It was a relatively calm night. There was no rustling of the leaves, no rumbles of thunder in the distance, no one singular blaring noise that stood out amongst the rest. Instead, the crickets played their melodious harmonies from the grass and the soft coo of a young owl echoed against the the moonlit forest. If one could see above the canopy, one would see the black sky filled with twinkling stars as far as the eye could see and not a single cloud in sight. It was a calm night for all…except one.
If one listened hard enough, one could hear the soft pitter-patter of paws hitting the earth. Weaving between the tall spindling trees was the frame of a small little wolf of chocolate and cream hues. Her fur appeared disheveled - dirty and perhaps even matted in spots. There were even spots that were stained with the color of crimson. Blood. Anybody who had seen the life-bearing fluid could easily identify that these stains were old. Then there was also the matter of the wings that graced the little one’s frame. As large as they were, they were beautiful…or at least they could be if the poor thing knew how to even hold them up correctly. Instead, they dragged upon the ground, getting even more dirty and occasionally tripping up the young girl as she traversed the land.
Her teal-colored eyes glanced around the area as she traveled. Fear and curiosity seemed to fill them. Every so often the little one would pause and stare at something: a branch, a stick, a bush, a tree. Everything seemed to catch the little one’s interest but eventually, she would take a quick fearful glance around and then continue trekking. Her movements almost seemed to have an air of hiding about them. It was like she didn’t want to be seen or found and yet she seemed unable to conceal her movements at the same time. The sight would certainly be a curious one to any onlooker should any be there.
Delta had never swam this stream before. The water here was clear, at least; much clearer so than the muddy rapids further east.
It was a little thing, probably no more than a trickle when the summer heat came to sap its strength, but the rains of autumn had fattened it to a proper channel which snaked off from the main southern river and allowed the aquatic feline further access inland. The few fish that followed its sluggish current were translucent and tiny, hardly more than mouthfuls for Delta as he snapped his jaws around their sparse schoolings. Occasionally he'd beat his fins and push off from the stream's bottom, peering his eyes over the water's surface to catch glimpses of starlight between the tall tree branches. Previously, he'd only caught sight of the brightwood's southern edge from safety in the water, but an nervous excitement squeezed in his chest as he slid further into the unfamiliar territory. Perhaps he'd risk a little more time here to see it during daylight when the colors really shone.
Whatever thoughts he had on the matter were swiftly interrupted by a heavy rustling; not from the foliage far above, but down to the ground where he'd be in danger. Instinctually he dove, vanishing beneath the dark water with only a flash of his dorsal fins to betray him. The earth was unforgiving and cruel, even more so than his home in the open ocean; on land he was practically defenseless. He hoped Tsillah found pride in his cunning adapting to the inland rivers instead.
For several minutes he stayed under again, slinking along the stream's bottom and stretching his gills with fresh, icy water. In the dark he was safe, but he saw nothing of the beautiful forest around him. The dim moonlight which glinted off the waves above betrayed no shadows looming overhead, and his paws itched to push off the mud and rise to glimpse the silvery trees again. He chewed worriedly at the inside of his cheek, whiskers waving and feeling the current of the stream as he fought between the urge to peer above the water again, or to stay hidden.
Slowly, Delta rose again and unpinned his rounded ears. He swiveled them back and forth between the burbling brook and wind whistling through the branches above, but the rustling was gone. He breathed in relief, eyes slowly adjusting to the moonlight as he flared his nostrils and forced the water from his airways with a huff. It smelled of old leaves and birch, sweet and airy compared to the ocean's heavy handedness. The air carried scents so differently, it could be hard for him the parse the more distant ones. Perhaps that was why it took him so long to catch the faint tang of blood.
It was sour and stale, and almost mistaken for the rotting of logs as Delta opened his mouth and tasted the air for a better grasp of it. The closest he could link it to was rot, but it wasn't putrid, and the wind carried it in such a way it seemed to be in motion. He almost dove beneath the water again when movement twisted further in the trees, and the fur along his haunches spiked as the current drove him closer and the scent of iron only grew stronger. It moved as if it were hurt, strange and jerkily, with some sort of strange, dirtied masses dragging alongside it. It looked almost like a sort of giant bird, enough so that Delta reached towards the bank and dug his claws into the soil to keep himself from getting closer.
The smart thing to do would be avoiding it entirely. The land was full of strange, hungry creatures that had certainly attempted to snap him up on more than one occasion. But they'd never smelled so...
...it smelled of wolf, not of bird or beast. Delta didn't speak much to wolves, not at all really, but they were not wild creatures. They thought and worshipped and lived, not as monsters, but as creatures like he and that of the ocean. And this one, from what he could smell, and from the motions of its strange silhouette, had something wrong with it. Still, all Delta could see of it was a flitting shadow moving further from the stream, and a shudder rolled down his fins at the thought of leaving the water's safety to venture after it. His curiosity was peaked, and if it were hurt-well he was no healer, but perhaps he could sooth its journey to Tsillah.
Delta hesitantly sunk his other paw into the bank, digging his claws in and giving a sharp pump of his fins for leverage as he heaved his upper body out onto the gravel. His gills sputtered, a cough breaking through his lungs as his body instinctually forced water out in favor of air. Such a call to attention was dangerous, but he was already going to make himself known so it may be for the better.
"Wolf," he garbled, voice strange and nasally. He strained himself to be heard above the faint stream, though his legs tensed in anticipation of having to throw himself back into the water's safety. "Are you hurt?"
Huge teal eyes looked up and stared at the tree that was before her. Its bark was smooth and a crispy white hue that seemed to almost glow beneath the silvery moonlight. The leaves that sat upon its branches were such beautiful hues of yellows and oranges that one could almost liken it to luscious golden honey. To most, it was just another tree within this forest, but to the young little Isara, this was something magnificent. She knew not what to call it, but kept trying to rack her mind for a description and name that she could glean from the stories and information that her mother had shared with her.
”Mother…”
The little pup’s eyes looked down as she remembered her mother. Her mother was the only being that she trusted in this world. Her mother was the only family that she knew. And yet, her mother was no longer here.
All because of her.
Tears welled in her eyes as she mourned the loss of her mother. And yet, she felt guilty for mourning her mother. Her mother only died because she couldn’t keep up and because she hesitated to leave the cave. It was her fault. Her mother would have been here now if it weren’t for her.
”My fault…”
She thought to herself right before she began to walk away slowly. She was so caught up in her grief that she at first missed the soft splashes in the distance caused by another. It wasn’t until the splashing became louder and more frequent that it began to garner her attention. She was about to look in the direction it came from when she heard a distinct cough. Her ears instinctively fell to her skull and her body lowered to the ground out of fear. Had they found her? Was she in danger? Her eyes began to fill with fear and panic as she desperately tried to find a place to hide.
Unfortunately for Isara, the closest place to hide was closer to where the sound came from, but as soon as she heard the word wolf, she made her best dash for it. As hurriedly as she could manage, her frame moved over to a bush capable of hiding her entire frame. However, after a few steps, she stepped upon one of her wings and the ground swiftly met her head during all of this though her legs never seemed to stop running. It was almost as if her little body was possessed to get to what many know as a bush. Breaths quickly became short and ragged and poor Isara’s heart was pounding so hard within her chest that she could have sworn it was about to leap out of her body.
”No…I won’t…I can’t!”
Memories of her life within the confines of a cave flooded her mind. Ever since she had been born she had been subjected to hearing the screams of others ricochet off the walls nightly. They were why her mother had told her stories. It was all an attempt to get her to forget and ignore what was going on and forget the unfortunate reality of their predicament. It never truly worked however for it was impossible to forget. And she would never forget. She didn’t want to and yet she also did. It was a weird contradiction but deep down the young girl didn’t want to forget her roots…didn’t want to turn into one of the ones who tortured and killed her mother and the other adults. And yet, she also wanted to forget so she could one day live without fear. But would she ever get that chance?
‘Are you hurt?’ The voice of the other rang out. Teal eyes peered from within the bush as she stared at the form that was near the water. They didn’t look like one of those that kept her mother and her captive within the cave…but she couldn’t be too certain. It was best to think that everybody was one of them until proven otherwise. She remained within the bush…hoping…praying that this wasn’t one of them and if they were then they hadn’t seen her hide in this bush - even though the chances for that were quite slim.
He hadn't meant to scare the wolf; now that he was closer, it was certainly much smaller than he'd initially assumed it to be. Still larger than himself, but in this world that was typical of most things.
Delta instinctually flinched backwards as the stranger careened forwards and threw itself into a bush, thrashing and flailing wildly as the small feline pinned his ears and slid further back into the water. The sound of snapping branches and labored breathing echoed through the empty forest as the wolf desperately convulsed, then all at once all fell quiet again. A pair of frightened eyes blinked out from the foliage, and Delta met them with his own nervous gaze. He didn't dare utter another word, fur prickling uneasily as silence stretched between them. It was obviously hiding, but from what exactly?
The little cat looked back and forth along the bank worriedly before he flared his nostrils and tasted the air. If it--she, judging by the faint scent under all that blood, was fleeing something (or someone), it hadn't seemed to have followed her here.
...at least, not yet.
Delta had half a mind to save his own skin and dive beneath the water again. It could be a test, he worried to himself. Something appearing harmless; then I step out and it grabs me.Or it has other waiting for me. Waiting to leave the water. He tasted the air again, but no new scents carried on the wind. Or it truly is pursued, and whatever's after it comes for me instead.
Anxiety weighed heavy in his chest, nearly enough to drag him down back into the river's depths. Yet despite his own misgivings, he remained. The strange, dirty wolf evoked a sense of pity, and hesitantly Delta pulled his torso back onto the shore. He leaned forwards, still several meters away from her hiding place, and tilted his head inquisitively. He kept his claws out and hind legs tensed beneath the water, ready to kick off against the bank and cast him back into the current in case his worries proved genuine and he needed an escape.
"Are you hurt?" He repeated, slightly louder in case she hadn't heard the first time. Again, he looked up and down the banks as if expecting some terrible thing to charge from the forest at them. Aside from her labored breathing and the burbling of the stream, all was quiet. It felt like a trap, like if he slunk any closer, she would shoot out from the bushes and snap those canine fangs around his neck. Delta shuddered at the thought, though perhaps it was also due to the autumn chill which bit against his wet pelt.
"You smell of blood," Delta awkwardly continued. "The smell of blood brings danger. Do you understand me?"
Everything was much darker from within her new hiding spot. Even with staring out at where the shadowy frame of another she couldn’t see them. Had they left? Did they wander elsewhere in search of her? Teal eyes shifted from side to side as she nervously scanned for what or whoever had been there.
Then just as suddenly as they had disappeared, they were there again.
Isara didn’t notice it at first, but after a few seconds, her gaze saw the silhouette of another slowly pop up from the ground. Were they waiting for her to come out so they could then capture her and force her back to the cave? Anxious breaths quickly moved through her lungs as she watched the other move around.
’Are you hurt?’ A voice rang out again against the still night air like a blaring alarm. Ears tipped forward as she tried to listen to its words, but she could barely understand any of them. The only thing she was sure of was that they were talking to her. They also seemed to be looking in her general direction.
”No…” she thought to herself. Before there was a little hope that they hadn’t been aware of where she was. It was a miniscule amount of hope but it was hope nonetheless.
”Gon we!” Her voice was shaky as she tried her best to tell the shadowy figure to go away. She didn’t want to go back. No…she wouldn’t go back. Her mother had died to get her out of that cave and away from their captors. Isara wasn’t about to go back…not easily at least. Or at least that’s what she thought before they spoke again and she found herself frozen in place. She tried to understand what they were saying to her but she just couldn’t. Trying to understand just made her head hurt. She had never heard this tongue before. Perhaps they weren’t someone come to take her back?
No…it was more than likely a ploy. A trick to get her to come out of her own volition. Some words were similar to that of her speech. You was likely yu….but it was the other word that concerned her.
Blood.
The word in her tongue was blod and referred to family…or your blood kin. Were they talking about her mother? Tears filled her teal-hued eyes and began to cascade down her marked cheeks. Had they known her mother? Or were they someone working with her captors and trying to rouse her into some emotionally induced action? Isara wasn’t sure which it was and she wished she did. If only her mother were here…
If only her mother hadn’t been killed during the escape.
Cautious and fear-filled eyes looked back out towards the shadowy figure again. She had noticed that they hadn’t moved from their spot. Why? Isara tried to think on why someone working with her captors would just stand there and wait while she hid. Was it because they couldn’t see her? Was it because there were others? Eyes looked around quickly but she could not see anybody else nearby - especially not through the bush. The more she thought it over the more she was hesitantly leaning towards the idea that maybe…just maybe this shadowy figure knew her mother. Was she actually that lucky to come across somebody like that? Or had her mother planned this somehow in advance? She was sure what the true answer was and so she tried to rub her tears away with her paws before she called out again.
”Yu houm ai nomon?” Her voice was still shaky and despite how much she tried to conceal her fear it still rang clear with her childish tone. She only hoped that she wasn’t making a mistake by calling back to the shadowy figure.
The stranger's sudden shout made Delta flinch, nearly pushing himself back into the water on reflex before his mind worked to process what she'd said. He couldn't recognize the words, but their defensiveness was clear even through the language barrier. Moreso than that, she sounded terrified, and young, much younger than he'd initially thought. She was a kit, even if she was much larger than the ones he'd seen before. Pity swelled in his chest at the realization, and his gaze softened.
"Oh dear," he said softly, though uncertainty still tinged his words. He hadn't...this wasn't--if this were a trap, a child wouldn't be involved, would they? Where would they have gotten so much blood? And the fear in her voiced sounded so genuine. If this were a test, he might just fail it; Delta couldn't risk just leaving her here cowering in the undergrowth. He gnawed anxiously at the inside of his cheek, once again looking up and down the banks and tasting the weak breeze to affirm nothing else seemed to be lurking in the darkness for him. At this point, he'd done all he could to make sure nothing was waiting to snap him up. If something was out there, well then, Tsillah's trials had honed it to a more deserving creature than he, hadn't it?
The kit's voice trembled out from the bush again, and despite the unfamiliarity of the language, her tone suggested it was a question.
"I can't understand you, Wolf," came his sad reply. Still, there had to be some way of helping her...getting all that blood off, to start? Getting her something to eat? To drink? Their languages were different, but maybe if he kept trying, he could find words both shared.
"Wait here," Delta called, pushing himself backwards into the stream. He was gone then, vanishing beneath the waves as if he were a part of the water itself. He couldn't afford to spend too long away from her, lest she take the opportunity to flee further into the forest and die someplace else. Thankfully, what he was looking for could be found easily at the bottom of the shallow stream, and he unsheathed his claws to grasp and tug chunks of cold, slimy moss free of smooth rocks and gravel bedding before snapping them up between his jaws. The stream had no proper fish to offer, but land animals had to drink like he did even if they lived outside the water.
Delta surfaced again and sprayed water from his nostrils, looking back and forth along the banks with a bundle of dripping moss hanging from his mouth. This time, he dragged more than just his front half onto the bank, heavy fins scraping awkwardly against the gravel as he stumbled his way fully out onto solid land with a grunt of exertion. Slowly and hesitantly he moved towards the bush, slinking low and nervous against the earth as he inched further from his safety in the water. He paused around halfway, keeping his gaze locked forward as he dropped the sopping bundle of moss and stumbled quickly backwards to the gravel. He didn't return to the water, not yet, but the anxiety squeezing at his chest loosened somewhat knowing he stood on the border to its safety.
"Um--got water. Water there." he spoke in broken, simple terms in hopes the child could find similarities between it and her own tongue. He gestured meekly with a paw towards the soaked moss halfway between them. "Water. Thirsty? Help you?"
The shadowy figure remained silent for a moment, making the young girl more nervous by the minute. Then they spoke again to her. The only words she could make out were them talking about themselves and then her. Everything else was complete and utter gibberish to her. Eventually, the shadowy figure moved quickly - causing Isara to crouch down to the ground even tighter as if it would save her from whatever the other being would do to her.
But the attack that she was expecting never came.
First, she opened one eye and peered in the direction that the shadowy figure had been…but they weren’t even there. Where did they go? Had they left her? Were they letting her go? Her second eye opened as she slowly got up off the ground curious as to where they had gone. Her head swiveled slightly as she looked around for them until eventually she heard some sort of sound she didn’t recognize. To others, it was the sound of splashing water, but to a young child who had only lived within the confines of a cave until no long ago…it was foreign.
With her body crouched down again the young girl watched as she noticed a shadowy figure seeming to make its way toward her. Had they changed their mind? Were they going to come and take her away? Her ears fell backward again and her eyes clamped shut as they grew closer, until eventually the sound of a soaking mass of moss squelch upon the ground just outside of the bush as the stranger dropped it.
”What’s that? Isara thought to herself for a second before she dared to even look. The first thing to grace her gaze was the pile of some sort of plant on the ground. She hadn’t a clue what it was but there was water all around it and probably even within it as well. Then, her gaze fell upon the stranger that stood…or were they lying down? Isara couldn’t tell what their stance was, but she was certain she had never seen something like it before. They had a mix of fur and smooth skin and…were those some sort of wing?
”They have wings? She mistook their fins for wings, but either way, she was becoming ever more so curious about them. They weren’t wolf…or at least…she didn’t think they were, but were there other creatures out there? She hadn’t a clue as her mother’s tales had never mentioned anything of the sort.
’Um–got water. Water there.’ Water? Isara’s eyes looked from the stranger before her and then followed their paw to the pile of plants in front of her. That…that was water? She found the way he said water to be a bit weird but she at least was able to understand and make the connection. But why? Why would this stranger bring her water…and why did it look like…that?
After debating to herself for a while, she slowly began to creep forward toward the pile of wet goopy-looking plants. As she grew closer she soon found herself pausing at the edge of her hiding spot. If she left the safety of this place then the stranger could do whatever they wanted…but then again she didn’t even know what this stranger was. The only thing she was semi-certain of, was that they couldn’t be working with her captors nor were they one of them either.
A small gulp fell down her throat as she tried to steel herself…then she cautiously pushed herself forward and out of the bush inch by inch with her large wings dragging behind her similar to how the stranger’s own “wings” dragged. Or at least that’s how she chose to see it. Eventually, though, her entire scrawny frame stood before the stranger. Her creamy hues seemed to glow slightly with the moonlight, while her darker chocolate tones seemed to attempt to blend into the shadows of the night. It was all one big stark contrast, but besides the dried blood staining her fur, her only other marking feature was the teal claw markings beneath each of her eyes which were currently filled with fear and a hesitant curiosity.
”Woda?” She softly asked the stranger after she gave it a good sniffing. They had also spoken another word similar to one of her own…Thirsty. Did they think she was thirsty? Or were they trying to tell her to drink? They said it differently than she had ever heard it so she wasn’t entirely sure what they meant by it, ”Thosti? Woda?” She looked up at the stranger who stood slightly away. What was it that he wanted her to do? How was she supposed to drink this? Before the stranger could even answer her or probably even comprehend the connection he had made, Isara turned part of her attention back to the glob before her and reached out to poke it like a child would poke at something they weren't sure of.
Slowly but surely, the kit's haggard shape inched from the undergrowth and out into the moonlight. Most of her pelt was dark, but the splotches of paler fur highlighted the gauntness of her face and the blood which crusted all across her body; it was as if she'd been dipped in it, and Delta shuddered at the thought. He couldn't see any grievous wounds, at least not ones large enough to bleed so much, and despite her nervous crawl she seemed to have use of all her limbs. Well, aside from the two strange masses which hung at her side like tangled kelp. Delta tilted his head at the sight, slowly recognizing the tattered outline of feathers like that of seabirds which skimmed the ocean waves. She had wings, how strange! Could she use them? He was no expert, but it certainly didn't look like she was holding them correctly.
Still, progress was made! She was out of the bush and hesitantly sniffing at the moss he'd collected for her. He nearly jolted when she spoke again, but it was becoming increasingly clear that whatever this was, it was not a trap. The kit could have easily rushed him with fangs bared, or called for alarm and sent hidden creatures pouring out to grab him as soon as he'd left the stream's safety; it was just the two of them.
If Delta didn't help, who would?
It seemed at least, as she parroted him and now pawed at the moss, he'd found some similarity between their languages.
"Y-yes! Yes," Delta affirmed, keeping his voice low in an attempt to keep her from startling. "Drink water. You..." he trailed off, struggling to think of what words she might understand; probably not 'running' or 'dehydrated'. The kit looked dead on her feet, even discounting all the blood that may or may not have been hers.
"You look sick," he decided. Cautiously, he crept closer with his body low and fur flat, fear and pity present in his wide gaze as he paused several pawsteps away from the moss again. He took a steeling breath and stretched forwards as far as he could manage with his stubby front legs, trying to keep himself at a comfortable distance while he cupped the sopping moss with both paws. If there was any chance for her to attack, him leaning forward with the top of his neck exposed would be the most obvious opportunity. Please don't bite down, Delta prayed. Tsillah, don't let her eat me please.
Carefully, he squeezed the moss between his paws and let cold water seep out into its center, lifting both paws slightly to give the sodden moss a sort of bowl-shape for the liquid to pool.
"Like this," he demonstrated. "See? Water." Slowly he stopped pushing and let the water reabsorb, pulling his paws away to let the moss settle back into its natural lump. He scooted backwards again to give the kit space, but this time, he still stayed several feet from the water's edge. She doesn't seem hurt, he thought. He wasn't sure how old she was specifically, but her strange behavior and emaciated form suggested she wasn't surviving well, at least not on her own. Didn't she have a mother? Or a pack, like Dusk-something was?
"You--um, have family? You alone?" he chewed worriedly at his bottom lip. Perhaps he should just start spitting words randomly to see if there were more she recognized? His attention was pulled back to her sorry wings, tattered feathers clumped with blood and debris. He lifted a paw and carefully gestured towards one, though he made no move to get any closer. "Wing? Fly?"
’Drink water. You…’ Large teal eyes stared at the stranger as he spoke. He wanted her to what with the water and first off…this was water? She looked back down at the pile of moss and then back up to the stranger with the most confused look upon her facial features. He then spoke again and she didn’t entirely understand him again. He mentioned her and then something that sounded like he was searching for her…
Had he made a deal with his mother and he had been looking for them?
”Yu lok op gon ai?” She asked softly before he started creeping closer to her. When little Isara noticed what he was doing she crouched a bit - the muscles in her legs tensing as she prepared to run if need be. If he had been working with her captors and was looking for her in that sense then she’d have to do her best to run away.
But she never needed to.
Fearful eyes watched the stranger as he grew closer, and cautiously, Isara took a few steps backward until he stopped, grabbed the goopy pile, and performed some sort of motion with it. Curiously, Isara watched intently as he showed her how it worked. To say she was intrigued was an understatement. As he was scooting backward, Isara was eager to give it a whirl herself.
First, she tried to squeeze the moss between her paws and make a shape similar to what he had done. Her attempt was way less graceful than his demonstration, and it even took her a few attempts, but sure enough, she eventually saw the pooling of water. She gave the water a quick sniff before giving it a taste. It was different than the water she had in the past. This came from a plant and tasted less…mineral-y than the water she was allowed to drink from the puddles that formed occasionally on the cave floor. She couldn’t get enough of it - it tasted so good and….fresh was the only word she could think of.
After she finished drinking, she looked back to the stranger who she now noticed was sitting next to an even bigger source of water. ”Woda!” she exclaimed as she took it in. How did she miss this? ”It’s huge!” she thought as she looked at the stream that the stranger was standing by. To many, it wasn’t that big of a water source, but to her, it was the largest she had ever seen in her short life.
Her awe was cut by the stranger saying something. You…something…you something. Then he seemed to be staring at her for a while. He seemed sad…or worried about something. Isara instantly began to wonder what was wrong but before she could ask anything he seemed to gesture to one of her wings.
’Wing? Fly?’ She looked at her wing for a moment as she tried to process what he saying. Fly? Was he asking her to fly? He had to be, right? Little Isara couldn’t think of anything else…except she didn’t know how to fly. She had never had the chance to even learn how to use her wings. She was lucky she even still had them since those that trapped her mother and others in the cave removed everybody’s wings so they couldn’t escape easily. Fortunately, Isara’s mother had planned the escape right before they had planned to remove Isara’s wings.
Perhaps she’d give it a go regardless? With a lot of straining to move her wings, she eventually flapped them one…two…three times before she couldn’t go anymore. With each flap, a gentle wind kicked up a little bit of dirt. But when she was done, her wings fell back down much quicker than it had taken for her to lift them.
”Ai nou wing au,” she sadly muttered while looking at the ground. She hated her wings…but her mother had loved them so much. Isara never truly understood it. They were always in the way - dragging on the ground, slowing her down. She was constantly tripping over them as well. They were annoying.
Isara then looked toward the stranger and what she thought were wings, ”Wing au yu?” she asked while gesturing to his fins which she thought were also wings of a sort. If he could fly, perhaps he could teach her…or at least that was her line of thinking at the moment.
Focusing on the girl's words, Delta could in fact find some similarities between them and his own language, but not enough to really understand. He picked up on 'yu lok'--you look? Like when he'd said she looked sick, but nothing else that told him what her question meant.
"I don't know," was all he could answer with, though whatever disappointment he may have felt at the miscommunication was overshadowed as the kit inched forward and began to copy his motions with the moss; he watched carefully, still half convinced she'd suddenly drop dead from malnutrition or take back off running into the forest. When she managed to drink, Delta's shoulders sagged with relief. He gave a small smile then, anxieties momentarily forgotten as she drank her fill and realized with awe that even more of it flowed behind him in the stream.
"Yes! Wodah," Delta said, clumsily trying her language. "Lok," he turned then, keeping his eyes on the kit as he motioned towards the stream with his chin. He lowered his muzzle to the water, but instead of diving down as he had previously, he lapped at it with his tongue to show it too could be drank from. Where would she have come from, he thought worriedly, to be so surprised to see a stream? For a creature who'd spent his entire life in the water, the thought of being so shocked by the sight of it, especially in such a small amount, was perplexing.
He wondered what her reaction to the ocean would be, but then his thoughts skidded to a halt. He was thinking as if he were going to just keep her; there was no way he could manage that. Even half-starved she was nearly twice his size, and a wolf at that--a wolf with wings. There was no way someone like Delta could raise her; he had to find her other wolves, he had to find her family. She would suffer otherwise.
Even so, he felt strangely guilty at the thought. He shook the thoughts from his head, electing to worry on thoughts of the present instead as the kit gave a few clumsy flaps of her wings. She understands 'fly', Delta realized, flinching only a small amount at the sudden motions before her wings dropped unceremoniously back to the earth. Now that she'd moved them, he was certain she wasn't holding them right. Even more reason to find her someone who can teach her, he reasoned with himself, face falling as she stared forlornly at the dirt.
"Um, that's okay," he reassured. She'd said something relating to her wings after fruitlessly flapping them, that they didn't work? Delta elected to take it as that; hopefully he was catching on. Should he say they were good anyways? What if she misunderstood and thought he was saying she could fly? Would he by lying to her then, if it turns out she never could? But why would a creature be born with wings then if it were destined to be earthbound? He could feel himself beginning to spiral back into his thoughts, but he jolted back to attention at the kit's next question.
You wing? Delta blinked in confusion. He followed her gesture, and his eyes lit with understanding as he realized she was pointing to his fins. I wish, he thought of saying, but he doubted that would translate.
"I no wings," he answered instead, shaking his head. It took some effort to raise, but slowly he outstretched one of his fins to show the kit; it was all skin and short fur, no feathers. "These are fins. Fins," as he said the word, he lifted a paw and tapped it. "I swim, not fly."
