.
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.
What that? What mean? As Kyo dropped the coins into Merevaika's hand, his face screwed up, memory searching, trying to figure out not only what she meant but how to explain. He didn't have a word for Sky other than that in his song-language. For a moment he looked at Tachi as if that might help, the bond between them already prompting him to turn towards her for comfort and support.
As Merevaika took his hand and guided it slowly to a place on the Strider's head, as he rested his palm there and stroked a finger slowly between her ear and the ridge of bone above her eye, scratching as he might with Pack, he said, "Tachi is... I name her, in my head. I name Tachi Sky." He paused, trilling the name one more time before trying to think back. "It is the Vani language. The snow-language. I come from a snow-place, far-place named Avanthal, where the cold and snow is... staying. They don't stop. Not like this place. There is no warm like here." He looked around at the ground trodden by horse hooves and churned into a mostly-frozen muck beneath the foot. It was chilly here, yes, but nothing like there. And the snow here had not lasted long, not at all. Only for days. Then it got warm and wet and the snow was gone.
That was okay, though. The snow reminded him too badly of home. It cut into him like the hot-cold burn of ice. He huddled his body a little closer, shoulders turning in.
"In Vani, Sky is..." He left his one hand on his Sky's head and motioned with the other upwards, trying to encompass all of it, the dim winter sun and scattered clouds from horizon to horizon. "All." He looked at Merevaika to see if she understood. "But in Vani there is more language, more-- more--" he tried to think of the shape of what he was trying to say, "More words, much more. Sky in Vani is Sky{friend}, Sky{bonded}, Sky{good}, Sky{all}. All words for Sky. Not... not like the words in this place." Though that was not exactly right. Because there was a way to flavor words here, too: the grassland signs. Instead of making the words with the mouth, here the tent-people made extra-words with the hands.
But he did not know if he wanted to talk more about where he had come from. It was still like an open wound inside him. Hurting about what he had lost.
Sky had let him stroke her head and now he remembered what Merevaika had done with her before, settling her with the arms wrapped around, much like a hug that human-forms gave. "What more Tachi-Sky" welcome, relief-happy? "What you show I? What help I-you? What can I do for her to help? Is... what do you need help with? Um..." He couldn't think of the word touch, but was hold close enough to that so Merevaika would understand? "What place... where... do I hold her? Where me Tachi" he reached out as if to touch another part of the horse, but without going too far so she wouldn't be scared, no fear? He again tried to copy the word Merevaika had said before, the one like yes that he was thinking might be something like understand, this time making it a question directed towards the Drykas with a tilt of questioning fingers.
Finally he just asked, "What help? You-I what train Sky?" Trying to ask what Merevaika wanted him to do. He had no idea about horses and didn't like to even be very close to them-- except for Kai, his friend who was a horse-man, and now Sky. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, except making it so his Tachi-Sky was not so afraid of him and his smell, like Merevaika had said. But other than that... was a horse like a pup? Could he teach Sky new things, like he was teaching Pack, or were horses different from dogs in that way? And what things would he need to teach her, if that was something he could learn to do? Riding? He couldn't imagine climbing on top of Sky, not when it would scare her so badly. And he didn't want to get hurt himself again, either.
.
.
As Merevaika took his hand and guided it slowly to a place on the Strider's head, as he rested his palm there and stroked a finger slowly between her ear and the ridge of bone above her eye, scratching as he might with Pack, he said, "Tachi is... I name her, in my head. I name Tachi Sky." He paused, trilling the name one more time before trying to think back. "It is the Vani language. The snow-language. I come from a snow-place, far-place named Avanthal, where the cold and snow is... staying. They don't stop. Not like this place. There is no warm like here." He looked around at the ground trodden by horse hooves and churned into a mostly-frozen muck beneath the foot. It was chilly here, yes, but nothing like there. And the snow here had not lasted long, not at all. Only for days. Then it got warm and wet and the snow was gone.
That was okay, though. The snow reminded him too badly of home. It cut into him like the hot-cold burn of ice. He huddled his body a little closer, shoulders turning in.
"In Vani, Sky is..." He left his one hand on his Sky's head and motioned with the other upwards, trying to encompass all of it, the dim winter sun and scattered clouds from horizon to horizon. "All." He looked at Merevaika to see if she understood. "But in Vani there is more language, more-- more--" he tried to think of the shape of what he was trying to say, "More words, much more. Sky in Vani is Sky{friend}, Sky{bonded}, Sky{good}, Sky{all}. All words for Sky. Not... not like the words in this place." Though that was not exactly right. Because there was a way to flavor words here, too: the grassland signs. Instead of making the words with the mouth, here the tent-people made extra-words with the hands.
But he did not know if he wanted to talk more about where he had come from. It was still like an open wound inside him. Hurting about what he had lost.
Sky had let him stroke her head and now he remembered what Merevaika had done with her before, settling her with the arms wrapped around, much like a hug that human-forms gave. "What more Tachi-Sky" welcome, relief-happy? "What you show I? What help I-you? What can I do for her to help? Is... what do you need help with? Um..." He couldn't think of the word touch, but was hold close enough to that so Merevaika would understand? "What place... where... do I hold her? Where me Tachi" he reached out as if to touch another part of the horse, but without going too far so she wouldn't be scared, no fear? He again tried to copy the word Merevaika had said before, the one like yes that he was thinking might be something like understand, this time making it a question directed towards the Drykas with a tilt of questioning fingers.
Finally he just asked, "What help? You-I what train Sky?" Trying to ask what Merevaika wanted him to do. He had no idea about horses and didn't like to even be very close to them-- except for Kai, his friend who was a horse-man, and now Sky. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, except making it so his Tachi-Sky was not so afraid of him and his smell, like Merevaika had said. But other than that... was a horse like a pup? Could he teach Sky new things, like he was teaching Pack, or were horses different from dogs in that way? And what things would he need to teach her, if that was something he could learn to do? Riding? He couldn't imagine climbing on top of Sky, not when it would scare her so badly. And he didn't want to get hurt himself again, either.
.
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"Speaking in Common"
"And in Vani{descriptors}"
"And in Tukant [implications, descriptors]"
"And in Pavi" grassland sign
