Lacking Humanity|Crescent Moon

Chapter Twenty-Five

Some had met Sage before, one being Ally, but she had received a demanding growl and stopped in her tracks.

"Ally." She whispered, looking up to her guard in the same pout as she used before. "I'm sorry, Luna, but Alpha's instructions were not to stop for anyone." Allison had smiled at Sage and shook her head.

"It's okay, Sage, we'll hang out later with Izzy. I promised to braid your hair remember?" An excited grin appeared instantly.

"We'll go swimming soon again, bye Sage!"

"Bye?" The words felt odd in her mouth, but Jack had sent that directly to his Alpha as she learned another interaction.

I believe the walkover is under ten minutes. Are you crawling?

Sir, I couldn't just drag her home. Ally invited her to go swimming and braid her hair. Girl stuff.

Remus would have to thank Ally for trying to normalize Sage's position, as well as having those seeing her as still being a she-wolf in help. He was indeed relieved to see Jackson returned to the meeting room without any further mention or problem.

Sage spent the day listening to Casey read to her. If anyone was going to help her start reading, it would be the little pup who kept at it and had access to all the beginner books.

"'B—b-i-g bear...R-run af—ter the ru-rubit.'"

"Rabbit, see that's a rabbit." Sage looked at the picture and dragged her two fingers to the illustration above the small little sentences she was getting for.

"'Big bear run after the rabbit'...Big Sage run after the rabbit." She hugged her brother further as she smiled down at the image. She would run after the rabbit. But Casey wanted to continue, and so he flipped to the next page. "'B-i-g bear...l-a-w—'"

"Claw."

"'...Claw s-sal-many.'" Casey pointed to the picture again. Each highlight had been to the sprouting fishes protruding from the water.

"'Salmon,' mama says we can have salmon soon. Do you like fish, Sagey?" Luke had narrowed his brow as he turned the corner. He hadn't been home all that long, but a soft smile found its way onto his face with ease.

It seems like only himself, Casey, and Ally were the ones to talk to Sage without catering to the conversation.

"Fish..." She perked her lips, feeling how it sounded on her tongue as she stared at the image. "Bear eats fish rabbit."

Fish rabbit, that's a good one.

Luke left the two talking about bears and fish as he washed off with a shower before he joined them, and almost instantly had the two smiled up to him.

"What's this about a fish rabbit?"

"Bear eats fish." Sage showed him, and he hummed along. Though his wolf craved to hold his sister, especially after what transpired last night.

"Show me what Casey's been teaching you, Sage." Casey scrambled out of his sister's hold to find her favorite book. And returned to her lap with a loud squeal.

Luke had caught a glimpse of it, one he knew all too well. Goodnight Moon.

He could swear to the Moon Goddess above that there wasn't a wolf on this earth that hasn't heard of the book before.

Or almost all of them had.

He held the book steady for Sage to take in the picture. Her creativity paired with her maturing motor skill. Showing an overall sign of improvement of adapting to the world around her.