Nalae and Acera have made the return trip from the singing stones as quickly as they safely could. The odd dreams or visions they had bothering them still. It's late afternoon as they approach the elder oak where their adoptive mother Samantha lives.
Acera cries out, "Ma?! Hey ma! You home? We gotta talk to ya!" as she pads up to the small cabin built into the base of the tree.
Samantha leans out the window, looking down at her first adoptive daughter. "Yes, dear? What is it?"
Nalae bounds after Acera, holding to the older mustelid's hand.
Acera looks to Nalae, as if unsure how to put their question to Samantha.
Acera says, "Something weird happened at the singing stones ma."
Nalae nodnods at Acera, glancing back up towards Samantha again.
Samantha frowns. "I'll be right down." Her head disappears from the window.
Samantha soon reappears at the door. She looks the both of you over for a moment, looking puzzled. "What happened?"
The young mink becomes a little nervous as she notes her mother's concern. Acera looks at Nalae, trying to figure out who should start, or what to say.
Nalae says, "Um.. we were up at the stones... an'.. um.. I touched one, an' Acera did too, an'.. um.." She looks about as nervous as Acera, trying to figure out how to communicate the next part of this.."
Acera says, "We ended up in space ma."
Jenora nods quietly. "And...?"
Samantha nods quietly. "I see. Could you still feel the rock?"
Acera nods quietly.
Nalae nodnodnods at Samantha, clinging to Acera's hand a bit tighter. "It was still there, but we couldn' see it.. it was all black for a bit, an' then we were inside, with lotsa Creators walkin' around.. an' then it went all black again, an'.."
Samantha hmmms, nodding. "And?"
Samantha is peering at Nalae intently, with a rather disturbing intensity in her focus.
Acera says, "And we saw where the Chirpy'taurs live! And Nalae's home!"
Nalae fidgets, and edges a little closer to Acera's side.
Samantha asks, "How did you get to these places?"
Acera wrinkles her muzzle, "I'm not sure. We kinda thought about em I guess. Right Nalae?"
Nalae says, "It.. it was like we were just there all of a sudden.. I mean, we jus' sorta jumped around.. first with the Creators.. then.. then where they were hurt an' stuff.. an' then to my home.. or.. maybe it was the other way around.."
Nalae blinks at Acera slowly, her mind thoroughly muddled over the whole affair.
Samantha nods. "Most interesting..."
Acera blinks, "Where they were hurt? I don't member seeing that!"
Nalae blinks slowly, then nods. "They were in the sky, an' hurt.. I think they were, anyways.. You don't r'member?"
Acera shakes her head, "Nope. I saw em walking in space by that ring thingy, and doing some funny stuff where they live."
Nalae ohs softly and glances back up at Samantha.
Samantha's fingers tap against her arm as she ponders all this.
Acera watches her mom and figures she ask her later about some of those funny things the Chirpy'taur were doing with each other at their home.
She'll not she ask
Samantha hmms, nodding. "It's been long known that the stones had some magickal ability, including that of acting as sort of a dream gateway. This is the first I've heard about someone having that degree of control over them, though."
Acera squints as she tries to recall her mother ever telling her such things, and finds she can't.
Nalae just has a blank expression on her face. This is all far too strange.
Acera gives Nalae a similar look and chitters, "Does that mean we didn't really go there?"
Samantha says, "No, it would have been a vision. By the sounds of it an extremely detailed one running in time, so it would have been as if you were there... except nobody would have seen you, and you wouldn't have left footprints or any other sign of your presence."
Acera looks at Nalae and attempts to challenge her as to who can look the most confused.
Samantha frowns. "I think I should start at the beginning."
Samantha says, "Let's go inside and sit down."
Nalae nods a little bit, and moves to follow Samantha into the house..
Samantha leads you both inside, waves you to the table, then sets on a pot of tea.
Samantha sets things up, then sits down at the table with the two of you.
Nalae settles at the table and watches the two of you.
Acera snuggles next to Nalae and wonders what's got her mother so concerned.
Samantha leans back in her chair, pondering where to start. "Any place which is unusual and memorable to a large number of people tends to have some magickal aura about it. While the stones are not well known any more, there used to be many people that would go on regular pilgrimages there to listen to the stones sing."
Samantha says, "It was once common, long ago, for people to say they had seen visions of far-off places while sitting with the stones. I myself tried this out a few times, some years ago... and got mixed results at best. I could see visions, but not control them. Few of them I recognized anyway."
Nalae nods slowly, listening.
Acera is actually quiet as she listens, though mentally she keeps thinking about having been ALMOST in space.
Samantha hmmms. "Obviously, Nalae, somewhere in you is the ability to tap into that potential of the stones and control it. Probably part of the training you had before you got here. You can use the stones as a way of watching what is going on in far away places."
Acera blinks a few times and chitters, "I was there too."
Samantha says, "And you can take another with you. In the days centuries ago, that ability would have had you hailed as some sort of prophet."
Nalae blinks along with Acera, nodding doubtfully.
Samantha nods to Acera. "You've touched the stones without this happening before. Nalae's presence is new, however. It's almost certainly primarily her doing, though you would have helped keep her grounded in reality."
Acera's whiskers quiver as she thinks about that.
Samantha taps the side of her muzzle, thinking. "I would suggest you not mention this too widely. There are those in town who would sell their souls to be able to spy on someone from far away, without the victim knowing."
Acera's eyes widen, "Were we spying on the Chirpy'taur then?"
Nalae looks over at Acera, nervously fidgeting with her hands.
Samantha nods. "It would seem likely, from what you've said."
Acera looks at Nalae some more then chitters, "Ma, we think we may have seen Nalae's home."
Nalae nods a little bit. "We did.. tha' was it, but.. but I d'no where it is, from here..."
Samantha looks interested in this. "That could be useful, yes... you just thought about it, and you were there?"
Nalae says, "Well.. I guess.. I'm na really sure.. maybe I thought about it.."
Samantha nods. "Hopefully we can go back up there again in a few nights and you can show me how it works. I'll want to take a look at this. But before that, I'd like to teach you both a few lessons of my own first."
Acera fights the reflexive eye glazing that normally occurs when the word "lessons" is heard.
Samantha notices it anyway, and chuckles. "The first few lessons may be boring, but you'll need them for the later magickal work."
Acera chuckles softly at her mother then snugs Nalae.
Nalae blinks a bit. "I.. um.. okay, I guess.." Most of this is still going just a bit over her head, but since Samantha seems to know what to do, she just nods and goes along with it all.
Samantha nods. "I'll want you both to learn a little more physical and mental control first before we go up there. If this place is controlled by your thoughts, Nalae, you don't want stray thoughts taking you off course."
Nalae nods a little bit. "I guess.."
Acera hmmms, "That true for me too ma? Otherwise I won't anchor her or sumthin?"
Samantha says, "Sorry if I'm not making much sense, this is a little much to take in all at once." She stands up. "Sounds like the tea's ready."
Samantha nods to Acera. "You too. You being there, as someone familiar, will help keep her calm."
Nalae reaches over to take Acera's hand again and smiles up at her.
Acera nods and snugs her sis, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to anchor you really well."
Samantha walks into the kitchen to make up the tea, then comes back out with three cups.
Nalae smiles softly, then looks over at Samantha and the tea. "So.. um.. when would we start the lessons?" She smiles a little bit. Back at home, lessons were almost always taught by the Keeper sitting before a bonfire and telling stories. :)
Samantha says, "We can start now, if you'd like."
Nalae nods slowly. "Maybe after the tea?"
Acera looks at Nalae and grins.
Samantha nods. "All right." She blows lightly over the tea, the steam wafting off.
Nalae smiles, sipping from her tea and closing her eyes, trying to banish those images of injured felitaurs from her mind..
Acera still hasn't decided if she likes tea or not, but notes sometimes the river tastes a little like that in the fall when all the leaves drop into it.
Samantha sips at her tea slowly.
Nalae fidgets with her hands some more, opening her eyes again. "You're sure you didn' see them hurt, Acera? I.. I know I saw'm.."
Acera shakes her head, "Maybe when you went to sleep. You said they were hurt?"
Nalae ohs and nods as she thinks about that. "Yeah.. yeah, I think you're right.. tha' musta just been a dream.."
Samantha says, "Could have been more than that. After all, you'd just had a vision before, it would have left you still sensitive."
Acera frowns, "Was it some kinda accident Nalae?"
Nalae looks up at Samantha, then over at Acera. "Well.. I don' really remember.. I jus' saw them floatin' there, like they were flyin', but without really moving... an' I think lots've them were real hurt.."
Samantha hmmms. "What was around them at the time?"
Nalae thinks.. "There was metal stuff.. I don' real r'member too good, but it looked like buildin's an' stuff, only all torn up an' broken.."
Samantha nods. "Anything unusual that you'd recognize if you saw it again?"
Nalae tries to think, but finally shakes her head. "I dunno, really.. I mean, I don' remember it too well.."
Acera frowns, "One of their ships blow up in space?"
Samantha leans back. "Could be."
Acera chitters, "Maybe we should warn em, if it didn't already happen?"
Samantha says, "Of course, dreams are funny things. It could have been a vision of the past, of the future, of something that could but might not happen, or something more allegorical."
Samantha nods to Acera. "We could warn them, yes. Not sure how much they'd believe us, though."
Nalae nods a little bit. "It was only a dream, anyways.."
Samantha says, "Possibly."
Samantha finishes off her tea. "In any case, the first lesson will be rather boring. We're going to spend some time learning how to breathe properly."
Acera hmms as she finishes her tea. She still can't decide if leaf flavored hot water is good or not. She nods to her mother.
Nalae blinks a few times. "Learning to breath?"
Acera nods, "Like when you're swimmin, right ma?"
Nalae ohs softly.
Samantha nods. "Properly. Everybody can breathe, certainly, but most people never learn how to do it efficiently so as to get the most effect out of it. It can help keep you calm and clear-headed."
Acera tilts her head as she looks at the elderly squirrel, but decides now is not the time to question her mother.
Nalae nods uncertainly, listening.
Samantha starts off with simple deep-breathing lessons, how to breathe from the diaphragm to take in the most air and exhale properly. She then starts getting both Acera and Nalae into a rhythm, counting off with her hand as she gets both her daughters breathing in sync with her.
Nalae does her best, though initially has a lot of trouble learning to breathe from her diaphragm.
Samantha leads Nalae along, pressing her hand against the marenati's lower ribcage to help show her how it goes.
Acera does about the same as Nalae. Amazingly, she seems to be really paying attention, probably because of having a sister who is more like her than is her adopted mother.
Nalae smiles, nodding as she finally gets it.
Acera is doing well till she starts getting the giggles.
Samantha thinks this is about enough... she keeps the count, then pulls something out from a pocket and slams it down on the table, hard. The lights go out in the room, plunging it into pitch blackness. "Keep breathing." She keeps counting, listening to make sure her daughters follow the count...
Acera gets back her control and regains the rhythm.
Samantha walks around the room, sure of her footing... she lets her counting fade out slowly.
Acera concentrates on her breathing, listening to Nalae to keep pace. She also holds her adopted sister's paw in her own for security.
A loud crashing noise comes from right between the two sisters.
Acera hiccups!
Nalae jumps!
Samantha says, "Keep breathing. You have to keep calm, no matter what may be happening around you."
Acera tries to keep her breathing regular, but seems to be alternating that with hiccups.
Nalae closes her eyes again and tries to keep her breathing steady..
Another crash, this time from right behind Acera.
Acera gulps, but quickly regains her breathing pattern, and loses the hiccups.
Samantha pads around the room again, just barely trackable by the sound of her footfalls... then suddenly the lights are back on.
Acera's eyes blink rapidly and her breathing goes out of sync for a few seconds till she recovers.
Samantha says, "You can relax now."
Acera phews and hugs Nalae.
Nalae grins at Acera, then at Samantha.
Samantha sits down. "With something like this, where you can't see where you really are, and where what you're thinking of can control where you're going... you have to be _VERY_ good at controlling what you're doing. You can't let yourself get distracted, or problems could arise."
Acera blinks, and for once, actually gets the point of one of her mother's lessons, "Cool."
Samantha says, "If either of you are going to learn any magic, or even not, you will have to learn when to let your body run itself and when to keep control."
Nalae nods a little bit..
Samantha sighs. "Now I think we should all get some rest. Tomorrow could be a very busy day."
Acera nods, "Thanks ma!" and bounds up and snugs her.
Nalae nods a little bit, padding after Acera and giving Samantha a little hug.
Samantha chirrrs quietly, and hugs both of you in return.
Acera makes up for all the good behavior by chittering away at Nalae for nearly an hour up in their tree limb room, keeping poor Nalae up with her dreams of visiting all these weird places. Finally, she runs out of steam, cuddles next to her sister and drops off to sleep.
Samantha stays up late herself, pouring over a few old books that she has pulled out until late in the night before finally hauling herself off to bed. Life just got a lot more interesting...