The fire crackled and laughed in the quiet that followed his words. I never thought of it that way, but just as the mer-folks ate their kind—fishes—we also ate our kind, because we are beasts as well, only we have better rationality and the ability to shift into human form.
"You're right, Thalor. That might've been rude of me, I'll apologize," I said, feeling a flush of genuine sheepishness. It's funny how you can live your whole life thinking one way until a half-naked prince from the abyss points out your hypocrisy while chewing on a rib.
Thalor shook his head, a stray piece of grilled fat glistening on his lip. "There is no need for apology, Arinya. The land and the sea have different laws, but hunger... hunger is the same language."
"Hunger is a language he's speaking very fluently," Fenric muttered, crossing his arms as he watched Thalor reach for a third portion. "If he keeps this up, we're going to need a bigger grill."
