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

Oops, sorry, a bit late to this! Anyone who wishes to be ‘blessed’ can do so here :) Let’s say no more rounds from here on out. I'll close and archive this thread when it hasn't had a new reply in two weeks, but feel free to take time with your side threads!

Olive lost herself in dance and conversation with her dear friend. There was something so immensely dazzling about being surrounded by others that she knew, others that she loved, others that she had yet to meet — they had all come here, to Elysium, either because they knew her or they knew her seraphim or, at the very least, they knew her scouts. Olive knew not to feed her ego, but looking out across the group of wolves that had amassed, it had hard to to feel her chest swell. It was so much, that she almost lost track of time! “Oh, Rannoch, would you excuse me for a moment?”  she chirped, accidentally cutting off whatever conversation they were in the midst of. “ — the blessing!”   she then clarified, as if she was so silly for almost having forgotten the entire reason that her guests had come together. It was for pups — or the hope of pups — and not simple merriment and camaraderie. 

The pale waif drifted once more to the center of the activities, and waited for side conversations to quiet and for attention to fall upon her. Olive’s stomach fluttered as the sun began to set and the cold winds began to pick up and rustle the willow’s many draping branches. This was her moment, as a shakti woman, one of whom had been taught by her priestess mother to read the stars and commune with the gods. For a moment, Olive’s gaze searched the crowd for that of her brother, @Cortez — surely mother would be proud to see them together, here, doing this. She knew he would agree. “Please, gather around, for it is time to bless the mothers, and the fathers, and the children that might one day be.”  Olive beckoned the crowd closer, for her voice was small even though she tried her best to make it big. 

The setting of the festival, with its neat and dainty piles of food and decorations, had not been meaningless. They were offerings — specifically, there was a small hole that had been dug into the ground which held several small freshwater fish, caught from the stream just downwind. Large leaves held different seeds, some seeds for herbs and some for wildflowers, with many seeds being unknown surprises. There was a branch of willow that had been laid to rest, to represent the holy site upon which they communed — but when she looked at it all, something was clearly missing. Chuffing with the sublimity of it all, she beckoned for @Lily to bring to bring the star that Charon and Amekaze had so kindly gifted them. It was a piece of the gods’ flesh, incarnate — the star deserved the front and center spot upon their altar. Then, Olive closed her eyes, and spoke words that flowed from her mother’s consciousness to her own. 

“Blessed be each breath you take,
Blessed be the fire inside you
May your will be unbroken,
and may it be as strong as fire, and as supple
May your passions burn truly and free
Blessed be your fire, may it burn strong,
Blessed be the water of your life,
May your blood be strong. 
May the flow your loin be joyful and fertile.
Blessed be the earth of your body,
May your heart beat with love, soul, vigor and courage.
Blessed be your body, which is a body of the gods
May we always be surrounded by the warmth of family and community
May you know the innate goodness of your being.
Blessed be.” 

There was a moment of silence before the druid opened her eyes and glanced around at the wolves around her, taking note of how such a prayer was received. It was a hymnal dedicated to the self, for this is where the biggest part of the creation of life took place, and it needed to be honored as such. She walked to the true offering — the fish in the crater upon the ground — and began to cover it with dirt. It was a small sacrifice, for no one to consume except the earth; but the gods did not need the grandest of gestures in order to turn their ears. Olive packed the dirt down with her paw, nodded, and then turn to the skies in an exultant prayer.

“Gods and Goddesses of fertility and fruition,
Please accept this offering.
And in return,
Bless us with children
All be well,
so mote it be.” 

That was it — all that was needed to incur the favor of the gods. In fact, the spoken words were truly just a formality; the real prayer lived in the hearts of each wolf, in their innate goodness and empathy for others. By doing well to others, they would bring goodwill upon themselves. The evidence was clear, for those who chose to see it. A bright smile spread across Olive’s maw, not wishing to dampen the festivities with such seriousness, so soon.

Her tail began to wag, and she took a step away from the center, towards the others. “To complete the ceremony, I welcome you to take a seed and plant it around this vicinity.” Olive demonstrated by plucking a seed from the stores with her lips, digging a shallow hole with a single dig of her paw, and dropping it in. In the same manner she buried the offering, she buried the seed; it’s own sort of offering to the fertility of mother earth. “ You are all welcome to come back at any time to see the garden bloom — and hopefully, you will bring your new children with you.” Olive took a deep breath and beckoned the others closer, gesturing with her muzzle to take a seed and bury it in the fecundity of the soil.