[Jaykobell]

"Um..." Bug stepped out from behind Greyson as he mumbled the sound. It had been spoken in part to get everyone's attention, but also to try and give him time to figure out what to say next. "Um, so... Do you..." he said hesitantly, struggling to maintain eye contact with the Akail — or, well, whatever facial contact they could maintain together, considering the Akail didn't have eyes. Not eyes that the Dalma could see, anyway. "Do you have a name?" he finally managed to ask.

The Akail stared in silence at the question. It tilted its head curiously. Finally, it looked down. "No."

[Jaykobell]

Bug blinked sadly at the Akail. "No?"

The Akail shook its head. "No one ever gave me one," it explained dryly. It was a fact, and nothing more. But since the Dalma seemed sad and concerned over it, it wondered if maybe they, unlike it, had names. "But... do you?"

Bug nodded slowly when the Akail asked. "Uh-huh. My name is Bug," he answered, and he stepped forward to stand next to Greyson. "And this is my friend Greyson," he introduced, the other Dalma still a little on edge.

[Jaykobell]

The Akail listened carefully, taking in the sounds and the names. "Bug," it repeated slowly, its tail moving about lazily as it spoke. "Greyson," it echoed, taking in both names. "Bug and Greyson."

Bug smiled when it seemed to pick up on the names so easily. "Uh-huh!" he praised, nodding at the effort. "And we're both called a Dalma," he explained further. Maybe the Akail was just scared because it didn't know very much. Maybe whoever had created it hadn't taught it much at all before releasing it into the wild.

[Jaykobell]

When the Akail stared in silence at the name of their species, Bug had a feeling he had hit the nail on the head. "Have you ever heard of Dalma?" he asked the Akail, tilting his head curiously to the side. He hoped it would come across as a gesture of curiosity and encouragement for the Akail to inquire further, if it so wanted to.

Slowly, it shook its head. "No," it admitted. "I don't know what a 'Dalma' is." It looked over the two dalmatian-like animals curiously. "Well, I assume it's what you are," it clarified, "but I don't know more than that."

[Jaykobell]

"Dalma are canines like Greyson and I!" Bug explained, and he seemed a lot more comfortable now that it had been established that the Akail was scared, and lost, and just didn't know where it was, or what most anything was. And in a way, Bug sort of saw himself in this Akail. "We come in all sorts of colors and spots."

Greyson, who had been somewhat weary, spoke for the first time since the Akail's outburst. "Well, we're all white, with a ribbon," he clarified. "But the spots can be in any kind of pattern."

The Akail, who was now engrossed in the explanation, stared with its mouth open just a little bit. "Huh," it muttered curiously, taking in all this information.

[Pet Found]

[Jaykobell]

Bug was pleasantly surprised by Greyson's willingness to try and explain Dalma to this strange Akail, despite the previous outburst. He was glad; maybe if they thought it what they knew, it wouldn't feel so scared and alone.

The Akail tilted its head curiously as it observed the two Dalma. "But you're the same color," it pointed out.

Bug nodded. "Oh, Greyson and I are both black and white," he confirmed, "but some Dalma have spots that aren't black!"

[Jaykobell]

The Akail looked baffled by the information, as if it couldn't quite imagine that possibility considering what it had seen so far. But regardless of its struggle, it didn't question Bug's statement. "Do Dalma live... here?" it asked, and it looked around, as if to motion to the forest around them.

Bug shook his head. "Oh, no," he answered. "Dalma don't live here," he explained, but a hint of hesitation edged his voice. "Or, well... Maybe some live here, but most live in cities, with humans."

[Jaykobell]

Something about what Bug had said made the Akail react. It tensed, and froze, and looked onward as if in a daze. Of course, as much as Bug and Greyson could tell looking at that eyeless face the Akail had. "Cities... Humans..." it repeated like a broken record, whispering the words like they were important and full of meaning, even for it.

Bug blinked, and he tilted his head. Greyson frowned a little, although it was hard to tell if it was from anger or concern.

[Jaykobell]

The Akail did this for a little bit. Meanwhile, the two Dalma simply glanced at each other, Bug looking positively concerned, and Greyson looking concerned as well, but not quite for the same reasons. Despite their exchanges, the Akail was lost in its own bubble, mumbling the words to itself as if the Dalma weren't here.

"Do you think... it's okay?" Bug whispered to Greyson, edging closer to his companion.

Greyson groaned softly. "I have no idea. I can't tell what its deal even is."

[Jaykobell]

The two Dalma gave the Akail a bit more time to figure itself out, but when it said nothing more, Bug tried to snap it out of its daze. "Um," he mumbled in an attempt to get its attention, "what are you up to? Do those words mean something to you?" he asked. "It sounds like they do."

Suddenly, the Akail stopped mumbling. It slowly turned its hard to stare right back at Bug. "I think so," it admitted distractedly.

[Jaykobell]

"Like what?" Greyson asked. It was all fine and dandy to try and help this random Akail find itself, but Bug had to remember that the two of them were on a mission, and on a journey. They couldn't stay in this forest forever. They needed to get out, and to find the wild group of Dalma.

The Akail turned its head toward Greyson, just as slowly as it had done to face Bug. "I'm not sure," it admitted, once again distractedly.

[Jaykobell]

Seeing as the Akail had no idea what it needed, or what it wanted, or where to go, Greyson figured he would need to take the initiative. Bug certainly wouldn't be the one to cut this short. "Well, tell you what," he started to say, taking a step towards the Akail. "You're very close to the edge of the forest. If you go that way," he explained, flicking his tails, "you'll find a city close by."

Bug gasped. "But, Greyson..."

Meanwhile, the Akail tilted its head curiously, shifting its gaze to looked in the director Greyson had suggested.

[Jaykobell]

When the Akail didn't answer, Greyson frowned. "Maybe you'll find answers if you go to a town?" he voiced out loud, trying to tell an obvious answer to this Akail. It seemed capable of intelligence, but it just didn't seem to have much of it.

Bug still looked like he disagreed, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked from Greyson to the Akail.

The Akail looked uninterested in following that advice. "I don't want to go to a city," it admitted, and it almost looked like it shivered.

[Jaykobell]

Greyson held back a growl of frustration. He wasn't heartless: he didn't really want to leave this Akail on its own. At the same time, he and Bug had better things to do than babysit a wild creature they knew nothing about.

"Danger," the Akail suddenly added.

Greyson frowned with confusion. "Danger?" he echoed.

The Akail nodded. "In the city," it explained. "Danger in the city, and danger with humans," it elaborated, and even with that blank glass dome, it looked alarmed. "Danger."

[Jaykobell]

Greyson didn't know what to say. So that Akail didn't want to go to the city. Where to, then? And while it struggled to decide, it delayed Greyson and Bug in their own journey.

Bug, who had been pacing in place, looked up at the Akail. "Well..." he said quietly, "If you don't want to go to the city..." He hesitated for a second. "Why not come with us?"

Greyson gasped, and snapped his head towards Bug. "What?"

The Akail tilted its head, and it looked at Bug curiously. "Go... with you?"

[Pet Found]