Flycatcher Downs the veldt

he threw his head back, laughing heartily at her jest, the sound rolling through his chest like waves crashing against the shore. i will be the wisest tsahik, this i know! he declared, grinning. i will heal all wounds with the power of fish and saltwater!
as if to demonstrate his great knowledge, he mimed plucking something from the air and presenting it to her with mock reverence. this here? this is a most powerful remedy. only the greatest tsahiks know its properties. he smirked, utterly clueless as to what he was pretending to hold.
but when she spoke of the dark smudge on the horizon, his gaze followed her gesture, eyes narrowing slightly. she was right. mountains, most likely. a place unfamiliar to him. tey'gan had spent his life in open water, where the world stretched endlessly and the sky touched the sea. even here, surrounded by trees, he felt a little...caged. but the river—yes, that he could understand.
he turned his gaze back to her, nodding once. i could use a bath. his grin softened, playful but genuine. if we find a river, then you must learn to fish. it is only fair, skuka.
his tail flicked behind him, considering. the mountains could wait—let them find the water first. if you go north, then we might find sea. there was no hesitation, only certainty. perhaps eywa means for me to follow you a little longer.