Happy New Year!

H'aanit and Primrose may speak very different languages to one another at times, however, that only serves to help them protect each other from threats that only they can understand.

A Matter of Communication

"What's it like?" Primrose asked out of the blue one day as she, H'aanit and Linde meandered their way across the Moonstruck Coast.

"Beg pardon?" H'aanit asked in curiosity, her focus split between Primrose's conversation and watching Linde walk across the sand as though it was hot coals, disgusted when sand got stuck between her toes.

Since the events of their journey with the others, Primrose had settled down in Noblecourt once again, working hard with Master Forsythe and his son to rebuild the town's reputation with an Azelhart once again at its helm. A few regions away, H'aanit had settled into her life as a huntress in S'warkii, now skilled enough that Z'aanta had started to take her out on missions with him and Hägen when the Knights Ardante came knocking. While they'd all settled into their lives again, once one starts travelling a lingering wanderlust bug is always soon to bite a former traveller again, and Primrose and H'aanit had always enjoyed one another's company…

So when H'aanit wrapped up her hunting of the great direwolf causing havoc near Wispermill, she asked her Master for a leave of absence from her duties so that she might circle the continent with her friend again. Primrose had been so excited to see H'aanit and Linde outside her grand home that she'd dropped all her duties into the Forsythe's lap for the foreseeable future to immediately set out together again. How they'd ended up at the Moonstruck Coast, the girls didn't quite know, but as the sun began to set over the ocean, they both lost themselves to thought as the waves were bathed an orangey pink.

"What's it like being able to speak to animals?" Primrose clarified, settling into the sand as she drew her knees to her chest. It was a question that had plagued her for a while now. When she was a child, Primrose had long hoped that one day she would be able to speak the language of the birds, that she'd be able to tell them her tales of woe and hear their own. And here H'aanit was, having been able to do that her entire life.

"Oh." H'aanit nodded as she fell into thought, settling into the sand besides Primrose in a significantly less ladylike manner. "I supposen I have never thoughte too muche of it. 'Tis second nature for a hunter such as I."

"I see… What was it like the first time you realised you could do it?"

"I don not remember." H'aanit shook her head, clearly pained that she couldn't tell Primrose a more interesting tale. "I haven been able to understande beasts for mine whole life."

"Is that so..." Primrose said again, a little disappointed that this line of conversation was not as interesting as she'd hoped.

"However," H'aanit continued, a renewed confidence to her tone as she watched Linde chew the sand out from between her toes. "I don not thinken of the act as 'speaking', 'tis more akin to 'hearing'."

"How so?" Primrose asked in interest, reaching out in front of her to scratch Linde's ears as she worked on the sand, eliciting a small growl of no real malice in response.

"Thaten growl, for instance, what did thou hearen?"

"A growl?" Primrose said in confusion, unsure how to explain that she'd thought it a warning growl if anything. "I suppose I heard it as a warning not to bother Linde while she's cleaning herself again."

"Thou art not faren from what she said." H'aanit smiled. "Linde said, 'I thank thee for thine scratches, however, please saven them for a time whenst I can enjoyen them.'"

"You got all that from a short growl?!" Quite understandably, Primrose was incredulous.

"Aye." H'aanit nodded, smiling gently at Primrose's surprise. "I haveth been partners withe Linde for many moons, I understande her better than any otheren beast. In short, I speaken her language."

"Clearly."

"I also speaken the language of Hägen and dire wolves most competently. ...More competently than Master, sometimes..." H'aanit's eyes clouded for a moment before she shook her head. "All otheren beasts, I reade their body and their movements when we firste meet. I watchen them closely, I listen deeply. Many times, I knowen simply what they are feeling. However, most rarely, I hearen the words behind their growls."

"I see." Primrose lost herself to her thoughts again a she started out into the ocean. "So it's not so much that you can speak to animals, but more that you can understand them from their actions."

"Indeed."

"Must be a nice skill to have… Do you think I could learn it?" Asked Primrose, a little wistful.

"Nay." H'aanit shook her head, a little disappointed – it appeared – that she'd let her friend down. "It ist a lost skill, borne only into mine and mine Master's clans."

"It's innate rather than learned," Primrose nodded in understanding, hoping she was using those words Cyrus had taught her right – fearing that he might suddenly appear out of the ocean to chastise her if she was wrong. "A shame."

"Aye." H'aanit nodded her head in agreement as Linde came over to lie down between the two of them, clearly pleased that she'd finally cleaned her toes of sand. "I haven a question for thee, Primrose."

"Shoot."

"What ist it liken, to be able to understanden manfolk?"

Without a second hesitation, Primrose burst out laughing. "Oh H'aanit, you really are a treasure!"

"Thanke thee?"

"Unlike your ability to speak to the beasts, the ability to understand men is something I can teach you." Primrose chuckled as she stroked Linde gently, listening to her purrs in the hopes that she would be able to hear the words of gratitude beneath them. "Do you want to learn?"

For a moment, H'aanit sat and thought about it and Primrose was left alone with the sounds of Linde's purrs and the crashing of the waves. Finally, H'aanit shook her head. "I seemeth to recall that thou once tolden me there art two kinds of men: those devoted to worke and those devoted to pleasure."

Primrose nodded. "I do believe I said something like that during the earlier stages of our journey, yes."

"I also rememberen that thou said thou would protecten me from men were we to travel togetheren again."

Primrose looked away, embarrassed that that had been her reason to continue travelling when in truth she wanted simply to spend time with H'aanit. "Why, yes, I think I may have said something along those lines..."

"That being the case, I woulde liken to not learne anything more about manfolk." H'aanit said resolutely.

"I'm afraid you've lost me..." Primrose shook her head in confusion.

"Well, if I learnen no more, thou wilt have to continue to protecten me from men. Moreover, since thou cannot speaken to beasts, I wilt protecten thee from them."

"So, your saying," Primrose covered her mouth with her hand to hide her chuckle. "That by learning little on these two topics we can continue to protect one another as we travel."

"Indeed." H'aanit nodded with a smile. "Of course, I would be happy to travel beside thee even if I needed not protecting."

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Primrose erupted in gales of giggles before patting H'aanit on the shoulder in reassurance. "Oh, I do love you, H'aanit! Never change."

Confused, H'aanit only nodded in agreement as the two watched the sun pass over the horizon, Linde's gentle, grateful purrs accompanying the crashing of the waves in lulling them to sleep beside one another once again.