Elann joked and Noah laughed, it was but a two-part chuckle, but it was his. His smile remained as he spoke, “You can’t learn to swim in a puddle,” he pointed out cheerily. “Maybe we should just throw you out into the ocean.” 

He was kidding but the idea, the image in his mind alone, made him smile all the more. Noah learned the swim in the ocean near the wharfs with the aid of his two brothers. He had no choice but to learn if he wanted to hang out with them when they were younger; anything they did, he did too, and more sometimes just to show he could make his own fun, his own way, as well.

Elann explained the would-be chicken situation to him, saying he could do what he wanted with them so long as he didn’t kill below the minimum number of adult chickens Elann would set. He found it funny still that she had to specify they had to be adult chickens. Noah did get devious ideas of leaving just chicks in the steads of chickens just to get around Elann’s rule. He was a predator, he had to be smart to get what he wanted.

“Okay,” he agreed. Elann’s terms weren’t difficult to agree to, it would be showing restraint when he had a particular taste for poultry that would be hard.

For an avian Noah ate an awful lot of other avians.  Aimee had called him a cannibal, and he saw the irony in it, but chasing another bird was often more entertaining than going after a quick moving hare or squirrel.

After agreeing with Elann, he drew quiet and settled into the rocking of the wagon. It wasn’t hard to hear the creaking of the entire caravan’s cars but it had become but a background noise after their weeks on the road. There were only two more weeks left and he was getting anxious to see Zeltiva again. Talking with Elann about it only made him more excited for his hometown, to show Elann the city he adored and missed, the coastal city with tightly woven rooftops, a maze of roads and alleyways, a great amount of people, and the holder of his childhood.

He was also enjoying the moment with her there, thankful that the scare Elann gave him because of the drawing didn’t actually turn into a disagreement. On the contrary, it turned into something of a compromise, him agreeing to another set of Elann’s terms without much hesitation. Noah knew what he would and wouldn’t do against her, knowing she wouldn’t have to worry about him being unfaithful or becoming blindingly drunk.

Noah nuzzled into her cool hand, letting the moment further deafen him to the sound of the wagon wheels going around and around. The sound was almost soothing now, something akin to rain coming down just outside of the window. It was far from a quiet shooshing, he had just been so conditioned to it by this point it didn’t seem to matter. He pressed down a bit, kissing Elann on the top of her head. She had still made him tired and now that they were lulling away he didn’t mind falling asleep then and there for a nap.

“Do you want to lie down?” he asked, nodding to the bed of rugs she made.