The Sentinels but hold the banner proudly, the truth will set us free

deirdre's hearing was becoming better by the day, just as her eyesight was, but the cues of danger meant nothing to her. she went by the warnings of her loved ones, but if there was none of that she did not react fearfully aside from the get go, where she was frightened to the point of a mute, watchful stillness. such a thing was quick to pass in the presence of her family, who warmed her easily to others by their association, as she trusted them in all they did. in hearing the others approach, she did nothing to react but turn her head, intrigued by the foreign-yet-familiar sound. this she heard when The Source, The Giver, or The Two Bringers came (eilidh and casmir), and so it was a pleasant sound to hear.

the cub looked to the white being, mistaking it for one of the Two Bringers, the sweet pale one she so loved. the babe felt safer already, wriggling on her back as the other spoke to her. the flopping ears of the white witch were not so keen as to know that voices might be different, or to understand what that meant. she had not picked up on her mother speaking with her same voice, and her father speaking with his, and so on. deirdre knew very little, and so that this was not her sister was not for her to realize then.

her eyes were upon the other now, and settled warmly, complacently there. and the minute she spoke, deirdre listened without really knowing. deeeee, she responded to the other, smiling sweetly. she knew that word. was slowly but surely connecting it, but still could not be sure. deeeeeee? a tiny, pink-padded paw drifted to press against the leg of the other she believed was familiar (that she believed was eilidh, having never seen any in this hours light) as though asking, are you that? am i that? and then, another word captivated her: owww, eww oww?? she paused, ow-eyeeee, and she was watching, again.

when the other said a word she knew—loosely, of course, as the word for its definition was not known—deirdre rolled onto her side and hollered ecstatically, NNNOOO! NO! NO NO NO! her eyes glittering. oh, yes, snow!