Sun Mote Copse bedtime stories

This activity, for Alyx, was a lesson in mimicry.

HI! she said again, more confident, not even batting an eye at the strange movements both Meerkat and Phox made while they spoke. She'd been raised in an environment where that was completely normal. In fact, she mimicked the motion for hi perfectly, lifting one leg into the air as if preparing for a high five, then setting it unsteadily back on the ground. The rest kind of went over her head.

It didn't matter. Even if she didn't really know what they were talking about, Alyx knew what a story was, and she simply enjoyed listening to her father's voice. She flopped to down in the grass beside Meerkat and glanced skyward when her sister did, giving the impression she understood what was being said, but really she was just copying the older pup.