Larksong Grotto distilled by time

His run in with the Drageda wolves had left him shaken — both in mind and body. Save for the bite mark on his hind leg (for which he hobbled on slightly) and dishevelled fur, Phares looked no worse for wear, however he was deeply unsettled by the encounter. The two beasts had spoken of Hiram, and their apparent distrust of the Cardinal had planted a small seed of suspicion within his mind.

Why had they been so disgusted by him? And so aggressive to those near their packlands?

The priest wasted little time in making it back to the Grotto, even with his minor limp. He quickly made it into the heart of the territory, striding into the grand lake until the purifying waters reached his chest. Surely, the beasts had tried to corrupt him. Tested his faith in his Cardinal. But he was resolute in his beliefs and would not falter to such demons.

The suspicion towards Hiram the wolves of Sleeping Dragon had instilled, however, remained. Small as it was.

just gonna pop up randomly...

Damaris hadn't been sure where to go from the border, exploring had seemed like the best decision. She didn't want to be wandering around lost for the next few days, it would be best to map the territory in her head so she knew where to go. This path soon led her to a large lake, scrabbling down the rocks somewhat clumsily to reach it.

Once down, Damaris could see she was not alone. There was male in the water, about chest height, with the oddest coat she had ever seen. He was a mixture of reddish browns with strange band like markings on him. Damaris thought of joining him in the water to make small talk, meet her new pack mates and all that jazz. 

Just as she was about to, she realized he had quite the look of concentration on his face and that she might disturb him by just jumping in. Damaris settled down, sitting on the bank to wait.

Yee, welcome! :D

Standing stock-still, the man let the waters consume him, cleanse him. The wound on his leg stung, but his expression remained steady as he stared straight on, feeling the light of the Daystar upon his back. With a deep inhale, the priest closed his eyes and sought to commune with his Lord, ask what the encounter had meant, but a sudden, foreign scent infiltrated his senses and his dark eyes snapped back open.

He cast a gaze over his shoulder, staring pointedly at a pale-coated woman who sat neatly at the banks, as if waiting for something. Assuming she was a newcomer to the church (how else would she have been able to get so far into the territory without being confronted?), Phares offered a warm smile, turning fully to face her. He waded forwards into the shallows until the water reached only halfway up his legs before giving a dip of his head. "Greetings, sister" he said, captivated by her odd pink nose and blood-red eyes.

The man seemed to notice her, his eyes popping open as he turned before wading back in her direction. She could see him staring at her features and shifted the tiniest bit, hoping he wouldn't comment on it. Often she had tried to hide it, covering her nose in mud as a pup to attempt normalcy. It hadn't worked of course, it had been hard to breathe with a muzzle full of mud.
"Hi," she responded, not near so formal in greeting. Jhala had mentioned she would be accepted as a Sister but it had surprised her to be called such. "I'm afraid I don't know your name. I'm Damaris," she introduced herself with a friendly smile. 

"Oh, you're hurt," she noticed his wound with a tinge of concern, these were to be her people now. "Do you need help?" 

Her chipper response caused his smile to widen, though Phares continued to take in her features with a studious gaze. He had never seen such a wolf with her colouring. Her eyes were like the dying light when Raas set for the day, a wonderful colour, rivalled only by the purest of them all — blue and gold. He wondered at what made her appearance so, but withheld his questions; as a newcomer she surely had some of her own.

"My name is Phares, priest of the Daystar," he answered with a respectful bow, before glancing back at his hind leg and shaking his head gently. "No, I will be fine." He was touched by the concern, but the wound was only minor, the waters would heal it, or so the man assumed. He turned back to Damaris, noting the faint scent of the Grand Vicar upon her coat. "You have only recently joined our flock," he noted with a tilt of his head.

He continued to stare, though it wasn't malicious and Damaris tried to ignore it. This wasn't the tribe, she wouldn't be cast out for her looks being seen as a bad omen. The man, Phares, seemed friendly enough and she hoped that they would become friends. Damaris hadn't ever really had a friend outside her brother, it would be nice.

"Yeah, that's me...the newbie," she commented somewhat awkwardly, glad to hear his leg wasn't in too bad of condition at least. Her skills were only rudimentary as it was, she wouldn't have been able to help him with a serious injury.

Suddenly it clicked from her first conversation that Phares the priest was this Phares. Damaris had to stop herself from jumping up suddenly in surprise. "You're the priest that Jhala mentioned! She said that you could teach me about the religion," Damaris sounded hopeful after her first exclamation, not even sure what their religion was called. Jhala hadn't really explained much beyond titles and pointing her towards Phares.

She confirmed she was, indeed, a newcomer and Phares' smile only warmed. So long as the wolves who joined their church shed their sins and heinous ideals, embraced the true god, he would gladly show them the light. The fact that this particular female showed interest in his religion caused the priest to brighten, mirroring her own perkiness as something seemed to light up in her mind.

"Ah," he replied with a wave of his tail, stepping out of the lake towards Damaris. "We of the Grotto follow the light of Raas, the Daystar. He, the merciful, who guides lost souls to the light and helps rid them of their sins. " At this, he gestured with his slim muzzle towards the sun that hung in the sky and held it there for a moment before turning back to the pale woman with a tilt of his head. "What would you like to know?"

She followed his muzzle as he pointed to the sky, staring as closely at the sun as she dared. It clicked then that the Daystar was literally a day star. As in this Raas was the sun. Damaris nodded, trying to wrap her head around the fact that all this time she hadn't noticed the sun was a God. 

"Everything," she commented simply, wanting to learn everything she could about Raas. If these people were going to be her pack and they followed this religion, Damaris would convert. 

"Or what you're willing to teach me," she tacked on, unsure if there were different roles for the men and women in this religion like the tribe.

Everything. Phares was delighted by her answer, even when she quickly added to her comment. There was much to his religion, more than even he knew, but he would be more than happy to bring a new soul to Raas' path. She seemed eager enough, and the priest was certain the Cardinal would approve of his teachings to the new members.

Fully walking from the lake now, the man took a seat beside Damaris, gesturing her to do the same. "I am afraid I do not know everything," he said, ears flicking back in frustration. He had been sent on the scouting mission before he could finish his studies, and had hoped to learn more from the Seer of this pack. This Kesheph, however, had seemed to have disappeared. The man continued anyway; any of his teachings that he could share with new followers would be a chance to guide them to the path of righteousness and purge their soul of sin.

"He has many names — Daystar, The Redeemer, The Smiter, The Deathless..." he let a small smile spread across his lips as he looked to the pale wolf. "And, of course, Raas. He rules over mortal beings, though once belonged to those of flesh and bone Himself. He was challenged by His brother, The Heartless, for rule over the heavens but Raas, the undying, broke free from the underworld His own kin sent Him to. However, He is merciful as He is powerful and did not wish to kill His brother. He allows The Heartless to take over as He rests during nightfall." He paused, realising he was getting ahead of himself. Phares glanced at the girl, wondering if she had any questions.

Damaris sat by Phares, listening intently as he spoke. Her brow crumpled slightly, not in confusion but in concentration of putting the information to memory. 

"That's alright, I don't know much either," she teased lightly, glancing at him with a grin on her face before turning serious for her lesson.

"Raas is the sun, or the sun is a physical representation of him then? And the Heartless is the night?" Her tone was questioning, for she didn't doubt him but she wanted to be sure of what he was saying.

She listened attentively, and for that Phares are grateful; there was nothing worse than those who did not pay attention to their teachings. At the Shrine, he knew that priests who shunned their studies were cast from the church and branded as outsiders. Here, perhaps the punishment wouldn't be as brutal, though Phares would definitely be wary and careful around those who did not embrace the faith.

Her questioning — which lacked any doubt, only curiousity, which he noted — was met with a nod and gesture at the sun again. "That He is, the sun, the light!" His joyous expression turned grim, then, turning to his student with a hushed voice. "But yes, The Heartless is...brings the night. He is mysterious and dangerous. He seeks to corrupt lost souls in their sleep, when his power is strongest."

His joy was infectious, leading the albino to smile just as brightly though the crinkling of her muzzle gave pain to the blisters on her nose. If Raas was merciful why did he pain her so? Was it only the affliction placed on her at birth? The curse, as her tribe had called it.

Those born with white fur, red eyes, and pink skin were said to be plagued by malice; controlled by demons. Was it the Heartless then that had caused her coloration? Damaris had so many questions and none that she believed could be answered. She was almost afraid to ask in case these people were the same as the tribe. They too might try to destroy her, there was no need to plant the idea in their minds.

The smile on her face faded at the thoughts and formed a frown of worry as he spoke again. The night was when she was most comfortable, away from the blistering heat the sun wrought. What did that say of her? "How does he corrupt them?"