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 Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:57 pm
Perhaps it was not the way of some malu to miss their families, taking comfort in their Gods or Goddesses and going about their ways as if naught was amiss. It was rare that Amnity felt her own sadness, needed the comfort of her own quiet thoughts to console a bleeding heart. Her Goddess gave her the task of consoling others, of being a kind and clear-eyed source of comfort and honesty. She hardly allowed herself to dwell on her own problems long enough to feel the sad pang of depression that had flogged her sometime before.
She wasn't exactly sure how long she had been at the temple, nor how long she had wandered before. She only knew the pang of loss as she left an infant boy buried in the sand, perished from some disease or another. Her small family pack had been forced to move on while she grieved, the father having been a loner and a rogue. She hadn't known his name, had been too young to even really understand what was happening, but her youthful body had been unable to carry a healthy pup to term and so expelled a premature infant that was hardly able to keep up with the group even after he had learned to walk. The two of them had come up with various ways to cope, but he had eventually succumbed to a microscopic force she could not protect him from.
Sighing, the maluess lay her decorated head on her front paws delicately. Atleast it was a quiet day, and most of the malu she had come to know had moved on to nomadic traveling with their own packs. She missed her mother, father and siblings, but the pang in her heart at the loss of the little pup was worse to bare. She felt old, and frail, despite her young years. Her pastel green eyes gazed off into the distance, slightly glazed with thought. At the sound of someone drawing near, she lifted her head and blinked to clear her eyes before turning toward the noise.
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:43 pm
Larkin was just passing through. He was always just passing through. He did not want to live at the temple; it was too busy for him. Too many Malu were there. Today his purpose for passing through was to check up on the shrine he had set up for his god here, just make sure it was not taken over by some other god and to see how much wood he had in supply. If he ever got around to figuring out if other Malu were interested in worshiping the god of heat with him, he reasoned, a shrine might prove useful.
As he was passing, he noticed a slight movement and he paused, surprised to see a green and brown Malu looking at him. He nodded at her with a smile and said approvingly, "Enjoying the sun, are you?" That is, anyway, what he would have been doing if he was lying there by himself, which was no reason to suppose that she was.
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:08 pm
The maluess regarded the form of the male curiously, taking in his fire-hued wings as she shifted her own brown hued ones. It was only a moment before a soft smile claimed her features and she dipped her head in greeting. If only that was all that occupied her mind, if that was only her primary concern. Tossing her two-coloured forelock out of her eyes so that it was caught around a horn nub, she contemplated her answer before letting her alto tones voice her response, "That was part of it."
Her smile broadened even as her heart closed up against the pain inside, her pale-hued eyes blinking away the glaze of deep though as she took in the malu before her. His brown was much lighter than her own hues, but she supposed that if appearances were anything that she could make a guess at atleast the genre of his God. That would be luck, however, as she certainly didn't worship the God of Forest or Greenery or any such nonsense. Sincerity was not something that could easily be physically portrayed. "And what about yourself?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:45 pm
"I'm on my way over to my god's shrine," he said with a careless shrug of his wings. "I come and check on it sometimes since I seem to be the only one who ever goes there."
He was not much of a social Malu and he would have liked to move along, but she seemed friendly and he was curious... plus his shrine was kind of boring when he didn't have a fire lit, and he was not in a hurry to get to work on building one. Changing position slightly so that he was no longer paused while walking past her but was turned to talk to her, he wondered why she was sitting here. After a moment's thought he merely said, "By the way, I'm Larkin."
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:55 pm
She nodded slightly as she listened, ears swiveling forward to complete the appearance of undivided attention. When he finished, she spoke her question, "Might I ask who you worship?" It intrigued her to find those to worshipped alone, as she had yet to meet one who worshipped the God of something intangible, much less one who worshipped her own Goddess.
As he moved to face her, she politely straightened her forelegs so that she was at least in a sitting position. A move that was much more inclined to conversation. Offering him a smile at his introduction, she turned her head slightly to one side as she responded, "I'm Amnity. It's a pleasure to meet you, Larkin."
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:29 pm
Her attentiveness was admirable to him, a Malu who tended to take a position on the sidelines when a conversation was going on. "Oh, sure, the god of heat." He smiled and nodded vaguely at the surrounding desert and said "I'm from around here," as if it was an explanation. It would have been surprising to him that there was a distinct lack of Malu in the temple who worshiped the god of heat if he did not already know where they all were: out in the desert, in the heat itself, where their faith and the sun's fire fed each other. His eyes drifted upward slightly as he thought about this, then he seemed to remember where he was and looked back at her. "What about you, what do you worship?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:02 am
Slowly she nodded as a soft smile claimed her features once again, her eyes regarding him keenly with a twinkle of a grin lodged there. "Ah, the God of Heat. An unusual worship for an oasis, but admirable nevertheless. It takes a different kind of malu to worship where one's God is weakened." She dipped her head in a respectable gesture before looking him over once again as he was lost in thought. Her guess had been correct, or at least close to the truth. The smile slipped from her green eyes as the silence enveloped them, but it did not leave her muzzle. When he spoke again, her gaze darted back to him. "I worship the Goddess of Sincerity. I'm afraid I've not been able to find, nor set up a shrine for her. Though there are certainly other methods of worship for her." Her smile broadened and her wings ruffled and refolded.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 3:43 pm
Larkin grinned at the idea of his god being weakened. "It might not be so hot right near the fountains, or in the shade, sure. But he's on the rooftops, and in the open courtyards, and he's in the sand, and most of all he's in the sun itself." He took a breath and swallowed, chuckling at himself. What's up with you, Larkin? he thought. Every time you talk about your god you get all sentimental.
"Besides," he continued more rationally, "I don't live here. I wander around in the desert. I'm just here... hm... I guess to make sure that... no one forgets." He gave the sky a wistful sort of half-smile. If only they remembered at all. Most Malu seemed to prefer hiding from the heat.
Finally he remembered that he was talking to someone, and he blinked at Amnity bemusedly. Ought to spend more time among others so I don't forget that they're there. "Sincerity. That's like... telling the truth?" He raised his eyebrows, impressed. Seemed to him that it would be difficult to worship a goddess of something that didn't have any physical things to focus on. "Well, there's a lot of space around here, if you want to find a place to make a shrine. You're right though. That's only one way to worship, and not even the best way."
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:54 pm
She laughed softly as he defended the strength of his god, though it was hardly a demeaning or condescending chuckle but rather one of mild amusement. When he finished speaking, she tilted her head as she responded, "Yes, but every god has it's weak point. Your god of heat has a lesser presence here than in the desert. In this oasis, the temperature is cooler due to the amount of shade. He is by no means transparent, or absent, but certainly a follower would most likely be found out in the melting pot of the sands. However, even if you don't reside here, you are stronger in your beliefs and that is admirable." She paused, feeling as if she had said too much.
When he spoke of her own goddess, however, she smiled as it provided an easy answer, "Yes, and I suppose it gets me into bits of trouble now and then." Her smile faded slightly as she tipped her head, "I am, however, certainly capable of telling a lie when needed. Mostly I simply speak part of the truth, it's much easier and sits light on my conscience. But I do apologize if I offended you, or your god. If anything, I meant it as a compliment. Though I've found many malu here who worship gods of more absent things such as the sea or mountains, it is still hard to leave the awe-inspiring splendour of a god's physical presence."
Pondering his comment on making a shrine, she shrugged, "I can hardly think of what would please her to decorate it with. An honest word, or truthful statement outweighs flowers and trinkets." She felt tired, as if she had spoken too much and the sensation that her honesty was bordering rude. Her muzzle shut gently as she watched the male, vowing to keep her words short for a time or two so as not to appear overly chatty or worse.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:05 pm
Straightening up with surprised pride at the praise he said, "Oh... thanks," and, as if it was an afterthought, beamed happily. "No, no offense or anything. I know what you mean. Much easier to be a follower of Heat when I'm out there." He gestured with his head toward the open desert.
When she stopped talking he did as well, though not for lack of trying. He considered what she had just said -- "An honest word, or truthful statement outweighs flowers and trinkets" -- and he sat back on his haunches. "Well then, I guess it would please your goddess if I give a truthful statement: I have run out of things to say." Ruefully he smiled. "Talking... I'm not really that good at talking."
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 1:46 pm
Her eyes darkened, not with rage nor sadness but with exhaustion. Smiling gently, she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders which caused her wings to ruffle ever so quietly. "I am afraid I have as well, Mr. Larkin, but it was a pleasure to meet you." Her smile softened as she tilted her head,
"That is what matters. Today has been a long day full of strife on my part, however, and I think I am due for some rest." Her eyes were creased in silent pain at the thought of what had occupied her mind through the day. She didn't speak of it, however, merely smiling at the other malu, "I would like to speak with you again one day, Larkin, perhaps when I'm in a better mood for talking."
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:48 pm
"That'd be nice." He was wondering what kind of strife she was talking about, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome. He stood up and brushed some sand from his fur. Maybe he'd come across Amnity again on another trip to his shrine. She seemed sad... He smiled vaguely at her, trying to guess at her troubles, then he blinked and smiled more directly, inclining his head. "I hope things get better, whatever they are. Have a good rest." He headed off for the shrine.
[Fin! <3]
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