Grandfather Tree's leaves rustled, despite the still air. Serenity closed her eyes and felt herself drifting. A dream, or a vision?
When she opened her eyes the familiar dappled light of Homewood greeted her. An unmistakable sign of safety and comfort. She smiled softly. Her feet willed her to walk forward, so she did. One did not resist the pull of fate. Her hooves took her to a grove filled with excited young noulicorns. She scanned their faces, as they chatted excitedly with each other.
"Penna Adely lived such an exciting life! She was such a great Wandered in her youth! Imagine the honour of having one of her Waystones!" An excited palomino was speaking loudly enough for Serenity to hear clearly. She believed some version of that conversation was happening all around her, but it was just a buzz. Serenity only needed to hear it once to understand.
An elderly Ascended tottered into the grove, letting the sunlight hit her just so. "Well whippersnappers, if you want a stone you'd best impress me with a tale of your greatest accomplishment!" With that she settled into a nest made of fine mosses. The youth around the grove rushed into a line, jostling each other, jockeying for position. Serenity waited for the commotion to die down, and assumed her place at the end of the line. Excitement almost crackled in the air. She felt a tinge of nostalgic sadness. This elder had lived a big life, but was clearly passing on her valuable possessions because her time here was at an end. Clearly she had lived a great life in service to Vykeli, to have attained the blessing of wings, but her work was not done yet.
Serenity waited with patience, as the line inched forward. Young bucks and does regaled Penna Adely, and truly the rest of the grove, with tales of bravery and daring-do. Some had adventured far into the Barrens, some had faced down foes, others had gathered esoteric knowledge from the Others. But none of those stories were Serenity's. Ahead, she could feel those still waiting growing restless. Restless was simply not a thing she ever felt. Everything happened at the right time. In Grandfather Tree's time. She closed her eyes, listening to all the stories, slowly moving forward.
As the sun started to dip below the trees, she finally stood before the Ascended. The grove had cleared, it was just the two of them. Serenity knelled, wishing to be eye level with the elder. Standing over her to tell her story seemed ... wrong.
"Penna, my story isn't like theirs. They have tales of bravery, strength, excitement. My greatest accomplishment is not looking outwards on the world, but looking in. I have dedicated all the days of my life to the study of dreams. To know what visions Grandfather Tree sends us when we close our eyes. It allows us to look inwards, and to know our own hearts. I have sought out others who practice this art, all over Homewood. They are few. I have done my best to learn each sign, so I can help others who wish to journey inwards. Because if we don't know our own hearts, how can we know Vykeli's to heal it."
She dipped her head respectfully before standing, before the vision faded out.
