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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 4, 2012 13:48:39 GMT -1
Seirei had decided that for his son Sai, it was time for him to find his own crystal. Ebony was more mature, but Seirei hoped that by letting him find his crystal earlier than the others, it would knock into him some sense of responsibility so he would understand his role in the world.
The flight to the Hrauni mountains had taken all day. Seirei was not as familiar with this region, having only visited occasionally to see Mira or perform his watch duties. Sai had managed to fly most of the journey himself, but the high altitude and bitterly cold winds had worn him out, so Seirei had had to carry him on his back the rest of the way.
They landed right outside of Mira's cave, partially concealed by piles of snow formed by the continuous snow. Hoping that she would be in, Seirei trotted into the entrance of her home and put Sai down on his tail; the stone floor was too cold for young pups.
"Mira? Hello, Mira?" he called into the shadows.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Mar 4, 2012 17:29:34 GMT -1
Mira, as luck would have it, was indeed home, and wandered from her bedroom when she heard Seirei call her name. She smiled when she saw her friend and one of his cubs. "Hello Seirei, Sai," she said. "How can I help you two today?" Despite feigning ignorance, Mira already had a sneaking suspicion why they were here.
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Post by Hiruko Koudo on Mar 4, 2012 19:33:47 GMT -1
Hiruko was making a treck to Mira's cave to make sure she was okay. The cubs were at the den, asleep, and Hiruko had trusted Hayashi to make sure they were safe and sound. He wouldn't be too long anyway. Mira had needed some time away to recouperate her strength. As he approached the cave, it seemed that Seirei had arrived as well. Puzzled at first why he was all the way out in the cold to visit Mira, Hiruko soon realised when he saw Sai by his side. "Good day Seirei, Sai," he said to them, nodding at both in turn.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 4, 2012 21:04:44 GMT -1
Feeling suddenly very shy due to Mira's appearance, Sai quickly dashed behind his father's front legs, his curious face peeping out from the gap between them. "Now come on Sai, this is your day." Seirei chuckled, butting the pup out with his muzzle so he was standing in front of Mira. "I think it's time for Sai to find his crystal in the cavern. I was hoping you could help him." At Hiruko's appearance Seirei nodded in return, smiling. Fancy that, all the founders together for my son's special day.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Mar 4, 2012 22:19:07 GMT -1
Mira's smile widened. "Of course I can, Seirei," she said softly. She looked down at Sai, who was still looking shy. "There's no need to be shy, Sai," Mira assured him. "You're amongst family here." She went over to her small platform and up the stairs. She pressed a paw at the wall, which glowed a soft silver before shifting to one side to reveal a tunnel. "Shall we begin?" asked Mira, turning back to her friends, and smiled again when she saw Sai's eyes widen.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 5, 2012 13:00:21 GMT -1
The silver glow twinkled in Sai's golden eyes, wide with surprise and fascination, his face lit up by the curious light of the moving wall. A hidden passage was now visible, though what was down there Sai couldn't tell, it was pitch black. Trembling a little, the pup nodded in response to Mira's question and slowly began to walk forwards toward the tunnel, his father following closely behind him.
Sai hesitated at the entrance, his paw quivering over the stone thresh. He took a deep breath, and pushed his way into the darkness, using the shiny ring on Mira's tail as a guide ahead of him.
"This should be interesting, eh Hiruko?" Seirei whispered to his friend behind him.
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Post by Hiruko Koudo on Mar 5, 2012 14:25:15 GMT -1
Following the other two with Sai nervously tailing his father, Hiruko walked through the familiar caves. "Indeed it will," Hiruko responded to Seirei's comment, chuckling lightly. It was an important day for Sai, a day he would hopefully be sharing with his own cubs. The darkness of the tunnel made it difficult to see since they were deep within the mountain. The air was cold and damp but nevertheless it was not unpleasant.
"How are you feeling, Sai?" Hiruko asked the young wolf to try and make him feel less nervous. "Excited?"
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 10, 2012 19:05:35 GMT -1
Sai nodded silently, his body growing tenser with every step they took, half with anxiety and half with anticipation. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, with no sounds other than the soft padding of their paws on the stone floor. After about half an hour the walls begin to transform from a plain grey stone, to walls embedded with tiny crystal shards, twinkling softly in various colours. Sai's eyes lit up in wonder, and even Seirei exhaled a sigh of wonder; it had been a while since he last came here and it still wowed him.
"Much further to go, Mira?" Seirei called to her at the front of the procession.
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Post by Hiruko Koudo on Mar 10, 2012 19:26:58 GMT -1
Further into the tunnel, they came across the crystal shards that projected glistening colours all over their faces. It was a stunning scene and something that could not be replicated anywhere else; Tialka's magic had something to do with the beauty.
Hiruko hadn't been here in a while, not since they had first come across it. He had no reason to. Strictly speaking, residents only came here to get their crystals and it wasn't exactly a site that could be 'visited' unless you wanted to get lost. Only Mira could navigate her way through the tunnels with the 'sixth sense' she possessed in this area.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Mar 13, 2012 0:42:20 GMT -1
Mira kept leading the way, her connection with the ice and snow somehow connecting her to the crystals, allowing her to navigate the winding tunnels. When they finally came to the Cavern, she paused to let her friends gather behind her. She didn't speak just yet, as she wanted to give Sai time to take it all in. The Cavern was completely round, sparkling with crystals around the room, some embedded in ice, some out in the open, growing like slactites or stalagmites. Mira smiled at the sight, as she always did, as it filled her with a sense of peace.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 21, 2012 19:25:07 GMT -1
They finally reached the main circular cavern, walls packed with sparkling crystals and jewels, their twinkling lights refracted in the larger pillar-like formations that emitted a soft glow. Sai's reflection of his face peeping into one of the crystals was magnified and bent and he giggled at how strange he looked.
Seirei gave a sigh of contentment. The place had such an overpowering effect on the heart and emotions. Seirei did not know whether this was because of the magic at the core of the crystals found deep within the mountain or just a happiness found in the thought that this place had meant so much to everyone who inhabited Tialka. Now it was Sai's turn to officially join the family of their world.
"Go stand next to Mira, Sai. She'll tell you what to do." As his already growing pup trotted over to the snow leopard, Seirei went to stand next to Hiruko. He oddly felt a little tense.
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Post by Mira-Neiva Fadiele-Koudo on Mar 21, 2012 19:39:19 GMT -1
Mira looked down at Sai and gave him a calm smile. "Welcome to the Crystal Caverns, Sai," she said, her voice oddly hushed, as if the caves were some sacred place. "Here is where you will gain your crystal. It may or may not be buried, I cannot tell you, as only you can find it. You will know it as it will draw you to it. Once you find it and collect it, return to us, and we will explain the next step."
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 21, 2012 19:57:07 GMT -1
Sai nodded to show that he understood. He did not really know how a crystal could choose its bearer, but he just tried to open his heart to the walls around him. He slowly began to pace around the cavern in a clockwise motion, every now and then pausing, brushing the continuous curved wall with his left wing. He did not know how, but every now and then Sai felt his chest tighten, or his ears gave a little twitch. Trying to understand the confusion, he changed direction quite a few times. Where was this force trying to pull him? It was almost magnetic, like something was crying out for his attention. A number of times he had felt himself being drawn to a particular area of the wall, to the area opposite the single entrance to the cavern and to the far right.
Closing his eyes with concentration, Sai sniffed the wall, even gave it a small lick or a pat with his tail. It was like his body wanted to make a bond with the inanimate stones. Then he just knew. Opening his eyes he stood before his prize. Half embedded into the wall was a little star, a dark blue crystal with three of its points sticking out, the other two fixed into the stone. Worried that he might break it, Sai thought about how he could get it out. He needn't have worried, for as soon as he touched the crystal with his paw, the entire cavern lit up into an almost blinding display, every colour of the rainbow intensified. His own crystal, too, lit up and willingly slid out of its socket and landed at its new owner's paws. The momentary light display faded back to normal as an ecstatic Sai rushed up to Mira, the crystal in his mouth.
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Post by Hiruko Koudo on Mar 21, 2012 20:50:50 GMT -1
As the dazzling display dimmed, Hiruko felt a shiver through his body. It felt warm and welcoming and he knew exactly what it meant: Sai was now a true member of Tialka, a Tialkan resident. Seirei must be so proud of his son, Hiruko thought to himself. The stone was a beautiful star that suited Sai well. "It will only be a matte of time before the other pups can receive their crystals too," Hiruko informed them. "I wonder what theirs will look like."
He smiled at Sai who appeared excited at the founding of his own crystal, a symbol that he was a true Tialkan resident and also, the first born in Tialka. "Perhaps we should go to Skalakruh and place the crystal in its new spot on the stone circle," Hiruko suggested.
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Post by Seirei Hisakata on Mar 30, 2012 21:13:29 GMT -1
Well done Sai, Seirei thought to himself proudly, puffing out his chest and beaming at his son. It was strange to him how both of their crystals looked so similar, both in shape and colour, except Seirei noticed that the symbol was different. "Let's have a look, Sai." he called to the pup, who happily scampered up to his father to show off his new treasure. Holding the small crystal in his paw, Seirei could see a symbol in the shape of a an elegantly-shaped wing. "Suits you perfectly, eh?" he said, ruffling Sai's head with his other paw. "We're going to have to make you a thread so you can wear it for everyone to see once the ceremony's over."
Seirei agreed with Hiruko, now was the perfect time for Sai's official initiation, when his crystal would be placed in the stone table for them to watch as his little soul became tied to theirs and the world's. "It's a long climb down to get there. I don't mind being of service ..." He knelt down to show what he meant. Sai automatically hopped on, his crystal back in his mouth; he didn't fancy flying the long distance in the cold again. "Once we get back to the entrance I'll be happy to take us all there in no time at all."
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