Continued from Luminous Heart i
She did not spend long in the treeline, and soon enough her human self was becoming anxious enough to cause her to step back into the sunlight. Pink nose twitching, she breathed in deeply, smelling the salt on the air. She turned back to face the trees and breathed again, and this time it was the scent of musky earth, rich and deep.
After a while, Oralie came to realise that there was a person standing a little way off from her. She turned her head, luminous golden eyes taking in the form of a woman, so very out of place, standing alone on the pristine sand. She was watching Oralie carefully, not moving. Something was draped over her arm, and it took the Kelvic a few moments to remember herself before she realised it was her dress, the one she had removed earlier that should have still been folded neatly on the rock where she had left it. Her gaze moved back up to the woman’s face, away from the yellow patterned fabric, the memory finally settling itself into her mind.
Priskil.
The Goddess was exactly as she had been the first time Oralie had met her. Drab coloured fabrics almost swamped her lithe figure, the frayed hems of her cloak dragging on the sand. The shoes were the same too – Oralie could see the sole was still barely attached to the right one. A hood was pulled a little way over her head, tendrils of long, dark hair escaping it and falling to frame her beautiful face. Though her clothing gave the impression of a poor woman, her features could not belong to anyone other than a Goddess of Radiance. A smile graced her mouth, lips curving upward as she saw the recognition spark in Oralie’s eyes.
Oralie huffed out a breath through her nose before she turned, padding slowly across the sand to where the Goddess stood, waiting. There was not a single other soul on the beach with them. Even the sea birds all seemed to have flown away, Priskil’s luminous presence too wonderful for them to handle. The only noise was the sand grains shifting beneath Oralie’s paw pads and the soft whispering of waves lapping at the shore.
She stopped a couple of paces away from her Goddess, her golden gaze rising to meet Priskil’s own deep chocolate irises. Crinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes as she smiled down at her.
“My dear Oralie.”
She crouched, kneeling in the sand, bringing herself closer to Oralie’s level. The Kelvic dipped her head as the Goddess reached out to gently touch behind her shoulder, an appreciative rumble sounding deep in her chest at the caress of a hand through her fur. They stayed like that for a full couple of chimes, Oralie with her eyes shut, and Priskil smiling serenely at the small feline. Eventually the Goddess withdrew her hand and stood, the yellow patterned dress still draped neatly over her arm.
“Come, walk with me.”
She turned and started to walk away without a pause or backward glance, and Oralie paused for tick, head tilted ever so slightly to one side, before moving quickly over to walk by Priskil’s side. They walked in silence, though of course Oralie was unable to speak given that she was currently taking her ocelot form, but it was a silence of companions. Even though the Kelvic had not seen her Goddess again beyond the first time, it did not feel otherworldly anymore. Her company felt comforting and familiar, like it was a completely normal thing to take a stroll with the Goddess of Radiance. Perhaps, in Priskil’s world, it was.
“It is rather lovely here, is it not?” Priskil had her head tilted back, looking up at the sky as they walked along the sand. Oralie huffed an agreement, her tail swishing behind her as she padded alongside the Goddess.
“It is, I think, a good place for you.” Priskil lowered her gaze to take in Oralie, eyes running over the spotted fur of her coat. “Yes, you chose well. Did you know ocelots naturally live in places like this?”
The Kelvic roughly shook her head to indicate her surprise at the words. Priskil smiled. “Oh yes, if you ever venture into the trees, expect to find others like you.”
Oralie turned her luminous gaze on the dense tree line as she walked. It would explain why she felt pulled to enter the jungle, despite her fears of the place. She was thankful that her human urge to live outweighed those feelings, for she knew that it was not a place for her yet. All the same, she often wondered just how many things called the jungle their home.
“You have grown much already since you arrived here. You have felt joy now, haven’t you?” Oralie met her gaze and whatever Priskil saw in her eyes was answer enough to her statement. “But you are keeping it behind a mask, only letting it slip sometimes. Your heart is still overburdened with fear.” The Goddess stopped, swiveling on her heel to stand in front of Oralie. “The fears of your past cannot haunt you here. You must have hope Oralie, hope for your future. You must feel that hope, shining, every day. Lighting you up from within so you can forge your own path. He owns you no longer, he has no say in your life anymore. Because it is your life, and you need to live it.”
Oralie’s swishing tail had stilled, her large golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Goddess before her. A long pause stretched between them once Priskil stopped speaking. A swirl of lights danced around the Kelvic’s body, obscuring her entirely from view for less than a tick. Almost immediately, Oralie was standing in front of Priksil on her own two legs, blonde hair tangled around her face and her eyes swimming with the threat of tears.
+994
She did not spend long in the treeline, and soon enough her human self was becoming anxious enough to cause her to step back into the sunlight. Pink nose twitching, she breathed in deeply, smelling the salt on the air. She turned back to face the trees and breathed again, and this time it was the scent of musky earth, rich and deep.
After a while, Oralie came to realise that there was a person standing a little way off from her. She turned her head, luminous golden eyes taking in the form of a woman, so very out of place, standing alone on the pristine sand. She was watching Oralie carefully, not moving. Something was draped over her arm, and it took the Kelvic a few moments to remember herself before she realised it was her dress, the one she had removed earlier that should have still been folded neatly on the rock where she had left it. Her gaze moved back up to the woman’s face, away from the yellow patterned fabric, the memory finally settling itself into her mind.
Priskil.
The Goddess was exactly as she had been the first time Oralie had met her. Drab coloured fabrics almost swamped her lithe figure, the frayed hems of her cloak dragging on the sand. The shoes were the same too – Oralie could see the sole was still barely attached to the right one. A hood was pulled a little way over her head, tendrils of long, dark hair escaping it and falling to frame her beautiful face. Though her clothing gave the impression of a poor woman, her features could not belong to anyone other than a Goddess of Radiance. A smile graced her mouth, lips curving upward as she saw the recognition spark in Oralie’s eyes.
Oralie huffed out a breath through her nose before she turned, padding slowly across the sand to where the Goddess stood, waiting. There was not a single other soul on the beach with them. Even the sea birds all seemed to have flown away, Priskil’s luminous presence too wonderful for them to handle. The only noise was the sand grains shifting beneath Oralie’s paw pads and the soft whispering of waves lapping at the shore.
She stopped a couple of paces away from her Goddess, her golden gaze rising to meet Priskil’s own deep chocolate irises. Crinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes as she smiled down at her.
“My dear Oralie.”
She crouched, kneeling in the sand, bringing herself closer to Oralie’s level. The Kelvic dipped her head as the Goddess reached out to gently touch behind her shoulder, an appreciative rumble sounding deep in her chest at the caress of a hand through her fur. They stayed like that for a full couple of chimes, Oralie with her eyes shut, and Priskil smiling serenely at the small feline. Eventually the Goddess withdrew her hand and stood, the yellow patterned dress still draped neatly over her arm.
“Come, walk with me.”
She turned and started to walk away without a pause or backward glance, and Oralie paused for tick, head tilted ever so slightly to one side, before moving quickly over to walk by Priskil’s side. They walked in silence, though of course Oralie was unable to speak given that she was currently taking her ocelot form, but it was a silence of companions. Even though the Kelvic had not seen her Goddess again beyond the first time, it did not feel otherworldly anymore. Her company felt comforting and familiar, like it was a completely normal thing to take a stroll with the Goddess of Radiance. Perhaps, in Priskil’s world, it was.
“It is rather lovely here, is it not?” Priskil had her head tilted back, looking up at the sky as they walked along the sand. Oralie huffed an agreement, her tail swishing behind her as she padded alongside the Goddess.
“It is, I think, a good place for you.” Priskil lowered her gaze to take in Oralie, eyes running over the spotted fur of her coat. “Yes, you chose well. Did you know ocelots naturally live in places like this?”
The Kelvic roughly shook her head to indicate her surprise at the words. Priskil smiled. “Oh yes, if you ever venture into the trees, expect to find others like you.”
Oralie turned her luminous gaze on the dense tree line as she walked. It would explain why she felt pulled to enter the jungle, despite her fears of the place. She was thankful that her human urge to live outweighed those feelings, for she knew that it was not a place for her yet. All the same, she often wondered just how many things called the jungle their home.
“You have grown much already since you arrived here. You have felt joy now, haven’t you?” Oralie met her gaze and whatever Priskil saw in her eyes was answer enough to her statement. “But you are keeping it behind a mask, only letting it slip sometimes. Your heart is still overburdened with fear.” The Goddess stopped, swiveling on her heel to stand in front of Oralie. “The fears of your past cannot haunt you here. You must have hope Oralie, hope for your future. You must feel that hope, shining, every day. Lighting you up from within so you can forge your own path. He owns you no longer, he has no say in your life anymore. Because it is your life, and you need to live it.”
Oralie’s swishing tail had stilled, her large golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Goddess before her. A long pause stretched between them once Priskil stopped speaking. A swirl of lights danced around the Kelvic’s body, obscuring her entirely from view for less than a tick. Almost immediately, Oralie was standing in front of Priksil on her own two legs, blonde hair tangled around her face and her eyes swimming with the threat of tears.
+994
