My father said I was a disappointment to him. His firstborn was a girl while his friends had sons, a terrible, terrible insult to him. He blamed my mother for it, I think. I remember he often said she was unfaithful, perhaps not in action but in thought, and so he was punished for having an unfaithful wife by having a firstborn daughter.

I guess now I’m being punished for being a firstborn daughter. Lebete came, and they took me. My husband could not protect me, because they took him, too.

Lebete are eaters of the dead. They are heartless savages and even less than animals. Carrion feeders have no place in civilized society, my father always said. Lebete have to be animals, because they eat dead, rotten things infested with maggots, and everyone knows they kidnap humans to kill them and let them rot in the sun.

I can smell the rotten meat from here. I can’t place what kind of meat it is, it could be their own for all I know.

My name is Seraphina. I am from another tribe of humans, a different breed from the hunters that my husband is from. We aren’t quite as…brash. We don’t chase the animals we eat, we set traps for it. My father and my husband’s father thought it would be good for our tribes to join, to trade techniques. They can benefit from learning to trap and we can benefit more from their fighting styles.

At least, that is what I was told. After what I saw of the attack on my wedding…

The Lebete female left me alone in a room, locked away. The floor is cold, made of some kind of shiny stone. The walls are studded with it. The doors behind me are translucent, clouded over with the stones.

It’s quiet here. The only echoing is the sound of my sobbing, which stopped hours ago. My throat is dry and I feel sick. I’m thirsty and I’m scared.

Those beasts are going to come back and hang me by my ankles. They’ll cut me open from my collarbone to my belly and leave me to hang and rot. Or they’ll do much worse. Scavengers have no inhibitions.

They're not like humans. They’re vicious, backstabbing creatures and they only live to torment us. Mothers tell their children that the Lebete King will get them if they don’t behave. The boys boast about killing Lebete and using his teeth as a necklace, while the brandish wolf teeth.

Lebete is a coarse animal, unpretty and aggressive. They have powerful limbs and make terrible noises. Their breath stinks of rot and their eyes are red with hate and bloodlust.

The female that brought me…I think it’s a female. She has no more curves than a boy. She carries herself in the same brazen manner and the only bit of feminism she has is the gems and flowers she wears on her body. She dresses in animal skin, probably of marriageable age with no husband and walking freely outside of her father’s home.

These are horrid creatures, beasts and monsters. They’ve probably eaten my husband by now, and they’ll come for me next.

My hands are shaking. My throat’s dry and all I can think is what a terrible disappointment to my family. I had but one purpose in life and that was to bridge the gap between our two tribes and I couldn’t even do that!

I’d break out crying, but I’m still dehydrated. I can’t stop shaking, I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep and can’t stop shaking. I can’t stop thinking about how angry my father probably is. First his firstborn is a daughter, and then she gets captured by Lebete…

I jump. I hear footsteps, the yelps and growls of Lebete. I cringe. I won’t have to worry about Father any more, they’re coming for me now.

I hear their voices, but they're not anywhere near the doors. Shaking, I turn around and peek outside, looking through the clear spots on the jeweled doors.

I gulp and duck back down. They’re there, alright. Three of them, the female and her robed companion with their fluffy thing. There’s another young male with them, this time, young and familiar-looking with light skin and red hair, with two braids falling on each side of his face. He’s in his bewitching form, the handsome young man that lures loose girls…

My eyes widen in surprise. I leap back to the jeweled window and stare through it, studying his features. That is definitely my husband! Dressed up like a Lebete!

Why would they do that, dress their food up as one of them? Is it a sick game to them, are they playing with their food?

…What is his name, anyway?

A/N:

Real sorry about the delay…I actually didn’t want to put this one in hibernation, I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say, but I HAD to introduce her sooner or later…