"You know how it goes when a mabari imprints: they're with you through everything. So when a man came to the Wardens with a mabari in tow, there was no getting rid of her. They tried to keep her in another room during the Joining, but she broke through every hold they put on her -- so they eventually gave up and let her sit by her person.
"The Joining isn't pleasant." (Here, Alistair makes the necessary face to convey just how unpleasant the Joining can get.) "The man survived, thank the Maker, but he dropped the chalice midway through. Spilled it all over the floor. And once the mabari was certain he would be all right -- which involved a lot of whining and licking his face and probably sitting on his chest for good measure -- she knew right then that she would have to follow him. She wanted to protect her person, with all her heart.
"So when she lapped up some of what had spilled from the chalice...well, she Joined, too."
no subject
Alistair shifts to get more comfortable.
"You know how it goes when a mabari imprints: they're with you through everything. So when a man came to the Wardens with a mabari in tow, there was no getting rid of her. They tried to keep her in another room during the Joining, but she broke through every hold they put on her -- so they eventually gave up and let her sit by her person.
"The Joining isn't pleasant." (Here, Alistair makes the necessary face to convey just how unpleasant the Joining can get.) "The man survived, thank the Maker, but he dropped the chalice midway through. Spilled it all over the floor. And once the mabari was certain he would be all right -- which involved a lot of whining and licking his face and probably sitting on his chest for good measure -- she knew right then that she would have to follow him. She wanted to protect her person, with all her heart.
"So when she lapped up some of what had spilled from the chalice...well, she Joined, too."