[Mkguild] The Harvest Festival (8/20)

[Hallan Mirayas]

-------

 =


   As the day wore on,
Kendrick and his family wandered the stalls all throughout the Killing Fiel=
ds.
Emma and Sofie dragged him to so many different games and booths, he though=
t it
a wonder that they still had money left by the time the sun reached the wes=
tern
mountains. After deliberately making himself look like an idiot at juggling=
, while
both Brigitt and Sofie seemed quite good at it, he distracted them yet again
with a pie eating contest a few booths over. Unsurprisingly, Barrick won th=
at
one after scarfing seven cream pies. Still, his plan worked: both girls wer=
e so
full afterwards that they were perfectly willing to sit and watch one of the
plays.

 =


   Halfway through,
Emma fell asleep snuggled in Brigitt's lap. Kendrick's brother held her lik=
e a
mother might. Sofie curled in Barrick's lap, her eyes drooping the whole ti=
me.
The bear looked a bit sleepy, but he managed to watch and chuckle at the
ridiculous acting on the makeshift stage. The players were from the Midland=
s,
and they were acting out some scene from the Lothanasi legends. Kendrick wa=
sn't
sure if he'd heard this one or not, but being Followers, he didn't pay much
attention to tales of false gods.

 =


   But the play was
enjoyable apart from the outrageous performances. Barrick, Brigitt and he a=
ll
applauded at the end, as did the rest of the audience. Both Emma and Sofie =
were
asleep at that point. Along the many streets, lamplights came and set flame=
 to
the many torches arrayed on tall poles well away from any of the tents. Soon
night was upon them, though with so many about, it didn't even feel cold.

 =


   "Well,"
Kendrick said as he stood up and stretched his arms. He wiggled his claws in
the air and then lowered them back to his sides. "What a wonderful day! I
think we should head back home now. Looks like the girls are ready for bed."

 =


   Barrick yawned, arms
stretching wide even as he cradled Sofie in them. "They're not the only
ones."

 =


   "You always
want to sleep," Kendrick pointed out, but with a smile.

 =


   "So says the
one who never wants to get up in the morning," Brigitt replied, a sharp
grin on his lips.

 =


   "Hey, I read
in the library that pangolins are nocturnal, so I have a good excuse for th=
at."

 =


   They all laughed
and started back home. Several other Keepers were also heading back into to=
wn,
but there were a few coming out for nightly revelry. Kendrick knew that mos=
t of
the merchants had retired by sundown, but there were others of a less reput=
able
nature that started their business at the dusk hour.

 =


   By the time they
returned home, even Kendrick felt tired. His legs ached, and he rubbed thei=
r insides
with his palms, careful not to cut himself on his bony plates. Their mother
waited for them at the door. "And here they come," she crooned, which
sounded silly coming from a barely teenage girl, "my little troop of
angels! Did you all have a good time today?"

 =


   Kendrick nodded and
smiled to his mother. "It was a lovely day. We managed to wear out poor
Emma and Sofie by the end. Good thing, otherwise I think we'd still be ther=
e!"

"Well, your father hasn't returned yet, but I expect
him home soon. I have some dinner ready if you're hungry."

 =


   Barrick waved his
free paw. "Thank you, but nae. I don't think I could eat another bite."

Brigitt patted his brother on the back, while Kendrick
explained. "We were in a pie eating contest, and boy did we eat!"

 =


   Mavis Urseil put
her hands on her hips and gave them a motherly glare. "Are you telling me
you ruined your dinner with pie?"

 =


   "Aye,"
Kendrick replied, patting his stomach. "And boy, were they good!"

 =


   She laughed and
shook her head. "Well, since it is Festival time, I suppose I won't punish
you. Go on in and take the girls up to bed. And then say your devotions."

 =


   "Yes, mother,"
the three of them replied. Kendrick added, "I think I'm going to take a
little nap too."

 =


   Their mother walked
back into the house and they followed. Over her shoulder she added, "Don't
stay up all night reading again, Kendrick. It'll ruin your eyes."

 =


   "I won't."
Well, he hoped he wouldn't.

 =


-------

 =


   It was dusk, the
sun had just set, and the moon had yet to rise.

 =


   Wanderer, acting as
the Master of Ceremonies, stood on stage introducing the next act, and swept
his arm wide. "And now, without any further ado, I give you a lovely pair,
the drumming dragon and his cavorting kitty!" He quickly whisked off stage
amid the groans and polite laughter from the crowd before anything could be
thrown.

 =


   A dragon sat on the
large stage.  His legs were crossed, his
thick tail extended behind him, his wings folded at the sides of his serpen=
tine
body. A large fire burned on a raised stone platform in the middle of the
stage, and its light reflected from the polished, dark-red and grey scales =
on
his chest as the black mane that extended down his back fluttered in the li=
ght
breeze.  Between his legs sat a large
mushroom-shaped drum. The wood was a deep mahogany color, red cord tied in
mesmerizing patterns around the thicker top half of the drum helped to hold=
 the
head, made of a black hide, in place. As he sat, his eyes closed, his right
hand drawn into a fist, he lightly tapped the skin near the rim of the drum
with the back of his hand, producing a slow steady rhythm. Bum=85 Bum=85 Bu=
m=85 Bum=85  He raised his left hand, and quickly slapped
the rim with the dull backs of his claws creating a higher pitched, sharper
tone.

 =


   Ba Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85
Bum=85 Ba Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85

 =


   His tempo
increased, both hands slapping the rim with the backs of his claws, alterna=
ting
slaps and the fuller tones created with the back of his hand.

 =


   It worked its way
faster and faster, a beat one couldn't help but move to.

 =


   Suddenly he opened
his right hand as far as he could, raising his curved claws out of the way =
and
firmly struck the center of the drum with his palm.

 =


   BOOM!

 =


   His tempo began to
slow, returning to the steady rhythm it started with.

 =


   Ba BOOM Bum Bum..
Ba BOOM Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85 Bum=85

 =


   Smiling, he opened
his eyes.  The piercing, tri-slitted blue
pupils seemed to glow in the light of the fire. It had taken quite a while =
to
relearn how to play without shredding the drum with his claws, but it was w=
orth
it. He continued the slow, steady beat as he spoke to those who had gathere=
d in
the audience to listen, and to those who were slowly passing by. His voice =
was
as low as the beat of the drum, "In my homeland, it is said that the
Djembe contains three spirits within it, which influence its sound, its bea=
t.
The spirit of the tree from which it was carved, the spirit of the beast wh=
o's
hide is its head, and the spirit of the one who crafted them together to fo=
rm
the instrument."

 =


   The dragon's muzzle
lifted in a wistful smile. "The Dryad who graciously gifted me a piece of
herself to carve my instrument is named Dimba. By the grace of Dvalin, she =
was
still growing strong when we parted."

 =


   He looked around
quickly and, seeing none in his audience, continued, "The zebra, I hunted
through the savannah of the mainland, and took with naught but a spear afte=
r an
exhaustive three day chase. A very worthy creature indeed."

 =


    "And the third spirit, my own." He
placed a clawed hand over his heart, the other keeping the steady beat aliv=
e. "That
the drum still beats is proof enough for me. Proof that though our bodies m=
ay
have changed, our souls are still the same."  He paused for a moment. The o=
nly sounds were
the steady beat, and the crackling fire. "Now, my lovely wife and I would
like to share with you a ceremonial dance of our homeland. Many ages ago, w=
hen
our ancestors first discovered this power, it was not understood how it wor=
ked.
So our people used dances and songs to call forth our creatures. Later, our
most revered mages discovered that the outward display was not needed.  It =
was merely an aid, a way to focus the mind
and spirit. Today we are taught to summon in silence, through meditation. T=
he
dances and songs were kept in memory of our ancestors, and are still perfor=
med
at festivals and celebrations such as this."

 =


   The beat changed,
remaining slow but becoming more complex, just begging the listener to move=
.  A woman stepped into the light of the stage,
her lithe feline body swaying seductively as she walked into the light of t=
he
fire. She was dressed in a cloth skirt, freely wrapped around her waist; the
cloth was black with gold lace around her hips that accentuated her fur and
spots. Another cloth of the same design was wrapped around her chest, only
barely preserving her modesty. Her ears were pierced at the bottom and she =
wore
a pair of exotic earrings, each was gold with a single ruby set in it,
connected by a slender silver chain to a golden clasp which was attached to=
 the
tip of her ear.

 =


   She wore a
translucent purple veil over her face, and a purple silk sash about twice as
long as she was tall, was draped across her shoulders, as she slowly stalked
forward her arms fluttered upwards, entwining with the sash.

 =


   The silky white fur
of her belly glistened in the guttering firelight as her tail twitched in t=
ime
with the slow beat of the drum.

 =


   The tempo remained
steady, her arms wove fluidly through the air above her head, moving togeth=
er,
and then apart, lowering until her hands framed her eyes.  Her hips moved t=
o the slow beat as her tail
flicked in counterpoint. The sash entwining her arms began to emit a soft g=
low.

 =


   The drum let out a
BOOM, and the cheetah threw her upper body back, nearly parallel to the gro=
und.
With fluid, feline grace she slowly straightened like a wave cresting, first
her belly, followed by her chest, and finally her head straightened in a si=
ngle
fluid motion, the sash flowing behind her.

 =


   The drum still
slow, she stretched her arms out and raised them to shoulder height.  Her f=
ingers splayed, the tips seemed to
stroke the air. As her fingers moved the sash seemed to stir with its own l=
ife,
flowing down to embrace her body like a lover's arms. Her hips moved left a=
nd
right, her chest remaining completely motionless as the sash slid around he=
r.  Her hips moved in slow circles, her right
hand coming up to slowly brush through her hair. The beat remained steady as
her hips began moving in half-circles, left, forward, back. Right, forward,
back.

 =


   The beat changed
subtly, and her hands lowered to her hips. Moving slowly, tireless, as if s=
he
had all the time in the world, her chest began to move. In, down, forward, =
up,
a rolling motion. As she moved, the sash flowed to wrap itself around her r=
ight
arm.

The tempo picked up again, and suddenly her whole body began
to undulate, beginning with her chest and ending with her hips.  The sash f=
lowing with her motions, she bowed
forward with fluid grace, her arms reaching up above her head. The sash flo=
wed
out beyond her arms, the soft glow seeming to gather at its tip. With a BOOM
from the drum, she suddenly threw her upper body in the opposite direction,=
 her
arms flying back to remain above her head. A hushed gasp came from the audi=
ence
as the tip of the sash snapped like a whip, the glow that had formed there
suddenly flashed, as the sash flowed back across her chest to again extend
beyond her arms. A point of light a little larger than the cheetah's fist
remained suspended in the air where the tip had snapped, clearly seen over =
the
light of the fire.

 =


   Again the low bass
BOOM sounded amid the intense beat of the drum, and her upper body flowed up
and spun to the right, pivoting on her hips. The tip of the sash snapped be=
hind
her with another flash as it was pulled along by her arm, leaving another
glowing point opposite the first.  BOOM!
Her body spun to the left, the tip again leaving behind a glowing point, th=
is
one to her right.  With one final BOOM,
the cheetah's body flowed upright, and the snapping sash left a fourth glow=
ing
point in the air.

 =


   The drum beat a
fevered pace and her stomach began to pulse as she raised her arms from her
hips to brush through her hair, lifting it above her head and letting it fa=
ll
back as she spun on her toes, the sash flowing around her. Her arms moved in
intricate patterns around her body as she manipulated the sash in a dance of
its own, and as it moved, radiant lines appeared on the plane bounded by the
four glowing points, always staying within their boundary.

 =




   As she moved with
the sash, it became apparent that the four points outlined a shimmering
threshold filled with runic symbols drawn by her movements with the sash. W=
hen she finished, the sash had lost its glow. She tossed
her head back and sultrily glided forward around the fire, her eyes hungrily
searching the audience.

 =


   When she reached
the runic doorway she raised her left arm before her, her right trailing
behind, the sash flowing from it, and she stepped through. As she pushed
through, the glow seemed to cling to the tips of her fur, covering her body=
. As
the sash was pulled through, the doorway seemed to collapse and fold around=
 it.
By the time it was all the way through, the portal was gone and the sash ag=
ain
glowed with a soft light.

The glowing cheetah continued her dance around the fire. As
she completed the circuit, she spun in a circle, her hands came together, a=
nd
the particles of light suddenly scattered from her body to drift through the
courtyard like a glowing fog. The fog coalesced into a swarm of small light=
s,
like a thousand fireflies, flittering just above the heads of those watchin=
g. A
number of children, who had so far been rather bored, began jumping after t=
he
lights trying to grab them.

 =


   The cheetah lowered
her body, the sash flowing off her shoulders to drape over her arms, and en=
ded
kneeling cross-legged facing the dragon, her head bowed to him, her arms ou=
t,
offering the sash.

 =






   With one last BOOM,
the fireflies of light flared and vanished, and the drum fell silent. Amid =
the scattered applause, Drake gently placed a claw
under Dimalya's chin and lifted her head, removing the veil. Both smiled as=
 the
cheetah panted. The dragon lowered his head and she draped her sash around =
his
neck, using it to pull him forward into a kiss. As applause thundered throu=
gh the audience, the two walked
backstage.






_________________________________________________________________
See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of =
your life.
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20080914/61a703=
03/attachment-0001.htm