Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
The other half of my brain is making plans on what to do if we have to leave. What to take, what to leave behind, how to hide our tracks, what this means for the upcoming winter. I touch my crossbow every now and then, reassuring myself that it’s close by.
I’m surprised when the door to outside quietly opens and I hear footsteps. I pull my crossbow into my lap, and stare at the distant windows. The glimpses of sky are purpling, showing that it’s near dawn.
A shadow moves near me, and I feel a wall of heat right before Murr’s big body sits down next to me. I know it’s him because one of his arm horn-things scratches at my jeans as he seats himself, and Kermit immediately meows a greeting from the bed.
Rabbit keeps on sleeping, though. I can hear her light snoring even from here.
Was Murr feeling lonely, then? Is that why he’s sitting with me in the dark? I reach out and his hand brushes mine. He clasps it and settles our joined hands between us.
Lonely, then. I understand that very well.
We continue to sit in the shadows as the sun begins to rise, and it’s nice. My palm is sweating pressed against his, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I glance over and I can make out his face, just a bit. He grins, showing a flash of teeth, and then gestures at the window. “Word?”
And then he makes a gesture that looks like the sun rising from behind the horizon. Or a flower blooming. Or an atom bomb exploding. But I suspect it’s the sun. “Dawn. Sunrise.”
“Dawh,” he whispers. “So rize.”
“Dawn,” I whisper back. I’ll get into the differences between nouns and verbs much, much later in his language lessons. “Murr speaks good.”
His expression shows genuine pleasure and delight at my compliment, and he studies my face, as if looking for something. Then, he says, “Murr no kith.”
I pull back in surprise. Where did that come from?
My astonishment must be evident. He continues whispering, leaning in. “Dakotah kith Murr.” Then he shakes his head, the movement exaggerated. “Dakotah good. Murr good. No kith.”
Oh.
I’d forgotten all about my promise to kiss him. He hasn’t forgotten, obviously…but now he’s telling me it isn’t necessary. That he understands. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I don’t think I am. I’m getting to know him despite the limitations in language. “You’re very sweet, Murr. Thank you.”
And I lean in and give him a quick peck on the cheek.
CHAPTER 29
MURR
I rub my cheek, startled. Dakotah just gave me a kith.
It was on the side of the face, just like she gave Ribbit, and not on the mouth with extended lips like I have seen in some of the pictures. She has fulfilled our bargain, and I feel a twinge of guilt because I have made the kith out to be something impressive and it was…
Uninspiring. Brief and uninspiring.
I appreciate that she felt the need to honor her vow, so this disappointment is all on me. I touch my cheek again, and as I do, I think about how soft her lips were against my skin. The softness is the thought that lingers. Perhaps it feels very different when it is mouth on mouth.
Perhaps it feels different when it is my lips on her face.
I turn to look at her hopefully, wondering if I can lean over and push my lips to her face. But Dakotah is turned away, watching Ribbit sleep, so I abandon the idea. One of my cats arrives and kneads his claws in my thigh, purring. I scoop him up to pet him instead, and watch Dakotah out of the corner of my eye. She looks weary. Tired. Worried. Her hand moves to her strange instrument on her other side, over and over again, stroking it like I stroke the cat in my arms.
Eventually Ribbit sits up with a yawn and a cat crawls out from under the blankets with her. They both stretch, amusing in their shared movements. Ribbit smiles at her mother, then at me. Then, she leans in close, her voice dropping.
“Ahgee n Doh-dee stilleer?”
“Stilleer,” Dakotah murmurs. She gets to her feet, wincing as she stretches the kinks out of her body, and says more soft words to Ribbit. They are discussing something, sharing whispers back and forth that are too quick for me to follow. I catch the names of the two elder females more than once, and I suspect they are trying to determine what to do with them. Ribbit gestures at me, but it is not an indication for me to join the conversation, I think.
Ribbit eventually puts her hands on her hips. “Yr so supicshs, Mom.”
“I no.” Dakotah shrugs. “Gitressed.”
Then, Dakotah taps my arm and indicates I should get up and follow her out. I set down the cat in my lap and get to my feet. As I do, my loin wrap falls to the floor. I pick it up again, putting it around my hips once more and making sure that Dakotah sees that I yet cover myself to appease her jealousy of the other females. Is she not pleased that I keep myself only for her?