Neverwinter Forest Breathless

She spotted the familiarity on his face even before he spoke. "Yes, Aer and Mo are my parents," she said, using the names by which she had always called them rather than mom and dad. "I know of your mother," she said, bobbing her head. She froze at the mention of a familiar name, scrambling to place it. It only took a few seconds. Her pale eyes blinked in wonder. "Nevs was one of my mother's sons from her first litter, with Chetan. He died when he was little." The mention of her long-dead and unmet half-brother perplexed Koontz, though she simply brushed it aside as unimportant.

"Oh, yes, I've heard of Atka and Sos," Koontz said. "That's interesting that she would tell you to leave home." Since she didn't know if she believed in such things—though she honored and respected his right to have his beliefs—she felt a little awkward talking about it so familiarly. "No magical bears told me what to do," she quipped softly, to answer his own question. "I just felt like moving out of the house and making my own way, so to speak. I miss my family but I'm sure they're fine without me," she said with an impish smile.

"I always wondered," she said after a brief pause, taking a step toward him then stopping, "about the bears, Akta and Sos, I mean. Would you care to tell me a little bit more about your beliefs?" Her tail curled slightly at the tip, almost like the curlicue of a question mark, demonstrating her genuine inquisitiveness.