in my head (raven)

[Zephyr]

For once, Mouse wasn’t in the dining hall with the intent to steal. She was there having her breakfast. The child slept when Genner slept, so her breakfast was usually at dusk, when all the riders were going to bed. Charlie was laying at her feet and her firelizards were perched on the table, waiting for handouts. They were generally good firelizards and didn’t bug anyone but Mouse for food, but Mouse fed her firelizards more than she actually ate…which probably explained why she was hungry all the time.

Genner and Gennesk had early patrol, so Mouse was left to her own devices. Even though she seemed like she was by herself, Mouse usually had enough eyes on her that she couldn’t truly get in trouble. Charlie, as he grew, was becoming more responsible, and was now more likely to pull Mouse back than to go off on adventures with her, and Bray and Selene were now on alert after the hatching. They wouldn’t let her get into trouble on their watch. Those whers had been very scary.

The child was busy splitting up her sausage between her three pets when she caught something out of the corner of her eye…a wher she only knew by sight. He lived next to Saosk and Lisk, and she’d never met him. She hadn’t been allowed over at Saowyn’s since the violent hatching, probably so she wouldn’t bump into any of the wherlets. She didn’t understand that though, and she was sorely missing her favorite black wher.

She was torn. Mouse had been told not to approach strange whers, but this one didn’t seem terribly threatening, and he was Lisk’s brother! After a moment, she made up her mind and slid off of the bench and carefully approached Mengir and Mengsk. Hello. She said shyly, looking up at them. You’re very pretty and I love you. Can I hug you? It was her usual greeting when she came upon a new wher, but Mengsk really was a remarkably pretty shade of brown.

[RavenSong]

Mengir and Mengsk were in the Dining Hall, eating breakfast. She fed Mengsk a little bit off her plate, which was usually "against protocol" but something Mengsk grew to tolerate. As usual, Mengir and Mengsk were off to one side, away from most of the crowd, a place that allowed Mengir to socialize if people came over to her but remain able to respond to any perceived threats to her person.

She was still skittish. It was something she was slowly getting over with her beloved Mengsk at her side, but it wasn't something the Brown could cure overnight. It would likely take their entire wherlinghood, but already Mengir was proving she could handle what was thrown at her. She knew she had to. She knew in order to keep her home she and Mengsk had to work as a team and be able to protect. As long as they protected her, she would protect them, and she was determined not to let Audren down.

Mengsk was keeping watch as Mouse wandered up. Mengir glanced at her, recognizing her instantly as the child that Genner frequently watched. Mengsk's gaze snapped to the child, that awkward, swift gesture that indicated that there was something off about the perfect-looking wheret. He tilted his head to the side, the gesture equally as sharp, his blue/green eyes whirling slowly as he regarded the small child. He could tell she wanted something as she approached, reaching out to touch her mind so he could speak to her in time to hear what she had to say. While empathy wasn't something he quite grasped, he was learning body language pretty quickly, and understood the mannerisms people generally used when they approached with some sort of intent. Even though she was a child, she still got the brief touch to see what she was up to. He tilted his head the other way when he heard her thoughts, though to him they were focused but fuzzy, not at all the clarity he got from Mengir or the clarity of vocal speech. Still, he understood.

Mengsk appreciates compliment, small one, he said simply, trying to keep his normally-ostentatious speech understandable for Mouse. Hug is acceptable, he continued, moving a bit so Mouse had access to him. Mengir took a bite of her meal, watching the pair.

You can hear her? Mengir asked along their bond.

Yes, Mengsk replied to Mengir. Somewhat. Child has loud mind. Child lacks physical voice, but with loud mind, Mengsk understands. Intent is clear.

Mengir smiled at Mouse.

"Hello, sweetie," she said. "Do you like whers? This is Mengsk. We know Genner and Gennesk. Your father, right? Did you know that brown whers are the best whers? Well, they are. Mengsk is the best of them all." Around females, her stutter was gone. It remained around males, though, but that was another thing she was working on.