Moonspear And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains

Ermine...It wasn't a familiar word to him, though he suspected that an ermine was something with a soft pelt, as she also confessed that young deer possessed a pelt valuable to her as well. By now, the fawns born in the spring would have lost their spots- but he imagined he might be able to find one young enough to still have whatever qualities it was that Kukutux valued. He'd not seen deer high on the mountain ranges, but would happily try to track something down for her that lived in the meadows nearby once his ribs felt better. He decided he might ask someone else what an ermine was- as he felt foolish asking Kukutux, whom he wanted to impress. 

He followed her like a gentle lamb following its mother as she led him toward a small, beautiful stream that she called her kinnaum. His ears pricked as he tried to pick up on the word and how to pronounce it, and he silently mouthed the term in an effort to commit it to memory. She had, indeed, chosen a beautiful place to live- complete with a clear, cool stream that apparently produced rainbows when the sun was out. "Ohh," He commented, eyes shimmering with curiosity as she described the phenomenon. "Well...I'd like to see that, some day...Once all this rain goes away," He said, though he still believed that the poor weather was related to living on the mountain. Surely, though, it had to brighten up at some point- it couldn't rain here all the time. 

He watched quietly and patiently as she removed some things that looked like dried plants from her sash and put them in a small pool of water, which turned an off-colour. He wondered at first how that'd happened, as she had touched the water so gently, it shouldn't have stirred up dirt...Then, when beckoned to drink, he shifted closer and noticed that the water had been stained by tannins from the herbs she'd put in the water. "Woah," He marvelled, leaving forward to sniff the water's surface. He hesitated a moment- not because he feared any malpractice, but because he found himself perplexed over the scent he was getting from the water. When he tasted it, he found that it had a strange tang to it- but that the flavour softened after a moment or two, leaving behind a floral, pleasant taste in his mouth. He uttered a soft note of surprise, glanced at Kukutux, and was convinced to drink more. When he drew back, he licked his lips, tasting the last bits of the herbal tea she'd made as they transformed into the same herbal aftertaste. He was amazed. 

He would just have to be patient and see how long it took for the herbs to work their magic and take his pain away, but he found Kukutux so enchanting and mesmerizing that he'd forgotten a good amount of his pain some time ago. He didn't quite grasp the meaning of her question- given the fact that he'd never before thought to describe his age in months rather than years, so he balked slightly, before he bashfully shrugged and answered "....One? And a half?" He asked, before he grinned sheepishly. "At least, like...You mean how old am I, right?" He asked. "I never heard it called 'moons' before," He admitted apologetically.