>>5556069"Oi same for ya daughter. Just because ya'll on shift together don't mean ya can sleep in." Kai says.
"What?" You ask
"I am going to take a nap- I have been up for a long ass time Frank. Ya get short shift, then we get the next." Kai says as he walks off. Then Arona Slyly looks at you and gives you a wink, as if she planned the whole damn thing.
Islanders.
--
When you get back to the village, they all look impressed, probably because you all are hauling it back by hand. The celebration begins instantly, though they seem to lack a bit o respect, it's understandable. The big men come forth and congratulate ya and at least they respect the beast you've slain. The old man probably came ahead to get them. You take it to the side and the elder approaches ya.
"Thank ya kindly. You have made us whole. We gonna burn th-"
"Burn it? Mate, there is good meat, good scales that could be useful for armor or clothing, even roughing. The bones here are strong, and can be used for paint pigment or fertilizer. If ya wanted to be grim about it ya could use them structurally. I intend to use every bit of any beast I kill, and I have killed three, they don't just hand out names for anyone." You say and the Elder looks at you.
"I want to see my people feel vindicated, they need catharsis. They need to feel something after all Ol' Salty has done." He says and you put a palm to your face.
"Ya don't think that eating it- and killing it's young is enough?" You ask.
"Nah. I really don't." The Elder says and you can tell your sons would probably just rather kill the elder at this point, and you can tell that Deliah is probably thinking about using some kind of psyker trickery. But like ya da, ya take three deep breaths.
"Oh yeah. Sure. Revenge feels good considerin ya didn't kill it. But what about when the starvin times come around? What about patchin holes in the roofs? Clothing? That meat will keep a while if ya freeze it, which I see ya'll got a deep freezer and a canner shop over there. Ya can't hide that. Is the thought of you burnin a dead beasty gonna keep ya warm when the monsoon wind blows, the hurricane comes, or the living gale blows on by when ya could have had stuff to do structural repair? Ya may be an elder but ya sure aint actin wise." Ya flat out say and you must wonder if the old man has ever felt like this on occasion.
"Ya ever lose a kid?"
"Nah mate. But I have lost men. And doin somethin petty aint bringin em back." You say and the old man as if summoned by your wonderin if he dealt with this before.
"Old timer." He says casually walking up.
"What is it whippersnapper?" He says to the old man, who doesn't look old any more and it's still very surreal.
