Paws and Planets by Candy Rae

them, “he is my friend.”
    Two grinning
furry faces glanced over to where Saru sat.
    Why, he
thought, they’re laughing at me! The female, Taya at this
point opened her mouth even further showing off a set of
exceedingly white and tremendously sharp teeth. Like a complacent
smirk, the intrigued Saru was thinking. He leant forward so as not
to miss what came next.
    “What is my
name?” asked Dakaru, trying not to sound anxious. He knew that the
Lind were very sensitive to verbal nuances.
    Andei looked at
Dakaru who looked back with what he hoped was an encouraging
face.
    Taya gave Andei
a nudge with a sideways look over at Saru which he interpreted as
look at me, I’ll make him do it. Her action was so like what Sanua
might have done that Saru chuckled and Andei jumped.
    “I told you to
keep quiet,” hissed Dakaru as he turned again to Andei. “What is my
name?” he asked again.
    Andei’s furry
face took on an expression of intense concentration. He opened his
mouth. Saru held his breath.
    “D … d … kru.”
The sounds emerged from between his lips and teeth, something part
way between a growl and a whisper.
    Dakaru looked
triumphant.
    “Say it again
Andei.”
    Andei rolled
his tongue around in his mouth and concentrated again.
    “Da … kru,” he
said, clearer this time. Then he spoilt the effect by wagging his
tail, with a pleased look. Taya stared at him in admiration.
    “Taya isn’t
there yet,” Dakaru explained, “but we’re working on it, aren’t
we?”
    Taya whuffled
and in amongst the whuffle Saru thought he could distinguish an
attempt at the word for ‘yes’. “Well,” he said at last, “I’m
daiglaied, absolutely amazed. Are you sure they understand what
they are saying though? I mean, does what comes out from their lips
make any sense?”
    “Yes it does,”
answered Dakaru with a wink in Andei and Taya’s direction and Saru
got another surprise when Andei solemnly winked back.
    That action was
enough to rock Saru’s composure even more; right from the ends of
his talons to the ends of his wingtips. He sat there mesmerised as
Andei and Taya touched noses before turning to face him.
    Andei’s face
took on that look of concentration again and his next word took the
last vestiges of Saru’s control and flung it into the wind.
    “S … ru,” he
said and sat back to watch the effect.
    For almost the
first time in his life Saru found himself bereft of speech.
However, being Saru, he recovered almost at once.
    “Andei,” he
greeted him, “I, Saru, am very pleased to meet you,” and Andei
nodded, his ears cocking forwards and backwards nineteen to the
dozen.
    “S … ru,” he
said again and turned to his mate, “T …y… ,” and he nudged her with
his forepaw.
    Saru chuckled,
“and I am most pleased to meet you too Taya.”
    The syllable
‘s’ hissed out of Taya’s mouth and Saru understood that she was
also trying to say his name.
    He looked at
Dakaru, “I’m almost convinced,” he said. He couldn’t wait to get
back to his own daga and begin to talk to his two Lind. “What an
amazing thing,” he said and laughed aloud.
    Andei’s eyes
were full of mirth, no , thought Saru, they are saying, we
are not creatures like the silly kura , the fast jezdic and the
humpty zarova, we are Lind and our brains are every bit as good as
yours! Now we can talk and you will be surprised at what we can do
and what we think.
    Saru returned
to his daga and as he reflected ever afterwards, it was a wonder he
reached it in one piece! So lost in thought was he that he flew
dangerously close to a tall copse of trees at one point, tilting
his wings just in time to avoid an accident.
    Not yet knowing
about the telepathic abilities at this point in time he was
surprised to see his family’s two Lind waiting for him. As he
glided into land they began to jump about, obviously in high good
humour.
    His and Sanua’s
half grown ltsctas were watching them open mouthed. Young Lind
would often play