B-179: Spanial (N-Space to Zarg’s World), Lia’s Cabin
Prrri gives her another slow blink and gently bats her nose with his tail.
He gently takes the book from her and riffles through the pages, flipping them over with a claw.
Finding the page he wants, he begins to read, keeping his place by moving a claw first down then across the columns of lines from left to right. His speech is occasionally halting and he sometimes pauses at the end of a column or as he’s obviously translating on the fly, but he remains reasonably fluid, though with the usual difficulty of understanding his accent.
“Thee Femaxle who was Taken By The Thunnderr.
“Sometimes thee people ussed to xo innland to xunt-,” he makes a hacking noise, “bix annimalss. Biggerr thann xoatss or pixss, sharrrp xorns annd xooves.
“At,” he makes the hacking-animal noise again, ” timme they ussed to xo to…,” he makes a wheezing, juddering noise, “mounntainn. Xwhen a,” haking-animal noise, “wass founnd annd lurred frrom thee nnessting xgrrounnds onn,” wheezing, juddering, “mounntainn, it xwas xilled forr food. Therre iss a narrrow path leading upwarrd annd thee people xwould leave thee trrees. A xguarrdiann xwho xad a strrong spirrit xwas placed nearr thee trrail annd no-one xwho xwas…,” he makes a coughing noise, stops.
“Xou xwoulld ssay, ‘inn xeat’, Xi thinnk.”
He continues, “No-one xwho xwas,” coughing in-heat noise, “xwas allowed to xgo on that trrail, only thee xunterrss. It xwas forrrbidden. Therre onn that mountainn sside they xgatherrred,” he stops, a moment, thinks and doesn’t translate directly this time, “rrrripe frruitss forr thee,” hacking-animal noise.
“When thee,” hacking-animal noise, “xwerre drriven alonng that ssmall trrail, thenn thee lead xunterr took only a stick, annd moved it ass though xe xwerre going to xit thee,” hacking-animal noise, “Thenn it xwould jump off thee narrrow trrail. Sometimess morre thann one xwas killed in thiss xway, but it depennded on thee time annd thee nnesting. They xwere thrrownn downn upon those rrrocks annd they xwere brrokenn. Then thee xatcherrss preparred thee xarxass down below.
“Now therre xwas a femaxle xwho xwas chusst mature. That time xwhen thee xunterrs annd xatchers xwent inland to xunt, then that xguarrdiann turrnned, annd thee people passed xgoing up. thee people xwent down to xwhere thee xarxasses xwere. That Femaxle xwas told nnot to xgo along, it xwas forrbiddenn, she xwas … in xeat.
“There are two xaves in thee rrrock therre, xwhich are thee xome of thee Thunnderr. Therre arre bonness of all xinndss of annimals annd birrds, some evenn from…thee oceann.
“When thee xatcherrs came to xgather thee frruitss that femaxle did not accompanny them. One day someonne ssaid to thee Femaxle, ‘Xwe arre xgoing to xwait for annotherr xarxass. I xwent once, though I xwass,” in-heat noise, “and nnothing xappened to me. Perrrhaps they deceive xou?’
“Thenn they xwent axainn annd that femaxle xwent along. They prreparred a xarxass. thee femaxle xad xer xead xovered xwith shellss annd they xwere tied to xer body.
“Now they lost xer. Annother sssaid, ‘Xwherre iss that onne xwho xame xwith us!’
“They searrrched for thee femaxle. ‘Maybe she xwent to thee xome of thee Thunnderr?’ onne ssaid.
“A misst xovered thee mounntainn annd they xwent to searrch for thee femaxle nearr thee xaves annd rrrocks. They founnd xer nearr thee rrrocks. All kinndss of oceann birdss xwere flying arrround thee rrrocks. At a little disstance thee noise of thee flying birdss xwas xeard.
“They ssaw that femaxle annd told xer, ‘Xome! xwe xwill go back.’
“But she did nnot look. They trried to lead xer annd to pull xerr, but she did not move. xerr earrss annd eyes annd neck furr xwere channged. Thenn xer xompanions xave up annd left xer.
“They told thee people, ‘That femaxle became xrrazy. She bexame a…,” Prrri emits a sharp hiss with a gurgle from thee back of his throat.
“‘Xwe aere all afreaid!’ they said.
“Thenn thee xguarrdiann ssaid, ‘Xwhy did you take xer along? It is forrbiddenn.’
“Then thee people xwere… ssad…and angrry.
“They xwent back to look for xer, but they did nnot finnd xer. Rremainss of ocean birrdss xwere lying there, that xigh. xwhen it became ffoggy they xeard xerr sinnging sspirrit ssongss in thee rrrocks. Then thee people xgave up thee search annd xwent xome.
“So it is forrbiddenn to take femaxles xwho are in xeat up,” wheezing-juddering, “mountainn, becausse that femaxle xwas taxenn away. thee Thunnderr took xerr. “
He flips the pad closed.
Does the Dominion have fables or fairytales like this?
Lia is wide eyed with delight and fascination.