Redtail Rise kouri

There were spirits, Mireille said, living all around them. Druid supposed that wasn’t the right word (“living”), though she barely lingered on the thought. Her lips parted as she processed the implications of her friend’s statements. Did existence extend beyond death? Were spirits the same as the ghosts in stories the adults sometimes told for fun?

The sound of Mireille’s barely stifled sob humbled Druid, as did the next words out of her mouth. She pressed her flank up against the other girl’s, touching her nose to her damp cheek. An idea struck her and she hesitated before gently licking away the tears pooling in the corner of Mireille’s eye. It was a familiar, intimate gesture, meant to soothe. She hoped Mireille didn’t mind.

Drawing away a moment later, Druid caught her companion’s eye. Okay, she said on an exhale, let’s explore. Some other time, when Mireille’s heart wasn’t so raw, she would ask more about these loa. And she would certainly consult her clan of beloved womenfolk (and Mahler) back home.