ORIGIN

A feather glistened in the shadows of the trees, the forest parting to make way for the child of the All Mother. The clearing opened up before the feline, the shadow of the Monarch towering over her. The warm light of the trinket dangling from her ear lit up her face, her pale eyes almost ginger light grey compared to the fierce golden glow of the downy tuft.

"Sister,"

The feline meowed, her voice hoarse as she stepped forward on her white paws, fur prickling. There was an uneasiness to her footfalls, a hesitance to approach the All Mother's form. Yet here was where her sister was, the only one who might be able to soothe the ache in her chest and the confusion in her heart. She had trouble finding her sisters lately, but she could smell Blackfeather's scent in the air and for a moment, she was hopefully.

"... Blackfeather, are you here?"

The meow escaped her again as she paused, keeping a fair distance from the sweeping silver cap of the mammoth shroom. Her tail, half its usual length, twitched behind her, the fur at the tip of it still trying to regrow. Her pelt was prickling, her claws half slid from their sheathes, and in general, the curly furred feline looked like a nervous wreck.

So many things had happened. All she wanted was to curl up with a mouse to share and bathe with the comforting presence of her sister. Perhaps even take a nap-- something she had neglected for what seemed like days.

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

It had been a long while since she'd laid eyes on her sisters but she knew that they were around, doing the business of the Mother. She herself had been busy with her own tasks, the reason for her absence. It wasn't really an absence away from the Mother but rather from her speaking children. Blackfeather had disappeared briefly to decorate the base with many things. Bones, gems, rocks, there was even some sort of red cloth that she'd located. They were all things she hoped would please her Mother and help make her happy. For some reason, she had the feeling that the All Mother was displeased. Displeased with what she did not know. She tended the plants and though there were a few minor mishaps all seemed well. Was she missing something though? Perhaps... But what she could not guess... That was what brought her back to the base. Brought her forward to place her nose against it and call upon the All Mother to lend her her sight through the plants.

She focused on her abilities, praying to the Mother that she would be able to See as she she did. Behind her eyes she could see sparkling... but it was faint. Barely visible... Why was her Sight so bad? Yes. The Mother had to be displeased but she didn't know why. Did she not like the gifts? Perhaps she should go--

"... Blackfeather, are you here?"

The voice interrupted her thoughts but she could not pretend that she wasn't pleased. The voice was of her dear sister, their long silence was ended and they would See each other again. See and speak about the Mother... Yes. The she-cat raised her head, green eyes opening to turn towards the sound. "Yes, Sister, always here." She replied with a purr. The feline rose to her paws and padded over to meet the darker she-cat with her gray tail rising in greeting. "It is so nice to see you, Dovefeather." Her head tilted to the side curiously, smile still on her face but eyes glistening with concern. "I hope this is a pleasant visit? All is well, I hope..." Normally she would not question that but the All Mother's partial silence had given her cause for worry.

---

The silvery cat with leaf green eyes stepped into the light of her feather's glow; although it was not too dark at this time of the cave, Dovefeather seemed almost distracted by the presence of the All Mother before her. Her head tilted, expression perking up, as her sister's calm, collected words ran across her ears.

The gentle purr that had been laying near dormant in her chest rose up to a hearty, warm rumble of satisfaction. A gentle smile twitched on to her curved muzzle, whiskers twitching.

"I don't suppose the All Mother has told you a remedy for bellyaches?"

Dovefeather replied to her sister's questions in a soft voice, bowing her head. Her ears twitched down for just a moment, perking back up as she stepped forward, looking curious-- and just for a moment-- hopeful.

"That aside... Many things have happened since I have last Seen you. I have learned much, Seen even more. My gift grows stronger, but not all I have Seen is good."

The feline strode up to her sister before sitting down beside her, half-tail still twitching behind her. She had two simply questions to ask. The former was one she truly wanted to know; the other she feared she knew all too well already.

"But how have you been? How is the All Mother?"

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

At the mention of what may --or may not-- have been wrong the feline couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Bellyache? Was that all? Surely not but that was a simple remedy. "She might have." The feline said kindly with some hint of amusement. After that she raised a paw and focused her magic on it. Very slowly a small plant began to sprout from the top of her small paw. It was a tiny white flower with a yellow center, a flower she'd once seen when she was out and about. With her abilities, and a bit of sampling, she knew what it was for. After the plant finished sprouting she plucked it from her paw, giving a tiny wince at the small amount of pain it caused. "Eat the flower of this, Sister. It should help with any bellyache you have." The flower she placed in front of Dovefeather. Despite her laugh earlier she still cared greatly for others. Even if it was only a small amount of pain she would do anything to alleviate it especially the pain of her Sisters.

Now Blackfeather's tail curled around her paws as she considered Dovefeather's other words. Then, her tail reached out and touched her Sister's side tenderly, pupil-less eyes turning to the younger cat. Her sister was younger and yet she had a gift so great... It was an amazing thing really. "I would hear all that you would like to tell me. Good and bad." Yes, it was important that they share with each other. "I have been well Sister. I sit before the All Mother and pray to Learn and pray that she bless me, my friends, my family. I have also given the All Mother gifts in hopes that she remain happy and pleased. However..." She glanced back at the All Mother with a bit of worry in her eyes. "I fear that the All Mother is... displeased with us or perhaps my gifts. I spoke with Her before you came and She... She showed me little. It was troublesome." Her eyes looked upon her younger sister with trepidation.

"Has something happened elsewhere? Have you Seen anything in Her Eyes?"

---

Dovefeather batted her eyes at the flower, and gingerly reached down to pick it up. She chewed it as her sister spoke, forcing it down despite the odd taste. She licked at her lips as Blackfeather spoke of the All Mother being displeased about something, about not answering her.

Her fears confirmed, she began in a quiet tone.

"I ventured out to explore, to See what I could See. I met another Seer, named Giggle who did not believe in the All Mother but had a similar gift to mine. We shared in our wisdom, and it was educational. I brought her back, to show her the Eyes, to See if I could teach her of the All Mother's ways..."

"But when I returned to the All Mother's Eyes, something was wrong. There were many gembounds gathered, and the air was cold and smelled metallic-- wrong. Her Waters no longer reflected anything, as though She had closed her Eyes. I went in to the Eyes to See if the All Mother would Show me what was wrong, and the Waters were ice cold."

"I could not move. Were it not for the others there, including Giggle, I would have drowned for sure. As I was recovering, there was a horrible... black beast. One with many, many green eyes. It ran off, out of our home, and the others followed. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I had to recover. Brother Booker watched over me, and with his aid I only lost part of my tail to the cold."

The feline flicked her tail and paused for a moment, giving her sister a gentle smile. In an attempt to seem calm, she reached out and licked her sister's ear, purring just a smidgen louder. As she spoke, she raised a paw to the feather at her ear, the warm golden light shedding off of it turning her white fur a pale yellow.

"Since then, I met another named Macawi. She can See as well, and I brought her to the Eyes. She taught me how to make things light, but neither of us could figure out how to open the Eyes once more."

Dovefeather bowed her head and quietly, admitted one last thing.

"There is one other thing... One that I cannot explain, one that has nothing to do with the All Mother at all..."

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

The gray she-cat waited, tail curling up once more as she listened to Dove's narrative. If there was one thing she could do it was Listen. It had to be one of her talents to sit immobile for long periods of time just letting others speak while she used her head to decipher everything they were saying. It seemed that Dove had had quite the adventure but that was to be expected. Out of the three of them she was the Seer, the one who sought out the knowledge. She briefly wondered what it was like on the outside but she threw that thought aside. It was clear that the All Mother wanted her here, to stay and watch over the plants in her Garden.

The gray feline listened with baited breath at the description of the Holy Place becoming tainted by something. Tainted... or was she just angry? Were they not doing something right? Oh dear... It was a terrible thought! At the end of the first part of her tail Blackfeather let out a sympathetic murmur and turned to look at Dove's tail. It was true... It was missing, half of it at least. "By the All Mother's Spores! I'm so sorry... Sister..." She should have been there... but she couldn't. Her duty to the Non-Speaking Children of the All Mother. It was a bitter task sometimes to miss out on everything in the caves but one that she had to do.

The she-cat shook her head, eyes closing as she processed all of this new information. "We must figure out why Mother's eyes have gone blind. There must be a reason, something we're not seeing! Perhaps the black creature, maybe it has the answers." But she could not leave to go find it and Dove should not be sent to handle something like that. They needed a champion... Someone to go investigate and fight for the Mother's Garden. Perhaps then she would be pleased.

"There is so much. Many things that may need to be done, I have ideas but I do not know if they are the right ones." She shook her head once more, eyes falling on her sister as she leaned forward to push her nose into Dove's cheek. "You have been through much but I know it has all been by Mother's will... A test for she tests us all. Still... You said there is one more thing." The she-cat leaned back, eyes shown with worry at what else she could possibly be going through. However, if it wasn't dealing with Mother then what sort of business could it be? They devoted their entire lives to the All Mother.

"What other thing is it, Sister? You know that I will do all that I can to help you."

---

Dovefeather's fur prickled as she listened to her sister, observing the changes in her sibling's mood, hearing the inflections in her voice. It was horrible, but what could they do? She could leave, try to find and seek the truth behind the All Mother's closed Eyes, but... The fact was that she didn't want to leave. There was someone who distracted her from these larger things, and made her stomach twist even with her sister's remedy working its magic.

Her pale eyes met the pure emerald of her sister's and she admitted her flaws openly before her.

"There is... A gembound... Who, for reasons I cannot comprehend, feels so much more important to me than anything else."

"There is a weakness in my heart, sister, and it makes my stomach churn and my lungs constrict to think of him. There is a devil, a monster, in his mind-- and despite the urgency of the All Mother's Eyes being blinded, I find myself wanting to help him before Her. I want to See him, to cure his sickness and share my world with him."

The feline bowed her head, her voice quiet and trembling, the purr gone from her throat. Her tail fell limp in the grass, and she could no longer meet the spring green gaze of her sister. Her pale eyes simply stared at her white paws, shoulders trembling as she struggled to speak.

"I'm sorry, sister... I fear I do not deserve to be a Daughter of the All Mother."

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

Blackfeather listened as Dovefeather poured her heart out to her. The calm, patient expression never changed as the words flowed over her ears. So... This was the issue. It was a strange one for sure. Blackfeather had never had such feelings that wanted to pull her away from the Mother-given duties but she would be patient and understanding, just like the plants around her. There was something else too, a patience because she loved her Sister and wanted to See her happy. Not upset as she was and feeling unworthy.

The gray feeling touched her tail to Dovefeather's flank, silently willing the younger sibling to meet her gaze. "Peace, Sister. Do not feel shame. Perhaps the All Mother is testing you. Trying to See the extent of your faith." Yes, this was it. Because Dovefeather was a Seer the All Mother wanted to make sure that she would stay loyal. Oh dear... Did this mean that she was failing? "You should stay strong. Remember your duties, Sister. I know the All Mother wants us to go and love each other but we must put her in our hearts first." Now she placed a comforting paw on her Sister's shoulder and her eyes glimmered sympathetically. "Now, I know you feel bad for feeling this way but love is good. Love is what the All Mother has for us. If she did not want you to be her Daughter then she would take away your feather or show us a sign. But look, she has not." Now everything seemed to click into place and Black said lastly,

"Perhaps, your test is to bring your new friend into the All Mother's light. To bring Her goodness to him."

---

Dovefeather's heart stopped at her sister's gentle touch, words coming softly to her ears, like a mother that she had never had. The feline glanced up just slightly, meeting that blind-looking green gaze as her sister went on. Blackfeather held such a calm, confidence about everything. She always knew just what to say.

Although fear struck Dove's chest as the silvery sister suggested that the All Mother was testing, wanting her to stick to her duties, she waited to hear all of the fellow feline's words. As her soft voice reminded Dovefeather that the All Mother's way was one of love just as much as anything else, she felt her worries slip away, one by one.

She did still have her feather, and it glowed warmly with the knowledge of new friends. She hadn't strayed too far from her path, though she had worried with the closure of the Eyes that she was failing. Her sister spoke finally of bringing the All Mother's light into Basil, to bring Her goodness to him. To share, perhaps, in the Love of the All Mother.

The feline blinked, a wetness bubbling in her pale eyes. Feeling the sensation only get worse, she closed her eyes hard and bowed her head.

"You're right as always, sister,"

Dovefeather mewled, a smile gracing her muzzle. Although the road was uneven and ambiguous territory she had never crossed-- although her stomach twisted and her heart leaped in strange, confusing ways-- the All Mother was still guiding her path. She still knew the light, and she still could See.

Perhaps things weren't as wrong as they seemed. She was a bit nervous still, considering how weird she felt about Basil, but surely with her sister supporting her she would turn out just fine.

"I'd like for you to meet him. I showed him the Eyes, before they closed, and I... I'd like him to see the All Mother, too. He's a bit different, but he is truly kind, underneath."

"Basil Speech" "Dovefeather Speech"

The gray feline's paw began to rise up and down as she slowly stroked her Sister's shoulder before leaning in to give Dovefeather a lick on the cheek. "I do not know about always... But I still thank you." She simply aspired to be like the plants around her and that meant thinking and listening very closely to everyone and everything that was said. It was her gift, just as Dove's gift was to See. "Perhaps you should pray with me Sister. It is one thing to See at Her Eyes but another to touch her base and feel her. Who knows? With both of us together perhaps we will both See even more." Touching the base had helped Brother Booker and helped her countless times so why shouldn't it help Dove? Perhaps that was what she wanted and maybe together they could come up with a solution to her blind Eyes.

When Dovefeather went on to explain the mysterious stranger the she-cat gave a kind smile. "I'd like to meet him as well. Bring him by the All Mother's base, I will be here as I always am. Truly, if the All Mother wishes for you to bring him to her light then he must be a kind person within... And who knows? Maybe he will hold some piece of the puzzle on how to open Her Eyes." Why should they not search for outside help? Perhaps that was what was needed, why the black creature had come and why She had gone blind. Maybe they needed to find someone else to help or wait for the birth of a savior.

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