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Still Water ||
The skies above swelled with the bloated, grey masses of moisture once more. The soft blues and whites that were almost as familiar as his own reflection were blotted out and it seemed the landscape itself was drained of color. Humidity, a thick smell, and the electricity in the air warned of yet another incoming storm. The newly-woven were likely unaware of what the skies were telling them. Soon the dark, bulging shapes above them would open up and water would pour down along the surface of the earth, moving through the hidden paths in the soil down into the rivers and streams. He had only seen it a few times in his short lifespan, but it had yet to become something...common.

The Magus flicked his tail and gave a short nod of his head, as if answering an unspoken question. There were a few B'alam within the territory that had already gathered to live here, to learn, and to begin building something of a community. The word meant nothing now, but in time he hoped it would beat within their breasts right alongside their hearts.First- they needed to feel safe. The skies sometimes roared, shaking a being down to their bones following a brilliant flash of blue light. What looked like the branches of a great celestial tree striped through the dark skies, quick as a heartbeat. It illuminated the land, blinding those below. The roar sounded like a great B'alam high in the clouds- the voice of Milintica himself.

They wouldn't feel safe. They would want answers and assurance. They would want someone to turn to. Fortunately, a B'alam with the heart of a storm had been woven into being very close to the lake itself. He had already spoken to him regarding this very affair, but it was time that he begun his duties- Still Water would test his resolve against the voice of Milintica himself. Knowing that the male would be nearby, Still Water began picking his way down the face of the large cliffs that over-looked the great mirror-lake. The waters began to stir, beating against the rocks in small but long frothy forms.

Stillwater made his approach slowly.The brave soul that had awakened several moons ago had the reflexes of a serpent and the ears of a fox. Startling him wasn't the best of ideas, especially with the sky rumbling above them for the first time. The air was growing more and more heavy, the humidity grew and swelled until it nearly cloaked the two B'alam.

The magus announced his approach by gently tapping a few stones aside, sending them clicking down the small slope leading down to the lake. He offered Gundisalv a smile and a faint dip of his head. Following the other male's eyes, he turned skyward.

"It's called a storm." He said, answering the unspoken question. "The water in the sky gathers and prepares to fall. Sometimes the sky flashes and roars."He glanced back down to the other male. "It's both beautiful and dangerous."

Stillwater opened his mouth to answer but at that moment the distant rumbling of thunder shook the sky. The storm was far off still, just beginning to stir from its slumber, but the sound sent a wave of excitement into the marrow of his bones. It seemed the world came alive while at the same time falling silent. The birds had taken to the trees, huddling in silence as the wind currents shifted. The creatures of the field had retreated and the newly woven B'alam were likely turning their eyes skyward, curious as well as terrified by the sound.

"Of course it's not selfish." He glanced upwards to the dark, billowing clouds overhead. A particularly strong gust of wind sent bits of loose grass and leaves blowing upwards, spinning in wild patterns. The mirror-lake seemed to darken as frothy waves splashed against the stones.

"See how the storm creates chaos around it?" He said quietly, motioning to the now choppy waters of the lake. Normally the land around them and the sky above were reflected perfectly, but the winds fractured the surface and the clouds made the water almost a sickly green color. "Power. Raw power from above. A mysterious force stirs the sea of the sky so much that it roars."

He glanced over to the brave. "You can feel it in your bones, can't you?"

Stillwater nodded slowly, his eyes calculating. It was good that the B'alam was learning from nature. After all, they were all a part of the same grand design. Every strand was somehow woven to one another, be it B'alam or nature itself. They breathed the air that the clouds passed through, they drank the water that fell from the sky, they ate the beasts that ate the grass nurtured by the earth, and they warmed themselves by the light of the fire on cold nights. Everything depended on the other while offering its own strength to further something else along.

He turned to watch the sky as yet another streak of light shot from one dark cloud to the next, illuminating the land and filling the sky with a bright blue. A moment later the world seemed to tremble as a roar followed the light.

His fur stood on end as his eyes adjusted following the flash. Around them, the rain hissed over leaf and stone, distorting the surface of the weaver's mirror and soon running down the coats of the two B'alam observing the storm.

"The lightning flashes its fangs and the sky itself roars. It never needs to draw blood because it is able to defend its domain without force. The awesome expression of power is enough to stay its foes." He glanced over. "There is much to be learned from a storm...but the storm must be considered for other things. See how the clouds move? They are scattered, unsettled, unable to stay still. They grow dark and chaotic."

Stillwater smiled a little and glanced over. "Only the Grand Weaver himself can answer such questions. Perhaps there is no single answer to it either... but many answers that shine out in the minds of different individuals. One thing that you have yet to experience in a storm is what comes after."

He looked out as the sky seemed to darken further within a few moments. The tapping of a light rain soon became the steady drumming of thick, fat water droplets. He tossed some of the hair from his eyes and drew his cloak in around his shoulders a little tighter.

"There will be time enough for you to observe that for yourself. First we should make sure that no one is caught out in this storm."