The Animal Whisperer

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Tag: Nina Lehnsherr
Note: Better layout coming soon!

Peace

WAS NEVER AN OPTION

Today was a typical day in their quaint little home in Poland. It was Sunday, a non working day and Erik was spending it the best -- and only way -- he knew how. The only way he wanted to know how: with his family. He was outside with Nina, chopping wood as she was playing with the chickens. With no other children around, she had really bonded with the animals around them. They had gotten more and more to keep her company. Chickens. Rabbits, and so on. What caused concern -- at least in the beginning -- was her comfort with the more wild animals.

But, she just seemed to have a way with one. One of the chickens was straying rather close to him, and he tried to shoo it to the side so that the wood he was currently chopping would not fall on top of it. The last thing he needed his daughter to see was any harm coming to her friends. He smiled at the sight of her, before striking his axe upon the wood. Yes, he could use his powers so easily . . . but he was not about to take the risk of doing so in public. You never knew who could be watching.

[Nina Lehnsherr]

"Papa," Nina said watching her friend try to stop her Papa from chopping the wood. Papa tried to shoo it away, and Nina had laughed but then she grew serious. "You are frightening the chicken." Her voice was almost like it was when her parents were fussing. Mimicking their tone of fussing. But she meant it too.

Erni looked at her and then her Papa. "He does no like it when you chop." Nina picked up some seed that she was feeding the animals and Erni walked over to eat it from her hand. She was speaking in English to practice, but her English was a little slow as she thought about each word. "Do you have to chop?"

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Tag: Nina Lehnsherr
Note: Better layout coming soon!

Peace

WAS NEVER AN OPTION

Erik quite loved his daughter's consideration and kindness towards others. In this case, animals. So he couldn't help but smile at her words, thinking it rather precious that she was concerned about the well beings of her friends. Using sound logic to deduce that the chickens didn't like him chopping the wood.

"I'm sure he doesn't," he said in agreement with her, not about to argue with how she felt about them . . . or how she thought they felt. "But I have to do it if we want to be warm tonight," he further explained. The weather was getting cooler and they needed to be prepared for those colder nights. "Maybe you can ask your friends to stay close to you so that they don't get scared." He was humouring the situation by playing along of course, not thinking anything deeper into it as he positioned another log onto the chopping block.

[Nina Lehnsherr]

"I do want to be warm tonight." She said back to him in English. Looking at Erni she patted the ground beside her, "Come sit, Erni." And she was pleased that her chicken walked over to sit where she asked. Looking up she found Mati. "Come sit, Mati" Nina patted the other side of her. The chicken picked it's head up and ran over to sit where she patted. "Stay here while Papa chops!" She told them both.

She looked up at her Papa and watched as he chopped a few more. "Papa, why must I practice English? No one talks it here." She didn't mind, but she still questioned it. When she went to town with Mama no one said anything in English, they only spoke Polish.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Tag: Nina Lehnsherr
Note: Better layout coming soon!

Peace

WAS NEVER AN OPTION

Erik smiled when she spoke of how she did wish to be warm tonight, which seemed to settle the subject. His words had been playful but then Nina told each chicken to sit . . . and their obedience caused Erik to stop and stare for a moment. The way they moved with such ease, following the exact request, each of them. It was, strange. It felt . . . odd. Their chickens were hardly trained. Though he had always known that his daughter was good with animals . . . still. They listened to exactly what she said, and remained in the same position she had told them to.

Her question belatedly entered his mind when she asked about why she had to learn English. He tried to shake off the curiosity and struck another log, slicing it in half. "If we ever travel in the future, it's good to know different languages," he explained to her. "Helps you be able to talk to more people." He paused for a moment, turning his attention back to his daughter and the two chickens who sat calmly next to her. "Like how you talk to the chickens." He was fishing, and he knew it. But he could not shake off this feeling. "Why don't they like it when I chop wood?" He further asked, being as casual as he could while picking up another log.

[Nina Lehnsherr]

If they travel? Where would they go? "Were would go?" She asked, watching him chop. Pap said she would need to talk to people, like she did her chickens. "Papa!" She said laughing as if he was funny, and answered in Polish, "The chickens do not speak in English!" Laughing Nina looked at Mati and stroked the feathers.

Pap asked her why the chickens did not like the chop. Nina looked down at Enri and asked in English, "Erni, Why do you not like Papa's chops?" After a moment of silently staring at the chicken Nina looked at her Papa. "Papa! Have your chop-ed Enri's friend?" She asked in Polish very surprised! Nina didn't like to eat meat though sometimes Mama made her. She always ate extra vegtibles instead! Pausing she looked to Mati then at Papa.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Tag: Nina Lehnsherr
Note: Better layout coming soon!

Peace

WAS NEVER AN OPTION

Where would they go she had asked. "Anywhere you'd like, since you would be able to speak English," he said playfully, turning the conversation back around to the fundamental topic. The importance of learning languages. She amusingly told him that the chickens did not speak English -- as if it was such obvious knowledge. Erik was starting to think that perhaps his curiosity was unnecessarily extreme. And yet, he trusted his instincts. His intuition.

"Is that what Erni told you?" He asked, regarding killing the other chicken. It had certainly made for a good meal. The guess could have been good as any. Perhaps it was Nina's way of bringing up the subject of the death of a pet. Or, she had witnessed him do it. Positioning another piece of wood, he brought the axe down. "What else is he saying?" Erik was trying to be nonchalant, but he was keenly observing and assessing the situation. There was a good chance she would be a mutant, and unsure of what her powers entailed, he was often observant to any changes around her which would indicate that her powers were starting to surface.

[Nina Lehnsherr]

Nina was rubbing Erni's feathers when Papa asked if Erni had told her. "Yes, it is why it does not like you to chop! He think you will chop him." Nina looked up, and even though her father was talking she watched the woods. Olo was out there and she could hear him! Olo wouldn't come near while Papa was here. He didn't like a lot of people. Deer's were like that.

Papa asked what else Enri was saying and and she looked at Papa and then Erni. "Enri, Papa wants you to talk to him too!" She told her pet and then waited. After a beat she laughed and looked at Papa, "Enri is funny!" Seeing her father not laugh she asked, "Do you not hear Enri talking to you Papa?"

Nina got up and walked closer to her Papa. She looked at Enri and then him, "Erni says you were kissing Mama this morning while she picked eggs. He thought you were biting her so he tried to protect her." Nina hadn't gotten up early this morning, but Enri was telling on Papa!

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Tag: Nina Lehnsherr
Note: Better layout coming soon!

Peace

WAS NEVER AN OPTION

Erik was listening to all that Nina was saying, talking about the chickens, their thoughts . . . creating a conversation. He wanted to trust his gut but he also knew that this could just be something that children did. The equivalent of imaginary friends, or stuff animals and dolls. But when she spoke of what happened this morning, Erik froze. Completely. He looked at her, knowing that this wasn't just a made up conversation. It was detailed. It was . . . about things that there was no way Nina could have seen. She was sleeping.

And, when Erik had been kissing Magda, he remembered the chicken making a bunch of commotion. This . . . was part of her power. "Nina," he said softly, putting the axe down and making his way over to her so that he was close to her, crouching down to be nearer to her level. "Is it just the animals that talk to you?" Was this related to telepathy? Could she read his mind as well? She hadn't mentioned anything so far, but, would she able to eventually? So many questions, as Magneto was not exactly the expert when it came to the science of the mutant gene -- that was all Charles -- but he knew enough to make logical assumptions. Only this case, it was not an assumption. Her powers were manifesting and it was a beautiful thing.

[Nina Lehnsherr]

Papa came over to her, and bent down so he could be as tall as she was. Nina smiled at him when he did, and her Papa asked about if only animals talked to her. What a silly question! "You are talking to me now Papa!" She told him with a laugh. Papa had not answered her about hearing Erni's words but she knew Mama couldn't hear Erni. Could Papa not heard Erni either?

Nina rested her hand on his knee since he was bent down before her, and kept talking. "But when Erni talks he don't use his mouth. But I still hear him. You have to use your mouth." She asked, picking up on how he couldn't hear them. Nina liked talking to her friends, and was glad she could. She knew that other people laughed when she told them she liked playing with her friends. They never made her feel bad about it, but they thought her cute and funny--sometimes Nina wondered if they thought she was telling a fib.