The rest of the ride home was dotted with excited Nekonian chatter as the little one looked out the multiple windows of the truck, almost climbing over Kyle to try to look out the driver's side window. He chuckled as he raised his arm, blocking her access to his lap. Fiora spoke quickly in their native tongue and grabbed her, returning her to her seat. She calmed down as the truck turned onto the residential street and the houses of the neighborhood came into view.
The area Kyle lived in was sparsely populated with houses, each one sitting on several acres of land. As he pulled into the driveway of her new home, the little Neko's eyes went wide. She turned to Fiora and Kyle assumed from the pitch, asked a question. Fiora smiled and answered her, pointing over to Kyle. The little one turned around, her eyes still wide with wonder and smiled at Kyle before leaning over and giving him a hug as strong as her little body could muster. She looked up at him, speaking Nekonian again, as she let him go. Kyle raised his eyes questioningly to Fiora.
"She says she is happy with her new home and wished to express her gratitude." Fiora said, still smiling. A single tear hung in the corner of her left eye but the smile reached up and kept the tear from falling.
"Well, then I'm glad that you are happy with it, little one." He said, looking back down at the small Neko.
A questioning look shot across his face for a moment and then he asked, "Can you understand me?"
The little one nodded.
"Can you just not speak English yet?"
The little Neko scrunched up her face for a minute, thinking, then said, "I. Not. Learn. Human. Much."
She smiled again as she finished speaking. Kyle laughed lightly and opened the door, getting out of the truck. Fiora followed suit on the opposite side, calling her sister out of the same side as she went to follow Kyle out. Kyle watched carefully before shutting his door, making sure that Fiora had her attention and she hadn't followed him.
The little one hopped down onto the grass and giggled, wiggling her toes in the soft grass. She looked up to Fiora and once again, asked her a question as Kyle made his way around the back of the truck. He unclipped Fiora's leash and shackles and then removed the leash and collar from the little Neko as well. Fiora unclipped her collar and threw it in the back of the truck as Kyle threw the other parts in as well.
"Kyle." Fiora said, gaining his attention. "She wants to know if she can run around the yard."
Kyle smiled down at the little Neko, her face half-turned down and her eyes cast up at him. "I don't see why not. At least for a little while. I'd like to show you your new room."
The little one smiled happily and ran off, jumping around and rolling in the grass. Her playful demeanor and laughs brought a smile to Kyle's face again as he watched her.
"Thank you, master." Fiora said to him, breaking him away from watching the Neko play.
"No need to thank me. She needs a home too, Fiora." He said, nodding in the smaller Neko's direction. "By the way, what's her name?"
Fiora cocked her head to the side, then nodded remembering that Kyle knew almost nothing about Nekos. "She doesn't have a name yet. We don't receive our names until we are five."
"She looks around that age now. How old is she?"
"She is three."
A quizzical look crossed Kyle's face as he pondered that. "She's big for a three-year-old." He finally said, his face straightening back to a neutral expression.
"Nekos age quicker than humans do." Fiora said, turning back to watch her little sister play in the grass, "We only live around thirty or so years."
Kyle nodded his understanding. "Well, I can't simply go around calling her 'hey, you', now can I? So why don't I give her a name."
Fiora turned back around again and smiled at him. "I think she would like that."
