The Sentinels "Courage!" he said, and pointed toward the land

Stelmaria’s expression softened somewhat with understanding. The way he spoke of this place reminded her of the way her father spoke of the sound; an ideal instilled in him by his mother and passed down to his daughters. The sound was not a place that owned her, as of yet, but she did desire to find the same sort of attachment – devotion – to a land that called wholly to her.

Is this where you were born, Barbatos? she wondered aloud, testing his name on her tongue as she did so. She thought it a warrior’s name, fitting for his powerful presence, though it seemed at odds with his pacifist’s smile. Her tail wagged slowly, still appraising him with a casual eye.