The sound of raucous avian laughter made her jump slightly. Emerald eyes that had lingered on her pupil flitted back to the ebony birds, watching them suspiciously a moment. This was not the first time she had seen carrion, of course - The birds were a hunter's friend, finding wounded or ill animals and circling, circling the heavens. They were so easily mistaken for an omen of death, but Alaine knew them to be canny creatures. The old stories said that they had worked as partners with those of the Badb clan, but as with most fairytales, Alaine had long since discarded these stories as fantastical tales of an intelligence that did not exist.
But here, again, she had been proven wrong. Ezekiel's answer to her question was carefully considered, although her eyes did not deviate from the feathered fiends again. In the corner of her eye she could see him, speaking the two languages intertwined as he sometimes did when she was riding Nana, or he Viggo. "They can read?" She interrupted his flow of words, incredulous. Reading was an incredibly difficult task, one she had little confidence in, and it was somewhat alarming to think that these two creatures could excel above her in it.
Zeke's later words faded slightly, and she was again wary as the larger bird spoke, his voice raspy and similar to the caws most often heard from such a beak. Some of the shock had faded now, and a slight frown sharpened the woman's features. It was not of disapproval, merely of thought; There were plenty of mental rules she now had to re-evaluate in light of this newest recognition. Talking ravens. Dea help me! The smaller brother hopped nearer to her, and not wanting to discourage the motion, Alaine became very still. Her emerald eyes took in his glossy feathers, the sharp intelligence of his beady eyes. The bird spoke to Ezekiel, but Alaine replied before her pupil had the chance. "Dog," She said steadily, firmly, assertively. That branding had once been seen as inferior to the wolfs and coyotes of this land, but she was proud of it now, and would not have the avian creatures think otherwise. "I am what is known as a dog, Zola. My name is Alaine, and I am the teacher of your… Your friend, Ezekiel." She did not know how to deem the relationship that her pupil had with the creatures, and emerald gaze slid to him now for affirmation.
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