It had been far too long that Namaqua had let this wait. Nearly a year he'd put this off, whether for dread of the effort involved, or for fear of what answers he might receive, but it was time now. He owed it to himself and to Thaddeus, and to their children.
It would be hard to leave them for as long as this was going to take. The journey to Ithyl Forest alone would take days, if not weeks. He'd been able to offer no real explanation, although it was Selah who was most persistent in asking for details, asking to come with him. She'd always been attached to his side, practically. "Stay here and keep the fields," he'd told her, and she'd mostly accepted that. Mostly. After all, the ground was cold this time of year, and the squash and vines needed all the care they could get, not to mention Selah's own little plot of ginger she'd carefully cultivated all through the summer and autumn.
So it happened early one foggy morning, while his family was still sleeping, that Namaqua began his journey. The first part was to hunt. This was the part he'd been dreading. A vegetarian for all his life, his hunting skills were uncultivated at best. Still, his goddess didn't require the offering of a skillful hunt, but a sacred one. So Namaqua headed out into the mist, equipped with a bow and arrows, and a pack he'd prepared the week before. Dried fruits and roots to eat, two gourds of water to drink, and a rolled-up blanket to sleep upon. He also brought a few of his finest squash to offer along with the sacrifice.
His first stop after leaving his cave was at a small stream, to purify himself. He scooped water onto his face, hands, and feet. "I dedicate this hunt to you, my goddess," he intoned softly, raising his face to the sky, mentally directing his voice to the moon.
