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Kekeovonnai was enjoying his exploring, as he always did. For now, he had no purpose to his wanderings: He was just abroad in the Terra Expanse, with his day wholly ahead of him. Would he go hunting? Would he practice his magic? Would he see if he could find new nooks and crannies to hide in? He had so many options!

He sniffed the cooling autumn air, enjoying the smells of herbs and flowers and... what was that? He sniffed eagerly at the air, rearing up on his hind legs to get a better smell. It was magescan, but it wasn't something he had encountered before. He bounded off in that direction, a new goal in mind.

Discovery!

It wasn't long before keke's nose and his instinct for the earth around him enabled him to find the dovaa and her campsite. He rarely got to go into the forested part of the Terra Expanse, so this was an added treat for him, and he bounced gleefully along the path, hiding behind a boulder as he saw something white flash through the trees. His body vibrated with excitement as he sniffed the air again: from the scent, it was definitely something new. And then, as if it had noticed his stealthy (not really) movements, it spoke.

“Armed?” he poked his head out from behind the boulder, then clambered on top of it for a better look at the pale lady. She had scales and horns, thus... a dovaa? Neat! His first dovaa! “Yes you are!” he said, noting her arms and hands – so very much unlike his paws. “You have arms! I'm sure they are very nice ones! Are they?” he tilted his head quizzically. Were there nice arms and not-nice arms? What made a good arm versus a bad arm? Why did magescians have arms? Why didn't khehora?

“I'm exploring, of course!” said Keke, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole of this strange and wonderous world. He pounced off of the boulder, gliding to a safe landing on his immature, flashy wings. “I've never seen a Dovaa before!” he commented, meandering up and sniffing at her boldly – Keke, for better or worse, was very brave. “Are you a Dovaa? Where are you from?”

“Oh wow! The Celestial plane! Is that the place that Abronaxus made for the Dovaa? Whats it like? Does it rain there?” He circled around her, investigating her thoroughly, raising on his hind legs to inspect her hair. He had seen hair before – his papa had it in his khehorian form – but it never ceased to amaze him that such a substance – solid and yet fluid – could exist.

Keke was amazed by a lot of things.

“Peisio!” he chirped, intrigued, “So that is why you smell like water! Can you make water dance? Are you a healer?” He paused in his questioning to grin, his sharp teeth half-bared in the khehora style. “I'm a Gaili!” he offered, “From these mountains...” he gestured with a wing, “Over that way.”

Still on hind legs, he tilted his head, murring happily. “Whats your name?”

Wow! Just wow!

“Es-mer-al-da...” he said, mouthing it out, “Es-erallllllda.” the 'L' was, he felt, fun to say. “I'm Kekeovonnai.” He let the syllables come out as a word waterfall, tumbling from between his fangs. “Everybody calls me Keke, though.”

As she sat down, he did the same, his eye level about as high as she was – small though he was, Khehora were still big animals – carnivores – predators. But Keke didn't seem to realize this.

“Does it snow there, too?” asked Keke, “I should like to explore there too, someday. I would like to explore the whole world!” he said happily, already wondering how he could get into the Celestial plane – such a wonderous place it must be!

He squealed in delight, reaching up with a claw to bat at the water. “Thats so amazing!” he tried to move the dirt with his magic, making the fine particles swirl slightly near him. It was not nearly so impressive. “I wish I could do that...” he was soon distracted from the water, however, by her statement of her title.”

“You're a scholar?!” he said, even more – somehow – excited than before. “I'm going to be a scholar when I grow up!” he chirped, enthusiastically, “Thats what everybody says! I'm going to learn all about everything and then tell people about it!” his tail waved back and forth, symptomatic of his unrestrained energy. “Is that what you do, Es-mer-alda?”

“So its always spring?!” How interesting! “Have you ever seen snow before?”

He nodded happily, “I am, I am! I'm studying...” he looked around, “Everything!” he flicked out his tongue, “I mean, I know I'm supposed to study one thing, but its all so interesting... Is that why you're out here, Esmeralda? To study?”

“Ooo, have you been to Ayr? Or Aisko?” asked Keke eagerly, the very thought of such far-off exotic places enough to have the young Orakoir salivating. “Dragons?!” Keke squeaked. He – somehow – managed to still himself enough to sit, vibrating with impatient energy, in a sphinx-like pose. “You study dragons?!” He tried to focus enough to answer her question, but could only get so far before his mind was brought back to that – To dragons. “Well, I like to look at animals, and plants, and rock formations... But I don't know if I want to study just one...” he looked at her with his intense green eyes, “But back to dragons. Tell me more about dragons!”