Porcupine Ridge provisions

The male's words may as well have been cooed for what they did to the female's heart. The weight of recent events had been tiresome to say the least, and Khetiquet was in great need of some small success to rest her faith on. Batting the end of her tail between her heels she still did not look to him but rose her head the small amount that he had sanctioned.

"Wasos," she said while nodding. Of course her kinsman had warned her against insisting on her native tongue but of all things Khetiquet could not bring herself to abandon it now. In her mind it was the sliver of solid ground that remained beneath her feet as she reached into a vast and unknown abyss.

"I am Khetiquet... Nessaquati," she informed in a breath. It was impossible not to marvel at how quickly the relevance of her title had declined.