What Happens in the Altar ...

Once the fire had started, and the embers had been stoked, the flames were far more willing to lend themselves to her control. Though instead of immediately quenching the small bonfire once she had achieved its intended purpose, she left it alone- allowing it to whip and billow in the tundra breeze, providing some semblance of a glow against the ill-lit darkness of night. The only evidence of natural light, coming from the waning crescent above as the world slipped into the embrace of the crone. But even through the encompassing chill, the snow had completely melted off in the ring of volcanic activity- or perhaps it had never stuck to begin with. With the approach of Beltane, she knew the northern geyser was well into its transition into a hibernating state for the quickly approaching summer. It would surge forward momentarily on rare occasions, but it would only last a few beats as the remaining bits of steam found their escape. While the geyser itself produced a heat akin to fire, she was aware of scattered pockets of water that managed to hold some heat, but not enough to burn. Caught at the right time of the year, they actually provided a pleasant method to cleanse oneself. And with the throbbing wounds in her neck, she sought to make this a healing experience as well.

Aurelia began by separating out the bits of charcoal that she would use to smolder incense from the bonfire, nestling half of them in a divet in the rock near the shallow pool that would be her altar for the evening.  “Jeg påkaller kreftene til helbredelse og nåde,” The girl mumbled as she withdrew the first herbs from the folded fur she had carried them in. With only a moment of hesitation, she began to layer on some of the plant matter she had brought with her. She would pack petals of lavender, leaves of sage, and strips of paper-thin bark from cedar trees she had brought with her into the divet over the top of the hot coals. Everything had been previously dried, so while a freshly picked herb would have wilted from the trapped moisture, a nice plume of smoke began to fester in the absence of life. “For å få frem et sunt, livlig tempo.” After stashing an amount of incense she felt would burn for the entirety of her ritual, she moved to add one final layer of glowing charcoal to ensure everything was properly weighed down. Of course, the wind would play havoc with the traces of herbal fumes, but the floral scent was still easily picked out and easily enjoyed. With a soft and slow inhale, she held her breath at the pinnacle to allow the lavender to instill its sense of clarity

Once she was prepared for the next part, she went to collect the rest of the herbs she had brought with her. White flower heads of chamomile, silvery petals and jagged leaves of marshmallow, and the velvety leaves of sage. Piece by piece she would float the herbs on the surface of the pool, watching intently as the tannins began to leech into previously clear water. “Ved magien til dette hellige ritualet,” Only when she had finally used up the entire stock she had brought with her, did she hesitate. There was no current in the stagnant pool, but the breeze did a fine job of agitating the surface, enough so, that she didn’t feel like it was necessary for her to attempt to stir it herself. “Må helbredelsen være rask og sann, og i sikte.” Satisfied that all the scattered herbs needed now were time to diffuse, she moved on to the final step.

Returning to her folded fur, she carefully removed five small pieces of quarts. One at a time, she would place them evenly spaced around the pool for the sake of trapping in the healing energy she had worked hard to instill. “Med styrken til månen, stjernene og himmelen,” Satisfied that they were positioned correctly, she took a final moment to admire her work before making the decision to enter the altar. Breaking the surface with a single paw was still enough of a disturbance to send rings rippling across the surface. The immediate flood of heat in her toes was delightful. Though, she wouldn’t rush it as badly as she wanted to. With a deep inhale, and a slow exhale, she took another step. Another breath, another step. Over and over until she had waded to nearly the deepest part of the pocket where the water had just begun to touch the lowest point of her chest. And with a final exhale, she lowered herself into the bath, allowing the warmth to cover her back and shoulders as her legs folded beneath her. “Jeg forviser sykdom, smerte og gråt.” Aurelia finished, as she allowed her eyelids to flutter close with a gentle sigh. Now that the incantation was complete, all there was left to do was soak. Gratifyingly so.

"Aurelia Veratti"