Year XXXX December 11

After the rain the Endermen were wary of going out at night and away from cover so they climbed the mountainsides with care since rocky overhangs were uncommon and rarely tall enough for them but at last I think they reached whatever destination they had in mind. The pass lead to a mountain valley with a lake feeding the river I dropped my clock in and lining the lake was carefully planted sugar cane. With the stars out and the moon high it was absolutely beautiful to look at the reflections of the heavens through the tall stalks of the reedy sugar canes I should find a painter and bring them here at night so the image can be preserved for those who appreciate landscapes as much as I do.

As I had suspected the Endermen fell upon the crops like locusts and ripped them up from the ground. Only Tiny did not since he has been watching me harvest the stalks so he leaves the base alone so he can have more if he waits long enough for it to grow back. Whoever planted these is going to be devastated by the loss of their crops and I'm running low on Lapis and Redstone so I will have to find another method of compensation for future raids on man maintained crops.

While they ate, a second clan descended from the mountains and Effar went on the offensive to meet their clan leaders with his mate on tow. Whatever passed between the two clan leaders must have been encouraging because the other clan fell in beside my clan and while they didn't eat sugar cane they did replace the crops with a few of the missed scraps so there would not be a total loss for whoever was farming here. They were not quite sure what to make of Kefka or me but they left us alone since I am not a threat.

The other clan is nearly as large as this one and with my trained eye I noticed them carrying meat in hand and eating it. I suppose with the rarity of edible greenery the mountain clans had to adapt to a carnivorous diet or perhaps their diet lead to them living where they do. With so many new Endermen around and some purple tinged eyes among the mate less ladies I have come to know I foresee a social shuffling between the clans and free flow of breeding individuals. If I were so bold as to make a hypothesis without facts I would wager that this meeting of large clans might account for large-scale diversity in a group that accepting the occasional roaming male cannot account for.

A little cheer brought about by new kids is just what my clan needs after their losses to the rain and it will give Tiny some friends to play with since he's the baby of the clan. Sasha in particular has a following of eligible young males; in fact, if I look carefully all unattached Enderfolk of Effars' clan has crowds of the opposite gender around them. There is more than fifty Endermen and women in the valley along a scattering of children, most of which look younger than Tiny. Just as things seemed peaceful and most of the sugar cane had been devoured there was a moment of chaos and panic when a miner dug his way out of the ground and all but the lowest ranking individuals and the leaders vanished.

I took it upon myself to tackle this miner back into his shaft before he or his dog scared every Enderman off and therefore leaving me without the source of my observations. The man's name was John Harris and he was coming up to search for food after his dog had searched out some gold in the deeper underground caves. It never occurred to me to train a companion to find minerals but it is a concept that thrills me, perhaps I can train Kefka to track certain things? That will have to be left for a later time when I have the resources to teach Kefka and have an idea of how to effectively do so.

John was very understanding of my position and agreed to tunnel to the other side of the small hill by the lake before leaving the area altogether. After trading some paper for some of the cooked meat I had on hand I climbed out of the hole he made and covered it with dirt, I was happy to see some of Effars' clan pacing and some of the other clan as well. Thankfully, as time passed since John's appearance every Enderman came back and the various courting activities started once everyone was assured that the threat John had represented was gone.

The meeting had a festive air to it with both dominant pairs talking while their clans mingled freely. There were some fights as the two different groups figured out their strengths but no one was hurt. Mothers with children held onto their youngest while the older children ran and played a complicated looking game that involved imitating Creepers. The little imps are quite good at the hiss too, more than once they would creep up on me and sent me running because I believed there was one of the exploding creatures behind me.

Tiny played with the youngsters of the other clan and walked around with them while holding a dirt block, this game must have some purpose in their development if I could just figure it out but so far, it eludes me. A few of the children beat at the ground with their hands and try not to look at Tiny while others move with their arms held tightly at their sides while hissing like Creepers. Tiny pulled at my arm to get me to play but Kefka pushed between the two of us, the strange Endermen are bothering her and I think she is keeping those she can away from me. I hope her actions don't bother anyone, she is growling softly and showing the signs of feeling threatened with her hackles raised and her ears laid back.

The last note I'm going to make is about Adone, recently she has been acting very motherly and has had one hand curled into a fist ever since Kor was banished. I have only glimpsed the pearl in her hand in fleeting moments as she grabs Effars hand at night. It is very small compared to the pearls left by deceased Endermen, just a hair smaller than a human eye and glows slightly less than an adults pearl. There is a good chance Adone is about to bear a child in the near future and I hope to be in a position to witness it.

Henri Lemark