Dragoncrest Cliffs tanpèt lannwit

coming of age ceremony for @Sobeille @Astera @Lafayette @Lucette @Shadess @Jean-Heron @Roux @Jadou @Cheri i know some are on NPC so those tags can be for visibility but feel free to join too! <3
(@Èlosie for visibility <3) this ceremony is timed a little differently to get everyone in :)

welcome also for the pack to gather! @Chacal Val @Chani @Pepper @Phobos @Dogfish; no posting order at all!

it was decided that the long night begin anew for the young ones of this year. their bond with the saltwater would be honored here, they with the sea, and would compel sapphique once more to the great mystery of the force by which they defined their existence.
this year oversaw a frostlicked sea and a a cold wind in the trees which bordered the siren's bay.
but not yet had it become its own land, and still easily reached, if one could brave the coldness of the water itself.
the ritualists this year were of differing ages. it did not matter in the eyes of the lwa, for each would be given a dream out there upon the brine.
mireille sent a whisper of her own out into the seaside; that @Thibault and @Chantale and tousaint also be sent such a vision as reminder also that the sea did not leave them.
ancestors watched with warm eyes of ghostly pride as mireille called together the wolves of sapphique to witness the rebirth of a new generation into the knowing wisdom of their natal land.
in this they were strong; in this they would be made one with the sea.

finally!

sobeille awaited this moment the day she saw chani turn to the surf. she relived the hours after, turned over and over what her cousin had shared transpired that long and cold night under a slender moon.

now it was her hour.

cold; the jostling excitement of her siblings and cousins went ignored. any who approached would be shown a lift of her lips and the leer of exposed teeth; a slender gape where her missing canine stood.

waiting; hungry to discover her vision and at last tap into the oscillating power she knew flickered hazily under the surface of her skin.

intense; her gold-coin gaze held longingly on the thin strip of stone that would be the stepping stool out of the shallow waters of her future and into the gilded halls of her legacy.

dogfish fed dangerously upon the energy of sobeille.

she did not crowd the masked magick woman, but she skirted around her like a raven familiar. out of reach and watchful all the same. mindful that her nearness was not wanted in this hour.

and just like that raven familiar — she perched when the time came, out of the direct commotion of sapphique's current bustling activity. she knew this was not for her but she remained to be witness all the same.

the long night.

lafayette had heard tell of it, and when the call rang out, his heart soared. he nudged lucette, stirring her to action—but even without his twin, he'd trot down to the bay shore, tongue lolling, turquoise eyes sparkling in challenge.

he stepped forward, letting the water pool and swirl around his ankles. he looked at sobeille, and others gathered, his grin widening nearly to the corners of his ears. he was thrilled to swim again.

and lafayette stood, stiff-legged, waiting for the command to move into the water.

The idea of the long night sounded... long. She imagined how she might suffer there, surrounded by icy waters, licking at her feet as she struggled to keep herself upright and warm on hard black rock. It would be painful. It would be hard. 

Yet it was not fear she felt. Instead, she felt the thrill of it. Same as her siblings. Same as Sobeille. Shadess had always enjoyed a challenge. Always wanted to prove herself - not to others, but to her own self. This day, she would prove herself a hardy saltwolf. No longer a pebble among them, but a strong woman she knee herself to be. 

Like all her sister's before her, she would be ready.

chani was proud of her relatives.
"de dreams are like notin' else, but do not be afraid," she whispered to them.
the girl stood back then, tail lashing in furious delight, her eyes glittering almost with tears reflected in the cold water of eternal sea.

The boy shivered as he stood among his sisters and cousins. Though not from the frosted sand underfoot or the frigid air raking his well-groomed pelt.

This night would be like no other. And he was the youngest in attendance.

Because Chacal could not, Chani had explained it to Jean-Heron. His jaws clenched in anticipation, his thoughts running wild with conspiracy and uncertainty. His luck with the ocean had been subpar to say the least. He feared it would only take more from him, even now.

Chani’s whisper settled him somewhat, but anxious eyes remained set upon Mireille in a silent plea for her to cancel this night for a time when he felt more ready.