Hushed Willows I'll tell you stories of a better time

She didn't know very many big, complicated words. Unique was one she hadn't heard yet, but because of the inflection Lily employed when she used it Ibis got a positive vibe off of it. Her little face creased with a smile, one which grew triple the size when Lily called the object a treasure - it was! It really, really was. At least to Ibis; it might've been the most important object she'd ever owned.

The girl ducked low so that she could look at the skull. She studied the way the light caught on the curve of the forehead, closed one eye and spied the interior of one of the orbital cavities, and then when Lily asked about how she played with it - what games, and the awful mention of chewing on it - Ibis' head raised and she gawked at the dark woman with abject horror. It was an awful thought to imagine her little prize between someone's teeth.

Oh, no! No no, I.. I'm very careful with it, Her ears had lanced back across her blonde head at the very idea. The fur along her spine even bristled for a moment, although Ibis was not aware of this. I — I talk to him. When I can't find Okee, and I don't want mama to be sad, and... If I get sad, thinking of daddy. I talk to him, and he makes me feel better. She didn't understand the concept of secrets but in effect, that's what she was talking about. The little skull held every detail of her fears and misgivings, it was her best friend when she was at her lowest and most depressed state.

Maybe it wasn't right. Maybe Lily would tell her to throw it away, but she was so attached - and she was absolutely too innocent to realize how bizarre it was to have a friend that was actually very, very dead.