anathi's head immediately perked from the greenery he'd repurposed as a pillow. beneath the reach of the aspen, the ground was relatively clear, which made sleeping in the cold more doable. there weren't a lot of passerbys in these parts, so when he heard the exclamation of another, it came as a surprise.

upon closer inspection (and a very rude glance), he could tell that this was another female. did they just not bear males in the wilds? whatever. in anathi's mind, it just made for a larger selection of potential mates.

still lying down, though now in a lounging position, he chuffed and waited for a response.

hey, what? 

the extent of anathi's comprehension was maxed after the first two words. even without understanding what was being said, he could tell by her tone that it was nothing pleasant. he was both impressed and annoyed by the girl's attitude and knew instantly that she was not from home.

he shook his head. andilwazi ulwimi. there was nothing for him to explain, nothing that needed to be communicated. thus, anathi didn't care to put an excess of energy into his words.

there was a shift in tone, small but noticeable. still, the words spoken went without understanding. anathi maintained his flat facade, finding himself deplete of the excess energy needed to continue with their charade. instead of speaking, he gave a wide yawn and scanned their surroundings.

nothing interesting, as was expected. he returned his attention to the foreign girl and shook his head. i don't understand you, either, it was to say.

the woman's words were lilted, sung out in a serenade. it was a mixture of common and foreign, neither of which he could understand. frustration might have begun to build if there was an actual purpose behind this interaction.

there wasn't, though. it was just the two of them trying to communicate in absolute gibberish. anathi broke his stagnant expression and sounded a gentle laugh. andazi ukuba mandithini, mfazi. at the least the barrier was mutual this time.

the stranger relaxed so anathi followed suit. it would be nice to be vent for a moment, the thing that he assumed she was doing, too. just having someone to talk to, even if they couldn't respond, was something that he appreciated.

ndisentlungwini, he sighed, maintaining that smile, ndiyakuxelela ngoba awukwazi ukuqonda.. otherwise, anathi would have never admitted it.

the look was noted and met. initially with surprise, but later with a nod. i'll see you, then, he thought. the chances of it happening on its own were slim, but anathi thought that he'd make sure of it. 

there was still some distance between them. he'd continued to rest in that same spot throughout the encounter. after finding that he was pleased with their goodbye, anathi rolled back and lay down once more to relax beneath the canopy.