Ashton turned to face Tiago, inclining his head. "Thank you, Tiago." Taking the bag of seeds from the boy, Ashton took out a small handful and offered it to Kaeth. The familiar inspected the seeds, then cawed loudly at Ashton. After a brief exchange of quiet words and bird sounds, Ashton sighed.
"Fine, fine. Picky little blighter..." From the handful of seeds, Ashton took one and popped it in his mouth. He looked back at Kaeth, holding out the seeds once more. "There. Are you happy? Good." Kaeth began to eat the seeds, Ashton taking just one more from the bag. "Do not worry about the meat. Cooked or raw, it does not matter to us. However, we can wait if you wish.
"Now, let us begin, now that everyone has arrived." Ashton set the bag of seeds on the ground next to him, Kaeth flying off of his shoulder as he did so. He then turned to face Athanasia and her servants once more, clearing his throat."
"Heed my words, O Goddess, for they have been heard by few and are told by even fewer. What I shall tell you now cannot leave this shrine. I have travelled far in my time, and yet few of my stories compare to this."
Ashton took another seed from the bag, which soon became empty as Kaeth ate all of the seeds. Upon finding that his food was gone, Kaeth cried out once more, flying back up onto Ashton. "Since as long as I can remember, since the grandparents of my grandparents can remember, we have been on this world. The Va'Skree are the consumers of flesh, the drinkers of blood. However, we are not like our cousins, the true Vampires. Though we have many of the same strengths, we are not immortal and undead, like them. The sun, though not as much of a scourge as it is to them, still poses a sizeable problem to anyone who is caught unawares. But, I digress. For hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of years, we have endured. Many would call us evil, a plague upon this world. However, I think otherwise. Yes, we consume the flesh and blood of other beings, but we do what we must to survive, to pass on our culture and lore. Though many wish to wipe us and our brethren out completely, we still live. As this tale draws to an end, I ask you this; If your way of life, which you see as a common way to live and survive was seen as evil to others, would you change, even if it meant that you and your loved ones would die? I, for one, would not." With those final words, Ashton finished his story.
