[ P ] Dreams Unwind

This place -- every rugged peak, each valley carved by furious rivers -- was a museum of memories for Rhiannon. It was a surreal experience, even in the depths of the surrounding darkness of night, for she had not returned here since leaving it those months ago. It was a location that once meant deep isolation and daily humiliation on the tongues of those who had despised her from birth, simply for being. Those tongues were now long silenced by death, and their cruelty left no sentimental feelings in the woman. Instead, she thought of them with smug satisfaction, for she remained when they did not.

She had led Nimue to an outcropping above the ocean, which raged below with mercilessness as it pounded the shoreline rhythmically, ceaselessly. Candidly, Rhiannon spoke of a past that became easier to dismiss as she grew older. ”My mother was thrown from this place -- this very spot -- when she was too weak and too ill to be of use to the rest of them.” She tapped the spot with a diminutive paw as she spoke, recalling that fateful day of her youth bitterly. ”She taught me all that I know of the Feminine Divine -- until I learned for myself, on my own,
and then found others.” She smiled fondly.

Her stare hardened momentarily, voice darkening: ”And may the rest be tormented for eternity where they now dwell, in the pits of Dubnos, a place even darker and more brutal than any mortals’ dungeons or chambers of torture.” Then, she smiled again, as if she had not just recanted tales of true horror from her own experience. These, however, were stories for another day, as Rhiannon dismissed the unchanging past. ”But we are not here to relive fond memories cold and dead, Sapphire, dearest.”

There they stood, upon the stone perch, overlooking ragged boulders and crumbling hillside. Here, the wind was cold and swift, scented with salt as it came rushing in from the open sea. ”The earth, you see, is ultimately vulnerable when faced by the power of water and the wind. Together, they are stronger than one alone.” Her velvet eyes turned toward the speckled visage of the other curiously.

@Nimue

art & code by alexandre

N

imue stayed close to Rhiannon’s side as much as she would allow ever since they were released from their holding in the Mainlands. She’d hated that they’d been separated in the dungeon, only longing to have been able to comfort her. Nim was able to still her mind, numb herself, but Rhiannon had clearly been distressed. It was then that she realized, she hardly knew the woman…yet, she found herself desiring to.

It came as a surprise to her when the offer was presented to travel with her friend to her homelands. She might not have thought anything of it, for she could have chosen anyone to accompany her. It was when she began to relive and reminisce aloud, sharing moments that were not so pleasant with Nimue, did she realize that she might be one Rhiannon trusted above others.

Hearing of the fate of her mother made her feel ill, especially when peering over to witness the brutal collision of the waves against the cliffs. Nimue’s eyes studied her face as she spoke, feeling every emotion that appeared in her expression in some form or fashion. She had to be reminded in the back of her mind to shield herself against such energies, but at the same time she wanted to feel it and better understand the mystical woman nearest her.

After listening patiently, she couldn’t help a hint of a smile from appearing as she was named ‘Sapphire, dearest’. Nim took a couple of paw steps closer to Rhiannon, lowering her head ever so slightly to press her muzzle into the soft fur of the fae’s cheek and nestle their flanks side by side. When she looked up she found herself captured in Rhiannon’s curious amethyst gaze and for a moment, she was silent, simply admiring the hues of the woman’s eyes. “I wish I had known you sooner…I truly could have found solace in your company when I was a girl…”

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

F

or a lingering moment, the windswept woman was quiet, and she gave no resistance to Nimue as the space between them was filled with their shared warmth. “I wish I had known you sooner…I truly could have found solace in your company when I was a girl…” Rhiannon uttered a strange sort of laugh, looking fondly into the deep blue eyes of the other femme. ”Oh, but I was a dreadful little thing. If not for my mother…” Her words tapered off into silence as Rhiannon simply shook her head. Now was not the time.


Naturally, she wondered just what Nimue had faced in her own youth, and the possibilities gave the wolfess a moment of pause, ears flicking backward... clearly, whatever it was, it was likely to be an unhappy tale, as well. ”I would like to hear of your past, soon,” she said gently to Nimue. ”Come, there is more here to see.” Again, she began to lead the way, following a thin ledge of rock that allowed only one wolf to walk across it at one time. A larger wolf could even struggle to make it across at all, and many had been lost accidentally in this place, including many faces Rhiannon had known and despised.


Their next destination was in a deep valley, further from the ragged coast, and the silver-hued wolfess was silent as she walked lightly over the worn path. She had been born not far from here, but that was not where Rhiannon was determined to go. Instead, she danced ever closer to the future. After a long stretch of silence, she finally regarded her companion again, her expression vague but smiling.


Here, the sound of corvids overpowered the sound of the breaking waves in the distance, and the tumult in the sky inspired a smile. ”I have always envied them,” Rhiannon stated quietly, referring to the murder of crows that flew overhead, noisly communicating with one another in their own species’ tongue. ”I would have given anything for the gift of flight.” Her focus turned now to the black birds now surrounding them from above. Most were not interested in the pair of she-wolves as they bickered and fought amongst themselves.


But there was one in particular that caught Rhiannon’s attention as it sat on the tallest branch of the tallest tree with something unidentifiable and small in its grasp -- it was not until she saw the tail of the prey animal that Rhiannon realized it was the crow’s catch, now lifeless, its tail flicking about with each turn of the hunter's feathered face. Several other birds attempted to steal away the dark corvid’s prize, but with admirable brutality and determination, the crow fought off each of them. It was minutes of fighting off others before the beast finally devoured its catch, appearing to swallow it whole, and finally, finally, the crow caught sight of the wolves, bright black eyes meeting Rhiannon’s own shining violet orbs.


”The one good thing about growing up in Ayr,” the wolfess began slowly, still staring intently at the bird, who now spread its wings and gave a low call, ”Is that this is where many corvids learn to speak like us. Wolves from across the lands would come to find one that could deliver communications from a great distance. But they have always been much more than simply messengers in my estimation, you see?”



@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

A

smirk played on her lips and she lifted her shoulders haughtily. “You assume that your sapphire wasn’t a hellion herself.” Offering her a wink, though her smile faded as the mood seemed to become more somber again. Nimue felt she was having trouble reading her as she delved into the crests and pitfalls of her varied emotions.

Nim withdrew only to have Rhiannon mention her desire to know more about her. She averted her gaze, staring downward at her paws, flashes of memory passing behind the stormy hues of her eyes. Ultimately, she did give a curt nod in agreement, not wiling to make any promises just yet. She then moved along after the other woman, staying close to her where the terrain would allow.

Along the ledge, one of her feet slipped, pebbles cascading noisily into the depths below. She sucked in a breath and pressed herself closer to the rough surface of the cliff wall until they were on a far safer path. The silence between them was soon filled with varied shrieks and cries of birds and when they finally reached the massive gathering of the winged creatures, her mouth fell open in awe, watching them drift about.

“I have always envied them.”

The sound of Rhiannon's voice stole her attention and she regarded her dear friend with the deepest compassion. She noted the wistful tone of her voice, imagining a pup with round amethyst orbs that brightened in the presence of the corvids. Nimue followed those purple irises, although they now belonged to a grown woman, to see that they were locked with a very large crow perched up high.

She narrowed her eyes, sensing a connection between them both. As if on cue, she witnessed the crow lift itself up and spread its wings to swoop down in their direction while the other witch told of the companionship between wolf and bird. If she’d ever held a doubt that this woman’s affiliation belonged to the element of air before, this moment would have proved her wrong.

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

”Y

ou assume that your sapphire wasn’t a hellion herself.” She could not help but grin, and she shook her head briefly. ”I would hope for nothing less from a little sea nymph.” But Rhiannon, the old Rhiannon, would never have dared to step out of line. Back then, she had no choice but to oblige… Ultimately, however, death was the great equalizer. In death, no one is more powerful than the next, regardless of their station while they still breathed. She wondered, briefly, if their bones still littered their old home, picked clean by scavengers by now.


Nimue herself offered no hints toward her own past, and Rhiannon could sense her unease at the mention of it. She was curious, naturally, to learn of the context that had created her fair Sapphire, but the wolfess kept mum, careful not to press the issue. And as the minutes passed in silence and the two traveled, Rhiannon was silently grateful for the other’s steadying presence, and more grateful still that Nimue was a witness to what then transpired between wolfess and corvid.


The crow soared closer to the wolves, landing before the duo with a curious look. There was unmistakable intelligence in those small, jet black eyes. Its sleek ebony feathers were well groomed and beautiful. The enchantress smiled, bowing her head in greeting. Having grown up around these corvids, Rhiannon had some knowledge of their kind: judging from the smaller size of this crow compared with many of the others, she could deduce that the ebony creature was, indeed, female. Apropos.


”I am Rhiannon, and my companion is Nimue. What are you called?” The crow was silent in response to this inquiry, casting only a meaningful look, and Rhiannon took this to be an invitation to proceed. ”Then I shall call you Badb*, to honor the great war goddess who appeared to mortals in the form of a crow.” It was as ancient as Rhiannon’s own moniker.


Amethyst orbs remained fixed on the corvid as Rhiannon explained to her lupine company in a low, rumbling voice like thunder: ”Badb was the harbinger of misfortune to soldiers on the battlefield. Her appearance foreshadowed doom, and she punished the unjust with carnage.” The corvid seemed to nod in response, indicating that she did indeed comprehend, before answering in a song-like voice: ”Badb. Rhiannon, Nimue.” Rhiannon was impressed. A clever corvid, indeed.


Finally, she turned to her she-wolf companion with a savage smile. Her voice was steady, eyes ablaze as she recited: ”And in the blackness, she appears, forewarning to those fated to fall before her, for she is the darkest of omens…” Her thoughts turned to the villains who had been in the king’s garden on that recent, fateful wintry night -- the soldiers, the gawking onlookers, the so-called king himself -- and though she still abhorred them for their power and their control, she felt some satisfaction. Their misdeeds would not go unpunished. Rhiannon did not know how she intended to make it so, only that she was now more motivated than ever to the cause of revolution.


* name sounds like bayv || (Old Irish) “crow”


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

N

imue stared silently at crow where it landed, watching it blink its beady little eyes at them. She’d always found birds a magnificent sight to behold…from afar. Up close, however, they rather unsettled her slightly. Emotion was difficult to read from them, especially when on a wolf the eyes were mirrors to the soul. On this ebony-feathered avian however, there was nothing but dark emptiness, leaving her to wonder if it would nestle up to them or peck their eyeballs from their sockets.

She allowed the woman born of air to partake in this conversation while she simply studied the interaction. While Nimue was perturbed by the winged creature, she was still willing to learn and understand. Her counterpart named it Badb, the origin of this chosen monicker vastly intriguing to Nim. She nodded with her own approval, not that it was needed.

The gargled caw pronouncing her name caused the fur at the back of Nimue’s neck to stand on end. Oh, yes…this will take much getting used to… She thought and was broken from her musing when Rhiannon turned to her. Nim straightened up, locking away the bothersome thoughts to refocus on the words spoken to her that she imagined were to symbolize the newest chapter of their lives. But where, exactly, would it take them?

Those worries needed to be buried as well for now as she churned the negative energy into positive in celebration of the newest union. “The fates have chosen well…a match made in heaven, I should think.” She smirked and bumped her hip against Rhiannon’s playfully.

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Her newfound crow companion sat before the pair of wolves, waiting for orders. But for today, Rhiannon had no duties designed for the crow. Instead, her attention returned to Nimue. She returned her playful touch by leaning her weight against the other wolfess as she spoke in feminine tones: “The fates have chosen well…a match made in heaven, I should think.” Smiling fondly, she nodded her acknowledgement, adding in a hushed voice, ”Yes. Just as the elements work together.” Her eyes flicked toward the murder of crows that went about their corvid business, not caring about the wolves in their midst. ”After all, there could be no wind without the water, and vice versa.”


Rhiannon had received what she had come for -- and then some, and she smiled in gratitude for her lupine companion. ”Thank you for coming to this place with me today. It has been a long time since I was in Ayr. It feels like a lifetime ago, thank the goddess.” How much better life could be from those miserable months! Rhiannon could not have guessed. but in that moment, she felt a sense of contentment that had been entirely absent from her earliest age. "Shall we?" Rhiannon would lead the way out of the perilous cliffs and jumbled boulders, close enough to touch Nimue, should she want to -- which, naturally, she very much did. And so the two would leave her homelands. Together.


@Nimue

@tag

art & code by alexandre

S

he mirrored her lovely friends smile, gazing upon her meaningfully when she'd described the way their affiliated elements were naturally intertwined. Nimue offered a humble dip of the head in response to Rhiannon's gratitude. "Of course, Amethyst. It's the only the very least I could do."

Within the sapphire gems of her own eyes there was understanding and the look she gave the other woman was one that spoke a thousand words without her ever uttering a syllable. "Whether the tide ebbs and flows or crushes and drowns, I am honored to be with you through it all."

Rhiannon took the lead and Nimue naturally followed, remaining close by to provide her support in the form of physical affection only as the other wolfess sought it out. As they departed Ayr, it was then that her very soul had decided that anything Rhiannon desired, she would see done.

[Exit Nimue]

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck