Kiara blinked, watching him dart away. "What...just happened?"
Kit chuffed, curling up the way he usually did when preparing to sleep. "I think he said something about firewood," the dragon muttered.
The four children started, looking at the dragon curiously. Ras exclaimed something in Essyrni that Bibi translated for Kiara as, "He can talk!"
She laughed, realizing they had only heard him grumbling and growling translations at Eihmo'tei before. Their understanding of Common must have allowed them to realize what he was saying without him speaking directly to them, unlike with the Zerdani. "Yes, he can," she said, smiling. "Introduce yourself properly, Kit," she told him, patting his side as she wandered over to lay down in the curve of his body.
"Hello," the dragon grumbled at the children. They stared at him in awe for a moment, then murmured quiet "hello"s of their own, creeping toward them both slowly.
"Well, come on," Kiara urged, beckoning them closer. "It gets cold out here at night, and Kit's a good windbreaker." With smiles from Bibi, Tala, and Perryn and a grudging nod from Ras, they edged closer and spread out thin sleeping mats in the crescent of Kit's body.
Kiara yawned, arching her back in a stretch before settling down again. "You okay with first watch, Kit?" she murmured, already drifting. It had been another long day.
The dragon rumbled an affirmation, nudging her fondly with his nose. Kiara smiled and closed her eyes. "If Eihmo'tei isn't back soon...wake me. We'll need to go...find him..."
The soft breathing of the children sleeping surrounded her, lulling her into unconsciousness.