fa’liya blinked up at him when the new sounds came, foreign but steady, laid beside the ones she had given. translations for her. she repeated them in her head, clumsy at first but clinging, shaping themselves slowly in her mouth even if she did not yet dare speak them back.
she turned her eyes to the herd, ears twitching. her gaze darted between the small shapes tucked against their mothers' flanks, the lighter tracks left by unsteady legs. she counted them in her head, lips twitching as though the numbers themselves might spill out.
one. two,—
her body lowered into a crouch, mimicking him as she fixed on one calf—thin-hipped, its step dragging half a beat behind the others. the weakest among them.
her chin tips up to her sire, nose pointing in the direction of the calf, eyes bright. this one?
she turned her eyes to the herd, ears twitching. her gaze darted between the small shapes tucked against their mothers' flanks, the lighter tracks left by unsteady legs. she counted them in her head, lips twitching as though the numbers themselves might spill out.
one. two,—
three.
her body lowered into a crouch, mimicking him as she fixed on one calf—thin-hipped, its step dragging half a beat behind the others. the weakest among them.
her chin tips up to her sire, nose pointing in the direction of the calf, eyes bright. this one?
![[Image: 92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png)