Inan'abelas // DAI; Solas

Inan'abelas

"Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them. Under these stars I used to hear stories, but now it seemed as if it was the sky that was telling us a story as its stars fell, violently colliding with each other. The moon hid behind clouds to avoid seeing what was happening." 

-Ishmael Beah

~~◇~~

She had a nightly routine fixed in place for the fall of every sunset and sunrise, and tonight was no different. Ashinne would sneak past the keeper's hut, taking extra care as to not wake the hahren from his slumber as he dreamt soundly in a small tent next to the hut. She would then whir through the branches above the Halla pen, giving a soft nod of mutual understanding to the watchkeeper that always seemed to be on duty at night.

Tamet... is the hunter's name. Taller than most elven boys at his age, but full of muscle and strong will. The blood writing of Elgar'nan adorned the soft, pale skin of his face, along with a few smudges of mud from being outdoors all night. She admired his bold choice in vallaslin, for many would rather choose to humble themselves with a tattoo of lesser gods.

Except this night was different from the rest. There was to be no nod to the hunter. There was simply no time nor place for such a gesture. So she kept her focus indomitable, leaping onward through the branches with swift grace and flexibility. All those years she trained as an apprentice hunter did her no justice other than for this very purpose. She was a healer, not a fighter by any means. A sword's blade against flesh made her cringe, as well as the metallic smell of blood and the piercing sound of weapons clashing in rage. The very moment she discovered her pool of mana, she never looked back on the world of fighting.

The world of magic was beautiful. So much to learn, so much to cast, so much to improve upon. Fighting was stagnant, forever the same. As a mage, Ashinne knew spells of every tree, and sitting down in an effort to learn more always excited her. It's one of the many reasons she chose to train as a healer rather than a hunter; she seemed to have more free time to read and study that way.

The pads of her feet met with the forested ground in lithe thunder, the crunch of leaves and pine needles muffling her agile fall from the branch. And then she ran toward the cliff of the mountain, hoping to catch sight of the floating night colors before the hahren discovered her leave. Bristles of low branches whistled in her flurry of wind as her legs moved past.

Soon, pine needles turned into gritty pebbles and sediment, and Ashinne knew she was getting close. When she ultimately saw the stars peeking over the small mountain ahead, her nerves started racing in excitement. Watching the night sky after dark was one of her favorite pastimes, and nights like these made Ashinne most anxious.

She didn't know what to call them, but she was fascinated by them. The swirling, glowing lights that parted the sky only certain nights of the week that shone with an intensity that put the color of her own vallaslin to dust. The murky emerald tattoo that stretched across her face was nothing compared to the bright green lights that stretched miles across the vast ocean of sky. They reflected in the pools of green that watched in awe beneath her brows, sitting in sockets that could only hope to see what brightness was daring to peek through any possible space her eyeballs would allow.

None. They would allow none, because Ashinne wanted to take it all in. The pure beauty, the pure spectacle of it all. Some aspects of the world were still a mystery to her, despite her countless readings and lectures on nature. Nothing could ever explain the beauty of the sky, no matter how hard she looked into the matter.