2/5 cloud lash did not know the woman’s words—only the hush behind them. soft like duck down, like talon feather songs.
she blinked, crimson eyes gentle and curious, and then reached her nose forward to the space between them where the feather still lay. she touched it once, reverently, before looking up with a small smile. her tail wagged in loose rhythm behind her.
then, wordless, she turned her snout toward the great woodlands in the distance—the dense green veil where willows creaked and shadows danced. her paw lifted, pressing lightly into the earth, pointing with a small sweep.
that was her answer.
talon feather,she murmured in sharadoii, not expecting understanding. then, more brightly, with a tilt of her head and a sweep of her ears, she asked:
where do you come from?
but her voice did not carry the weight of demand—only invitation. she motioned to the girl’s legs, her paws, her body, her path, as if to say what her lack of common could not; your home?