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 Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:21 am
"Rain is coming." Mia said softly, her eyes watching the sky calmly. Of course, it didn't require any shamanic training to know THAT.
Storm clouds gathered in dark mountains on the horizon and scattered across the sky like giant sheep without a shepherd. Though the moon still cast silver rays onto the earth below, the princess knew that it's time was nearly up. Soon she wouldn't be able to see the eye of the Great Lion watching over her. Soon it would all be darkness.
Mia shivered.
The Great Lion was guarding them tonight, but it wouldn't be long before his all-seeing eye would be blocked by the clouds. The cub wondered if there was a second being, one who worked against the Great Lion. Was there an Other One, who tried to stop the Great Lion?
"The Great Lion won't be able to see us!" She fretted out loud, no longer calm. Storm clouds rolled across the moon and it disappeared for a long time. The Other One was succeeding!
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:28 am
Shira sighed, and wondered again (for the millionth time) why it was SHE who had to take over this youngling. Surely the child could be fostered with a priest or scholar and learn the pride's history from them? The only thing the lioness could teach that others couldn't was the art of being a shaman.
Teaching children was such a pain.
"Did you ever think that maybe that is His choice?" Shira asked, a bit harsher than she had intended to. "Maybe we've done something to irk Him, or maybe He can see us THROUGH the clouds, even if we can't see Him." The lioness bent down and continued gathering her herbs, unperturbed. "We shouldn't pretend to understand everything the Great Lion does - we must simply accept it and do our best to please Him."
Beside her, the child cast one last doubtful glance at the dark sky before reluctantly turning to her task. Shira watched with approval as Mia chose only the best, most unspoilt herbs. At least she had an eye for plants...
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:33 am
"Oh."
No, she hadn't thought of that. She's just assumed it was the Other One who was working against them... maybe she should ask Shira about that. The pale cub cast a baneful glance at her guardian and grimaced. Or maybe not - she'd probably be in for another lecture on religion and The Great Lion if she brought something like THAT up. Still, the question nagged at her like a bothersome fly.
The princess bent her head and worked on choosing herbs for Shira. At least she could do SOMETHING right - she knew how to chose the best ones, and she was learning each one's properties fast. It was enough to surprise her mentor, though Shira had done her best to conceal that fact from her.
Shira was always trying to be so mysterious, act like she knew everything! Mia didn't like it much, and disliked the idea of becoming like her even less. She didn't WANT to be mysterious and distant from the pride! She wanted to be friends with them all, to help them! Why did a Shaman have to be mysterious anyways?
"Is this one good?" She asked, pointing to a small stunted herb. It's leaves looked good and green, but it was so tiny compared to the others!
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:42 am
Shira glanced over Mia's shoulder, eying the plant critically.
"Should be fine, girl. Size doesn't matter in these plants - just the color and quality." Shira added the stunted herb to her pouch with careful movements of her claws. Really, she should find some small creature willing to do this for a little food. It was a pain for HER to do it, and Mia was far too clumsy.
Abrubtly all silver gilding was stolen from the land - the moon was gone. Shira glanced up, irritated.
Overhead the sky was completely overcast, and the landscape was covered in a deep, dark pall. Almost as if a cloak had been dropped over the earth - and even the air seemed heavier around her. Lightning flickered in the distance, but the two were still too far off for the thunder to reach them.
"We'll stay out here until the storm comes, but we can't collect these ones anymore." Shira stalked off towards a patch of starflowers and nodded to Mia. "Pick these, if you please. They can still be collected when the moon isn't out."
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:54 am
Mia was just about to carefully harvest another herb when the moon disappeared. She blinked in the sudden darkness and glanced around, wishing they could go back NOW. The air around her was heavy and stagnant - there was no breeze to stir life into the world. Everything was still... waiting.
The flash of lightning was nearly enough to set her off - she lept into the air with a squeak and huddled close to her mentor (who promptly ignored her charge's actions and padded off to a nearby clump of pure white flowers). Mia gulped in a large breath of air and stared up at the dark sky. The clouds were so heavy, how could the Great Lion ever see through them?
Shira must be wrong. He couldn't see through them! They were alone out here in the storm...
"It must be the Other One." She whispered softly to herself, half-hoping Shira would hear and reassure her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:59 am
Shira waited (impatiently) for Mia to collect herself and the herb pouch and meet her by the flowers. She knew cubs were frightened of storms, and of the dark - both of which were making strong appearances tonight. She wondered absently if it was some kind of test, something the Great Lion had sent down to test the child.
... or maybe to test HER.
The lioness could see Mia's uncertainty in the tenseness of her body, and could smell her fear on the still night air. It was stiflingly hot - for her part, Shira just wished the storm clouds would spill open and be done with it. At least a thunderstorm would end this heat spell they'd been suffering from.
It was then that Mia spoke, softly and most-likely to herself, but still audible to the Shaman. Shira's eyes narrowed.
"The... Other One, Miakoda?" The lioness snatched the cub by the neck and plopped her down unceremoniously next to the flowers. "Tell."
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:07 am
Mia squeaked in surprise as she felt Shira's jaws close over her neck - she hadn't even noticed the Shaman move! And she'd been so sure her voice was low enough to not be heard. Well, at least she was getting the opportunity to ask that pesky question, even if she had a feeling it was skirting close to blasphemy.
"Well..." Mia avoided Shira's eyes, staring at her paws instead. "The Great Lion is watching us when the moon is out. But... these clouds are REAL thick, and no light can get through! So maybe He can't see us, and maybe He wishes He could. But maybe Something is stopping Him from watching over us tonight."
She hesitated, fear waring with the need to know. Her voice was low and quick, but Shira didn't seem to have a problem understanding her. "I thought... maybe there is the Other One, who tries to work against the Great Lion. Maybe the Other One is what the Great Lion is watching when he isn't watching us. Maybe the Other One brought this storm tonight to block His sight."
It was out, though it's release was more like the purging of poison from the system than a mere question. She felt giddy, light-headed, and most of all afraid. Afraid of what Shira would say.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:16 am
Shira was taken aback by the sudden question, but she collected her wits and managed not to grab the foolish child by the head and shake her. Hard.
This was why the cub should have been fostered with a priest or scholar FIRST. Then Shira wouldn't have to deal with stupid questions.
"Don't be more thick-headed than you already are, Miakoda." Shira replied scathingly, adding a derisive snort for emphasis. "There is only one being, and that is the Great Lion. Only He guards us and governs the earth, no other. The storm clouds aren't bad, and there is no Other One who sends them to block His sight."
The cub was making eye contact now, at least, but she still looked unconvinced. Shira sighed.
"Listen to me, girl." The Shaman waved one paw negligently towards the coming storm. Thunder was just audible now, and a cooling breeze had sprung up out of the east. "This storm is not an evil thing - it is necessary. It will prune the weak branches from the trees and burn the dead, dry grass in the plains, making way for new, better growth." Shira stared forcefully into the child's blue eyes. "There is NOTHING that happens that the Great Lion did not plan. Nothing that comes to pass that He did not sanction. He is all knowing, all seeing, and though we mortals may not know his plan or see the entire tapestry, we have to trust that there is a purpose to everything, a grand scheme."
In a strange fit of compassion (for there was no other way to describe it), Shira brushed her dark cheek against the cub's own pale one. "It is called having faith, Mia. You must have it, or you will spend your life battling demons that are not there."
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:23 am
Mia huddled back beneath the weight of the Shaman's irritated anger. She didn't MEAN to be bad, but she couldn't help but ask. After all, there was so much bad in the world, how could the Great Lion cause that too? He was a force for good, wasn't he?
Mia listened carefully to Shira's lecture, her ears flickering uncertainly, tail tucked far between her legs.
... maybe not a force for good then. Maybe a force for balance? For harmony? Oh, it was all so complicated! The pale cub wasn't sure she'd ever understand it all like Shira did. How could she, when everything seemed to be built upon a foundation of guesses? Faith was nothing more than hope and belief, and it was certainly NOT the truth as presented by cold hard facts. Was there ANY truth in the world? Was everything just built on dreams and wishes? Mia shuddered. How could she ever have faith? It was so hard!
But she didn't want to go through life battling those fake demons of her own making...
"I understand." She whispered, managing a wan smile at her mentor. The nuzzle had surprised and pleased her. "I'll try."
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:28 am
"Good."
Shira nodded and left it at that. Nothing more needed to be said, after all - the girl would find her faith, or she wouldn't, and nothing Shira could say would convince her one was or the other. But the shaman had faith, and plenty of it - in herself and in the Great Lion. He would show Miakoda the way, and she would find her path.
The dark lioness watched in silence as her charge bent over the flowers, selecting the best and brightest to be carefully placed with the other herbs. Mia was a good student, and she would be a good Shaman too if she would just stop thinking and start feeling more.
Shira supposed it would come in time.
Rain drops startled her out of her thoughts, splattering against her dark fur and filling the world with a wet, cool scent. She sighed, then snatched both Mia and the pouch up and headed home.
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