Purrs roused Serana awake. She lifted her head and twisted to look behind her, smiling at the way the khajiit's limbs sprawled out. He may as well have taken up the whole tent for himself. His tail end flicked lazily, then thumped on the ground. Whiskers pulled and drew a tiny smile, his purrs rolling deep in his chest. She shifted to lay on her other side just to watch him, relieved that it was possible for him to sleep normally after all.

But what does he dream about if he can't see?

This curiosity wouldn't leave her be; hopefully it would only ever remain a curiosity sated by his answers, and not her own experiences.

Rumbles outside alerted her, and she crawled quietly to check outside the tent. She didn't need to crawl or check.

"Yesterday's clouds promised today's storm," Ja'kal yawned. "We will be safe in here. This one's hides were bought and brought from khajiit caravans. They are best for rain."

Hopefully that was the voice of justified pragmatism and not baseless pride.

Serana turned and smirked when the khajiit folded himself into fetal position, lazy tail patting the dirt again. "Are we sleeping in, then?"

His snores answered her.

It seemed he did not like to travel in the rain, and that was fine by her.

x - x - x

"Ja'kal is curious." The khajiit's nose lifted and he sniffed. It wrinkled in disgust. "There is a foul smell nearby."

Serana couldn't pick anything up, and she thought she had a keen nose. She smirked at the khajiit, though it fell; she was disappointed that he could only hear her amusement, and not see it. Good thing his hearing was just as acute as his sense of smell. "Our definitions of 'nearby' are very different, Ja'kal."

He clicked his tongue and turned east. "Let us go this way."

"That's the opposite way of where we need to go, though."

Which, by the way, how did he even get to where he needed to go? Could she actually trust a blind cat's sense of direction?

"A small detour. This human trusts Ja'kal, yes?"

That was a matter of debate.

"I... Yes. Alright then, lead the way."

There was bound to be an adventure out of this one way or another; and while she had to return home, she wasn't in any rush to get there. Serana lingered behind as she watched the khajiit's tail swing merrily. His hums filled the pockets of silence as they navigated through a brush of thick grass, twigs snapping beneath boots and paws. Claws would prick a tree and twist, marking the bark. She picked up numbers muttered under his breath.

"Why are you counting, Ja'kal?"

"Shh, this one must concentrate or we will lose ourselves in this forest."

Oh. Wonderful. Yeah, Serana could totally trust a blind cat's sense of direction. At least she got a sort-of-answer in a roundabout way; she wagered the counting was how many steps they had taken since deciding to take this detour. Then he changed direction again, curious hands mapping trees. He didn't mark them and yet the bark bore holes like the ones preceding them. He'd taken this route before, then.

Ja'kal stopped as he patted a tree trunk and looked in her direction. "This is where Ja'kal needs help. What is to the right?"

Serana frowned when she studied their surroundings. "Trees."

"And to the left?"

"...More trees."

"Ah."

Ah? Ah?

"Are we lost, Ja'kal?"

"No, of course not!" The khajiit laughed, but the way his tail whipped nervously had screamed what he actually meant to say.

They were lost.

"This one definitely knows exactly where we are."

They were definitely lost exactly in the middle of nowhere.

Ja'kal patted the trunk again and felt all the way around, hugging the tree. Serana sighed as she came over and studied it, hoping to find a marked hole somewhere. Yes, she wasn't in a rush to return home, but neither was she keen on the idea of being trapped in a dense forest. Her heart sank when the khajiit sighed in frustration. "Urada, Serana."

That sounded nice, but what did urada mean again?

"This one forgot not to lead. Ja'kal always followed." That was not reassuring in the slightest bit. "Let us set up our tent and rest. This khajiit would like a nap."

"Again? You had one at least two hours ago, now. And one before that too."

"Ja'kal likes naps."

"I've noticed." Serana remarked dryly, smiling when the khajiit's shamelessness made itself apparent with a grin of his own. Whether she wanted to or not, he began to unpack, eager for his nap. She helped clear the brush and tossed twigs aside, working in tandem alongside the khajiit as she froze the ends of sturdy branches for him to snap off a little easier. He sharpened the ends with his claws and impaled the sticks into the ground, constructing the foundation while Serana untied and unrolled the hides from their traveling knapsacks.

With practiced speed, they'd set up their tent faster than ever before. It was becoming easier. Natural. They each knew what parts to play and they finally played them well. Serana was first to head inside to set up her sleeping bag, and scooted close to the wall to make room as the khajiit unrolled a thick pelt to lay on.

It wasn't long until he made himself comfortable, curling in on himself, softly purring in content. At least his penchant for naps meant there was time for Serana to catch up on books, but she had only found one in the crypt she was locked away in; the folded page corner marked the nearing of an end.

Something thumped on her ankle. She looked down, staring at the tail end tapping her. Uncomfortable, she moved and crossed her leg away. The tail patted it's way up to her hip instead, and she chuckled as she swatted it away from her face. "What are you doing Ja'kal?" Talk about awkward and weird.

"This one is painting a picture." He inched closer and reached with his hand instead. She caught him by the wrist, his claws far too close for her liking.

"You're going to poke my eyes out and then we'll never get out of this forest," she teased, proud to pull a laugh from him. "What do you mean by painting a picture, anyways? And why with your tail?" She squeezed his wrist to emphasize her next point. "You could've just done this in the first place."

"Ja'kal's tail is very sensitive. It feels more than hands." His fingers curled and stretched. "This khajiit is curious of what Serana looks like. Ja'kal only knows smells and sounds, and wants to know colors and sensations. This one touches, yes?"

Serana didn't know what to make of that, or if she was even okay with it. She pushed his hand down. "No. If you want to know how I look like, you can just ask."

"Okay. Can this one touch?"

"That's what I was saying no to, I mean. I'm... Not comfortable."

"Ah. Urada, Ja'kal did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable." He retracted his hand, untying his blindfold instead. He set it aside and stared at her. "This one is curious about your hair. What does it feel like?" He shifted even closer, and something started to buzz inside of Serana as faintly warm breaths hit her face. "What does skin feel like? How does it hold warmth when it looks so squishy?"

Every question caught Serana off guard, but then she zeroed in on one word in particular. "Looks? I thought you're blind."

"Hm? No, not completely. This khajiit is afflicted with night eye that should be controlled, but cannot. The world is always very bright and blue; it burns Ja'kal's eyes."

"Oh... So that's why you wear the blindfold, then? To dim the light?"

Ja'kal nodded. His nimble hand was up by her face before she realized it, coiling a strand of hair around his finger as he regarded it curiously. He made the buzzing louder. "What color is your hair?"

"Black," she heard herself mumble, the anxiety dissipating when he released her and shifted away from her.

"Serana's smell makes this one nervous as well. Why are you nervous?"

There was no answer to that, none she cared to share with someone who was still a stranger. She decided to roll and face away, tucking her arm beneath her head as a pillow. "Good night, Ja'kal." Silence fell between them, and she still felt his eyes on her. She frowned when a hand rested on her shoulder, squeezing. She twisted to look behind her, a warning in her eyes, now knowing she was seen to some degree.

Ja'kal's sorrowful smile made her forget about any such warning at all. "Kha'jay krimir iso jer, Serana. It means the moons smile upon you."

They stared. Serana didn't know what to say to that or where it came from, or what Ja'kal's smile meant. Why did he look sad? Then it disappeared, replaced by hope.

"Serana is thinking about letting Ja'kal touch her hair now, yes?"

"No." Serana huffed and rolled away, hiding her smirk from him. "You're going to have to work a lot harder than that. Who do you think I am? You can't bribe me."

Ja'kal laughed, and his tone danced playfully with his words. "You are right. Forgive this khajiit for committing this crime."

"You're forgiven," she teased back, "for now." She heard rustling and stole a quick glance, relieved he was also laying down and facing away from her.

She bit her cheek to stop her smile when his tail eventually draped over her waist.

x - x - x

"Ah, khajiit nap is Ja'kal's favorite," he yawned as he stretched his arms, joints popping loudly.

Serana winced at the series of sounds and teased. "It's like your bones are singing you a song." She rested her head on her fist and watched the lazy khajiit untangle himself ever so slowly, not in any rush to go anywhere. Peculiar timing. The closer they got to the northern shoreline, the more naps he took.

Ja'kal smiled sleepily, his whiskers flaring as he tried to yawn and failed multiple times. He turned and crawled to the tent exit to peek outside. "The moons are out."

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to travel, then? You wouldn't need the blindfold."

"But there is more danger. Ja'kal is not comfortable leaving you while this one hides."

"I can take care of myself," Serana chuckled, though found the notion endearing, and something else peculiar. "You don't fight back at all?" How did he clear the crypt?

"Not unless this one has to. Why antagonize when Ja'kal can avoid?" The khajiit's claws could tell a different story of their own with how razor sharp they were. She respected his decision, but she learned running and hiding didn't always solve every problem. He must have known that too.

"There had to have been a time that didn't work."

Ja'kal crawled back towards his pelt and fixed it, smoothing it back out with his hands. Something told her this stubborn cat wasn't going to be climbing out of this tent any time soon. He had an unusually contemplative look and sighed as he laid down, the pain in his voice hinted Serana to drop it.

"There was a time Ja'kal was not always like this."

x - x - x

Milky blue eyes were what Serana awoke to again, gently stirred by the khajiit. She smirked when he still shook her shoulder. "You know I'm awake, Ja'kal."

"Yes, but where is this one's good morning?"

"Your good morning? Shouldn't you be saying that to me when you wake me up?"

"It is a human custom, no?"

Serana chuckled. "One you apparently enjoy very much. Why don't you give it a try?"

He leaned back to rest on his haunches. "Do oonpal." Whatever he said, it did not seem to satisfy him. He shook his head. "Khajiit wish moons, not mornings."

"Every tradition starts somehow." There was great amusement to be had just watching how Ja'kal struggled with such a concept. She decided to land the killing blow. "You are in Skyrim, Ja'kal. It's a great opportunity to learn about different cultures." Just like how she got a taste of his. Was it truly that strange to wish good morning for him? Perhaps just as strange as it was to wish 'moons' for her.

Ja'kal stared. He tied his blindfold around his eyes and grabbed her wrist, tugging insistently. "Outside."

"Outside?" Serana laughed when the khajiit pulled with an obvious eagerness. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." She yanked her hood up with her free hand before they stumbled out of the tent. As soon as they did, Ja'kal let go and spun on his paws, holding his arms out as his cheer reverberated in the forest.

"Do oonpal, Serana!"

Serana smiled. He was so full of life. "Good morning, Ja'kal."

"From now on this will be our tradition," he stated proudly, chest puffing out. He hummed cheerfully when he went back inside the tent. "And then you will tell this one what the sunrise looks like when we get out of the forest." It will most likely be high up in the sky by the time that happens. "Come for your things, hurry!"

"We came outside just to say good morning out here?" What was the difference between inside and outside? And that wasn't exactly how 'good morning' worked. Well, it wasn't so bad. It was amusing in it's own right; it gave her something to look forward to, to quell this dread that pooled in her stomach as they neared her home. Could it even be called 'home' anymore? It stopped being one when her family fell apart.

In such a short span of time, she'd grown to think that Ja'kal made for a good companion. It had been too long since she'd had someone she could call a friend.

"Dras, which one is yours?" The khajiit's hands poked out the tent, holding a knapsack in each one. Serana took hers before he got curious about the contents and find the elder scroll inside. Ja'kal didn't need to know about that. Not yet. His hand disappeared back inside and he hummed again, coming out to dismantle the tent. "The burning in this one's paws was worth it for today."

Oh, right. That reminded Serana. There should be a boat that they'll need to take to cross the jetty. And she smirked to herself.

Ja'kal didn't need to know about that. Not yet.

x - x - x

Author's Note

Thank you for taking time to leave a review, guest! I appreciate it! I'm always open to feedback. I'll also translate words not immediately revealed or just as a reminder down here in the AN.

Translation

Dras - (casual) hi/hey, howdy, yo

Urada - sorry

Do oonpal - good morning