A CURIOUS LIGHT

Angari smoothed his wing feathers, brushing his hands casually over their five-foot length. The rocky ledge on which he sat was a drab green with soft moss its only ornamentation. The man, unaware that Angari had watched him appear in a sparkle of light behind a stone outcropping, now stood before him. He was using his mouth to form words, though Angari could clearly understand his thoughts without physical expression.
“Can you tell me the name of this place?” The sound was guttural and harsh.
“It is called Seahollow,” Angari answered, letting his words take the same form the stranger had used.
“Seahollow. And you call this planet...?”
Angari crossed his feet and assumed a casual air. “The planet is Windfallow. Do you have a reason for asking? Do you not live nearby?”
“No, I come from a great distance. I am interested in learning about the people who live here.” The man - Angari assumed he was human- was a few hands taller than Angari, who had been caught in a slightly smaller version of himself. “Are all the people who live here, uh, winged, like yourself?” The stranger tried to appear unperturbed at the appearance of a man, dressed in silky, iridescent leggings and tunic with wings that surely had a span as wide as the man was tall.