The Mourning Bells Are Ringing

Surreal didn’t miss his reaction to her recognition; the swift upward flick of his eyes to her ears. It seemed he spoke more with is body than his voice. He could speak however. Judging by the amount of time he took to process her words, she guessed that common was not his first tongue. The intelligence in his eyes said he wasn’t a simpleton; far from it. His next words were said with a grin that broke his neutral expression before his face shut down again. Still, it elicited a gentle wag of her tail and smile as he padded forward.

Then he gave her a sharp look, meeting her eyes directly. And his next words came out in an achingly familiar language. The last time she’d heard it spoken, her mother was teaching her son to speak it. Even as she smiled, her eyes held a flash of grief. "Sea, tá mé cara, chomh fada is nach bhfuil tú a dhéanamh dom an namhaid." Her voice was friendly, and as she stepped on, she kept an easy pace, offering him the choice to follow or stay behind.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think