A jailyard assault in rain and mud

The absence of a verbal reply came once more, leaving Mordecai in an interesting predicament that he had never been in. Even for all the youth's seriousness, he couldn't help but feel that he may have been minutely disinterested. Within him, the thought that there was something most certainly wrong with the lad came to the forefront of his thoughts, and the Ostrega opted to circle him listlessly. But with distance on the off chance something was actually wrong with him; the Spine had dealt with enough illness to last them a lifetime in his eyes.

“Are you mute?” he asked, increasingly forward in his queries. Even then, he doubted that he would receive a response. With a general lack of cue that he could pick up, his priorities were rapidly falling and rising over decisions left to make. But he kept them at bay for the time being with the hope that the third time would be the charm.