Snippet #1896803

"It looks... interesting." Kivan said as he eyed the finished story Retha had scratched out on the wall. All the symbols meant nothing to him. He could tell the words were actually a mixture of the same set of symbols over and over, but couldn't make sense of it. Uncapping the water bottle he took a swig. He swished it around, gauging how much was left. There was enough to last the two of them 8 hours, maybe a little more. Not a happy thought when you didn't know when the next water supply was coming.

"I wonder if anyone else uses symbols to talk. Wouldn't it be neat if you invented something totally new?" Kivan mused, excited at the brilliance of his creature. Although he couldn't understand the written language, he understood how it could be useful. With it he could put symbols on a Nodelga leaf and everyone else would know that he went fishing. It was a way to talk without actually being there in person.

The symbols' attraction was a hook, and Kivan, after some thinking, swallowed the line. He couldn't resist the advantages to this method of communication. "I will be more patient now. Please teach me how to decipher these."

Retha turned to him, ears perked up and smiling. "Each symbol has at least one sound to it. Let's start with a basic one. This is the symbol for the a sound..."

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"What was that all about?" Isabelle asked, uncertainly. "I know you know."

Marred's ears flattened against his skull. Thanks a lot, Seboro. You left me with a very sticky situation here. What should he do? Well, there was always the option of telling the truth. Yeah, but since when was the the girl and her creature supposed to know about the prisoners? I was given orders not to mention them. By a dead serious Seboro. I don't want him to be angry at me.

He could lie, but he was no where near as good at it as Seboro. Sure, his human could be bland in his emotions, but that did have its advantages. Like being able to lie well. So no, Marred wasn't going attempt to lie. That would probably end badly.

Then Rajah said, "Yes, please explain." Marred glanced at the lion who seemed smug about something. The dammed purring noise he was making drove Marred crazy. Marred never purred himself, he couldn't, despite his catlike aspects. This lion showing off really irritated him. This lion. Marred's eyes narrowed as he sized the other creature up. He had forgotten the sound from below decks, all he cared about now was besting the lion.

He would not lose. He was sure of it. Tail swishing back and forth, he released musk from his scent glands, filling the room with a sharp, almost citrus like smell. Except it was more sour and bitter than any citrus fruit that was normal. Crouching with a low growl, he prepared to spring.

Then he the ringing of the dinner bell. Immediately he regained some of his composure. I almost gave Seboro a bad face. I can't lose myself like that again in the future. Not anytime soon, at least. To the girl and her creature he said, "It's time to eat." He opened the door and walked to the dining area, where Seboro had made pasta with sausage and peppers. Looks like I was saved by the bell. I just hope the girl and her creature don't bring up my mistake.

OOC: I hope Marred's scent isn't unrealistic or unimaginable. I have no sense of smell myself, but I wanted to show aggression without actual fighting.