"Life in Yoreiq? I reckon it's the same as anywhere. We simply live. I mean, after you're born, the village takes care of you. Usually men go hunting and women forage, but there's no law to say it can't be otherwise. There are always women, like me, who hunt and men who forage. Once one turns fifteen they get these tattoos over their body." Kayala paused to show him her new tattoos. "Many Yoreiqi's have wings... some villages have more people with wings than others. In my village, it is rare for one not to have wings."
After a moment of silence, Kayala said, "Ah, that reminds me, when you see other Yoreiqi's, they won't exactly look anything like me. Except for the tattoos. So don't be surprised." Before she had gotten her tattoos, foreigners always thought that she was a traveler—that she wasn't a Yoreiqi. After she got her tattoos, they were just plain confused. But Kayala had grown up to embrace her different appearance... after all, it was a small price to pay for a miracle.
