Blackfeather Woods Till the sun goes down

The child’s attention had been acquired, but her mother’s had not—or so it seemed, anyways. He could not feel eyes lingering on his form, and so he assumed that she must be either sleeping or out walking. Whatever the case, he’d decided to remain for a short while longer with the girl, just in case she truly had been left alone. Whilst he did not feel as if he harboured any connections to the children—the fact that he was married to the sister of their mother mattered little, for they were not of his blood—he would not leave them alone to find danger. So as the girl drew nearer to him, he’d lowered himself down onto his stomach, expression neutral. She appeared to be happy, judging by the wagging motion of her tail, but the reason why eluded him.

“I don’t suppose you speak, do you?” the Inuk questioned, despite having already known the answer. Keoni was young and far too much so for the ability to speak to have been picked up just yet. However, that did not mean that she couldn’t learn at this stage; Kove believed that children start learning to speak from the moment they’re able to hear, even though they do not begin using their own voice until much later. “Ilinniasuven?” was asked, though an actual answer was not expected. He’d spoken for the purpose of gauging her interest and would proceed based on what he might witness.