Iktome Plains no snow here

Phone post. Please excuse the brevity.

A frail flutter of joy brushed Coelacanth's tender heartstrings as the tall, long-legged stranger turned toward her with a wagging tail and jovial expression. His greeting bore an exotic lilt, spiced with an accent she could not name; she added it to "ahoy, matey!" in her burgeoning lexicon. Thanks to her beloved grandmother and the travelling trio of Serein, Sirimiri, and Brontide, the inky sheepdog cross had been exposed to a variety of languages and could understand several of them quite fluently. That it was a lost skill -- something like teaching a fish the alphabet -- did not matter to the girl. She loved languages and music and found that understanding them enriched her life, despite not being able to respond verbally.

He spoke of loveliness, looking upon her with eyes that shone a bright and wintry blue, and Seelie shyly dipped her streamlined muzzle as her velveteen cheeks grew warm. Her tufted ears fanned forward upon her slender skull as he drew nearer and lifted his voice in song -- the breath caught in her throat despite the awestruck way her ink-lined lips formed a tiny "o" of wonder. Seablue eyes shimmered with an otherworldy brightness mimicking the bioluminescent plankton that set the coast aglow by night. Dainty paws tiptoed forth with catlike grace as she helped to close the distance, making it abundantly clear that although she was far from wrapped around his dewclaw, she was eager to listen.