ORIGIN

Macawi swished her tail in the soil as she listened. She was much more like a cat than a dog in this way. Had she more control over her tail movements, it would have been curling and uncurling, but instead it just wagged slowly. Light brown eyes flicked to the feather behind the cat’s ears, and she flashed a grin, suddenly imagining a cat covered entirely in feathers. But she quickly listened again, making sure to pay attention. The Coyote spoke a lot when given the chance, as was her way, but she was also a very good listener. She figured that if she was going to annoy other Gembounds with her constant chatter, she might as well take what she gave and give listening her all when others spoke. Maybe that’s why she had such a good memory.

Ah, so… the All Mother was a Powerful Being. The Coyote just referred to Greater Powers as the Universe, and not by any particular name, but to each their own. Macawi nodded without speaking. She understood the difference between seeing and Seeing. Whether she’d had visions herself were up to speculation. She’d recently decided to begin telling fortunes, but wasn’t all that clear on the details yet…

When the cat spoke next, Macawi found herself wanting to spout advice to her. So her Goddess – her Greater Power – had grown sick… and tainted? Hmm… That wasn’t how that worked. Not to the Coyote, anyways. She waited for her chance to speak.

“Macawi does not know if she has ever had a vision. Perhaps she has, in her dreams, or perhaps not. Perhaps visions are not Coyote’s specialty. Macawi would rather work with things she can see see, if This One understands her meaning. And as for your… All Mother getting sick… Macawi does not believe that the Universe – the Greater Power – the All Mother – ever gets so sick it cannot recover. The Universe, the All Mother, is alive in a way that Gembounds are not. The All Mother is Energy. Energy does not die. It changes. If This One has lost her way, stumbled from the path of the All Mother, that does not mean what you think it does.”

The Coyote took a breath, trying to think of how to explain something that was so easy for her to understand, like trying to explain breathing. She had to break down her own thinking in her mind to find the right words… “The All Mother, the Universe, this Energy, is all around us. Inside us, outside of us, in every nook and cranny of our world. It is what gives you your visions, and Macawi her songs. This One thinks the Energy is sick and tainted. All that has happened is that the All Mother has changed, and changed in a way that makes it harder to see. Now all that is left is for Dovefeather to See as she has never Seen before. Change your Sight, adapt it, and you will find your All Mother again. The Universe is telling you something.”

"Speech"

Dovefeather stared and listened quietly, her body emanating a loud, rumbling purr through her chest. Before her sat a pup who was younger than her by many cycles but as eager and excited as she had been in her own youth. It wasn't until the Eyes were damaged that she grew frightful and wary-- and seeing this child speak with such confidence left her curious to hear more.

The coyote did have a curious way of talking, but everything she said seemed fairly reasonable. There were many ways of Seeing the truth in the world, but as the canine spoke the feline felt that there was a fundamental misunderstanding between them.

That was alright-- she wouldn't interrupt. She wanted to hear the truths the coyote had found for herself. By the end of the canine's speech, she realized the canine was quite cunning... With a twitch of a smile, she realized that the cub was certainly a Seer, and that made her a Sister in the same way Booker was a brother.

She bowed her head and quietly began to speak once more.

"I agree, this Universe is trying to tell me something, but what it is trying to tell me is hard to See. Our meeting may have been fateful, but a fellow Seer of mine would be quick to tell me nothing is up to fate."

As she spoke, she drew her lips back, the glistening stone that made up her top teeth casting a warm, flickering and faint rainbow through the space between them. The multicolored lights danced for a moment, before fading again as she took a breath.

"The All Mother-- I should mention-- is not... A Deity to be worshiped necessarily. She is not the energy of the entire world, but a single piece. She is not infallible, I believe, but if she were to die, it would mean horrible disaster. Not the end, but certainly pain and death for many. This is why I am concerned-- if one were to strike a limb from the body of the Universe's energy, it would not mean the end of the world... But it would mean serious consequences."

"Regardless, I think you make valid points, Sister Macawi. I think you are truly a Seer in your own unique way, as it should be. Thank you for your wisdom... You have given me much to think about."

Finishing up her speech, she rose to her paws and walked over, tail swishing, and reached out to the coyote to lick the cheek opposite of her gemstone.
"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

Macawi chuckled as she listened to the cat’s response. “Perhaps we are both wrong. Perhaps neither of us can See what cannot be Seen. Perhaps we are fooling ourselves… But where’s the fun in that?”

The Coyote tilted her head to the side as light seemed to flow from the cat’s gem, and a rainbow filled the space between them. She smiled at it, eyes twinkling in the multi-colored light. In return, she turned her head to the side and flashed her gem at her new friend. She looked around for something to Bauble in return for the gift of the rainbow, and her light brown eyes landed upon a small stick. It was nothing necessarily pretty, but once she made it glow, it would certainly be pretty! It was perfect.

She listened to Dovefeather’s next words as she pulled the stick closer to her with her paw, and sent energy flowing from her gem, down her leg, and to the stick under her paw-pad. She could tell it had not been a very strong cast, but that didn’t matter. So long as it glowed at all, that was good enough. Now, back to this… Limb of the Universe. Interesting…

“Hmm,” Macawi hummed, as she thought about what her friend had said. “What sort of limb is this?” she asked. “Could you take Macawi to it? Perhaps Coyote and Dovefeather could fix it. Macawi does not know many spells, but sometimes the Universe just needs to feel Loved. And if Love doesn’t work, then maybe this Limb is… meant to change into something different?”

She held still as her friend came forward and kissed her cheek. She returned the gesture with a lick of her own, and then pushed the stick forward, presenting it to the cat. “For you. As a token of… friendship. From one Seer to another.”

"Speech"

Dovefeather flicked an ear at Macawi's partly dismissive comment, though she did not voice a response. Instead, she simply watched, purring softly and echoing the words to herself as a curious contemplation.

"Where's the fun in that, indeed..."

The feline caught a glimpse of the other gembound casting upon a stick and paused, drawing her attention to the changes being imparted upon the twig. A compulsion filled the kitten as the cub spoke, asking to see the All Mother for herself.

Macawi licked her cheek in response to her gesture, pushing the now faintly glowing twig towards her. The Seer of the All Mother seemed distracted in the midst of all of this, though she did pull the stick towards herself, blinking.

"How did you do that?"

Her question came softly, her teeth glistening as she tried to understand the magic. She raised her paw to the feather at her ear and tried to imagine making it glow the same-- and immediately her magic responded, as though waiting for that instant, swarming her dangling feather with a flush of golden glow.

"Oh, I see... I think I understand... Um, you wanted to see the All Mother, correct?"

The kitten seemed a bit dumbstruck by this, batting at her feather gently, but after a moment she simply reached down to the stick to pick it up in her mouth.

"Fh-llow meh."

Her tail swished as she rose to her paws, starting off towards the Eyes of the All Mother. She figured it would be better to show the coyote the source of the sickness, rather than the large Monarch, at least at first.

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

Macawi grinned when Dovefeather asked how she had caused the stick to glow, turning her head to side to flash her gem at the cat in a ‘wink.’ “Try,” she said. “Perhaps This One can do it, too.” Her eyes followed the cat’s tiny paw as it went up to the feather behind her ear. She grinned wider, light orange brown eyes twinkling. “There, you see! Dovefeather can make things Glow, too.” The coyote’s tail wagged happily for her new friend. She hoped they would see more of each other in the months to come. She tended to wander far and wide, so if they encountered each other again, it would be by complete chance. Or, perhaps, Fate.

Dovefeather asked if Macawi wanted to see the All Mother, and she nodded emphatically. “That is correct!” she said, and laughed at herself. She stood, ready to leave, waiting for her friend to pick up her gift. Hmm… If Macawi planned on fortune telling with things, she’d need a way to carry them all… Something better than her mouth. But what in the Cave would she use? She’d have to go scouting around for something later… Macawi chuckled at her friend’s muffled speech. “Yush, Macaweh will fh-llow,” she mimicked, laughing like a maniac as she padded after her cat friend.

[Exit Macawi]

"Speech"