[ P ] Broken Sleep

G

wen’s words were oddly soothing to her, the mere sound of her voice lulling her into a state of calm. It was however, a place she used to find herself in her days as a young girl who had to keep her emotions to herself. It was numb and it was cold. It was a void that she had begun to crawl out of only recently and here she found herself diving right back into it.

Discovering the other woman’s wound, however, spurred her into action and she practically forgot her own strife. Nimue completely shifting her focus onto the other woman as she leaned down to inspect her injured paw. Gwen tucked it away as she went to nose at it and she recoiled slightly, lifting herself to meet the other woman’s eyes again as she explained.

“Self-inflicted…?” Within her muddled mind she struggled to connect it all together for a moment, her confusion apparent in the furrowing of her brow and the pursing of her lips. Then recognition moved across her features and her eyes widened, seeking Gwen’s once more. “This is your craft then?” She asked gently, seeing how closed off Gwendolyn had become once she’d made this discovery.

@Gwendolyn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he woman shifted uncomfortably under such intense focus. She’d always been able to avoid direct questions from others, for after Clodagh’s passing, she had not allowed another to know her. From then on she had preferred her practice to be private, opting for a whimsical or simple-minded approach towards others so it would not occur them to ask. Looking into Nim’s midnight eyes just then, though, she knew this was a topic the woman would not let her avoid.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I come from a long line of priestesses who worship the Moon Goddess. When I was younger, I was taught the faith and the offerings we give in exchange for favors.” Gwen paused, bringing her paw into the light. “They can be anything of value, a flower, a rock, a bone, even. In this instance I did not know what the forest had done to you or if you would be safe, but I had nothing on me to give, so what could be more valuable than a bit of blood?” The woman smiled grimly but was quick to reassure her friend. “It does not hurt in all honesty. It’s my preferred method when asking favors from our Goddess.”

Despite her fear surrounding the prejudice of her religion, Gwen’s attention remained on the wellbeing of her friend. “But that isn’t important, Nimue. Do you feel alright, truly? Aside from being a little shaken up, obviously.” She came towards her, sniffing daintily for any major changes in the fae’s scent. “I don’t know if the forest is capable of doing anything to it’s victims internally, but I will pray and ask that you be cleansed both inside and out.” Nodding, she made a mental note to do so as she continued around her friend. “What drew you to the cliff anyways, Nim?” The question was out before she could stop it, the desire to understand what vulnerability the forest could take advantage of in order to prevent it in the future.

@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

N

imue would hold her gaze as long as she would allow it, attempting to follow purple orbs if ever they left hers. As Gwendolyn began to tell of her story, of what kind of craft it was that she honed, her expression revealed the keenest of interests in everything she had to say.

She soaked up every single syllable spoken and when she held her paw out, Nim locked onto the injury, simply listening to the other enchantress, trying to understand her methodology. This was one skill her aunt had never delved in nor did she share information regarding it's existence. Was it possible she did not know of it? Or did she keep it from Nimue purposefully...

Gwen attempted to changed the subject back to her own strife. She began to shake her head dismissively and forced a smile. "I'm...alive. That's a start." Nimue went to lock eyes with the other fae again. "Can you teach me? How to use my blood?" There was an odd desperation in her eyes and a craving in her heart. For what? She was not sure of.

She froze and turned her sights back on the cliff a short distance away upon being asked what it was that drew her out. Nim's eyes slowly closed, the softest whimper moving past her lips as she lowered her head. "Memories...of those forever lost..."

@Gwendolyn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he intensity of Nim’s stare was nearly too much for her, the hesitation about revealing her rituals causing her gaze to flutter everywhere but at the woman before her. The initial alarm of their situation had begun to wear away, and Gwen was once again left speechless by the emotions brought forth whenever she encountered her friend. Even now, in the shadows of the forest, she could still make out the deep blue of Nim’s eyes. Many times she had thought of the night sky when looking upon them, deciding the woman had been Goddess blessed upon her birth.

Gwen’s lips parted on a sharp gasp as Nim expressed interest in learning her craft. Her tail moved of its own volition, swaying excitedly as she stood and moved a few steps closer. “Yes, of course I can teach you!” She expressed, smiling in relief that the woman had seemingly not been put off by her practice. Gwendolyn paused a moment, thinking back to her early teachings with her grandmother, Clodagh. “Ah, yes,” she said softly. “I can teach you to ward yourself from the tricks of the forest. I was brought to do so as a child, and I believe the Goddess protects me so I may walk without worry of its games. Come." Leading Nim to an open spot bathed by the moon, she presented the woman with a sharp stone. “You do not need a lot for this, just a couple drops will do. There are other, darker things one can bleed for. I was told my ancestors sometimes resorted to doing so much as sacrificing themselves and giving their lifeblood when times were particularly harsh.”

Gwendolyn mimicked pressing her paw into the stone and then gestured for Nim to do the same. She waited for the scent of the woman’s blood to hit her senses before speaking again. “Okay, now you let a couple drops soak into the soil while saying ‘Goddess protect me, Goddess bind me, Goddess bring me clarity.’ Or, if you don’t worship the Goddess, whatever deity you prefer.” Speaking softly, she watched her friend whilst hoping for her Goddess to hear Nim’s prayers.

@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

D

espite her current situation, Nimue betrayed a smile to see Gwen so very excited to be able to teach her craft to her friend. Her eyebrows rose when told that this kind of magic could ward against the Fae Forest's illusions and so it was indeed relevant for her to take this instruction here and now. She moved after Gwen, lingering closer than one might, not wishing to break contact from the other woman if she did not have to.

In the light of the moon, she observed intently as she was presented with a sharpened stone and given the proper words of manifestation. She hummed and nodded as she tentatively took her place, resting her paw pad against the stone before pressing it down and feeling it slice the tender skin beneath her foot. Nim grimaced lightly and then lifted her paw, watching with an intense interest as droplets of crimson fell and gathered in the earth below.

She took a long breath in, closing her eyes, and when she exhaled, she spoke the words of power that were given to her. "Mother guide me. Mother protect me. Mother bring me clarity." She repeated at a lowered murmur the words almost exactly aside from her choice in deity being the Earth Mother that presented her power through the elements, creation and destruction all at once. With Nimue's primary element being that of water, she wondered how it was that she had never thought to use her own blood to strengthen her spells when it was, after all, another form of water.

@Gwendolyn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck