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 Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 8:06 pm
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 In the light of the harvest moon, Enheduanna reached into the pool, cupping her hands so that the leaves floating on the surface settled lightly within them. She stared down at them, a crease forming beneath her brows, as she tried to interpret the message in their crumbling shape. Even without daylight to see by, the centaur could make out a glimpse of their vivid hues. One leaf had folded just so, the other crumbled nearly in half.
She brought them up closer to her face, mulling over the significance of such a thing. Normally, it was the stars that the mare read, but tonight she had felt compelled to take a different approach. "Someone approaches," she said softly, musing at what their purpose might be. Like the leaves, they were a bit of a mystery to her.
Unlike some among her kind, Enheduanna had not been gifted with the Sight. Everything she knew, she knew from kneeling at the elders' hooves. It had taken long study, and careful reflection. Although she had had a certain natural talent, memorizing hundreds, no, thousands, of years of method and mythos had been grueling. What was more, it seemed scarcely of use these days. Though... it did give her great pleasure to study the stars, no matter how useless it might be.
"Give me a sign," she murmured, staring down at the moon and stars held within her grasp. At the leaves which gave her no answers at all. Ah, if only she could learn what her purpose was, if only she could see what she must do to reach the potential her teachers had seen in her. Even a hint would surely be enough... but there was no hint to be found within leaves that failed to be mystical. A hint of despair crept into her heart.
Now that she was alone, what was she to do? As the oldest among them were wont to do, they had passed away, leaving behind a pupil who had never learned the magic they had possessed. It was not something that mere study could teach, for if it had been, then surely her years of study would have been enough. After the passing of the last of them, Spring had turned into summer, and then summer into fall... and here she was, trying her hardest to understand.
And, as always, failing. All she had managed to see was that she would soon have company, and any novice could have done that. Weren't they always encountering others? Ah, such foolishness. Perhaps she was not trying hard enough. Yet what more could she do? "Please, tell me... show me!" a hoarse whisper that ached with longing. Not for a love, nor for a friend, but a path by which to travel, to become what she was meant to become. Whatever that might be.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:59 pm
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It was the night of the harvest moon, and Ravenna made her way through the foliage. Darkness was gripping the land earlier and earlier, and the lush, green forests that Ravenna had grown fond of, had turned into a canopy of orange, red, and gold. Autumn had turned the world into a tapestry of colors... and though she was eager for the cooler nights, she knew that winter would not be far.
But tonight she wasn't thinking that far ahead. Tonight, she was here to leave an offering to the Moon. In a small satchel, Ravenna had brought a small pot of honey, apples, pomegranate, a small pumpkin, and a small string of grapes. She had hoped to fill up a goblet of fresh water, to tie in the offering to the great Moon, and its associated spirits and kin. However, what she hadn't expected was to bump into another.
She paused in her approach, black tail flicking behind her as she looked over the other. The stranger was staring down in her hands. Was she... all right? Surely, it was an auspicious sign to meet someone at the waters edge, on such a night as this. "Well met, nightwalker," she spoke warmly. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." If she needed to move aside and fill up the goblet further downstream, she would do so.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:38 pm
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When a low, mellow voice spoke, Enheduanna glanced up, and was struck by the sight of a strange mare perfectly silhouetted by the moon. For a single moment, the air around the stranger seemed to resonate and glow. As the mare's own gaze travelled back down to her cupped hands, she found that the leaves had shifted to form the pattern of a series of lunar phases. Startled, she glanced up again, and once again, she saw the shimmering power that enveloped the other. The color, she mused, was that of the harvest moon above. Yet she could detect no sign that the other was aware of it, and she wondered if she had imagined it.
It had vanished once again. Checking the leaves in her hand once again, she saw the single folded leaf and the other leaf in two pieces. Just as she had before. She could scarcely believe what she had seen. Was it the sign she had pleaded for? It surely must be. She opened her cupped hands, letting the leaves fall back onto the water's surface... but as she did so, they fell into the shape of the moon she had seen so clearly a moment before. It was so easy to think she was hallucinating out of desperation.
Glancing into the other's face, she hoped that she might seen some hint reflected there that she was not alone in her vision. "Not at all," she said, scarcely able to think straight. Before she could respond any further, another voice broke the moment of silence. "No, you're not intruding..." Although now she wondered if the buck might have some purpose here as well. Shaken by what she had seen, she was at a loss of what to say or do.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:56 pm
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Ravenna was so focused on the stranger that she was completely unaware of the glow around her. What she did see, though, was the other mare look between Ravenna and her hands. What was she holding anyway? After a moment more, the blue-coated mare released the leaves into the water below.... and this time, Ravenna did see the shape of the moon.
"Oh," she beathed softly, reverently. Surely, very surely, this was an auspicious meeting, indeed. The Moon Spirits must well be near! Even if it was from Enheduanna, even if it was some form of magic, it surely had to be a sign. Perhaps they were on or near some sacred ground. Regardless, Ravenna internally gave a prayer of gratitude and thanks to the great Moon.
Suddenly, another approached -- this time an Elaphotaur. Ravenna was surprised but pleased-- she rarely bumped into their smaller, horned kin. "An auspicious meeting. Well met to you, too, stranger."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:06 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:20 pm
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For a moment, Enheduanna thought of glossing over the matter, but to conceal the reason she'd come out to the lake this night seemed... irreverent, somehow. Disrespectful. It was plain to her that this strange mare was the source of the miracle she'd seen just now. "I came here seeking a sign of what I path I should take." In truth, whether she was on the right path now, or if there was another she ought to traverse. "I've done this many times before, but this is the first time I received an answer." Whether or not she understood it was another matter.
It was indeed auspicious, for the mare could see that the blessed stranger was certainly important. Yet, how could Enheduanna tell whether that importance related to her directly, or if there was some other intersection of fate of which she was as yet unaware. "And you? What brings all of you here?" she asked, genuinely wondering. She had not even thought to introduce herself, but now it seemed awkward to do so, unasked.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:32 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:49 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:05 pm
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There was certainly something mysterious and mystical about the purple mare before her, and as the other spoke, her suspicions seemed to be confirmed. Contained within the satchel the mare wore lay what were surely the proper offerings to a powerful Spirit or spirits. "How fortuitous indeed..." she spoke, and contemplated the buck's purpose as well. "Here the moon plays along the surface of the lake." It was framed so beautifully, just as the fanciful paintings her teachers had coveted from time to time.
And yet... "Perhaps the moon will show us the way," she said softly. "It would be the night for that." Ah, but then the male had introduced himself, and she was embarrassed to be so tardy in her own introduction. "My name is Enheduanna, and I am studying to be-"
As she had begun to speak, the leaves suddenly rustled up out of the water, their shape still that of the phases of the moon, but each one twirling softly and glowing in a breeze that had abruptly swept across the lake. Somehow there seemed to be many more of them that she had thought, and they shone brighter, taking on the light of the harvest moon. They swirled through the air and began to climb the mountain that stood beside the lake.
Startled, the mare got to her feet abruptly, and watched as the leaves wound up higher and higher, until they had reached the mountain's peak. There a beautiful flower sparkled, dazzling her eyes and sending a shock of reverence through her. "There. The flower is up there," she said, pointing quite unnecessarily up toward the gleaming flower that seemed to beckon in the moonlight.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:22 pm
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Had Ravenna been alone, she would have dropped to the ground and immediately offered reverence. Whoever this mare weas, the harvest moon had clearly chosen her -- and she wanted, more than anything, to better get to know her. This wasn't just a sign for Enheduanna, but clearly for Ravenna, too. There could be no other reason.
Still, the buck had been lead here too. He was hunting for some sort of flower that grew only by moonlight. "I've heard tales of such a flower," she mused. While the Sun Herd had little dealings with those of the moon, stories about the great and precious Sun Flowers often mentioned their twin flowers, those that grew only during certain lunar cycles. "Perhaps you seek the--" Her words stopped though, as the leaves upon the water took form, glowed, and moved up he mountain.
"The Harvest Rose," she spoke, gazing up at where it grew.
After a moment, she gave a shake of her head, "I'm Ravenna, High Priestess of the Moon, and part of the Nox Lunae Herd," she introduced. She felt silly giving her fully title, but she hoped, maybe, either or might find interest in her herd. Nobody would know of it unless it was talked about, after all. And she did dearly want to talk to Enheduanna about her very clear gift.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:29 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:42 pm
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Overcome with emotion at the first real, clear sign that her studies had not been in vain and that she might at long last return her mentors' faith in her, Enheduanna held back tears. For all that she had not been the originator of the miracle before them, she was quite certain Ravenna was. Perhaps her dear teachers could finally rest easy in the knowledge that their protégé had found her path. Though she did not yet know what it was, to hear that the mare was a high priestess of the moon gave her hope.
That Ambrose had come seeking the Harvest Rose could surely be no coincidence. "It would seem that the moon heeded your call," she said, though she was not sure to whom. "A worthy dream." With a priestess bearing an offering to the moon and a seeker along with a diviner, it seemed far more likely that this was far more than a chance meeting. "I'm only a student, but what a privilege to see such splendor." To be among the sacred was an honor indeed.
"You need not thank me. It is the will of the Moon, it would seem, no doubt brought by Ravenna." Although Enheduanna had asked for a sign, she had gotten far more than that, and for that she would be forever grateful. "Thank you for this chance." The sight of the beautiful flower was more than enough for her, especially wreathed as it was by the glowing leaves. At last, a sign that her own abilities could one day flower themselves.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:54 pm
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Ravenna gave a small shake of her head. "I, for one, think you should go get it. Surely, the Moon will not allow you to falter. If ever there's a gift from the spirits, now's the chance to make your dream a reality." Who knew? Perhaps he could re-plant the flower in his own garden. Magic was among them, and though it would require the Elaphotaur to part ways, she was certain he would reach his destiny in time. He was a fleet-footed Elaphotaur, after all...
Still, she would not push him. If he did not feel it was a sign to reach his destination, so be it. The sight of the beautiful Harvest Rose was indeed a memory she wouldn't forget -- and she would be all the more grateful to the Autumn moon. It was almost as if she were witness to a calling...
And perhaps she was.
Her eyes turned back towards Enheduanna, ever eager to ask but not wanting to overwhelm the stranger. Where she had once been hesitant among strangers, it was clear her confidence in her place in the world was growing -- and perhaps this was a sign they were all where they were meant to be. "I wouldn't underestimate yourself," she mused, "Either of you, really," she looked back towards the gentle buck. "You both have been favored by the Harvest Moon, and I dare say, Enheduanna, you've a greater calling than you know."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:01 pm
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The harvest moon was rumored to be the only time a special mystical flower would bloom. It was a legend Ambrose had grown up listening to at his grandfather’s side. Ambrose had searched for the flower for years now, and had yet to see it. This night, under the full moon, he searched again. He was aware that the search may never result in success. Yet, he tried every year anyway. It was a a ritual now.