Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"It's my job, but more'n tha', it's just 'ow I operate." Eventually Sam drifted off to sleep, but not before murmuring how he loved her in Erygonian. It had happened before. When Sam was tired, he'd sometimes slip into Lunar or Erygonian without even realizing. He'd grown up with Lunar, and then Erygonian had become ingrained by Suara's teachings and working so often with her people.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona kissed Sam's cheek as her murmured things to her in his sleep. He was a sweet man and Fiona was incredibly lucky to have her. Soon, she was asleep, nestled in his arms and wrapped in her mother's blanket, content with the life that she now had.

The next morning, Fiona woke alone, warm in her nest of furs and blankets. She felt someone kiss her cheek, murmuring something to her in a language that she didn't understand.

"Happy birthday, little kit." Anya finally murmured, grinning at her granddaughter as Fiona woke. "Everyone's hard at work getting everything ready."

"What needs to be ready?" Fiona asked softly, rubbing her eyes.

"You'll see." Anya chuckled, kissing her granddaughter one more time before she left her to get dressed.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Fiona finally emerged, there was a bit of a strange sight awaiting her, but one she'd seen before of werefolk on sacred occasions like the Solstice and Equinox. Yul was sitting before Oleg, his eyes closed as Oleg painted strange, almost ethereal patterns into his fur with a silvery substance. Voluun stood aside watching, his fur already painted but with black, and Oleg's fur was painted with a mix of blue swirling patterns and red points. But the others did not have such paint in their fur. After all, it was meant for those who'd be carrying out sacred tasks, the colors denoting what their jobs were though Fiona didn't know what each color meant.

Sam was sitting with the others, talking to Per. There was something new about him, a gift he'd received. Though Sam, like his brothers and sisters, had had his ears pierced for a long time, he'd not worn earrings in all the time Fiona had known him. Now, he wore a pair of silver earrings. They were simple, but there was meaning behind them.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched her grandfather work for a moment before she moved to Sam'e side. She smiled to her cousin for a moment before she took a seat and leaned her head against his shoulder. She noticed the silver earrings that Sam was wearing and she was curious about them for a moment but she didn't want to disturb what was going on with her uncles. Instead, she gave him a look in question.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam gave Fiona a smile that told her he felt right at home, and he'd tell her about the earrings later. When Oleg finally finished with Jul, Jul stood with a quiet word of thanks. Whatever his markings meant, it was something important to them both.

Oleg's attention then turned to Fiona and he smiled softly. "Good morning, little kit." Wrapping her up in his arms, he murmured against her ear, "Happy Birthday, my love."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thank you, Uka." Fiona murmured as Oleg wished her a happy birthday. "It's one of the best that I can remember having so far."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's barely started," he chuckled, but he knew what she meant. "Now, even though this particular day of the Solstice is a bit more somber to start with, it ends up becoming the brightest and the most beautiful come sunset. This year, Yul is helping me lead the calling of the ancestors. The other boys have all done it before, but this will be Yul's first time."

Oleg smiled to his sons with obvious pride at their dedication to their tribal traditions. "Yul and I will go out to the fire soon and share our morning meal with the fire keepers who stood watch overnight. Then when you all come to join us, we'll begin the ceremony. Afterward, we'll have some time for family until sunset when what we call the 'Festival of Ancestors' will begin."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We'll be there soon." Anya said with a chuckle, kissing her husband as he let Fiona go. "I'm not letting anyone go without food in their belly. Voluun, I have enough for you to take to Juno's family and then the rest to Per and Ericka."

"You cooked this morning, mormor?" Fiona asked, glancing towards Rhett with a raised eyebrow.

"I always do on Solstice. It's the only time of year I get to kick Rhett out of the kitchen and make whatever my heart desires." Anya said with a smile towards her silent son.

 

[KieranSoares]

"He spent his free time gallivanting around with a lovely lady," Oleg teased on his way to get his cloak. Instead of getting embarrassed, Rhett just shrugged.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll always be on your side, Uncle Rhett." Fiona promised, chuckling as he just shrugged and her grandfather gathered his cloak. "We have to stick together."

 

[KieranSoares]

Rhett smiled and kissed Fiona's forehead in return. Once Oleg and Yul were gone, Rhett helped Anya pack up food for the other families for Juno and Voluun to take. Once They had all eaten, Rhett got them all bundled up to go out to the ancestral fire. He kept close to Anya while Sam did the same with Fiona. When they arrived, a ring of elders and their young apprentices, including Yul and Oleg, were sitting on thick mats around the fire seemingly in deep prayer.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was quiet as Sam held her against his side, watching the scene for a long moment. She didn't really know what was happening but it seemed to be a solemn occasion. She spotted her father standing with his drake off to the side, lost in his own little world as the prayers continued.

"I don't understand what they're saying." Fiona whispered to Sam in a soft voice.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam took Fiona's hand, quietly translating for her. "They're reciting a legend an' an age-old prayer. 'At th' apex of winter as th' Moon sails her longest voyage and the Sun his least, the distance between th' mortal world and the immortal is only a single step. This is the time tha' we welcome those gone before t'join us on the mortal plane so tha' we can show them our gratitude. From those that built our foundations, t'those who died defending the future that we are now fortunate enough to live, we thank you. From those tha' loved us as cubs an' left us too soon, t'those tha' sacrificed everything to make our 'ome 'ere in safety, we thank you. May th' Gods keep you, bless you, an' give you a future in a new life. May we meet again, in th' afterlife or another life. Accept these, our mortal gifts, to the flames so that you may have them in the spirit world, and know our love and gratitude far outweighs any material or wealth we can offer you. To you, our lost ancestors, grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and our children, we dedicate this sacred flame an' all tha' burns in its coals this day."

Sam bowed his head as he finished the translation, just as the elders themselves bowed their own and each of their apprentices placed the first gifts into the flames, wrapped up in beautiful and colorful cloth. Whatever was in the little bundles, they caused the fire to change many different colors before finally returning to orange, and then the apprentices stepped to the outside of the circle to accept gifts to place in the fire for anyone who couldn't or needed help, especially the very young and very old. Most would place their own, but the apprentices were there to keep everyone safe and help or offer emotional support and spiritual guidance like their elder mentors. Yul led the apprentices, organizing them quietly but with more confidence than he usually showed.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona listened to Sam's calm, reassuring voice as he told her what they were saying. It was touching and sad to listen to the words and know that her Ma and her grandpa were already on the other side. She wished that they could have been there with them that day, enjoying the new little family that she had so suddenly discovered.

Reaching into the pocket of her coat, she pulled out the little fox cloth that she had worked on for her Ma and a little poem that she had written for her grandfather. She stared at them for a long moment before she let go of Sam's hand and stepped forward towards the fire. She was sad, but she knew that two of them loved and missed her just as much.

"I wish you were here, Ma." She said softly as she dropped the cloth into the fire.

She watched as the cloth burned before she looked down at the poem. Her grandfather had always enjoyed her attempts at writing. He had kept a little collection of them, which she had insisted be buried with him at his funeral. She was so young that she believed he could enjoy them just as much in the afterlife as he had in life.

"I hope that you're proud of me, Grandpa." She whispered, the paper dropping from her fingers and into the fire.

 

[KieranSoares]

Those that approached the fire were left to a moment alone with their thoughts, but Sam soon approached as well and Fiona saw him produce a few gifts as he spoke softly in Lunar and Erygonian. He tossed a beautifully carved wooden dagger in first, followed by two strange totem-like objects carved with a wolf's head and Erygonian designs. Then a wooden disc carved with what seemed like a full story went in, followed by Sam's last gift which he almost hesitated to give up. It was an old stuffed toy, a horse, covered in stitches from old tears, its color faded. It was small enough to be a baby's toy, and Sam regarded it with affection despite how he tried to hide such things normally. Finally, he let it go and Fiona could hear him murmur in English, "It's time you had him back, Gran... Someone to keep you company until Grandpa's ready."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona took Sam's hand as he finished, leaning her head against his shoulder as they continued to watch the fire a while longer. She was happy she has him in her life to give her strength when she was feeling weak.

"I wish I had gotten the chance to meet your Gran properly. I saw her a few times, from across the market or at a festival." Fiona said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Everyone loved her, fer good reason," Sam murmured. "She cared about th'people when there wasn' anyone else t'care. My Da learned everythin' from her an' my Uncle Durban. An' she managed t'get all 'er children through 'er husband's rule til they could stand against 'im." Sam wrapped his arm around Fiona's shoulders. "She was always worried about me... She knew tha' what 'appened in th'war changed me. It wasn' jus' Rho losin' 'is arm. I killed a shaman to save my brother. A lot o' people called me a hero for it, because it 'anded power over t' Suara's mate. When 'e died in spring an' Suara realized 'er son 'ad tried t'restart tensions with Tidus' death, it was finally over. I was supposed to be some kind o' hero fer gettin' rid o' Tidannon an' causin' the chain o' events that made Tidus' son kill 'im an' made Suara finally declare peace. But I always felt like nothin' but a murderer... Every year I bring gifts fer Tidus, Tidannon, an' Lir as my only way o' apologizing. Then I bring one for my cousin Eli, who died in th'middle of a lot o' racial tensions after th'war. I couldn' 'ave done anythin' about tha', but... 'e's one o' the reasons Da an' Rho an' I worked t'gether to change th' justice system in Inverness t'punish hate crimes more harshly, be it between werefolk an' humans, 'r different human races."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's all just part of your story, Sam. It doesn't define you but it does help to shape you for the future. You love Inverness and you love your family. I never want you to forget all of that." Fiona said softly, looking up at him with a small smile. "You are far too serious most of the time."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Someone 'as to be, while th' rest of you play around," Sam muttered with a small smile of his own. Wrapping her up in a tight hug, he held her for a long moment. "I love you... Remind me t'thank Roman fer makin' me keep on chasin' you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"And I love you." Fiona murmured, her cheek resting against his chest as he held her so tightly. "I'm happy that you decided to forgive me. I don't know if I would have survived with you in my life for long."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam's head laid against hers as he looked into the fire for a long moment. When they finally left the fireside, Ronan came to meet them.

"Fiona," Ronan said softly, his fur painted much like the other elders. "It's about time we uncovered that tattoo, wouldn't you say?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona looked up at Sam and then back at Ronan, laughing softly. "I guess it is. Ronan, this is Sam. Sam, Ronan is the one who did the work on it. I'd like Sam to be the first to see the finished product."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Come with me, then," Ronan motioned for them to follow him to the longhouse. Once they all sat down and Ronan had gotten a cloth and a bowl of water, Ronan lifted up the edge of Fiona's shirt to carefully peel back the bandage, and the design, though her skin was a touch red and tender, was bright and alive with color. Ronan carefully dabbed at it with cooling water and some crushed herbs that numbed any pain. Once it was clean, he let Sam take a look.

When Sam saw the tree, Fiona saw something cross his normally calm and neutral expression, an emotion that Sam himself couldn't name. It was good to see Fiona connecting to her fox through the tattoo, but seeing that she'd included the tree made Sam's chest tighten. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was one he'd never known. "It's beautiful," he murmured.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona smiled as she saw the tattoo properly. It was gorgeous and she was very proud with how it had turned out. Glancing up at Sam, she saw a strange look on his face. "What's the matter, love?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Nothing's wrong," Sam told her, hugging her close. "Nothing at all." He was honest. It wasn't wrong, but incredibly right. He knew what that tree meant to their relationship.