Or so hideous The rain pelted against his exposed skin, sliding off and dripping from the stump he called a leg. He sat as still as a statue, his head hung as he looked into the now disturbed water of the delta before him. He enjoyed the rain,the way it cleared his thought in a lukewarm embrace of sound and sensation. The thunder rolled in his ears, over the gentle hum of water against earth, calming him, lulling him into a deep trance where he could remember,ever so clearly, warm humid summers with his wife, coiled against each other in a packed down clay den, watching droplets fall from the roof of his home. At some point he had started to cry. Something barely noticeable in the rain, but the sensation of warm water on his muzzle told no lies. He was crying again. Hurt by his own memories more than stones or bites ever could. Old eyes raised slowly along with his heavy cranium and looked straight onto the horizon. What was out there? What could possibly e waiting for him now? After everything he had been through, would the spirits see to it that he was somehow repaid? That he would be rewarded for his suffering? It was impossible to tell. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

((I know a bit of Lakota, it's the language she'll be speaking but she'll have a limited vocabulary of both English and Lakota. Her current words say 'who are you' if I remember correctly))

It was probably a miracle the young girl was still alive, though it had only been a few days since the incident she had not yet been snatched up by a crow or even a weasel. She was small, at just over 3 months of age she shouldn't have even been away from her mother but fate was cruel. There was no kind or divine god watching down on her, there was no one to help. She could only help herself now... She had to find a friend, maybe even a a new mother. Even at her young age she was beginning to think logically, detracted from the bloody satiation she had come from and looking to the future and what had to be done to keep herself alive and going. Thankfully her birth season had been summer, she would have never survived on her own in the winter, the rain trickled down around her, warm and comforting despite the wetness. It plastered her fluffy pelt to her her thin frame, still a bit of a baby belly evident and her otherwise thin frame. She was hungry, her mother had been hunting when the creator had called her so it had been a few days since the oddly marked child had eaten. So she wandered, never feeling quite safe enough to get a good nights sleep. She never quite knew where she was going but somehow she ended up at the delta looking at a creature almost a pitiful and misplaced as her. She walked towards the massive scarred and malformed beast, eyes curious but unafraid. She would sit before him, close enough that she had to tip her head back to look up at him. "Nituwe he?" She asked, tipping her head. Her mother had spoken to her mostly in Lakota, she knew some English from seeing her mother interact with others but her vocabulary in both was limited and she often found herself mixing them together.

;;kangi

Or so hideous Blue and white eyes snapped open, searching left and right before settling on the tiny form before him. A puppy of all things, cold and wet from the rain, an innocent soul seemingly all alone in the wilderness. He searched again, this time looking for some sort of a guardian for the tiny life before him. Nothing, no scent, no tracks, nothing that would indicate anyone was watching her. She spoke in a tongue he didn't understand, causing him to tilt his head ever so slightly. "Excuse me?" He asked, his voice cracking around his torn larynx. He assumed she asked what he was doing, but she was far too young to understand. How would she know the pain of mourning a mate? But he supposed, although he prayed he was wrong, that she would know the mourning of a parent, which was just as bad if not worse. He needed answers, an so he sought them. "Where issyour Mother?" He croaked, his throat burning in agony from the scarred tissue. He had to know. Was the cub alone? Abandoned? Was her mother dead or alive? Only the pup knew the answer and only the pup could say, and so he pondered, wondering if the small life would answer in his tongue or in another. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

((translation: Mother? Elk... Dead...))

His eyes snapped open to meet her own wide orange and yellow ones, she stared up at him curiously, searching for answers in his marred features. What had happened to this male to make him so disfigured and sad? She had noticed the tears that grew in the corners of his eyes and slid down his nose to fall to the ground to join the rest of the water soaking into the beach. She had licked the tears from her mothers eyes many times, something in her almost reached for this male to comfort him. But he seemed confused at her words and she flipped large ears towards him. What? Confusion was obvious in her expression as eyebrows furrowed together. "Koose... Me?" She asked, trying to repeat his words to the best of her ability but words tasted foreign and awkward on her tongue. But next came words that came from his mouth she recognized. Mother... Mother was gone. "Ina? Hehaka... Kte..." She stumbled out the words, ears pinning to her skull as gaze was cast downwards. She had watched her mother try and take down a young elk that had lost its mother only to chase it back towards a bull elk that had gored her mother to death. For two days Kangi had wept beside her body before basic needs and scavengers had driven her away. She knew this male wouldn't understand her words, and for a moment she stared at the ground, wracking her brain to find the words she was looking for. But she could only find one to describe her mother. "Gone..." Word would slip from her tongue like a stone, little more then a whisper, before looking back up the male with a slight hope in her eyes. Had she chosen the right word? Would he understand?

;;kangi

Or so hideous "gone" the word stung at his heart like a spear, every other word glancing off of him and only raising his confusion until that horrible sound left her maw. Gone. The word rang in his head like a church bell, radiating off the walls of his mind and only making his heart clench more and more. The pup had no family, no mother and, from the lack of a male scent on her coat, no father. He shook his head mournfully, laying down to stay on level with the cub "Hungry?" He rasped. She had to be, the poor thing was nothing but skin and bones. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

((transtalion: My name is Kangi. Who are you?))

Sorrow swept over his already downcast features and she knew she had found a word he understood. Her mother had never spoken to her in this language, onlyspoken to others around her. English was far more broken then her Lakota. But she would make do, she would find a way to get the point across even if she couldn't find the words. Though his simplistic speak that came next she had no issue understanding. That word, it was associated with food and making the pain in her stomach go away. She nodded vigorously but eyes were cast down to his missing leg. Could he hunt? She didn't want to ask but she did want to talk to him. He came down closer to her level, laying out across the sand and she smiled slightly at him. "Micaje Kangi... Nituwe he?" she asked, pressing her paw to her chest as she spoke her name and then motioning to him as she repeated her earlier question, asking for his. But it was still too many unknown words. "Kangi..." she said again, once more motioning to herself and then motioning to him after she said her name. She wanted to know who to thank...

;;kangi

Or so hideous She could understand him, good, he'd need that advantage if he wanted to communicate with the girl, not that he spoke much, but if she was to survive in a pack she would need communicate with the others, but that would have to wait, he needed to hunt. The rain would make prey harder to find, no doubt everything had fund shelter by now, but on the other hand he wouldn't have to run prey down if he could corner it. Words without meaning left the small life again, his head twisting and turning with confusion as she spoke. Finally she gestured to him and he understood. "Prospero." He grumbled. Kangi. A good name,he didn't know if it had a meaning but it was hardly as awkward or foreign as 'Prospero'. He lifted the cub by the scruff as gently as he could and carried her to a small den hidden in the roots of a tree. "Stay." He ordered, watching the girl to make sure she understood. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

Blank features stared at her as she tried respiratory to convey her message to him. This was frustrating, why would her mother yeah her this language if no one else spoke it? Kangi was too young to understand that her mother had been trying to preserve their culture and language in her daughter. All she knew that this was frustrating. But he seemed to understand after a moment, saying a word she didn't dare try and pronounce while he was around for fear of him laughing at her. Prospero, she wondered briefly what it meant but couldn't fish the words to ask him out of the stream of her limited vocabulary that trickled through her mind. So she just smiled at him slightly, a small trick of muscles pulling up the edges of her lips but the cheerfulness failed to touch her eyes. He reached forward all of a sudden, lifting her from her seat in gentle jaws. Half of her screamed to flee but where would she go? Instinctively she curled into a ball, haunches curling towards her stomach and tail curling between hind legs so there was nothing for the male to trip on. He placed her by a small den and gave her a sharp commend. "Stay!" she repeated firmly, tapping the ground he had placed her on firmly to show she understood. She knew that word, her mother had used it often to get Kangi to remain in one spot while speaking to friends. Would he be proud of her? She had understood him after all and felt a great pride swell within herself. She could do this... She watched him as he hobbled off, gait different but strong. Tongue began to flick at the roof of her mouth, attempting to silently form his name. "Praw... Spare... O... Prospero... Prospero... " she murmured under her breath as she waited for her new friend to return.

;;kangi

Or so hideous He couldn't help force his scarred face into an semblance of a smile. she understood his words when he could barely understand hers. Truly she must have been a gifted pup. He turned to leave, satisfied by her answer, tracking the scent of a raccoon, quite common in these parts, and the perfect meal for a growing pup and a hungry male. --- He had been successful in his hunt, although it wasn't the raccoon he had scented. No this was something much better, a river otter, line with fat and silky fur. His fangs had already pierced the thick fur of the otter's pelt making it easier to tear into. He approached the den and slipped the meal under the roots. "Kangi." he croaked into the small haunt, his nearly blind eyes searching through the darkness for the ebony furred pup. The rain had stopped a while ago and the sun now shone brightly through the roots of the tree he had hidden her in. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

She had watched her new friend until he left, disappearing from her sight, that smile he had forced onto his scarred features burned into her mind. Would he return? She could only hope. The young girl turned and drifted into the little den, shaking the wetness from her fur as she came in from the rain. She went to the far back corner and curled up to wait.

----

The scent of meat woke her from her nap before the males voice did. She was up in an instead, bounding across the small shelter and landing with her corpses firmly on the river otters side, blood pooling around her paws. But it wasn't the river otter she was looking lovingly at. Huge eyes stared up at him, tail waving lovingly behind her. He had come back for her! "Prospero! Phil?mayaye!" she exclaimed but ears flattened to her skull almost as soon as she said it. Wrong, that word was wrong. Mind cranked out words she had heard her mother speak, trying to fit the English one with the one she had been taught. Mouth moved as she tested each one on her tongue before deciding. "Prospero, thank you?" It came out more of a question, unsure if she had chosen right words to make him understand how much se really appreciated this.

;;kangi

Or so hideous "'Thank you'...Good." He congratulated, his tail waving behind him. He ripped into the otter, opening it more for the small wolf. "Keep...yo-language." He gasped. "It is....part of you." He said. He laid before the tree, watching the girl eat. "Teach me." He said with the same resemblance of a grin he wore before. "I'll teach you....My language." He wheezed. He needed a friend. He needed someone to make him forget his pain, a distraction. What better distraction than a puppy?...No. It would be greedy to keep her. She belonged in a pack. A pack that would protect her and watch her, and keep her fed, all things he couldn't do with his charred and tattered body. She belonged in a pack. He could only guard her for so long, and she could only distract him for so long. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

Good, that was a form of praise, she knew that word and because of it her whole body seemed to wiggle happily, a grin splitting across her face. She stepped back as he leaned forward to rip into the carcass for her, her teeth still not fully changed from milk to adult. She law down, mimicking his position and watching him even as she pulled tiny mouthfuls from the delicious dinner Prospero had brought them. Expression was alert but quizzical as he choked out his words and it pained her to see him in pain, trying so hard to communicate with her. Language? She knew that word, it was what her mother had told her was what they spoke. "Part of me? " she repeated softly around in between mouthfuls, trying to understand the words as her tongue tried to mimic how her new friend was pronouncing them. He was smiling again, asking her to teach him, already she could tell he was happier than when they had first met. Teach. Another word she knew, though the translation to Lakota was confusing so she simply nodded her agreement as he also said that he would teach her his language. Now how could they do this? It struck her suddenly and hears pricked forward as she gulped down her most recent mouthful. "Lakota. English. Cansuska. ?" She motioned to herself as she spoke the name of her language then motioned to Prospero as she said English. Next she touched the tree and spoke the Lakota name she knew it by and then motioned to him to tell hopefully tell her the name of it in English. At the same time she nudged the otter towards Prospero, hoping he would join her in the meal.

;;kangi

Or so hideous " Can-cansuska...Tree." He wheezed, his sides heaving with each word. His form twitched into the semblance of a smile again as he watched the tiny being teach him her language and eat. She nudged the carcass towards him, to which he gratefully dug into, swallowing huge mouthfuls of meat compared to the tiny dents she had made in the otter. He dropped a paw on the otter. "F-food." He said, the words whistling slightly through his teeth. "This food is called an otter." He explained slowly. Was he moving too fast? She seemed to have some understanding of English, would she understand the difference between food and an otter? Speech

table by boo, image by hun

((Look Kangi! Food!))

He struggled to repeat her word, choking out the word and despite how much it hurt to see him in pain she smiled widely. "Cansuska... Tree... Tree" She repeated softly, gaze shifting to study the roots that they were enclosed in though Prospero were not completely in the den, mostly just sliding his front half in. She lay her head on her paws as she watched him eat, digging into the tender meat. Soon he paused to tell her a new word. Words washed over her once more but brow furrowed as she struggled to understand. Words her mother had spoke floating back. 'Thank you for the food' her mother would say softly to her friend, a rabbit laying between to two females as Kangi watched from a distance. But her mother turned and smiled as her. 'Wayaka Kangi! Woyute' she said, tail waving as she beamed back at her daughter. Kangi's tongue worked silently once more as she tried to form the words before speaking them. "Otter is Pta... Eat food... Woyute." Broken sentence of English and Lakota was formed, words soft as she looked up at Prospero hopefully.

;;kangi

Or so hideous The two continued like this for what seemed like hours, going over every word in English and Lakota that they possibly could with their current environment. "Rain." He choked out finally and pointed his nose to the cloudy sky, and then suddenly, as if on cue the downpour ceased and the clouds parted as if there had never been a storm to begin with Figures he thought, in a voice that sounded almost alien compared to the harsh croak he had been so used to. He shook the moisture from his now packed down and thoroughly soaked fur, the ends sticking out like sharp blades dripping small pearls of water from their points. Soon they would have to move, find Kangi a pack to live in, find her a proper place to stay and soon he would fade from her memory. But that was nothing to dwell on. Not now. Not today. Today he was learning Lakota from a cub and he was teaching the common tongue in the cool air as the seasons changed around them. Speech

table by boo, image by hun

Her vocabulary expanded quickly, repeating every word in her mind as soon as he said it and pairing it with the word she knew for what he was saying. "Magazu.. Rain..." She repeated automatically, almost no pause between his words and her response. She watched with him as the clouds seemed to part at their words, the downpour ceasing and the sun beginning to shine. A wide grin split over her features as she stood up and bounded forward, hopping up to press her paws against his forehead so she could look over his mass blocking the entrance. "Prospero!!! Look! Sun!" she yipped, half barking the words and half speaking them, tiny body seeming to wiggle with excitement. It felt like it had been raining forever and though she had enjoyed her time with Prospero in the cave, learning his tongue and teaching hers she wanted out. She wanted to run and chase butterflies and maybe wrestle Prospero if he let her. Maybe he would let her stay with him! Could she ask? Maybe later, she couldn't find the words to ask him now, vocabulary too small.

;;kangi