Goldsand Beach~Harvest Festival

[Tidemist]

All storylines with this setting will take place here.

[Tidemist]

Tidemist floated a few feet above most of the other elves, smiling to herself as she looked over the two tribes. Rarely did they ever actually get together like this, and it warmed her heart to see them getting along. Well, mostly. She chuckled and floated over to the food preperations, licking her lips excitedly to see the mussels bubbling in a savory broth in a pot shaped by Coral, and breathed in the scents of the various foods. How she loved festival time!

She floated upside down briefly to snatch a small piece of raw fish from the cutting boards, lightly laughing off the elf's half hearted scolding. She took a bite, savoring the sweet cool flavors as she drifted in the air. Thank the High Ones there hadn't been any fights yet! Though at that thought, she began looking around, wondering where their errant High One was. Hadn't she arrived yet?

[Ember Robinwood]

Ridge twisted between the other elves, making sure to note whenever he saw a cubling or pip. He found himself quickly becoming absorbed in the sights and sounds of the festival, though. There was so much to see! He withdrew from the crowd slightly and glanced around. Where could Stormcloud be? He hadn't seen her all day and began to wonder if everything was alright. He was sure she was fine, but he couldn't help worrying slightly.

Ridge looked over his shoulder at the forest, giving himself a shake. She would be fine. He turned back to the festivities and grinned at the sight of Tidemist, the chieftess of the SeaFolk, gliding above the rest and snatching food from the unsuspecting elves preparing the food. She may be chieftess of the SeaFolk, but he antics were often amusing.

[Leanan]

Snaketwist arrived to the beach slightly out of breath, hoping he wasn't late. He was not a cook, not like those of his tribemates that spent most of their time preparing meals, but he knew a handful or two of recipes that had been passed along in his family, and for this festival, he had chosen to prepare a dish of smoked fish, spiced with seasalt, herbs and seaweed. He saw Tidemist up ahead, sampling someone else's cooking, and his heart began to pound in his chest, making him hope that she would taste his dish, too, and enjoy it.

A slight blush on his tan face, caused by the sight of the chieftess, Snaketwist arrived to the festival grounds at the beach. He was dressed in his festival finest; which was basically a simple leather loincloth, and a multitude of pearls. Snaketwist liked pearls. He had a string of them tied around his long black braid, several strings draped around his otherwise bare chest, some decorating his loincloth, and even some draped around his ankles.

[WolfCandy]

Tern sat on the outskirts of the preparations, feet buried in the sand and a thin layer of sweat on his brow. Unconsciously, he wiped it away with his forearm. His slender fingers worked tidily on a string of flowers as he glanced up to take in the preparations and, apparently, the already begun festivities as well. A chuckling smile broke across his face at the chieftess floating above the rest. She seemed to be enjoying herself and the celebrations hadn’t even begun yet. The festival will be a success this year, he thought.

As Tern watched the bustle around him, he continued to work on the string. On one side of him sat an assortment of crowns and necklaces made up of varied beach and forest blossoms. He reached for another flower on the other side of him, where a net full of them lay, and added it to the string. Holding it away from himself, he judged its the length. After a moment of consideration, he nodded in approval and tied the ends together.

About to place it in the pile, he noticed Snaketwist passing by.
“Snaketwist!” he called, stopping short, “Care for a crown? Or maybe a necklace? It wouldn’t hurt to have a little more decoration.” His wide smile grew even wider, “And it would make you smell lovely if you happen across one of those mysterious strangers.” He winked and gave a nod in Ridge’s direction, indicating that he meant the WolfFolk.
He held the woven ring up for his cousin to see, a similar one sitting on his own head. It was a curious combination, the beach and forest blooms, but charming nonetheless.

[Kaimeta]

The sun beat down on Kai's sleeping form. "Ugh." She muttered and rolled over, taking deep breath. There was a new scent on the air. "Oh right that thing." She muttered to herself and fell out of her hammock onto the soft sand below. Getting up she shook the sand of her clothes, and swiped a hand over her head, clearing the fog of her brain with her healing abilities. 
She walked to her hut to change, once dressed in a soft flowing skirt of white with the gold tone shear cover over her purple shirt, her feet bare and her hair freshly braided down her back hanging to her knees, feathers adorning her wrist, her earring and the end of her braid,  she made her way to the festival, walking along the beach letting the waves pull at her feet and dress. She smiled at the sounds of enjoyment coming from the gathering. She sighed in relief things seemed to be going well. She smiled, and picked up her pace along the beach, enjoying the walk. 

She was just at the edges of the gathering now, and the smells of the dishes the cooks were making smelled wonderful. Kai looked around in awe of what the other elves had done in such a short time.

[Tidemist]

Tidemist smiled, finishing the peice of raw fish she had snatched and floated away from the cooks. She heard Tern calling to his cousin and holding up a crown of flowers. She directed her gaze at Snaketwist and called out, "About time, you lazy gull! The others rose with the daystar to begin their delights!" She laughed to show she was teasing him.

Then she spotted the High One and let out a mixture of a relieved sigh and a wry chuckle. She had told Kaimeta about the festival days ago so the High One could attend. Perhaps she would get to enjoy watching some uneasy elves fawning over her, she did not like that! She glided over to Tern. "The flowers look beautiful!" She called as she snagged a crown of blooms and flew to Kaimeta, dropping the flowers on her head as she landed on the sand. "I'm glad to see you could make it"

[Apogee]

Coral was curious what the Wolf-elves would bring to the gather, this Turn. For his part, of course there were a variety of bowls and handed-out tokens of good will or silly gifts, but also he'd made sure that the wide, flat barrier to the area was firmly in place. No unexpected sea-life would visit from that side, anyway.

The slender elf made his way around the gather sands, enjoying the warmth of the dry sand under his webbed toes. He could almost feel the weight of feet on the coral barrier and stairs through his magical connection, people were still coming out of their caves along the cliff side.

Coral made sure his mother and others were settling in and had what they needed (a shaped cup for fresh water here, a little bird-shaped gift there), as he walked through the area.

So many faces, most of them smiling. Not all: there would always be the grudging and distant presence of those who didn't care for mingling, or those who cared less about the wolf-blooded ones arriving from the forest.

Coral had been in the forest a few times, but it was a bit uncomfortable. Bugs picked at his dry skin, there. At least in the water, he could tolerate the little creatures that tested whether any given part of him was food... Those forest born bugs though, they just dove right in and started sucking blood!

He chuckled to himself, handed a passer-by a small shaped bracelet, and kept watching... waiting for the food to be presented!


********


Sunsong was nervous. While she had been to a gather like this once before, it was only once, several Turns ago. It hadn't gone remarkably well then, so ... she hoped this time she wouldn't do anything that angered anyone else.

*Remain here, Pepper, stay with the pack and behave.* She wolf-sent, and her mottled black and grey wolf whined once, then decided her bond was right - their noisy gathering would go on until well after sundown, and many of the Pack would just sleep until then.

Sunsong was just about to step into the too-bright beach sun, from under the shade of an overgrown palm tree, when... she saw something very unusual. Well, unusual for her eyes.

There was a sea-elf, a black-haired male who was otherwise quite handsome she thought... Walking around covered in odd little shiny bits. Before her own common sense caught up with her, the golden-haired wolf-elf walked curiously up behind him.

Her eyes were wide, filled with concentration, the color of rust. Her ears, still laced with her typical bit of golden fur fringe, tilted slightly forward. With them, she could make out the little sounds that those round bits made, clacking slightly. At the very least she had the good sense not to reach out and grab at him: he was distracted and speaking to someone else about the fish or a piece of food he wanted to try.

Food could wait, Sunsong decided. She was at least as tall as he, but much broader in build. And her decorations were natural, where he had those little round things on his wrists and ankles and tossed everywhere, she had built-in fur. Her tail, curse it her tail was proudly shaped out, her curiosity had made her forget to try hiding it.

"Why are you covered in little hard fish eggs?" She asked of Snaketwist, oblivious to his conversational partner.

[Kaimeta]

Kai smiled as the flowers landed on her head. She turned to Tidemist, "Oh I would not have missed this." She sighed a peaceful content sigh. "It is times like that that help peace grow and flourish, and peace needs all the help it can get." She said thinking that it was far easier to foster hate and violence than peace and love. 

"Besides, I do enjoy the young ones." She said. With a sudden thought."Uh Tide where am I to plant my person anyway? You know how they get when I wander around."

[Tidemist]

Tidemist smiled to hear Kaimeta speaking clearly. She had probably drunk herself into a stupor then healed herself of it. How nice it must be to be a healer! "Yes. I was thinking that myself...here's hoping we can get through the festival without coming to blows. We're off to a good start so far." She stood contently next to the High One, looking up as she asked where she could sit. She couldn't resist a small smug grin, "Why no Kaimeta. How do they get? it's been so long since you deigned to be among your descendants." She bit back a laugh as she teased her friend now.

[Ember Robinwood]

Serpent Fang watched through narrowed eyes from the outskirts of the festivities. He contented himself with observing his tribesmen mingling from a distance. He watched everyone as they weaved between each other and shouted to each other, laughing and talking. He'd been to many of these festivals in his life and was perfectly content to watch rather than interact.

Serpent Fang spied Tern sitting with his crowns of forest flowers, coaxing others into accepting them. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he stood up, walking a distance away. The fish he'd helped catch were now being prepared and eaten. It should bring some satisfaction seeing his work paying off, but it only brought annoyance to see everyone feasting easily on hard caught fish. He also noted that he was one of the few refusing to join the throng.

----------

Ridge found himself drawn to where a SeaFolk elf sat with an array of flowered jewelry (if flowers could technically be called jewelry). A good-natured smile crossed his face as he approached Tern. He inspected the blossoms approvingly.

"Where did you learn to weave the flowers like this?" He asked, indicating the chain of flowers crowning Tern's head. It would be unfair of Ridge to say that he was surprised that a SeaFolk elf would weave flowers, but he was surprised that Tern had chosen flowers from the forest over something like coral or pearl.

[WolfCandy]

From the corner of his hunter’s eye Tern noticed a wolf-elf approaching him, the one he had nodded towards. His head snapped in the direction; had he seen him nod and taken offence? Tern lowered the crown in his hands and readied himself to deflect any hard words that might be coming his way. However, the smile on the elf’s face told Tern that he wasn’t looking for trouble, and so the sea-elf relaxed. He placed the crown in the pile as the stranger came the rest of the way.

At his words, Tern shrugged lazily, “It just comes naturally, I suppose,” he said, “And with practice. My mother always told me I had a crafter’s fingers,” he wiggled his fingers in the air for the wolf-elf to see. Then, he pulled two flowers from the net and held them up a little, “Would you like me to show you?”

[Kaimeta]

Kai smiled at her old friend and raised an eyebrow. "What ever makes you think that any elf here is descended from me?" she asked Tidemist her eyes bright and sparkling the way they did when she was sober, mischievously and playfully. She laughed then deep and hearty, "I imagine it could be possible all of my children have been lost tot time." She said her eyes still bright. "So there could be a bit of me out there." 

A small group of cublings and pips ran up to Kai then. She hunkered down so she could talk to them easily. Kai always loved the young ones, while they still held the awe of being around her they didn't tip toe around her like the adults. It always soothed her. She smiled and let the young ones take hold of the hem of her cover and led her to where they were playing, begging her to play with them. She smiled and shrugged at Tidemist. "How can I say no to them?" She asked as she let herself be lead away with a smile on her face.

[Ember Robinwood]

Ridge saw the flash of suspicion cross Tern's face for an instant. Everyone was expecting insults, barbed comments, and and snide remarks. Ridge suppressed a sigh. He sat down across from Tern with the flowers between them. He picked up one of the flowers and rolled the stem between his fingers, looking at its purple pastels. He buried his nose in the flower, inhaling its sweet scent.

He looked over his shoulder to see a group of cubs and pips gathering around the High One. As long as they all stayed under the gaze of Kaimeta, he supposed he could take his eyes off them for a little while. He'd been keeping an eye on them all morning, what could the harm be? There were plenty of elves to make sure they didn't run off or get into trouble. He turned back and smiled at Tern. "I'd appreciate it."

[Leanan]

"Thanks, cousin! A necklace for me, please." Snaketwist smiled. "A bit of good smell is never a bad idea, especially on a feast day!" He said, although the only person he wanted to smell good for was the chieftess...

Who was suddenly here and talking to him! Snaketwist blushed at her words, even as he realized she was only joking. But before he could think of any answer, she had flitted off again, quick as a hummingbird.

And then there was someone else talking to him. She looked different from other WolfFolk, with all that fur an even a tail. But he himself often took a shape that gave him a tail like a fish's instead of feet, and he always had his fins and webbed ears and fingers, so it did not seem so impossible that a WolfFolk elf would choose to look part wolf.

He smiled his usual friendly smile at her. "Shade and sweet water! Actually, these are not fish eggs. I can show you fish eggs, there are some at the feast table. They are quite soft and taste good. These," and he touched his chest decoration, "are pearls. Pearls are made by oysters and other kinds of seashells, and I and others wear them because we like how they look." He reached for the end of one of the strings that made up his chest decoration. He undid the knot at the end, took off one white, round pearl, and knotted the string again. He gave the loose pearl to Sunsong. "Here. You can have this one, as a gift from me." He told her, smiling.

----

Stormcloud arrived to the festival area, breathing deep the salty smell of the ocean. It was different from the forest smells, and it fascinated her. She was dressed simply, in a short skirt and a skimpy sleeveless top, and instead of her hunting boots, she wore a pair of leather sandals. She had tucked a large white flower behind her ear, to look a bit more festive.

She was really looking forward to the celebration. She had brought some furs and leathers, hoping to trade them with the SeaFolk, and she had also brought a small bag filled with fresh dreamberries. The latter, she hoped to share with others.

And there was more she would share, if anyone was willing. Her blood was restless, it was time she got herself a new lovemate, or at least some temporary companionship in the furs. Usually, the yearly festival provided a good opportunity for pleasure-games of that sort, and she was planning this year to be no exception.

[Tidemist]

Tidemist chuckled. Many of the elves considered her their mother, wether there was blood or not. After all, she was a High one, the first elves to set foot on the planet. Then came the children, clamoring for the High One's attention, as usual. Tidemist floated herself in the air, to a height with Kaimeta and laughed as she was led away. Knowing the High One and children would occupy each other, she glided back to the celebrations.

She made her way over to the cooks again, this time able to beg a bowl of the wonderful mussels in broth and floated away, settling on a patch of sand as she carefully sipped the broth, savoring the salty flavors. And she watched both tribes, once again feeling her heart warm to see the general friendliness.

[WolfCandy]

“That’s one of the forest flowers, I think,” Tern said with uncertainty, “Do you know it?”

He turned at his cousin’s voice and picked a necklace from the pile. “There you are!” He tossed it to him, noticing the she-elf behind him. An inward chuckle bubbled up inside of Tern. It looked like Snaketwist was doing just fine on his own, without any flowers. He hadn’t noticed his cousin blush as the chieftess passed as he had been busy calling out thanks, then speaking with the stranger.

Tern handed the two flowers already in his hands to the stranger and chose three more from the pile for himself. “Have you ever braided hair before?” he asked, glancing at the wolf-elf’s hair and wondering if it had ever been longer, therefore easier to braid. Thinking of this, he realized that braiding may not be a familiar thing to everyone. It had become so second-nature to him that he had never thought twice about it. Sure, he had a little trouble braiding stems at first, but in the end it was just a different kind of braid.

[Delhya]

Brooksong and Moonhowl raced though the woods towards the festival. ‘Oh I hope we are not too late, gathering fresh herbs took longer than expected this morning!’ she thought as she clung to her speeding bonds coat. “Ah I can smell the salt on the air Moon you can slow up the pace.” He continued to jog towards the beach and stopped just inside the trees where forest and sand meet. Brooksong slide off his back wrapping her shawl over her head and shoulders, to protect her fair skin from the daystars heat. Taking her satchel of gathered herbs she walked out onto the beach. * Stay here Moon I am among friends and tribemates I will be just fine my guardian* she sent with a smirk. Moonhowl huffed and laid down looking indignant.
Brooksong shielded her eyes with her hand to let them adjust to the brightness of the open sky. Looking around she saw lots of activities and the smell of food as her tummy rumbled. As she scanned the beach she saw Ridge and Sunsong over by Snaketwist and Tern who was sitting on the ground working flowers into wreaths and necklaces. She smiled and made her way towards them.

[Kaimeta]

Kai and the younglings made their way towards the cooks. It seemed the the little ones were hungry and she wanted to try so many of the dishes. "Hello." She smiled as they approached. "Oh everything smells wonderful!" The High One exclaimed. "Is any ready for us to eat?" She asked and was quickly rewarded with enough broth for herself and the little ones. Together the group found a place on the beach to sit and enjoy their meal. Kai love the taste and was so glad she sobered up to come today. 

Once everyone had finished, the little ones wanted to play. So after taking suggestions, Hide and seek was the agreed game, with the High One being it. Kai laugh brightly and conceded to the terms. So she sat down and covered her eyes and started counting 100 to give the little ones time to hide.

[Ember Robinwood]

"Sort of, it grows along the edge of the forest," Ridge said. "I don't know what it's called though." Ridge held the flower between his fingers. It was one of the ones that grew at the very edge of the forest, along the beach. He was familiar with it, but he didn't know it's name like with most of the flowers, seeing as it was something the healers would likely know and wasn't vital to him.

Ridge followed Tern's gaze to see the sea-elf Snaketwist as well as Sunsong. He smiled to himself, chuckling quietly. The younger wolf-elves didn't know much about what lay beyond the beach and were often intrigued by the SeaFolk. He was sure he'd be bombarded by the cublings' questions later. He also noticed Brooksong approaching them. She was little more than a cubling herself and not yet fully beyond Ridge's minding.

"Hello, Sunsong, Brooksong," he greeted warmly. He turned his attention back to Tern. "I'm vaguely familiar with braiding hair," he admitted. "The cubling sometimes ask for their hair braided, but, to be honest, I'm not very good at it."

[Tidemist]

Finishing her broth, Tidemist scrubbed the bowl briefly with sand, dusted the remnants out and handed it to the cooks to be checked and reused. She began walking through the crowd now, returning smiles and waves. She saw the WolfFolk chief and waved, a bright smile on her face. She began fingering her braids, having been inspired by the wolf chief's mark shortly after her mother went missing and she became chief. She hoped she was doing well, though she reassured herself that she was, and the proof was all around her.

She noticed a crowd gathering around Tern now and laughed a little. Were his flower braidings that impressive? Interesting enough he was encircled by a mixture of WolfFolk and SeaFolk. She chuckled and floated in the air, silently approaching the group until she suddenly appeared in their midst, upside with her hair hanging toward the ground. "Well now! What's all the fuss over here, hm? Something interesting that I'm missing?"

[WolfCandy]

Tern nodded as the stranger spoke. That much he knew. He had found the flower at the edge of the forest. But the sea-elf wasn't disappointed by the stranger's answer; he hadn't been looking for any particular one. Tern didn't really care about the particulars of any certain flower.

He flashed the approaching she-elf a sideways smile of greeting before he returned his gaze to the stranger. "It's simple once you get the hang of it." He held out the three flowers in his hand, lining up the stems so that one blossom sat atop another. "What you have to do is cross the strands, one over another like this." He began braiding the stems together, picking up another flower near the end. He placed the flower beneath the third and integrated it into the braid by pairing it with one of the existing stems.

"I'm Tern by the way." He looked up at the stranger as he worked, eyes alight with merriment, "Should I call you cub-minder, or handsome?"

Tern looked to his chieftess at her words. "Only me," he joked good-naturedly, "What happened to the crown you took earlier?" He cocked his head curiously. "Would you like another? So far this one seems like it will compliment your eyes." He held up the work-in-progress in question.

[Delhya]

Brooksong watched as the Sea Chieftess floated over to and above the little gathering. 'how amazing it must be to be able to fly' thought Brooksong.

"Fair winds everyone" she replied with a smile as she walked up beside Ridge and squatted down to better view Tern's handiwork, but not to close as to make him uncomfortable.

"Oh wow those are wonderful! and you have some star flowers too. They are pretty and taste good in boiled water if you want to relax after a long day!"

She blushed a little realizing she may have said a little too much. Hoping the hood hid it she looked at her bag and opening it she pulled out ten deep blue flowers with lots of tiny petals on them and a golden center. "ummm I brought these if you would like them for your weaving?" She said laying them in front of Tern since his hands were full.

[Ember Robinwood]

Ridge watched intently as Tern began braiding the flower stems. He paid attention to the way they were laid on top of each other and twisted together. He glanced up at the sea-elf as he introduced himself. Tern. The name suited him.

Ridge smiled in response and laughed, "I like handsome, but I'm called Ridge. Tern is a good name; I like it." He looked curiously at Tern and asked, "How did you know I'm the cub-minder? Was it that obvious?"

Ridge turned his attention to the SeaFolk chieftess gliding through the air towards them. He'd never want to do it himself, but it was impressive. He'd never spoken to Tidemist, but she certainly seemed friendly.

[Kaimeta]

Kai finished counted and stood up. She would take her time finding the young ones. They would not have gotten far. She smiled as she saw a pair duck around a booth not far from where she was standing. So She started by walking the other way.

"Where could those younglings gotten off to?" She mused loud enough for the children to hear. Their giggling was easy to catch on the wind, the adult elves only smiled and shook their heads. Anyone who had been to a festival before knew how the High One loved to play with the children. Her actions kept the young busy and the High One busy and allowed the baby sitters to enjoy the festival too.

Kai played with the young ones for quite a while, catching some while letting others get away. There was laughter on breeze around the festival as the young and young at heart played. Before long the littlest of the little ones were growing sleepy, and the other little ones where starting to wish for a cool place to rest. Kai being a mother at points in her life managed to get the children into the shade for their nap or rest as need. Leaving the children in the hands of the minder she set off again to wander the festival, smiling as she weaved her way though those gathered.

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