Sophia had only been in Riverfall for a handful of days, but she already felt restless. At the start of the season the half-Svefra had made the painful decision to leave her Pod – her family – and come to shore for good. She loved the ocean dearly for it had been her home, but she had always felt as though there were something missing from her life. She needed something more, something that meant something and deep in her heart, no her soul, she knew that she would find that on land.
When she was young and her Pod would come to shore to trade and stock up on supplies, Sophia would often wander on her own. On one particular time they had stopped in Riverfall and the child had, for once, stayed around the port. A tiny school of silvery fish had caught her eye and she wanted to watch them ‘dance’. After a few chimes she had an incredibly odd sensation come over her and she peered round to find a small feline watching her intently. It appeared fairly normal, aside from the large emerald green eyes that were fixed on the young Svefra. It was from that day that Sophia knew there was something she was not understanding, although it took her a great many years to truly grasp that thought. It was this particular thought that had eventually led her back to the city of Akalak’s, but she had been disappointed when her nagging feeling hadn’t faded after her arrival.
That was why she had found herself wandering away from the city one Spring afternoon. The few locals she had spoken to told her to take a guide, but Sophia had assured them that she wasn’t going far and would be sticking to the marked route anyway. Of course, things never turn out quite how you expect, especially when one sets off with such bravado. She was looking for plants that were different, new. The ones they had inside the city were lovely, but so… cultivated, and they hadn’t bought about the sense of joy and discovery that she had so been hoping for. In hindsight, the young woman should have realised that the Sea of Grass was full of – well, grass, and she would have to do a lot of wandering to find something to interest her. But everyone knows what they say about hindsight.
She had let her mind wander and her feet take her where they fancied, which of course was probably the worst thing she could have done. When the Svefra noticed that she had been daydreaming, she stopped in her tracks and squinted up at the sky. It appeared she had been out for a while now and should probably return to the city. Sophia turned around only to find, to her utmost horror, that Riverfall was not behind her. Nor was it on either side. Fear rose in her stomach and she hastily looked around for a marker that would show her where the travellers path ran, however she came up short. She then remembered with a moment of relief that she knew how to navigate by using the sun, only to realise that she had no idea which direction she’d been walking in in the first place. She was well and truly lost, and only had herself to blame.
In panic, she chose a direction she thought she might have come from, continuously sweeping her eyes over the horizon as she did so. Several chimes passed with no change and the panic was slowly crushing her more and more in its iron grip. She was making fairly rapid progress across the grassland when all of a sudden her foot landed on something that was definitely not solid. She pitched forwards and flailed as her body fell into cold, stinking marsh water. Luckily it wasn’t deep and, gasping for breath, she managed to scramble back to flop onto the bank. Sophia roughly wiped the muddy water out of her eyes. The marsh had been fairly well obscured from her direction by the taller grasses, but on the other side the plants were shorter, and she could see something just past the opposing bank. She squinted at the small, lumpy form before realising it was a young horse lying on its side. Her splashing about had clearly roused it, and the animal was now frantically kicking its legs in an effort to stand. The Svefra woman ran her azure gaze over its flanks and spotted some deep gashes that had clearly been oozing blood for a little while. The panic fled her for a moment and she started to move as if to help, though she didn’t know the first thing about tending wounds.
She heard it approach before she saw it and flung herself into the dense plants at the edge of the marsh just in time. Half submerged in the swampy water once more, Sophia cautiously peered between the grasses as a lone glassbeak approached, clearly called over by the struggling of the poor young horse. She had never seen one before, but she knew instantly what it was from the sheer size alone. She said a silent prayer to Caiyha, hoping the stinking water she had dunked in was enough for the predator not to notice her.
Sophia watched, frozen in both terror and morbid fascination as the glassbeak started to make quick work of the equine. The scene gave Sophia pause, and her panic cleared enough to let other thoughts in. She was witnessing the death of an innocent creature, but surely she was also witnessing the life of another? The horse was providing for the glassbeak, and honestly could the glassbeak be blamed for following its natural path? Sophia would have likely ended the struggling animal’s life anyway, so was it not better that the death was not pointless? Sophia’s mind was reeling with questions and sudden realisations, and she forgot that she was so close to one of the most feared animals in the grasslands. Any revulsion she may have felt was gone, replaced with a respect and awareness that settled over her, gently smoothing away the nagging she had carried with her from the ocean. Everything in the land worked together so that it may thrive, and death was as much a part of that as life.
Only when the glassbeak had eaten its fill did the young woman pause again, a small spike of fear lancing through her gut. Apparently though, the enormous creature was sated, and Sophia’s marsh water coating was doing the job of masking her scent. The great bird moved away at alarming speed and relief rushed over her, quickly followed by elation as she spotted a small smudge in the distance that could only be the city walls. She waited in the grasses longer than may have been necessary until standing, cramps winding down her legs as she did so.
Something caught her attention, and the Svefra turned her head and started in shock when her eyes fell on a small cat. It had bright emerald eyes and they were trained on her. She knew those eyes. Sophia blinked and all of a sudden there was a person standing exactly where the cat had been. She was otherworldly, a stranger yet so familiar all at the same time. Her hair was all the greens one could ever imagine and twined with flowers. Her dress was the same shades but seemed to shimmer as if made with gossamer spider’s silk. Everything about her was alive.
“Caiyah.” Sophia’s voice left her in a whoosh of breath and the woman smiled. This was the Goddess, the Mother of all the land’s living things. It was her who commanded the circle Sophia had just witnessed. ”My dear Sophia.” Caiya smiled and it was both terrible and wonderful at the same time. ”What have you witnessed today? What do you now know?”
“I know… that life cannot be without death. I know that all of your creatures have a place in this world, even the smallest ones. They all need to work together for the land to be… right.”
Caiya inclined her head. ”Harmony. Nature is balanced, and that balance must always be maintained. You are correct in that life and death are both parts of that balance. I have been waiting for you to understand this for a long time. You have not been ready till now, but now I am granting you my gift and I will watch over you as you use it. Be sure to use it well, be a guardian of my lands and make sure that the circle is maintained.”
Caiyha reached out to Sophia, who froze as the Goddess’ hand grasped her shoulder. There was an odd burning pain down her left arm, that receded as suddenly as it appeared. ”My request to you is to follow the mark I have given you. Protect and nurture the land that I have called you to.” Caiyha released Sophia’s shoulder and as she did her form grew misty, till the Goddess had disappeared from sight.
![[Verified by Gossamer]](./images/checkmark.png "[Verified by Gossamer]")
