Emberwood they fooled us once again, we are the loneliest of men

Suledin requested skip

Takiyok recognized the voice, or seemed to. She walked closer, speaking in one of the northern languages that he partially recognized. Although Taikon knew that Taki was from the north, he somehow never made the connection that she might be bilingual, and had never heard her speak such sounds before. His ears were alert, and he swept around Taki in a wide circle, afraid of startling her or the child.
The girl spoke back to Takiyok in their northern language, and Taikon tilted his head. He watched as she crept from her hiding place and lowered herself, moving to at last embrace her family member. To his knowledge, Taki hadn't had a litter this year, and so he made an assumption that she might be a niece or a little cousin. Slowly, carefully, Taikon crept a few steps toward them, leaving a couple of yards of distance. He sniffed at the girl, unable to understand the story she told. He looked at Takiyok expectantly.