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[Dawali Amara]

All members are encouraged to participate. Please follow the general posting order, please. Read this information on the ceremony (scroll a little) prior to posting. This thread is the seventh day of the ceremony, and thus the final day. Choose a food your character will sacrifice. I'm skipping the round where everyone just arrive, it just takes up time, it's more fun to get to the point :) Roleplay as if your characters were already there. You do not have to match this post's length. come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops It was daylight now, and behind the male was a small pile of ripe corn from their fields, along with a much larger pile of fish and meats from the recent pack hunt. The outcome of the crops hadn't been everything he'd hoped for, but it could be excused with having had a hard time getting started, and new and unknown fields to sow in. Besides, it seemed to be a long time ago since the areas had been used for growing anything but grass, and he didn't expect a fantastic outcome at first attempt. It was enough, what they had, but if the tribe continued to grow like now they would have a problem by next autumn. Then again these things were only to supply some variation, as meat was never challenged as their main dish. But when prey was scarce it was nice to have something at all to chew on, especially in the long winter nights. The spiritual fire roared beside him, complementing the warm hues of his own pelt. Even in daylight he seemed as if alight with flames when he stood by the large circle of heat, and no wonder: the thing stuck more than just a few feet into the air, and the flames even higher. It was a proper bonfire. There was a reason why it was named as it was. He wore his leather suit and his mane was decorated with colorful feathers - he was a sight in itself. The paved stone beneath his feet made up the sacred ground, and he waited for the members to gather there. He'd spoken to them and prepared them for what was to come, not forgetting that many were still new to the concepts he introduced. Smiling he watched them arrive one by one, and when they had all come to give sacrifice and gratitude to their sources of food, he finally spoke, choosing to reveal the news of Ember's nudge in rank before the ceremony itself was started. "Hello AniWayans! Thank you all for coming. Before we begin I would like to reveal news to you. Ayegali has chosen me to take her place as Chief, and Ember has risen to take my place as sub-leader. She has proven to be a valuable addition to our ranks from the second we formed our meager settlement, and I am certain she will continue to be just that." Pausing, Dawali looked at Ember and smiled, also giving their members some time to take in this and perhaps comment if they would like to do so. He was proud to have the female as his right hand, and he hoped she saw what it meant to him both professionally and personally. Looking again to the rest of the members, he continued: "Now, we have each sacrificed one food for six days, and the harvest is ripe and edible. Let's give our sacrifices to the ceremonial fire as a symbol of our gratitude." Walking towards the fire to exemplify, he threw a small package on the fire. It contained no food, but tobacco, because the Kalona's fasting was not finished on the seventh day. He would not eat the kind of fish he'd sacrificed for this ceremony until several days later, but the members of his tribe understood his gesture nonetheless. As the male stepped away from the fire and breathed in the scent of tobacco - one of their holier of plants - he watched his members do the same gesture. Within the sun's setting tonight they would all have their tummies filled by the luxurious foods behind him, and they had deserved it, too.

[Ember Phoenix]

She was surprised at how much had happened since she had first come here, during the clan's formation. Without Tayui she wouldn't even be in Aniwaya at all...the female had urged Ember to come to the formation to see if she might be interested in joining the tribe. Ember had been in so many different packs at that time that she hadn't seen the point in joining another one, but Aniwaya was different. Almost immediately she had been drawn to their strange customs and ways--she liked to be out-of-her-element, perhaps.

She stood next to Dawali at the front, bowing her head when he announced the news. "I hope ta be a good leader to you. And I did want to say that I've been trainin' some horses and if anyone's interested in learning about having one and adopting one they can come by the stables any time."

Next she thought about the animal that she had sacrificed, the trout, and threw her wrapped package into the fire. She had avoided eating the animal for the last week, and could now return to her normal habits. She then stood back, ready to enjoy the meal and festivities.

[Noir Aston]

Marit, poke me if this is completely out of line and needs fixing (300)

Noir Aston was confused. She had not sacrificed anything. She had wanted to sacrifice fish, and had fished for almost a whole day using Uncle Ho’s fishing method, but she had not managed to catch anything. She could not understand it. For so many hours, she had attempted to catch the water animals, but all she had been rewarded with was a sore bum for having thrown it down into the water and into the water floor. Perhaps the fish did not want to be sacrificed, but Noir thought that at least one little fish (no, not little, because babies and their parents had to live) could have let itself get killed by her powerful bum so that the blonde child could have something to sacrifice. It was not fair. In her desperation, she had brought with a few flowers that she had had lying around withering slightly the last week. When she had been younger, she had been able to eat without getting a painful belly. This was far from acceptable, but this was Noir Aston, and she already had some sides that were unacceptable in the first place, which seemed to have been somewhat accepted already. Dawali had accepted her reluctance to hunt.

The girl had stayed in the back when the ceremony first had arrived, but slowly as things had happened, she had sidestepped in a half circle towards Dawali. The two leaders were in the front, and what Noir fully failed to realize was that she was probably extremely obvious, sidestepping slowly to Dawali only to stop right behind him, very close because the fire was really hot and big and warm and Noir was honestly a tiny bit scared of it. A wet and black nose poked the new chief’s leg, and she whined pathetically under her breath. The withering flowers hang depressingly from her mouth, perhaps fearing that this would be their final grave. ”I found no fishes in the river, help.” the girl whispered, tucking her golden tail in between her legs. Would he be angry now? Would not flowers be nice sacrifice too? There was so much food being thrown into the fire anyway, and perhaps flowers would be pretty next to the spirit food thing. She did not know. Although it was easy to attain knowledge about the Aniwayan culture (and Noir had been born into this pack), such knowledge came into one of her ears and left shortly after out through her other.

[Honoré Bélanger]

300+

The Green Corn Ceremony was a celebration of utmost importance. At least, according to Dawali it was. The Kalona had taken the opportunity to visit Honoré a few days prior. And in spite of all the details and explanations provided on that day, the Québécois still couldn’t understand the reasoning behind their fasting. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t known what fasting meant until recently. Renouncing to his favorite food hadn’t been easy. But no matter how much he’d suffered from the abstinence, his determination and goodwill had led him to success. He’d initially taken a seat close to little Noir but she’d wiggled away shortly after, leaving him by his lonesome at the back of the group.

Whilst relocating himself closer to his sister, Honoré kept his eyes on the fire ahead. It was pretty indeed, and he quite liked the way Dawali handled it. More cool points were attributed to him because of this. Not only was he a detective, but he was also a talented fire starter! Everything was going well; Honoré spared a few smiles to the pack mates he didn’t know. Perhaps the Aniwayans would appreciate him more than his former companions back in Phoenix Valley. He would do his best to please them, even if it meant keeping his mouth shut in public.

He hadn’t inquired what the ceremonial fire was for, simply assuming that it was meant as a source of light and nothing more. But when both leaders decided to throw packages onto the flames, his heart stopped beating. Honoré might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he knew what was in there. Oh, lord! What were they doing? Winter would come knocking at their doors in a few months time, and here they were, throwing food away! Hazel-hued eyes widened with shock as realization washed over him. Either Dawali had omitted to mention this part of the ceremony, or Honoré simply hadn’t paid enough attention.

Protectively clutching his leather backpack, he slowly (and not so subtly) backed further away from the group until he reached a small brush. Luckily enough, his niece provided the distraction needed for him to throw his beloved sacrifice, a ketchup bottle, into the shrubbery. He’d foreseen the sound it would make, and as it landed, Honoré forced a cough out of his throat. A few faces undoubtedly turned towards him, and he promptly offered an apology. “Sorry, something caught in mine throat.” he started, pausing in between comments to conjure up a plan. “I’m think I’m lost my sacrifice Dawali, sorry.”

[Hemming]

He could feel the warmth of the fire from where he was standing, and for a few moments the wolf stared into it. Fire was such a strange, wonderful thing, for the heat it gave and the colors it showed. Hemming pulled his gaze from the great beast as Dawali announced Ember's change in title, and with the news a grin pulled across the gray wolf's maw. The female was certainly fit for the job, each one of his experiences with her could attest to that. There was a strange sense of pride that welled in his chest, and he clasped his hands in front of him as if to clap, but they were stopped from closing by a shimmery fish. He had chosen cod as the food he would sacrifice, as it was the creature that had sustained him in the forest and it was the creature that continued to sustain him. The newcomer only knew the shallowest meanings of this ceremony, but he ascribed his own meaning. By allowing the cod a week, he was showing that he did not take it for granted. The fish, and indeed any of the life sustaining creatures that he could have chosen, was not something that was there only as something to eat. It had travelled with the wolves through time and was still around, and in that sense, a fellow journeyer. It was time to appreciate them as such.       The fish he held in his hand was unwrapped, unlike the things that the two leaders had thrown in, and he noticed this. As Dawali and Ember let their packages become swallowed by the flames, Hemming tugged at a tall blade of grass, bringing it up to waistheight and tying it in a loose knot, carefully, around the fish. He hoped that would be satisfactory, and hoped that there was no strict significance to the way the sacrifices were wrapped. His intentions were good, though, and he had an inkling that the exact physical details of the ceremony were unimportant when compared to the emotional and spiritual aspects. Being reminded how important the creature was to him and his life made Hemming appreciate its presence more than ever. Indeed, the lesson he had learned with the fish could be applied to every other creature he had ever consumed, and even the home he lived in, the sky he lived under, the planet he cherished. It was a beautiful, wonderful world, and it should not be taken for granted.       He heard a strange coughing noise and turned his head, spotting Honoré. Hemming had apparently been too caught up in the giant flame, thinking about his fish and the wrapping paper, to really notice anyone else but Dawali and Ember. There were many familiar faces, here, but also many that he did not know well at all. This was the wonder of these ceremonies, though; not only did they shift the focus onto what one could be thankful for, they brought the tribe together. Hemming was always pleased to see the group together, even if he didn't know who everyone was.       As the attention was drawn towards Noir and Honoré, the scrawny wolf slipped forward and kneeled in front of the fire, slipping his cod in gently. The flames licked the air around him, and it didn't take long for him to feel the heat seep through his fur and form a bubble of warmth around his tender skin. A moment after the fish had been completely surrounded by the fire, he stood up again and took the few steps back to his original position. There was a very faint smile on his face, but it shone brightly in his eyes.

[Dawali Amara]

Word Count: 591 come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops All those present seemed to accept Ember's new position without hesitation or without having something to say. He would trust them to speak their minds if they did not agree, but a public ceremony such as this was not always the best place for a confrontation. As she said her piece, he nodded politely to her again, before giving his full attention to the ceremony at hand. The members grasped his idea, and as the smell of burnt tobacco spread in the air around them, mixing with smells of smoke and burning fish, Noir came up to him, confused. Apparently, she had not quite understood. Bending a little so his eyes could be level with hers as he spoke (she was almost fully grown, at least in the physical sense), he granted her a gentle smile. His voice was quiet, speaking only to her, in the privacy between the two. "That's ok, Noir. The point was not to eat the fishes for a week. Putting it in the fire is just a symbol. And you didn't eat them, right? Because that would be bad. Now go back to stand with the others." She was still young, and perhaps more so than others her same age, but someone had to introduce her to the social laws of life. She would no longer be a puppy in some time, and it worried him. If she could not comprehend the significance of such things as these, as well as social conduct and hierarchy, she might have troubling times ahead. And he didn't want to see her hurt. As her uncle approached with the same problem, Dawali sighed within. He'd known this was a strange one when he accepted him into the ranks, but right that moment the similarity between the two was stunning. Nodding, he spoke to the male with a serious face. After all, this was not Noir, but an adult, even though the behavior of one might sometimes seem to mirror the other. "I am disappointed, but the act of burning it is simply symbolic. Did you also break your faste?" If he had broken his faste he was in trouble, but not with Dawali. The only thing he'd have to face in his Chief would be disappointment. The trouble itself would come from the spirits instead. They knew when they were not valued, and they did not like it. Now his attention turned to the ceremony again, although his mood was ruffled by these silly interruptions. They should not be necessary, since he had informed everyone plenty of time beforehand. That did not always work, it seemed. Standing tall again, the turn had come to extinguish the ceremonial fire. "The fumes of our sacrifices are lifted to the sky by the means of this fire - our greatest link to the spirits whose mercy we're at. To symbolize the rebirth of a season, and that we are prepared for the cold times ahead, we will extinguish it, and relight it with the sacred embers." Again the word ember rang in the air, and his glance flew to the dark femme at his side. Then, wordlessly, he bent down to grab a handful of sand from one of the many piles readied for the ceremony. Those who had been present at the previous ceremonies knew the drill, and those who had not would likely understand what was going on. This was a task that everyone should take part in, because they were a family - not strangers living in the same place.

[Noir Aston]

Posting now since we're skipping James (300)

Her tail was clutched between her legs in embarrassment, but Dawali would understand, riiight? He smiled at her, but she was too nervous to return it instantly like she usually did. He bended a little and spoke to her. She had sort of understood that part, and though she never caught anything herself and only ate what others decided to give her. She did not believed that she had eaten any fishies lately though, because the gods would not like it if she did and she did not want to anger the gods that Dawali said existed. She shook her head and whispered. ”No fish eater Noir!” Her rising spirits were pushed down again when he told her to go back and stand with the others again. She wanted to stand with Dawali and Ember. She would do as she was told though, and slowly padded back to the rest of the groups, flicking an ear to find out that Dawali was disappointed in her uncle. The girl grimaced at that, but it was rude to get involved in stuff that was not her business.

Noir sat down somewhere with good view, wondering if Dawali thought that she was stupid and mean. She did not want to, she only wanted to be nice, but she could not catch any fishes and she had looked so forward to show Dawali that she too could hunt, because fishes were not pretty and cute like a deer, for example. As usual, the girl had troubles understanding what exactly the leader meant when he talked, but this time she was a bit older and managed to sit calm and have her attention at him instead of wandering around and disturb other members like the last time. When it was time to throw sand on the pretty fire, Noir watched as Dawali did it before she bounced back to his side again, turning around and kicking up sand at the fire with her back feet (and this time she even hit the fire!) before she happily returned back to her previous spot, tongue hanging out of her smiling mouth.

[Hemming]

Hemming had almost forgotten that winter was coming. To him AniWaya seemed like the lands of summer, whether the sky was blue with the light of the generous sun or gray with the sustaining rains. The tall grasses that Hemming had come to call home were starting to shed their summer clothes, though, and indeed the days were getting shorter. Hearing Dawali say that they were prepared for the snow and the chill of winter made any of Hemming's worries about the coming season drift away. While he had previously pulled himself through the harsh Atlantic winters on his own, he was now surrounded by a family that was doing the same. Together, they would be strong.       The faint smile still on his lips (and perhaps permanently fixed there), Hemming joined the others in clutching handfuls of sand and throwing them upon the fire. This ceremony was the wolf's first, and though the tribe held many traditions that were completely alien to him he did not feel lost. Dawali's words were clear and concise, and the actions were easy to follow. The meanings seemed obvious, as well, and he did not have to think hard to commit important points to memory. They were creatures of the seasons, the soil, the sea, and that had to be recognized every once and a while.

[Dawali Amara]

Word Count: 571 come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops Dawali smiled at Noir as she proudly put forward that she had not broken the faste. Good, he was relieved. She seemed somewhat put off by having to sit back by the others, but he could only blame himself for that. He had been too lenient with her, had not been enough of a leader - she had not learned to know him as others of this tribe had. She had learned to know him as a male who was helpful and fun, but in the end not as a male to be respected and to take orders from. But, she would learn, and he saw that she was older now, and more able to understand. Taking a moment to look at his tribesmembers, he continued with the ceremony. The grains of sand that flew at the fire gradually choked its supply of oxygen, and the darkness of the night sunk in on those present. His own fiery colors fainted, its hues and saturation no longer as vivid as before. At last, only the torches were the source of light, and the ceremonial ground they stood on was a dark and gray mass of stone. Pairs of eyes shone at him, catching on every ray of light they could, to see in the dark. It was not a problem, they all had excellent sight even in darker situations, but the difference was immediate and noticeable. Waiting a moment, Dawali glanced at Hanna and bent down to take the sacred embers out of their compartment. It was an old stone box carved by some craftsmen hundreds of years ago. Since then, they had been kept alive by the fire Master. The relighting was usually the Fire Master's job, but as they had none, the Chief would have to fill that role. Slowly, he kindled flame from dry twigs he had collected beforehand. Within minutes, the flames rose to catch onto larger pieces of wood, and as he fed it, it slowly grew to a size similar as the previous had been. Smiling, he rose and again addressed his tribe's members, now concluding the ceremony. "The flames soar high again, and this ceremony is at its end. We have sacrificed our meals for a week, and now we are rewarded with the plentiful rewards of the summer." His eye twinkled as he for a moment considered choosing more formal words, but as he turned and swung his arm towards the pile of food his voice rang playfully. "Dig in!" There was raw and roasted, tongue and thigh, even liver and heart - sought after pieces. There was fish and crops, fruit and berries, traditional nut-bread and a fine assortment of prepared tobacco. Knowing of his continued obligation to fasting, Dawali did not take anything from the pile. Instead, he pulled out a simple flute - the same as he played at the last ceremony - and sat onto a carpet in a corner of the ceremonial ground. The flute played only five tones, but in three pitches, and the melodies it sung told stories older than their ages combined.

[Susquehanna]

Apologies if I misunderstood the meaning behind the ceremony. Word Count: 500. Worth 5 points. Hanna had arrived a little bit after the ceremony began but still appeared in time to feed a leaf-bundled rabbit into the flames. Tobias had helped her, seeming upset when he learned there would be no tidbits from the little mammal, but she'd insisted and tried to explain what she'd been told to her avian companion, feeling as though perhaps she'd missed the point as well. The point after all was to abstain from eating the thing you normally did, and Hanna rarely pursued rabbits, leaving them to Tobias in favor of larger, though sick or injured, prey. As Hanna backed away from the huge and flickering ceremonial fire, she found her mind wandering to her time in Chimera as a younger wolf and how hypnotizing the fire at the Alpha's Rock, the meeting place of the pack, was to her. This would be the beginning of Hanna's reverting to her reverence for flame, helper and destroyer all in the same entity. Her eyes watched the core of the bonfire for many moments and then raised to take in all the members of the tribe, both familiar and unknown to her. Dawali's voice rang out, capturing her attention, explaining for all to hear the meaning of the ceremony -- appeasing the spirits -- and the second stage, the quenching of the flames and the restarting of the fire. With that, Dawali grabbed something from the ground which turned out to be sand, and tossed it into the fire. Hanna was not unfamiliar with this method, as extinguishing a fire in this manner created far less smoke than pouring water over it. And so the dark femme bent to add her own sand to the mix. Bit by bit, the brilliant light given off by the blaze darkened and fled, till the whole gathering was left in almost complete blackness, the fragrant smell of tobacco clinging to their fur, the torches from the flames seeming miles away and ever so tiny. After a seemingly interminable, completely silent pause, as if even the crickets understood the solemnity of the moment, Hanna saw movement and studied Dawali as he bent down and, instead of withdrawing a flint and steel, the more modern tools, the Kalona took from an ornate stone box embers that had been kept alive, possibly for time out of mind. Before long, the darkness receded again as the flames grew in height, and the Kalona finished his speech, concluding with the invitation to eat. Despite being hungry, the music Dawali played made her feet itch to dance as she hadn't since her sun dance with Noir in the fields. Letting a space clear, Hanna began to leap and twirl, following no rhythm or pattern but letting her heart pick her path around. Maybe Noir would even join her. They could demonstrate just how it was to dance and swing. They had had pretty good rhythm together, and they didn't look half bad together either, blonde and black moving in harmony.

[Ember Phoenix]

    

She didn't know what to make of the two who had not followed tribal customs. Noir was understandable to her; she still considered her to be a pup of the pack despite her growing size, one to be excused. She shot the younger female a sympathetic look--before the next tribal meeting she would visit Noir to try and instruct her on tribal ways. Ember was still learning herself, but she could pass on whatever she knew to the younger tribesmember.

She picked up a handful of sand from the ground, tossing it over onto the fire. When Dawali began to play his flute she took that as a cue and broke her serious stature to walk over to Noir. "Are you still staying with your mother, Noir? I was wondering if I might come over sometime to share knowlege--maybe before the next tribe meeting. I only know what Dawali has told me, but maybe it'd be helpful to ya. Only if you want, though." She spoke quietly, trying to mask her words beneath the sounds of music. "For now, we could just get something to eat, and dance." She watched as another wolf began to do just that and began to clap her hands in a rhythm to the dancer's swift movements.

[Noir Aston]

Powerplaying Honore, but I know what Jess had planned to write :) (300)

The moment the flute sounded, Noir’s body wanted to dance and turn, but suddenly Ember was there. The girl’s already bright face brightened even more. She liked Ember. She felt bad for having failed at the task where she had failed, but Ember’s kind words made the girl lean against the black wolf and nod eagerly. She wanted to be good, and she felt privileged that the second in command wanted to spend some time with her. Ember had always been there and perhaps it was time to get some help growing up since she could not do it on her own. When Ember went to dance, Noir followed, though did not follow any rhythm or beat as she jumped and turned all around, wagging her tail and head banging. She loved dancing, and her eyes saw Hanna’s dance for the second time. Hanna had danced with her to make the sun pop out from the clouds. She waltzed over to the black female and took a bouncing circle around her before dancing a bit in front of Dawali.

Eventually, her eyes sought for her beloved Uncle Ho, and she saw a white shape behind a few bushes. Curiously, she danced over, and when she saw what he was doing she remembered that she was hungry. The girl sat down with the white adult she was living with and they shared the food he had carried over and hid himself with from the rest of the group. Noir could not remember seeing ketchup close to the food, but he was all busy pouring the red yummy yummy stuff on all the food he had gathered. This was a super fun night! Ketchup and dancing and Dawali and Ember being nice to her. This was the best home in the whole wide world, and her family was the super bestest too. Her life was the most super.

[Hemming]

Hemming couldn't help but feel rather sentimental as Dawali pulled out the embers and relit the fire, and as it soared the wolf's golden eyes watched the tongues of flame licking at the sky. Perhaps it was egotistical, the way he was inclined to compare the relighting of the fire to the transformation of sorts he had experienced recently, but he was drawn to that representation. Of course, the metaphor could be applied to so many things, as common as the rising of the sun, the change of seasons, to the things that may happen only once or even not at all in one's life time. He pondered these things for a moment as he stared at the flame, but fortunately Dawali's words saved him from the endless meandering chain of thoughts that he was prone to.       A gigantic grin sprouted onto his face when the Kalona invited them to enjoy the food, and Hemming was there almost immediately, considering each different type. He didn't know a lot about AniWaya, yet, and was eager to learn more. A culture's food was often good insight into the way of life. The wolf was not slow to put these two ideas together to formulate his excuse for heading straight to the food. He was deeply curious of each item that lay before him, and after some consideration he took a bit of the nut bread and a handful of berries. There was no resisting their colors, the bright reds and blues representative of the high days of summer.       With the little treasures in his hand, a few occasionally making their way to the wolf's mouth, he wandered over to where Ember was clapping, casting a wide grin to her. This was all very exciting! He watched Hanna dance, wondering how anyone was able to move in such a way (but willing to try it himself, once the food was secure in his belly). Dawali's music seemed to put a bounce in everyone's step, and Hemming watched as the young blond girl frolicked away. The nut bread was very good indeed, and the gray wolf needed to put effort into restraining himself from gobbling it all down at once. That would be quite rude, after all.