Dark ears pinned to her head as his accusations came flying one after another. Had she not done so much for this clan already? Well, she had certainly tried, at least! The expression of worry and grief that covered her face fit well with the thick tail tucked tightly between her legs. She fussed with the strap of the bag on her shoulder as his voice grew louder, her eyes shying away from his, away from the guilt that he thrust at her. She should not feel guilty; she was a victim of it all, too! She knew that Chapel had been wrong, that she had tried to attack Inferni's own puppies. It still wasn't right, she managed softly in a low voice. Kesho's death was truly lamentable, she reasoned, but was another death really the right answer? It made sense to Ezekiel, of course; he had grown up with this culture, this way, but Sage had not. Even to the traumatized Optio, every life had value, and she swallowed against the hard lump that grew in her throat. She wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come.
Sage could feel her body trembling, but she forced herself steady. No, she did not deserve to be spoken to like this. She had tried to be a part of this clan, but since the start they had shut her out, shunned her. She was different, and Talitha had been right, she realized with an awful wave of regret. Maybe she should have just stayed in Ichika after all. I never said you were savages; I've tried not to think that, she retorted angrily, her voice shaky and full of emotion. You've made it pretty hard, though, she finished darkly, turning with a flourish of dark waves to pace towards the porch. She had been headed there in the first place, but she anticipated he would again keep her from getting to her room; already she felt his heavy gaze on the back of her head.
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