#relpda

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵

you’ve heard “quiet on the creek,” now prepare yourself for “loud as fuck on the magic river.”

"And I ate him." There was satisfaction in Relpda's quiet rumble.

The copper distracted Carson completely from what Sedric had said. His head swiveled to face her. "You ate him? You ate Jess?" He was incredulous.

"It's what dragons do," she replied defensively. Sedric's own words, coming out of her mouth.

Sedric found himself justifying it. "Jess wanted me to help him trick her into keeping still while he killed her. I wouldn't. So he stabbed her with a spear and then came after me. Carson, he was going to kill her and cut her up and sell her. And he didn't care if he had to kill me first to do it."

The hunter's head swiveled back to regard Sedric skeptically. His eyes wandered over Sedric, his bruised face and battered condition, assigning new meaning to what he saw. Sedric felt his muscles tighten as he faced that gaze, fearing that soon it would turn to judgment and condemnation. Instead, he saw disbelief slowly become admiring amazement.

"Jess was one of the nastiest fellows I'd ever had to work alongside. He had a reputation for being a dirty fighter, the kind who didn't stop even after the other fellow was willing to give in. And you stood up to him for your dragon?" He glanced over at Relpda. Nothing remained of the elk carcass. She'd eaten it all.

"I had to," Sedric said quietly.

"And you won?"

Sedric just looked at him. "I'm not sure I'd describe it as winning."

The comment surprised a guffaw out of Carson. Then Relpda intruded.

"And I ate him. Sedric fed him to me." She seemed to savor the memory.

Sometimes. Her reply was guarded. I know it’s not real, sometimes. But kind words, pretty words, feel good even if not real. Like remembering food when hungry.

‘I’m trying to. I’m building something for you, something you can get onto.’

Anger made her thrash both tails and wings, nearly knocking him into the water. ‘Help now! Build later!’

‘Relpda, I have to build first, then help.’

‘NO!’

- Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles) by Robin Hobb