Seeking Answers (Colombina)

[Japikoa]

92nd Day of Winter, 506 AV Dark eyes opened just before dawn, staring up at the ceiling of her tent. She shivered and trembled beneath her blankets, though the chill of desert air was not the cause. It was the last day of Winter, the last day of the year in fact. Tomorrow would herald a new beginning for the Suli Clan, another cycle. But it meant more for her. Today she turned fifteen. Today she would begin the Searching. Tarahekip, her teacher and dearest friend, had sent her to sleep with a kiss to her brow and a promise that her Searching would change everything, give her life focus, show her what she was meant to be. The confusion and uncertainty of her childhood would end, and she would become a woman. He had offered her a blessing in Makutsi's name; she hadn't bothered telling him it was Eywaat's she would rather have, much preferring the trickster god to the patron of the Raindancers. But it was unseemly - she would seek Makutsi as all the women of her people, and be grateful for any answer she might receive. When she couldn't stand the suspense any longer, she shoved aside the blankets and rolled up to her feet, giggling as she made her way to the bedroll her parents shared. "Mama!" she hissed, kneeling beside the couple and shaking the Abayla by the shoulder. "Mama, wake up! It's my birthday!" she squealed - and then she was off, scrambling out of the tent with no care for which of her family members might be sleeping.

[Colombina]

Japikoa bounded outside, youthful vigor making her step light. Her hair was a wild banner as she raced around the camp, searching for the others. The grounds were strangely quiet, as if her people were in hiding somewhere.

It was only as she reached the outermost border did she see the women. Faces she knew and respected formed a solemn circle with their backs to the center. Their visages were covered in white paint, and their beetle bright eyes were closed. All the women wore glossy black feathers. Their dark hair hung loose so the point where the feathers began and the tresses ended was blurred.

Her searching appeared far more solemn than she anticipated.

Without her noticing, a woman had stepped aside, allowing Japikoa entrance to the sacred circle. A lotus petal cartwheeled across the hard earth, escaping from the interior.