“Put your hand back down in the snow pack. It’s still swollen,” a new, deep voice grumbled.
“Don’t baby me, Sorry. I don’t care.” Dace huffed and puffed like her feathers were good and ruffled.
“Well… I do,” Sorry grumbled.
“Don’t lie. Just because there might be others listening doesn’t mean you need to pretend to- To make yourself look good. They’re not stupid. You don’t care about anyone but yourself and your fluffy potato babies,” Dace muttered angrily under her breath.
“Know that’s not true,” Sorak rumbled back softly.
“Do I?” Dace’s laugh was loud, incredulous. She sounded half hysterical. “Why did you choose today of all days to come snooping around in my business anyway?” Dace let out a little sniff that told me she meant to snub him.
“You stupid, say dummy head things,” Berkr bit out.
“Beg your pardon?” Dace’s Sorry, or Sorak, murmured dryly.
“All know Candy-ass ask horn head be her male, you say no, then not want talk to Candy-ass no more, leave her be ‘lone. No one want talk Candy-ass ‘cause she bad female. You care? No care ‘bout Candy-ass, leave ‘lone. All ‘lone. No friends ‘til Carrie say she be Candy-ass friend and then Purred-drew comesalong be Candy-ass bested friend.” Berkr huffed and chuffed and muttered under his breath about just how stupid he thought Sorak was.
Surprise shot through me. I understood him. I mean, Berkr was speaking that growl speak and I knew what he was saying. Am I dreaming…? Is any of this even real?
“And you do?” Sorak shot back.
“Berkr say? Those words comed out Berkr’s mouth?” Berkr barked.
“You both don’t care. I don’t care. End of story. Can we get back to sitting in silence, with the occasional sigh from my right? It doesn’t matter. None of it does!” Dace’s voice was so high and tight, I’d be surprised if any being beyond a Lo denaii or dog could make her out.
“Dace cares,” Berkr huffed and puffed out under his breath.
“Fuck off,” Dace thundered.
A spluttering noise garbled out of the skunk striped Lo denaii.
“Is that what you think, miqep, that I don’t care? That I told you no because I didn’t want to be with you? Is that why you think I’ve kept away all this time?” Sorak spoke so low his voice was a hoarse whisper.
Berkr let out a series of loud grunting noises before grumbling, “Horn head want Candy-ass answer that? Sound like sorry horn head already knows.” A snort of a laugh followed shortly after.
“I hate you both so much right now.” Dace’s angry whisper pierced through that veil of sleep and wakefulness holding me back. “Why don’t you both just leave! Leave me alone!”
But for the soft sounds of Kehl breathing beside me, silence fell upon wherever the hell it was we were.
“Ask me again.” Sorak’s voice cut in as I slowly started to drift back into the nothingness of before.
“Why? Have the hard times hear?” Berkr bit out caustically.
“Not you, you wool headed furball,” Sorak shot back.
Silence.
“Miqep,” Sorak tried again.
“No.” That one simple word from Dace. It was answer enough.
“No what?” Berkr muttered.
“No,” she said simply.
A rumbling sound cut in on the tense moment. I put that one to Berkr.
There was a loud scoffing sound. Sorak, it sounded like. “You don’t care, you say?” His voice was low. It had lost the softness of before.
