Ah Adanohedi Adasegogisdi Nigadv

Ralla · 12-25-2010, 10:43 PM

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Ahhh, the sweet thread for a story <3

Since becoming an Otlvna Gata, Ralla had continued as she had done before, but now she took not only more pride, but more duties. She continued practicing her fire dancing since she had learned it, and now brushed up further on AniWaya's lore. With her old tribe's beliefs and AniWaya's steadily filling her head, not much room was left for anything other than memories. She had begun to teach Desiree, the tribe's only young one, more about the fire since she then had the authority to do so, and she smiled when she told the tales as well, because it was as if she were learning them all for the first time, too. She had firmly stated her resolve to remain a part of AniWaya to her brother, and even though they were set to leave in the spring either way, she would always return to her true home; not only because she had found family there, but because of the strange feelings stirring in her concerning Kemo.

It was the night after she had returned from her short getaway to the north, but fatigue was not in her, as Sugar had been more than accomadting and quick enough to get them home in a timely manner. He was sleeping, now, in the stables with Liliana to care for him, and she stood around the Great Fire, feeding it with tinder to last it through the night. She was happy that she could now interact directly with the spiritual icon, and its flame gave her warmth beyond her pelt. In the dim night, overcast with clouds, its light continued its bright beacon of refuge. Always would she serve it, her tribe, and her chief; without doubt, it was her mission from the moon.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 12-25-2010, 10:59 PM

The warm glow of the Great Fire had the same effect on Nian as it would on summer insects--the flickering light irresistibly drew him towards its source. After hunting with J'adore earlier that day, he had planned to work on his lean-to a little more, but instead he found himself heading into the center of the village where the Great Fire burned. As he got closer, the warmth seemed to reach towards him, and he stopped and stood still for a moment, letting the warmth spread up through his toes and fingers. He had not realized before how cold he was, but he supposed that with the day's tasks he had been blessed with the warming effects of adrenaline.

Opening his eyes, he strode into the circle of light cast by the fire and looked around. He noticed a white wolfess he had not met before and watched her busy herself with the fire for a moment, then started to walk towards her, wagging his tail in a friendly manner. The warm fire and the activity of the day had sapped his high energy, and now he felt quite mellow and ready to interact peacefully with anyone he met.

"Evening," he called out quietly. "Hope I'm not interrupting. Mind if I sit for a while?"

Ralla · 12-25-2010, 11:38 PM

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I should be saving this post-attack for SoSuWriMo o.0

The approach of a fellow tribe member caught Ralla's attention, and she was further interested to see it was yet another new face. It was a small male with similar coloring to one of their past Gatlvskas, Arda. The other's tail was wagging, and in conditioned response, so did hers. He called out a greeting, and she nodded her head in response.

"Please do," she said while motioning her arm to the side, indicating he could sit on one of the log benches that stood a little away from the Great Fire. They were far enough to be respectful to its greatness, but close enough to feel its embracing warmth. "I'm always one for company. My name's Ralla, by the way. I haven't seen you around here before." How often that was occuring lately. New tribe members had seemed to pour in since winter began its awakening, but Ralla was confident in the tribe's ability to overcome and prevail the cold. "What brings you here tonight?" She was not necessarily suspicious of his sudden appearance. His scent held traces of an extended stay in their borders, and he gave off the signs of a very calm individual. Continuing with her task, she kept an easy smile on her face, always happy to be, well...happy. That initial pang of shyness hit her, wondering if he would be put off by her abnormally long limbs or if he would ignore it like many seemed to do. It was one of the few things she was overly-self-conscious of, although she was glad that no one had made any incriminating comments on them while she had journeyed and lived in Nova Scotia.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 12-26-2010, 12:03 AM

OOC: I'm sure you'll still have posts a-plenty left come January. Smile

Grinning, Nian sat down on one of the indicated benches. "Thanks." As he sat down he stretched out his limbs, lifting his arms over his head with a small yawn. Blinking at the unexpected sound, he looked at her apologetically, swiveling his ears downward and hunching over slightly. "Oh, sorry! That wasn't directed at you... Guess I'm more tired than I expected. I spent the morning chasing after prey with J'adore. D'you know him?" It wasn't just the hunt that was making him yawn, he decided; the fire had something to do with it too. Coming into a warm area after being out in the cold could make anyone sleepy.

Leaning back, he looked at his fireside companion. She was a bit odd-looking, but he could not quite place what produced that effect. Something about her legs, maybe, or the way she carried herself... Whatever it was, it certainly came from more than just her manner, but he shrugged off the physical oddity as just some sort of regional variation. In his travels, he had seen all kinds of different wolves. Given enough time, he thought he might be able to place the source of the strangeness. Speaking up again, he began to answer the rest of her questions.

"I'm Nian. I'm pretty new, so I'm just trying to get to know everyone and everything around here." He nodded at the fire and its swirling, crackling golden flames. "This is the Great Fire, right? I keep passing it and following it home after exploring... I guess that makes you a... Ol- Oltvna Gata, right? You must be, because you're tending it. That's what you do, right?"

Ralla · 12-26-2010, 12:25 AM

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I ish hope so T~T

She giggled lightly at his well-mannered comment, finding it a little silly that anyone would show signs of submission or apology over such a thing to her. "No, I haven't seen a 'J'adore', but I remember hearing the name passed around. So many wolves come by these days without my noticing, sadly." Part of it was, she admitted to herself, because she was so enrapt in her personal problems. The other part reasoned that she couldn't let those same problems interfere with the life she had found herself in, lest she ruin the paradise. She found it nice that another wolf was so comforted by the Great Fire as she had first been; in fact, she found herself welcoming to anyone who expressed the same friendly emotion.

"Nian, it is a pleasure to have you in AniWaya. I'm sure you'll like it here; everyone is just like family." She giggled again as he had trouble pronouncing her rank. "Otlvna Gata, yes. You know, I had the same trouble pronouncing all sorts of things when I first came here. But it's all very graceful in itself. What of you? Are you still an Itse? Or, perhaps, since you were out hunting with another, a Tsula Agateno?" She finished her feeding of the flames and merely switched between watching the newcomer and the Fire's rising sparks. "Tending it is only part of my duties. I also clean the ceremonial stone beneath us, deliver firewood to the occupied huts around the village, and teach the young ones about our lore. Although," she said, sighing, "with only one young one, and everyone else busy keeping the tribe going, there aren't many to tell the stories to. I find myself studying the stories more myself, honestly. It's funny, because sometimes, it's as if I've heard them before, and at the same time they are strangers to me." The story of winter was similar in many ways, and Ralla saw those green firs standing off to the outskirts of village, more by memory than actual sight for the moment.

"Tell me, Nian," she asked, an idea coming to mind, "would you like to hear a story? Or song? I love to share what I know, because then it means that knowledge is passed on. For those who cannot read or write, like me, knowledge through speech is precious."

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 12-26-2010, 01:05 AM

OOC: Sorry for shortness and any confusing sentences. It's getting late for me.

Looking at the Great Fire, Nian nodded. "You got it right the second time--I'm a Tsula Agateno." He looked over at her with a grin. "So if you ever want any messages delivered to other tribemates, I'm the wolf for the job! I can't do anything outside the borders, but I can do little errands and things. I've got an excellent memory, just... I get a little tongue-twisted sometimes." He shrugs and finishes, "Actually, my memory's best for maps and images... But I can still remember words well enough to relate them. In fact..." His ears perked up, and he looked at her attentively. "I used to be a really good storyteller myself. My mother told me all sorts of stories, and I sometimes made up my own too. I'd be more than happy to hear any stories you can tell me."

More than happy may have been a slight understatement. At the promise of stories, he felt his tiredness start to leave him, and he turned his now suddenly alert mind to the task of listening to the Otlvna Gata. Stories were one of the reasons he had sought out the AniWaya in the first place. The moment he heard of the tribe, with their humanized society and their old traditions, he had been looking forward to learning about their history. Now he had his chance, as he sat near a living conduit to the tribe's traditions, eager to hear her words.

Ralla · 12-26-2010, 11:01 AM

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Meh, not like I can complain Tongue The only reason I was up last night was cuz of three glasses o' caffeine XP (Disclaim: the tale is a tale of the Cherokee, and is not really a song. I imagined it as one o.0)

"I can relate to that quite well, actually. For the life of me, I can't remember herbs; what they look like, what they're for... It was a good thing I didn't become a Kunikoti. And really?" Another storyteller? Fantastic, she thought, eyes brightening. Amongst the moon, stars, and fire, songs and stories were Ralla's passions, and both could be as interchangeable. "Well, I'll make you a deal, Nian. I'll sing for you a tale if you promise to tell me one in return. That way, the knowledge you have I can pass down as well." It was a very traditional thing to do, in Ralla's mind. With a few steps around the fire, making sure all was stable and secure, she began.

"Fire is a gift that none could once imagine;
The People of the Sky sent it down.
With the drums of thunder pounding
And their cries of loss sounding
A great sycamore did the burning fire crown.
The Animal People saw it fall to earth and create smoke from where it laid;
A council was held to see who to fetch it would go.
White Raven did fly first to land
But stood too long above the smoke and
Came back scorched black like its brother Crow.
Next to go were the Owls--Hooting, Horned, and Screech;
But each came back hurting from the gift instead.
Hooting and Horned now had white-rimmed eyes,
From the ash that, too, flies,
And Screech came back with sight stained red.
When the Snakes returned dark as night, hope was too far gone;
Until the Water Spider stepped bravely to stand.
Her hair was already black
With red stripes crisscrossed her back
And so she travelled to the sycamore's water-bound land.
She wove a bowl of her web and climbed the burning trunk;
Although it scorched her, she continued on with might.
And when a coal was placed
In her webbed bowl with haste,
Fire became the Animal People's light."

Ralla had not sung that tale for a time, but Nian's expressed enthusiasm for stories had prompted her--well, she probably would've sung anyway--to do so without much prodding. Always would she be happy to do what all could partake in and what meant the world; celebrating a story. "So you see, Nian, although wolves are blessed by the moon, we could not reach the island at first, nor could we handle the fire. We owe this," she said, gesturing to the dancing embers, "to the People of the Sky and to the Water Spider. But we keep it and revere it because it was a gift to all the Animal People; our light in the darkness when the moon is hidden away."

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 12-26-2010, 06:17 PM

OOC: Sorry this is so long... Okay, this is an Apache story. Fox and Coyote are sometimes interchangeable, and there's more than 60 Coyote stories in my book of Apache myths. 0_0 I picked one that involved fire. Also... Nian talks in run-on sentences. Sorry about that.

Nian nodded at the deal. "Sounds fair to me." Smiling, he settled into a more comfortable position to listen to her story.

As he listened to her words, he found his eyes intermittently drawn between the fire and Ralla. Even though the story was simply told, the sing-song chant and the warm crackle of the fire created a soothing atmosphere. He could imagine Raven flying too close to the golden flames and singeing his feathers in the billowing smoke... Hooting and Horned with their white-rimmed eyes, Screech with his red... The weaving smoke was like Water Spider's black hair. He smiled as Ralla told the end of the tale, and turned back attentively as she spoke the final message. When he was sure that she was done, he smiled.

"I'd never heard that story before... Thank you. I like it better than the one I was told. It makes fire sound more like a gift than an accident." Winking mischievously, he explained, "The way I learned it, Fox stole fire from the fireflies, but he burned himself, and as he ran away, he scattered sparks from it all over the world. My mother used to tell me these stories, then make fun of me and tell me I was just like Fox--always asking too many questions and ending up in trouble"

He thought for a moment, then leaned forward and started into his own story: "Here, I'll tell you what I mean... One day Fox was walking along, when he met Deer and her little fawns. Admiring their lovely white spots he asked her, 'How did your children get such beautiful colors?' She told him that they had been born that way, but Fox could not believe that deer born with white spots would lose them as adults, and so he kept asking until she told him a story. She said that she placed them next to a cedar fire, and the sparks made white spots on their coats. Now, Fox, he wanted his own children to have white spots like Deer's fawns, so he made a big fire and put his children next to it. When their coats stayed the same color, he thought that maybe they needed more heat, so he pushed his children in the fire. After a while, he saw white spots gleaming from the coals, so he took them out, thinking they would be very beautiful -- but when he did he saw that the white was the white of his dead children's bones. Fox was so sad and angry that he surrounded Deer and her fawns in a circle of fire, but the Deer family were the best leapers and jumped over them. All Fox could do was cry his frustration, and that's why now when he howls he sounds like he's angry.

"I'm not sure what the moral of that is..." He grinned at her. "Maybe it's that you shouldn't believe everything you hear, or maybe that vanity is dangerous. Or maybe not to ask the same questions too many times."

Ralla · 12-26-2010, 10:45 PM

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It's normal for someone to talk like that; makes it more real, since real people talk like that and not all proper like Ralla. She's just little miss happiness Tongue

"I love fireflies," she commented nostalgically. "I can't wait till summer here. Back where I come from, fireflies filled the plains and forest like miniature lanterns. I wonder if there are summers like that here...?" Despite coming from such a cold, snowy climate in the first place, nothing could ever replace the ephemeral springs and summers that had graced her once-home. But she was saying that before she had even witness her first spring in AniWaya, so she was getting ahead of herself then.

She listened--enraptured in the tale--and her eyes grew wide when Fox realized just what the white really was. She was actually saddened by the tale, but it wasn't as if she hadn't heard similar tales where sadness taught the true lesson. "I think the moral is just that; vanity is a dangerous thing." She ran her fingers through the trailing strands of her low ponytail that she had pulled over her shoulder, letting the beads strung near the ends run through her palms. With flattened ears she recalled the vanity of some of her tribe. "It was tradition, where I came from, to decorate oneself for celebration and rank. But you know, there was once a wolfess who was very much like Fox. She wore long ear-hooks that hung down to her ankles." For a wolfess who didn't like to be reminded of abandoning her previous pack, she spoke of them often enough. But they were her best comparison, since they had once been the only land and pack she had known. Even with all the new memories she was making in AniWaya, it didn't mean the old ones just disappeared. Since seeing her brother, it hurt less and less to remember. Eventually, they became passing references that she used without much of a second thought.

"Fire was also a precious portal of sacrifice in my old tribe," she continued, reaching out her calloused hands to skim the outer thermals of the Great Fire, "and the wolfess did not respect it. One day, when she was dancing too close, the ear-hooks caught on fire. They burned easily, and they were so tight to her ears that she couldn't get them off. Her ears then had scorched holes, which she foolishly covered up with more ear-hooks." She laughed a little, then, even if the humor was morbid. She did not remember the wolfess; she had never known her name. Ralla had always been too busy to know anyone's name but the higher ranks. If she had a tail for every time she could relate a problem or song to a story, she'd have thousands of tails. But a real life example? Harder to come by. And so it was that she agreed whole-heartedly with Nian.

"That was a wonderful story, Nian; don't sell yourself short. I'll be sure to tell it to whoever has ears to listen." she smiled as warmly as her hand was now that it had skimmed the embers of the fire, and she felt it almost pulse with the power that the Great Fire symbolized. Vanity indeed... Is it vain that I want to be a true part of this tribe...? She had once asked Chief Dawali what it took to be a true member, and she had indefinatly been assured of her status as an AniWayan thereafter. But she knew all about the 'true AniWayans' from the stories she learned and told Desiree. Never would she take for granted what was given to her that day she had arrived at twilight--the cusp of dusk and dawn--when she had been allowed to cross the metal fence.

"I offer my stories and songs whenever you wish as well, Nian. That, tending to the Great Fire, and caring for my tribe are the reasons why I am here."

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 12-27-2010, 03:48 PM

As he listened to her speak of her old tribe, Nian was again reminded of the unusual look of the white wolfess, and he wondered about the tribe she spoke of. Her light fur suggested that she came from somewhere with a colder climate to help her blend in with the snow, just as his dun coloring helped him blend in with the dry ground and brush of the American Southwest. No wonder the fire spoke so to her... For a pack living in a cold climate, the fire would mean life or death against the harshness of the elements.

"Well, I wouldn't know about the summers here,"he said, stretching his hands out towards the warm fire. "I've only just come into the area myself, but I know there were fireflies in the summer further south from here. I think it's probably a safe bet."

He tilted his head to the side, looking curiously at her. "Where was your old pack? Have you been an AniWayan for a long time?" He hoped he was not overstepping his bounds with the questions, but he liked to hear about interesting people and places he had never been to.

Ralla · 12-28-2010, 12:52 AM

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"Hmmm," she hummed, leaning back again. It was a nice notion to look forward to. Hopefully, when the ice in the Halcyon mountains thawed, it would be early enough for them all--her, her brother, and Kemo--to return come summer time. She did not show it, but she was dreading the oncoming spring for multiple reasons. First they had to scout the Halcyon mountains to see how far along the thaw was, followed by the actual trip to and over the mountains to reach the gypsy luperci caravans that would lead them back to the Moon Tribe. If all went well, they would only be gone from Nova Scotia for two months. If not... Well, it wouldn't go bad at all. Against all common sense, she felt as if everything would be fine...maybe.

Nian's questioning of her origins was not new. The first wolf to ask had been Chief Dawali, on pure principle of allowing her into the pack. The second had been Kemo. Although she had reacted quite badly to that one, time had passed; a thick skin like a scarr now protected that sensitive area of questioning, conditioned from others questioning her curiosities. "My old pack was called the Crescent Moon Pack of the Moon Tribe, far to the south and a little west. We were one of four, and were known for keeping the history and stories. Of course we had our warriors and hunters, but they were not our specialty." Reminiscing was a bittersweet feeling, and she was thankful that the moon and stars were clouded that night, lest they show her a vision or sign as she spoke about her old ties. "I've been in AniWaya for...four months," she said with amazement. The time had passed so quickly, and with her wandering feet, she had learned much and met many. "How about you, Nian? You must be fairly new, since this is the first time I'm seeing you. Where do you hail?"

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon talks.

Nian Redtree · 12-28-2010, 01:26 AM

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Nian crossed his legs, watching her as she spoke. He had never heard of the Moon Tribe or the Crescent Moon Pack, but he did not doubt their existance. For the first time he noticed the symbol on her head - a crescent moon, of course. He nodded in acknowledgment of what she had said. "It sounds somewhat similar to where I'm from..." He gave a half smile and added, "Except maybe more organized."

Tilting his head thoughtfully, he continued: "I've only been in AniWaya for about a month, maybe a little more. Before that I traveled all over North America with my brothers. We come from Arizona, where there are a bunch of Mexican Wolves living in small groups. I guess pack is a little too organized-sounding... although we did get together sometimes for festivals and dances. My father led one of the groups, but, uh..." He looked down, suddenly less sure of his eagerness to tell. Despite being quite happy at this point in his life, the loss of his old life was more fresh than he liked to think. Living in the moment had always been Nian's specialty, and he felt awkward around any kind of sadness. Shifting his feet, he went on anyway. "Well, because we weren't really organized, there were all sorts of gangs looking to get power. This one wolf pushed my father out of his leadership position, and my brother said we should probably leave before he decided to make things harder on all of us. So we did, all five of us. But I'm the only one who came this far."

Nian scratched the back of his ear, trying to cover up deeper thoughts with a more carefree gesture. Only two of his brothers had settled down with other packs like Nian did. Of the other two, one had died, and the last he saw of Jero, he was running off into the desert after a dream vision the rest of them could not see. While the more optimistic part of his personality hoped that Jero was somewhere in the middle of Utah being a shaman or something and speaking with spirits, the more realistic side realized that the open desert was a bad place to be for any wolf alone.

Ralla · 01-02-2011, 07:35 PM

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Thanks for threading with me <3 Good luck in SSWM >:3

During Nian's tale, her first impression of the loosely-organized packs coming together for festivals was of a fantasy glory. She imagined many packs coming together for a joyous occasion, bedecking their area of celebration with all sorts of colors and objects of interest, all dancing and singing with a unified voice. But as Nian's tale wore on, that image faded like a pale mist in the night. The packs--what Nian called gangs--sounded more dangerous than she had first had the impression of, and Nian's way of speaking led her then to believe that the way of living was much harder than he was letting on. She leaned on her knees, listening still.

"And your brothers...?" She didn't know if he wanted to elaborate on the subject, seeing as how it was not mentioned before. Did they settle? Get lost? Die...? "I have a brother. He's older and much more stubborn than my father. He's so thick-headed, but... I wonder how he is." She smiled a pained smile, then. "I understand the need to flee a pack... When I did...I felt so cowardly. But you know, it didn't always feel like 'home' there," she said, quoting the conversation she had had with her Chief just earlier that month. "It hurts to remember what I left behind--to wonder if they miss or hate me for leaving them--but I have kin and family here." She wouldn't elaborate further of why she had left. That would only solidify in Nian's mind her own statement of her being cowardly. For a first meeting with someone, that wasn't the impression she wanted to give.

"I hope you won't feel like that, Nian." She didn't consciously want anyone to ever regret their decision to leave or leave someone behind. The last thought was morbid in her mind, but she rectified her statement, adding 'according to circumstances'. Loopholes, loopholes, loopholes... They were riddled into every statement and desire. "I hope that you always feel welcome here." She gave another of her trademark smiles before standing and gathering her tools. "I must bid you goodnight, but I hope to see you again soon." So saying, she bowed her head and turned to leave. She was tired, then, but she had enjoyed the story with Nian. His fresh enthusiasm for legends had piqued her interest, and now all she wanted from him was to become his family as well. What made a family?

Belief.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Nian Redtree · 01-02-2011, 09:11 PM

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Short finishing post.

He smiled gratefully to Ralla. "Thank you, Ralla. I do feel at home here. I no longer feel the need to travel... It's a nice change. I hope I can find something like family here as well." Watching her gather her things, he stood himself, stretching slightly as he did so. After a long time of sitting and talking to Ralla, the warmth of the fire had lulled him into a sense of sleepiness that he now had to shake off. "Thank you for the stories," he said, and as she turned to go: "And I will certainly see you again some time." Waving as she left, he stepped outside of the warm ring around the fire and headed back to his home to sleep.

Pretty table made by Gwendolyn! Edited slightly by me.

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