How you gain the ability to speak our Language through consumption

Zephyr cocked his head, his golden eyes scrutinizing me. "You wish to learn us?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of skepticism. "Why?"

"Because understanding is the first step towards cooperation," I replied, offering him a smile. "Besides, I find your people fascinating. The way you've adapted to this environment, the unique way you've evolved...

it's truly remarkable," I continued, leaning back in my chair. "And to be honest, I'm fascinated by your linguistic abilities. How exactly do you absorb language from your... meals?"

Zephyr's eyes narrowed slightly, as if assessing my sincerity. "You wish to know about our digestive process?" he asked, his voice a soft cluck. "It is not a pleasant subject."

"I understand if you'd rather not discuss it," I said, holding up my hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I'm just trying to understand your people better. But if you feel comfortable enough, I would like to hear about the day you learned our language, the human you consumed and how you felt when the knowledge of his language flowed within you."

Zephyr looked out towards the sea for a moment, his wings rustling gently behind him. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, almost distant. "It was a harsh lesson, Dr. Humphrey. A human had ventured into our territory, armed and hostile, I didn't know it at the time, but he is what you would call a big game hunter who came here to hunt us for sport, instead he was hunted, and... consumed. I was young, barely an adult. The memories of his life, his language, they flooded my mind like a tidal wave."

He paused, his gaze drifting back to meet mine. "It was overwhelming. I could hear his voice, see his memories. It was as if he lived inside me, screaming to be let out.

I could not control it. It took time, practice, to learn how to sift through the information, to separate his memories from my own, some nights, right before I fall asleep, I can still hear his voice telling me to hunt, to kill my fellow tribesmen.

Zephyr shuddered at the memory and took a deep breath to regain his composure. “It’s a part of who I am now,” he continued, his voice steady.

"I had no clue your kind was able to absorb memories from others, we had always thought it just language, the way you describe what happened almost makes it sound like your able to entrap souls

, though that would be a rather morbid way of looking at it, wouldn't it? " I said, truly intrigued but careful to keep my tone neutral.