Permafrost Hollows she names conquerors, and the servile regimes they birthed

He says the word again when he speaks and her head tilts, unable to pin it into either language she’s been learning from the adults. She’s just about to ask about it or perhaps his home—it does not matter now—when Takiyok comes upon the scene. Thunderous paws cause the ground to shake and she lowers by a few inches, slowly turning as she’s commanded back. Large ears fall back against her head as she glances back to the brute as he backs away. Has she done something wrong? Her mouth parts to ask something, but he speaks to the woman behind her.
 
“I wasn’t doin’ nothin’,” she says, slowly slinking back closer to Takiyok though her olive gaze finds Tezca, saddened she doesn’t get to talk to him anymore.