Andara wasn't used to having time to relax. Ever since her birth, she'd hardly stopped moving. The girl had been shipped overseas and gotten herself lost in the northeast corner of an unknown country. Somehow, though, fate had led her here, to Vinátta. Lilin, Miskunn, Temeraire-- they weren't exactly the family she'd imagined, but they were the only one she had now. Terik was long gone, and she was starting to even forget her parents and siblings faces.
Thankfully, the traveling Australian she'd met had given her that adorable little Tiger Quoll pup, and Andara had been busy with her every day. Since the russet Ethiopian knew no Australian names, she'd loving named the little thing Efra. The quoll pup had already grown quite a bit in the month that she'd had her. Her spots were larger and her fur was darker. Andy knew nothing of low speech, so communicating with the creature was hard, but Efra followed her around without hassle. The Hollr still thought that her new friend looked a lot like a rat. The quoll was softer, though.
Even as she walked through Jordheim, the little Australian creature scurried behind her, getting distracted and stopping to sniff at something every now and then. Andy had to keep a close eye on her pet, whose curiosity sometimes even outmatched her own.
Take today, for instance. Andara had the mind to go off and hunt for the both of them, knowing that both herself and the pup would be hungry soon. She had even been sure to walk on the outskirts of the small village, going around even the empty homes. But this time it seemed that the little quoll had other ideas. Instead of following at Andara's heels as she turned to head north, she took off the other way.
Andy called out to her friend to no avail, remembering quickly that the quoll wouldn't understand anyways. She hurried to catch up, her small ears picking up a faint sound as neared one of the houses she'd thought was unoccupied. Andara spotted the quoll just as she darted toward house, following the familiar plucking sound of quiet music. When she finally caught up to the spotted pup, she was sniffing a stranger, playing guitar on the roof-that-was-also-a-hill. It took Andy a moment for her surprise to wear off and her words to form. "Efra, get back here!" she shouted as she moved toward the pup and scooped her up quickly. Her small ears pinned to her head as she backed away with her pet clutched to her chest. "Sorry," she mumbled, glaring down at the animal. "She's very good at interrupting..." Andara took a step back, peering north, unsure whether to stay or return to her errand. Efra, though, seemed intent on hearing the song.
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