[safe. the word again, the one which implied lujing was afraid. chakliux could sense the ravening hunger she held back, and nodded slowly. safe. sharadoii — safe place. lashes slanted over berrybright eyes as he looked at his drawings in the sand. he thought of those faces of which he had become fond; he thought of kukik and smiled. home. this place beside the salt, it was her home as well. but there was no one here. chakliux glanced up the beach, down the strand, and back to her seafoam eyes. some — not safe? follow lujing? you? broken was his common; clear was the message. if she was followed, if someone had otherwise abandoned her here, then the brineside would not be safe. surreptitiously he cracked another shell, laying it out and settling back to indicate that the rest was her own. he had not yet learned the words for 'valley' or 'days.' small words. ones he should have known, but he knew too many other languages not to find himself fluent otherwise. lujing confused him in more ways than one, the least of which was not because it seemed she had risen from the sea itself. chakliux moved to its flank, swishing his paw to wash the worst sand from his claws. again he glanced toward lujing, but did not stare. ah, with sharadoii, have — oh. had he not even learned the word for woman? like — lujing. not chakliux. fantastic. confusing. the seal hunter sighed at himself. this experience, this meeting; it was a new reason to travel farther. always there were tongues to learn. crouched beside the water, he waited for the saltwisp to make her choice, for this beach to him had grown eerie with the threat signalled by her nerves.]

safe. the word again, the one which implied lujing was afraid. chakliux could sense the ravening hunger she held back, and nodded slowly. safe. sharadoii — safe place. lashes slanted over berrybright eyes as he looked at his drawings in the sand. he thought of those faces of which he had become fond; he thought of kukik and smiled. home.
this place beside the salt, it was her home as well. but there was no one here. chakliux glanced up the beach, down the strand, and back to her seafoam eyes. some — not safe? follow lujing? you? broken was his common; clear was the message. if she was followed, if someone had otherwise abandoned her here, then the brineside would not be safe. surreptitiously he cracked another shell, laying it out and settling back to indicate that the rest was her own.
he had not yet learned the words for 'valley' or 'days.' small words. ones he should have known, but he knew too many other languages not to find himself fluent otherwise. lujing confused him in more ways than one, the least of which was not because it seemed she had risen from the sea itself.
chakliux moved to its flank, swishing his paw to wash the worst sand from his claws. again he glanced toward lujing, but did not stare. ah, with sharadoii, have — oh. had he not even learned the word for woman? like — lujing. not chakliux.
fantastic. confusing.
the seal hunter sighed at himself. this experience, this meeting; it was a new reason to travel farther. always there were tongues to learn.
crouched beside the water, he waited for the saltwisp to make her choice, for this beach to him had grown eerie with the threat signalled by her nerves.