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In Tribute (12) : In the days leading up to the Star Festival, small stone shrines began to appear randomly throughout Destiny City–on rooftops, in alleyways, hidden down long forest paths. They’re small, altar-like platforms with a little bowl in the center and a single glowing stone inside. There’s something peaceful, refreshing, about the shrine, even if no one seems to know who is setting them. However, if the stone is removed, the glow vanishes–along with your sense of peace. This was not your offering to take. Immediately, you feel something breathing on the back of your neck but there’s nothing to be seen. Returning the stone returns the area to an uneasy stillness, but if you attempt to leave without returning the stone, a mounting pressure and anxiety will grow within you. You never make it far from the shrine before some unseen force overtakes you. It feels like a great force collides into your back, and unconsciousness is quick to follow. When you awaken, the shrine is gone. All that remains is pain and fear. If you are tempted to leave an offering of your own, however small, you will find yourself feeling as though you have received the protection of something greater than you can understand. This strange blanket of security will last for the remainder of the day. A shrine never stays in the same place for long but no one ever sees who is setting them up or taking them down.
Jihlava was becoming very tired of living in the woods. But, until she could find someone willing and able to help us navigate the culture of Earth, she was stuck. She’d already seen enough people, from a safe distance, of course, to know that she would cause an unpleasant stir were she to emerge as she was. Earth people simply didn’t have feathered tails or unusual skin tones. Or feathered ruffs.
So she stayed inside the trees and waited. Granted, the trees and various plants were lovely, but she was in need of a proper bath and some time within walls. Her books were getting damp and really. That was just unacceptable.
Making soft churring noises of distress under her breath, Jihlava explored an overgrown path. Though it was quite sunny and warm out, the trees had run wild and created a bit of a tunnel. She was protected from some of the sunlight, but not the heat. In fact, as overly warm as she felt, she was very close to giving up her wandering in favor of finding a nice shady patch to nest in. And she would have done just that had she not happened to glance further down the path and seen an odd little contraption in the middle of the path.
Frowning, she paused to listen. Only the normal forest noises could be heard. She couldn’t even feel anything untoward in the area. And she was fairly certain that she’d not seen this little… whatever-it-was a few moments ago. Overcome by curiosity, she approached and knelt down to examine it.
“Oh!” she whispered, suddenly recognizing the thing. Not that many people had used little shrines back home, but some had. Enough that she could recognize the basic form now that she was right by it. “Now how did you get here?”
She glanced up and around once more, seeing nothing that could explain this. After a moment, she shrugged to herself and turned back to the shrine, carefully sitting down before it. It was a simple thing, just a little platform, a bowl and a beautiful glowing stone. But in spite of, or perhaps because of, its simplicity, the owlish senshi found herself relaxing slightly. Indeed, the shrine seemed to radiate calm and Jihlava was not immune to that influence.
Resting her chin in her hand, she watched the glowing stone and wondered what it was. There was no temptation to touch the stone or take it to further examine. Such a thing would have been unforgivably rude. Besides, enough of her books back home had outlined all of the ways in which one could get into trouble by messing with things like this.
Simply, this wasn’t hers, but for whatever reason, she was being allowed to be here and enjoy it.
Still, soaking in the air of relaxation made her feel a little homesick. The Library had often been quiet and calm like this when she’d been a child. Before everything had gone wrong and dark. Her parents had even taken her to see a shrine a little like this one, though without the glowing rock. Thinking of her parents, now lost forever to Chaos, caused Jihlava’s bright pinkish eyes to well with tears. She missed them so much. She missed home so much. And, in spite of the heartache, she was grateful to whomever had put the shrine here. Because of them, she’d had a moment to think of happier times. And shrines were for remembering those who were gone, right?
Turning, she opened up the sack she’d brought with her and began to root through it. Making tiny, happy hooting noises, she emerged with a tiny carved bit of wood. It was just a silly button that her father had carved for her to replace a game piece. She studied it for a moment and quickly set it into the bowl beside the stone. Surely whoever this belonged to wouldn’t mind her adding her own little offerings to the departed.
Pushing herself to her feet, she twitched her tail to shake bits of dead leaf and dirt from the feathers and felt… well, almost like something very big had decided to look out for her. It felt amazing, but also a little scary. She didn’t understand where the feeling came from, only that it was there. But it gave her hope that she’d be safe here for a little longer.
Picking up the sack and slinging it over her shoulder, she looked at the shrine again and smiled before continuing down the path and leaving it behind. A few feet away, she saw something glinting in the sunlight and stooped to see what it was. Slightly bemused, she picked up an opal star charm. Who was dropping these things? Sighing, she slipped this one into her pocket to join the first and continued on her way.
Word Count = 819 - Complete
