Awakening by fire

Kuma rested her hand against the cave wall. The light from the fire illuminated her alabaster skin. The moon shining directly overhead in the dark of night. She could see Litrigid sitting cross-legged, spine straight in complete serenity. The painted illustrations on the cave walls loomed over him, dancing by the spell of the fire. As if sensing her presence, he opened one eye and smiled.

“Kuma,” he said, taking a deep breath in to invigorate his senses, “How nice to see you.”

His gaze beckoned her in, to sit by the fire and stretch her legs, to let the thoughts that had been swimming in her mind out. She crept out of the shadows and sat down next to the small heath with some apprehension. The fire felt warm on her arms as it crackled and spat. Her head felt as though it was spinning—unable to keep the whirl of thoughts from escaping her mouth. She looked into the flames with a long gaze without uttering a single word.

“What can I do for you?” He asked.

She sighed, drawing in a long breath. Her eyes fixated on the dancing flames.

“Last night, I saw something while I was asleep, and I thought…well…I thought you could tell me what it means.”

“A dream was it?”

She shook her head, “I do not know what it was, but it was not like my usual dreams.”

He smiled, “The Spirit world is reaching out to you.”

“Really?” Her amber-brown eyes widened, looking up at his serene face.

Litrigid nodded, “Tell me more about what you saw.” 

“I can’t remember all of it now…” Kuma squinted her eyes as she scraped together the remaining fragments.

Litrigid stood up, “Then I have the perfect solution for you.”

He walked over to the other side of the cave, pulled out a large animal skin, and laid it down beside her.

“If you will let me, I will take you back and you can tell me what you see.”

Kuma tilted her head to Litrigid’s face, “Is…is it safe?”

He nodded, motioning over to the other side of the room. Kuma shuffled onto the skins, resting her head down onto the fur. Every limb sunk deep into its thick pile. Her head buzzed and her skin prickled with goosebumps. The invocation was about to begin.