Uslín
Priestess of the Fae Lands
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Our people weren't allowed to visit human lands. It had been strictly forbidden by the elders since before I was a pup. Our tribe was not to leave the rocks of the shore and we obliged without questioning their decision for many years. Some grew fat on the beaches while others raised their pups on the same milk and stories we'd been fed. We feared the humans without even knowing their faces. But we were happy and most importantly, we were safe. We were allowed to grow old with one another and laugh in the night. We could drift off into the sea with our loved ones as if there wasn't a care in the world. Truly, there wasn't anything for us to worry about, or so we thought. It happened so suddenly and none of us were prepared to face the wave of tragedy that would hit us like a tidal storm. It started with lesions festering on the skin of my kin, and in turn, those lesions quickly turned into terrifying blisters. Those wounds seemed to drain the life out of anyone who caught them and they spread quickly throughout the colony. Our healers were few and the sick were many. Ever since I was a young pup I'd always admired my mother and her kindness, her willingness to heal the ailments of our colony. It was no surprise that I followed in her shadow, picking up the art of both magical and herbal remedies. When our people started dying, we did everything we could to save them but it seemed that this ailment had no cure. We exhausted everything. Everything, that is, except for the herbs in the human lands. My wife, Maeve, protested but I think she understood what needed to be done. Under the cover of night, when none would notice my absence - even Maeve - I left my skin hidden on the shore and walked on human legs. I sought whatever looked useful but... as the elders warned, this land wasn't safe. Had I obliged, I wouldn't call him master. I'd be back in the sea with my family... my family who didn't know where I'd gone. Now I'm forced to follow him. He called me a slave and refused to return my seal skin despite my desperate pleas. Maeve... Please forgive me. |