"More than all that?" she says as Zevu starts describing all of what the Bay has to offer. The mountains alone will take close scrutiny for her brother’s sake, and even with her nimble hooves it will take time and great care to scale all sides. Her task suddenly seems monumental, and the more he speaks the more Kikka’s dismay shows on her face. When he mentions borders, her ears fall flat and her eyes drop to the earth in front of his feet as her jaw slackens. She feels her eyes fill with tears as she considers the very real possibility that the Bay is only one part of this island— who knows how much more land she’ll have to cross in order to explore the whole thing? It could be more than days before she sees Trell again. It could be weeks.
He asks a question. With great effort, Kikka lifts her watering eyes and strives to blink them clear as she processes his words. "My brother," she says, and has to pause while her lips tremble. Despair floods her. She doesn’t want to do this alone, doesn’t want to be parted from Trell any longer than she has to be. What had initially seemed like an inconvenience now feels like a punishment.
Kikka takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders, lifts her dark ears. "My brother and I just found this place. Well, a different island, initially, but when he realized there was another island he judged it best for us to split up and learn about it. So he sent me here while he explores the first one." Her voice is steady as she relays this, but her chest feels tight and she’s concentrating too much on her breathing. Panic beats in her heart.
"Please," she says, begging him for mercy as her eyes swing up to his. "You said ‘border.’ Does that mean there’s more here than just the Bay?" She can’t quite keep the hope from her face, and forgets to breathe while she waits. |