bed figurines

Uffffff—
 
came the gravid woman’s groan. She was only rolling to her feet, but still, such an act required gargantuan effort now. It was incredible to Olive, who had previously considered herself a highly adept midwife, how much of movement relied on musculature — and when that musculature was pulled taut by other forces, it left very little room for movement. When she was down, Olive stayed down. However, this late evening, she had managed to rouse herself for good reason — one of few that motivated her to do anything, nowadays.
 
The supermoon loomed close to the earth, and the weather responded in kind. It has rained something torrential mere hours before, but all at once, the rain had ceased (resulting in an awesomely humid rainbow once the falling waters had cleared) and now the late evening skies were unblemished and crystal clear. It called to her, and beckoned her forth. Esra has been wondering when would be the best time to consult her Gods, to seek their favor, and now it called to her. The last few days were particularly restless, as she leaned into her deepest nesting instincts. The mother-to-be knew that her delivery was impending. She knew that her life would be held in the lap of the Gods.

Herbs and medical knowledge were imperative, but when it came to the thin threads between life and death — those ends could only be woven together by something far larger than she. Esra did not need to wander far, only to the clearing adjacent to her den high in the mountains, where she could see the moon as it sat fat and heavy in the sky, as if it were a pregnant belly itself

— and that was just it, wasn’t it? The moon was ripe, and full of potential, bathing the entire land in a luminescent, healing moonlight. Is was sunlight’s reflection, or perhaps sunlight’s shadow. That, Esra didn’t know, but she did know that moonlight carried magic, and so she spoke to the glowing orb itself, as if it were the ear to the universe:

“I honor my Mother. The Mother who gave birth to me, the Mother who comforted & taught me. I am grateful for her love. May she be blessed.” Words well practiced, yet given a new meaning with her own fecundity. “Mothers of my Ancestors, all the Mothers who came before me. I feel your power & your support in my life. I am thankful for your collective wisdom, which runs through my spirit. Dear Mothers, blessed be.”
 
Now speaking of herself, the woman nosed forward the raw amethyst that she had received from Elysium’s wedding, as her prize from the scavenger hunt. “We call upon all good and helpful powers! Hear us and aid us through childbirth. We ask for protection, we ask for strength, we ask for full health. We are surrounded by your protective power — This geode shall also hold protective power. It shall be kept near, to bestow us with strength. So it is, and so shall it be…” and she drifted off into a voiceless, soundless presence, which she maintained for some time.
 
Leaving the stone at her den for now, Olive then descended the mountain, hoping to slake her thirst with a drink of cool water before she went off to try for some semblance of sleep.

the staff team luvs u

All was not quieting the Tundra.
 
No, it had not been quiet for some time. Not since the lands had changed, and mountains had morphed, and a large vale carved in the earth.
 
It was especially raucous this night, at an hour where the norm was serene silence. Lounatuuli was used to being alone during these late, waking hours; alone nearly all the time, truly. Here and there, drifted a soft voice, riding upon the soft winds as if it was a light feather caught upon the current. She was roused, and her curiosity intensified. The owl spread her shoulder blades and arched her back, then sailed with a single flap of her wingspan down to the birch that lay directly in the pale lupe’s path.
 
She watched with atramentous eyes as the other shuffled home, regarding the glittering, purple stone in her mouth with a most sincere interest.

the staff team luvs u

The lupine seer's retreat was not far, but she made progress slowly. The earth was silent, and seemingly without consequence to those who woke only during the day. These days, Olive found less and less repose as her body filled out and a comfortable sleeping position became harder and harder to find; thus she was awake at night, and paid her respect to the celestial beings who owned this realm, as she ought to.

But the owl that swooped from the heavens and grasped a low-lying branch nearby; night was entirely its domain. It fed on darkness as she fed on the sun, and understood more about shadow-wisdom that Olive could ever dream of glimpsing. Perhaps it was an over-statement (or more likely, an over-assumption) on her part, but the woman had always a penchant for glorious winged birds. They were the ultimate nomads, and she was nothing but a mere land-dweller.

Striding to a pause, the sylph bent down to leave the holy geode upon a soft place of moss, amongst the ice. Pointing her nose upward, she looked into the wide, feathered face. "Who are you, winged guardian?" she questioned, knowing she would have to return the gesture all the same. But while she had a captive audience, she beseeched them for their otherworldly knowledge. "What secrets can you sing to me?" she gasped with delight, perhaps wondering if she should not be so bold; but did not she just dance with the many Godesses?

Maybe there was a song Olive could sing for the owl, in turn.

the staff team luvs u

The wolf spoke, and the bird shook briefly and ruffled her feathers, blinking her big, eyebright windows towards the thing that asked for answers and insight. Lounatuuli knew little of the creatures that made up these woods and their customs, but wolves had been largely present in her lineage's lore, so she had thought about them deeply. Never having spoken to one before, the owl craned her neck forward nearly an imperceptible amount, before shifting it back into its place, nestled atop her neck and gathered wings. 

Her voice was soft, unpracticed. "I am named for the Southwest Wind upon which I fly," she explained, unsure if the winds meant anything to this she-wolf, who was perpetually glued to the land and would never experience the freedom of the skies. "I have been watching you," came her admission next, for she had been, with some interest! The clan that has taken over these new lands reminded her distinctly of a story that her ma had told her and the rest of the clutch, when it was time to go to sleep in the early light of morn'.

"Tell me of the black beast that leads you," the gilded owl said with another shake, "And I will tell you what you need to know."

the staff team luvs u

The bird seemed curious and vigilant, and Olive was immediately struck with how little she had considered birds before now. She had sprained her ankle attempting to rifle one for a meal from the cliffs of the Elsewhen, but when else had she encountered one that seemed to engage with its environment, and the happenings of others, as this one was? "Shall I call you 'Southwest Wind,' then?" she asked with a cheeky cock of the brow. Perhaps birds were all as aware as she, silently purveying their surroundings and somehow manipulating to their liking as the simple-minded wolves colonized below.
 
If anything, it was a fun idea — to imagine this parallel, avian universe.
 
Perhaps all birds could speak, but it just so happened that this one had chosen to speak to her, and all the others had not. It was for this reason that Olive became almost unnaturally enticed and wondrous of the owl and it’s wide face and gold plumage, for it must have been sent to her by the Gods, to bless her upcoming journey into motherhood. That’s why this owl had been watching them, upon the winds of their voices, and knew of the pale mother and her shadowed chieftain. And the winged creature even asked about it, and even though Olive had endless things to say of Tiberius, some for reason she fell silent at this prompting.
 
She thought for a moment. "He is the Godliest man I know, yet I’ve never once seen him pray…” he was an anomaly; a thing so rough around the edges, yet so loved by her. “I trust him more than I trust even myself.”

the staff team luvs u

Lounatuuli could not help how she immediately became a little frustrated when communicating with a wolf, which wasn't something she did often. She seemed to speak backwards, and in riddles; as if common tongue wasn't as hard as it was. "Lounatuuli is my name," she answered briefly, giving the northern word that her father had christened her with. She was proud of it, but in truth, she didn't believe the lupine tongue could handle such a sound.

— but this was not about her, not in the slightest. She had expected more than she had gotten; and that was her fault, to set herself up to be disappointed. Just because she had a point to make, did not mean the rest of the world needed to abide by her unspoken desires? Her mother had always told her that her hot head would be her undoing, so she took a quick breath in and shuffled down the branch, closer to its termination. "Are the pups you carry his?" the owl asked, just as bluntly as before.

the staff team luvs u

It was still strange to be talking to a bird, but Olive wasn't sure if it was because of the creature's species, of because if she was still half-convinced that it was sent by the Gods as some sort of response to her prayer, her plea for safe stewardship into this next dark night. Some things were regarded with friendliness, but as Olive could perceive it, this was all business.

Still, Lounatuuli was so deeply invasive and forward that, were this a call to friendship, Olive might have been put off. But instead, her curiosity was piqued, and the woman replied honestly. "They are," she informed the inquiring bird, then finally introduce herself, "and I am Olive, his beloved, and Priestess of this realm." Olive didn't always enjoy pulling rank on others, but if Lounatuuli was so curious, then let it be known.

Cocking her head to the side, Olive wished to find the point of this encounter. It was well into the early hours of the morning at this point, and she was tired in body and mind. "You promised me insight, Lounatuuli." Her tail gave a final wag, falling still.

the staff team luvs u

Olive. What a simple name — of a common tree fruit, bitter and almost always inedible? The bird flexed her toes against the bark of the branch committing it to memory, choosing to find it disdainfully cute rather than disdainfully awful. All the wolves she knew were such simple folks; but, you'd be well-advised to never let them know that.

Seeing no way out of proffering the information she had hinted at having, Lounatuuli looked at the pale priestess squarely, eyes somehow wide and narrow at the same time. "Lore speaks of shadow of a man; a paragon of virtue," she explained, her secondary vision flashing to the stories that her colony told before the sun rose, and they all tucked their beaks and went to sleep. "A man on the mountain, unending." It was not an owl, it was not a wolf, it was more of an ephemeral, energetic feeling. An archetype, that Lounatuuli had not yet seen played out in the tangible, physical world.

Until now.

"Be wary of those who would strip his princelings from you," she forewarned, words as pointed as her gaze.

the staff team luvs u

Olive was always at least a little critical of others' sense of religion. Never did she question if, for every person found meanings in their own lives, just as she did with hers; but that did not mean she could superimpose others' beliefs and adopt them as her own. Whatever her own sense of purpose and religion was, came directly from the mouths of the Gods.

However, the story Lounatuuli wove did sound similar to her dark knight, as vague as it was. Thus was the nature of archetypes; they only could paint a picture in broad strokes. It almost brought a smile to her face, until the owl referred to something far more negative. Unwilling to give the assertion any credence, the mother narrow her gaze and questioned it's validity. "What do you know of those who would do such a thing?” There had to be more to this story, or else there wouldn't be avian lullabies sung in its honor.

the staff team luvs u