' With that he moved off and sat on the hard
ground, leaving the raw taste of truth, accepted willingly or not, in
the mouths of those around him.
Just as he had said, an interval of silence ensued. Then, to the
surprise of all, Kalus rose without prodding and moved to stand before
them.
'This will not be easy for me,' he said. 'But I begin to see
that it is important, if only for myself. I feared at first that you
would think me a mindless animal. But I see now that isn't true.
Kataya told me not to be ashamed of what I am, and inside, in the heart
of me, I'm not. I am proud. Because I survived for twenty-two years
a world that would kill most of you in a week. That is not said to hurt
you, and I begin to see that you are strong in other ways. It is only
the truth. Here on the Island there is shelter from predators---there
are no giant spiders or lizards---and you have the knowledge to bring
food from the land without killing. My people have none of these
things.
'We call ourselves the hill-tribe. Yes we, Sylviana, I will not
renounce them.' She started to glare at him, then colored when she
saw others (including Kataya) watching her, and looked away.
'We live in a cave of many entrances, in the heart of the Wild, with
enemies all around us. We survive by being shrewd and fiercely
determined, and by showing any creature that comes too close there is a
high price to pay for thinking us weak and afraid.
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