Chapter Twenty-Four – The Dragon’s Favorite Strays
Chapter Twenty-Four
MURR
It seems we are collecting more human strays.
These two have arrived upon my doorstep, with strange scents and loud voices. They have the drying scent of old age despite their strange trappings, and wave two sticks around as Dakotah talks to them. Ribbit still hides away, and I can smell her unease. I remain alert and wary, ready to attack. Dakotah has a calm demeanor but a mother protecting her nest can be deadly. If she needs my assistance, I will give it readily.
But then Dakotah calls out and Ribbit emerges, all timid smiles. The older females put their sticks away and coo over her, and all the scents change from anxious to happy. It reminds me of when there is a new cat that arrives and begins to lurk around the others. The existing colony is uncertain until the newcomer settles in and allows the others to sniff under his tail.
So far there is no tail sniffing but perhaps that will come later.
They all babble and flash their teeth, making the mouth noises so quick I cannot follow. I watch Dakotah’s mouth, looking for familiar movements. She turns to me, as if realizing, and then moves to my side and puts her hand on my arm. “Murr,” she tells the group. “S’murr–” and then launches into another bout of words, so fast I cannot follow. She gestures at her daughter. “S’Rabbit.”
The newcomers peer up at me. One pushes something on her nose, strange circles over her eyes that make them seem bigger. The other one with the short white mane and dark skin touches her chest. “Doh-dee.”
The big-eyes one points at herself and bellows very loudly. “AH-GEE. AH-GEE.”
The other females make faces at her, exclaiming and babbling. “Snotdeff,” Doh-dee says, and Ah-gee mutters something in a reply.
Ribbit steps in front of me as if she’s protecting me. “Friend,” she tells them. It’s a word that I have learned recently. Friend means a companion, like my cats. Someone you enjoy.
It makes me feel warm inside. We are skipping the tail sniffing, it seems. “Fren,” I agree, though my mouth does not form around the sound as well as theirs. “Ah-gee, Doh-dee, Dakotah, Ribbit, fren.”
Ah-gee titters, her hand going to her mouth. “BIG fren.”
All the females make scolding sounds at Ah-gee, who just cackles even more. She points at me with delight, making more sounds but I miss all of her words. She speaks differently than Dakotah and Ribbit, who say their noises slowly and deliberately so I can follow. Ah-gee wiggles a finger and says something else and Ribbit buries her face in her hands. Dakotah will not look me in the eye.
“No?” I say indicating I did not follow their words. I shake my head.
Ribbit brightens and turns to look at me. “Murr, food? Meat?” She makes an eating motion with her hand. “Meat for Ah-gee, Doh-dee?”
This I can follow. She wants me to feed them like I do all my strays. This is an easy enough task, and one that gives me pleasure. I bare my teeth at them to let them know I am pleased, and Ah-gee stops in her cackling. Doh-dee makes a concerned sound, reaching for her stick again.
The fear-scent returns, and I wonder what I have done wrong.
“Murr friend,” Dakotah says firmly. Her tone indicates that if they do not like it, they do not have to be part of our family. I am filled with a rush of affection for Dakotah, because like Ribbit, she is protecting me in her way. She will not have anyone be scared of me.
Her reassurance pleases me so much that I pull her closer and nuzzle her hair affectionately. She stands stiff against me, her heart beating fast, and I rub my nose against her mane to drink in her scent and to show the others how much she means to me. “Meat,” I reply, “Murr meat.”
“BIG meat,” Ah-gee whispers, and Doh-dee nudges her shoulder.
“Big meat,” I agree. If they want a large amount of food, I will bring these females a feast.
