Closed Where The Moon Sleeps

[Rufio]

7 Moons Ago...
In the Summer

　　　　" Ahh, when will it ever rain again?" Za sighed and Rufio stirred from the drowsy near-sleep she had sunken into to peer at the woman laying languidly on the furs next to her. Syna was a generous glow against the tent canvas so bright that when Rufio glanced at the gap between the tent flap and the dry, dusty dirt beneath, it seared patterns into her sight so she had to blink the luminescent silhouettes away. "Morwen has a lot to answer for." Za grumbled, flicking her long red tresses over her shoulder.

　　　　　　　Rufio's ochre gaze wandered with admiration over Za. The way her red hair complimented her lightly tan skin, which was smooth and unblemished. The way she rested on her stomach, chest pressed into the furs comfortably, the curve in her back where her hair pooled just above her round buttocks. And then those eyes, like deep, earthy moss staring back at her—she was caught. Za only smiled knowingly, flicking an approving glance across Rufio's own naked skin. Rufio felt a blush heat her cheeks. Until both women turned their gazes outwards as a gentle lull fell between them. The bustle of the Firstsong pavilion dimmed by the edges of their tent, in which they had found a fortress, this unrelentingly hot, humid Summer afternoon.

　　　"We should get up and do something." Rufio chided as she rested her freckled cheek back onto her forearms. Za laughed quietly and mm-ed as she laid her head down lazily. The words had been spoken though and now that she had reminded herself of all the living that was Drykas way of life she had to get up. "I'll see if the Firstsongs need a hand."

As Rufio shuffled to get up off the furs, Za clasped her wrist and looked up at her fondly. "That's why you will always be tied here." difference about you and I. Rufio peered down into the bright face that had captured her affections all Summer. Sentiments she wanted to say filled her mouth, making thick her tongue, but she knew they would do no good here. Za was a wild thing, and Rufio sensed deep down in her heart that their paths were meant to part ways...

Za rolled her eyes lightly, demanding a response. "Tell me who you care for, Rufio, I will tell you how to leave them if you wish it."
Rufio took a deep breath that lifted her shoulders lightly. She felt Zulrav's breath play across her calves. It was a relief. "I care for them all." Rufio gestured outside and then gave Za's hand a squeeze before loosing herself to fetch her clothes.
"The Firstsongs?" Za sat up and looked outside warily, as if caring was contagious.
Rufio tied a wide scarf about her hips and wriggled into a breast-wrap, before she returned warmly. All wandering spirits, in grass-sign.
Za regarded her with a furrowed brow. "I don't understand."
It was Rufio's turn to give Za a faint smile tinged with knowing.

Za was a wild thing that belonged to none and nowhere save for the whims of her own heart. Rufio belonged to Stormblood, to Endrykas, to the Benshira, to Zulrav and Semele. A Wandering Wildmane always, but rooted to earth and sky, water, bone and blood. Seasons ago, Rufio felt misplaced, that she didn't belong. Being with Za had struck Rufio with the deeply settling awareness that she did belong.

Made of many colours. Her grandma Wildmane had once said. Rufio felt she knew what her grandmother meant now.

Za sighed, exasperated by her companion's quiet, before rolling onto her back and closing her eyes. "While you tend to cattle, I wish to get out and explore."
Rufio's hands paused mid-braid as she was fixing her dreadlocks and peered sideways at the woman. Interested lay in the lean of the fortune-teller's posture. Za grinned cunningly. She knew curiosity and adventure always got the better of Rufio. "Y'know, go out to the sea for no reason but just to see things."
"See things?" It was Rufio's turn to be perplexed, as she finished braiding her hair. "Like what?"
Za giggled and rolled out of the bed-furs, slipping into leggings and a blouse gracefully. "I don't know, anywhere our hearts desire! The Hymnal Caverns? Or Shipwreck Point. I've heard it's haunted!" Za began to wrap multiple belts around her waist and reached for her boots as Rufio let her curiosity climb up her ribs, and into her chest where it lodged itself nicely. "The Hymnal Caverns?"
Za danced over to crouch where Rufio had sat down on the edge of the bed furs. Rufio was unnerved by Za's semblance to a tiger, ready to pounce as she spoke. "They are a deep, dark place in the ground where no light shines...except the light of Leth.

It is where The Moon sleeps..."

▿▿▿

58th Winter 517AV
Stormblood Pavilion
22nd Bell

　　　　　　　 A faint smile played in Rufio's freckles as Zulrav thundered in the dark, towering clouds that raged and sparked across the plains. Wind battered at the pavilion and tugged at her braided locks. It raked the plains, whipping grasses this way and that in a torrent. The grassland become like waves churning chaotically. Lightning streaked and lit up the Stormblood's ochre gaze, striking fear in where nostalgia was chimes before.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Whatever was going on amid The Gods, Zulrav had scattered his storms across the sea of grass for seven days. He sent thunder and he sent wind. Rain did not come.

　　　　　　　　　The storms crackled tension into the muggy Winter warmth. Morwen was missed still. Her absence wreaking growing havoc in the wilds with every passing. Rufio could feel it prickling along her skin, raising gooseflesh and spiking her with zealous energy. Like the anxious animals, the fortune-teller felt the tension of absent Winter itching in her bones.

　　　　Seeking some sort of soothing presence Rufio's gaze cast about the gloomy heavens for Leth—god of reflection, change and thought—but found Him utterly shrouded by Zulrav. Her heart sank a little and she frowned with a pang. The Mood brought reflection into her mood and often settled her emotions when they felt as scattered as the storms had been. Her thoughts turned gently to the Child of Leth in the billowing pavilion. She wondered how Taurina was faring with the storms.

　　　Casting one last furtive look at the dark clouds, Rufio turned in and bid the Father of Storms a goodnight.

▿▿▿

59th
7th Bell

　　　　 When Endrykas woke the next day, Zulrav's grumpy temprament still dominated the sky with dark grey, yet his thundering had quieted and his breath hushed less passionately across the grasses. As the fortune-teller rustled herself from sleep, tugged on her hide leggings and breast-wrap, and stepped out into the early morning din wrapping her dreadlocks into a thick ponytail, she felt the wind brush gently across her arms. Looking up with tentative hope, Rufio took the lull in Zulrav's torrent as a sign.

　　　　　　　Feeling the storm's energy lingering in her bones, Rufio began to potter about the pavilion, packing rations, filling waterskins as much as she dared without depleting the family's supply from the pail, gathering rope, flint and steel, her lantern...The Stormblood packed her backpack with zeal. When she had packed all that she thought she could carry on her shoulders the woman snuck back into the pavilion to see if her pavilion sister was awake.

　　　Seeing to it that she was by ducking her head in through the Ethaefal's partition and cupping her hands around her lips to make annoying wood-pigeon noises until Taurina was awake. "Psst, Taurina, wake up." With the tip of her toe Rufio nudged the Ethaefal's clothes towards her. "I want you to see something." Was whispered mysteriously, naught but the pearly gleam of her grin and bright ochre eyes flashing in the dim, before she vanished into the pavilion proper.
　

[Taurina]

Feet were bare as they hit ground made of stone and light. The hallway was long and winding, never more than a short length visible before another turn was rounded. The walls were so close together that only centimeters separated shoulders from moss covered stone. The sound of water dripping echoed as if the source was near, but also unreachable. It smelled of spring and sunshine here, only everything within the passage looked aged and the light that filled it did not come from the sky.

It was hard to breath, harder to think. All the mind knew was to keep moving. Keep running. Do not stop, never stop. To stop was to perish. The reason why was unknown.

Taurina knew she had been running for a long time and her body was tired. She knew that she could not run forever, her lungs would give out before then, but she did not wish to die. She was determined to find her way out. There was light coming up from between the cracks in the floor. It was a white dusty sort of light. To look right at it was like trying to look through a thick fog, impossible.

Shoulders hit the slick wall as a corner was rounded. Something sharp protruding out caught flesh and tore in deep enough to reveal blood. It was not the first time, nor was it likely to be the last, the Ethaefal was covered in small cuts dripping crimson. She had learned not to care. The blood did not matter, nothing did. Nothing matter except to keep moving.

Why?

She kept asking herself that. Why… Why… Why…? What was she even running from? Where was she? Surely this was no where in Endrykas. The plains were not filled with building or many structures of stone. None that she had seen anyway. None like this. No. This had to be somewhere else. But where? And how did she get there?

A part of her knew that none of it was real. That this was the dream and in just a handful of chimes she would wake up and be thrown back into a world of shadows and darkness. She did not know which was worse: the storms of reality or the impending doom of the dream world.

The birds came out of no where. First, it was just a single trill of a rising melody breaking against the sound of echoing water, panted breaths, and running steps. Then more and more came one after the other. Soon the whole chamber was drowned with the sound of birds calling. Pause was taken as breath was lost. Then.. then the monsters came. With their claws and talons, the creatures of the night buried themselves beneath her veins as they drank in the taste of her fear and reveled in the sound of her pain.

~

Taurina was screaming when her caramel gaze opened. The lines between reality and the dream were blurred as she scrambled to her kneesand launched herself forward towards were Rufio had just been, the look on her face a mix between pain and fear as she landed hard on the palms of her hands. She stopped screaming as the muggy air in the pavilion hit her sweat covered, bare skin. Some part of her understood that one in the pavilion had been within her area and woken her. Some part of her understood that she was fine, alive, and this was the real world. Nothing was after her. Yet, her heart still beat at a rate faster than that which was usual.

This had become the usual. Nightmare after nightmare. Always different, but always ending in anguish. The Ethaefal had apologized again and again for the screams that she had awoken the pavilion members with, knowing it was a drain on them just as much as it was on her. They tried to comfort her, tried to make it better, but nothing worked. As long as the storms raged and Leth remained hidden from her, nothing was going to work.

Fear began to settle and the words that had been said were coming back. Taurina sucked in breathes slowly, exhaling carefully to calm herself down. She saw the clothes that had been moved towards her bedroll and raised an eyebrow. Who wanted to show her something? What something? Lips came together and pursed before she picked up the pieces of clothing and shoved herself into them. Too worn pants were pulled on with falling apart boots tied tight around bare feet. A wrap discolored by endless sweat and Syna’s rays was bound around breasts before the makeshift necklace of quartz was placed over her neck. Taurina exited her chamber then, confusion, curiosity, and guilt painted across her features.

Rufio was the nearest, the look in her eyes enough to make Taurina guess that she was the one responsible for bringing an end to the nightmare. A weak smile was given as the Eth approached her pavilion sister, her apology for the scream clear in her gaze as she said as much with her hands. She hated that she did such things. That such things had become almost normal.

“Hope I brought not much scare,” Taurina said genuinely, sorry, sorry, cannot control, so sorry, “hopefully storms will end soon, Leth come back. Maybe that will end them.”

The Ethaefal did not even bother asking if it had been another who had something to show her. It was not even a possibility when she really thought on it. Jasmine was heavily pregnant now, not doing too much and no one could blame her. It was her Taurina worried about effecting with her nightmares the most. Asher always had much work to do around the pavilion and Lodai had his tasks within the watch as well as temporarily taking Azmere’s place within the pavilion. Taurina would be happy when the ankal was back. She missed him and knew that if anyone could scare away her nightmares, it would be him. After all, he had done it before. Things would be better when he came back from wherever he had gone.

Taurina sighed, trying not to think to hard about what troubled her most. Instead she focused her attention on Rufio. The brilliant spirit had come home from too many seasons gone. She came back with Syna kissed skin and hair so different, but so fitting for her wild soul. It was hard not to smile when seeing Rufio. It was hard not to admire that heart that would not be broken and the wandering feet that had survived to come back home. Someday Taurina hoped to be half as brave as Rufio, half as adventurous.

“What is it you wish to show me?” Taurina asked, curiosity shining in her caramel gaze.

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

[Taurina]

Grades

Taurina

Experience
N/A

Lore

• Taurina: Plagued by nightmares in Leth’s absence
• Azmere: Missed and waited for
• Rufio: Brave and adventurous

Rufio

If you bring Ru back let me know and I’ll grade your post.