Zion - LotNM Character Prologue (Zachary)
Zion - Path of the Moon Mother Prologue, Zachary
Zachary sat at his perfume table facing the portrait-sized mirror that rose from the top of the large oaken desk. The delicate brush in the rabbit's paw had never failed to work wonders on his fur and he'd used it every morning since he first received it. Zachary's father, Great Father Meier, high priest of the temple city of Doen had given it to him for his birthday; it had been in Zachary's possession for five years... minus one day. "Tomorrow..." he spoke aloud to his reflection. He had never dreaded a birthday so much.
He set the brush down, running a finger across the delicately crafted silver webbing that made up the handle. His first lover, chosen for him at roughly the same time had often said that the brush reminder her of Zachary himself. She often brushed his fur for him, stroking the brush as if it were as much the object of her affections as he. Zachary did not know her name-- she would not say and it was against the covenant for him to ask. She taught him many things in the weeks she was with him but, as with all young priests, he would not be allowed to call her his; she was a trainer... an instructor... a gateway into the knowledge that would encompass much of what he was to become.
His second lover, chosen for him two days later, never bothered paying any attention to the brush and, in all honesty, paid very little attention to him. The male was vastly different from his first lover and rarely spent more time with him than was needed to increase the young rabbit's "endurance". His second lover often hurt him, and seemed to enjoy hurting him, all the while letting him know that, given enough time, it wouldn't hurt in the future. Zachary's second lover never brushed him... never stroked his fur or taught him how to say all of the verbal things that his first lover taught him should accompany the physical ones. He often saw both of his lovers on the same day, scarcely more than a few hours apart, if that.
If the brush were able to speak then it could have told many stories about Zachary's life... and he was glad that it couldn't. Zachary had had more lovers than he could count since his first two. Some, like the first, were female. Others, like the second, were male. He'd had so many share is bed that he learned that not all women were attentive like his first lover, and not all men were as focused on nothing but sex like his second. Zachary let out a deep sigh; he had come a long way since then.
Gazing in the mirror so he could look at the room behind him, Zachary stared at his empty bed; nobody had whispered words he should want to hear as he fell asleep; nobody had been there to caress him throughout the night; other than himself, nobody occupied the bed upon his waking. It was not uncommon for a Doenian priest or priestess of Tah'aveen to have more than one lover with them throughout the night, but it was a rare thing for them to have nobody. It made the young rabbit's heart feel heavy that he had made the decision to be alone for his last night in the temple, but, at the same time, a wave of accomplishment and self-realization warmed him deep inside; for once he was in charge of his own life.
The young priest set the brush down, the tips of his fingers gingerly tracing their way across the delicate silver wires; the brush was a thing of beauty, not unlike almost everything in the temple. Its fine features and visual appeal meant that it was a work of art, and yet it also had a great function... a use that added to its value as more than something to look at or be admired. Zachary looked back to his reflection in the mirror, giving himself the same appraising gaze that he afforded the brush.
In two days time he was to join the upper ranks of the clergy. He would take the mantle of a second tier priest, and then, like those who had come before him, he would retreat to the inner cloister of the temple and never be heard from again. Although he knew that the ascension proved that he would be in the favor of the Goddess, every time he considered the thought he kept thinking back to his brush; if it were just a collection of beautiful metal webbing would he still love it as much? What if it were still a brush, but nothing more than wood and bristles?
Zachary continued to ponder that question until a knock at his door broke his train of thought. "Be welcome." the young rabbit welcomed the visitor, "Do enter." and, moments later, the door to his chamber opened.
"You said to come first thing in the morning," it was Ulysses, one of the city administrators, and a dear friend, "This was as first-a-thing as I could manage." the black bear hobbled into the room, his bum leg obviously causing him problems. The young rabbit met his gaze in the mirror and nodded; the bear took a seat in a chair near the door.
Zachary had known Ulysses ever since the two had met as young representatives-- Zachary from the church and Ulysses from the city administration. Zachary had been sixteen and Ulysses was eighteen-- still a member of the city guard command, but being groomed as a replacement for a soon-to-retire senator. A few years later, when a savage Blood Beast attack at the city gates, Ulysses was injured by a nasty bite to the thigh; his leg never fully healed and he was quickly thrust into a desk job.
"How is Mauna?" Zachary inquired about his friend's wife, sifting through a selection of necklaces in his jewelery box. The question combined a small element of curiosity, good-natured chit-chat, and a degree of professional inquiry to the simple small talk. They were both very used to the interaction at that point; Zachary had been instrumental in helping Ulysses to maintain his marriage after the accident.
Shortly after the Blood Beast event and part-way into recuperation, the black bear had withdrawn into a deep depression followed by bouts of aggression and short-tempered fury. Zachary had all but stayed with his friend and his friend's wife for a month, working with them both to help bring Ulysses out of his sense of self-imposed worthlessness. Much transpired between the three of them; the couple loved him dearly, like a part of the family and he had been welcomed in their home ever since.
"Good..." the bear nodded, "she's good." Zachary knew enough of his friend to tell that he was hiding something. The young priest did not doubt the bear's words, but knew that something was on his friend's mind.
The rabbit had heard the tone used often enough, back during the time he had been ministering to Ulysses and his wife. The bear used it all the time with Mauna when he was contemplating admitting that the two friends had held special sessions just for Ulysses. It was not Zachary's place to say anything-- the work he did as a priest sometimes called for confidentiality, and Ulysses needed to know that he was wanted and desired and valued.
Mauna, for all of her strengths, needed the same, and Zachary never told Ulysses of her time with him either. She had admitted it to her husband only recently but, for all Zachary knew, Ulysses had never spoken with her of their private sessions together. When the bears were both strong and their matrimony secure, Zachary removed himself from their home without malice or regret; his duties as a priest left no room for such emotions.
"You want to know why I called you here." Zachary spoke, choosing a simple golden chain with a locket containing the blessed holy symbol of the Mother Goddess, "You think I'm up to something." he attached the chain around his neck.
"How come I can't hide anything from you, Zachary?" the bear asked softly; there were more to his words than what was spoken, and the lapse of Ulysses' official tone was not lost to the priest.
"When a book opens to a reader it becomes very difficult for it to close again, Marshall." Zachary offered, using the bear's title instead of name.
The rabbit's choice of dialogue was recognized immediately, and Ulysses sat up a little straighter, "You've heard that the Zion party hasn't returned, haven't you?"
"I have." the rabbit confirmed.
"You're thinking of mounting a second expedition, aren't you?" the bear questioned, slowly getting to his feet again.
"Your perception is still as sharp as ever, my friend." Zachary smiled, albeit faintly. As the bear approached him he knew what was coming.
Ulysses placed a paw on his shoulder, "Is this the temple's idea... or yours?"
Zachary slowly shrugged off the paw and stood up, "I am your contact within the temple, am I not?" he asked. The bear nodded silently, "Have you ever asked me that before?" Ulysses shook his head. The young priest turned to look him in the eye, "Then I beg of you, do not ask me now."
His friend stood there for several long moments before lowering his head, "What should I tell the officials?"
The rabbit let out a breath he'd been subtly holding, "Tell them that the temple requires aid in securing a second party for dispatch to Zion, and that I will be leading them."
Ulysses nodded, "Alright..." as Zachary turned away to see to the rest of his attire, the bear continued, "I hope you know what you're doing, Zachary... I really do."
The young rabbit did not respond with anything more than a faint nod of his head. He heard the door close as his friend left. Looking back to the perfume table, Zachary spoke softly, "Two days left to leave... I can't stay here." His eyes focused on his silver brush, the delicately spun, intricate patterns glimmering faintly in the morning light. The rabbit got dressed and left the room without the brush-- he realized that a wooden one would be better suited for the road.