places, where the cloud was overburdened with too much moisture, but the rail never fell. Instead, the continual grey moved slowly, ponderously, never relinquishing its load. The moisture in the air was obvious, for while there were no hills of remarkable size in the area, just before the land met the horizon, one could see it lighten with the mist-like vision that the damp air created. The occasional bird flew by in the distance, not bothering to land. Quick and black they were, carrion birds for the most part. Any trees that grew were stunted and rarely had leaves at this time of year, but those that did swayed in the unending breeze from the North. Those that were tall enough had form that bent almost unanimously to the south, so that they spent less en
