Animal Words (Darkeye Volume 2)

By Lydia West

Mhumhi, a young painted dog, has always been certain of one thing: that the dogs rule the city, and that the few remaining humans are helpless against them. When his unconventional pack took in two small children, however, he didn’t realize that everything he thought he knew was about to be unraveled.

Mhumhi and his children are captured and taken below the city by the mysterious bouda, a group of humans with strange ties to spotted hyenas. These humans are not helpless: in fact, they threaten to upset the balance of power between dogs and humans.

But Mhumhi has more than that to worry about. Soon he will have to make a choice- should he continue to make his human children a part of his dangerous life, or should he entrust them back to their own kind?

He’ll have to decide fast, because as the city’s food supply dwindles, darker machinations are beginning to stir, and to escape them Mhumhi and his pack may have to go beyond the city for the first time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lydia West
• Release date: Nov 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310418785

Lydia West

Lydia West, who also goes by the internet pseudonym Koryos, lives in Maryland with three axolotls and a cat.

Book preview

The Last Light

There was a car crawling through the dark, headlights panning over silent, empty streets. It was not the only car, but the others were all stopped, rusted from years of rain. This car was the only vehicle in the entire city that was moving.

But it was not the only thing moving in the entire city. From time to time the car's headlights would sweep across a darkened alleyway and light up twin pinpricks: eyes. Dim shapes sometimes ran across the street, visible for just an instant, four legs and fur moving low to the ground.

Sometimes the headlights illuminated things that did not move, things lying in the street: sad featureless little heaps. It moved around or straight over them, its heavy, warm metal body passing overhead.

One of these lumps was under a flickering streetlight: it looked like a sort of dog- perhaps a jackal, at one point, but no longer. A wire was wrapped tight around its neck and something had left its ribcage open and empty.

The car passed by, leaving the sad little body to lie alone on the sidewalk. The streetlight flickered, and then shut off. The sky was beginning to turn blue-gray; soon the sun would rise.

Inside this car, which drove so smoothly and surely over the cracked asphalt, was a wild dog who did not know where he was going.

He was not the only one in the car. In the front seat there were two adult hulkers (though they might have preferred to be called human) and two children (though the wild dog preferred to call them puppies). The boy had fallen asleep, though there were tears still on his cheeks. The girl was turned around and had hooked her fingers through the chain-link barrier that divided the front and back of the car.

Mhumhi, she said, staring at the wild dog.

Mhumhi nuzzled her fingers best he could through the barrier that separated them, though he was swaying on his feet as the car's motion rocked him from side to side. Beside where he was standing, curled up against the door on the opposite side, was a large hyena with a muzzle on. It appeared to be asleep.

Mhumhi wished he could share the hyena's tranquility; the uncertainty mixed with the movement of the car was making his stomach turn over. He licked his lips and looked at the girl.

It'll be all right, Maha, he told her, very softly, wishing that he could sound surer about it.

The hulker that was holding the sleeping boy turned her head back slightly to gaze at him with one white-ringed eye. Mhumhi swallowed. He did not know whether or not they understood the language he was speaking, which was called Dog; Maha had been able to communicate with them before in the hulker language.

The hulker that was driving turned the wheel, and Mhumhi staggered a little as the car changed direction. Maha made a soft sound.

Maybe you should sit down, she whispered.

Mhumhi steadied himself.

They have to stop sometime, he murmured. Food, water... there isn't any in here, so they have to stop sometime and get out. When they do...

What if they won't let go of Tareq? Maha glanced at the little boy, still fast asleep in a stranger's arms. What if... She bit her lip and fell silent.

I won't let them hurt you, he said- a feeble thing to say, trapped in the backseat as he was.

I'm frightened, she said, and then muffled a sob with her hand.

Don't be, said Mhumhi. If they hurt you, I'll kill them.

No, she said, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand. I'm frightened for you, Mhumhi, what if they kill you and- and eat you?

They can't, Mhumhi said, though it was not as if the awful thought had not occurred to him. The last time he had met an adult hulker, it had been keeping the body of a red fox in its refrigerator.

Are they hyena-hulkers? Maha asked.

I don't think so, said Mhumhi. They look like normal hulkers, don't they? The hyena hulkers were... different.

'Different' would be understating it. Most of the hyenas that had inexplicably poured into the city looked and behaved like ordinary animals, but a few had hulker body parts, and at least one had looked like a grinning, furry hulker.

Then why is that thing here? Maha was staring at the sleeping hyena.

Mhumhi had no guesses to offer her; it had bewildered him as well. He looked out the back window, vainly hoping to see some sign of his sister Kutta, but all he saw were empty city streets. She had been unable to keep up with the car, and her desperate whines still rang in his ears.

The buildings rose tall here, and were sleek and shining with solar panels- they must have been close to the very heart of the city. He wondered why no police had come up to investigate the car yet, when it was in the very heart of their territory, the place where the great pack of painted dogs reigned supreme. Perhaps the car was simply moving too fast. Before now he'd never even known cars could move in the first place.

Can you speak to them? he said, turning back to Maha. Ask them what they want.

I don't want to, said Maha. I hate them!

He licked her fingers again. Can you get them to speak to me?

I don't think they speak Dog, Maha said, and sniffled. Mhumhi had suspected it already, but his heart still sank. It would make things much more difficult if he couldn't try to reason with their captors.

At that moment there was a loud whooshing sound, and Mhumhi tensed and nearly fell off the seat again. There was concrete all around them, and yellowish light filled the car; they had entered a tunnel. The hyena put its head up, blinking sleepily.

Mhumhi, where are we going? asked Maha, gripping the fence.

I don't know, said Mhumhi. The only thing he could sense was that they were going down, down and down, rushing into a lair of concrete…

The car suddenly slowed and came to a stop. Mhumhi reared up against the chain-link barrier to try and see through the windshield- there was a gate ahead of them, with thick metal bars, and it was rising upwards to allow the car through.

Mhumhi gazed at the gate, as the car started to move once more: just as he feared, it rolled back down behind them.

The car went on a little ways, rushing through the featureless tunnel, until even Mhumhi felt himself getting a little heavy-eyed. Maha's forehead knocked against the chain-link, and she looked at him with half-lidded eyes as the car jostled from side to side.

Suddenly the light changed around them from dull yellow to blinding. Maha jerked her head up, while Mhumhi flinched, blinking. They had entered what seemed to be a massive concrete dome, with innumerable cars just like the one they were riding in parked in rows.

The car slowed to a stop. The two adult hulkers exchanged a few sharp words, then the one holding Tareq opened the door and got out. Tareq woke with a sleepy whine, his small hands clutching at the air, at the hulker's long hair. Mhumhi pushed his nose against the chain-link, heart hammering, and gave a very soft growl.

The other hulker glanced at him, then grabbed Maha around the waist and tugged her out. She grabbed the door handle, struggling, but the hulker prized her off and slammed the door shut. Her desperate shouts grew muffled.

Mhumhi found himself alone in the car with the hyena. It had woken up and was looking around, its plastic muzzle knocking into the window. He leaned forward and nipped it on the flank, making it squeal and scramble down into the depression below the seat.

Mhumhi stood up against the window in the hyena's absence. He could see that a great many more hulkers had shown up; some were grappling with Maha, who was still struggling, and one was still holding a weeping Tareq. He heard their voices all rising, though the noise was muted inside the car, and he couldn't understand their words anyway.

One pointed to him and suddenly they came crowding close around the window, peering in, some shading their eyes. He put his ears back and wrinkled his lips up.

Maha was saying something indistinct, but the other hulkers seemed to be talking loudly over her. Mhumhi himself was tensed, not sure if he should try to escape the car or hunker down within it.

The hulkers eventually seemed to reach some consensus, for the crowd parted and one came forward, clutching something long and metal. The door opened a crack, and sliding in came a long catch-pole with a loop of thin rope around the end. It worked its way forward towards Mhumhi’s neck.

If they thought he was stupid enough to fall for the same thing twice, they had another thing coming. Mhumhi ducked around the loop and grabbed the pole itself, feeling the thin metal dent beneath his teeth. He thrust forward, and felt the hulker give way with a cry. The car door swung open, and Mhumhi leapt out.

The hulkers fell back away from him with yelps and shouts. Mhumhi zigzagged through them, inhaling deeply- there, there were Maha and Tareq, being herded away by three hulkers near the white concrete wall.

Mhumhi! shrieked Maha, and she broke away from her captors and stumbled towards him. Mhumhi ran into her arms, even as the hulkers around them shouted.

She held him tight around the neck, pressing her face into his fur, while Mhumhi looked around her and growled.

Dog! came a high cry, and to Mhumhi's surprise Tareq toddled through the crowd of legs and grabbed the edge of one of his round ears.

Mhumhi winced- both of them were sort of hurting him- but left his teeth exposed and his tail raised high, the tip curling over his back to make a white flag. The assembled hulkers were looking at one another and murmuring.

There was a guttural whine, and the crowd parted enough for Mhumhi to see the hyena jumping out of the car. A hulker was leading it by the neck with another one of those catch-poles, and it was going along compliantly.

Let's get away, Mhumhi said, or started to say, when there was suddenly there came a loud crack and with it a sharp stabbing prick at his left shoulder. He jerked.

No! cried Maha, and let go of him to yank something out of his shoulder. He blinked at it: it was a small metal thing with a sharp point. How had that got there?

They shot you! said Maha, wrapping her arms back around him, covering the wounded area with her body. The metal thing fell to the concrete floor and Tareq kicked it clumsily away.

Don't cry, Mhumhi urged, seeing her eyes moistening, though he was a little shaken. It doesn't even hurt. Look, they're all frightened of us, I think we can get away...

Indeed, all the hulkers were now all backing away from the three of them, giving them a wide berth. They were all queerly quiet, too, just staring. The hyena was staring, too, from behind its muzzle. Mhumhi swallowed.

Let's start walking up the tunnel together... slowly...

He took a step forward, and then something odd happened: his foreleg bent forward too far, and he would have staggered without Maha's firm grip on him.

Mhumhi? Are you all right?

I'm fine, he said, blinking. He felt sick to his stomach, perhaps from the car ride? But every time he blinked, he saw spots...

Dog! cried Tareq, tugging hard on his ear. Dog! Don't go sleep!

I'm not... said Mhumhi. His jaws felt weak, and his tongue came hanging out, drool dripping onto the concrete. It was hard to talk... Maha was saying something, struggling to hold him up on his feet, but he had no strength... no strength left...

I'm fine, he said, voice slurred, but somehow he had ended up on his side on the ground, and he was watching hulkers grabbing his puppies. Maha was kicking and fighting, and he saw her sink her teeth into the arm of the one holding her, and that throbbing sound in his ears... was that Tareq screaming?

Suddenly he surged to his feet, or tried to, except he only got as far as his forelegs. He tottered forward, back legs dragging, to try to get to Maha's panicked face.

His ears rang, and his shoulder hit the concrete. He saw a hand reaching for him; then everything seemed to go gray and frozen.

2

The Hall of Hyenas

Everything was gray.

Mhumhi stared at the grayness for some time before realizing it was a wall. Slowly he became aware of the pounding pain in his head, the sting from the innumerable small bite marks on his legs, and the reawakened ache of the old wound on his back leg.

With some effort he managed to raise his head. He was no longer in the massive concrete dome with the cars; instead he seemed to be in a tiny concrete room, with three walls and a barred gate. There was a lumpy sort of cushion and a basin of water.

It all smelled strongly of hyena.

That was the realization that made him finally force himself to his feet, wobbling a little as he did. It reeked of hyena, everything in this room, and beyond… He stepped forward and looked through the bars.

He was greeted with innumerable giggles as he did, and he beheld a most terrible sight: a row of cells across from him, and a hyena pacing inside every one, laughing in their nervous way under his gaze. From the sounds on either side of him he could guess he was in the same sort of row, and the room seemed to stretch on for ever and ever, innumerable pacing, whining, laughing hyenas, and himself, gray concrete and harsh florescent lighting and the smell of fear.

Mhumhi backed up, back and back, and bumped into the wall. The hyena directly across from him was not pacing; it was huddled in the back corner of its own cell, hunched with its mouth open. It rolled its eyes towards Mhumhi and he saw the whites.

Mhumhi himself began to tremble, and he shut his eyes. He sank down onto the tattered cushion and put his head into it, longing again to shut his ears, his sense of smell, his own knowledge that he was in this place.

The hyena across from him moaned. He had to open his eyes again, and saw that it had pressed its head into the corner. It yawned, showing all of its fearsome teeth, and shuddered.

Mhumhi crouched on the pillow and watched it for a little while, but it did not do much else, just rocked and bumped its head against the wall and yawned. The whining and giggling all around was ceaseless, and every now and again he would hear a metallic banging, as if someone had upended their water dish.

The hyena across from him drooled, staring into space. Mhumhi rose to his feet and shook himself, trying to restore feeling into his numbed limbs. This place had a madness in it that was creeping in at him from all sides, threatening to wash over him. He had to escape, escape now.

He approached the door again, his instincts jangling. The hyenas in the opposite row seemed to get excited, rushing to their own doors, all except his neighbor from across the way, who stayed huddled in his corner. Mhumhi did his best to calm his heart and ignore them; if his door was secure, at least it meant that theirs must be too.

He reared up to sniff the door lock, his paws slipping slightly on the tarnished bars. It was a sort of handle set on the outside, not really a real lock. His also had string around it, which was odd, because he didn't see any on any of the hyenas' doors. It was tying his handle down to the bars, preventing it from being lifted up.

He stuck his nose through the bars and managed to nip at a bit of it. All it took was a bit of tugging and wriggling his head from side to side before the fibers separated. He tugged the string off of the handle and spat it out; then went to the real work- pushing up the handle through the bars. His muzzle was too thick to reach it, though he worked it from side to side, flicking his tongue out and snorting. The hyenas giggled anxiously as they watched him.

He withdrew his nose, wrinkling it, and thrust one forepaw through the bars instead, trying to aim it like a hulker would. With a great deal of straining he finally managed to lift up the handle and his door clicked open. The hyenas around him hopped and yowled, bobbing their heads up and down. He took it as congratulations.

It was hard to walk out into that corridor all the same, but he made himself do it, stumbling over the narrow metal grate that covered the middle. The hyenas all seemed to go mad as he passed them, some of them slamming themselves against the gates, some thrashing mindlessly in place, jerking back and forth, seeming helpless to stop themselves. The noise level rose to a cacophony. Mhumhi found himself running, running through all of them down the long hall to the distant white door gleaming at one end.

It had a handle like the door at his old home, one you could depress, and Mhumhi felt a sort of flutter in his chest as he jumped up to put his paws on it.

The door opened and led him out into another hallway, and the shrieks and moans of the hyenas vanished entirely as the it swung shut behind him.

He stood there a moment to catch his breath and to quiet his heart. It felt like a different world out here, with even the scent of hyena missing: there was only a kind of acrid, bitter tang in the air that made his tongue curl inside his mouth. The floor was carpeted, the walls concrete- but not barren. He was reminded of the brightly-colored papers he'd once seen hanging up inside a school: these walls were plastered with them, all kinds of colors and shapes and dark squiggles.

The brightness seemed odd, out of place in the harsh utilitarian interior of the tunnel (for it had to be a tunnel, like the sewers, since the car had driven downwards for so long), especially with the acrid air and the humming sound of machinery floating in the background. Mhumhi wondered if it was supposed to be some kind of distraction.

He took a breath, then looked from side to side- and realized he was not alone. On his left were a group of hulkers, all huddled against the wall and staring at him with terrified eyes.

He wavered with indecision for a moment, then took a gamble: he shouted, Take me to where Maha is!

This of course did nothing- they merely stared at him, eyes wide, and huddled closer together. Mhumhi decided it would be best to avoid any more mysterious, sleep-inducing pinpricks if he could, and ran the other way.

When he turned the corner he found yet another hallway, with more plastered brightness on the walls, and many doors. He could not help but wonder if there were more cells with hyenas in them behind each one and suppressed a shudder. He had to get his bearings here. He had no idea how large the system of tunnels was, or how many hulkers there were, or whether or not there were also any hyenas running around loose- most of all, he had no idea where they would have taken Maha and Tareq.

He slowed down and put his nose to the dull brown carpet to try and catch their scent- anything, even the faintest impression of them- but his nose only filled with bitterness and a myriad of unfamiliar hulkers.

He turned an ear back- there were more hulkers trotting down the hall towards him. He wheeled around and set off down yet another hallway, going at an easy lope. They couldn't hope to catch him on their stumping great legs. He kept his nostrils flared, hoping, but could detect no trace of either puppy.

Hallway after hallway, passing frightened hulkers who pressed themselves against the walls and squealed; more colors, more papers, more shapes, more covering up of the tedious concrete. Doors, doors, and more doors too; could it all be more hyenas? Or was it where these strange hulkers made their homes? He had never seen this many hulkers before- alive and free! His pace slowed.

If the police ever learned of this place... He recalled the terrible hulker hunt he'd seen at big park- the hunt he'd participated in- and swallowed. It would simply be a massacre.

He did not dwell on it long. As he passed a junction, more hulkers suddenly emerged, these ones seeming quite determined. They had long metal catch-poles in their hands.

Mhumhi sped up and flew past them, skidding around the next corner, jumping down a step and onto a hall paved with linoleum. His claws ticked loudly, and a male hulker that had been walking in his direction looked up and dove to one side with a bellow of fear. He could hear answering shouts from the hulkers far behind him

He whipped around the next corner and smelled something familiar, though it wasn't Maha or Tareq. He spotted a door with a recognizable symbol on it and decided to take a chance, shoving at it with his shoulder until there was enough space for him to slip through. It swung quietly shut behind him, and a few moments later he heard his pursuers noisily pass him by.

Mhumhi breathed out and looked at his new surroundings. He was in a bathroom, much like the public restroom he'd once encountered a gray wolf in: many stalls and toilets, with a counter supporting a bank of sinks. He took a moment to pant and recover his breath, than leapt up onto the sinks and turned one on for a drink of water.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he lapped at the thin stream of cool water. The last time he had seen his entire reflection, he had been somewhat fatter, and less tattered. The scar on his leg from when he'd been caught in a snare was grey and raw, and there was still dried blood on his muzzle from an encounter with savage foxes. His past self would have been scared to death by the reflection of this hungry, grizzled-looking dog.

At least this time there would be no wolves in the stalls.

Even as he allowed himself this wry thought, in the reflection he saw a stall door move behind him. Mhumhi froze, the cold water trickling down the sides of his muzzle.

There came a loud flush, and out stepped a hulker, a young-looking male, tugging up his lower coverings with both hands. He looked at the mirror and stared directly at Mhumhi's reflection, confusion clouding his features.

Mhumhi stared back through the glass for a moment, not really knowing what to do. The water was still trickling loudly from the sink, and he reached out his paw to push it off.

This action seemed to make the young hulker's eyes bulge out of his head, and he fell back against the wall with a very loud gasp.

Mhumhi turned and jumped off the counter, sensing little danger from this one. He seemed too young and frightened. He decided to try to be gentle.

I won't harm you, he said. Do you know where they've taken the two puppies- children?

The hulker merely stared at him, chest fluttering, and put a hand over his mouth. Mhumhi stepped a little closer, and he squeaked.

It's all right, that's all right, said Mhumhi, backing up a step or two. Don't scream now-

The hulker made another muffled squealing noise, and put his other hand over his mouth as well.

This was pointless; the thing clearly didn't understand him, and the longer he stayed, the more terrified it was going to get. He gave the hulker a polite berth, wagging his tail a little, and jumped against the door. But here he encountered another problem- the door seemed to only swing inwards, and the handle was a vertical rung of metal, hard for Mhumhi's teeth to grip. He took a couple tries at it, twisting his head, then in frustration looked back at the hulker, which hadn't moved.

I know you can't understand me, he said, but it would be wonderful if you could just open this door for me. Really.

The hulker gazed at him from behind his hands. Mhumhi alternated his glance between him and the door, trying to be more pointed with each look. The hulker gazed at him stupidly, then it put one hand down and tried to push itself up.

Yes, yes, did you get it? Mhumhi asked, giving a little bounce and wagging his tail, and the hulker slipped and fell with a whimper.

Sorry, said Mhumhi, backing away hastily. The hulker gave him a wide-eyed look and slowly got to his feet, moving jerkily towards the door. He pulled it wide open.

"Thank you," said Mhumhi, looking up at him and wagging his tail fervently, hoping he would get the message. He trotted through the open door and back down the now-empty hallway, sparing a glance back: the hulker had slid down the outside of the door back onto his rump, and was staring at the ceiling.

That had certainly been an interesting encounter, Mhumhi was just thinking to himself, as he turned the corner. Then he gave a sharp yelp- something heavy had flown into him and knocked him flat.

It was braided rope, a net, all snarled around him as he twisted desperately underneath it. There were hulkers coming at him from both sides at a run- some had poles and some had metal things in their hands. Mhumhi felt a fresh surge of panic and thrashed even more, but he could gain no purchase against the heavy fibers, and his paws had already become snarled in the thing. He slipped and fell on his side.

Someone tugged on the net, dragging him against the concrete, and Mhumhi let out a hoarse growl. It was useless, he was trapped, they were going to take him to that awful hyena room again, or worse-

Pounding footsteps approached, and then he saw his hulker friend from the bathroom staring down at him, wide-eyed and out of breath, then a female hulker voice started speaking loudly, giving commands. Hard hulker fingers grabbed at his body, pushing him down and holding his straining body immobile underneath the net.

Someone pulled part of the net back, freeing his head, and he waved his open jaws back and forth, a feeble warning. A loop slipped around his neck, then another, and then- most horrifying- he saw a hulker approaching him with something plastic in her hands. It was a muzzle, like the one the hyena had been wearing.

At this he struggled and growled and whined, nearly pleading, but they were holding him down too tightly- too tightly- the female hulker pushed it roughly over his snapping jaws and fastened it together over his head and behind his ears.

She let go and he shook his head, vainly trying to dislodge it. It was clearly made for a larger animal, for it chafed and wiggled, but it stayed firmly over his snout, filling his mouth with his own hot, panicked breath.

The female hulker said something, and Mhumhi was lifted up, his neck still held by the two loops, and the net was pulled away. Suddenly his own feet were underneath him again.

Mhumhi took a moment to understand his situation, shaking a bit, feeling the dual pressure around his neck and that awful heavy weight around his muzzle. He raised a paw to scratch at it and the pressure around his neck tightened.

The female hulker said something, and the ones holding the poles pulled forward, forcing him to walk or be dragged between them. He twisted fruitlessly, then gave in.

They marched him forcibly back down the hall. He panted heavily through the muzzle, his fur growing moist and hot, and risked a glance backwards. The young male hulker was still trailing behind the group, as wide-eyed as ever.

The lead hulker threw open a door, and Mhumhi whined and pulled back. The room beyond smelled strongly of hyena, and had cages everywhere, and shiny metal tables. He thrashed, fear filling him- he did not want to go in there. It reminded him too much of the building on silent street, where there had been an unlocked cage with quiet bones inside.

But they dragged him inside anyway.

3

Our Brothers and Sisters

There had been another hulker in the room, and she jumped up when they all piled in with the shivering Mhumhi caught in the center of it all, and jabbered away in the hulker language. Several of them replied to her at once, waving their hands around; meanwhile Mhumhi tried to catch his breath and shut his eyes.

Someone put their hand on his back and he growled, raising his head to try to look over his shoulder. It had been the young male, who was now hastily retreating.

The other hulkers were still yammering away, getting quite loud and forceful sounding, and several fingers kept pointing towards him. The hulker who had muzzled him seemed quite put out and kept making violent slashing motions with her hand. The other female sat down and put both hands against her forehead. It seemed an ultimatum had been reached.

The room got quiet, and Mhumhi realized that all of them were sort of subtly stepping away from him. He looked up and met the gaze of the female that was sitting down. She was still supporting her head in her hands, and looked very weary.

Can you understand me? she asked.

He stared at her.

She turned her head and said something, flicking her hand, and the babble began again. Mhumhi's brain suddenly caught up with him, and he jerked forward involuntarily.

Yes! Yes, I under-

He stopped, choking and gagging, for his movement had made the hulkers on either side of him pull their poles taut.

The seated hulker's eyes were very wide, and the room had gone quite silent again. The other female asked something sharp-sounding.

The seated one replied slowly. Mhumhi was breathing heavily, watching the exchange, his chest heaving. He spoke again.

Why have you done this? Where are Maha and Tareq? How long have you been able to-

The seated hulker drew back in alarm, and Mhumhi felt the loops around his neck tightening again, and he whined.

Let me speak!

The standing female said a few rapid words, and the pressure on his neck eased. The seated one swallowed, looking a bit lost.

You… really… understand?

Of course I do, he said, feeling anger rising up in him. She was speaking Dog- albeit a heavily accented version. "Can you not understand me?"

She blinked and swallowed again. I… understand you.

Then tell me where Maha and Tareq are!

She opened her mouth, but the other one asked another unintelligible question, and she turned her head to reply.

"No! Speak to me! Tell me where they are! They are my brother and sister- puppies! Tell me where they are!"

He gave a frustrated thrash, and the pole-bearers shouted and pulled him tight. Both females put their hands out and started jabbering