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The answer Anu gave Nayru surprised her. The girl had taken it for granted that most adults knew how to read, and it was only she, coming up quickly into their ranks, that lacked that skill. Smiling then, Nayru was quite pleased with the Crimson Dreams woman. To better her children rather than herself was quite a noble goal, and a practical one. Creating creatures, intelligent and healthy, was key to ensuring a pack’s or family’s continued existence and success. Whether the Dreamer did it out of love for her boys or to build a brighter future Nayru wasn’t sure, but certainly Anu had the right idea. That’s very wonderful, how old are your boys?
Nayru let the older woman take lead but as her words had prophesied it was not long before they came upon a store of books. Shelves lined the walls of the room, and the smell of dust thick in the air. There were books littered on the ground, on tables and chairs, as if others had come through hunting for books and had not bothered to clean up after themselves. Certainly there lacked a librarian for many years and the neglect showed. Yet there were books, and that’s all Nayru had hoped for. She went to a stack, scanning the titles and only making out some words. Easy words. “The” “And” and one long word she was proud of “Yellowstone” but many of the titles eluded her.
You know, you could learn to read, if you wanted. It’s not so hard. Bris was patient and Nayru practiced by herself often, sounding out words, trying to figure out meanings of words she didn’t know. It was slow progress perhaps, but not taxing, at least not physically. Grabbing a thick blue book the girl opened it, her eyes focusing on the words, picking apart the sentences, trying to make sense and once realizing it was not a book she desired she set it down once more.
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