[Center][H1][Color=#c185e8]Kotaka GhostPine[/color][/H1]
[h3]One week prior...[/H3][/Center]

In the village, dawn was not usually this quiet.

But alas, as the first rays of light where ready to come up over Dead Mountain, no folks rose to greet the day, the animals too, even the wind was silent this morning. Yet there was one who defied this trend- At the edge of the village was the Nesting Tower. A tall structure woven together with lumber and limb, Stretched across or loose like flags too were swatches of red or blue cloth to block out the elements. A flock of many birds rested here, mainly hunting companions and their young, but also the rare few messenger birds. Near the sleeping birds, by the opening they came and left from, was Kotaka. 

He waited quietly and patiently. Leaned up against the support beams that made up the opening while watching the skies to the west. The darkest part of the sky and in the direction of where his wise teacher, Senaq ShadeWeaver had last traveled in. Senaq was a ‘one with the river’s flow’ sort of a man, but he was punctual. Normally he would be sending his student update via the messenger ravens about once every few weeks. He was late though. No word for several days. 

It could have been nothing, after all he was a mortal man. But there was a twist in his gut. Dreams had been plaguing the man for a short while now. Storms brewing over golden grass, people burning and the shadows of fellow men dancing around them, a spiral of crows in a sickly orange sky. They could have been nothing. However, Kotaka was taught to trust his instincts as a hunter and Myst Dancer. What is something was happening? The dreams were not metaphors? What had happened to Senaq? The sky would give no answers to his silent ramblings. Only a gently breeze, and a bit more of the suns light.

His eyes went to his left forearm, around it was a leather bracer wrapped in blue and white cloth, stritched into the area right bellow the wrist was a piece of bone. Scrimshawed onto it was a design of a four eyes wolf surrounded by other lines, dots, and slashes. Kotaka’s animal guide and kin. A present from Senaq after he completed his rite of passage to become a full member of the tribe.

[b]“Seeing into the dark, one of my favorite pass times!”[/b] A rasp and a chuckle. There behind Kotaka, coming up from the lower floors, Elder Talhrin. An old man cloaked in furs and garb decorated with the many legends he made for himself over the years. Leaning heavily on his walking stick, which jingles from the small Ancestor stones and bell that hung from the top of it, he shuffled over to a small stool and took a seat. [b]“Unless, the eyes behind that blindfold can actually see something out there, hm?”[/b] He jested.

Kotaka unconsciously rose a hand to his blindfold out of habit, but stopped before getting there. [Color=#c185e8]“Pardon me, Elder Talhrin. I’m just...waiting.”[/color] He sighed.

[b]“For your Teacher?”[/b] Kotaka nodded at his response. The elder already knew the answer. [b]“Come sit,”[/b] He started, patting one of the other nearby stools. [b]“words must be exchanged.[/b]”

Without complaint he took a seat. For a moment they just sat there, watching the outside slowly begin to get brighter. The village would wake soon.

[b]“Silence, silence is sometimes louder than any shout.”[/b] There was no playfulness in his voice like before. He taps his staff once. [b]“You must go to him. I feel it. And I know you do too. I am no shaman, but even I can tell when the threats of the Great Tapestry begin to unfurl.”[/b]

Kotaka was quiet. Listening to his elder speak his wisdom. There was a part of him that stirred with unease. He understood what Talhrin wanted of him. He wanted this too. But…

[Color=#c185e8]“I fear it. What I am feeling, what I am seeing.”[/color] Kotaka said with a slight shake. [Color=#c185e8]“I do not know what lies beyond these lands.”[/color] 

Talhrin grinned, turning from the opening to Kotaka. He placed a hand on his shoulder as support. [b]“Yes. You should fear it. Your wits are ablaze, you see and feel it. This is good. You will not face the cold you know, but something warm. Sickly. But, trust your training. Your teacher has taught you well. You will find the truth.”[/b] Talhrin straightens up a bit, still using his staff as support. [b]“If you believe your path is tied to his, you must be willing to leave behind the songs, the hearth, and the safety of your mountain. You must walk a road with no trail markers, no guidance, and few allies. You must be hunter and hunted. Not of prey with fangs or fur—but of spirits twisted, truths buried, and your own memories turned against you. ”[/b] 

Kotaka looked from Talhrin to the horizon again. This time not in search of a messenger but instead taking it in as a whole. The West. Past the frozen wood, tundras, and lakes. To the great unknown. Was this truly his destiny? Even with the gifts of a Myst Dancer, certainty was never guaranteed.

[Color=#c185e8]“Where would I even begin? My teacher has spoken few words of his whereabouts.”[/color] He sighed, getting to his feet once more. Trying to think of all the things Senaq has ever spoken to him in letters. The duskrot, Vradia, things he never truly understood. [Color=#c185e8]"The trail is fading."[/color]

Talhrin got to his feet too. With a breath of relief and crack of his weary bones, the elder spoke one last time. [b]“A caravan is to come today. The one that Master ShadeWeaver I believe left with in the first place. Start there. You are resourceful, like him, you will find your way. This is the way things will be. I know it.”[/b]

The young man bowed graciously to Talhrin. [Color=#c185e8]“To the west, I will go. Thank you, Elder, for your blessing.”[/color]

Talhrin urged to bow to stand tall, once again grasping his arm. [b]“Then you walk into legend, boy. Just be sure you return from it.”[/b] 

Without further urging, Kotaka rushed off to get pack his things and prepare for the search.