Permafrost Hollows the cult of dionysus

@Guille!

day after day wilwarin watched as her twin sons grew. dreamer's hunting kept the entire small family in good health, and she spent much of the daylight playing with galathilion or showing airasea the flowers upon the hill.

her boys were good boys.

at night she would sleep and oftentimes dream; and sometimes the dreamer would be there with her. or she would watch as her sons grew like great oak trees, to be broad-shouldered and strong. on the night previous, wilwarin had been awake for far too long as she watched the sky ignite with the most vibrant green-teal, or magenta-plum.

finally, dreamer convinced her to come to bed, where they huddled around the boys.

by midday, she was awake again and eager to see the colors again. beneath the harsh light of day there was no sign of them; only the deep blue openness of the sky; and that was when she noticed her boys were not there. a sharp sense of panic overwhelmed wilwarin then—and she danced her way through the field of flowers to where the hill crested against the clouds, and looked frantically for them.

further up the mountain—there was dreamer, and there were the boys.

the wind trembled through her as she breathed deeply, relaxing immediately.

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The woman's shape nearly vanished into the golden day, and Guille couldn't imagine her as one with the din of the prophet or the two silvery neophytes which wreathed him. Guille probed this by following her gaze, and said nothing - in her mouth was fruit taken from the inner sanctum, and if no words could be shared, then it would become her olive branch.

as calm returned to wilwarin, as she drank in the sight of the three together, she knew that all was well. dreamer would never leave them. he had proven himself as a caretaker to the woman and a protector to the boys, and wilwarin could not fathom the idea that he might grow tired of his role for any real length of time; she stood there watching them and found herself smiling.

there was the sound of steps among the sussuration of the green behind her, and wilwarin (despite being mute, was exceptionally perceptive) turned to witness an approaching shadow. she was unafraid; her dreamer would come to her if need be, but in that moment wilwarin saw nothing amiss. the woman came up close and there was a gift hanging there, an offering.

wilwarin's contentedness extended to the stranger. she shared a warmth with her, smiling, settling to her haunches in the grass. there was a curious tilt to her ears. as one who could only mouth language, she had learned very early-on in her life to be very expressive. a wave of her tail was invitation for the stranger to come closer, and a dip of her head conveyed, come here, sit with me.

was the shadow here because of the dream?

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"I took this fruit from the caverns-
and it seems those above,
bound by blood,
know nothing of that bounty beneath them.
So what is it
which ties you and those three together?"

she did not know of these caverns. she had never seen this fruit before, but was glad to have any gift. the woman smiled and took this offering — and as she gingerly began to eat it, she looked upon her sons and upon the dreamer with great love for all.

partway through the nibbling of this fruit, wilwarin licked her lips and watched the stranger. she motioned to her throat, and frowned. and then mimed the act of speaking, and even tried to bring forth a voice — but not even a whine would emerge. only silence from fruit-stained lips.

for all this pantomime, wilwarin was not bothered. she was used to her own silence and only hoped to convey this fact to the stranger.

mouthing, i am wilwarin. thank you, for -- this, and she motions to the fruit, which she finishes. the taste is tart at first, then slowly she feels a burn at the back of her throat; but it is barely anything, only the sharp acid of the pulp, she thinks.

do you know my dreamer?

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"...I'm Guille, and that man on the hill? Yes, I've met him... the... transience you both speak with, suits these ends of the earth. And if you are raising those children together, maybe they will inherit it."