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 Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:56 pm
Willow leaned back against the tree taking a few breaths of the evening air, to recuperate her energy. As she sat she felt a renowned energy and could feel the energy and spirit of the trees in the forest, it was new and exhilarating. She was looking forward to what she could accomplish in the future. Her eyes looked around observing her surroundings in a new light.
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:43 pm
When the door in the tree opened and the Great Mother (Galanaia’s mind automatically capitalized the title) appeared, the baddie could only stare for a moment. Whatever she had been expecting, the lady she saw was so much more. Which, a tiny corner of her mind quipped, seemed to be about on par for everything else that had happened this evening. Still, even the tiny corner had to admit, the Great Mother was, in a word, amazing. She stood respectfully, studying the lady as closely as she could manage without staring like an idiot. If she’d gotten the impression earlier that her guide hadn’t been entirely of the mortal plane, it was more than a mere impression now. The Great Mother radiated a sense of age and otherness that should have terrified her to the bone. And maybe, on some level it did. But it also awed her and roused up a great deal of respectful fascination. This was someone worth following. Whether or not Galanaia herself was worthy of being a follower was something else entirely. When she was beckoned, the baddie stepped forward without hesitation, halting a foot or two away and awkwardly curtseying before dropping to a knee and bowing her head. If she’d thought it would please the Great Mother, she would have tried to stand on her head. She heard her guide speaking and nodded in agreement with every word. “Ma’am,” she began softly, eyes raising, “I would consider it the highest honor to serve, if you think that I could be useful. The forest is my home and I love it very much. It deserves as many protectors as possible.” —--------------------- Fibula was already beginning to feel stronger and more… grounded than she could ever recall. Why, her neck didn’t even hurt! Tilting her head at being told that she was now ready to meet the Crone, she considered carefully. “The Crone is the same person as the Great Mother? Does she have a preference? I wouldn’t want to offend her. If I’m your childe, am I supposed to call you mother now?” It was gentle babbling as her body and mind adjusted and a way for the fox to put her worldview back on an even footing. Before tonight, she’d never expected to meet, much less become, a vampire. And based upon the recent string of events, that must be what had happened. Funny, it certainly wasn’t anything like the horrified whispers and stories told on dark nights by over-zealous parents. Giving herself a little shake, Fibula found herself smiling at the praise and felt determined to make sure that her vampiric parent (her varent?) never had cause to regret those words. Glancing down at the citrine in her hand, she nodded to herself. “I’m sorry, I’m speaking nonsense. But what should I call you? Is there still enough night left to see the great mother? We shouldn’t travel during the day. Or will it matter in this forest?” Funny how she didn’t feel that much different. And she was ready to meet the great mother. Becoming something new seemed a small price to pay for such a gift. —---------------------- “You should feel much better soon.” It was reassuring to hear as he gently lowered himself into a kneeling position on the earth. He could feel himself changing in ways he couldn’t explain. He suspected that the Lady would be willing enough to provide those explanations and he could be patient. And he could verify that she spoke the truth because he was already starting to feel not quite so wobbly. Rubbing at the dried blood on his mouth, he thought on the rite he’d just taken part in. He might not know what, exactly, had been done, but he knew it was of great importance. Blood oaths seldom left room for error or indecisiveness. And this one had been particularly potent. “My lady,” he began, “I…” what did he, could he say? He suspected what had been done, but he couldn’t voice it just yet, his brain was still grasping as new sensations bursting forth. And yet.. And yet… Finally, he settled on giving voice to the truest and simplest of the thoughts racing through his brain. “Thank you, my Lady.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 12:34 am
The forest spirit within Grainne recognized that piece of it that now resided in Willow. "There are many things that you will need to learn. But for now... we will hunt." She guided her new childe toward the deeper forest, where deer and other prey could be found. It was from them that the Lhiannon took sustenance. That was their tradition. Perhaps it was because they were a part of the forest, an essential part of the food chain within it. Unlike outsiders, they belonged there, just as Willow now truly belonged there. In order to become a fully fledged vampire, Willow would need to hunt.
StarshineAngel01 We can keep going if you want to, or you can consider Willow good to go. gaia_moon
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 1:18 am
The child who stood before her sank down until she was kneeling, and Narcise reached out, tilting her chin up gently, so that she could look into her face. There was much to be read from a person's eyes, after all. Within this young one's eyes there was certainly a sincerity and a love for the forest that was quite genuine. Though Narcise herself did not possess the forest spirit, her blood would allow this child access to it. For it was the boon of all Lhiannon, as Galanaia would be, if Narcise chose to embrace her.
She considered the baddie's words, and heard the forest spirit whisper its approval. Whether she herself embraced her or not, it would seem that it was the girl's destiny to become one of the clan. "You have been told why we are here," she said, although there had been no doubt about that. "Now let me ask you whether you are willing to give up all that you are, all that you know, and all whom you love for this purpose. If you choose to follow me, you will not be alone, but you will have nothing from the life you led before. Can you do that?"
The hand that held Galanaia's chin up was filled with ancient and mystical power, in a way that few could boast. Fewer still had ever known the touch of the Crone. Or, as some of her children called her, the Great Mother. She glanced from the girl to her childe, and saw approval and hope in Grainne's gaze. It was apparent that the Lhiannon elder had already chosen Galanaia, whatever Narcise's own choice might be. Very well... if the girl agreed, it would be done.
*-*-*-*
Grainne paused, realizing that she'd called Narcise by the title others gave her, and gave a fluid shrug. "I suppose she doesn't mind either of them. But the Crone is something many have called her for a long time. We call her both and she answers to them. I doubt she would be offended." One thing that she did not call Narcise was her given name. It was disrespectful. She did call her sire, from time to time. "Ah. I am not your mother, but your sire, for I have sired you into this new life."
It was tradition that the term 'sire' was unisex, and could be used for any vampire who embraced another. This new childe was quick to catch on, she noted. "There is no sunlight within the heart of the Great Forest," she told Fibula, gesturing for the other to follow her. "Come. I will take you to her. You will have the chance to give her your gift." The girl had so bravely held onto the piece of citrine when Grainne had embraced her.
*-*-*-*
Of all the times Grainne had embraced a childe, this was the first time she had been thanked for it. It was also rare that another called her 'my lady'. Though she had rank among the clan, outsiders did not recognize it as such. But there was something else to this. Something primal. The forest within Grainne acknowledged the forest within Tobay. He was born anew, in a shape much like the one he had previously held, yet somehow still unlike it. He would find his senses heightened tremendously, as well as his connection to the earth strengthened.
"You are welcome, my childe." The way she said the word 'childe' indicated that he had greater significance than the simple 'child'. "And well come. I will guide you from now on." Ever she had been a guide and guardian, both. Sworn to serve the lady of the forest, and sworn to serve the forest itself, she was among the first to have this great boon. It was fitting that she should share it with those who held love of the forest in their hearts.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 9:45 am
The hand under her chin had been unexpected, but Galanaia remained still. There was a calm and a quiet to the moment that she was hesitant to ruin. Instead, she stared up into the great mother's eyes and carefully considered what was being asked of her. Sacrifices would be made no matter what choice she made. She had to be certain that they would be sacrifices that she could bear and live with.
She had never had any great or even little loves, so that part was easy enough to dismiss. She would not be hurting anyone else with her choices. She'd only ever wanted to her own piece in her little bit of the forest. And if she understood all she'd been told tonight, she would still have that, just different from what she was used to. Ultimately, the choice was not as difficult as one might have thought.
"I can," the baddie's reply was calm and confident. Very likely the choice had been made from the moment she'd first heard the call. "I would consider it an honor, ma'am."
--------------------
"Sire," Fibula repeated carefully. Yes, that made sense and was an elegant solution as far as titles went. Privately, she rather thought that Great Mother was a better sounding name than Crone, but it was good to know that both were acceptable.
Rising to her feet, she nodded and was clearly ready to follow her sire wherever she might lead.
"No sunlight at all?" she asked, a little surprised. How deep was the heart, she wondered that not even a pinprick of sun could touch it? Magic of some sort kept it at bay, perhaps. Not that she was complaining. If her suspicions about what had just happened to her were correct, she was just as happy to avoid the sun. For now though, she felt... good. Strong. She'd been chosen for something extraordinary and she wasn't going to waste time worrying and whinging.
"Sire," she repeated, this time bowing a little and smiling. She was ready.
------------------------
There was something in how she said 'childe' that tickled at Tobay's brain. An inflection that told him that this was something more... He would have to take time to really consider it. Though it seemed appropriate. Whatever had been done, he felt different. Not bad. Simply... different. It some ways, he suspected he was like a child.. er.. childe.
Smiling crookedly, he dipped his head.
"Your wisdom and guidance are and always will be appreciated, my lady," he said. In anyone else, the words may have sounded patronizing. From Tobay, they were sincere.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2023 12:00 pm
The oath that Galanaia took was a sacred one, and it would change her life forever. Staring down into the young baddie's eyes, Narcise decided that she was ready to accept this child as her own. "Very well. Then a guardian you shall become." The tall elder baddie's eyes glowed, holding Galanaia's gaze for a long moment. Then, it seemed as though time had slowed down, each of the young baddie's heart beats spaced out almost infinitely.
In the grasp of Narcise's power, there was nothing to fear. She moved quickly yet with a practiced air, sinking her fangs into the child's neck and drinking deeply. Galanaia would not feel a sense of panic or even pain, as the Crone subsumed her will with her own. It was a kindness, if undoubtedly a strange feeling. The world would be fuzzy around the edges, dulled in a very particular way.
When Galanaia's heart was stuttering, struggling to keep beating, the ancient one drew back, opening up her own veins so that her new childe-to-be could drink her fill. There was a great power thrumming through those veins, held within immortal blood that would bestow upon the baddie strength and connection to the forest. Although not contained within Narcise herself, the pact made with the forest spirit would carry some of that spirit into the new Lhiannon fledgling.
"Drink," she said, voice low and sonorous, watching the girl, sensing rather than feeling her determination. "Drink, and be whole." With this one act, Galanaia would take up the cause, and be reborn. Forever and always a Lhiannon, and forever and always Narcise's childe. Few held that honor, though her descendants were numerous. The light of the forest was in the great mother's eyes, glowing with an otherworldly sheen unlike anything else Galanaia would ever see.
*-*-*-*
"Indeed," said Grainne, as she led Fibula deeper into the forest. "Not a bit of sunlight." Not even a ray could escape the canopy of the great forest's heart, but it glowed with a luminous light of its own. Whether from the forest spirit or some other arcane means, it was a marvel unto itself, and certainly worth seeing at least once in a kat's life. But this was different. This was now Fibula's home, and no doubt would be for all time.
There was much to teach her new childe, and much of it vital to her survival. For example, she would need to avoid sunlight going forward, and while easy to do in the great forest, there was no telling whether she might venture out to see a bit more of the world than children of the Crone usually did. After all, Grendel had broken the curse that held them bound to the forest. Taking a bit of the forest with her would not be such a bad thing, Grainne decided.
*-*-*-*
Grainne did not have to ask what Tobay meant. He was her childe, and she had learned quite a bit about him during his embrace. More, she suspected, than he might guess. "Indeed," she said. "And you will need much of it in the time to come." For Tobay was a fledgling, his fangs new, his bond to nature all the more deepened by the rite they had participated in. He carried a bit of the forest around with him now, and though he had once treated it with reverence, he would learn what it meant to be a caretaker of the forest.
These woods kept themselves, for the most part, but when it came to stuardship of the forest, a Lhiannon was bound to keep that path. He would learn soon enough to full significance of what he had done, but for now... for now, Grainne would take him under her wing and guide him to the tree within the heart of the forest. She would take him hunting so that he could take vitae from another being for the first time.
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