Khimaira of Hyra Betal started with a picture of the legendary ‘chimera’ of Earth mythology, with the head of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a snake. I noticed that there were some other ways of spelling the word, and Khimaira was suitably exotic enough to sound like it might come from another planet.

It put that together with an idea for getting Penne and Chrístõ out and about with Maestro, testing themselves against the elements and bonding, grandfather and grandson. That relationship, of course, isn’t strictly confined to Maestro and Penne. Chrístõ has called Penne ‘brother’ for long enough now, and his relationship with Maestro has always been close. Effectively. Maestro was taking two grandsons on a camping and climbing trip.

Now, I do a bit of hill walking and rambling. But vertical climbing is another kettle of fish. I had to look up most of the terminology, and I still have no idea HOW climbers get up and around overhangs. I studied several pictures of them doing it, and clearly they DO. But I had to fudge it slightly when it came to them climbing the serious overhang. That’s why it is largely told through Penne’s non-expert point of view.

This is one of those stories, of course, where the real enemy isn’t the monster, but the humans – or humanoids. The Khimaira was a creature protecting its young. That lesson was learnt when the Khimaira SPARED the lives of the three Time Lords. Maestro’s appeal from one parent to another saves them all.

But it is a tragedy for the Khimaira, the last of its kind. And that is a lesson learnt for Chrístõ.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_%28mythology%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaineering