Zoo (Aly/Nawat)

The day that Aly took Nawat to the Royal Zoo was a day that everyone remembered.

Nawat insisted on talking to every creature that was there, on testing their food, their water and how they were treated. It reminded Aly of taking a walk with her Aunt Daine, who done exactly the same thing.

She wondered, while Nawat was busy conversing with a Tortallian Squirrel, how Nawat and Daine would get along if they ever met – Nawat, being part crow, and Daine, being part everything else. She supposed that they would either get along tremendously, and she would have to claw Nawat away from her, or that they would hate each other, in which would result in an awkward silence.

Nawat moved along, and Aly did too.

Daine got along with everyone – why would Nawat be any different? Onua, the Riders Horse-mistress, was horse-hearted, as was Stephan. Perhaps Nawat was like that – Crow-hearted. Except for the feathers under his skin, his tendency to eat anything bug-like and his natural craving for sparkly or shiny objects.

Daine wasn't like that.

Daine was, well, a normal human. She didn't eat bugs, nor crave sparkly's (Any more then a normal woman does) and her skin was perfectly normal.

Aly was so wrapped up in her thoughts that Nawat had to peck her cheek for her to look at him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Who is this Daine I keep hearing about? All of your Tortallian animals keep saying that I sound like Daine, but not like Daine. Who is Daine? Was she once an animal like me?"

Aly smiled. Only Nawat could ask something as simple, that could only be answered difficulty.

"Nawat, you know how some of your flock change from being crow to being human?" Nawat nodded eagerly. "Well, Daine, though she was born human, can change into any animal – except an immortal – and can talk to any animal."

Nawat looked at her as if she had a purple ear.

"So, she is a god? A goddess?"

"A demi-goddess, in her own right. But she is just Aunt Daine to me."

"And she has a whole Zoo inside her?" He asked her seriously.

Aly laughed at this. "Something like that, Nawat."

"I would very much like to meet this Aunt Daine."

Aly smiled. "It would definitely be interesting." She replied.