"Well, the first question I have is: where did you come from? How did you end up in this forest, fighting against us?"
Mia thought for a moment, her face scrunching up as she struggled to remember the details. Finally, her eyes lit up, and she said,
"I came from the northern part of the forest. I was born there and have lived there my entire life."
"How old are you?" Otis asked, curious.
"I'm seventeen years old," the lamia answered, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Seventeen," Otis murmured, stunned. "That's awfully young. Why were you living alone in the forest? Where were your parents?"
"My parents died when I was very young," Mia said, her voice filled with sadness. "They were killed by a pack of wolves. After that, I was raised alone in this forest, with no one to care for me. I had to fend for myself, learning to hunt, cook, and survive."
"That's terrible," Ruby said, her eyes filling with tears.
