Looking North

Elder Moon spent many hours at night looking north from the balcony of the highest tower in the Grand Chantry. Her cheeks were rarely dry during these interludes, for she never saw what she longed for, but she could give free expression to her grief here, as she could not in front of her choir. A member of the Council of Elders had to be stoic in these tragic times.

From this vantage point she could appreciate the exquisite beauty of the Chantry - a fact which compounded her sorrow. Below her the old-growth was so ancient that it had become petrified. The towers of the Chantry were the husks of these colossal monoliths, former arboreal giants that had been too grandiose to rot and fall. The Prill sang of the day the Dusk Sages first brought them to this place with the fervor of a people who truly know what home means. They spun about in wonder - a forest of semi-precious stones. A geological marvel! Too magnificent for a fox-child home.

The Dusk Sages had done more than just bring them here. They had bequeathed them a city so breath-taking that rarely did a Prill traveler speak of it without longing in their voice. Between the towers the Dusk Sages willed into existence graceful arcing bridges and winding paths. In their peculiar architectural style which molded the stone out of a single piece without mortar, they installed sweeping circular staircases, soaring gothic windows, and doorways with elaborate mantle carvings depicting the various choirs. Everywhere the city was adorned with Never Gems, the Jewelry of the Land, and though the petrified trees themselves were not alive, purpurant vines took hold and clung to everything. The city of stone grew into being before the eyes of those first Prill and it has retained its glory to this day.

For a traditional people it is exceedingly difficult to face endings. Elder Moon looked north and though from here she knew the logging efforts were hundreds of kilometers away beyond the horizon, she also knew that crisis would come upon her people long before they arrived. Eventually the Prill would not be able to stand by while other Karians suffered and died by the callousness of the Children of Steel. And her troubled soul sang to her a song of greater danger than even the Cheldrun. She looked into the night sky and saw the Wandering Star - strangely close and vibrant tonight. It would be watching while the Grand Chantry decayed.

Behind her she heard a rustle. Sings-Like-Frog, a gentle, but aging Zipsum who chose for some reason to make his home among the Prill stood on the balcony railing.

"The delegation from the Choir of the Seasons has arrived, Elder. They came with some hurry, carrying a sedan chair for Highest Soul-Singer Elder Winter. He is ill, and very near to death, but he specifically requested to see you."

Elder Moon wiped the tears from her cheeks on her silk sleeve. When the only living Prill loremaster to achieve six tails summons you, it is not a moment for hesitation. She looked compassionately at Sings-Like-Frog, whose fur was almost completely snow-white and had long ceased to change color according to his diet.

"We are all ancient, my Zipsum friend. Every one of us is full of more memories and nostalgia than energy, nowadays. I spend so much time worrying about my mate Mokuzai, off risking his life to make peace with the Cheldrun, when the reality is that he and I both will probably die of old age before the trouble really begins."

Sings-Like-Frog waited patiently, his tail perked up, indicating his attention. She stroked him once or twice, which made him purr like a Jevumm kitten, and then she walked through the curtains and down the stairs toward her meeting. Her first two steps showed her age and emotion, but by the third step her shoulders were lifted and her stride sang a song of authority.