One of the unusual and stunning creatures Mortimer came across in his travels was that of bison, or the American Buffalo. This creature was so numerous, it baffled even this wizard. They covered the land in gigantic herds, dotting the countryside as a single unit, rather than distinct individuals. That is, until he ran into one. It was on a wintry day in October when, in the fog, he came across the hoary beast covered in ice and snow. It hardly acknowledged him as it rose out of the thick mist. It gazed at him with its deep brown eyes, too intent on surviving than to waste its energy on anything but the most cursory glance in the direction of this strange creature before it.

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Mortimer would always remember that regal creature. So silent, and unmoving, yet with its great bulk, towering and resilient.

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It would be later that he would watched in sadness as his fellow countrymen destroy these animals by the millions, and he would come to reflect and mourn their absence from the vast landscape.