Lion Head Mesa benediction

backdated to when toula scouts a place for Nephthys! it will be located toward/at the bare trees!

toula had been tasked in creating a place of worship for Nephthys, which she did with quiet devotion. first, to find the place! she hoped to please those that would worship with her, and make each of them proud. with her attendants with her, and blanketed in the fine white furs of mink her mother had granted her, toula searched.
with prayer in her heart, toula hoped the Gods would lead her to such a place. and so she let Them guide her steps. the Amiirad kept close to the Serpent, feeling the breeze play at her furs. knowing Nephthys to also be the Godess of air, too, she felt encouraged to continue on this way with the wind at her back!

Surely not? Sethnakht's soulmate, his mirror, half of him, leaving? Of course, he had known this day would come. For whatever reason, the twins would have to part ways as they explored their own paths in life. Ordinarily, the parting of people, death or otherwise, would have no effect on the prince.

But not with her. Nothing she could ever do would be pointless. The girl's very breath filled him with life. Seth's youthful mind could not yet comprehend that someday, he may have to look upon her as she lay still and unbreathing.

As he raced to meet with her, paws sending stones skittering out behind him, he left his attendants far behind. Who cared about royal tradition when Sethnakht's world was ending?

"Toula!" His voice, cracking as he called for her, carried out across the Mesa. The divine prince could see her just ahead, draped in white furs and making determinedly for something he could not fathom.

Sethnakht's breath came in short, heavy pants as he came up beside the she-wolf, eyes clouded with so much emotion his small body could hardly contain it. "Sister, I will walk with you." There were many things in their futures that had the capability to drive them apart, but in his selfish ways, Sethnakht could not see what was more important than their bond. "Do you have to go? I cannot come with you. We will be apart for the first time in our lives." He did not hold any false pretenses. This would shatter him, if only for a while. 

Toula would return, but would he be the same as she had left him?

in her heart, she could feel His need. her steps slowed to a halt as her glittering gemstone eyes beheld his own. her dearest, divine brother! Toula was quick to wrap around him and offer a comforting kiss to his brow, as much for herself as for him! 
it frightened her to be away from him! for the times such was so was so brief in comparison to what was soon to come. she had never done anything without him; she did not know, truthfully, if such a thing was possible even despite her mothers assurances.
but it was those assurances that kept her resolute. she was doing this for her divine Brother, who would surely be king someday. for their divine Father, too! and the crown prince, too, as well as their mother. securing their futures with an additional alliance, with more routes of trade!
please, she agreed with gratitude, smiling to his offer. his own attendants, breathless, caught up to them. I go for You. And I go for Us. I do not wish to do this without you, Brother. All I ever want is for us to be together, she openly admitted, leaning against him some as they moved. never apart–not even within the womb! 
Toula spoke, I will still be here in the things that I built. And you must promise to speak to me in these places! The place of Iset, and the place of Nephthys. never apart, no, and not even when she traveled away. 
she looked to him, and said, I take you with me, everywhere I go. and that was the truth. in her heart, and in her soul. she moved to press her nose against her brothers chest. is it not the same for you? she loved him so, as assuredly as she did the rest that were Divine. did he think she would truly be leaving him? it was an impossibility.

Toula. Her name was like a prayer, forever on his lips unspoken. She was his mirror image, but where he had many faults muat-riya was perfection. He felt her weight, her warmth against him, and thought not for the first time why Makono?

His twin may be reassured, but Sethnakht was terrified. Within his bones, in his heart and soul, he feared for her. What if she came across danger, and he was not there to lay down his life for her? The royal dynasty, the throne, it all meant nothing if Toula was not there to bask in the glory of it with him.

The divine's beautiful voice spoke to him as they walked, soothing him. But a pang of pain too followed because he knew he would not be blessed again with it for many moons.

She was right, Toula would remain here in many ways. "Of course, my soul, I take you with me in every breath, in every heartbeat." His voice cracked once more. "When I see the sun I will think of your shining radiance, and when I see the moon she will pale against your beauty." Now he spoke the words of a poet, hopefully, he'd get better at it but for now, this was what he could muster. "My Toula." Pressing his head against hers, he breathed in her scent as if it was the last thing he would ever smell. "I am utterly devoted to you." It was a promise. One he would forever keep.

he knew she loved songs, stories, poetry–and for her, he spoke them. 
she smiled at Him; her divine Brother!
I will think of these words each day that I am gone. they make me the most happy, to hear you speak them! and that too was the truth! she knew they came from His heart. 
and she knew, I will not know true happiness again until I am by your side, her mirror, her opposite—a whole half of her heart! her own soul! 
her own head pressed against his, and in this moment she felt complete. 
she was distracted! she withdrew, but not without another chaste kiss to his cheek. I feel a calling to the barren woods, to create a place for our Nephthys. She has visited me; She has said She will visit Akashingo! Toula circled her brother, twirling in her merriment then as she felt the air embrace Them. I must find a place worthy of Her, and …I have an idea. But would you help me? with Him, she was sure that the perfect place would be found!

His words earned him a reward sweeter than even the ripest of fruits, a golden gift that spread warmth throughout his whole body. Toula's smile. "I would learn of any hymn and poem that makes you smile, my soul." A smile of his own then, his blue eyes shining as he beholds her perfection.

Oh, how true the girl's words rang. Sethnakht made a vow he would never feel happy again unless she were beside him, for only the other half of his entire being could ever make him feel complete. To feel joy without Toula would surely be treason against her radiant image. A dangerous thought wormed its way into his brain, was he beginning to hold his twin in higher regard than even the gods?

No. He was pious and devout, he joined the priests as they sang every day and offered them only the finest gifts he received. But Seth had to admit...he'd never thought of anyone, mortal or no, that bought out such devotion from him. Perhaps it would come with age? It must, as no heretic could sit beside the Pharaoh.

Then her warmth left him, his blue eyes trained on her as she turned away to continue on her quest. "A visit from Nephthys? What an honor!"  As Toula circled him he began to feel a prickling doubt stab at his heart. Was Sethnakht supposed to receive a divine vision, a quest? Nothing had come to him thus far. The air stirred their fur and suddenly it was as if all his worries melted away with the breeze, leaving him feeling elated and carefree. A vision would come, and everything would be fine.

"Help you? Of course, sister. Lead the way."

then you must learn all of them, she started, a little breathless from the idea of it, for any of them heard in your voice would fill me with so much joy! it was a grand idea!
the pious girl regarded her dearest Brother as she did the gods; for he, too, was Divine! They Two were made in Their image. it was not heresy; Pharaoh, too, was as a God! they were provided worldly worships; the finest furs, the rarest of food through trade, and more!
the acceptance of her offer warranted a bright look from her, before she did just that! and before long they arrived to the naked forest, devoid of any manner of life. the center tree, the one that stood tallest, called to her; blackened and scarred by lightning years ago, Toula could not know  now but would see even throughout the fertile seasons this tree would remain absent of all life. but it reached so high to the Heavens, that Toula felt, Her altar must surround this tree, be in this place! another breeze rifled through their furs, and she looked to him, does it not feel right? she wondered happily, but hoped that her heart would agree!
together, then, they began to build the place of Nephthys.