09-04-2010, 05:56 PM
[html]
[/html]
| http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... itable.png); background-position:bottom; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> 300+ With all of them helping, the fire was soon extinguished and following Dawali's lead he stepped back from the hollowed ground and waited for the Kalona to relight the sacred flame. As he stood and waited he looked over to catch Liliana's eye. He could sense a certain hesitance in here, but he smiled firmly to let her know she was doing just fine. Even if she wasn't completely comfortable in these situations, he was glad to see her here and participating in the things that were strange to her. To him they were anything but strange. They brought comfort, and the much needed sense of home that this smaller tribe lacked for him at times. The more he got to know his fellow tribesmembers here though the more his homesickness abated. He knew it would never go away completely, but it was becoming easier to manage than it had been at first. The new fire roared to life exuberantly and Nayati's pale gaze was drawn to it in wonder as it was every time this ceremony was performed. Dawali's words hit his ears and he watched at their chief demonstrated by offering a white shell to the great fire. The man watched as it was scored by the flames before stepping forward and mumbling a soft prayer before offering his carved arrowhead as his sacrifice. It, too, was not consumed, but that was not important. The heady smell of tobacco filled the air and the Utina breathed the scent in deeply and appreciatively. Blue eyes closed momentarily and imagined the same things happening now back in the Great Tribe. Imagined his little brothers and sister making their offerings to the fire. His father and mother too. At times such as these, he didn't feel so very far away from them. |