Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 2, Ch 1.1 Doen (Non-Canon)
Zion - Light of the New Moon, Part 2 Chapter 1.1
Doen Gathering For the Departed
This version of Chapter 1.1. for Doen was originally posted in error-- the party did not actually chose the option for which this post was prepared. Instead of deleting it, I have elected to keep it posted to help illustrate some of the differences in happens based on reader decisions.
I awoke this morning in bed alone. It's something I'd experienced before, but it somehow felt a little more empty today. It was barely light outside, but I discovered quickly the reason for my being awake: Dillan was using a metal bar to pull pieces off of a nearby wagon. I just started getting dressed when the door to my carriage opened, revealing Taggart, who smiled wide when he saw me.
"I found something for you." he noted enthusiastically. The comment didn't register... at least, not until he tried navigating the steps up to the door while dragging a large writing desk.
I quickly tied my robe off and went to help him, "What's this for?" I questioned.
"I know your last one was destroyed in the fire," he offered plaintively, "so I thought you might need another."
After helping him fit the desk through the door, I realized that I recognized it.. Running my paw across the worn, aged surface, there was no mistaking where it came from, "It was Brother Maynard's." I told him.
The comment stopped Taggart in his tracks. He looked to me, ears back and splayed, acting as if I'd just scolded him, "Was... was it a bad idea?" he asked, more than a hint of concern to his voice.
"No." I decided after a pause, "Brother Maynard loved this desk... I'm sure he'd be glad knowing it's being put to good use." and, with that, I helped Taggart find a spot for it to call home. I was happy to see that he was wagging again.
"You got up early today." I pointed out as we slid it into the tight spot between the bed and the corner of the wagon.
"I've been thinking about everyone back at the tavern..." Taggart explained, taking a seat on the bed, " I promised I'd look up a message sender when I got to Zion... we're going to be late getting there, so that means they're going to worry."
The concern Taggart had over the mental welfare of his adopted family made me smile... but, I felt bad at the same time. Would my family be worried? Would they be angry once they found out what I had done? I knew my father was never one to be preoccupied with anything but his duty to the temple, but what of my brothers and sisters? I shook the thoughts out of my head; the discussion wasn't about me.
"We'll do what we can do, and leave the rest up to Tah'aveen." I offered, "You obviously don't want them worrying about you so it's safe to say they wouldn't want you worrying about them." I patted him on the shoulder and stood up, "Come on... I have a lot to do today and I'm sure anyone here would love an extra set of paws from you."
He stood and followed me to the door, "Can't I help you?" he offered.
"I'm going to lead a prayer for the departed at dawn and at dusk... you can attend both times and that will be a lot of help... but most of what I have to do really needs ordained priests." I headed down the embankment toward the river, and turned back to regard the dog as he waited at the top, "See what you can do to help everyone else." I suggested.
The day passed quickly despite the drudgery of the work. It had been weeks since I last had to act in a fully official priest capacity which, I suppose is the main reason I didn't want Taggart helping me-- something about being with him felt cheapened when I had to be a priest. Whether we're just spending time together, or actively engaged in a project, I really enjoy having him around... but I suppose I'm not the only one that found a kindred spirit on the journey.
Rust and Narissa have been spending a lot of time together. Despite everything that's been going on, Lord Rust seems much more at ease... more comfortable and, I swear to Tah'aveen, more willing to smile. Father Wesley, one of my old instructors, once explained that a man who was willing to smile was less 'less' and more 'more'. I never truly understood the saying until I saw the difference that had come over the echidna. All things considered, they compliment one another very well; during the morning gathering for the departed she led several hymns and a few emotional ballads while he helped everyone find the right prayers to speak.
Even Jasper and Zeke seemed somehow more collected and decidedly calmer. It's only normal that the two have spent much of their time away from the rest of us; Wild Landers are cut from a different cloth than City Dwellers. Between scouting for danger and tracking down the best place to meet back up with the Highway, it's no wonder that we barely saw either of them today. I am thankful that we have not one, but two travelers familiar with the Wild Lands. Tah'Aveen surely does smile down upon us, which is only more evident in the fact that our spirits remain high.
Though our caravan had been decimated by the cultists it was strange to think that the only remorse we survivors seemed to feel was for the loss of life, and not for the loss of company. Father Wesley also once told me that a family is closer than neighborhood, but a neighborhood is closer than a congregation. Is this what he meant? I can't help but wonder if the lack of apathy among us survivors is because we all naturally feel closer knit now than we did when there were a few hundred of us. There's a strange duality to all of it.
In our case, the greatest duality has probably been Dillan Flynn. While more than one of us had fully expected the ferret to try and take advantage of our situation, nothing could be further from the truth. After having helped save our lives in defeating the cultists, the merchant has gone out of his way to make certain that we have all been properly stocked and prepared for the next portion of our journey. He HAS made it quite clear that we're all insane... on a number of occasions, but it's readily apparent that he plans on continuing with us.
Rust has noted that it's because the ferret doesn't stand a chance getting back to Doen alone, but I like to think that he's just like the rest of us and wanting all of us to succeed. Regardless of Mr. Flynn's motives, he has been incredibly industrious, working very hard and sometimes with little help in disassembling the junked wagons and finding salvageable goods within. He has been doing more than his fair share to keep us going and, for that, I am thankful. His efforts will be put to good use, I'm sure, as we will not be delaying here much longer.
After evening prayer, but before we retired for the night, Lordling Rakken gathered all of us up to discuss safety on the road. "Knowing how to avoid trouble is all fine and good, but you also have to know how to defend yourself if trouble comes looking for you." he explained... and that's how our lesson began. The lion made it a point to tell us that he expected each and every one of us to become familiar with a sword; without guards we weren't going to have the luxury of being non-combatants.
Haldyn picked Taggart as his first student, directing everyone to watch carefully as he took the dog through a series of combat training maneuvers involving the use of the blade. It is no secret that I find bodies beautiful; they are, in my opinion, one of the greatest works of art presented to us by the Moon Mother. Large bodies, built for lifting heavy objects... small bodies, gifted with grace and speed for surity of movement... fat bodies, rich in their opulence... thin bodies, lean, delicate, and efficient... they are all things of beauty.
Although Taggart was nowhere near as skilled as Haldyn, I make no reservations about saying that I enjoyed watching him more. Although each and every form has a unique attraction all its own, I have to admit that watching a wiry, toned athlete engage in any kind of movement may as well be an art form to me-- swordplay may as well be dance. As the series of motions came to an end, Haldyn lowered his sword, "Good, Taggart. Take a seat." and he looked straight to me, "Brother... you're next."
What Haldyn made look natural, and what Taggart made look easy turned out to be anything but. By the time my training session was over my arms and legs ached. It reminded me of my first dance lesson with Mother Poviey. The biggest difference, of course, is that I had dancing lessons ten years ago and they lasted an hour... ten minutes of sword training today left me exhausted.
I sat on the sidelines with Taggart watching as Haldyn went through the same training with Dillan and then Narissa. Although I couldn't help but think that the comment from Taggart was a little biased, it still felt good to hear it when he said, "You did better than both of them." Considering how skilled Narissa is at moving her body, it was surprising how poorly she combined those skills with weapon use.
As for Dillan... well... he didn't bother making it through the whole series of movements; half way through he stuck the blade into the ground and announced, "If the time ever comes that everyone is depending on ME to fight off an attacker then it's already a lost cause." and, with that, he walked off back toward the wagons noting, "I've got more to get done before we leave." Haldyn didn't bother stopping him.
The campsite was quieted down shortly thereafter. The two Wild Landers returned from their scouting. They provided a simple greeting as they passed by the rest of us, heading to the gathered healing supplies we'd managed to glean off of the destroyed caravan. I didn't miss the fact that Zeke was bleeding on his shoulder, but I didn't bother interrupting their discussion; the wound didn't look that bad. With little more to be said, everyone went their separate ways and Taggart returned with me to my wagon.
We were both exhausted from our training, but that didn't prevent us from the simpler expressions of intimacy. Undressing one another, we went to bed; kissing, embracing, and soft touches eased far more strain than they caused. Taggart fell asleep a half an hour ago but I'm still awake. I suppose it's in part due to the fact that I can't stop thinking about the danger's we've faced and how narrowly we've managed our escapes but, just as much as that, I don't want to miss these gentle moments holding him... hearing him breathe... feeling his heart beat. It's quiet... comforting... it's like the calm before the storm.
Tomorrow morning, I expect that we'll be back on the road. Between the extra hours of recovering supplies and the day's worth of scouting, I'm feeling confident that we'll be able to handle the next few days without any real trouble. With a little luck, and the Moon Mother's blessing, we will find our way safely to Zion with no great mishap... certainly, I pray for no further intervention on behalf of the sun cultists... that is something we cannot afford.