Dragoncrest Cliffs poorly preserved

Ra's ears flicked backward in confusion and then forward again in attentiveness as words poured from Portia's mouth. They were not wholly unfamiliar to the woman, but it took a moment for her to get into the right mind. When she'd gained understanding, Ra's tail wagged once more. "Pleased to meet you," she replied, hesitant only because she couldn't seem to make this tongue flow as well as her own. "I'm Ra - I come from a settlement northeast of here, where I was fleima," she explained, knowing that she'd want all the details, if she'd been a mother speaking to a newcomer for the first time.

A moment later, Ra made the connection between another set of Portia's words. Mated to our Heda? she thought, a feeling like anger fluttering in her chest. But it wasn't anger - Ra squashed it down before it got the chance to be. This had to be a misunderstanding, and if it wasn't, it was just something else she would have to learn to accept.

"Heda has a mate?" she asked politely, hoping the allegation would be swiftly denied. "And goufas?"