Niru? Interesting name. Then again, those that weren't one of the Seers all had different names. "It is a pleasure to meet you!" And really, she was truly happy to meet his acquaintance. Any of the children were friends of hers. Her gaze then eagerly turned to the Marked Wolf as she began to think on her own name. However, it didn't come... Not quickly anyone. The Marked One was taken up with scratching and whining in pain. What ever was the matter? Blackfeather's brow creased with worry for the poor pup. Before she could ask this though the other was giving her own name. "Nice to meet you as well, Aleera... Marked One." It was interchangeable. One in the same. Perhaps Aleera even meant Marked One... Maybe she should ask the Scribe when he returned.

When Aleera finally spoke and said that her Markings hurt Blackfeather stepped forward and eagerly began to sniff at her marred flesh. Hmm... The Mother might want her special children to be tested. "I'm sorry that it hurts but perhaps Mother has made it so to make you tougher? It could be a sort of test, one that you will surely pass but for now..." She gave one last sniff then turned her calm and kindly eyes to the pup. "I might be able to help. Some of these plants do things, things that can help us to feel better. They might can do that with you too." Blackfeather didn't like to see others hurt at all and surely the Mother would be fine with her giving aid to the Chosen One.

The feline looked around and waved her tail to gesture at everything around them. "This place is Eridanus, the Mother's Garden, where her non-speaking children live." Her eyes turned back to the pup then to the lion cub. "We are her speaking children and I'm glad that we have all found each other here."

---

322
@Aleera @Niru
---
6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

We'll light up the sky,

We'll open the clouds...

weeping shades of indigo

shed without reason

well, that does it. she's crazy. blackfeather is entirely insane. i curved my tongue, held it tight so that i wouldn't lash out to the small kitten with my growing irritation. i needed to get this pup away from her, lest aleera be subject to this craziness to the point of one hundred percent effectiveness. the kitten had a much different beliefs system then i did, her adharma something overbearing, it was almost a plague inescapable. but nevertheless, regardless of my inflating animosity toward her absurdity, i kept a small smile and tried to focus solely on aleera herself. she'd mentioned she hurt, and i observed her deformities. such a hideous condition, i wondered if perhaps cancer would have any idea about them. but blackfeather offered to go retrieve certain plants that might help. i nodded toward blackfeather.

"i'm sure medicinal foliage would do the pup just fine. perhaps you can fetch some?"

i gestured toward blackfeather without actually giving her much attention in the first place, as jaded lenses remained upon the defects of the poor pup's.

"a lesson for you, aleera. pay attention to what blackfeather brings back, so that way you know how to help yourself in the future - especially if no one else will, or no one else is around."

i spoke with all seriousness, however was careful in my words. i didn't want aleera to listen to blackfeather's crazy antics about the all mother and her silenced and unsilenced children. i just wanted her to learn about the medicinal values of some of the plant life in eridanus.

"spoken words."

@aleera and blackfeather
xxx.
muse= 6/10
no notes.

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

@Aleera

As names were exchanged, Aleera learned these sounds and subconsciously committed them to memory. Still hunkered down, belly slinking across the ground as she made tiny movements in a vain attempt to ease the stinging and burning of her slow to heal skin. It would take weeks before it would stop splitting with the smallest of movements, but it was something that would eventually come to pass though Aleera had no idea. Orange eyes peered down to her forepaws. The one that was black did not hurt, the one that was missing it’s fur and exposed it’s pinkish gray skin is the one she instinctively knew to lick. She could clean the little wounds all day, but movement would split them open again and again for some time. When Blackfeather addressed her the pup turned her eyes back upon the small feline, calling her that name again. ‘Marked One’. She did not know what it meant, but the growing aggravation of the other, larger feline spoke to the newborn perhaps more than any words could. She did not coin this term with much positivist, not when with each spoken time it seemed to make another more angry. He looked calm enough, but the sensation in the air would take a true person of obliviousness not to notice. Aleera curled into herself more, whimpering when another portion of skin on her shoulder cracked open and allowed blood to seep through. When Blackfeather spoke again it was to Aleera, making the pup look to her again as she spoke about the pain she was enduring. She spoke of this ‘All Mother’ again, that it was perhaps planned this way to make her tougher.

Aleera didn’t know exactly what she meant, but she did somehow pick up on her pain having to happen because it must. Ears fell flat against her skull, tail turning inward as this was realized. Why must she hurt so? However, the pup wasn’t permitted to linger on this long as Blackfeather announced that she could go get plants that might assist with the pain. All Aleera really heard was ‘ease the hurt’ but it was enough to make her head pop up and nod vigorously. Niru for the first time seem to agree with what the other had said, and looked upon Aleera now to tell her that it would be good to learn what it was Blackfeather brought back so that if this happened again she could help herself. ”Yes, I learn.” She spoke, her sentence structure still somewhat broken, but the main idea was getting across at least. Citrine eyes turned back upon the small gray feline again when she began to speak, addressing the question the young pup had spoke just few moments prior. She explained that this place was the All Mothers garden where the non-speaking children lived. ”No talk?” She barked, turning her head slightly and promptly regretting it when another thin veil of flesh tore. Again the young gembound turned into herself but still continued to listen carefully. ”Who not talk?” She whined, then looking to Niru as if he had the slightest of ideas about what Blackfeather was talking about.

@niru
@Blackfeather

table by Sara

The little kitten nodded her head, a smile on her face as she was completely oblivious to the lion's frosty feelings to her. "Of course, of course!" The little feline would be delighted to fetch something for the little Marked pup. Her eyes closed as she focused on the area around her, she had felt something... Something dormant in the ground below. She knew it could help but she just couldn't seem to reach it with her powers so after a moment of sitting and seemingly doing nothing she opened her eyes and smiled. "Mother's helpers are around us but they are not ready to Emerge yet." As if to explain her seemingly idle body. Now she rose to her paws and left the pair, going into the surrounding vegetation to find something

After a moment of sniffing and listening to what she thought were the calls of the Mother she happened up a small plant with rigid leaves. She didn't know the name of it but she knew, almost on instinct, that it would help. "Thank-you for leading me to this child, Mother. May it help the Marked One." Then she touched the plant's leaves with her nose and whispered. "Thank-you for sharing your leaves and powers. We, your Brothers and Sisters, are most grateful and are sorry for your pain. With that she dug her fangs into a couple of the leaves and pulled them free. After collecting a mouthful she trotted back to the two she had left.

She walked right up to Aleera and placed them at her side. "The All Mother led me to a child that is able to help. Be sure to thank her for allowing us to use her non-speaking children." The tiny fangs descended to the leaves and began to chew them into a fine poultice. Then, she began to put the juice on the wolf's wounds. Rubbing the soothing mixture all over the bleeding cuts. "Is it helping, Marked One?"

---

330
@Niru @Aleera
---
6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

We'll light up the sky,

We'll open the clouds...

the little, crazy insane kitten bounced off to return with something, something she then chewed and placed upon aleera's cuts. i gave a curt nod, prepared myself to take my leave as the kitten had aleera taken care of. although she was explicitly religious about something i hadn't a clue of, she was a loving creature. this much i could tell. passionate, to say the least. however, i think the word passionate might be an understatement. i grinned at my own thoughts, giving a small chortle as i looked upon the pair.

"i must be getting home now. lovely job, blackfeather. and aleera, should you ever find your way toward orion, stop at the tower for a visit, will you?"

polite, juvenile words spoke as i turned away from them toward orion. i needed to find cancer, he'd be amused to hear about this kitten's little spat and onslaught of the all mother. he'd also be proud i was polite the whole time. i smiled now, prideful in the way i held and conducted myself.

"you as well, blackfeather!"

reluctantly, an invitation was sent toward blackfeather as well, for it was terribly rude not to involve her. and i was not so rude, no matter how much she irritated me with her babble.

"bye now."

i then began to walk away, then picked up a haphazard jog which evolved into a sprint back to orion. i summoned my magic, focusing on the gem located in the middle of my outer chest, and soon a soft gust of wind picked up - pushing me forward with faster speed. honestly, i couldn't get away from them fast enough.

-- niru exits --

@aleera
@blackfeather

Blackfeather remained where she was. It forced the little wolf to watch her carefully, feeling a ripple in the air that forced black fur the raise on end with the very sense of it. Head perked up only when the gray kitten revealed that though ‘the mothers children’ were present, they were not ready to reveal themselves just yet. Aleera’s head tilted slightly to the left, ears flickering with a want to understanding but lacking that type of knowledge. Before she could even begin to form a sentence, the gray kitten was upon her paws and running off into the foliage, which forced Aleera to rise to her paws, albeit painfully to watch the cat vanish even further. The black pup swung her head around and peered upon Niru with a questioning gaze, clear that she worried if the small cat would return…but in time, the worry vanished as Blackfeather reappeared carried green herbs in her jaws. Aleera lowered herself to the ground again, citrine eyes narrowing with the pain it caused her.

Though Blackfeather professed that Aleera must thank this mother for allowing them use of the non-speaking children, the pup did no more than tilt her head with a clear look of questioning to color her marred features. Silence fell over the group then as Blackfeather began to tear up the herbs into a goup like substance with her claws and gently applied them to Aleera’s open wounds. The wolf tensed and released a whine of pain, but otherwise remained to allow this application of medicine. When the cat finished she asked if the medicine was working. The black pup turned her head to appraise her side, now covered in this greenish stuff. It stung for a few moments after application, but other than that, it numbed out most of it. ”Yes.” She responded cheerily, a wag of her tail to accompany this proclamation. It was quickly after this however that Niru rose to his feet and revealed that he must be going, which made Aleera look up to him with that same look she had when Blackfeather had wandered off. Unlike with the gray kitten however, he made it quite clear he would not be coming back, and as he wandered away Aleera jumped to her paws. ”Niru!” She barked, little paws shuffling this way and that until finally her little black form shot off into the foliage after him, uncaring about the pain it caused her to do so. The whole way through the garden one could hear her barking out the lion’s name in order to catch up with him.

Aleera Exists

table by Sara