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The walk that we took was easy enough. As always I moved slowly, not one to stress my aging form than I needed to and bogged down by the immeasurable weight of my hair. It was beginning to get tangled, but that was a problem for another day.
Johnny, the boy, was a delight. He was strange to be sure but his enthusiasm, now that his verbiage was all sorted out and proper, was simply infectious. I watched him bounce along, remembering the youth I had once had and lost. Then again, even at his age I don't think I'd ever been so carefree.
Now, I was too old to be envious. But I wanted him and wondered if I could be made to be like him, to live out a life of such boundless joy. He spoke with joy of his role as a weaver, and my ears perked up at the thought of it. A role... a role in the herd. I smiled at him kindly, lifting my knees high and looking down upon his smaller but stockier form.
"I'm afraid I wasn't given much introduction to the ranks, here. My welcoming was a bit..." I reflected, searched for the words to describe the painfully obnoxious interaction at the herd's gate, and went on "...well, a bit rushed."
A smile, a flick of the tail, another step forward. Nothing but a white lie, nothing but something to keep him happy. It was nice to entertain him, he was acting as if he didn't get much company. I was flattered by his excitement at mine, too. And he was childlike, I needed something to mother in my life.
So when he mentioned his own rank, and I thought of the idea of working with him--sugary, no threat, and kinder than any other I'd encountered here--that was enough to make me want to learn more. Sure, there was the attraction of having something to occupy my mind, but I wondered if Johnny here didn't need that, too.
"Your rank, though, you've intrigued me. Could you tell me more?" I asked gently, nudging my nose towards him without touching in something that was as close as I would get to kindness.
""
Those Days Are Gone
image credits@Johnny
