Cerulean Cape blood canticle

the words she spoke registered, to some degree anyway. he knew some of them, and was bright enough to string them together for some kind of understanding. plus, people often had one of a few obvious reactions to his level of wordlessness: aggression, which she so far had now shown, confusion, which lit her features at first, and more words—as if speaking more might impart understanding upon him.
more than once in his life people had used the word mute for him.
drusk, he drawled in response.
motioning with a tip of his chin at himself, at his chest. tih hake drusk.
he probed at her hip with his nose, and moved around her like a hungry shark; testing, tasting. she smelled more wild, and not like the brine of the sea. where had she come from?