July 8th ~ First Impressions
Nishan is a quiet thing as I have said, to the point that he has yet to speak even his first word. It is not that he can't, I think, just that he has chosen not to. He is very expressive in other ways, just not verbally. He is quick to let me know what he wants through a rudimentary sign language he has created, although even that is little used because his needs are so few. Fenthry do not eat much, and he eats littler still. I worry over this, but he shrinks from my doting and I have learned to leave him in peace. He is not hungry and not ill from lack of sustinence, so he may go his own way. He spends most of his time either sleeping or watching me and my world from a safe vantage point. I plan to take him to interact with his own kind soon, and we will see how that goes. I am hoping for at least a "tolerable" rating.
The one thing he has so far embraced is drawing. He loves it, and is rather good in my inexperienced and loving view. He picked it up from watching Ivy, a very artistic friend of mine, ply his trade. Nishan was so fascinated, he begged to investigate the pencil Ivy was using, so he could discover how pictures came out of it. Ivy was kind enough to let my little one borrow a small piece of charcoal and a scrap of paper, and he had a grand time with it. He spent almost two hours sitting on my desk top covering the paper and himself with charcoal smudges. When he was done, he presented me proudly with the result, signing that it was a picture of me. I couldn't really tell, but it was his first try after all.
He learns very fast. Refusing to spend any more time with Ivy to learn drawing techniques, Nishan has decided to teach himself through deep concentration and trial-and-error. He draws the things that lie around my tent for practice, and the rest of the outside world for a challenge. Living up to the fenthry reputation for quick study, he has progressed far in two days, now quickly able to draw recognizable and interesting pieces from observation. He continues to use charcoal and basic paper, although I have since bought him his own charcoal set and drawing notebook. He also continues to cover himself in charcoal every time he draws. I am very glad he doesn't mind baths.
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