[Jaden Wolf]

Sabrijyah

In the northern reaches of Desuna, where the Roraldi creeps up on the western Tuun mountains, there exists a single mountain set apart from the rest. To distant onlookers, the mountain is little more than a foothill, reclaimed by the forest. Amid its rock and rubble, however, sit many artefacts and ruins yet undiscovered by the academic domain. Yet, even to the few intrepid explorers who navigate the stone remains, the real secret of the mountain is hidden away.

High on a tilted ledge, invisible from below by a trick of the light, sits an elaborate altar that is clearly still in use. The associated monastery is almost entirely invisible, hidden within the mountain itself. Slits, carefully dug out along the natural grooves of the rock face, are all that could suggest the existence of the people within.

[Jaden Wolf]

A single figure moved about, hidden from sight under the stone. Below the altar was a space in which the priestess worked, gathering about the tools necessary for the ritual. She moved with deliberate grace, her movements emphasized by her unusually long limbs and almost unnatural height.

The space seemed built for her, the shelves placed perfectly within her reach and the only doorway just a few inches clear of the top of her head. The door was closed, but a gentle knock drew her attention.

"The moon is nearly at zenith," came a quiet voice.

"I will begin shortly," she responded.

[Jaden Wolf]

Footsteps faded away, audible only to her, who had lived her entire life in the quiet stone halls. Reaching out absently, she grasped her mask, securing it to her face with practised movements.

She had lived her entire life with the mask. She was moon-kissed, and the mask was a shield to protect her from the light of the world. She could still see perfectly through its lens, though her eyes were only visible to others when the lights went out. Its elegant designs were designed carefully with her role and priestess garments in mind.

A noise gave her pause. She released the knot she was tightening, tilting her head upward to listen. Another sound came from above, incredibly faint, but definitely movement.

[Jaden Wolf]

She did not act with alarm. It was simply not in her nature. Instead, she unhurriedly picked up the bowl with the ritual artefacts and made her way to a hidden staircase. A few steps later and she emerged into the moonlight. There was little else to look at in the open space and she spotted the intruder immediately.

Luna

There was little to define the individual but for their long white hair. They faced away from her, sitting before the central altar. Despite the fact it was clearly a stranger, the figure's presence was intimately familiar. She breathed slowly, watching as the figure's head tilted back, looking up at the moon.

[Jaden Wolf]

She knew who it was.

She wasn't sure at what point she realized it, or how, but there were no doubts in her mind. With her usual leisurely pace, she approached.

"My lady," she greeted with due respect.
The figure turned, eyes glowing a swirling silvery blue as he looked at her. She was admittedly surprised to see that the goddess was, in fact, male, but as befitting her training, she remained impassive.

For a moment, he just looked at her. Then, he turned back to the moon.

[Jaden Wolf]

Just when she thought she might have to say something, the goddess spoke.

"I had forgotten how small I seem to you, from here," he murmured softly. For a moment, she thought perhaps he was only speaking aloud before he turned to look her curiously. He seemed to realize, after a pause, that he had failed to make any statement deserving a response. He thought a moment.

"Are you not surprised to see me?" he asked. She thought the question over.

"I am," she replied, "but it is your warrant to come and go from this world as you see fit." She knelt and placed down the bowl. "It is not my place to express an opinion regarding such matters."

[Jaden Wolf]

His eyes tracked her movements down to the bowl. He appeared to recognize the function of the objects and smiled softly.

"Do not let me keep you from your practice," he said. To this she could only respond with confusion.

"Would that not defeat the point, my lady," she asked, "if you yourself are already present?"

He tilted his head, as though he found the question perplexing.

"I have chosen to walk the world, but that does not mean--" he looked up at the moon, "that I have left the sky."

[Jaden Wolf]

Her brain told her that the statement did not make any logical sense, but her heart understood completely. She knew, as she was taught, that the heart knows truths that the brain is incapable of seeing. Steadfast in her faith, she did not question his answer.

Instead, she stood back up with her bowl. Moving about the platform, she placed the artefacts in their appropriate place. So focused in her method, she did not see the goddess retreat to the corner of the space out of her way. When she did notice, she gave only a short, respectful nod to him before taking up her place before the main altar.

[Jaden Wolf]

He remained so still and quiet through her practiced motions that she soon forgot the goddess' presence. Or rather, had turned her focus only onto the moon overhead.

Just as the light of the moon crossed perfectly over the altar, a small symbol etched in the stone began to glow. Noticing her cue, the priestess took the bowl and lifted it through the air. She scooped it through the light of the moon as though it had actual substance. Almost impossibly, when she lowered it, the bowl was full of glowing light.

Whispers left her lips, seemingly unintelligible but was actually an ancient tongue known only to her, the priestesses before her, and the goddess herself.