[ P ] Sisters of the Moon

The smell of wet earth and the coming of a new season greeted her senses, the feel of the warming spring air against her pewter pelt a wondrous and welcome sensation after being kept in the pits of the king’s dungeon. The sight of a waxing moon above the treetops brought new life to her battered soul. Never had Rhiannon taken these pleasantries of life for granted, but since her release from prison, she soaked in the natural world with pleasure that no king or soldier could steal from her. Her mind was free, but her heart remained captured, for in the chaos of the protest and the ensuing scuffle, Juniper had been lost to the crowd.


Thoughts of the frightened youth had tortured Rhiannon throughout her sentence, and finding Juniper was her top priority now that she been ever so mercifully released. Juni had been taken in by one who remained a stranger to Rhiannon, and the silvery wolfess moved with determination through the area to reach them. All the while, her mind treated the enchantress to vivid recollections of the turmoil, the outrage of it all, until Rhiannon had to work hard to suppress a growl that threatened to escape. Intuition had taken the wolfess this far.


Finally, she caught the familiar scent of little Juniper, that pure-hearted and innocent girl, and her focus returned to the present -- to freedom, to being out of the dank dungeon and away from the Royalists who deemed it a worthy place for those deserving it, and being back with the company of her choosing. Juniper’s known scent was accompanied by another distinctly feminine one, still foreign to Rhiannon, which captured her attention more fully, and her eyes flicked around every tree trunk in the darkness, searching for the pair. ”Juni?” After a silent beat, she added: "Gwendolyn?"


@Gwendolyn @Juniper

@tag

art & code by alexandre

I

n the small amount of time the girl had been under her care, Gwendolyn had grown very fond of little Juniper. She’d enjoyed playing the part of caretaker, falling into the role of her grandmother before her. Day in and day out, she had assured the yearling was well fed, her growing bones nourished the best she knew how. She nursed her battered body to health and told her stories of her deity, even going as far to teach the girl a simple poultice or two. The woman had hesitated, however, in teaching Juniper the bloodcraft. It was not for the faint of heart; she had chosen her path when she was the girl’s age, but it had been her choice to make all the same.

“The leaves we search for are large, Juniper. They must be spacious enough to create the bundles,” she called. When the girl had been strong enough for an outing, they had journeyed to the Redwood. She always loved the wood; she felt closest to her deity in such places. Eternally bathed in the warm tones of autumn, the beauty of the steadfast trees was undeniable. It was by far the best place for her to collect the leaves she needed to sell her wares. She was not sure what it was about the place, but she thanked the Goddess for the foliage’s resilience to breakage.

As she added to her collection, the wind brought with it the scent of another. At first she paid it no mind, but her brow pinched as the scent drew closer. It was unfamiliar to her, but femining without a doubt. Standing straight, she searched for her temporary ward. “Juniper!” She called, running to the girl upon finding her not far off. Gwen placed herself between the girl and the unseen source of the scent as their names were called, prepared to defend Juniper no matter the cost. “Who’s there? What do you want?”

@Rhiannon and @Juniper

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

”J

uniper!” The sound of her little foundling’s moniker as it was echoed was assurance to Rhiannon’s tumbling thoughts and worried heart. There was, naturally, a chance that the name Juniper had been rather fashionable in the previous breeding season, given to many of the children born one year ago. But Rhiannon suspected that her intuition had been correct, and that she had indeed come to the correct location to collect the yearling. Silently, she said a prayer to the Feminine Divine for her assistance and protection. Rhiannon adopted a relaxed posture, tail falling behind her to indicate nonverbally that she had not come in search of conflict.


Before she was reunited with little Juniper, however, she caught sight of a dark wolfess, lovely in pelt color with a lithe figure pleasing to Rhiannon’s wandering and shameless amethyst sights. The protective stance of the stranger brought further comfort to the stormy woman that Juniper had been in good care during her time away. She would have to consider ways to properly repay her debt of gratitude to this kindly, beautiful stranger.


Rhiannon’s focus returned from the form of the other to the femme’s pale purple eyes, and she gave a sincere smile as she bowed her head in a show of respect. ”Ah, you must be Gwendolyn,” the pewter-hued wolfess ventured to guess. ”I am Rhiannon.” She hoped her own name would ring familiar to the other she-wolf, but continued in case it had not: ”It is a distinct pleasure to meet you. Nimue said that I might find you near, along with Juniper.”



@Gwendolyn @Juniper

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he remainder of winter was not as cruel as it could have been, despite the wailing winds and blizzarding storms—in fact, aside from being separated from her sisters, Juniper rather enjoyed following Gwendolyn around, and the yearling flourished under her maternal care. Shy, little Juniper trusted her newfound friend because Nimue trusted her. She opened up to Gwendolyn, learning about the healing arts, her Moon Goddess, everything that she was willing to teach, whatever knowledge she could pass onto her.

Today, Juniper was relishing the spring atmosphere, admiring the growth of verdant flora and blossoms, the earth damp from the early showers. Although she liked a good romp, the opportunity to play and frolic, she also felt responsible to make herself useful to Gwendolyn, who had been so kind to provide her both company and food throughout this winter. She leaped from patch of grass to stone to log, searching for the leaves that Gwendolyn required for her medicines and tinctures. “Oh, Gwendolyn, look over here! I found a lot of them! They’re all—”

Then, she stopped, a familiar scent tingling her nose. This was the smell of relief, of care, of home, and she slowly turned around to see her beloved sister. Her mouth opened in surprise, eyes widening. “Rhiannon!” she called, racing toward her, only to be intercepted by a protective Gwendolyn. “It’s okay!” she said. “This is my sister, Rhiannon!” Juniper finally closed the distance, burrowing her face into Rhiannon’s shoulder. “Are you okay? I saw them”—she swallowed, remembering the frightening night—“I saw them take you and Nimue.”

@Rhiannon @Gwendolyn

art by raven, code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

A

cool toned female was revealed from the brush, the look upon her face giving Gwendolyn pause. She was prepared to defend the girl she’d taken as a ward, but the look upon the other woman’s face suggested she did not mean harm. This was backed by a gentle breeze caressing her fur, a comforting symbol from her Goddess if there ever was one. The woman had not been inquiring for one, but in keeping her connections with her deity her intuition was kept well in use. She would listen to the breeze, the calm energy in the air settling over her as reassurance. Gwen’s mouth parted, ready to inquire on the woman’s identity, but it appeared she would beat her to the punch.

As the fae spoke, the sound of her name rang familiar. Juniper had spoken of her sisters, Nimue and Rhiannon. While she’s been familiar with the former, she believed the latter was being revealed to her now. Gwen was proven correct as Juniper exclaimed her glee, rushing from behind her as she moved aside for the young fae. “Hello, Rhiannon. Juniper has spoken quite highly of you. I am glad to see a family finally reunited,” she said, her violet hues glowing a tender light. Gwen imagined her reaction were the same were her grandmother were to suddenly appear, though the old crone had long left this world to live amongst the stars.

“Is Nimue well then, too?” She inquired, worried still for the fae she’d met upon her first trip to the College. The woman thought fondly of her midnight eyes and slow smiles, and she hoped that she would be reunited with the two soon. Gwen placed a few more leaves upon her pile, their flats as wide as dinner plates. “I assume you’ve come to take young Juniper home as well. I will be sad to see you go,” she addressed the yearling before flicking her gaze to Rhiannon once more. “She was a great help to me. Her desire to learn my craft was so endearing, I hope you don’t mind. I couldn't help but give her a few lessons myself.” Gwen smiled politely and walked closer, though she was sad to be alone again once the encounter ended.

@Juniper @Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck