To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what was going on.  I had no idea why this fish had drawn such an audience and that the egg she protected was so precious. I was much more concerned with the questions that ran through my head quickly and completely unfiltered. Did all fish talk? Why did everyone seem so excited to meet this particular fish? Was she a famous fish? What was a whale? Was that what was in that egg in the pond?  Did I need to eat a hazelnut to be smart like the mother fish and like mother back at home? The questions erupted like a flood, and were utterly overwhelming, but I diverted my attention onto the hazelnuts that the fish had spoken of. 

I carefully eyed the brown shell of one of the offending nuts, floating just before my nose. I reached out gently and plucked it from the water with my lips. What would mother say if she saw me now, trying to eat nuts with a fish in a pond so far from home? I held the nut between my teeth, utterly uncertain, and tried to slyly watch Dacianna (who's name I didn't know) eat her own hazelnut because she seemed a hundred times more skilled at eating such things.  I was surprised to see that she broke the shell open first and only at the insides.  Trying to do the same was a struggle, though.  I managed to get most of the shell stuck to my lips in an effort not to drop it back into mother fish's pool. The taste was...surprising...especially considering this was my first go at solid food.  I did my best not to make a face, since mother had already taught me such things were rood.  I didn't want to offend mother fish just because solid foods weren't really my forte yet.  I carefully rubbed my muzzle on my foreleg since I still hadn't bothered to stand, partly because I was tired, partly because I wasn't at all sure I could stand on the slippery rocks, and partly because I had a much better view of the action from down here. 

When the fish mentioned a game my silver eyes widened and I just couldn't suppress the shiver of excitement that seemed to start from deep inside.  "Oh, I love games!" exploded from my baby-lips before I managed to control the excitement.  Giving the others a properly abashed look, I clamped my lips shut.  It made me wish that Virga was here.  He liked games too. 

I listened intently to mother fish, but I only halfway understood her statements.  I did, however, understand the game enough to play along.  I spent the next few minutes pouring over the choices - words and images again exploding into colors and shapes in my mind.  I finally settled on what I thought was the most fun answer. I cleared my throat before speaking. "I pick the roo-ga-roo."  I paused.  That didn't sound right. "Uh. The rug-goo-roo!" I paused again, this time my tongue peeking out of my lips in concentration. "I pick the scary monkey one!" I managed, making all the words work and pride overwhelmed me as I was sure the fish would understand me! With a triumphant nod, since I'm proud of my choice, I offer a simle to the mother fish hoping that I picked the right choice.