Chatterbox: Inkwell

My NaNo story:

Chapter One: Teak

Teak didn't like being different. When she had seen just five
springs, she had asked her uncle Jiki about it. He had been out of the
den- by the brook, looking for fish.       "Uncle?" Teak had asked. "Why
can I not talk right? I wiggle my ears, but they won't; I twitch my
tail, but it won't twitch- what is wrong with me?" He had sat in
thought, which was a rare thing for a racoon to do. Finally, he had
drooped his tail into the water. He didn't know. "Ask your aunt Liniku,
she's been all over the Forest. Meanwhile, help me fish." They had sat
by the riverside. Teak had dove in and caught a fish. After that, she
had realized why Uncle Jiki had told her to use her claws.

It had been six whole springs since that day. Teak had realized she
didn't have a tail to twitch, or ears to wiggle. She had made them out
of leaves. Now they worked, but badly. But that didn't matter- nothing
did. She was going on her first solo expedition this day. Teak raced out
of the den, a pack slung across her back. The pack was her idea, from
back when her cousin Yalie had gone on her first expedition. Teak waved
goodbye to all the young cubs, wanting to go too. Not so long ago, she
had been one of them. Now she was an adult, ready to find new land and
feed her family. Teak slowed down, and started the long walk.

Teak had been walking for an hour or two now. She shimmied up a tree and rested there, scanning the horizons. Where should I go? Teak knew there were lands beyond the Forest, of course, but they were hardly a good place for her first solo expedition. Maybe down to the lake.
She had never been to the lake, but it seemed close enough. Teak could
even see it on the horizon from here. She might even be able to get
there before sunset. She helped herself to a piece of fruit from her
bag, and swung down again. She landed running, racing to get there
before darkness fell and she would have to dig a den.

The stars shone brightly against a black sky. Teak hadn't gotten to the
lake yet, mostly because of a run-in with a black bear. She shivered,
remembering the long claws. But it had been easy, really- she had
fluffed out her hair and roared almost like a grizzly, saying Don't bother me, I am dangerous. I will leave your territory next sunrise. 
Teak knew a lot of languages. Every young kit and cub learned the
warnings, of course, so they could run into their den at the harsh cry
of a crow or the mrrp of a prairie dog. But Teak knew more- for wolves,
she knew rolling onto their back meant submission , and a tail stiffened
meant they heard something suspicious. For dolphins, they spoke in
trills you could only hear underwater. Teak had a dolphin name, Keehinik . It meant "Raccoon." 

Teak eventually drifted off to sleep. When she got up,
the sun was high in the sky. She sighed and picked herself up, running
down to the lake. It was so close she could see every individual branch
on the trees. It took her about a half hour. When she got there, she was
out of breath- which didn't usually happen. Teak sat down by the water
and dangled her feet in, resting. She didn't have as much fur as the
rest of her family, and she loved to swim, bringing back fish after
fish. I suppose that's one good part about being different. Teak considered diving in to catch one for herself.

Before
she had decided, a flash of movement over in some berry bushes caught
her eye. She raced over. Teak didn't see anything. She curled up her
leaf tail, (which meant "Oh well.")  The movement was forgotten as Teak
spotted pale red salmonberries, overflowing with juice. She stuffed
twenty into her mouth at once, reveling in the delicious berries.
Putting some in her pack, she pushed aside leaves. Curled up underneath
them- was a boy that looked like her.

Teak jumped back, startled. So that was the movement. The kid, black eyed and black haired, was staring at her- as she must be staring at them. He cawed. Literally, it meant Are you me? But Teak knew what it really meant. Are you different too?       

***

Constructive critism is appreciated! I will post more soon.