Heart and Home
The Why
Heart started out as someone who was unaware of her desire to "settle down." Not in the build a tribe or start a family sense of settle down but lay down roots. Through her journey through the Obelisk, encountering Zikwa in their caverns, returning to the Swamp and being confronted by the images and shadows, Heart has realized the roots she wanted to establish were not physical ones but emotional. She wanted to find and create these roots with other kin without needing the immediate proximity. She's learning to be alright with being alone physically because of the connections she's made, be they good or bad.
She wishes for kin she befriends and bonds with to find a home in her heart. Even if it wasn't a permanent one, she wants to be supportive and someone comfortable for them to be with.
Story
How fire came to be...
Spoiler
Heart and Home had recently returned from her little jaunt through the swamp. She had not been alone and was grateful to all those who accompanied her and was patient with her whenever she went off the path and got herself lost. She had learned so much and had gained some confidence in herself. As she relaxed by the fire, her new-found confidence was able to silence the tiny voice that often second-guessed herself and she managed to share a story.
The kimeti doe finished her story and grew quiet. But it was a comfortable silence that encouraged others to share their stories and the smile on her face promised she would be listening eagerly.Heart and Home wrote:It began when the MotherFather made the world. Lands formed for them to walk upon, their breath became the winds, their tears gathered into the waters that nourished. They journeyed from one end of the world to the other, and where they traveled, plants bloomed and animals came to be.
The world moved to the rhythm of the MotherFather's heartbeat, soil shifted and changed, tossed from one area to another by the winds or washed together by the rain. Soon there were swamps, vast plains, sandy deserts, cold mountains, and deep caves. The MotherFather passed through all of them, leaving behind echoes of their essence. It was from these echoes that kin sprang forth.
But as these kin were merely echoes, they had not even a sliver of power of the MotherFather. They had to adapt and learn how to survive this young, wild, dangerous world that they found themselves in. During the light of day, kin who lived beneath the canopy of sky explored the lands while those deep within caves learned to listen. During the blanket of night, kin who failed to return to the herd were rarely heard from again.
Some cried to the MotherFather for help, others claimed that those who were lost were simply weak and deserved their fate. And there were those who kept their silence, lest they blamed the MotherFather for bringing them to life and abandoning them in difficult times.
The MotherFather heard it all: the muttered complaints, the whispered doubts, the faithful prayers, the resentful anger. The sentiments took root within the MotherFather's heart, coiling tightly and feeding off of their lifeblood. Despite the pain, the MotherFather withstood it just as they withstood their children's whisperings and prayers. Eventually, a bud emerged within the MotherFather's chest, and soon it blossomed into a flower that glowed with such intensity it burned.
The MotherFather plucked the flower, gave it a kiss, and sent it to their children.
That night, while kin were settling to sleep, one of them noticed a tiny prick of light in the dark skies overhead.
They blinked. The prickle of light was now a streak.
They blinked again. Nearby came the sharp crack of splintering wood.
The sound startled the herd awake and they saw a tree had blossomed with flowers unlike anything they've seen before.
It glowed a brilliant hue, its petals danced, and it gave off heat that staved away the cold. Like the faith and devotion that bore the flower, it provided protection and warmth. Those closest swore they heard the voices of kin within the flowers, that the crackling was their prayers being answered.
The kin who first spotted the light dared to approach, entranced by the sight, walking closer and closer to lean in to see what scent this flower gave off. But like the secret resentment and frustrated anger that also bore the flower, it burned to the touch. The kin sharply pulled away, gasping in pain. Again, those closest swore they heard the voices of kin again and that this time it was curses being muttered.
Despite all faithful prayers that was first heard, it would be the ire that kin remembered. So they called this flower "Fire" and that was how fire came to be within the world.
By Kalahari - 2
RP
[WP-001] - 2 (backdated)
[WP-002] - 2 (backdated)
[WP-003] - 2 (backdated)
[ORP Called to the Caves] - 5
[ORP] Underground Society - 5
Gathering RP - Bringing Back Water - 6
Gathering RP - Stoking the Fire - 6
Gathering RP - Gone Fishing - 2
Gathering RP - Gathering Algae - 6
Emotional Sacrifice - Water - 6
Emotional Sacrifice - Air - 6
Finale ORP: The Other Obelisks - 5
The Scent of Adventure - 5
CYOA - Wonderland Tea - 1
[Blessing] Hopeful Hearts - 2
[SOLO] Here and Back Again - 3
Familiar Chase - 1
ORP with Steals Fire - 5
[COMBAT HELPER] Heart and Home - 1
[AU-RP] Mostly Business - (ongoing)
73/50