The small healer woman was expecting to lose herbs to mud and frost as winter set in. that was the point of her hot house after all, to keep those herbs that might be needed over winter alive. What she hadn’t expected was the strange glow that was affecting all of her herbs. Every plant in the hot house was alive with an unearthly glow. If it was an infection, it was unlike any she had seen before. She wouldn’t be able to to use any of her herbs until she knew how this might have changed their properties.

It was late into the night, with the swollen moon in the sky above her as she worked in the hot house. Pruning and experimenting with her herbs in a frantic attempt to figure out what was going on.

"Speech"

Something unusual had touched this night, mid way through the winter that marked Deus an adult. Since Aureus' death the Abraxas youth had hidden himself for the most part away, shirking his duties and training and merely struggling to survive beneath the weight of survivors guilt. His parents thankfully did not push him, perhaps they knew that he'd soon see the error of his ways and what a mockery he was making of his godly lineage. Nightmares were something of which Deus was familiar, and they lingered and persisted in spite of the medication his mother would prescribe to ward them off. They always had the same plot - the same scenes of Aureus, the earthquake, the stranger who made Aureus smile so brightly and both wolves losing their lives for his own. This time however the ending differed, and as the earth split open an unnatural blue glow spilled out from deep within it's depths, engulfing Deus with it's eerily tinted light and somehow, a sensation of peace. He rocketed to his paws, alert and alarmed with his thick fur still standing on end. A glance out his hastily dug den had told him that night still lingered, though the dream had touched something strange in him and he had no desire to return to it tonight. The majority of the pack still slept soundly as he worked his way quietly out the den entrance and towards the gardens his mother so often frequented. Drawn to her like a moth to flame, he hardly noticed the unnatural hues that faintly tinted the night nor that the moon above was not yet due to be full. "Mother?" He called out, finding comfort in her small presence almost instantly. The charcoal coated woman was heavily focused upon her plants, and as Deus gave them a cursory glance and saw the glow that radiated from them, he realized why. "Is it Abraxas' touch?" He asked suddenly. The religion of his father wasn't something the pair spoke of often, but Deus blurted out the question before he could think twice of it's appropriateness. "Speech"

Deus found her in the hot house, and she looked up from her off cuttings, her frown slowly leaving her as she focused past the herbs and to Deus. “Close the door, love” she ordered him gently as she felt the brush of cold air coming in with him. Strange glow or no, she didn’t want the cold killing her plants.

He did as she bid and came closer, looking at the herbs that had caught her attention. Absent-mindedly, she reached out a paw and pulled the younger wolf closer to her. It was almost comical, the tiny healer and her giant son.

“Perhaps,” she said. While not believing herself, she did believe in her children's right to decide for themselves. “But whatever their cause, I must determine if the change will do good or harm to my patients. See how the glow fades when it’s cut from the stem?” she said, snipping one such herb and handing it to him. So he could see for himself the way the glow died when it was no longer connected to its soil. “I haven’t made any changes to the soil, nor have I seen anything like it.” Then, pulling her attention from the herb, to glance upwards at the dark sky and the full moon, she frowned. “Bad dreams again, my love?” she asked gently.

"Speech"

Riva's command was easy to follow, and the obedient son did as he was bid and firmly shut the makeshift door behind him. He set his eyes upon the plants as she directed his attention there, watching as the subtle glow faded as she snipped it from it's root. Deus held it in his paw and peered down at it cautiously, half expecting the calming feeling the glow of his dream had placed upon him to return, though try as hard as he may the man felt nothing. "Mmm." He acknowledged, placing the herb down with reverence. "It could be a blessing." Deus offered. That the odd glow to be a curse wasn't something he was willing to approach, not if it meant some disaster would fall upon their pack and his family once more. "I could find for you a subject, a rabbit or something, to test it upon?" Better Abraxas' will be tested upon a lowly woodland creature then one of their own. His mother's frown pulled from him one of his own and he angled his head away, ears falling back to his skull. "Yes." He hesitated, considering leaving the confirmation without elaborating, but Deus was not one to lie to his mother and lie of omission was still a lie. "It was different this time, there was a blue glow like your plants. What could it mean?" While he'd never as a child judged nor looked down upon his mother for her lack of faith, he found himself wishing some part of her was a believer so she might be able to advise him with the same wisdom with which she approached all other aspects of life. "Speech"

She wasn’t so sure about that, but offered no resistance. Only a word of caution. “Blessing or no, I have to be certain what I'm giving to my patients. They trust me to do right by them, and I am duty bound to do so.” She explained to him, her ethics set in stone. She did however raise a brow at his offer. “That would be cruel. I intend first to test its reaction to bits of skin and blood, and if I need a living subject, my own body will do.” that had been the way she had learnt much of her knowledge in the past. “Do you know how to test plants on yourself with minimal risk?” she asked her son.

Before, of course, launching into an explanation. She always ensured her children had the best knowledge to guide them. “There are six steps in a testing. First, you separate the entirety into sections, second, you sniff it. Search for a strong or unpleasant smell. Then, test a small piece by placing it in contact with your inner elbow or wrist or a small moment. Wait to see if it causes any reaction. Do you know what sort of reactions you're looking for?” she quizzed him. Pausing from her lesson to listen to his dream. “I’m not sure, have you seen the moon lately, my love? Or the fireflies? Perhaps you saw their glow from beneath your closed lids” she offered him.

"Speech"

Asmodeus' face scrunched up in a deep frown, his desire to do his mother proud weighing against the one to protect her forever and never let harm befall her. He hated disappointing her, and had from the day she lectured him on abuse of the resident bees. "How is it less cruel to attempt it on yourself?" He argued softly. "You are Aerie's sole healer, we need you alive and well especially if the glow does end up being dangerous somehow. You owe it to your patients to stay healthy enough to help them." He could not meet her eyes, lecturing his mother felt more wrong then the glow of the plants did, but the pit in his stomach would not go away while he worried on whether she'd be experimenting on her own flesh. Lessons on herbs and proper applications of them and other healing tools were not uncommon to hear from his mother, and Deus's attention naturally fell upon the woman as she educated him. He never seemed to be able to retain the majority of the detail of which she spoke, but if this truly was a curse then he assumed it was more important to remember something that could keep himself and others safe rather then replace the knowledge in his brain with a fighting stance or hunting strategy. Deus knew Riva expected an answer to her question, though he'd always hated guessing to the correct response. His lip twitched, his brows furrowing as he thought upon the most likely and safe answer. "Pain would be a bad reaction." He offered. His mother gave her reasonable and logical response, and Deus contained his frown as to not disappoint her further. It was not the moon, not the fireflies, there was no earthly explanation for the feeling that had touched him. In his soul he knew it to be his God, the one his father spoke so highly of. It was unfair to expect Riva to offer him the answer he wanted to hear, and he merely set the burning thought aside with a small nod in reply. "Speech"

“That’s why I take care to do it properly, but I know what I'm doing and what's happening. A rabbit would just know pain and fear. It would be like torturing them. When we hunt, we do it to sustain ourselves, not to torture” She said gently, kissing his brow again.

“You're right, my little giant. You would also be looking for burning, itching, numbness, or a rash. Those would all be signs to avoid eating or using it.” she continued, but broke off her lecture. She could see there was far too much concern in her son's eyes. Perhaps from hearing she would test it on herself - or his dream, different to his usual nightmares, was affecting him.

No matter what she believed, he would be heard in her house, always. She put aside her lecture, moving the herbs back to her table to settle herself more squarely opposite him. “But reflecting light is only one possibility. Perhaps God might be trying to tell you something.” She suggested to him. She paused then, chewing her lip in thought. “There are some tribes of wolves that live far away from there, that smoke a certain herb to put themselves into a trance. To bring them closer to nature, and spirits, and see what the world might be telling them. If you promise me that you will never use this herb without supervision, perhaps we could perform a small test and see if there is anything else to be learned, if God is trying to tell you something?” she offered him. She had reservations, but she knew how to cut the herb to a safe dose and administer it in a way that would do him no harm.

"Speech"

Her response was gentle, but the bitter after tones of disregard for her own health still lingered within him. Deus was not convinced and it showed clearly upon his face. "Then I shall trap one, without harming it. It will feel fear, but no pain. Then you can sedate it as you do wolves who suffer severe injury. If the glow is a curse and kills it, at least it will be peaceful and ethical. For the greater good, as it is when we hunt." He was pushing her harder then he initially intended, but was set upon finding a solution that did not pose risk to his loved ones. Losing his mother would irreparably break him, of that Deus was certain. Riva rattled off the other correct answers, and Deus did his best to commit it to memory. Perhaps if he tested the herbs in this way on himself and came to her with the results, he may be able to avoid risking her self-experimentation. She did not speak on herbs much further, and as her lecture broke off and she put aside her herbs, he found himself meeting her gaze across from him curiously. Deus felt a pang of guilt as she continued - religion never seemed a comfortable subject for Riva, though if she was approaching it now it must have been clear upon his face that he'd needed it. A part of him wanted to spare her the discomfort of ruminating on something she did not believe in, but the other part yearned to discuss with a wolf to whom he looked up to so highly. "I would like to try that." He murmured appreciatively, feeling once more like a pup being given something he didn't deserve. "I want to believe it is Him, but I don't know what He feels like to know for sure." "Speech"

“I will not relax my morals, my love. Leave the poor rabbits out of it, please.” She said to him, keeping her voice as gentle as she could. “I will settle for mixing it with blood and skin discards for now, and treat patients with the remedies I already have made up, until we know more. Will that satisfy you?” She said, understanding his concern. She wouldn’t promise not to test it on herself in the future, but there was not yet a dire need to do so. She could give him this.

As for the topic of God - She nodded her head. “Then let’s give this a go” she said, getting to her paws, and ushering the much larger wolf gently out of her hot house. It was only a few steps to get to her apothecary. It was lucky she had spent most of her time collecting, drying, preserving, and crafting herbs. She would have enough stock to last them a little while. She moved through the apothecary and grabbed what she needed. “From what I understand, when God wishes himself understood, you will know his touch.” she encouraged him. Despite her atheist view, her son had taken to believing in the Abraxas religion.

She took him and the things she had collected and placed into her satchel out of the small building, and up the hill. Moving to an out of the way spot in the pack lands where wolves weren’t likely to venture too closely. “Alright, here looks good. Place yourself in a comfortable seating position that you can hold for a time, and close your eyes.” she instructed him.

"Speech"

Riva put down her paw with the firm but kind words only a mother could manage and Deus gave a childlike groan, though did not push further. In the very least she agreed to for now settle on pieces of herself that were not currently attached to her, and that was already more then he knew she wanted to give. "Fine, yes, I'm partially satisfied." He grumbled, blowing an exhale through his nostrils. An argument with a parent seemed to Deus to always a losing one, no matter your age. Deus' face lost it's gruff teenage-ish disappointment as she got to her paws and nudged him along. They were doing this now? His heart pounded in his chest, and the young Abraxas could not determine whether it was nerves or excitement. Riva spoke as they walked, grabbing herbs that Deus could not name and settling them into her satchel before leading him away from the enclosure. "Will He be angry that I'm reaching for information He has not yet allowed me to understand?" Deus asked hesitantly, accepting his mother's efforts and prodding further. Perhaps the subtlety of his nightmare and the strange happenings in the night sky were meant to be misunderstood, and Riva was unintentionally guiding her son against Abraxas' will. If He was angered, would the God punish Deus for daring to reach further, or Riva for leading him there?" Deus ducked his head while they climbed the hill, worry spreading through him. Riva's instructions were easy to understand and the obedient direwolf did not hesitate in obeying her word. He sat himself upon the top of the hill, focusing his attention upon his muscles and forcing relaxation to come to them. It perhaps took him longer then necessary as he ensured he followed her instructions to the letter, and finally when he was sure he was as comfortable as possible, he met her steady gaze and searched the deep blue hues. They reminded him of the brilliant blue glow that had come to him in his dream and of the calmness that was brought along with it, and after basking in that peace a moment longer he allowed his eyes to shut as he was bid. "Speech"

Riva shook her head at that. “The idea of this is to open yourself up to the world. If God wishes to speak to you, you’ll be more receptive. I don’t see how it would be reaching for things that aren’t there.” She disagreed. She hoped she was doing right by him with this. Her, an Atheist, trying to guide him. But in the end, her beliefs didn’t matter. What mattered was that she loved her son, and he was trying to reach for the God he believed in. She could not tell him what God wished, or instruct him spiritually. She could only guide him in the way she knew how. For Riva, that was the knowledge and understanding of herbs, and the way in which this herb had been used for generations.

She watched for a moment as her son settled, pausing in pulling things out of her bag. His eyes were on her, staring deeply into her own. She didn;t know what he was reaching for with that look, but she would give him anything she needed. So she looked on, reassuringly, with a smile on her lips, until his eyes closed. “I’m going to set candles on four points around you, and then light the herb that will put you into a trance. Breathe normally, and if you find the smoke is too much, tell me immediately.” she ordered him, as she began to do exactly as she said.

"Speech"

RIVA

You notice the full moon is brighter than you've ever seen before. You also find 4 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Asmodeus

A nightingale sings sweetly in a tree nearby. His feathers seem to glow softly. You also find 3 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…

His mother's wisdom (although the woman was not quite knowledgeable about faith) did calm Deus, and he nodded solemnly as she assured him that his God would not be angered by the attempted communication. From behind closed eyelids he tracked her movements upon the grass, his ear swiveling with her voice as she circled him and explained the scene she was creating. Deus felt it was important to imagine it, and so he conjured up the images in his mind of her candles, the herb, and the smoke that would flow to him. Even while focusing so hard upon her instructions and knowing what he should expect, the smoke startled him. He inhaled, struggling to force himself to keep his breathing steady and not take in the herb too deeply in his eagerness for some form of sign. Riva had not directed him on what he should be thinking, but it came naturally for Deus to speak through his mind and reach out toward the heavens and the deity he felt might be there. He allowed himself to feel his fear, the fear of losing his family, his pack, his mother to this strange otherworldly contaminant that had touched their herbs and his nightmares, and willed that feeling toward his God. "I want to understand, please guide me. Sometimes it feels like you're not there at all." Though his eyes were closed, the world around him grew brighter. It took every bit of his willpower to keep from peeking, to keep breathing in the herbs his mother burned. He was just beginning to find his center again and opening himself back up to relaxation when a birdsong broke through the night's silence. Deus' eyes snapped open, finding the source and recognizing the bird immediately. A nightingale - his mother's namesake. His namesake. The feathers upon the bird seemed to faintly glow, and something inside Deus' chest squeezed painfully. He did not have long to look upon the creature before it finished it's song, spread his wings, and lifted off the branch into the sky - leaving behind a single glowing feather. Deus stood transfixed and stepped toward the tree, watching as the blue glow faded as gravity drew the discard down to him. By the time it lay in his paws, there was no longer a mark of otherworldliness upon it. "Am I dreaming?" He directed his soft words to his mother who led the ritual, but his gaze did not leave the simple brown feather he held. "Speech"

That was as much guidance as she could give him. She knew that from there, it was up to him. With the candles and herb lit, smoke billowed gently around the young boy. The hue from the moon making the entire scene almost bluish and unearthly in nature. She leaned back, careful not to inhale the smoke herself. Having seated herself upwind, she got only a light taste of the herb in her mouth. One of them needed to keep full control of their senses. She was here to ensure her son had a safe journey.

The sound of a bird song startled her, it was unusual enough that a bird would sing at night. She recognised almost immediately the song and the colouration of the bird. A Nightingale, a creature that sang at dawn at dusk. It was late, somewhere in the middle of the night, and she knew of no other nightingales around. Its natural inlincination to call for a mate struck her as wrong in the setting. If she believed in omens, she would have thought it meant something. Uneasily, she looked to her son.

Asmodeus left the circle of candles, and moved to where the bird had first sounded. It had fled in the night in a strange sort of glow. It had happened about the same time the intensity of the moon’s glow had grown. Riva shivered, though she hid her reaction from her son. “Describe to me exactly what you see” she whispered, uncertain if he was seeing only the bird, or if the herb was doing its work and affecting the world around him.

"Speech"

It felt like he'd been staring down at the feather for hours when his mother's voice sounded once more. Her words were a whisper, but he felt their weight as if they'd been carried across the smoke directly into him. The familiarity comforted him, but as he stared down at the feather and felt the faint echo if her speech Deus felt the pit of dread in his stomach return with more intensity then he'd felt since his nightmare. The plumage was no longer glowing, but the longer he looked down upon it the more it seemed that the blue glow had transferred to his paw pads and began to leech up his forelegs. Deus dropped the feather and turned back toward his mother and the circle of candles beside which she sat. In the bordering trees he swore he could see hundreds of the bird, all with beaks wide in song but silent as the dead. The moon's glow was as unrelenting as the sun, engulfing his mother in it's vibrancy. "I don't know." He admitted eventually, finding it difficult to put words to the sights. Would Riva think him silly or a liar for admitting to her what he'd seen? If it was all a hallucination, Deus did not want his mother to think he was attempting to manipulate her subconsciously or not. He tried to remember how he'd felt when he'd initially seen the nightingale, perhaps through that first reaction he could determine if Abraxas had blessed or cursed his mother's name, but all Deus could remember was the fear and dread. "I'm scared." He admitted aloud. "Can you stop it?" Even his own voice was beginning to sound wrong, at some points seeming miles away and others sounding like he'd shouted the words in his head. "Speech"

[/b][/color]

As Riva looked at her son, she moved forward, putting out the candles and the herb, before burying the herb to neutralize its effects. It only took her a moment, and the majority of her attention was on her boy.

He could not describe what he was seeing, but whatever it was began to unnerve him. “It’s alright, my little giant” she whispered, reaching out to gently grab him. “It’s me” she assured him, just in case, as she pulled the much larger wolf towards her. Burying his head in her chest as she wrapped a paw about his head, rubbing his back soothingly. “Relax, and concentrate on my voice, okay? I’m right here with you, I’m right here. Do you want to try to describe what you saw? Even if you don’t understand it? Talking about it might help” she suggested

"Speech"

It was almost comical how his small mother took him in her arms and held him, having already put out the candles and extinguished the smoking herb. While he expected her actions to quite literally stop the effects, they lingered even as the smoke faded away and Deus shut his eyes against the hallucinations and tried to do as he was bid and focus upon her floating, vibrant voice. Riva was never one to lie to him nor was she a stupid wolf, and so if she insisted speaking of it may help Deus wanted to follow her direction. He hesitated a moment, contemplating how much left out detail may be considered a lie and in the end simply sighed into her small chest and spoke. "A nightingale, glowing with the same light as your plants. It's song was.. searching, not exactly sad or hurt, but I can't ignore the fear it brought to me." Deus looked up from her charcoal fur, opening his eyes to search hers and trying to ignore how bright and blueish she was in the moonlight. "I don't want you to try the herbs on yourself, mother." He implored her, wide eyed and afraid. "I fear Abraxas was showing me something terrible, and in the end you flew away and I don't want you to ever go away." Deus closed his eyes once more and curled his large frame against hers for support, awaiting her response that would likely be some reasonable explanation on how his fear for her took hold of his mind and influenced his hallucinations. Her assurance that it wasn't real, and it wasn't his God. Perhaps he should approach his father and warn the man on what was to become of his mate. "Speech"

[/b][/color]