Fresh Starts: A Diamond in the Dust

Chapter 2, Moonlit Dreaming

Bhuta walked across her shrine making sure everything would be in order after her departure. Her priests all were told that she would be leaving for a time and that the Great Spirit Tera would be watching over the Startouched Mountains in her stead. She also made sure that all the spirits in the mountains under her, which was all of them save one, would continue to preform their duties.

The night before Bhuta left she dreamed a mystical dream, one she dreamed several times before. She was in an elaborate temple made of what seemed to be made of moonlight. All around it were stars, planets, and beautiful celestial rivers. Several of these celestial rivers, rivers of pure magic, flowed through the temple. Pillars decorated the temple which was open to the surrounding space. Every single bit architecture exuded a heavenly beauty. This was the temple of Lunova; spirit of dreams, magic, and the moon. This was her mother's temple.

Bhuta walked to the central chamber and found her mother floating in the air singing, her voice like that of a goddess. The divine melody could be seen as it filled the rivers with magic and weaving the dreams of all who slumbered. Lunava's pelt was like the night sky with stars twinkling. She didn't have hind legs, instead having a long tail like a celestial serpent ending in a fin which resembled a crescent moon. The Milky Way wrapped around her forelimbs and went behind her head like a halo. She had a golden crown with the stages of the moon on it like jewels. Her eyes were a rainbow and drew you in with their beauty. She had large wings like a beautiful divine moth which had on them the dreams of mortals and spirits, and two large golden antlers came out of her head. She was giant, dwarfing her daughter in size.

Lunova noticed her daughter and turned toward Bhuta, swimming in the air.

"Welcome o daughter of mine
Daughter of dreams sky
Child of land
My child, my child
Queen of mountain high
What do you seek"

Her song rang everywhere being heard in every direction.

Bhuta also enjoyed listening to her mother's songs, it was one the reasons the spirit loved to sing. "I just wanted to see you. I'm going to travel the leaps as a mortal, imagine that me as a lowly mortal." Bhuta laughed at the thought. "Father is watching over my mountains while I'm gone." She mewed.

Lunova had a sad look when hearing her daughter's pride, but it soon disappeared. She swam through the air and coiled around her much smaller daughter. She lifted Bhuta into the air and nuzzled the leopard spirit's stoney head with her own.

"My cub, my child so fare
I see all under the light
Of the moon in the air

Go forth and see all that is there
I will watch from skies
Your travels before my eyes
And love you for all time"

Bhuta stayed there in her mother's loving embrace listening to Lunova's songs. She even joined her mother's melody, and parent and cub sang together throughout the night.

When Bhuta awoke her hind quarters were replaced by a long serpentine crystal tail, but this didn't surprise her. All who sang with her mother experienced some kind of physical or mystical change, but it only became permanent if the cat wanted it to. After a couple of hours of slithering through the her shrine the tail disappeared and Bhuta had her back legs and normal tail back.

Bhuta left most of her jewelry, only grabbing a gold amulet with an amethyst. She dexterously wrapped her long feline tail around the amulet before using her paws to put it around her neck. It was her favorite due to how it complimented her eyes.

She then transformed into her mortal form. She was a grey snow leopard with glittering rosettes/spots across her pelt. Her tail was longer than that of the average cat and she was larger to. She had a marking like a cherry blossom on the shoulder her sakura tree was previously. She looked both elegant and muscular, and strange but majestic in between.

Bhuta look her reflection cast across the crystal waters of the cavern lake. She made sure to groom herself like any feline, her comb esc tongue erasing any imperfections she saw. Once the leopard was satisfied she swung on a traveler's bag one strange mortal gave as an offering and started heading towards the leaps.