Zuzu knew the natural progression of the life of all Tidecallers.
It was simple.
Be born, bond with the Water Tree, join the next coming of age group, go for a war, and then, become a functional member of society.
It all sounded well and good, but there was just a teensy tiny little part of the whole thing that she could do well without.
The going for a war part.
In Tidecaller society, you were not an adult until you've survived the war. It didn't matter if you were strong enough to rip a grown man apart with just water.
And she didn't like that.
War meant death. And she knew she wasn't exactly the strongest Tidecaller in her age group.
She would definitely die in the war. And that just wouldn't do.
She longed for the part of life that came after the war.
The sailing. The adventures. The visiting of cities and towns that were not the collection of islands she'd grown up in.
But no. Tidecallers didn't get that luxury until they bled first.
