Hideaway Strath [M] Offerings of Blood, Sweat and Tears

correct me if I got anything wrong!

Aerin listened attentively, almost obediently with how she had curled her haunches neatly beneath her and raised auds of marble candyfloss alertly towards the altar as Vein detailed the ritual to follow. It was vaguely familiar to her, though it held different meaning now that she herself was pregnant, due to having heard the shaman explain the solstice ritual to Kynareth some several weeks ago. Still, she nodded along absently to the words, feeling again a wince of guilt for the unfortunate creature they had to sacrifice -- not enough that it would hinder her from participating though.

Which she was quick to demonstrate as she startled lightly, gibeon gaze moving to meet the Daykeeper's solar optics of molten gold -- lips parting vaguely in her surprise at being chosen to help lead the ceremony despite the fact that she had long since assumed a role of unofficial acolyte regarding the icebear's spiritual beliefs. 

She nodded, chirping a breezy "'appily," as she straightened, trotting up to stand at the altar by her mate's side. She pinned the small creature beneath her insubstantial weight gently, paw faintly caressing the velveteen hide of the spotted fawn in a soothing motion as she extended her other forepaw to Vein so he might nick her in a similar fashion for the mead mixture. She managed not to grimace at the sting of the cougar's claw, watching as her ruby droplets pooled and diluted within the golden alcohol before her husband sliced through the fawn's tender jugular to bleed it into the elk skull.

Aerin grimaced as the fawn bleated, feebly fighting beneath the midwife's paws. She felt the sting of guilty tears but blinked them away, jaw setting silently to hide any motherly nature for the sacrifice. She continued to hold the young ungulate in place over the skull as its lifeforce pooled into the skull and darkened the mead into the blackened  ruby of a forbidden wine, soothing it with soft sounds as it grew weaker.

Her gaze moved to Nyra and then Derg, silently urging them to hurry and offer their blood to the shaman before the fawn had slipped into the next realm or been carried off by Ixtab.