Dragoncrest Cliffs tanpèt lannwit

coming of age ceremony for @Sobeille @Astera @Lafayette @Lucette @Shadess @Jean-Heron @Roux @Jadou @Cheri i know some are on NPC so those tags can be for visibility but feel free to join too! <3
(@Èlosie for visibility <3) this ceremony is timed a little differently to get everyone in :)

welcome also for the pack to gather! @Chacal Val @Chani @Pepper @Phobos @Dogfish; no posting order at all!

it was decided that the long night begin anew for the young ones of this year. their bond with the saltwater would be honored here, they with the sea, and would compel sapphique once more to the great mystery of the force by which they defined their existence.
this year oversaw a frostlicked sea and a a cold wind in the trees which bordered the siren's bay.
but not yet had it become its own land, and still easily reached, if one could brave the coldness of the water itself.
the ritualists this year were of differing ages. it did not matter in the eyes of the lwa, for each would be given a dream out there upon the brine.
mireille sent a whisper of her own out into the seaside; that @Thibault and @Chantale and tousaint also be sent such a vision as reminder also that the sea did not leave them.
ancestors watched with warm eyes of ghostly pride as mireille called together the wolves of sapphique to witness the rebirth of a new generation into the knowing wisdom of their natal land.
in this they were strong; in this they would be made one with the sea.

finally!

sobeille awaited this moment the day she saw chani turn to the surf. she relived the hours after, turned over and over what her cousin had shared transpired that long and cold night under a slender moon.

now it was her hour.

cold; the jostling excitement of her siblings and cousins went ignored. any who approached would be shown a lift of her lips and the leer of exposed teeth; a slender gape where her missing canine stood.

waiting; hungry to discover her vision and at last tap into the oscillating power she knew flickered hazily under the surface of her skin.

intense; her gold-coin gaze held longingly on the thin strip of stone that would be the stepping stool out of the shallow waters of her future and into the gilded halls of her legacy.

dogfish fed dangerously upon the energy of sobeille.

she did not crowd the masked magick woman, but she skirted around her like a raven familiar. out of reach and watchful all the same. mindful that her nearness was not wanted in this hour.

and just like that raven familiar — she perched when the time came, out of the direct commotion of sapphique's current bustling activity. she knew this was not for her but she remained to be witness all the same.

the long night.

lafayette had heard tell of it, and when the call rang out, his heart soared. he nudged lucette, stirring her to action—but even without his twin, he'd trot down to the bay shore, tongue lolling, turquoise eyes sparkling in challenge.

he stepped forward, letting the water pool and swirl around his ankles. he looked at sobeille, and others gathered, his grin widening nearly to the corners of his ears. he was thrilled to swim again.

and lafayette stood, stiff-legged, waiting for the command to move into the water.

The idea of the long night sounded... long. She imagined how she might suffer there, surrounded by icy waters, licking at her feet as she struggled to keep herself upright and warm on hard black rock. It would be painful. It would be hard. 

Yet it was not fear she felt. Instead, she felt the thrill of it. Same as her siblings. Same as Sobeille. Shadess had always enjoyed a challenge. Always wanted to prove herself - not to others, but to her own self. This day, she would prove herself a hardy saltwolf. No longer a pebble among them, but a strong woman she knew herself to be. 

Like all her sister's before her, she would be ready.

chani was proud of her relatives.
"de dreams are like notin' else, but do not be afraid," she whispered to them.
the girl stood back then, tail lashing in furious delight, her eyes glittering almost with tears reflected in the cold water of eternal sea.

The boy shivered as he stood among his sisters and cousins. Though not from the frosted sand underfoot or the frigid air raking his well-groomed pelt.

This night would be like no other. And he was the youngest in attendance.

Because Chacal could not, Chani had explained it to Jean-Heron. His jaws clenched in anticipation, his thoughts running wild with conspiracy and uncertainty. His luck with the ocean had been subpar to say the least. He feared it would only take more from him, even now.

Chani’s whisper settled him somewhat, but anxious eyes remained set upon Mireille in a silent plea for her to cancel this night for a time when he felt more ready.

Of course Lucette was at her twin's flank; where else could she ever be? They stepped into the waters together, as they'd come into the world. As they would one day leave it, she often thought.

Her eyes scarcely left Lafayette.

no posting order! here is the thread for rolls! initiates:for this round, post ur characters going to the thoughtstone and talking to one another as the sun goes down, playing, meditating. the dream round will begin after that! @Sobeille @Astera @Lafayette @Lucette @Shadess @Jean-Heron @Roux @Jadou @Cheri <3

they gathered, and mireille glowed upon them with a smile each, radiant in her respect for the culture that each wolf of the sea-cliffs had built with their presence. with their birth, with their blood, with their voices.
"tonight be one important. tonight you will go out into de water, to de t'oughtstone. t'ere you will sleep an' t'ere you will dream of the Lwa."
her eyes swept them, love shimmering in her expression. "for many years have de Lwa guided us. dey be spirits of protection, elementals who guard de sea. men of holiness. godesses. dey too must know you."
"when de sun rises an' you have come back to de shore, we will tell you what each dream be meanin'"
a breath! pain in this, in some letting-go of her children. "do not fear. you willnae be alone. sapphique watches."
"go now." into the salt, into the ice of the brine and the dreams that awaited them upon their thoughtstone.

Shadess would look to the others gathered every so often. Thr whispered comfort of Chani. The fear in @Jean-Heron. Geez, not even one of her own brothers shown such weakness. Even the twins who could do nothing on their own. 

Evergreen eyes snap back to her mother at the sound of her voice and when she was finished, she would lick her mother's chin and rush off into the waves. Ack! She yips, the waters so damn cold that is caused a tense shockwave through her body. The chill shivered out her tail and with a great leap over a wave, she plummeted into the sea. 

Her legs were short, yet strong. Her thick fur and round body buoyant like a seal! She swam slower, but she did not tire and kept her pace steady until she reached the Thoughtstone. Hoisting herself onto the dark rock, she shook out her coat and vibrated like a chihuahua as she tried to gather warmth.

swim—dream—swim.

the dream component brought him more trepidation than the swimming—and even as he slid into the frigid water, clenching his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering, he wondered which lwa would show their face tonight. 

luckily, the rigorous paddling needed to bring him to the island consumed most of his thoughts, and he eventually emerged upon the small, rocky shore, shaking himself to clear the water from his fiery pelt.

lafayette's gaze swiveled around him, looking first for lucette, then the others. but it was shadess that was here first; he drew closer to his headstrong sister, hoping to share her warmth as they dried off. 

which lwa do you t'ink you'll see tonight, sè mwen? he asked, giving her a contemplative look.

the oldest of those to withstand the long night this fated evening, sobeille had been instructed beforehand to keep watch on them. her argument was thus; if the sea decided to take one of them, who was she to argue with the righteousness of the sea on this sacred night?

her gaze fell to the quivering jean-heron. if he was to be a second useless male terrified of the ocean, sobeille would not have it. pride limned her gaze to see her siblings ford the water - they may be nervous, but they were not afraid of embracing the very sea which sustained them.

shadess and the twins had already plunged gamely into the churning water. sobeille watched their receding backs and pumping legs, imagining a dark and speeding silhouette encircling them as they made for the stone.

then she turned to jean-heron with a nudge. come on, weenie. striding on confident legs sobeille turned to the churning sea, inhaling with tittering adrenaline as the first of many waves icily lapped her body.

she would see jean-heron to the other side while her family watched — that he was biologically related to her was the only thing staying her from guiding him to an ill-appointed cliff’s edge thereafter.

The children would be fine for the night on the thoughtstone, even when surrounded by waves that might thrash at the rock and spray them with cool water. She trusted the waters that would circle the stone, as if she believed that the spirits of Erzulie and Rosalyn would be taking the children into their embrace for the night.

As for the dreams, the lwa, she could only pray as she kept guard on the shore, that they would be benevolent. Many of them were kind, and could be appealed to in times of need. But there was always the chance that one of their children might be visited by a spirit darker than any other, and as she watched the children wade into the water, she couldn’t help but feel a twang of dread creep in and raise goosebumps on her skin.

The Obsidian spoke with pride. A pride the boy could not summon, though he tried. He wanted to feel the same wonder and excitement of his cousins; to experience the confidence he could see yet not touch. But the only emotions left to him were apprehension and a healthy serving of doubt.

Jean-Heron felt (before he saw) the cold glare of Shadess. He looked towards her to catch the brief and ugly disgust smeared across her face. His spine tensed with shame, and he looked away, skin hot as he prickled indignantly. He could hear the others splashing through the water, and he would have been content to stand there staring at the ground if it were not for Sobeille and her nudge.

“Come on, weenie.”

Mere slights and woundings that would have been treated with playful teeth or boyish retaliation before his accident, now filled him instead with bitterness. Crippled and ridiculed, the contempt he felt from those who would grow to be his superiors— from those he was being raised to support— scorned him.

He thought: What did they know about real fear? Had they ever felt the sea suddenly change its mood and start pulling them irreversibly down? Did they know about the light of the seagraves? About losing air to the point of unconsciousness? Did they know anything about experiencing a powerlessness so overwhelming that their brain chemistry would become forever altered? What had they learned of pain and suffering and having to drag themselves up from the metaphorical pits?

Resolve, borne of resentment, welled up inside him.

Jaws set grimly, he cast one last look at his mother before leaning his shuddering body against Sobeille as she anchored him towards the Thoughtstone. It was oddly selfless of her, adding a sudden gravity to this moment he had been unprepared for. That even she wanted to see him to the stone stunned him.

The chimera stiffly braved the frigid waters, managing well through his limp, and came to rest upon the icy stone that allegedly housed sleeping visions. Hypothermia dreams, more like. He stayed as close to Sobeille as she would allow and remained silent, staring at his paws, while they waited for night.

As the sun sank low and the temperature began to plummet, the only image in his mind was the disturbed look on his Chacal’s face before he’d left the shore.

as before, each young one would receive a vision. beneath the great moon, above the saltwater, these youths of sapphique soon dreamt and the lwa moved among them.
first granted vision for @Shadess. led away from the rush of the everlasting sea, viridian grass sprung up beneath her paws. watercolor hues of flowering vines hung round the girl, and splashes of sunlight marked where water glittered in freshwater sweetness among the gentler winds. butterflies winged; waterfalls sang. another one comes early to the sea. your heart has never failed in its devotion, emerald eyes opening with soft smile before the branches swallowed his visage and he was gone. in peace, in comfort, would shadess wake.

Loco is the Loa of vegetation and land flora, largely associated with trees. He also has healing properties, which he gives to the leaves (herbs). He will appear as a wise, grey wolf with dark green eyes, who might smell of comforting woodsmoke. He may also appear as a butterfly. He is an excellent judge of character, and can transform into wind at will. He has an influence over the growth of land plants, and can be appealed to for lush herb growth, as well as for healing purposes. Offerings for Loco should include rabbit meat and dried sage. He prefers his offerings to be left in the woodlands, covered with straw or grasses.

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pixabay,  #0f26b6

second the lwa came for @Lafayette, whose sleeping thoughts would weave into a redveined dome. he would open his eyes to the sound of a rushing, rushing drum, and a child's shy laughter encircling his ears even as he curled inside this dreaming womb. look! cried the pale boy who at last showed himself, spreading his arms until they turned to the white-feathered wings of a crane. see what your heart has craved? and the stars fell down through the space of scarlet heartbeating, glitterspills of glassblown light which glowed greater and greater until at last the boy awoke.

Obatala is the Loa of the sky and stars. He is also responsible for children still growing in the womb. He will appear as a young-looking wolf with fair, whispy white fur, and puppy-blue eyes. He may also appear in the form of a white crane. He may seem both wise and child-like, thoughtful and playful. He is most often prayed to for the health of unborn pups, but also if a wolf is looking for more direction in their lives. His favourite offerings are snails, and he prefers that they be left on a stone slate under a full moon.

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jess,  #6388df

the third dream was for @Sobeille, whose slumbering mind would envision the darkening of sunset over a deep navy sea, the sun dying to a lacking glow on brined horizon. black sand beneath her paws and the absence of morning preceded the flutter of feathers then. revealed; a womanly figure which did not keep its shape but blurred between wolf and owl. claws ended her palms; shark's-teeth her mouth. forsake all others, that sharpened mouth whispered. kill for Marinette an' you be rewarded. a lwa of evil, or perhaps only one who now held formal command over the violence which led sobeille now.

A visit from Marinette-Bwa-Chech is most certainly a nightmare- but she is also very powerful. Only wolves visited by Marinette-Bwa-Chech on their coming-of-age can appeal to her and seek her help- but she must be worshipped, and all other Loa must be forsaken. She takes the form of an owl — or anything else she wants. All others who attempt to communicate with her might be besought with nightmares and illness. In order to even get her attention, she must be appeased a plucked bird on the night of a new moon, every month, without failure. It can be left anywhere- the shapeshifter will find it.

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peakpx,  #715146

fourth did the dreams move for lucette, though it seemed even as sobeille's eyes wakened beneath her lids did Marinette sweep with clawed hands to cup the dreams of her sister. owl-flung; she opened her mouth and a horde of mouse bones poured from the blackened throat; kill for me, girl. kill an' i will make you strong. a cackling, cold laugh, for the lwa had prevailed twice this night. a loon's screaming shattered the black night above lucette's head and then a second blink would bring the reality of a true darkness.

This is an evil spirit, but respected by wolves nonetheless for her ability to intervene with fate. She might speak of horrible crimes, utter threats, and use scare tactics to invoke fear. She does not have only one wolf form, but many- and will shape-shift from one wolf form to another- even impersonating the other Loa- but she can easily be identified due to her long, curved claws. She can also appear as a screech owl.

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unknown,  #597383

ah! poor @Jean-Heron, for the last dream would warp in upon itself, narrowing the boy's mind to a pinprick of light upon which a great blackness prevailed. look well, uttered the disembodied voice in a roaring garble, and suddenly the son of the shoreline would find himself surrounded by the slit-eyed demonism of goat-eyes and their thousands of hooves. laughter, and jean-heron was dripping with blood which ran down from the lwa's grinning mouth. i be L'inglesou, an' you be de firs' to catch my eye, salt child. a wink, that tiny spinning portal of black light expanding, expanding. do not lose it. jean-heron would wake to the taste of salt in his mouth.

This is one of the loa free masons. When feeding this loa, all meat prepared for him must be liberally salted. He prefers the ends of the tongue, ears, front teeth, and the end of a tail of a goat. When this loa mounts somebody, it is violent and his voice is highly distorted. he is a well-known and dangerous guard spirit within the Haitian Vodou pantheon. Though this loa is widely revered in Haiti, his character and manifestation are not as well known in the Western world. He is believed to be the ultimate judge of justice, punishing those who have wronged others. This loa is not to be played with as he is not as jovial and free-spirited as his cooler contemporaries. Instead, he provides protection and ensures that justice is served for those who have been wronged. Likewise, he exacts vengeance in the worst way. As such, he is regarded as a symbol of strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

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wallpapers,  #aa7777

once more would it be the role of those others gathered upon the beach to welcome the young wolves when they had come back, to explain in reverent detail the meaning of each dream. thus was another generation of sapphique youth seen and weighed by the wondrous watchful spirits of their sacred seacliffs.

@Sobeille @Jean-Heron: sorry for double tags, this is to lyk that i changed ur banners after the first tag bc i didnt like them lol F

sleep came quick and hard, after the swim. he curled up next to his sister and fell into deep slumber, almost forgetting that he was to meet a lwa on the other side.

but a pristine pale-furred boy came, blinking softly. lafayette stared back.

forelegs turned to feathers, and all at once, the young wolf was a crane, sprawling his wings like the sun rising above the horizon. lafayette was mesmerized, still staring, mouth slightly agape—

look to the sky, obatala whispered.

---

he woke with a start, and immediately turned his muzzle upward. the stars were fading, morning light beginning to seep into that deep twilight indigo. 

but he was not rattled. no, lafayette was left with a sense of calm—

as long as he kept seeking the sky.