D'athe let out a happy warble when the man said he wouldn't run away, and rubbed his head against his shoulder a moment, before tilting his head at the name. Jack's an nice name. Mine is D'athe. Well, that's what my friends call me, anyway. Short for D'atheludram. He added the whistles and clicks that accompanied the telepathic word, flicking an ear after in an equivilent of a shrug. Hard for humans to say properly.
He tilted his head the other way, snorting a little, and burbling a little in surprise at the kiss. Human, but permanent? That's stranger than weirdy. And no one lasts. Not a lot, anyway.
Fey last, and the permanent last - like me. I'm permanent. I mean, I was born just a few years ago, but I've been around for centuries. Body after body after body. Phera is permanent, too. Phera and Ness and Wyrin.
But nobody else lasts. Nobody. D'athe sighed, resting his chin on Jack's knee. It gets so lonely when no one stays around. I mean, there's always humanity getting up to strange things, and nasty weirdy to crisp, but there's no one to talk to. Just Phera and Ness and Wyrin, and Wyrin's always traveling, and Phera doesn't like me, and Ness likes to drench me. A lot.
He looked up at Jack, sighing again. Do you get lonely, too, living and living and everyone dies around you?