Totoka River compose a poem, an honest verse of longing

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The sheepdog accepted the offer and Olive felt relief knowing Carina committed to nursing her after the birth, should anything go awry. The mother worried quite often that her attack, the panic that shot through the entirety of her system, had poisoned her womb and hurt the little ones within; and though all pointed to a healthy pregnancy, Olive couldn’t help but feel some guilty for even risking it.

But then the sylph turned her attention towards her half of the promise. It had been quite a while since Olive had turned her attention towards the stars and she felt the distance from them at the moment; if the stars felt undervalued, rarely did they reveal their secrets. Instead they would obscure their messages in a veil of clouds of a persistent mental block, as they were that moment. But as Olive’s eyes of jade surveyed the stars and took note of the planet’s alignments, slowly a clear path began to reveal itself; blossoming in her mind like a bud unfurling its petals at the sign of first light. This feeling was her muse and she would always strive to seek such higher understanding — dedicate herself to the study of the stars. Her eyes darted from the east to the west, locating the stars she knew and identifying its neighbors, assessing their relation to the moon and the earth’s axis. The universe provided endless variety in this way and the prophet took great pleasure in deciphering its message; it was never the same twice.

Olive gave a hushed gasp, hot breath rushing from between her parted jaws.  Then Olive looked at Carina, then her namesake constellation, then Carina again. “Your stars, right there,” Olive grabbed the girl’s moonshine gaze and held it strongly, gently leading her to look up at the cluster of nine stars, swathed in the feminine softness and allure of the darkened sky. ”They tell me that your life will not be boring. There’s activity soon to be had, but then there will be silence to reflect. When mars enters gemini,” Olive painted a picture with her facial expression and sweep of her delicate, scarred maw against the atmosphere. “You’re posed to make great and profound partnerships.”  Olive then nodded, as if affirming to the universe yes, I heard you.

”It’s not entirely a story — nor is it even practical advice… but it may help you live more inline with the universe’s intentions, and that can do nothing but good. Olive grinned sheepishly, knowing that oftentimes the skills of starreaders were undervalued. The mother had a sneaking suspicion that her friend would understand, and possibly want more.  “There’s also a group of stars that I know as Kalb al-Ra’i — the heart of the shepherd.” Olive notched up a creamy eyebrow, looking down at the girl she embraced at her side.  ”You have the time…? Olive let her sing-song voice trail off as she gently posed a her question. The sylph did not want to keep the dark girl if she had placed to be. She was a busy thing, flitting and flittering across the coast to different places and different peoples. Olive so wished she could speak to Carina, to learn her true name and to learn her story.... No doubt a dog whom found itself in these wilds had an interesting one.  

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