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Zenzi rushed over to the hut. She had completely lost track of time. She hoped that Stardust would forgive her. She appoarched the hut and peaked through the window. She seen the lovely Jewelry. That is what she wanted to do. Make beautiful like her wonderful teacher. She went to the enterance of the hut. "Miss Stardust? I'm so sorry I'm late. May I come in? My name is Zenzi one of your apprentices." She hoped for a reply. She went to the window again to look at the sparkling jewelry.

Sitting alone on the shore of the beach, Lunai looked to the dark night sky. She was in total harmony with her surroundings - she felt the soft sand crumble beneath her every move; she smelled the crisp ocean air; she heard the tides rushing in to lap up on the beach around her body. Most of all, she could see clearly the full moon in the sky - her guide. Lunai felt fortunate that the start of her quest coincided with the full moon. It was a sign of luck, and it meant she would not be alone on her journey. Once more, as she'd done many times already that night, she asked the moon goddess for a blessing of protection, then rose to stand on all four paws.

The moon had begun its descent, so Lunai knew it was time to go. Being a harvester, she had roamed the Attila lands to and fro, and was well-versed in the lay of the land. She knew it would not take long to traverse through the wilderness, especially if she followed the edge of the island around. It was the Loki Clan's grounds that she was wary about. Lunai didn't travel out of her home territory very often, so she left lots of extra time in case she got lost. Today was a very important day - quite possibly the most important day of her life - and she refused to show up late.

By the will of the moon, Lunai enjoyed a pleasant journey. She made no mistakes, and arrived at her destination early. Too early, in fact. Glancing in one of the windows of the hut, Lunai could see her teacher was not awake. The only thing to do was wait for daybreak, the time she and five others were scheduled to arrive at Stardust's hut.

This was the part Lunai was not looking forward to - the other Fafnir. She had always thought of Craftmaking as a skill best taught one-on-one, but apparently that's not how it was done. For some reason, there had to be a group of six apprentices in order to learn the trade. This most likely meant a long, loud, crowded journey with five other Fafnirs who were probably only there because it was the "cool" thing to do. They did not deserve the title, and they did not deserve any help along the way. But Lunai knew that if worse came to worse, she would help them if needed. It is what a good servant of the moon would do.

She planted herself against to cool wall of the teacher's hut and waited, silently praying to her guide. Soon, she heard muffled sounds from inside the hut, and knew that Stardust was awake. It was not daybreak yet, however, so Lunai remained where she was. It was only when she saw some of the others arrive, and the sun coming up above the horizon that Lunai rose to join the group.

So far, three had arrived - one male and two females. The male was yellow with a large circular mark on his hindquarters. One female was black with a fancy leaf-like pattern, and the other was pale green with pink flowers all over her body. If looks were any judge of personality, Lunai would have to conclude that they were indeed as she thought: youngsters with "trendy" markings...certainly nothing simple and classic such as her own beautiful coat full of swirls.

Turning her head, Lunai now faced Stardust, her teacher. Now here was a mature, classic beauty: her blue fur was speckled with small white stars, making her look much like the night sky. She looked like a Craftmaker should. At least there was one thing right in this situation!

"May the light of the moon bless you," Lunai said to Stardust while bowing her head - her typical respectful greeting. Looking up once more, she glanced into the teacher's eyes. "I am proud to be here."

Mo had, indeed, gotten lost on her way to Stardust's hut. She didn't know the Loki area at all, having never crossed that border. she had to get directions from a patroll and then a hunting party before she finally got into veiw of the hut. Now that she was close enough however she forgot that the terrain of the Loki was different and stuggled to take a few steps without falling over her own paws.

Finally she made it, scenting her love, Kentiphae, and a few others she knew only by scent, not by appearance though. She had to say the most handsome male was Kenti, although her opion didn't count in the area because she loved him. It was hard to say who the prettier females were but she could tell that the light blue one was also a follower of the moon. She went to stand between her and Kentiphae, both for friendship and to defend her soon-to-be-mate.

She took a teeny bow before Stardust and introduced herself. "I am Mortimer, but you may call me Mo. I am sorry that I am late as well as the las to arrive. I had some trouble with the terrain and bad directions." She managed to make this sound like this was all her fault however and hung her head for a moment before stepping back again. Hopefully the meeting could continue uninterupted now, she didn't like being the center of attention, unless the attention was Kenti's.

Mortimer bowed before her Master. She was gracefull, knowledgeable, and very pretty. She could only assume that she had a mate and children already. No doubt Stardust would be an amazing mentor and friend to have. She stretched out her claws eagerly at the sound of the mountains, this was the part where she knew what she was doing. Having explored the mountains as a child and as an adult she knew about many of the dangers and which path to take. Hopefully she could help the others around her reach the end of their journey, to become a craftsmaker. Still she had a sinking feeling that some of them would not make it through this first task which made her extremely anxious. By the end of the speach she felt like dropping out but forced herself to stay put. She needed to help the others as well as Kentiphae. Hopefully this would strengthen their bond as a couple. When Stardust was competely finished she decided they should get to know each other before they set out.

"Hello everyone!" She called out happily, "I'm Mortimer and I am in Brynhild Clan so I hope I can help us all in this first quest." She motioned to her left where Kentiphae stood. "This is my..erm...mate, Kentiphae, also of Brynhild Clan."

Mystica heard the speech loud and clear: This task didn't seem easy. She looked to see Mo and Kenti. Recognizing them, she walked towards them. "Mo-chan, Kenti-kun, greetings. I hope we have a successful journey." She swished her tail a bit and added, "Congradulations on the mating~" She smiled brightly and left to talk to the other Fafners who were up to the apprenticeship.

Between the time Lunai had introduced herself and the time Stardust began her speech, the remaining two Fafnir arrived on the scene.

The first, another male, wore clothing. This was not necessarily an unusual sight; some Fafnir prefered to cover their bodies with cloth. This particular Fafnir, however, had gone overboard. He wore bright pink and silver armor, with a chain wrapped around his body. Though she said nothing, Lunai began to envision the problems that could arise from his attire. For one thing, those chains he donned would become a nuissance - they could catch on to branches or rocks and cause him to fall. Another possible problem was that the armor would easily reflect the sun's rays. If they hit at an unfortunate angle, one of the others could be at least temporarily blinded. However, it was their task to help each other, and though Lunai thought this newcomer was probably the least worthy of the title, she would provide aid if he needed it - otherwise, she would try to keep clear of him solely for his outfit.

The last Fafnir to arrive was a pleasant surprise. Her elegance and calm nature made up for the fact that she had come late. Lunai could tell there was something special about her - besides that she was the only one of the bunch besides herself that Lunai wished to see trained as a Craftmaker. It seemed as if she took notice of Lunai upon arrival as well. Could this be the start of a friendship?

Lunai didn't have time to think more about the female, who had just introduced herself as Mo, for now that she had arrived, their teacher was ready to fill them in on the journey to come. Just as Lunai had expected, it would be a dangerous but necessary task, best completed in a group. Stardust didn't talk for very long, and soon everything was in the hands of herself and the five other Fafnir standing before her.

There was silence for a moment, but not long. Mo broke the ice and introduced herself and the yellow male, who Lunai learned was named Kentiphae. The most important part of her introduction, though, was the fact that they hailed from Brynhild Clan. This would give them an advantage - they knew the territory they would be journeying in. Lunai wasn't worried about it, though - she would do what it took to get the job done - but it couldn't hurt to stay on Mo and Kentiphae's good side.

"Greetings, Mo and Kentiphae," she piped up, bowing her head once again. "May the light of the moon bless you both with a wonderful mateship." Straightening, she looked at the two others who spoke next, and blessed each in turn. Then, the blue swirled Fafnir continued with her own introduction. "I am Lunai from Attila Clan, loyal servant of the Moon Goddess. I am ready to depart as soon as everyone else is."

With that, she sat next to Mo, facing the one Fafnir who had yet to say anything - as if his attire didn't say enough about him anyway.

[[Just a quick response before bed~]]

Lunai gave the black Fafnir a small smile. She was friendly, at least. "Thank you. Your patterns are quite nice as well."

Now everyone was waiting on the armored Fafnir. Lunai hoped he would not slow down the group in the journey to come as we was doing now.