Where'd You Go?

Ralla · 01-29-2011, 02:38 AM

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It was the morning after Ralla's return from her cleansing journey, and the night had not been kind in sleep. She had woken up early--unusual for the usually late-rising wolfess--for the sheer purpose of attending her duties. As liberated as she felt from her cleansing, it couldn't replace the horror she had witnessed the night before, nor could it replace lost sleep. Regardless, it was her duty to tend the fire, and if she could weather those two days bathing in freezing cold water, she could weather little sleep and the next three days without food. She stretched her lengthy arms high towards the sun and yawned loudly, shaking off the cold and wrapping her own blanket around her shoulders. After the last two days, she would have to be careful of keeping herself warm, not wanting to invite hypthermia or any sort of sickness closer than she had already done.

She walked dutifully to the ceremonial stone grounds where the Great Fire was housed and instead saw that another early riser was there. It was an unfamiliar face--again, as they so often appeared to be--but surprise was such a cliche reaction at that point that Ralla only took it for what it was and smiled. Upon closer inspection, the white wolfess saw that it was a small pup who bore...striking resemblance to Chief Dawali. Her scent also smelled faintly of the Chief's hut, and Ralla's curiosity peaked at that; especially when she let out the cry of a name. Who was this small child? And who was 'Hvnii'? Ralla continued at her pace until she was a few yards from the pup before speaking. "Good morning," she said gently, rounding the pup to inspect the fire. She could tend to it and get to know the pup, no? "Why so distressed?" Always one to notice things about others before she even noticed things about herself, Ralla could plainly see the small wolfess's face and expression, and then wondered if Hvnii was someone special to her. A parent? A sibling? "My name is Ralla, little one. Who might you be?" Steadily Ralla rounded the fire again, unafraid to reach in with her bare hand to move a stray log back into the embers from the outskirts of the coals, her hands long-since calloused and weathered, immune to the heat. It had been no easy task to get them that way. It had been months and still more days going that she had and was chopping wood, the axe handle building the skin tough on her paws. And since her new duties, having to be in close quarters with the fire was no stranger in the daily life. Yes still, she found so much joy in it, as if it were an old friend that listened to her worries and protected her and her tribe. It was comforting to say teh least; exuberanting to say the most.

Even near the Great Fire, the small pup seemed cold. The blanket around her was slipping off her small lupus frame, and it was almost sad to see the little one in such a state. Ralla remembered her own days as a pup; no way to transform, forced to rely on others for things she now did easily and took for granted. Even things as simple as wearing and holding a blanket. With a warm smile to match the fire, the embers lighting her green eyes even in the misty morning, Ralla beckoned her closer to the sitting logs; the appropriate distance of any member aside from those who tended the sacred flame. It was respectful to not go any closer, and it was Ralla's duty to enforce this (even if she had unknowingly broken that rule during her first few days in the tribe). She knew better, now, and had more self-restraint. Still, she knew the tempting draw of the Great Fire's flare; anyone who was truly in touch with the tribe could sense its pulse and flow; its connection to all that resided under its vigil.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

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