{Flashback} Blood Moon (Solicah)

by **Solicah** on November 4th, 2012, 12:13 am

As the night stretched on drunks were had, traditional songs were led by their priestesses, and magics were used to show homage to Leth above. The adults pulled closer in sometimes ostentatious and sometimes sensual dances, then found beds of pleasure behind thin stretched of hide. The unmarried rode upon their horses, and supplied the children with a fine red dust which burst with crimson light when thrown into the fire. Sparks of red fluttering like fireflies upward toward their patron god above. This never ceased to be a hit with the children who quickly faded into silent slumbers in the dancing firelight.

When the early morning winds began Solicah found himself alone, the others asleep or enjoying one another's heat beyond the light of the fire. His body ached from the dancing, his throat from the singing, but he looked to Aureunna with a smile none the less. She returned with her usual wise and loving glance, which caught Solicah with a certain profound resonance in that moment. His smile faded to a soft expression and he just stared at her through his own drunken haze. His eyes remained strained on her as he swayed on, an almost silent set of tones drifting from his lips as he used his body to sing to her a song of appreciation.

Leth inspired so much in his people, good food ready roast above the fires, potent ale already rumbled in their stomachs, and meaningful songs grazed their lips. But, Solicah found himself alone, as he did ever other night, with Aureunna. And this felt right, ok, and he wondered if perhaps Aureunna was there with him when he died in those tunnels below the plains, in those times when Leth and Syna were not there for them. He wondered because when he looked to Aureunna's eyes he felt what he did not when he looked to the moon. She eased that tension that showed down upon them all on these nights.

His fingertips ran across her fine fur as he danced beside her, his festively adorned body brushing against her with rhythmic sways. And, as the dance came to an end even Solicah found himself slipping from Leth's commanding gaze into the land of Nysel.

______________________

The horn came too soon, pounding into Solicah's still sick head, the Ankal sounding the horn to wake those that would celebrate the Emergence.

Solicah gathering himself from Aureunna's warmth, wrapped around him, and stepped back to allow her to get up herself. Daybreak was coming, food was coming, and there was nothign Solicah wished for more. The meat was already cooking, popping and burning above the fire, Solicah's motuh moistened almost painfully at the scent surrounding them all.

The vigilent red Leth was slipping from view, and Syna's light approached.

"It's time for the Emergence." Solicah smiled wearily and uttered to Aureunna, mounting her with a trained ease, shifting his weight upon her as he found the perfect balance between his comfort and hers.

With a shift of weight Solicah and Aureunna approached the edge of Pavilion where the stake he and Kelaugh erected proudly the night before stood tall, a crimson stretch of vivid fabric flying upon it's crest. The starting place.

Slowly the number of contenders grew, and those few that would not gathered close by, even the children rubbing sand from their eyes and peering through drowsy demeanors out toward those gathering.

The Ankal stood among the contenders and pronounced the significance of the tradition. The emergence was the yearly race, where they ran from the Pavilion out into the plains in celebration, just as their ancestors had when they discovered their grand grasslands so many generation ago.

Solicah shook his curl adorned head as Kelaugh pulled along side him in waiting. They gave friendly smirks of challenge to one another, but shared no words. Silence rested like morning dew over the Pavilion as their Ankal spoke, as they waited for Syna's returned rays.

With a pat to Aureunna's neck Solicah stretched upon her, loosening his body still sore from the night before, head still buzzing from the malnutrition and the still lingering alcohol. First light stretched on, the horizon glowed clearly till finally a thin burst of sun pierced along the horizon, and Solicah could not help but think of what it would mean for a man who had never once seen the light of Syna to see it for the first time, and he felt true inspiration.

The stretch of red cloth was pulled loose from the pole, brilliantly streaming downward in elegant twists and turns before suddenly being caught in a disruptive lurch of air. The hoof-beats began.

Solicah gave a firm thrust of his hips, and gave the command for Aureunna to bolt. Tension entered his legs as the trembling bouncing beneath him began, and he took off along with the other duos seeming to float along the grasses toward their goal.

Hovering as a beacon, just before the rising sun the teams raced straight into the sunrise, directly toward the second pole proudly flying a striking sapphire flag.

Solicah expression widened to exhilarated glee as Aureunna's breath drew and released from what seemed to be within him, the wind catching his hair and the sounds of beating ground tumbling past him with ease. The sensation of the race was like nothing, the striders all seemed to understand the significance of the ritual, understood the value of reaching the end. This was their time to show the fleeting Leth and the approaching Syna their appreciation, as their carted across Semele's resilient skin.

Kelaugh raced aside Solicah, be he did not look to her, his eyes remained on their goal, his attention on balance, careful not to bounce too hard upon his companion. He held his chest low and hips high as the flew through the air.

Beat for beat Aureunna and Dratai raced neck and neck till they caught the final slope, the incline caught Solicah more suddenly than he expected, and his weight switched backward just an inch too far. Kelaugh and Dratai burst ahead and the race ended in the moment. Neither one won, but both felt pride for participating. They all felt the profound excitement as the Striders gathered at the finish line, in Syna's first light and glowed in unison with one another, catching what seemed to be a halo of light from the observers back at the Pavilion, the observers waiting with food for the winner, the Ankal, at they group returned.

They all ate heartily, laughing and sharing as the dreadful memory of the Valterian was washed away by the ceremony of emergence, and they could feel pride in their people, their Pavilion, and themselves for yet another year till Leth called them to remember the pain again. To remember the blood.

by **Jackalope** on November 8th, 2012, 3:34 am

Solicah

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Observation	+2	Stopping a Would Be Food Thief
Storytelling	+3	Obsidian: My Hungry Cousin
Teaching	+2	Story: The Cause of the Valterrian
Riding	+2	Taking Care of Little Ones
		A Breath Taking Sight: Blood Moon
		Honoring Leth
		The Thrill of the Race
		Remembering the Blood

Jackalope's Notes

I really enjoy your description in your threads. It's an absolute pleasure to read. If I have one thing to say, there was a huge overplaying of Solicah's storytelling ability. The writing was wonderful, but not a reflection of his skills. Please keep that in mind in future threads. If you have any questions about things feel free to PM. Thanks!

by **Magpie** on February 17th, 2013, 6:56 pm

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Kelaugh: :

Notes: :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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