The oldest among them shook his head. Brazzers Hands broadened and reshaped into paws. “Human why have you come?”
Dyri’s mouth hung open. You are commanded to speak and answer for your trespassing. His wives lit special incense around the tent to cleanse the air. We make no decisions without his say.”
Reluctantly the rest agreed, and one of the largest offered to carry the half-drowned man back to the settlement. With one last inhale from the pipe, Vatea blew the smoke through his nostrils then rattled the bones on his staff to dismiss remaining spirits. Blinking his eyes, he looked around as his vision came into focus. He smelled of far away, a stranger much like one they had found before. Noses and mouths stretched to create muzzles with fleshy black noses. Others from their troupe investigated the bodies found further down the beach. He gagged and coughed, sitting up and swatting away whatever the thing was. Then he coughed, and globs of water and the bluish hue of his skin returned to pale pink. The shaman lay with one of his wives while the other worked at a loom toward the back.
