In this rock cracking, bone splitting heat the earth seems to shrink back against the furnace of an Andalucián summer noon.
All is still now beneath the day sky as the animals seek respite under tree and boulder.
Here they wait for the setting of the sun when they will venture forth, seeking out the dwindling water holes and life sustaining water.
High overhead the great vultures are the exception to this rule.
This is their time as they ride the mighty updrafts, spiraling from rising thermal to thermal.
Their heads turn slowly as they quarter the mountain, peering down with the intensity of Thanatos as they seek the dying and the weak.
This is the season of little mercy.
The role of men is changing in the 21st century. Want to keep up? Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
Photo: The high Sierra from Saladaviciosa. Courtesy of the author.
