[Center][H2][color=slategray]Athulwin[/color][/h2][/center]

Oh, by Frowen, there are [i]two[/i] of them. Athulwin can't keep the grimace from his face when a second fox-human eases his way out into the open. [i]They come from a fallen star,[/i] Athulwin's internal monologue thinks in a tone of awe. [i]How many others fell with them?[/i] He manages to keep the word 'invasion' out of his mind, but only just. They look too shaken for that. She- the woman- looks too upset. 

This is... what, a horrible accident? Athulwin does not know what sort of obscene travel there must be between the stars for such a thing to happen. The universe feels seems suddenly larger than before, at that thought, and Athulwin feels strangely smaller.

The other fox-human has less tails, down to the thankfully normal number of just one. He's a he. He's, to Athulwin's eyes, attractive. Athulwin finds that irrationally annoying. He won't let his thoughts become so muddled now.

The woman looks back at the other fox, too, who is standing behind her now, and something silent seems to pass between them. Encouragement? They truly are worried. "Fu-mi-ko," she speaks, motioning at herself.

Athulwin gets it. He returns in kind. "Ath-ul-win." His hand to his chest. Almost by instinct he wants to introduce himself as 'Navigator,' that title that's morphed into part of his name through the years, but he knows that would be quite silly.

The fox, Fumiko, signs frustration at the fallen star. Her hands thrown up into the air, just like a pilgrim whose caravan has a broken wagon wheel trying to let everyone else know that he's as upset about the hold-up as they are. He guesses it to have the same meaning. They're stuck.

Athulwin sighs. He took an oath. He won't allow himself to defy it even for whatever insane, unknowable circumstances brought these two creatures to his doorstep. If they are drifters, if they need help and have no other place...

He tells Malleck and the others, in the common tongue, to let the strangers come along with them. He signs to 'Fumiko' and the other to follow him. The not-Beyonders will be brought back to the Caravan.