17 Bullets: becoming the Werewolf Queen

Chapter 11: Learning to Communicate

45 BULLETS

Waking up felt lovely. I was nice and toasty cuddled up in my bed. My dog rubbing his nose sweetly over my hand.

Wait.

I opened my eyes, finally remembering I wasn't in my bed, I wasn't even close to bed. Technically I wasn't even close to Earth.

"El?" Thann asked, his fingers rubbing over my hand stopped.

I sat up quickly, trying to get my bearings. "Oh. Hi," I said softly, calming down. "Morning Thann." Stretching and yawning, I slipped away from him, scooting down the seat. "Thanks for being my space heater last night."

He grabbed my hand from another stretch and held it adoringly.  "El, Ngiyajabula ukuthi sihlangane."  He then placed my costume ring on my pointer finger, an intense glee filling his face.  "Lapho. Uyalwazi ulimi lwami?"

I looked at the ring with a lopsided smile. "Hey. Did you find this in the seat cushion? Funny. I think I carried this thing around for like a whole year in that purse before I tossed everything all over the seat here. I needed to clean that bag out bad, like months ago. It's pretty right? I used it for Halloween."

He frowned and pulled the ring off and then placed it on my other hand.   "Uyalwaziulimi lwami?"  He asked a little more insistently.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

He started putting it on finger after finger and repeating, "Manje?"

I just stared, confused. 

He pulled the ring off and tossed it to the floor with a groan.

"Hey, don't throw my stuff." I picked it up and put it on the dash. "So," I sat closer to him, a grin taking over my face. "Molly Day? Yes-No?"

He observed out the window a scowl forming his brows close.

I followed and took in the soggy ground, but there was sunshine. "Sun!" A circled hand above me, with my fingers pressing downward like sunrays.

He glanced back and nodded once unhappily. "Molly day. Yes."

"Yes!" I squealed and launched myself at his shoulders, holding him tight in a hug. "Molly!"

Thann laughed and patted my shoulder.  "Uhambo olude."  

"Yes! Odule Odule! We're going to Molly!" I leaned back and raced out of the cab.

I started tossing all I could into bins before Thann got out and grabbed my frantic hands. His voice was calm and he smiled softly. "Eat." He pressed his fingers to his lips in the sign.

A gasp reverberated through my body. "Eat?" I signed back. "Do you get it? You signed it! Eat!"

He reached over to the food tote and grabbed out a piece of darkened jerky. "Eat."

"Yes!" I cried, "that is eat!" I dove into the back for the water bottles and held one out. "Water."

"Water." He mimicked the sign.

"Yes! Good!" I signed ecstatic. "You got it! You got it!"

I was so excited about him finally getting signing, that I completely forgot about packing or eating. I grabbed his hand and started tugging him around the camp. He gave a lop-sided grin and let me tug him.

I showed him tree, grass, car, dirt, and flower. And he diligently followed and mimicked each sign. Stopping in front of the campfire ring, I hesitated never learning fire. I knew hot, so maybe I could sign hot and then wiggle my fingers upwards like a fire and make the sign up? Maybe I should make the sign like a marshmallow on a stick?