I don’t know why, but I think of him, though he’s a minor player
in the Aeneid: Ornytus the huntsman, a Tuscan soldier,
one of a hundred more colorful characters. Out of the blue, I

          think we can implement the feature by
          next Wednesday. They’ve agreed to

picture the guy on horseback, wearing his wolf’s-head helmet.
Twentyish, maybe, his first real fight. Those jaws form a kind of
backwoods crown with their ivory fangs, and the hide drapes down to

          provide a read-only interface to
          their database, but I told them we’d

cover his long black hair. When he grunts, you can see that he’s missing
one or two teeth of his own. His armor is nothing but cowhide,
probably sewn by his mother, and as for his shield and spear, they

          need to be able to add records
          directly, as needed. So they

show he’s a little bit out of his league, a rustic homeboy.
Spirited, though—only twelve when he killed the wolf. Then I think of
his bark-brown eyes, and the uncomprehending look in them as he’s

          asked for a workaround. They just don’t
          get it. The dropdown lists have to be

speared by Camilla.

          updated instantly.