He chuckled at her astute guess, nodding in confirmation. "Well, the Gold Fish aren't too different at least. They swim in the Stonesong river in the Greatwood. They have beautiful scales and delicious meat, and can get up to a foot and a half or so long. I went after them with a foxy friend, and we collected lunch alongside the scales," he admitted with a wink. "Isuma loves them, too," he added, plucking up a fallen feather and twirling it between his fingers with a wry smile. "Must be her feline side."
The other one, though... that was a darker tale, though at least for once it didn't end in death. "The Spark Bird is a creature of massive size, with fiery feathers that shed sparks when she flies. She was trapped in the barrier along with everything else in the Hollowed Grounds for three hundred years, and rumors say she hid in the Glade for most of them, staying near the Oasis and the dampest trees so she didn't set anything on fire accidentally. During LongNight, though, her light can keep the monsters at bay. You'll hear about the traditions soon enough," he added with a smile that was more grim than humorous. "But we had built a perch for her out in the Sanctuary plaza, and laid out gifts for her to come. Then, in the middle of LongNight, when everyone was supposed to stay inside... we heard a great Crack!" He clapped his hands together sharply to emphasize the sound. "From where we had built the perch."
He didn't get to finish the tale before Libbs was off again on another tangent, and he paused for a moment to pivot his thoughts off in a different direction. "That's a wise reaction to them," he agreed soberly to her fear of the gods. "They can all, in their way, be scary. Even Ludo. They all like to play favorites, and you never know whether one will be in a good mood or a bad one." He tilted his head at her, offering an encouraging smile. "I can try and tell you what to expect from them if you'd like, and what sorts of things make good offerings to appease them, just in case."
He paused at her compliment, his smile growing sadder as he shook his head. "No... I know it looks that way, but really it was... well. It was selfish of me. I was desperate for a purpose. I needed to feel... well, like I was needed. On my world I was an Oracle, one who had a connection to the divine as well as the mortal. I wanted something like that here, as well, and Ludo was kind enough to give it to me."
The other one, though... that was a darker tale, though at least for once it didn't end in death. "The Spark Bird is a creature of massive size, with fiery feathers that shed sparks when she flies. She was trapped in the barrier along with everything else in the Hollowed Grounds for three hundred years, and rumors say she hid in the Glade for most of them, staying near the Oasis and the dampest trees so she didn't set anything on fire accidentally. During LongNight, though, her light can keep the monsters at bay. You'll hear about the traditions soon enough," he added with a smile that was more grim than humorous. "But we had built a perch for her out in the Sanctuary plaza, and laid out gifts for her to come. Then, in the middle of LongNight, when everyone was supposed to stay inside... we heard a great Crack!" He clapped his hands together sharply to emphasize the sound. "From where we had built the perch."
He didn't get to finish the tale before Libbs was off again on another tangent, and he paused for a moment to pivot his thoughts off in a different direction. "That's a wise reaction to them," he agreed soberly to her fear of the gods. "They can all, in their way, be scary. Even Ludo. They all like to play favorites, and you never know whether one will be in a good mood or a bad one." He tilted his head at her, offering an encouraging smile. "I can try and tell you what to expect from them if you'd like, and what sorts of things make good offerings to appease them, just in case."
He paused at her compliment, his smile growing sadder as he shook his head. "No... I know it looks that way, but really it was... well. It was selfish of me. I was desperate for a purpose. I needed to feel... well, like I was needed. On my world I was an Oracle, one who had a connection to the divine as well as the mortal. I wanted something like that here, as well, and Ludo was kind enough to give it to me."
