"She's fine... She only passed out." The tension in the surrounding women eased, but their expressions remained grim.
One of the Tigren women rose and turned toward the Deputy Chieftain. "Deputy Chieftain, the Priestess has made her decision. Leave her to us."
Her voice was firm, carrying none of the hesitation one might expect from someone being left behind while the rest of the Clan marched into danger.
"We'll protect her. No matter what happens... even if it costs us our lives."
The Deputy Chieftain looked at the women surrounding the unconscious Priestess.
There were only a small number of female Tigrens within their Clan, making women a precious and relatively scarce part of their tribe. Because of that, the male Tigrens had always been fiercely protective of them.
But that protection had never meant the females were weak.
The Tigrens were a warrior race, and their women were warriors just as much as their men.
