Timber & Others

The adults were trailing along at a slow jaunt, keeping the yearlings in sight as they rushed for the fence. Nak and Stardust slipped under the lowest beam, while Sage squeezed between the middle two, leaving Spark and Sundile to leap over the top. "He's usually over by this hill over there, where the apples grow." Nak was informing, swinging his head from Karai to a lonely tree atop a shallow knoll, "The calves are really fun to play with, but the adults don't always like to - they just eat and talk to each other, most of the time."

Karai*Others

All of a sudden, a trip to the pasture to look at cows had turned into a field trip - just about everyone was along. Rihanne was trotting gamely at the back of the group as they headed toward the corral, and watched as Karai leapt up and easily cleared the top rung of the fence, proving that she suffered from none of the old-injury problems that the copper mix herself did, if one discounted her blind eye. She landed neat-footed in the grass, but kept back at first as she waited for Brother to hop the fence - with a bit more trouble due to his larger weight - and move up beside her. Rihanne slunk over and wedged herself carefully between the middle rungs. Karai took 'calves' to mean 'baby cows'... but she didn't really understand what they were talking about until she saw the enormous things. Well - at least they looked enormous to someone who'd never seen such a thing before, and who was so tiny and petite as Karai was. "Wow... they're... big."

Timber & Others

In almost feline fashion, Timber slunk under the lowest beam, while the much thicker Aidan settled for squeezing himself through the middle row after Brother. "You should see Contus, he's huge!" Trotting across the uneven ground, and mindfully avoiding the locust saplings that sprouted here and there - one of the few types of plants that were safe from the cattle, and thus sprouted in annoying profusion - Nak headed for the apple tree he had mentioned. "Martha and John call him Brownie, and he has this special bell thingy on his neck. Oh, and look at that!" The yearling nodded to a nearby calf, from whose ear was clasped a bright yellow tag, "They put those things on them."

"The humans try to dress them up a little. Or, that's all we can figure from it." Timber shrugged in explanation, having correlated the ID tags to the earrings that the females often wore.

Karai*Others

The lack of fear shown by the rest of the canines reassured Karai, enough that she cautiously began to move forward with the rest, her steps delicate and graceful. And with Tahmores having stayed at the house to inform Martha that Brother had returned - and brought a friend - the wolf was able to devote more complete attention to showing his friend around. He stayed close to her for reassurance in all the strangeness, but not close enough to be counted as clingy. And Karai didn't stray far either; neither was ever more than a few steps away from the other. As they wound their way through the locust saplings, heading for Contus' particular area, Karai was looking around herself at the young calves, and telling Nak, "Yes - when I was a younger thing, there was a woman who called me 'Quicksilver'... it wasn't until I met her that I realized that most humans don't talk like we do."

Timber & Others

Reaching the knoll, Nak stopped abruptly, his posture freezing just before it dipped down into a posture that spoke of stealth. "Haha, this is good! He's asleep! Shhhh... we'll sneak up on him!" The little yearling slunk around the other side of the small hill, and as the others followed, they found the giant, one-ton bull dozing in the grass, under the shade of the apple tree. As the others had spoken of, the bull had a make-shift collar about his neck, with little bells attached to the lower portion of it.

"Quicksilver? I kinda like that." Not paying any attention to her brother's interest in spooking Contus, Sage was listening to Karai instead. Timber and Aidan continued to give the wolfess space, allowing her to stick close to Brother, and for the younglings to be the ones primarily interacting with her for now, "It's strange to hear the noises they make, but I like when they sing."

Karai*Others

When Nak fell into stealth mode, Karai fell back, not figuring that joining the playful attack would be a good way to introduce herself to Contus. Instead, as the yearling moved forward, the silver fae was answering Sage. "Ah... if it's singing you like, you ought to speak to Tahmores. If you pester him enough, he will hum for you. 'Sing' is one of the words he knows." She smiled, shifting her weight a little and falling silent now to allow Nak to sneak up on the bull. Part of her mind was on her own position in relation to Contus - she certainly wasn't going to give the bull a chance to trample her in a panic.

Timber & Others

Nak and Sundile appeared to be the only two interested in spooking the hapless bovine, for the adults and the rest of the yearlings were standing back. Sage was beyond delighted to hear that Tahmores could be begged into singing, and even more excited to know that 'sing' was a word that he was familiar with, "Really? That's the first thing I'm going to ask him when I see him next! What other words does he know?"

In the background, a high, long whine from Timber - too high for any human ears to hear - reached the bull before his son could. "Awww, daaaaad!" Nak stopped short, glowering at his father when he woke Contus, who's giant eyes blinked groggily open before the yearling was ever near enough to try pouncing on him. "You ruined it!"

Karai*Others

Amused and endeared by Sage's sudden interest, Karai willingly played to her audience of one. "He knows several simple words - 'eat', 'come' and 'go'... and he learns names of wolves and objects very quickly. His understood words number far more than his spoken ones - the poor boy has that human anatomy-issue. They just aren't built for the sounds of our tongue. Even when he speaks, he has a heavy accent of some sort."

It was here that Brother added in his two cents. "He tries not to do it so much in front of other humans, because it bothers most of them. Martha and John are pretty accepting of his way of talking to us - but most of the other humans look at him funny." It was good that he'd taken up the talking, because Karai was suddenly silent, instinctively watching the bull as he stirred. Her nose told her that this was a potential prey-item, not that she'd attack Contus when it was clear that the canines generally thought of him as a friend. But he was also a big prey-item, meaning that he was potentially dangerous as well. She didn't altogether flee or flinch away, but she did fix her eyes on him, and let her body shrink a little closer to the ground, half in timidity, and half falling into an instinctive hiding mode, as if she could keep him from detecting her a few yards away from him.

Timber & Others

Sage was truly intrigued by this all, and beside her, Stardust was lending her ears in the silver fae's direction. "I didn't know that..." Her amazement drifted into silence, while her mind thought over how nifty this information was, and how she was planning on talking to the young man now that she knew of his limited vocabulary. "It's too bad the other humans can't do that." Brother caught her attention next, and without so much warning, the youngster sat down and cocked her head to the side, "I wonder why it would bother them? It'd be so cool if they really could talk to us, even if it's just a few words like Tah. There's so much I would ask them!"

While they talked, Contus was raising his hefty self upward, gathering his hooves beneath him and snorting so heavily that Nak wrinkled up his face at the waft of hot hair blow against him. "I see what you were up to, pup." The bull turned himself around at ease, unbothered to find that there were several canines gathered nearby, including one he wasn't use to.

Karai*Others

Brother shook his head a little to indicate a lack of understanding. "Most of your regular humans have one basic fear in common - they are afraid of things they don't understand, particularly if they cannot control them. The Masters are much better about it; they don't react to the lack of understanding by attacking the source, as most of them do." He shrugged a little, and shifted a little closer to Karai as she displayed signs of uncertainty. "They do not understand how Tahmores can talk to us - so they fear him."

Karai was admirably keeping her head, considering that Contus was rising up and up and up until he was something several times her size. She wasn't frightened just yet, but she was being very careful. It was Brother who told the bull, "I've brought a friend to visit, Contus. Meet Karai." It was an effort not only to change the subject from the yearlings' sneaky tactics... but also to give the bull a reason to greet the visitor, and to display his friendly tendencies so that Karai would not be so guarded with him.

Timber & Others

"That's just silly." Stardust snorted, and turned her nose up at the idea of the other humans being afraid of Tahmores' unique insight and abilities. "If anyone tries to attack him for talking to us, I'll show them a thing or two to be afraid of." She sounded resolute in her defense of the young man, even when her father gave her a stern look to remind her to mind her manners. He'd do anything to protect Tah and the others, but he'd strove to instill the dangers of what happened when canines attacked humans.

"A wolf." Aptly named 'Brownie' by the humans, the chocolatey coated bull stepped closer to Karai after being introduced, looking her over in fearless fascination, "It's good to meet you, I guess. Will you be staying with us?" If not for the pleasant tones of the giant beast, his words might have come off a little crude - but that's certainly not how they were meant.

Karai*Others

"Well yes," Brother told her. "You feel that way because you have been raised with him, and do not see it as different. Rather like me, at your age. But others have not had the experience we have, Stardust. And because of that, they feel a little differently." If there was any topic on the planet that Brother was used to covering, it was this one. After all, once his mother had grown old and died, it had fallen to Brother to begin defending Tahmores to those who would criticize or even kill him because of how different he was. He had lots of practice by now.

Fortunately for the untactful way that Contus put his greeting, Karai was significantly more difficult to offend than she was to frighten. One of her ears went back in trepidation as the giant creature stepped closer, but otherwise she kept her head and murmured quietly, "I'm not altogether certain, yet. Everyone has made it rather clear that I'd be welcome, and I certainly have no where else to go. But there are just a few people I would have to inform of my absence." A couple of old allies came to mind, but first and foremost to her thoughts was her crazy little friend Zhener. He'd proven able to find her just about anywhere she traveled, but she wanted to make sure that her one remaining friend from the old days was informed of where she was going.

Timber & Others

"I still think it's stupid." The young hybrid muttered under her breath, as if she could change the minds of the humans by proclaiming how absurd it sounded to her. To her, especially at her younger age, the idea of a 'talking' human was far too fascinating to find frightening, or think of as anything but good. Timber calmly stayed out of the talk, as did Star's father.

The bull moved in even closer, holding his heavy head down as he tried to get his giant, wet nose closer to Karai to give her a good sniff, "The more canines around, the safer we are. I'd like it if you stayed." Not nearly as quick as any of his wild counterparts, it took Contus and the rest of the herd far longer to pick up on the more subtle signs of emotion from the predators. So it wasn't until now that he realized that Karai wasn't entirely sure of him, and he grinned a little, "Don't worry little wolf, I'm not going to step on you."

Karai*Others

Karai flinched just a little as the giant head came down toward her, but was trusting enough of Brother that she believed he would stop Contus if he meant any harm. So she held still enough, and answered Contus quietly, "I've never seen the likes of you before. You're... much bigger than I expected." Still, the smile helped to reassure her somehow, even if it was on a face as far from her own as could possibly be. So after a moment, she carefully tilted her head so that she could return the introductory sniff, twitching her nose carefully. "I got stepped on by a horse when I was younger... I admit it made me wary of large creatures with hooves."

Timber & Others

"He might be big, but he's sloooooow. And he's not very agile." Nak trotted up to put himself beside Karai, staring unafraid into the eyes of a creature that was many times his own size. "And one time, you got stuck in the mud way out at this lake place, and - EEEWWW!" To put an end to the yearling's remarks, Contus pulled a truck of his own. Stretching his muscled neck forward, and an even longer tongue outward, he gave the youngster a sloppy lick across the face. "That's what you get for making fun of him." Sage giggled, looking at the smear of drool and bits of chewed vegetation plastered across her brother's face, as well as the funny way his fur was sticking in the wrong direction now.

"I can't say I've been stepped on by a horse." Contus said between a deep round of laughter as Nak bristled and pawed at his face, "But I can see how it'd be a little frightening. Speaking of big, Timber tells me of giant water animals at the Bay. Massive black and white creatures larger than me. Hard to believe, I know, but he claims to have seen them."

Karai*Others

Brother had to laugh when Contus pulled an old trick of his - he remembered distinctly only a couple of years back with the bull had so often done that to Timber - and gotten the identical reaction. Even the expression on Nak's face was the same. He was trying to stifle his laughter, but it wasn't really very effective - his shoulders shook and his tongue lolled out in a grin. He was laughing so hard, he couldn't even begin to explain to Karai when she gave him a questioning look.

So as she waited for her friend to subside enough to explain his amusement, she answered Contus, "Oh - you mean the whales. Yes, they are big. But they mostly don't come out of the water. They exist alright - there's a whole pack of them out there. Though they call themselves a 'pod'."

Timber & Others

The laughter became contagious as Timber took it up, along with Aidan and even the rumbling chuckle from Tahirah. Nak was the only one not finding any of it amusing, and stood bristled and glowering at the others. The attempted look of anger on his face didn't go over well while his fur was parted and sticking up at such weird angle, making him look all the more goofy, rather than furious.

"Pods? Like a bean pod?" Contus questioned as his mirth subsided, having not heard of this term before. Being stuck in the pasture, the herd didn't have much opportunity to see and learn about things outside of the field, and what they knew they caught from passing birds, or the words of the canines and felines. "Someday, I'd like to see them. Timber says the ground there is made mostly of stone, instead of mud, so I wouldn't sink down."

Karai*Others

Brother flicked a glance to Timber in the midst of his laughter, knowing he didn't have to say a word because the collie already knew the memory that had come up. And of course, because it was Nak, he wasn't at all bothered by the bristle and fuss the youngster put up. He kept right on laughing, until he actually had to lay down because he was out of breath. It occurred to him, as he situated himself comfortably, that he hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

In the mean time, Karai was answering the bull quietly, looking less nervous since he didn't seem to be concentrated on squishing her. "As I understand it, yes. It's the same word, though I don't know how it applies to whales." And though she heard Contus' second comment, she chose not to reply, thinking just what a disaster it would be trying to get the large bull through the many stretches of wolf-infested woods between here and the bay. She herself was not dangerous to him, but she knew that many wolves would likely see him as a potential for supper.

Timber & Others

Nak continued to suffer at the laughter of the others, glowering especially nasty at Brother and his own father, both of which were beside themselves with mirth. Raising his paw, the yearling continued to bat and paw at his face, trying in vain to flatten down the mused fur, and muttering all the while. Timber eventually turned his attention for Contus again, speaking up when the cow suggested a future trip to see the whales, "You know how things go outside of the pasture, Contus." This discussion had been hashed many a times with the bull, though it never stopped him from asking, "You're safer here, with your herd."

"You forget that I have horns and hooves." Contus defended himself without any real sourness, and spoke to Karai just after, "Someday, I'd like to see these 'pods'. There's so many stories we hear from the crows and jays, about the different animals. Some with giant, curling horns on their head, that live in the mountains. Have you seen those?"

Karai*Others

It was several moments more before Brother's laughter quieted, and he lay panting harshly in the grass, finding himself out of breath from the amusement. But there was a grin on his face still, even as Timber spoke to Contus, and finally he answered, "The whales mostly don't want to come up just to talk... they're kind of a reclusive set. Stick mostly to their own kind. Polite but distant, usually - though there are a few exceptions." He added that in to support Timber's words, and then Karai took her turn at speaking. "You mean the mountain sheep? Grandfather rams, my pack used to call them. But I-" She interrupted herself, and was silent a moment, listening... and then she ducked very suddenly - only a moment later, Elderwild swooped down over their heads and perched herself in Contus' tree, chattering in a most unfriendly fashion. Listening to the stream of foreign words, Karai kept her body close to the ground - Elderwild had passed not six inches above her head - but had the sense not to run. Looking suspiciously up at the goshawk and listening to her rude noises, Karai asked quietly, "Are the birds in this area always so well-mannered?"

Timber & Others

Finding a little niche for himself to step in, Aidan voiced his own knowledge for Contus' benefit, "Brother's right. Most of the whales keep to themselves. There are a few... Tyali being one of them, that will talk. He's mostly fascinated with wolves however; I'm not sure how he'd take to a cow." Unlike Hydras and Bullet, Aidan had no fear of the giant sea creatures; he hadn't been born yet, at the time his grandmother was killed by them.

Taking up after the hybrid's speech, Timber shook his head mildly, "Oh, it varies. This one... is a little less mannered than the others." He instantly thought of yesterday's events, but didn't want to worry Karai over trying to explain that. "We get quite a few eagles and hawks out here - in fact, this time of year we have to be careful with the sheep, because we've had problems with the birds taking them."

Karai*Others

Karai looked over when Aidan offered his two cents, and seemed to really see him for the first time. There was a long pause, and then she told him, "You're Aidan... Scaria's uncle. I'm surprised it didn't occur to me until now. She doesn't speak much of her family... but any words she had for you were always kind ones." That probably wasn't the response he'd expected, but she was still sort of setting things straight in her mind. She still felt a little out of place, but no one here had threatened her or deliberately frightened her, so this couldn't be so bad a place as the labs were. Of course, she didn't say whether she simply hadn't thought of Aidan's name or whether it had something to do with her unfortunate memory... but then she wasn't one to advertise her somewhat odd condition. Particularly as more than a year and a half had gone by since that surgery, she had learned to disguise her problems with recognition in all but the most strenuous circumstances.

But without commenting further on that, she turned her attention to Elderwild, and to Timber's explanation. "You give a very poor representation of your kind, dear... I have a very dear friend who is avian. I've known him for many years now. A bit daft perhaps, but a kind soul." Elderwild clicked her beak irritably and scoffed, "And a wingless one like yourself dares measure to me?" Her eyes glittered dangerously, but though she often looked threatening, to this day the bird had never been known to attack any of the canines that roamed this area without Ravenwing's order, though she'd lain into several unfriendly humans.

Aidan & Others

Initially surprised to find Karai's attention on him suddenly, Aidan didn't delay in producing a kindly smile and a follow-up nod. He knew that she and Desmon had suffered strange damages at the hands of humans, and it had always been spoken in whispers about Karai's ongoing troubles. "That I am. I must admit, I don't often have time to visit my family so much, and she did neither - at least, not back when she lived in the Ochotonas." His words weren't revealed in any manner of frustration or sorrow, but rather presented as a fact. For him, guarding the ranch meant that he couldn't afford to visit with his blood pack as often, and it had always been an unspoken understanding between him and them.

"Zhener?" Aidan spoke again, in place of Timber, "The eagle with the strange accent, if I remember the stories correctly... my, I was only a pup when we first met him! That was... five summers past, if memory serves me correctly."

Timber wasn't so sure about the large avians, namely because of the few here and there that would take lambs, and even the smaller raptors that would seize their chickens. "I think what she is saying is..." The collie smiled cheekily up at the goshawk, "...your mouth has a way of running."

Karai*Others

Aidan's words got an instant smile and tail-wave out of Karai, who relaxed more fully than she had since she'd set foot in this strange new world. "Ah, you know him, then? I came to this valley from a far-off place, the place of my birth, and Zhener was the first creature who ever befriended me - followed closely by-" She stopped herself suddenly there, and a brief look of something almost like panic shone for just a blink in the back of the soft blue eyes - she pulled it under control just as swiftly. And then she continued just as though she'd never faltered, and it was difficult to tell if an old pain had stabbed at her to stop her words, or whether it was something else altogether, for when she spoke again, it was as evenly and pleasantly as she had been doing before. "He's a dear thing. A little on the foolish and naive side on a frequent basis, but harmless."

The goshawk turned those golden eyes down to focus evilly on Timber - she knew her place, and wouldn't lay a single talon on the collie, but the look she gave him for his comment was very unfriendly. "I speak only because I would expect someone who has the security of his masters firmly in mind might be interested. Strange wolves have come to this place before, and you know well the result of that, Timber." Her voice and her eyes both were skeptical, and she made no effort to lower her voice to avoid being heard by Karai.

Aidan & Others

There was a split second where Aidan thought that the wolfess had accidentally stumbled over something that brought up unfortunate memories, and he shared a hasty glance with Brother and Timber to see if they had noticed the same thing or not. Before either of them were given the time to comment or return any look, Karai had recovered herself and went on as peacefully as if the falter had never occurred. "When I visit my son in the Mountains, I see him now and then. He's got quite the family now." Aidan's reply came smoothly, helping to ease the strange, but brief pause made by the silver wolf, "I remember not being able to understand a word he said when we first met him though. I understand he's gotten a bit better with speech."

Timber held her gaze solidly enough, not about to admit that those sharp talons and her curved bill did send a little spark of fear along his back. He knew she wouldn't attack him, but he couldn't help but be intimidated to some extend, "She's a good friend of Elder Brothers, and will be staying with us." Timber firmly and evenly backed up Karai and ket it be known that he didn't want the goshawk trying anything.

Karai*Others

Brief wisdom glinted in Brother's gaze - he'd seen the small light of fear in the fae's eyes, and apparently was ignorant of its source - he knew only that something had briefly upset her, but could not begin to guess how or why. This was followed by a slight softening in his features that he wasn't really aware of; he hated to see her unhappy even for that brief moment. Thankfully enough, Aidan steered the conversation back into happier thoughts, and Karai answered just as calmly and certainly as before. "Yes - his accent is very thick, and there are times when I still do not altogether understand him; though I am not certain whether it is the accent or the ideas that I have difficulty comprehending." She chuckled a little there, letting her earlier discomfort fade easily - or rather, tucking it away with the careful deftness of long practice.

Elderwild flicked her tail at Timber dismissively, shuffling her wings in irritation. "It's your own business - and I'll keep to the bargain. Any creature given refuge here will not suffer at my talons; but just you keep to mind what I've said. When this unravels on you, don't come crying to the bird about your troubles and foolishness." Another flick of her tail, this time in near-disdain, signalled the end of the bird's participation in the conversation.

Aidan & Others

Timber hadn't caught the look, but Aidan shared similar sentiments with Elder Brother. He couldn't say that he knew the wolfess all that well, and didn't have a strong attachment to her because of it, but he understood she was a gentle, caring soul, and it bothered him to see that shaken. The blue-eyed hybrid was wise enough not to comment on her pause, yet he did keep it in his memory, with the intentions of both avoiding the subject with Karai in future times, and possibly finding out what had cause the falter in the first place. "A little bit of both, maybe. I hear he talks of some pretty strange creatures - ones that walk on their hind legs like humans, but have giant tails and claws." Personally, Aidan figured the eagle was making this up, but he didn't say such things out loud.

"We appreciate your help, Elderwild." Timber had to remind himself that, for one, getting into an argument with the goshawk wasn't going to get him anywhere, and secondly, that they were lucky enough to have the help of a winged animal. "Yet I fully trust that there will be no problems with this wolf."

Karai*Others

Disturbance aside, one surefire way of cheering the silver wolfess was by talking of the crazy eagle. "He has described many varieties of creatures to me, most of which seem to be either entirely fantastical, or so blown out of proportion in his mind as to be taken with more than one grain of salt. He means well - but for all his keen vision, his perception is... a little skewed." Her tones were fond and warm as she said this though - Zhener's unpredictable quirks and oddities were one of the things Karai loved about the bird. He was spontaneous and funny, and a great comic relief when she found herself getting too serious.

"Suit yourself," the goshawk scoffed, and flipped her tail just once more, fixing Timber in her keen gaze. "Only remember - you've been warned." And with that much warning, she let out a shriek that made Elder Brother flinch at the pitch of it - and yet surprisingly, didn't seem to effect the timid Karai. Only a second later, the bird was aloft again, and soaring out of sight.

Aidan & Others

"Did he ever tell you about the one that has the bill of a duck, and the tail of a beaver? With webbed feet and poisonous spikes on its backlegs?" He was grinning as he recalled this treasure of a description, obviously pinning this one down as a creature the eagle had simply made up. "If you want, I can send word that you're here, and I'm sure he'd be happy to visit with you." When the idea popped into his head, Aidan saw it as another little bit of comfort that would help the wolfess ease into this new life.

Timber took the goshawk's words and attitude without saying any more, though he was struck by a notion when he caught the tail end of what Aidan was speaking on. "An eagle? If you do that, please warn him to mind his manners. I'm not sure how Elderwild will take to having him here... and the last thing we need is him attacking any of our livestock."

Karai*Others

She smiled softly, and shook her head a bit. "The plate-a...? Or was that platta... I don't remember what he called it. But it's definitely one of the more unique ones he's told me about." Her light tones suggested that she didn't really believe this either, but wasn't about to point that out to Zhener when he'd told her about it. Aidan's next words, however, got a surprisingly touched, soft look out of the femme. "It's been ages since I've seen Zhener... yes. Yes, I'd appreciate that very much." And just as quickly, she was turning her gentle words to cover Timber's concerns. "If I ask him not to touch the animals here, he will not. You can rely fully upon that."

Aidan & Others

"Paddapuse? Pladda... platta... well, yeah." Aidan gave up in a spell of hearty laughter and a head shake. The name of the creature was odd enough, and it didn't help to have the eagle's crazy accent messing with it even more. "It's no problem at all. If he's not busy, I bet he'll be here with an hour or two." The hybrid turned a little more serious, in a softer sort of way, to reply to that end of Karai's interest. "Tah, would you mind?" And the pitbull nodded, before moving forward to share a nuzzle with her mate. Without further words, she slipped under the fence and bounded towards the west.