mall-caps;">IT'S ONLY cript;">FOREVER, NOT LONG AT ALLShe watched with her mother's eyes, not the beautiful golden shade worn by her brother and shared in her father and grandmother, and those eyes were what allowed her thoughts to shine through. Curiosity was banished as he straightened, as his ears lifted, as he furrowed his brow and questioned her. Replacing it came distrust and unease. This before her was merely a child, who came to judge and who did not belong. Her slim fingers tapped daintily against her forearms as she wondered if she should explain; in the end, she realized it would not hurt the clan to allow this one to know of their customs. After all, he had found them and called to them for a reason. He would learn sooner or later. Her head lifted, gaze narrowing down the stripe of charcoal fur upon the top of her nose — a mixed marking that gave a hint to both the Lykoi muzzle and her father's dark mask. "I set another decoration on our borders; it was once my job, and as an artist, I continue." One arm extended to motion toward the other craniums that stood clear on their borders.
"If it bothers you, then you should leave. This is what we do with dead outsiders, whether we find them or kill them." A bitter truth to the face of Inferni. They were killers, soldiers in more ways than the physical, and their skills were displayed in the form of their skulls. They warned the world. Abandon hope, ye who enters here, it screamed to the outsiders. Inferni was land not touched by those unless given invitation, and so few were willing to invite. Talitha was not one of them. Safe behind their borders, she lifted a plain skull from its place and held it before her chest, studying it in silence for a brief moment. "Our culture is not for you, or others like you, but you must have known about it. After all, you came looking for us; no one dragged you here or made you call out." With a gentle touch, she replaced the trophy, returning accusatory eyes to the orange-and-creme face of the boy-creature. Curiosity returned. Who was he, and what did he want from Inferni.
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