Ankyra Sound My ship would leave the country

@Spyridon

Kevlyn's lessons were beginning to make more sense. This was likely a result of his expanding vocabulary and increasing comprehension, but he liked to think in his small and simple way that he was learning. Being indoctrinated into the culture of Ankyra Sound wasn't as bad as it sounded, especially because he didn't understand the implications. He already forgot that he was a captive.

There was always someone supervising Kevlyn, and that was true as he was escorted to where his lesson with Spyridon would continue. Today it was the sharp Caiaphas who accompanied him. She didn't really say anything to him, and left him to stand on the cold strand alone once they reached the location. Once she spotted Spyridon, she would probably leave and Kevlyn would become the consort's responsibility for a short while.

Going to assume they know each other's names. Also, guess I should've mentioned that Spyro speaks only Greek... meaning this may or may not be a learning thread, lol.

Part of his duty as a consort, a title he held onto dearly, was to teach the younger spawn what their life would be like as they grew older. Having been tasked with teaching Kevlyn about the hierarchy and what it entailed, Spyro arrived hunched and lowered under the watchful eye of Caiaphas, though she departed as soon as he had arrived. He said nothing to her, as she had said nothing to him.

Only when she had disappeared from view did Spyro look to Kevlyn. “Γεια σας,” he greeted quietly. “Μιλάτε τις λέξεις της θάλασσας;” he asked. If not, there were other ways to teach him, but it would involve more body language and fumbling than if the boy already knew sea-tongue.

The advantage of being raised by foreign wolves in not-his-home was that Kevlyn picked up on things he ordinarily would have no exposure to. The Nereides wolves, those who had come from Themiscrya Coast and satellite colonies directly, spoke Greek a majority of the time, and a majority of his teachers were said Nereides wolves. Consequently, Kevlyn was slowly learning to understand Greek, though his comprehension was extremely limited—even moreso than his English was limited by his age.

He recognized the sounds for hello. He couldn't form them yet, but Kevlyn practiced in secret with the hope that one day, he would speak as flawlessly as the natives. He muttered a quiet, "hi," in response, acknowledging Spyridon's greeting. Whatever else the wolf said was far too advanced for the young Ostrega to follow, but he was growing used to this. The wolves, upon realizing he had no idea what they were saying, resorted to body language more often than not and supplemented that with their Greek. Some of them even knew English, and could make known what they were saying.

Since he didn't know what Spyridon was saying, Kevlyn looked away. This had worked on his other instructors so far; he was quick to look back in case Spyridon thought he just didn't care, but his expression was blank.

I don't think these translations are anywhere close to being correct, heh.

Today, he would not explain the details in words. Kevlyn's body language was enough to tell Spyro that he was still learning their language. He would learn in time, of this Spyridon had no doubt. The young ones learned more quickly, their little heads more malleable than their older counterparts. Considering Spyro had been bred, born, and raised to do nothing but serve The Nereides, it seemed that his malleable little head had gone in their direction. He had never lashed out, defied an order, or done anything that might upset his mothers and sisters.

“ώα ψαριών,” Spyridon said, looking pointedly at his pupil. “Είστε ένας ώα ψαριών.” He did not know if the boy would understand, but it did not matter. Spyro knew that he would learn his place, one way or another. It was always so much easier when the outsiders cooperated when converting to their way of life, but there was always a way to break them if they wanted to take the more difficult path.

“Επαναλάβετε αυτό. Μια ώα ψαριών.”

YOU ARE A WA WAPIWV is what that looks like to me lmao. I actually looked up the pronunciation of that just for this post.

Spyridon spoke again, this time with a direct stare. Kevlyn matched it for a moment before instinct took over and made him lower his eyes. A small part of him, the part that desperately wanted to return to his family, always entertained the idea of defying those who tried to integrate him, but he lost his nerve whenever he tried. Kevlyn was too much of a pleaser, too passive... too weak, some might say.

Though he had no idea what Spyro was saying, Kev listened anyway. When the same sound was repeated thrice, he understood it to mean it was important. His lips parted as he made to repeat back the sound, as he had always done as a younger babe and still did when new words were presented. Unfortunately, his tongue was fitted more to English than Greek, so it came out sounding terrible: "oh-wap-say-ron?"

It sounded absolutely nothing like how Spyridon had said it. His ears wilting, Kevlyn frowned, mouthing to himself what he'd just said and finding it was no better than the first attempt.

Spyridon shook his head, but with a faint smile accompanying the gesture. Kevlyn would get it in time, but he still had a long way to go. “ώα ψαριών,” Spyro repeated, more slowly this time so the boy could pick up on the nuances of the pronunciation. The consort had trained both youth and adults in the past, and he had found that the younger they were, the more quickly they picked up on it.

“Πες το με μένα,” he suggested, opening his mouth to show that he was about to speak, and raising his eyebrows at Kevlyn. “ώα ψαριών.” Again, it was said slowly and with purpose in the hopes that young Kevlyn would be able to pronounce it better.

He concentrated so hard on the shapes Spyridon formed with his lips that a heavy frown folded his brows down across his eyes, giving him a positively stormy expression. "Ohwapsayron!" he said again, faster but still incorrect. "Ohwapsayron."

But it seemed that he was still unable to say it properly. Spyridon said something unfamiliar, then gave Kevlyn an expression that the boy was able to understand. His father had made the same sort of face when teaching his pups more difficult words. Kevlyn bunched his shoulders up, ready to try again.

"OWAPSIRION," he practically shouted, the force of it causing his tense body to spring up into a little jump. Unfortunately, it was still incorrect, but closer; only after several days of repeating it would Kevlyn manage to get the pronunciation right. His gaze was hopeful, though, and silently he wished it was close enough.

I decided to try without translations for funsies (and because Kevlyn wouldn't know what he was saying anyway).

Although Kevlyn still failed to get it perfect, the consort knew that such a thing would take time. Progress and enthusiasm were much more valuable that absolute correctness. “Καλή,” The corners of Spyro's mouth turned upward in a pleased grin, happy that his pupil was making steps forward. As a consort, part of his duty was ensuring that the spawn were raised properly. They would need to know the ins and outs of their side of things. They were not, however, to question their mothers or sisters in their hierarchy. That was separate, and not something they needed to know.

“Είμαι ένας σύζυγος,” he explained, touching his nose to his rib to indicate that he was talking of himself. “σύζυγος,” he repeated, more slowly this time, and then looked to Kevlyn expectantly.

I like when people do that, heheh, it's a lot easier to play a character being confused when I'm also confused! Fun fact but Google Translate claims Spyro called himself "wife" when I tried looking up the pronunciation, lmao.

Though he had no way of knowing what Spyro said, he assumed it was some sort of praise, and smiled back, clearly pleased with himself. There were simple cues that Kevlyn understood, and one of those was the smile of an adult. Usually it meant he had done something right, something that was desired or liked. It often made him want to keep doing it, but his teacher was moving on, so Kevlyn would need to keep his pronunciation attempts til another time.

Spyridon indicated himself now, and said another word with the same emphasis that he was coming to know as significance. "Sees-goes," Kevlyn tried to pronounce, again struggling. This word had more serpentine qualities, things that Kevlyn was still learning to do in English, let alone Greek. "Sees-goes, SEES-goes, seeeeees-gooooes." Unlike the first word, his repetition didn't improve his pronunciation.

Frustrated, the child stamped his paw on the ground and looked away. His eyes prickled hotly; why couldn't it be easy? Why couldn't Spyro talk to him normally? Why couldn't he go home?

Totally makes sense. XD

Kevlyn tried again, though Spyridon could quickly see that the boy was becoming frustrated. This, of course, was no way to learn, and Spyridon gave him a quick lick on the top of his little puppy head. “Περισσότερα την επόμενη φορά,” Spyridon said, nudging Kevlyn to his feet with his muzzle. The consort did not wish to overwhelm the spawn, even if he was interested in teaching him as quickly as possible. The fluency of Greek would come to him in time.

Spyridon took a few steps away from their current location and toward the nearest cache. The boy had done well, or at least had the gusto, and Spyro fully intended to reward that. Looking back, he wanted to make sure that Kevlyn was following close behind.

Kevlyn frowned at his toes, breathing loudly and doing the best he could to keep himself from crying. Spyridon seemed to sense that he was finished with their lesson, for the dark-furred consort placed a soothing lick across his brow and gestured for him to follow. The pup didn't hesitate to obey, though his mood was still rather sour as he padded after Spyro.

His ears twitched atop his head, every so often turning back to the roaring ocean behind him and then flinging forward to listen to Spyridon again. His eyes remained down, however; this society was confusing, and Kevlyn knew he wasn't to look at females directly. He didn't really understand the difference between the females and males yet, so this subservient behaviour extended to all the wolves of the Sound.