“I don’t think I could do it, Stark,” Vesper grumbled.
The raven paused in his preening to shoot her a smug look. “First time boy saying don’t think she could,” he laughed. The normally raucous cawing was softer this time, though, and he dropped down from the scraggly tree to land on her back as per usual. She adjusted her balance accordingly and peered at him with a scowl. It was true that she hated admitting the things she couldn’t do, but she had no problem telling the bird when a particular skill was as impossible.
“I’m too slow to learn to read or write my own language, let alone learn another—especially that of another species.”She just couldn’t see herself doing it. She knew Helotes could talk to horses, which she hadn’t been able to imagine him doing either, but he already knew English and Spanish.
“Not same,” Stark said gently, tapping her with his beak. “And boy needing skill. Not all Inferni ravens speaking like Stark, yes? Boy leading all scouts, including birds.”
That logic made her brow furrow and her teeth grind together in frustration. She’d already learned archery for the benefit of her clan, and it was true that she’d wanted to use the ravens more properly too. Sometimes Stark would translate if a particular bird had something important to say, but such conversation was shaky. A more direct approach would help, and not all of the ravens had the capability for intelligence that her partner did to learn high speech. Some individuals spoke as fluently as Stark, others only a few words, but most spoke in the caws and croaks of their species and nothing else.
“Needing teacher,” the raven concluded. “Not only Stark.”
She nodded. He’d led her away from the pack lands for just that purpose, although she didn’t know where to begin. Eventually, he’d said that he spotted a few larger birds in the distance, and they’d headed south near the artisan pack she’d visited before. Just because a hawk or two was circling the area didn’t mean they had a canine companion, however. Frowning, she stretched out on her stomach at the edge of the shrubs, closing her eyes and listening to the raven walk back and forth in front of her.
Taru had suggested working with Tehu one on one, something that was proving more difficult than she had imagined. The kestrel had developed a mind of his own, convinced that he was the one watching out for her. Granted, he had rapidly gone from a chick to a teenager, but even then they were around the same age. So what made him so convinced that she needed him to care for her? Alright, maybe getting lost again wasn't a good way to prove that.
The poor girl was sitting out on a field, talking to Tehu about hunting together. He continually insisted that she would get in the way, that it would make things slower and he could take care of them both, despite the fact that Dalgina had hunted rabbits and other prey before without a problem. Sighing she looked over, the scent of a coyote reaching her. A sharp whistle brought Tehu to her shoulder, ready to resume playing bodyguard. Walking over she found a coyote with a raven. Hello. You have a bird too? Tehu promptly reiterated, talking about how much trouble it was caring for the wolf he looked after.
A whistle broke the monotony of the rustling leaves and buzzing insects, and Vesper jerked her head up with her large dark-rimmed ear straining forward. Her bird hopped quickly onto her shoulder then fluttered up a bit higher to get a good look at what had caused the noise; he quickly landed and croaked to himself, in no words that Ves could understand. Her brow furrowed, but if he didn’t consider something a threat, she trusted him.
The coyote hybrid sat up when she saw the dark shape coming through the field to her. Her eyes flashed to the kestrel perched on her shoulder, and Stark croaked a greeting while the wolf questioned her about her companion.
“No, Stark having coyote,” the raven answered for her, and the Centurion smirked. She was surprised he’d spoken up; he didn’t often address luperci, although it was obvious that he had no problem doing so.
“We’re partners of sorts,” the scarred female confirmed. “What about you two?” She sniffed lightly and tried to look friendly, although her good humor was at odds with the smile that she couldn’t quite produce. A smirk slashed across her lips instead, making her look more wry than she meant to.
Dalgina's tail wagged at the answer. Tehu laughed, flapping his wings brightly. Dalgina mine! Dalgina shot Tehu a look, wondering what he was thinking about. She was the one who raised and protected him, not the other way around! He was becoming difficult. No, you're mine. I take care of you! Both adolescents were stubborn, glaring at each other. Neither was about to give the other leeway in this battle. The coyote's voice interrupted their intense staring contest, heads turning to face the pair.
Partners sounded like a nice term. Better than how she was with Tehu at the moment. As obedient as he could be, he had the oddest ideas about how they should work together, ones Dalgina vehemently disagreed with. The coyote didn't look like the most friendly of beasts, more sarcastic than anything, but that didn't bother Dalgina too much. We're friends. Tehu nodded, adding in his own response in low speech much to the same effect.
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
The kestrel laughed, the awkward sound not too different from the chuckle of a raven. He proclaimed the wolf as his, and Vesper smirked deeper before finally grinning and smothering a laugh as the dark female argued with him about who possessed who. It was interesting to hear that she took care of this young bird of prey; even though Ves had been tasked with learning more about birds, she doubted that she would be able to raise one. Luckily, the Inferni ravens more or less operated on their own, accepting treats from the coyotes they shared territory with but not much more.
“That’s good to hear,” Vesper replied as the she-wolf stated that she and the bird were friends. Her tone still bordered on dry, but something more amused and friendly had crept into it—her response to talking to a young luperci. The other didn’t seem to be much older than shifting age.
Her next words were chosen carefully, and she pondered on them for a moment before asking, “How much do you know about birds—Dalgina, right?” Her blue eyes flicked to the kestrel, who’d offered the name, then back to the brown eyes of the dark wolf. She felt awkward asking such a thing from the girl, but pickers couldn’t be choosers. Stark was adamant that she’d learn more about low speech, and she shouldn’t care about who her teacher would be at this point.
The amused look on the coyote's face was much better than the one that had been there before. Dalgina's tail wagged behind her, setting an imaginary tempo. Tehu had grown more relaxed as well, using his time to puff up and start throwing insults at the raven that sat near Vesper. Dalgina winced as one of the more scathing insults he knew was hurtled. A sharp click of her tongue earned his attention, Dalgina shaking her head sternly as she told him off for being rude. Tehu responded by insulting her and flying off to a nearby tree.
Asked what she knew about birds Dalgina thought carefully. She didn't know much about them, really. Birds hatch from eggs. You can tell the species by the texture on it. Some birds can be trained as companions, most of them hunters or scavengers. They speak low speech, but can learn high speech. When they get old enough to start learning how to fly you call them to you. It teaches them to return to you and strengthens their wings. You can teach them how to hunt in a similar manner. Grinning sheepishly Dalgina shrugged. That's about everything I know. Everything else was specific to Tehu.
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
Vesper twitched her ear as the kestrel started making assorted sounds; its tone and the wolf’s wince told her that they were not friendly chatter. She knew that Stark was far from a rash individual, however, and the raven only turned his head and began to preen his smoky feathers, paying Tehu absolutely no heed. There was a glint of patient amusement in his eyes, however, when the girl scolded her companion, and Ves was relieved to see that he hadn’t been insulted. Then again, he’d gotten in a few biting phrases of his own when they’d met Alyssum and her magpie, but she assumed that was because of some resentment for the species rather than an example of Stark being cruel. She trusted him too much to believe that.
The coywolf almost cracked a grin when Dalgina began by saying that birds hatched from eggs, but the rest of her information was less general—if only just. It disheartened the Infernian little, but she wasn’t going to give up. Her tone friendlier, she explained herself. “I ask because my pack, Inferni, has a lot of ravens for scouting. I wanted to learn how to talk to them and take care of them.” Her ear pricked forward, and she was hopeful that Dalgina would have any sort of advice on that—even if it was just as far as her own avian friend was concerned.
The coyote was a lot more relaxed when she began to speak again, a friendly expression now in place. Dalgina smiled, hoping that she wouldn't be asked to apologize for Tehu. Speaking with strangers was fairly difficult. It was only Tehu's boldness that had her approaching, recognizing someone with a bird companion similar to her own. It looked like he was a lot wiser than Tehu though, patiently waiting through the chatter.
Using Tehu to scout had never occurred to Dalgina. Then again, the only thing that really mattered to Dalgina about Tehu was that he was her friend. It was a very different relationship than the one that was being described to her. I know low speech. I could teach some of that. For care, it's more complex. You have to go hunting with them. Either catch prey for them, with them, or teach them to do it on their own. They're really smart too. They need a lot of challenges. Bonding with them is best done through food and curiosity. Dalgina smiled sheepishly. That's about all I know for it.
not all information here is correct. dalgina doesn't know that ravens are omnivores
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
Low speech! The coywolf nodded happily as the dark-furred girl brought it up; this was exactly what she’d been looking for. She knew that Stark could teach her some, as it was his tongue, but his high speech was somewhat broken and such lessons would take quite a while. To hear it from the mouth of another luperci would do wonders, and even if the dialect Dalgina could teach her was different than the one the ravens spoke, Stark could mend the differences.
The note about bonding repeated what Vesper had suspected, but it was still useful. She knew from Stark that different ravens had different favorite foods; he was partial to squirrel, while another bird might prefer meat from deer or even grains like the oats the horses ate. Luckily, though, they didn’t need her to hunt for them over than feeding them scraps to butter them up. Challenging their intellect would also be useful for one-on-one bonding, but she didn’t see herself spending quality time with just one of the many ravens she wanted to help with. Still, it would be useful if another bird “adopted” a coyote like Stark had her.
“Thank you,” Vesper said when she was finished, and Stark flapped onto her shoulders. Had she been in optime, she might have stroked his feathers, but she only stayed still and smiling when he ran his beak through the grey fur of her scruff. “That was useful. Do you think you could teach me a bit about low speech now?” Her tail wagged slowly, though she didn’t know if Dalgina had the time to sit and chat with a stranger more. “Stark can help us,” she added, knowing that the raven would want to participate. He might be able to correct the she-wolf’s mistakes or otherwise expand on her explanations.
Tehu looked on from a distance, wishing that he could continue his insult campaign. For him it was simply that he thought he was the biggest baddest bird here, and wanted to make sure everyone knew that. He was young, and reckless in his pride. Dalgina's softer personality kept him from acting out too far, coming in useful when her timid nature had her withdrawing. At this moment Dalgina was keeping herself quiet, hoping that what she had told Vesper was useful. She didn't know much about ravens after all.
A large grin broke out at the thanks, tail wagging happily. Glad to help! It was nice to do something useful, even if it was for a stranger. Asked to teach low speech Dalgina looked over beseechingly to where Tehu was. She wasn't too sure how to show Vesper the speech. It was a complex idea, trying to get across the words. Nodding her head Dalgina took a deep breath. Sensing that he was needed Tehu returned to a place nearby, though still not resting on Dalgina. A quiet chirp gave her the courage she needed.
I can teach some. Low speech is more of...communicating an idea than actual words. It's all in the gestures and tone. There's no exact translation. Dalgina's low speech was very much enough to let her understand the birds of prey in the pack and that was it. After that the speech was broken. While she understood parts of what Stark said, it was different from how Tehu, and even Fawkes and Grynn, spoke. The majority of it can be communicated in sounds. Chirps and the like. Dalgina demonstrated with a short call, asking Tehu to fly. He obliged, soaring up to another tree. Tehu fly.
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
Vesper smirked slightly at the other’s gladness. It made her feel even better, in a way, although she would never admit that to anyone else. She liked her reputation as somewhat aloof, and always sensible; the fact that she had a soft spot for kids (not weird little puppies, mind you, but pleasant, cute little kiddos in their teens) was not something she wanted to let get out. She didn’t want all of Inferni to think that she’d mommy them. She was the big papa of her little scouts, and that was just about it.
Breaking herself out of her wannabe-badass reverie, the woman listened curiously as Dalgina explained the basics of low speech. A dark beak nodding at the corner of her vision confirmed what she was saying, that the phrases were made of some sounds and gestures rather than words in another language. Somehow, it sounded easier to her; she hoped it meant that her intention could come through in her speech even if she didn’t know exactly how to say something.
A birdlike call left the dark she-wolf’s mouth, and Vesper recoiled lightly as the kestrel flew up into the air, translating the command. She blinked then smiled in understanding, craning her neck to glance at the raven perched on her shoulder.
“Good for learning,” Stark said quietly. “Telling ravens fly—then learning place sounds. Flying to river, flying to packs.” He poked her on the head. “Boy listening,” he said, and let out a croaking call not entirely unlike that of the teen’s command. He unfurled his wings and lifted up into the sky as well, mindful of Tehu’s space. He looked down, and he might have grinned if he could. “Boy flapping arms, getting point across better,” he called teasingly.
Vesper snorted. “I get it,” she said, looking at Dalgina with a crooked little grin. “Now do you know how to tell them to shut up?”
Dalgina listened to the raven. She hadn't thought of the command being used that way. It was just one she had learned. Then again, she had never needed to send Tehu anywhere, and their communication easily bounced between the two languages. As someone who already spoke one foreign language, picking up another had been fairly easy, and Tehu had grown listening to her. It made some of their communication unique, taking on a specific dialect derived from what they knew and the low speech Fawkes spoke.
She laughed as he teased Vesper, similar to Fawkes' banter. With less bad language, and actually being in high speech than low speech. Asked how to tell them to silence she looked up to Tehu. Tehu let out a trilling noise, and Dalgina nodded. She let out a sharp low noise, one that rang through the woods. Silence promptly descended. It tells them to be quiet, because a predator is near. Close enough to the purpose, and all it took was an altered intent to change the message.
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
Vesper could see the she-wolf watching them, and she wondered what was going through her young teacher’s mind. She supposed that both of them could learn something from each other with this lesson, which kept her from feeling bad about gaining knowledge with nothing to give in return—at least for now. She knew she’d repay the favor somehow next time she met with the girl; while she had no qualms about accepting charity in dire situations, her pride wouldn’t let her make a habit out of it.
The sudden low sound that echoed through the area had the coywolf’s ear perking up, and she nodded wide-eyed. The raven flapped back down onto her shoulders and had no comment, which she took as agreement. “That could be useful,” she murmured, thinking about the pact with the ravens in the first place—other than food, safety was a large reward for their job. She didn’t like seeing her scouts in danger, and the same would soon be applied to her birds.
“Is there anything else you think is really important?” Vesper asked, standing up. She was mindful of the sun’s journey overhead, and she knew she would have to leave sooner or later to return to her clan—and the birds she’d be using this knowledge on. She knew she could work with Stark one-on-one to learn the vocabulary, but she wanted to know—from another luperci’s perspective—about any other big details.
We can end this one soon too, since it's been a while? Also this has been verryyy helpful going toward Vesper's co-rank so I thank you. xD
Dalgina looked over to Tehu, gently calling him back. Landing down Tehu looked over at the coyote and raven, studying them both. They were older than the pair, and unlike Dalgina Tehu didn't trust so easily. You old. Why ask young? Dalgina gave a sharp look to him. Tehu was younger, and hadn't realized yet that not everyone spoke low speech as fluently as Dalgina and Hotaru, the ones he spent the most time with.
Sorry. He's young. Tehu squawked, complaining in low speech that they were the same age and he was more mature than her. She ignored the grumbling, thinking about what she had said instead. Telling them to return. If they get too far ahead. Dalgina let out a small whistle. It was one of the most common ones for others to know, and she was fairly sure Vesper already knew it. She grinned up at her, just happy to help.
and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming
and the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor
The kestrel’s question caused the Centurion to frown, although she wasn’t offended and so the she-wolf’s apology was unnecessary. She could hear Stark rasping a chuckle at the low speech exchange between them, and the bird’s beady eyes regarded his luperci partner fondly. Smirking briefly at him, she answered Tehu.
“Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I know everything,” Vesper said, and her tone grew teasing as she concluded, “For instance, I always thought birds had nothing interesting to say.”
She dropped the banter and listened carefully when Dalgina gave a little whistle, knowing how important it would be for the younger ravens that were perhaps overeager to scout ahead. It was strange to think about training the birds as potential partners for other members of Inferni, although it could be a step in the right direction. Most of the ravens already scouted the borders as part of their pact with the coyotes, but not all of them were proactive in this, and pairing them up with a luperci partner might benefit them all.
Smiling back, Vesper wagged her tail then dipped her head in gratitude. “Thanks for teaching me. I have to go back to my clan now, but I would be glad to teach you something in return if you ever need it.”
You can ask for this to be archived now, or you can write a conclusion post if you want; feel free to pp Ves leaving. :3
Tehu let out an indignant squawk, Dalgina's ears flattening as he mimicked Fawkes in the way that he protested her words. She knew that Vesper had been teasing, but the young bird had a large ego, and didn't know how to face with others poking fun at him. Dalgina was the center of his world after all, and for her he could do almost nothing wrong. Nodding she smiled at the coyote. I will. It was nice to have someone she could go to, even if she didn't ever do it.
Turning she clicked her tongue, and Tehu took off, flying to find something to bring back to the pack. Waving at Vesper she walked back towards her pack, thinking about the day. What would it be like, to not understand what Tehu was saying? Very strange for her. Tail swaying she continued on her way, glad that Tehu had been able to teach her.
