Hushed Willows a swell of smoke arose and filled the air [festival]

The pervasive cold snap that had deadened everything for the few weeks prior had petered out of existence. Instead, the earth’s frigidity was replaced with gentle sun and a melt-y dampness that spoke: spring is almost here! time for a party! 

At this time of the year, the buzz of energy was not strong enough to be overwhelming, but the shift was perceptible enough to be detected by those who cared about these sorts of things. It even manifested in more obvious ways for those who chose not to see or turned a blind eye to nature’s messages; it was the breeding season, and even for the most out-of-tune wolf, that was easy to understand. The desire to procreate was steadily overtaking the Teen Wilds and turning everything in its head — but that was the price paid for new life. For several months, wolf kind ran wild, and when it was all over, the universe was better for it.

Olive nurtured a very healthy belief that the turn of seasons needed to be celebrated. It was divine fate that placed with her other wolves that agreed — Lily had the idea for a Yule celebration after all, and no one seemed averse to the idea of a fertility festival to bless all of the existing and upcoming unions. As the sanctuary they were, packs and wolves from all around were invited, so several scouts had been sent to make the rounds, promulgate the news and invite all who desired blessing, company, or simply an evening upon neutral ground with others from the area. Packs and wolves who experienced strife would find none of the sort here. It was a time for peace, for celebration, and for wishing well upon those who needed it. 

While the scouts went ranging, the others busied themselves preparing for the festivities. There  was much to be done, and the recent cold had blighted much of the delicate greenery that they would have made use of. Using the ingenuity of all the Seraphim, Olive was quite proud with what they had scrounged up. There were small piles of hardy twigs, leaves and blooms which had been harvested from the nearby Herbalist’s Cache and could be used as decorations and jewelry for those who felt so inclined. For others, Olive had staved off her hungry tongue and crushed bark and berries into a fine paste that could be used as a crimson dye. She and her brothers had once loved to leave paw prints upon their fair-colored pelts, and knew others might find it fun too. 

There were snacks of berries and fish organized into bowls they had dug into the shallow earth,  seeds that had been specially cultivated for those who wished to plant them and bestow nature with another sense of fertility, and piles of logs and leaves for those who wished to play and show off their agility or strength. Making music, gift-giving and other festivities all played a role in the evening’s zeitgeist, though Olive figured the hosts might have to lead these endeavors themself. All of this was set amongst a small clearing amongst the willows — with the density of the trees, large open spaces were a rarity — but it was cozy and could support a decent-sized gathering. A lone willow stood in the middle, with its draping tendrils spread equally on all sides, acting more or less as the festival’s de facto maypole. Olive hoped that whoever attended might find it entertaining to dance around the tree, with a tendril in their mouth, weaving and dipping and diving around the other dancers to make beautiful patterns and find a sense of oneness in the chaos.

It was all ready. Olive surveyed the area, then nodded and looked to Seabreeze at her side. She  was proud of what they had built, with the help of countless others, and now it was time to return the favor and help the others build whatever they needed — whether that be a family, a sense of peace and calm, or friendships amongst coexisting packs. Olive tipped her head back and brushed her lips against the late afternoon sky, letting out an opening call to usher in any potential visitors into the willows. “Won’t you celebrate with us?” She crooned to the sky, and beckoned ever forward those who might be on their way.

 

Welcome to Elysium’s Fertility Festival!

Details: Set for late afternoon on Valentine’s Day, February 14th. The second round will start on February 21st. Please only post once per round; if you wish to post more often, please take your conversation/interaction to a different thread. 

All wolves from the associated packs, as well as lone wolves in the vicinity, are welcome to join this thread and post other coinciding threads in the Hushed Willows. For all other threads, please us the tag [festival] in the title.

@Lily @Delight @Khali @Stigmata @Mahler @Takiyok @Blixen @Dio @Vercingetorix @Caiaphas @Illidan @Constantine @Soltero @Kavik @Valette @Greyback @Terance @Rannoch @Treason @Coelacanth @Stockholm @Ford

Activity Ideas: Welcome to those who are hoping to conceive, and those who're simply joining in on the festivities. Have fun, meet new people, and see what happens! Please feel free to reference your character doing any of the following…

— Decorating oneself with twigs, leaves, flowers and natural dyes
— Snacking on berries and fish (and other food, if provided)
— Dancing around the maypole
— Planting seeds
— Exploring the grounds
— Matchmaking
— Drumming/Dancing/Singing
— Gift-Giving (and receiving)
— Leaf pile jumping, log lifting, racing and other feats of strength
— Pregnancy announcements, ‘guess-the-due-date’ games and giving unsolicited parenting advice