Totoka River dearheart

@Deirdre

There was a beautiful poetry in the delta. Water was the lifeblood of the world, and here the veins pumped fresh water into the great chamber of the ocean. Starbuck loved it, for here, connected to all of the earth, her Sight was strong. She saw up the river, up its tributaries, to the melting snowcaps of the peaks on the horizon. Here the wind whispered to her, its briny breath stirring her fur and stirring her heart.

Starbuck loved it, but this was not where she could stop.

The sun was dipping low and bloated towards the horizon, but Starbuck's attention was not on it. Instead she sought a meal in the tidepools and branches of the delta. A crab scuttled in the sparse clumps of grasses, seeking out one last morsel before nightfall. Starbuck stalked towards it, her tail swaying behind her in excitement. She had never eaten a crab before! Why, she wasn't even sure if this was a crab, but she was pretty sure this was it.

today, it was the large riverbed deirdre drifted to. while for the most part she lingered within donnelaiths heart, sometimes she was required to depart the territory briefly to collect herbs. such a thing was a rarity, the sanctuary hosted nearly every herb she ever required! but nearly was not all, and she sought a particular herb this day, rare and necessary for her stores.

deirdre used her nose, to find it. it was not the first time she had come to the rivers to seek this thing, and it would not be the last, surely. but something in her peripherals caught her attention, and deirdre paused in her search. the sight of someone stalking something invisible to her eye gave her pause, and deirdre lifted her head to attempt to see what, exactly, the other was hunting on the sands.

Once a suitable distance away, Starbuck pounced. She leapt up in the air and came down hard upon the hard shell of the crab with her paws. The first time seemed to do no harm, and so she jumped on it again. This time her dewclaw cracked the shell, and the Seer backed away to observe it. The crab moved no more, so she scooped it up in her mouth, lay down, and began to gnaw on it, hoping to crack the hard shell enough to find if there was meat within. 

With enough determination, it split open. The innards were as briny as the sea from which they came, and there was less meat to it than she had expected. The sudden taste of salt had her standing again, circling and sniffing at the once-crab with great curiosity until her nape tingled with awareness that she was being watched.

Starbuck raised her head and smiled at the stranger, a willowy purebred of exceptional beauty. "Greetings," she called out. She nodded invitingly. "Come, I can tell you what tomorrow may bring."

the other had captured something! daringly, but shyly, deirdre inched forward... but she paused when the other caught both wind and next, sight of her, ears flattening atop her crown. the other spoke, kind and inviting both, and deirdre approached at a slow clip, her eyes warm and apologetic simultaneously. there was intrigue there, too--and when she was within the others earshot, where the wind could carry her words to the others ears instead of away, the young witch spoke: i did not mean to stare so, she admitted, i only wondered what it was you were after... her eyes drifted, now, to the others paws, as smoky as the rest of her. the other was unique in her appearance, but it suited the other well. there were rich reds and pure whites intermittently, and now and again she even saw inkblots upon her. her eyes were bluer than the ocean, but equally as deep. tomorrow, she hummed, you can do this? for deirdre was a witch, but she had never known of scrying or other tricks that seers had. she saw things in dreams, herself, but knew not how to define such a word. still, her tomorrows were never known--not for certain--the future came when it did, for her, and dreams were often forgotten.

The slip of a wolf approached meekly, as though she had something to apologize for. Closer, now, Starbuck could see that her beauty was not a mere trick of the light and that her eyes were like chips of jade. Starbuck shook her head like the simple action could chase away any blame. "Your eyes were made to look and see," she said. "I cannot blame you for using them. I am Starbuck. I caught a crab. Or, at least, I believe it is a crab." With her nose she inched the carcass into full sight so that the other could examine it. 

Her smile broke into a friendly grin. "I can, if you would like." The crab did not have any bones, which were ideal for divination, but its carapace was hard and its legs were spindly. Perhaps it would be a suitable subsitute. "If you only wish to see the process, I can show you that as well. Not all are comfortable gazing into that which lies ahead."

deirdre smiled at the others warmth and kindness. the words were wise ones, and comforting to deirdre who had felt she had been rude. still, minding her manners, deirdre pressed gently, i should not have stared so, bashfully looking away for a moment, before returning her gaze to the stranger. deirdre did so love looking at others, enjoying them; this woman was quite pretty, to deirdre. it made it difficult to turn her eyes away for too long! looking to the carcass, deirdre nodded her head. it is a crab, she identified the thing for the other, her tail waving. there are many of them along the coast.

i would! deirdre thrilled, and she sighed to the other. the future is frightening, it is true, and i do love its ambiguity... but i am intrigued, she states, drawing nearer to the other. i would love to learn, as well, if it is not too much trouble! her tail waved behind her a beat, and she grinned playfully. can you foretell my name? or shall i introduce myself?

The woman seemed insistent that she was in the wrong, and though Starbuck's first desire was to comfort her, pushing too hard might upset the other further. "Then I forgive it." Her attention was then drawn wholly to the crab, as she was excited to have finally found one. "But they are so strange!" she laughed, tail whipping excitedly behind her. "They move like nothing I have seen before, these armored little beasts."

Nothing pleased Starbuck more than using her gift, especially for others. It was something to be proud of and something to be shared. Grinning wide, Starbuck scooped up the crab and came to stand beside the stranger. "Would that I could, but I would rather hear it from you, your voice is so lovely to listen to," Starbuck said after placing the crab at the woman's feet. "I will show you how! It is not a skill that is learned though. Only if you have the Sight will you be able to See." She nodded towards the crab. "Ask a question of me. Of the future."

deirdre was relieved to hear of the others forgiveness. and then she spoke again of the crab, and smiled. they walk differently than any creature i have met, yet. but those that linger in the ocean are strange--wonderfully so, she thought, fondly, of skellige. he was not so strange, but truly he was different than anything she had ever known.

she laughed at the others words, the sound joyful and heartfelt. that is so sweet! it is just a voice like any other, this was what she thought, though it did have a unique lilt to it, vaguely scottish as her fathers had been. it was only just, and it could be noted on few words. it came, in these first few words: i am deirdre stella mayfair, of donnelaith. and you are?  she spoke the Old Tongue in a dialect that suggested she was borne of the glen; she learnt it from a man who had been.

alright, she agreed, nodding her head. the witch held her breath for a beat. what sort of question might she ask? in what way? are these questions... are they open ended? or must they be closed questions--answered in but one word? yes, no, perhaps.

Oh, that laugh! Starbuck wished that she could hear it again, and vowed to make sure that this new friend laughed often. Each voice is unique, she argued, yours reminds me of green, green hills that are lush with spring grass. Her own voice was always soft and slow, each word pronounced with great care. 

Starbuck nodded, closing her eyes to better hear the way Deirdre formed the syllables of her name. Well met, Deirdre. I am Starbuck, of nowhere. At least, nowhere for a time. Starbuck was not made to live as a lone wolf, and already her months alone were taking a toll on her.

If the crab had had bones to cast, Starbuck would have been more certain of her answer. These legs would do, but they lacked the nuance to provide anything but a general response. Frowning, she told Deirdre this. This is usually done with bones, she admitted, ducking her head a little in embarrassment. Were this a bird, or a rabbit, or a fish, or a deer, I would be able to give you clearer answers. As it is, perhaps a yes or no question is best.

deirdre had a voice of forests and glens; the description starbuck had spoken was apt, though deirdre heard herself differently. your voice is like honey, and rolling fog that is hard to see beyond, it was meant as a compliment, and the affectionate way she spoke it indicated such a thing. it was slow and sure, pleasant and mysterious all at once. not smoky or rough, but smooth... not like the ocean, but like the water in a stream that crawled assuredly, but slowly, over the rocks and pebbles in its domain.

of nowhere! deirdre was silent for a moment. how long have you been alone for? she wondered aloud, tilting her head. deirdre was quite amazed by wolfs without pack; she herself did not think she could survive it! for she loved the unity pack offered, and the friends she had made. she would hate to be lonely... though she knew all wolves were different, and could tolerate things differently.

deirdre was rapt as the other explained her work, and what was to be done. when instructed, deirdre licked her chops and wondered what best to ask the other. many questions tossed through her mind, and she did not know which best to choose! deirdre laughed, nervous herself--i am not sure what i wish to know most about my future! she need not ask if she would ever see her mother or father again--in this life, in the In Between, or the next life deirdre was sure that she would--and so she looked to her pale paws, pondering for a moment.

The tone Deirde used to describe her voice colored the description, and even then Starbuck found it flattering. Fog and mist were the veil made visible. The space within them was limnal. There the spirits walked free, their presence tangible, though they were mute. Starbuck giggled at the compliment, pleased.

Starbuck ducked her head sheepishly. For too long, I admit. I left when the days were beginning to warm and the birds began to hatch. I wish it were not so, for I get so lonely... she sighed. She had left of her own will, for she felt her gift was one to share. I will settle here. I had visions of a dense forest in the clutches of a mountain, and I believe that I am near.

Starbuck watched Deirdre with patience, and as she did so she took another opportunity to admire her. Her countenance was lovely to behold, her eyes were warm, her laugh was music. It is hard to know what to ask, isn't it? Fear not, fair Deirdre. I know that we will meet again, and then I will do a full reading for you. This is not your only chance. Starbuck burned with curiosity. What would Deirdre ask?

deirdre hummed, thoughtful for a moment. perhaps, if the loneliness becomes unbearable, you could come to donnelaith. i believe there is enough room for you there, though you would need to speak with aria, firstly. so long as you can hunt and are no cold-blooded murderer, i believe you would be welcome, there. it was but an offering. she could not imagine what sort of suffering the lonely endured, as she had never faced it. the girl was surrounded by love, and even amidst the confusion that came across, she loved and--presumed she--was loved in turn. i am not sure what awaits you, but if it is not something that holds you there... she had extended a proverbial arm toward the other, and smiled sweetly.

the smile widened at starbuck's comforting words. she was gladdened to hear it; there was much she wished to know! but one stood out in her mind and heart both. her greatest wish: will donnelaith continue to know peace? she breathed, not wanting to reveal too much of her fear. will it stay on the course my father had meant for it, she pressed, gently, her ears flitting atop her crown. a strong thought wished to fly from her throat, but she swallowed it: will i make him proud!

The invitation cheered Starbuck more than Deirdre could ever know, for these months alone had weighed heavily on her. She had grown up surrounded with more love and friendship than most, this she knew and was greatful for. Her mothers and father loved her dearly, as she was an only child among three parents. She had led a life in which she knew where she belonged, and the limbo of travel was harsh.

Oh, Deirdre, you cannot know how much it pleases me to hear you say this, she said, laying her head over the girl's shoulders affectionately. I must go to find this place that I have seen, but I promise you I shall come to Donnelaith- and what a beautiful name!- if there is nothing for me.

Starbuck listened to the questions and ruminated on them, turning them over in her mind until she could focus the eye that was her mind upon the most important aspects of it. Home was one. Stability. Deirdre spoke the words with hushed reverence, and Starbuck felt more than heard the anxiety behind them. Pull the legs from the crab and cast them before us, their arrangement will show us the answer.

deirdre was moved when the other held her, and nosed her softly in turn. her heart fluttered within its ribcage, and she nodded as starbuck explained she must, for now, journey onward. alright, she hummed agreeably; it was not in her nature to argue, or be combative, and she understood that the others dream was important to be followed. had deirdre not followed her own dreams she might not have saved peregrine!

she looked to starbuck as she was instructed. and then, did as she was bid to. she was not at all rushed or hasty in the process--she moved like the very waves before them, graceful and assured, as she did what was asked of her. deirdre watched the pieces fall as they would, in a very pretty pattern, before looking back to starbuck, her eyes and heart both vulnerable to what the answer might be.

based on a randomly generated tarot card, which ended up being the chariot. have fun with an awkward post

While her head laid upon Deirdre's shoulder, Starbuck inhaled, and found that Deirdre smelled pleasant. Her coat was redolent with the smell of the forest and made airy with the scent of wildflowers. Oh! To think that a creature so beautiful could walk this earth. 

This forest in the arms of a mountain had brought her far, but she knew the place to be important. Sometimes her visions were not so clear, as this one was. But Starbuck had woken from it with so great an urgency that she knew she had to find it. Even if she found nothing at the end of her journey, she now had a home to go to, with a friend waiting for her.

Starbuck watched serenly as Deirdre did as many had done before her. The legs fell in a haphazard but legible array, and Starbuck could draw more meaning from them than she suspected. She felt Deirdre's eyes on her as she red, noting the juxtaposition of the two claws in comparison to the rest of the legs. Yes, she said, after some time of silence. Donnelaith will remain as it was meant to, but only with great effort. Your father's vision will only overcome opposition through grace and a firm hand. Yours. Deirdre, if you wish to see Donnelaith stay its course, you must assert your own control over it. Through persistence and dilligance, you can see Donnelaith through its challenges and it will emerge stronger for it.

she was rapt, a captive audience to starbuck's craft; she loomed closer, unknowingly so, drinking in the others inviting and enticing scent, verdant green holding fast to river-blue, as the other spoke firstly. "yes" the other had said, and deirdre's head tilted and lifted both, a curious and expressive inquiry: yes????

an audible exhale was given. she had not known she held her breath so, but she had! as starbuck went on, deirdre was alert. twas her turn to ruminate, now. a tempest brewed within her, and it was her eyes that were filled with the brunt of the terrible storm. she was lost in its winds, quiet for a long while. and as she looked to the legs, the way they had fallen to the earth, she bore witness to the words, interpreted and defined the picture into what she knew this must mean for her. i see, she breathed, the storm, having run its course within her, erupting from her lips in its powerful knowing. and see she did! she looked to starbuck with a new sort of clarity within her eyes--but there, also, lingered some semblance of honest fear!

do you mean that i must do this, alone? she wondered, her focus returned wholly to the exotic starbuck.

Starbuck felt, now, as though she was tethered to Deirdre by the weight of her gaze alone. Something strange and wonderful was taking place within Deirdre, and Starbuck watched avidly, curious to see what affect her words had.

Alone? Oh, how could Starbuck know? She wished more than anything to give firmer guidance than what she knew, but how? Ah, how her heart beat madly to see the look in Deirdre's eyes. How the other had found fierce clarity in Starbuck's words. But knowledge was a heavy burden, and Starbuck now only wished that she could chase away that shred of fear that had emerged. Sighing wistfully, she stepped carefully until she was face to face with Deirdre and bowed her head, pressing her forhead to the side of the other's neck. Her breath stirred the soft hairs near Deirdre's ear and hoped that she was offering comfort.

If there is only one thing that is certain in this world, my dear, it is that we are never alone. When the time comes, I will stand beside you. This I swear to you, Deirdre.

deirdre did not know what she had anticipated, but surely it was not this! the others gentle touch, the earnest and heartfelt words... deirdre was wholly moved! she moved to wrap a forelimb around the other, amazed at the others swift devotion and yet unquestioning--for deirdre knew hearts, and sensed that this was a good and honest one.

there was a part of her that grappled with the meaning behind the words, and yet in her heart she knew it. starbuck would be a friend to her, and would always stand beside her. her heart was full, and working her magick into the words, deirdre hummed, mar sin chothaíonn sé a bheith, and a strong gale then wrapped around the embracing pair, as though the winds of fate themselves sanctified the words!