Hushed Willows valley;hand;inflect;impression;loom;last;molten;you;

he started slightly at her sudden voice, back arching, catlike, bristling. . .but quickly settled, once he realized it was the kind-voiced woman with pups of her own. what are you looking at? cam glanced back down at the water, eyes following the slim, silvery shapes. oh, what did mummy call those? meh. . .mih. . .min—

minnows, he finally responded, quickly, like someone finding the correct answer in charades. he lifted his head to look at her, slightly sheepish, not knowing what quite to say or do next. ah. . .minnows. wanna play.

wanna eat, was more like, but he wondered whether they'd make good playmates as well. of course, that would require getting into the water. . .and cam wasn't quite sure about that, yet. was there even anything to stand on, down there? water seemed markedly different from the earth; you could step right through it! perhaps the minnows could come up to play, sometime.

why they in the water? cam asked, ears folded slightly back in disturbed query. his voice was an almost perfect mimicry of his mother's broad, cheerful accent, but still missing a few words. can we go in water?

and olive thus explained the ways of the water to him, in her gentle tones, and he clung to every word.