Welcome to Gaia! ::

stare

*slaps forehead*
I wolfed out and was spotted tonight. Eh! o0

Strangely, I do believe I have made myself a frien' outta it.

*grabs her pitchfork and snuggles it happily*
And I am a glad to be home, clean and near you for some strange reason.

*Val calls to Tierra ...

Valelldia turned three stones up against the surface of her divining table. Earth. Anger. Humble. And the fourth wouldn't read. But it didn't need to. She knew who it was the runes indicated- who the magic that coursed through all their veins was calling. This was a magical night, and it was calling for one of their own- to grow. She picked up her skirts in a hand bedecked with golden charms and wooden rings, and with her other hand, collected the bag of runes. She was sure Tierra would have candles.

The night was thick, but no darkness could hold Valelldia back from a goal, and within a few long strokes of her legs, she was within calling distance of the Mudrunner.

"Come forth, new sister!" She called, lovingly. "The magic calls, tonight. Bring your object out into the night."

Tierra walks out with her pitchfork in hand. Wringing it gently as it hummed full of energy. "Yes Valelldia, I am here and I have Eerie with me"

"Wonderful," she said, enraptured by the gypsy's deep sense of acceptance for the magic. Tierra obviously felt the pull of the power on the air, and didn't hold back to the change.

She sat, and poured the runes on the ground, and began to explain. "I was reading the runes in Whistle Stick, when the magic pulled at them- the runes were those of a humble sort- yet angry, and also earthen. I knew it had to mean this- the pitchfork. No other object in the caravan is so possessive of anger, and yet so humble, and towards the earth in purpose. The fourth rune would not read unless you are there... thus, why I am here." A smile spread across her dark face, and she cast the final rune from the bag. It rolled across the dirt, and rolled to the toe of the new gypsy. Valelldia looked at its carved surface, and invoked its name.

"Violence." She looked up into her eyes. "It means many things. First, it tells me that you are to have a long way to go, guiding this Fortunette, should it take to the magic and transform. All of us have entered into this bond, Tierra- we have promised to guide a very dark, very powerful magic, as treacherous as it may be, for the promise of something greater. So know that if you are willing to do this, that you will have a challenge. Somehow, this object is holding anger in it, and that means the animal will, as well."

She paused for a moment, pushing the runes about on the dirt. The way they sat, anchored to a pattern of stars ahead, told Valelldia something else. "Also," she said , "this gives me the answer of what you need to do, to transform it. ...You need to express anger, to bond with it. To draw forth the most powerful piece of magic in that object, you have to show it that you are matched. So think, Tierra. Draw forth on something that is dark in your past, or something that hurts. Something that makes you angry. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can you recall to me something that... drives you wild with anger? ...I remind you, you needn't do this, but that means you're not willing to take on this responsibility. For there's no other way to draw it out."

o0 Uh. I have push down so much... I mean... I ...*starts weeping* This is one trial, Val. I fear I am not strong enough. And what if I give too much to my darkness. I ..have to.. *she breaks down into her hands* This blastid curse!

Val took her hands, empathy pouring from her liquid, golden eyes. Her voice carried many levels of soothing, supported by strength and reason- this melliflous voice... was one of her gifts, but it saddened her that it could not solve all problems, only ease those with rough edges.

"Child, I know. I can see it in your eyes- there has been so much to happen to you... and I sense... a secret. No, don't be afraid, there's nothing to fear here. You're among friends, sisters and brothers, and we would never judge even the darkest well of darkness. I will lend you some of my strength, and the others will, too, if you decide to go down this path."

((I'll er... write in olive since you write in green, too whee ))

Silver nodded her head in agreement to Tierra's request, an understanding smile on her face. "Sure, I'll go, but I can't just leave Ais here. She'll have to come along. I'm sure she won't be... too much trouble." Silver said, somewhat doubtfully, but at the same time hoping for the best. She knew this was an important mission Tierra was on, and she wanted to be there for her. Aisrhan would just have to behave herself. Silver gathered her things into a sack: food, water, knife, rope, blanket; anything she could find that she thought they might need. She then woke up Aisrhan long enough to get her situated to where she could carry her and locked up Weathered Melody. One never knew how long this kind of trip might last. A few days? A week? They would just have to see.

Anger? Silver thought. Oh dear... Val, what are you going to make her go through for this one? Silver said nothing and obliged Tierra. The woman spilled her story, one bad incident after another, finally ending with the murder of her parents. Silver had to try hard to keep herself from crying, too. She subconsciously reached for and held the pendant that her brother had given her.
Then Tierra said something that made Silver realize why Val needed her to come to terms with her past.
"I .. am ...sorry. I am a monster."
Silver's eyes widened and then became stern. "NO. You are NOT a monster, my friend. Those people did what they did out of fear and misunderstanding. People are always afraid of what they don't understand. It was NEVER your fault." She hugged Tierra tightly. "Sometimes the item chooses the owner, not the other way around. They seem to have minds and missions of their own, choosing the person who needs them most. I think that is why you found this one." Silver pointed to the pitchfork that Tierra had named Eerie. "You need to use it, and the anger you have toward it, to come to terms with your past."

With the pain of all her many, tortured years, Tierra howled. Little did she know, the meij, that many-formed magic that ran through all the world, and especially through the gypsies, was howling, too-

responding to her torture. For in this Fortunette object, there was inexplicable anger and hurt. It already felt bonded to this, its mother... but until she showed it that there was such pain inside of her, as well... it didn't know that it felt welcome to this world.

With a flash of green and white light... the pitchfork was changed.



And as a gift to its mother, in its last moments passing out of the meij stream and into the form of the mountain goat... it asked the meij to heal her wounds. And the meij...

Consented.

Lorelei hurried up to the door of the wagon, then knelt to place a note, weighted with a shell, on the step. She knocked, considering waiting to talk to the inhabitant of the wagon. In the end, though, she hurried away again before the door opened, going to the next wagon.



I would very much like to meet you - I know that I have been very reticent and have isolated myself. I want that to end. Please, take this gift as a token of my good will... and come visit some time.

~ Lorelei

Tier read the sweet note and took much interest in the shell.
"Wonder where this came from?" she asked herself. "So pretty" She showed Eerie who seemed only interested in tasting it.
I must return the favor.