CANTO 9: NIGHTFALL

The Loris comes...

We walked until the Undulation peaked;
the Serpent World exhaled her night-mist breath, 
and shadow fell across the deep forest. 
The Gibbon paused. “Beware, beware,” 
he whispered, close. “The Loris will awake.
Our best course is to hide until the light 
returns.” I saw no reason to refuse. 
Gortak was tiring; and even my feet ached.