The burly man, noticing that the siblings had no intention of escaping, left the wooden cage satisfied. With a "clang," he closed the door and secured the iron chains.
Inside the cage, the young boy who had just been arguing was now scared like a covey of quails, trembling in his sister's arms. Just a mere glance at the burly man had completely evaporated his little courage and defiance.
"Sister, what are the sky gods?"
A silent pause filled with a sense of depression and repression lasted for a while. The boy finally mustered up the courage, curious and cautious, to ask his sister about what the hulky man had been referring to.
"Sky gods..."
The question stumped the girl. What did she know about sky gods? She guessed they were similar to the deity statues placed inside temples, accepting admiration and offerings from followers, but it was all for naught.
"Sky gods, pah! The thing living up in those mountains is a man-eating evil deity."
