Dragomir's vibrant gaze watches her with a curious focus as he nods his head in agreement to her plight. He would try to show her... try to teach her, but it had taken his father many tries to pass this knowledge on to him. "I am not much for teaching, my friend... but I will certainly do what I can."

With that he takes a seat near a still pond that was shaped in almost a true circle. From the area around them, Drago would take only the smoothest stones and set them in a smaller circle inside the shallow water's circumference. "This will be our eye." He explains as he places the last stone. Then he looked overhead at the fireflies buzzing about without a care. "We will need some of those, as well. Gather them for me... but do not kill them. We need their light." He lowered his gaze to fixate upon hers with a near-deadly seriousness. "Strip them of their wings."

It was cruel, but it was a key part of this intricate rite. After commanding her to assist he would shake the feather he had collected from behind his ear, placing it in the calm waters on the outside of the circle. "Place them inside the outer circle, as I have done with this flight feather." He instructs.

@Diomedeidae

Art by Tyrannidae - Code by Corvus

Dio nodded. Fine. No teaching, she would watch then. Admire his power, hope for some kind of reassurance that her father was still safe in his travels. Again once more she nods more feverishly and eager.

She follows him to the pool, unspeaking and attentive to him and what he was doing. Along her eyes moved with his paws as he gathered the stones. She wants to ask why he's picking the ones he is but it feels sinful and wrong to break the quiet, that heavy serious air that was beginning to build. She's familiar with it, the anticipation of each ritualistic step done in favor for a god, in a task for them, in asking them and questioning them. Wondering, analyzing everything around you. He begins to speak again- her breathing comes quicker and she nods yes, yes ok.

She takes up a leaf in her jaws and begins to use it to urge the fireflies to land, to pull them in closer to the edge of the water that Dragomir has picked out and will them into the grasses. Eventually there are a number of them crawling around the grass, their bodies in patterned repetition. His next ask though seems impossible. She looks up with disbelief, a brow lifting. They're so little- ? Dio voices quietly. It seems not only cruel for the fireflies but quite a hard task for a creature of her and his size.

Dio inhales and closes her eyes. Maua- Her own god's name is whispered and then Dio falls quiet, running rampant thoughts through her mind and hoped that they might find it in them to help guide Dio's paw and heart through this task. Then her one paw began to move, it brought a firefly up on her fingers and close to her face. Using the neighboring finger she extends a claw and holds her breath while carefully using one quick motion plucks the wings from the first firefly. Still holding her breath she lowers it to the inside of his circle near the feather. A process she methodically, and silently, repeated until every poor firefly that has decided to remain in the grass is mutilated and left in the ritual site.

Finally she lets loose a deep exhale and closed her eyes once more and focused on the dark behind her eyelids. We must do hard things. She mumble the mantra quietly, more for her own sake than to communicate with him. It echoes into silence and then her head bobs back up, teal eyes open and ready for the next step._{CODE | BACKGROUND | ART BY MUULAND}

The woman did as she was told in a timely fashion as he gathered several different herbs to sprinkle amongst the fireflies in the pool. Once it was done, he saw her close her eyes and mutter something he could not quite make out - but it did not feel his place to ask.

When her eyes opened, her determined gaze would be met with his own predatory stare coupled with the proud posture of a Vulpes. "Now... since we will be asking to find someone that you seek -" Drago turned his eyes upon her chest. "Someone that seems to be close to your heart... just above is where we must draw your blood." He says, finally turning his eyes back to her own.

"Not much is needed. But once drawn, you must place it in the 'Eye'." he instructed carefully. He waited then, reciting the incantation in his mind for when it was to be spoke aloud. He waited for his cue... for the precise moment.

@Diomedeidae

Art by Tyrannidae - Code by Corvus

This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of self-harm/self-inflicted wounds

Every second inched her closer to both finding an answer and getting to witness what Dragomir called blood magic. Her gut swayed between nervous excitment (was her father alive?), exhuberence of a student willing to consume all knowledge, to just a little sick seeing the fireflies helplessly struggle in their grounded state. She felt his gaze on her and in turn a heat rising up, all of thes swirling emotions built up together and tightened in her gut like an immovable ball of lead and steel. Her intense, readied, teal visage followed his eyes as they moved to her chest, as he spoke of the need for her blood.
TW START
Dio does not flinch, once she knows where the blood must be placed she lifts a hand to her chest. She extends the claws upon her bronzed hand and drums each of the across her chest with enough force to pierce down into the skin. Each turned muddied red with blood, droplets clinging to her claws and fur as she lowers her paw to the eye. Her offering is made. Her father has spilt far more of his own blood than this to protect his family, to protect her, to protect them all. The price of a few drops of her own blood seemed cheap by comparison.

She glances to Dragomir, the multiple small self inflicted wounds upon her chest slowly begging to seep dark blood into the dull blue of her soft underside. Was that enough?
TW END_{CODE | BACKGROUND | ART BY MUULAND}

This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of self-harm/self-inflicted wounds

TW START
Drago watched her hungrily as she failed to hesitate. She performed her part with ease... practically effortlessly - in fact. As the blood from her chest is taken with a controlled paw, she looked to him. Her eyes were determined, and yet begged him answer 'was this enough'?

As if being asked to take blood from above one's own heart wasn't already a great deal to ask of someone, Dragomir couldn't help but give an almost amused half smile in her direction. A huff of a chuckle escaped his chest - the innocence in her eyes while she stood waiting to finish the blood-ritual almost unfathomable.
TW END
He nodded in encouragement. "Into the eye." He repeated gently, gesturing a paw toward the small circle of stones he had made. The water inside the stone circle was still clean and pure, despite the outer circle having been muddied with many different offerings for Koiné swirling within.

"The blood will tell us the answer, but we will only receive a 'yes' or a 'no'." He continued, straightening his posture as he prepared to begin the oral incantation. "As the blood swirls in the water it will form a third circle... or it won't. The clearer and more pronounced that third circle is, the clearer your affirmative answer will be." He explains with a sadness to his voice, his eyes holding that same melancholy. Too many times has he seen that beautiful scarlet circle.

He then clears his throat, then sheepishly he adds - "You will see a clearer image than I... So let me know what you see. I hope you don't mind, but... incantations are best recited in my mother tongue." Finally he takes a breath, steadies himself and with eyes closed and head turned to the heavens, he begins.

"O, Calul Palid, scoate la iveală adevărul pe care îl implor,
Ghidează-mă prin această incertitudine, pentru totdeauna.

Koiné, dă-mi închiderea pe care o caut,
Dezvăluie adevărul, le bate inima?

Mai locuiește sufletul cu suflare de viață,
Sau au plecat, dincolo de cearta muritor?"
Just as before, it is almost as though the wind picks up in the little sanctuary. His mane is gently tossed in the wind, the remianing fireflies that had lingered nearby darken and find shelter as the water swirls - yet the 'eye' remains undisturbed.

@Diomedeidae

-----OOC-----

Translation for Incantation:

O Pale Horse, bring forth the truth I implore,
Guide me through this uncertainty, forevermore.

Koiné, grant me the closure I seek,
Reveal the truth, does their heart beat?

Does the soul still dwell with breath of life,
Or have they departed, beyond mortal strife?

Art by Tyrannidae - Code by Corvus

She hears what he says, but doesn't. It's weird. Dragomir's voice becomes like an echo but one that sounds in reverse, coming in from far awy and then growing louder. Sinking into her soul. She doesn't hear his instruction she feels in. And so she peers into the pool, into the faint swirling of her own blood mixing with the still water. The eye. The thicker fur along her neck and down her underside is whipped up by the growing breeze, tossed just a bit to the side and the fluttering back down into place.

Maua- She silently prays in her mind. Please allow and welcome Koiné into your home as you asked the Valour to welcome outsiders into theirs. She has a vision in mind of a great horse, similar in shape to what she expects hoof stock to look like. But grander, just as Maua was decidedly not a lion in many ways. A beautiful creature, strong. The deciple of Maua willed space to be made in this sacred grotto for The Pale Horse.

Dragomir's incantion begins to grow louder in her mind and each stressed syllable brings a pulse of light into Dio's vision. Her rigid body begins to sway back and forth in time to his words. My father, my father, Aquila. Aquila. Eagle. Eagle. She is mumbling- willing and directing any energy possible out to her wayward father and in her own ways joining the chant, albeit quietly. Is he alive? She asks with eyes tightly shut. Afraid to look but compelled by a pounding in her chest and growing intensity.

Teal eyes open back up with alarming speed, her pupils having dialted until there was no color left and the spaces seemed like voids. Deep into the pool she peers in still silence. Not even breathing, were she not upright she may seem dead herself. He's alive. She at last takes a breath- a huge, audible, gulp of air. The wind rushes into her lungs and she falls back onto her rear, then over entirely onto her back upon the ground. Her face a mess of joyful tears._{CODE | BACKGROUND | ART BY MUULAND}

It was a good thing that Dragomir's cohort had thought to ask the local Goddess (what he presumed was a Goddess, at least) permission to use her sacred spaces. Not that it would have kept the Pale Horse from making an entrance of course.

Drago was taught that, wherever the Cleric goes, his Gods may follow. For Koiné to be incited here - well, he would have made an entrance, be it ruthless and forceful or peaceful and by permission.

As the incantation progressed he heard Dio whisper and mumble something in time with him, though all he was able to make out were the words Father and Eagle. Curious, but he kept his focus and concentration on the task at hand.

A few more moments pass... she seems almost hesitant to open her eyes and see the answer that the Pale Horse had provided. At least it seemed, on his end, that no circle had yet formed. It had been a few moments longer and Dio finally opened her eyes, holding her breath in anxious anticipation.

"He's alive-" With a faint smile upon his lips Drago repeats the words that slip from her maw as she collapses with relief.

She cries, and as she takes a moment, Drago dutifully removes a stone from the top of the stone circle. He allows the water to be released back into the main pool - freeing Koiné to leave this space. Once done, Drago lowers himself down to a crouch behind Dio and whisper to her ear.

"Why do you weep?" He asks with a jovial chuckle mixed within his words. "This is cause for a celebration, no?" He knew a place where they could get drunk and be merry! It was definately something Drago could celebrate. He'd never seen this incantation end on a positive note.

@Diomedeidae

Art by Tyrannidae - Code by Corvus

In the background she hears the running of water as he shifts a stone and lets free the pool of water he's made for the completed ritual. It sounds much like she feels right now- just a flow of tension and built up worry slipping away from her. There was no guarantee her father was perfectly well not happy. In fact knowing him, he was probably grumpy but that was quite normal. But he was alive. There was chance yet he'd return, succeed on his mission that drew him away from home and then he might come back to collect Caligula.

Dio gently hmms? a response to Dragomir. She shuffles a little, rolling onto her side so she was facing his lowered head and quietly whispered words. They're happy tears I promise. She says, sealing the promise with a small smile and a reach forward- attempting to boop his neck with her nose. Thank you, this is cause to celebrate. She, at first, had been caught up wanting just to learn from him or at least see what powers his gods migth have gifted him. It becomming so quickly relevant, and joyfully so, for her personal life was an immense wave of emotion that was sweeping her long. She wanted to weep an ocean of joyful tears, she wanted to sing and dance to the moon and stars. How do we celebrate? Or rather specifically, in her cleric mind and ways, she began to silently wonder what might be appropriate to show appreciation to Koiné himself._{CODE | BACKGROUND | ART BY MUULAND}

Dragomir pulls back from her as she reassures him that she is, in fact, joyful and grateful for the news she has received. He smiles to her warmly, and when she asks how they should celebrate he released a jovial chuckle. "Oh, there is a place I know." He said turning toward the exit from the sacred place.

"The fallen fruit is sweet, and it plays tricks on the mind." He said, gesturing with a paw and wavy toes as he explained. "It is rather delightful. Come! Join me!" And with that he bounded from the pools, leaving this place until sought once more. A perfect place for him to practice... perhaps he will be spending more time here than he realized.

For now, he was on a one-track state of mind. Marula Fruits called to him!

@Diomedeidae

Exit Drago with Dio?

Art by Tyrannidae - Code by Corvus

Tricks? Show me. She says as she rolls back onto her belly and then up onto her feet. It's quite nearly a demand, but as quick as Dragomir is to take leave and as readily as he's offered up this place there really isn't need for it. Dio, a spring in her step, falls into quick pace beside him back along the path out of the sacred space and towards the falls. One last glance thrown back over her shoulder as she continued to move forwards. Thank you Maua. She says silently, her eyes glancing over the nearest few pools- swearing she could see Maua's eyes gazing back at her as they left.
/exit_{CODE | BACKGROUND | ART BY MUULAND}