Witch's Marsh No sleeping now

"Can we help you?" she asked, and Kaertok wondered about the answer to that question. Did he need help? Was she offering both her help and that of her companion, or merely asking if they were capable of helping? This was one of many reasons Kaertok disliked spoken communication. It was too ambiguous. There were too many ways of interpreting it, especially with strangers. He did not know if they would be able to help him. If they had been able to, would he accept their help?

Kaertok shook his head. No, he did not think that they could help him. Nor did he think that he would. Nor did he think that he would have accepted help from them. He was not even sure what he would need help with.

The boy remained where he stood, poised to leave if she had nothing more to ask or say.