Maea
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
The woman was a chipper one. Where it could have ruffled her feathers, in this instance the open expression was taken for a welcome, the kind of no-questions-asked acceptance that she had come to appreciate in other ancients. It eased a bristling tension in her spine, enough to let Maea take a closer look at the elaborate setup as it was explained. That the pig seemed comfortable and unafraid raised her respect immediately; she hunched down to stroke it with cold hands, respectful of the life that would have to be ended to sate their needs.
Momentarily distracted by a glimmer from the hollow trunk of a nearby log, she gazed speculatively at the woman. None of the things seemed outrageous, except perhaps for the bathing in blood part.
"I guess... it can't hurt," she replied slowly. "Is that yours too?" Pointing at the log, and the shard of dark stone that seemed a bit too unnatural to be entirely coincidence.
Momentarily distracted by a glimmer from the hollow trunk of a nearby log, she gazed speculatively at the woman. None of the things seemed outrageous, except perhaps for the bathing in blood part.
"I guess... it can't hurt," she replied slowly. "Is that yours too?" Pointing at the log, and the shard of dark stone that seemed a bit too unnatural to be entirely coincidence.
And I remember thinking — I want to be like them
