Chief, are the preparations ready? A young man with tanned skin tapped on the flap of a leather tent with the butt of his wooden spear. He waited a few monts before pressing his ear against the tent. Chief?
There was a faint grunt, followed by a gruff voice. Its almost done. Co in and help apply the finishing touches.
The young man rested his spear against the tent before lifting the flap. An old man with a grizzled beard stood over a young girl, who looked to be about seven years old. She was wearing an outfit made of animal carcasses. Bones provided the fra of the dress for the animal at to rest upon, and sinew tied it all together. The old man had a brush in one hand and a jar of sauce in the other. He sared the sauce on the back of the girls outfit before raising his head, nodding at the young man.
What do you need to do? the young man asked, looking around the tent. It was bloody, and animal hides littered the ground.
Rub so salt and ground peppercorn into the outfit. Dragons love salt and pepper.
The little girl made a face as the young man approached her, holding two jars of spices. I hate peppercorn. She turned her head to face the chief. Uncle, are you going to cook ?
Stop wriggling, the chief said as his brush almost slipped. Uncles not going to cook you. Todays the day of offering; youll get to see your parents again. Dont you want to see your parents again, little one?
But Aunt said my parents went to sleep and will never wake up again because of the bear, the little girl said. Did Aunt lie to ? Or are you lying to ? I dont like being lied to, Uncle.
The young man grimaced as he finished adding salt and pepper to the girls outfit. Chief, do we have to do this?
Its necessary, the chief said, his face unchanging. With the taxes from the empire increasing and the recent drought, an offerings the only way to ensure our tribes survival.
The young man sighed as he tousled the girls hair, sprinkling it with bits of salt. He shook his head and helped the chief pack away the cooking tools before exiting the tent, equipping his spear. If only the emperor werent such a devil, things would be different.
Dont say things like that, the chief said as he led the girl outside the tent. A bug flew up to her, but the chief swatted it with a palm filled with fire, incinerating the poor insect. If youre mistaken for a rebel, those devils will co after the whole tribe.
Where are we going? the little girl asked, her gaze switching between the two adults. Are we going to a feast? I like feasts.
Yes, were going to a feast, the chief said, smiling at the little girl as he grabbed her hand. He raised his head towards the sky, staring at the peaks of the mountains that protruded beyond the trees. A few winged creatures could be seen in the air above them. The chiefs face hardened as his hand tightened around the girls.
***
Sera yawned, causing wind to whistle through the cave. She smacked her lips a few tis as she climbed to her feet. Her head swiveled around before stopping on an indent in the ground. Vernon? she asked, bringing her snout down to the indent. She sniffed it before raising her head. Whered he go?
Sera frowned as she lumbered towards the exit of the cave, poking her head outside the entrance. A jet of orange flas rained down from above, striking her snout. Her eye twitched as smoke drifted off her scales, causing her nostrils to curl. She stomped out of the cave, unfurling her wings, and glared at the five dragons in the sky before letting out a roar. Four sky-blue dragons were ganging up on a golden dragon, but they stopped mid-attack as their attentions turned towards the ground. Watch where youre shooting your breaths!
Sorry, Aunt Sera! one of the sky-blue dragons said as she landed on a ledge overlooking the cave. But its Uncle Vernons fault for dodging. You cant only bla .
You little rascal, Sera said and rolled her eyes. I bet it was you who wanted to wrestle with your uncle this early in the morning, Alora.
Alora raised her brow and smirked as she crouched down and pulled her head back so that only the tip of her snout was peeking out from over the ledge. And I bet you wrestled with Uncle last night when the full moon wasah! Murder! Uncle Vernon, help! Aunt Seras trying to murder !
Now, now, Vernon said as he alighted onto the ledge. You shouldnt tease your aunt like that. He reached forward with one paw to pry Seras claws off of Aloras tail, but one glare from his mate caused him to scratch his cheek. He cleared his throat as he looked off to the side.
Have you no morals? Alora asked as she struggled to stay on the ledge, her front claws digging into the stone, slowly creeping backwards as Sera continued to pull. Aloras eyes brimd with tears as she t Vernons gaze. Soones about to die in front of you, but youreack!
Vernon cleared his throat again as Alora disappeared over the edge and into the cave. The three dragons flying above him stared at him with accusation in their eyes. One of them opened its mouth and asked, Youre not going to help her, Uncle Vernon?
Vernon peered into the cave and was t with wailing sounds. He blinked a few tis before turning away. Oh, would you look at that, he said, pointing at the base of the mountain. Looks like theres people.
Ugh, one of the dragons said as it wrinkled its snout, its them again. The dragon tucked its wings and dove towards the ground, heading towards the three peopleone of them wearing a dress made of at.
Them again? Vernon asked, tilting his head. Humans bother you regularly?
Once a year or so, a dragon said as it landed on the ledge next to Vernon. They co up and offer sacrifices, asking for things like rain or a good crop yield.
Sacrifices?
The dragon pointed at the base of the mountain, and Vernon squinted his eyes as he followed its claw. You see that? Those kinds of sacrifices, the sky-blue dragon said. The dragon that had gone down to confront the humans rose onto its hind legs. With a lunging motion, its mouth covered the girl dressed in at, and she disappeared as the dragon drew its head back. The remaining humans dropped to their knees and knocked their foreheads against the ground as the dragon flew back up. At first, they offered us healthy n, but we told them that humans tasted disgusting. So instead of offering us cows or sothing, they dressed themselves in cow at and repeated their first offer. Of course, we didnt accept and told them humans tasted disgusting. The sky-blue dragon sighed as it sat up straight. Sohow, they misinterpreted our words and ca back with young won as sacrifices instead. Grandma was getting annoyed at that point, so she just gave them what they asked for to get them to leave us alone, and ever since then, those humans bother us with sacrifices until we give them what they want.
They, uh, dont fear you? Vernon asked, raising his brows. If soone woke him from his nap once a year, hed probably burn the village down to get them to stop.
They fear us, the dragon said and bobbed its head up and down, but they respect us more. It sidled over to make space for the returning dragon. What did they want this ti?
The dragon that had gone down to the base of the mountain opened its mouth and dropped a shivering ball of crying at onto the ground. Blech. Too much salt and pepper. The dragon scraped its tongue with its claw a few tis before wiping a glob of saliva into the earth. They asked for the usual: more rain, more crops, more babies. Apparently, a wars brewing or sothing and the empire raised their taxes again.
Ah? Vernon craned his neck to the side and squinted off in the distance. That aura feels like Vur.
What is it, Uncle Vernon? Alora asked as she was dragged out of the cave by Sera, who was holding onto her tail. Aunt Sera suddenly stopped punishing .
It seems like our sons here, Vernon said with a chuckle. Right?
Thats right, Sera said, releasing Alora and flying into the air. You four better get ready to welco your cousin.
Our cousin? Alora asked as she crawled up the ledge. Oh, a ball of atlunchti already? Wait, whys it crying?
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