The Burning Rabbit (ATTN: Ozzy, Zeb)

"Those loves will need to cool for a bit before we can make use of them, Give them a moment while I get some things together.” Iris said as she prepared a basket. Some plates, knives, a crock of butter, cold cuts, and relish. It would be a proper meal shared for the ritual.

Minutes passed as she prepared before returning to the bread. She checked the crust with her claw. “Ready” she said before she finished packing.

It was now quite late, but the performers were still playing in the common room, as the festivities went into the early morning.

“Come,” she said, “you’d best lead us to your family picnic place.”

Ozzy didn't need the Hunter's Gift to guide him to a spot he'd been to his entire life. As useful as the ability is, he has learned not to abuse such a power and become lazy. After all, if he relied solely on the power and nothing else, his hunting instincts would grow weaker over time. This was something Ozzy's father would mention to him and his sister occasionally whenever one of them got too "lucky" during a hunt. He would make 2 points clear

1. Using the Hunter's Gift too much would weaken a hunter's instincts
2. Using the Hunter's Gift on mother nature, unless doing so to protect oneself, is an insult to her and her inhabitants.

Of course, Ozzy's father was never the stern type of man, being fully against corporal punishment or anything that would harm his children both physically and mentally. But even so, both of his children cherished him and done the best they could to make him proud.

Thinking back on his father, Ozzy starts to feel guilty for not going to his parents about this mess. He knows it wouldn't have been the smartest move, going to two older adults that have never dabbled with magic outside of the Hunter's Gift. But deep down, there's a feeling inside of him that says he may not get to say goodbye to the two people that love and care about him most in the world. The two people who taught him everything, and loved and cherished him his entire life.

Then his thoughts fall on Darlanna. She will be busy dealing with discrimination and focusing on her studies, completely oblivious to what is happening to Ozzy in Kallos. She will most likely learn about his death through letters. She may drop out of college to mourn Ozzy's death. She may even...

NO, STOP IT

This will work. You will get to see your family again. You will get to tell them how much they mean to you. You WILL get through this

Ozzy shakes the thoughts out of his head and focuses on the task at hand. The group make it to the picnic spot. Seeing the area look somewhat the same since the last time he had been here doesn't help push away the thoughts of his family. However, Ozzy wants to use those thoughts to help encourage him to change his fate and save himself.

"Ok, the spot is here, and if memory serves me right, the stream should be....that way."
Ozzy points to a dip in the terrain, and makes his way towards the sound of the gently rushing water. As he stands at the edge of the stream, he thinks back on the many times he's felt the cool water on his paws. As pups, Ozzy and his sister would come play in the stream during the hotter days of the year. Sometimes, even his parents would join in on the fun, which was mainly Ozzy's father most of the time, as his mother was a little less on the rough housing and more on relaxation side of enjoying the cool water. Even still, she would occasionally join in on the antics.

We WILL have those fun times again. I'll make sure of it

Searching the water thoroughly, Ozzy sees many stones under the water's surface. Many of different shapes, sizes, and colors. He's unsure of which one he should choose. He turns to his friend Erchon, who is standing idly by with the group, waiting on the wolf to pick up a stone.

"So...do I pick a random one, or one that "calls out to me" in a sense?"

Erchon followed his friend through the night, both the Green and Silver moons hung in the sky waning and gibbous each.

Even in the moonlight he had a hard time reading Ozzy’s face. He worried about his friend. Not just the curse, but he imagined the panic that would be all too natural for one in with such a mark.

Ere long though the wolf led them to a stream, its current rippling darkly under the starry sky. River worn stones littered the banks, and the stream sang as it rushed over others beneath the flo.

“So...do I pick a random one, or one that ‘calls out to me’ in a sense?” Ozzy asked.

“Random would work, but one that you like would work better.” Erchon said. “You should look at them, touch them. Find one that feels good and looks right to you, or has a quality you might feel friendly toward. A shade should be a friend after all.”

“Let me give you some light,” Erchon said, before raising his lamp, “May the light of the Flame guide you to liberation.” As he offered the Eluthanai blessing the red light of his lamp brightened. Slowly at first, giving the eyes time to adjust, but before long a pool of white daylight filled the space where they stood.

Erchon's Eluthanai lamp illuminates the body of water, giving Ozzy a clear view of the stones that rest at the stream's floor. Knowing that the waters of Kallos can be cool at this time of night, Ozzy reluctantly puts his furred paw into the stream and grabs the first stone he spots. The stone was slightly jagged, not smooth like it looked at first glance, and it had a mostly white appearance with some green on the outer edges of the rock. Ozzy placed it aside and picked up a different stone. This one he picked up was a lot smoother and darker colored, but quite larger than the previous stone. If he wanted something that was comfortable and "friendly", then he also wanted something that was convenient to carry, not something that would keep up pocket space.

He tosses the stone across the stream, hoping to make it hop across the water. The attempt failed, most likely due to the low water levels of the stream compared to other bodies of water in and around Kallos. Of course, this was no time for skipping stones anyways, so Ozzy goes back to the task at hand. He reaches down again for another stone, smaller than the second but same size as the first. Unlike the other stones, this one in particular had no splotches or mixing colors, and instead was a solid cream color. It was a smooth oval shape, much like an egg but larger. He picks it up closer to the lamp to examine it better, making sure that this sort of stone felt "friendly."

"You know what? I think I'll use this one. It's pretty to look at, and it gives me a comfortable feeling whenever I'm holding it."

Ozzy dries off the stone (and his paw) with his tunic and puts it in his pocket.

"So...now we head towards the place of offering. I think I remember you mentioning that it was some sort of cave, Erchon. Where exactly is it located?"

OOC: To give a better look at what stone I chose, I've sort of found one that looks like what I'm talking about. Just pretend it's a little bigger in perspective lol

Erchon nodded as Ozzy showed him the smooth river stone, and he let the light of his lamp contract back to only just more than a lamp might naturally offer.

“Yes, the place of offering. It's in the foothills above the sea, not far from where you found me this evening.” He had already planned on making a different kind of ritual for the harvest today, but Ozzy’s need had pushed that aside. Still he hoped the holy day would give power to meet the need.

“Follow,” he said.

The sounds of celebration continued well beyond the middle of the night as small groups moved from inn to inn. The songs of performing bards punctuated the dark as doors opened on still ruckus common rooms.

Erchon led the handful that walked with them along the south edge of Kallos. Beyond in the south lay the moonlit sea, and in the west forested mountains rose at the edge of town.

The trails they followed were familiar to the gnoll man even in the dark. On a night like this the Powers of the Earth were heavy in the air the deeper they walked through the ferned forest. Their warm familiar darkness pressed back on the light of the lamp. Even still the light of the Flame did not dim.

Moss covered standing stones made a semicircle that bordered the clearing around the cave of offering.

“This space is holy,” Erchon said. Normally only gnolls initiated by the Witch of Kallos were allowed beyond these stones, his mother’s roll. Yet she was gone and Erchon couldn’t be sure would survive for her to return.


“Wipe the dust from your feet before entering,” he instructed the others.

After dusting his own feet he walked into the clearing. A deep shadow emanated from the cave and goosebumps covered Erchon as the powers that rested here struck him to the core.

He looked up and smiled. The stars could still be seen though shadow lay thick on the forest so that it seemed only the clearing and the sky existed.

Just at the cave’s yawning maw a pile of rock capped with a broad slate stone formed an altar.

“Help me make a fire on the stone table, Ozzy.” he said at last.

Despite having Erchon's permission to step onto these holy grounds, Ozzy gets the feeling that he isn't supposed to be here. Like he might get struck down by Erchon's ancestors that are watching over them from up above. He knows what Erchon is doing for him is most likely going against some form of tradition. Considering the circumstances however, Ozzy feels that Erchon's mother and his ancestors watching over him should cut him some slack. If there was any form of punishment, Ozzy would rather take the blame rather than Erchon. He doesn't want his friend to have to pay for saving his life.

“Help me make a fire on the stone table, Ozzy.” Erchon said.

Ozzy looks at the alter at the front of the cave's yawning. He never would have imagined himself coming to this kind of location, let alone helping perform a magic ritual. Still, his life depended on being here, so he was going to stop gawking at the strangeness of the situation. He was hoping he had remembered to carry his trusty flint and steel as he dug through his pockets, and luckily he could feel the familiar cold and metallic piece wrapped around a rock. Sure, he never really needed to keep it on him while he wasn't out hunting or camping, but his father made it clear that having a tool like this is important in any situation.

"You never know when it could come in handy. Might even save your life one day." he said to Ozzy.

Thanks, Dad. You have no idea how true you were about that

Ozzy pulls the flint and steel out of his pocket, untying the cloth keeping it together.

"Ok, we got our fire starter. Now we just need some wood to burn. Erchon, do we need a special type of wood for the fire, or will any normal wood work?"

Erchon smiled to see Ozzy’s fire starter. He had been prepared to call the Flame to light the fire, but knowing Ozzy could light it himself was good.

He was confident the ritual would help his friend, but he also knew anything more Ozzy could contribute, the more the ritual would help him.

“That’s good,” Erchon said warmly, gesturing to the flint and steel.

“The wood doesn’t need to be too special, just dry enough to burn. Fallen branches around clearing should do. We don’t need much more than tinder to create a fire which will burn long enough to complete the ritual. I saw some dry firns a little way off, I’ll gather that for kindling, if you can find the wood.”

~~~

While Erchon and Ozzy prepared the fire Iris performed her part in the ritual. From her basket she drew a blanket and spread it on the ground not far from the altar. She set out each of the loaves they had made each with their shared bit of luck. She’d taken special care to note which one was Ozzy’s and set it on its own cloth at the head of the blanket.

In time Erchon returned with the kindling which he formed into an open mound at the left end of the altar.

After gathering a fair bit of fallen branches scattered around the clearing, Ozzy tosses his load onto the kindling. With this, Ozzy takes back out his flint and steel and positions himself close to the burn pile. One of the common risks of using any kind of fire starter is having exposed fur catch on fire due to flying sparks. It's why Ozzy carries a piece of special cloth to not only keep the flint and steel together in his pockets, but also have something to put the fire out with if that situation were to occur. Nothing like that has happened with Ozzy, but he can recall one time when he was younger where a spark had lit a small flame on Ozzy's father. When Ozzy tried to tell him that he was smoking, he took it as a compliment before realizing that his arm was starting to create smoke.

With a few strikes of the metal and rock, a small flame had begun to ignite on one of the sticks. In a short while, the fire grew larger and larger until the entire pile was in full flame. Ozzy notices the blanket and bread placed out by Iris, one specific loaf placed on a cloth indicating that it was his. All of this was happening, whether Ozzy liked it or not.

"Well...there's no turning back now." Ozzy said. "I guess it's time to start the ritual."

The fire cracked pleasantly, and Erchon smiled as he spoke to Ozzy. “It will be well my friend. It is time. Have your loaf and stone ready and kneel before the altar. I will begin the ritual and invoke the Powers of the Earth.

“When I finish you will place your stone on the altar a little ways from the fire, you will then tear a bit from your loaf and set it opposite the fire from the stone. You will ask the stone to share a meal with you in friendship. Tear another small piece from your loaf and eat it before speaking the blessing I taught you back at the inn.”

After he finished his instruction he placed his lamp on the blanket, and drew his belt knife. He directed it toward the edge of the clearing, and turning, traced a circle in the air. “The circle is cast,” he called, then he spoke again in the Infernal tongue, “Ὦ Κράτη τῆς Χθονός, σε εγώ καλλέω.” O Powers of the Earth, I call you, was how it would be understood in the common tongue.

Now Erchon stood next to Ozzy, and nodded. It was time for the wolf to do his part.

OOC: The Infernal text could be transliterated as O Krate tes Chthonos, se ego kalleo. I chose to just write it out in greek since that’s the alphabet Erchon would use to write Infernal.