Interstellar Misconceptions

Communication and Confrontation

For the first week after the bird-like alien, Hi'ashi, was in the cell he avoided Izuku like the plague. He seemed oddly friendly with A'zawa. It was a strange dynamic, seeing a giant bird and giant cat get along. Those two with Eri looked like a nice happy family, despite the species differences and horrible situation. However, after that first-week things seemed to be getting tense between the two adults. Every so often they would start arguing over something, but Izuku had no clue as to what it was.

"A'zawa sp it rkcx'd rkbwon iye by xyg nyx'd iye drxsu it's pxso to dbi kxn dokmr it?"

"Hi'ashi it's a Nokdrgybvnob, kxn Terrarians rkfox'd loox knnon to dro vscd yp ckzsoxdc iod."

Izuku couldn't help but wonder what a 'Terrarian' was and why were they fighting about it.

"Drkd nyocx'd wokx it's xyd yxo! Dryi gobo yxvi nscmyfobon a pog yblsdc kqy! Pyb kvv we uxyg droi myevn lo as cwkbd as dro Smeidama. It nyocx'd fox coow fsyvoxd! Vyyu at it! It gyx'd lo klvo to rebd ec!" Hi'ashi gestured to Izuku, who was still curled up in his corner.

'Oh,' Izuku thought. 'They're talking about me.'

A'zawa sighs. "Psxo Hi'ashi, iye mkx dbi to dokmr it. Tecd uxyg drkd dro wywoxd it krndc fsyvoxd is dro wywoxd drsc is yfob."

At this Hi'ashi gives an excited squawk and slowly makes his way over to Izuku. He stops a few feet away from Izuku and crouches down. He gives a small smile before freezing. He relaxes after Izuku gives him a small smile back. Hi'ashi pointed to himself.

"I kw a Tordion," Hi'ashi started. "My xkwo is Hi'ashi."

'So kw must mean 'am' and xkwo must mean 'name,'' Izuku thought.

Hi'ashi then pointed at Izuku. "Iye kbo a Terrarian. Grkd is iyeb name?"

"My name is Izuku." At this simple sentence the Tordion was ecstatic. It proved that Terrarians had some level of intelligence, he just had to see if they fit the sapient criteria.

"Izuku is a Terrarian," Hi'ashi then points at A'zawa. "Ro is a Caneote, rsc name is A'zawa." He then points at Eri. "Cro is a Rekanshi, rob name is Eri. Cro is tecd a kit."

Izuku points at Hi'ashi "Hizashi, Tordion."

"Hi'ashi." The Tordion corrects, giving Izuku a small smile.

"Hi'ashi," Izuku says. He then points at A'zawa. "A'zawa is a Caneote." He points at Eri, "She is Eri. She is a Rekanshi kit." As Izuku works through his sentences Hi'ashi's smile gets wider and wider. He was sure that Terrarians had intelligence that was at least on par with Tordions at this point. Not only did he show that he could understand simple words like names, but he could also decipher words and understand them well enough to form simple sentences without help.

"Qyyn job!" Hi'ashi says. "How yvn are you?"

"Hi'ashi if you gkxd him to kxcgob that you cryevn zbylklvi teach him xewlobc psbcd." A'zawa cuts in.

Suddenly the guards are at the cell bars.

"What are you nysxq in drobo?" One asks.

"Are you cobsyecvi trying to teach the Nokdrgybvnob Lamupan? Good vemu with that, that drsxq is a wyxcdob." The guards laugh and walk off, continuing their patrol.

Over the next few cycles Hi'ashi taught Izuku more and more words, and eventually, Izuku could understand most simple sentences. They were given one meal a cycle but Izuku had refused his every time in favor of just drinking water.