The girl could sense when Kjors and his companion moved off from the rill, and she felt as if she could breathe easily once more. She had nearly dozed off when Kjors howled his summons, his voice rising from so far west that he was most certainly at the lake. Without even thinking about it Karina grabbed her go-bundle of herbs. It never hurt to be prepared with just a little of everything useful, but if the young medic was honest with herself she really carried her supplies everywhere because it helped abate her own anxiety. Herb bundle in tow, the Baranski princess trotted steadily toward the eastern rim of the lake, and then upon reaching the shore she turned her pathway south when she scented Kjors nearby. She walked along the edge of the beach, her crystalline gaze taking in the beauty of the scene as the lake’s surface reflected the colors of the sunrise.  

Anxiety swirled in the pit of the girl’s stomach as the fuzzy silhouettes of Kjors and his unknown companion came into view. Kjors must have had some doubt about the stranger if he had kept him from the den, and Karina had trouble tolerating even the most harmless of strangers. Karina could see Kjors’s dragon stretch its golden wings out as she approached, creating a protective barrier between her and the young male. This boosted the girl’s confidence, knowing that Kjors and his dragon would keep her safe, and she was able to manage a small smile through her herb bundle as she neared the pair. The anxiety ebbed away, and Karina became aware of her deer standing beside her. She put down her herb bundle but did not say anything, waiting for Kjors to introduce her and the situation. Her periwinkle eyes appraised the stranger curiously, and the empathetic girl was overwhelmed by an intense pang of sorrow when she met the yearling’s silver gaze.  

”I speak through you now, child,” came the quiet whisper, echoing through her mind in such a way that Karina had no need to turn around to see who spoke. Karina’s eyelids drooped meditatively as she was inundated by the soothing, loving presence of the deity Herself, banishing her doubt and anxiety from her body. The doe pulsed brighter, taking on a more defined shape she transposed her negative emotions into her daemon. Karina’s mind quieted as she listened for further instruction, but as quickly as the Mother had come She was gone again, and She spoke no more to Her vassal. Karina sighed and opened her eyes as the Mother departed, leaving her intoxicated with calmness but at the same time fresh and alive, acutely aware of her surroundings.

An unfamiliar voice slipped into the air, the slight tremor in Davin’s voice quite palpable to the sensitive girl. Awash in peace, she wanted nothing more than for both her companions to feel the same tranquility, but as he spoke grief poured out of Davin with such crashing force that for a moment the empathetic girl was paralyzed by sadness. The parcel of herbs tumbled from her mouth, but the healer left them where they landed; herbs were useful in the treatment of illness and injury, but only the Mother could heal pain in the soul, such as what Davin was experiencing. She took a few slow steps toward the yearling, stopping only when she was very close to the stranger—near enough to reach out and touch him, should she wish to do so.

“That’s right. Death is a calling, just like any other.” Her voice was gentle, and her gaze remained unwaveringly on the yearling as he searched her eyes for answers to unspoken questions. There was no trace of doubt or hesitation in her voice or expression—the Mother spoke through Karina now, and so she would trust the words that came to her. Davin finally voiced one of the questions that the priestess could see burning in his silver eyes, and the answer came to Karina at once. “They are. They rest beside the Mother in Her den now, and there is no more peaceful repose than that.”  Karina took one more step toward Davin, closing the remaining distance so that her cheek rested gingerly against the other yearling’s shoulder. Speaking hardly above a whisper, she continued, “Death is such a sweet relief for those going home to the Mother, and the pain of dying is slight, just a sting... compared to the prolonged agony of surviving.” She pressed her forehead into Davin’s shoulder, trying with all her might to absorb some of his pain, so that at least he wouldn’t have to bear the full weight alone. 

Karina looked back at Kjors for a long moment, wondering if he had already come to the same realization as her—that this yearling was meant to find them—their first disciple sent to them by the Mother Herself. They would do what they could to ease his suffering, but there was more important work to do than that. This boy was chosen by the Mother, same as them, and they must teach him and keep him close. “There is a reason the Mother favors the wolf and not the doe,” Karina answered quietly, eyes narrowing as she gave the answer she didn’t particularly like to hear herself. The Priestess was a pacifist, a deer down to the deepest core of her soul, but her deity was most certainly not—otherwise why would she favor such a brutal creature?

The Mother did not shrink from violence as did Karina, she saw it simply as a means to an end, no better or worse than her other methods. However, the Priestess knew She would not approve of such over-indulgence as Davin described... killing for sport, prolonging death and suffering, cruelty and tormenting.. those were not part of a wolf’s nature. A wolf’s kill was swift and precise, and out of necessity. The prey suffered minimally. What had happened to Davin’s family was not orchestrated by wolves acting on instinct, and the Mother would never approve of such savage methods. “Those responsible.. they have turned from the Mother and her plan, or perhaps they never knew Her.” What a sad idea; that such evil and pain could exist simply because the Mother’s children had never come to know Her. Karina was beginning to see the Mother’s need for her Priestess, a tongue by which she could meet and deliver her plans to her children.