Me and my kvatch have been trotting for a big time when my hearers hear a sound floating over the groaning of sky towers and whapping of wind. It's like a burbling, maybe, a burbling that hears sweet and smooth and soft. I call my kvatch over and he perks up at me with his hearers and his seers and comes tip tapping over. The burble makes me remember things deep down that sting and smack smack on my head and hurt me, but I still go closer.
Two raiders slip out of the yellow haze. One's got hair all shived away and the other long, flowy hair falling down nearly to the feelers. My kvatch yips. I shoot him a look talking, why'd you do that, with my seers, but he just looks back without a care. The raiders look our way, eyes wily and red, like they haven't gone dark with the world for lots of brights.
"What was that?" talks the one with shived-off hair.
"A dog maybe?" this one's voice is what wafted down sky tower alley over the groans and moans and whapping of wind. This one sounds like a voice I've heard before. It sounds like my woman.
I shout to her. I want her to notice and come back over and I want her to stay with me because she left so long ago and I've never heard a voice soft and smooth as hers.
"What was that?" talks the man.
"Was that one of them?" talks my woman in a voice that's so warm.
He pulls out a fire-hand and it winks at me in the glimmer. The two creep towards me in the murky yellow haze all hunched and slow. My kvatch backs up, hearers going all flat and seers getting wider, head getting lower. I'm not going back. My woman would want to see me, make sure I'm alright.
"Is that a kid?" talks my woman
"Hello?" talks the man.
My talker won't move but I reach out with my feeler.
"Put your hand down kid," talks the man, "I don't wanna use this."
"My woman," I talk, but I probably shouldn't have.
They look at each other and roar-cackle.
"I don't know about that kid." Talks the man.
Why wouldn't they know about that?
"When are you coming back?" I need to know.
They look at each other again, smiles curling up on their talkers.
"Coming back?" talks my woman.
The man's still got his fire-hand pointed at me.
"Sorry kid, I didn't leave." Her talk is so sweet and warm, you don't hear much like that now.
"Will you go with me?" I ask.
"Who does he think I am?" my woman asks the man.
"I don't know, we should probably just go though," he talks, "I'm sorry kid, good luck finding your woman, or whatever."
The man reaches out to touch me with his feeler but I can't let him, I jerk back. My woman's seers still look at me and I can't stop looking back.
"Let's get out of here," she says, "he's giving me the creeps."
And they slip away into the blek yellow haze.
