Freedom

Elli returned home, slowly and gently closing the cabin door until she heard the latch with a soft ‘click’. She perked up her four lynx ears while she pulled the heavy hood from her head, listening intensely. Elli held her breath, trying to listen for any tell tale signs of her roommate, Alistair. The last thing she wanted to do was wake the overbearing hot-head. Her ears swiveled to and fro, oddly, she heard nothing, not even the bunny kyanarr’s snores. Elli tip-toed on her delicate pawed feet towards her roommates room. Once she got there she pressed two of her four lynx ears to the door and allowed her Kyome senses to expand and observe just beyond her. Elli usually tried very hard to keep to herself, the last thing she wanted was to accidentally see something she shouldn’t with Alistair and Jamie. However, she couldn’t hear or sense anything. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Elli could still feel a sense of anxiety welling, this time about the well-being of her roommate. Using the full extent of her stride, she half walked, half jogged towards the white board in the kitchen. Usually the two used it to write messages to each other, other times Elli would decorate it for the holidays, write motivational quotes, or draw little doodles aimed at keeping their morale high. When Elli reached the board she say a message written in Alistair’s handwriting, “Gone on vacation with Jamie for October, I’m fine and he’s fine. We are going to stay in Kithiria. Planning to sightsee Kiyea and Watana. Make sure you eat, drink water, and most importantly RELAX!” Ellie could feel her ears sleek back in defiance after reading the message. That Kyanarr always knew how to get under her skin in the most caring, yet overbearing way possible!

She’d been gone all month tending to family clan matters in Aditone. The thick cloak had remained firmly on her shoulders and head wherever she went, even when sleeping. The thought and anxiety of everyone looking at her with a sense of awe and reference had given her many sleepless nights when she was there. She’d tried to finish what was needed as quickly and efficiently as she could, but there was alway one more thing. Before she knew it the ‘one week tops’ trip had consumed nearly two months of her life. If it wasn’t for Alistair and Zulra’s worried messages she didn’t think she could have made it out with her sanity. She padded back to the entrance of their small cabin, unhooking her thick, shimmering cloak and hanging it on the hook. Elli was always grateful to hide and exist as a ‘normal’ Gaidinian. The cloak offered that reprieve but also like a shield between her and the world. After so long under its defense it's begun to feel stifling, like a prison, keeping her from expressing and acknowledging herself.

A crash from her bedroom brought Elli from her thoughts. She raced to the back of the cabin, thankful her long legs were finally free of the thick cloak, to see what happened. On her bed sat a tiny Berili munching on a dried berry that was easily as large as its tiny paws if it wasn’t dehydrated. On the floor was a wooden bowl filled with more dried fruits. The Berili, that she’d named Sky, had knocked the bowl over. Elli smiled as she picked up the fruit from the ground and placed it back into the bowl. Sky had been a gift to her from Zulra. Well, gift is the wrong way to put it. She gave Sky to her while playfully calling the Berili their child. “See they are half the night sky, you, and half the day sky, me. So they are clearly our child.”

Elli patted Sky on the head with a warm smile before picking them up and placing them on her shoulder. Sky ate the berry content after hooking their two bunny feet under the collar of her top. Elli laughed, Sky was always so easy going, she had no idea where the little one got it from. Zulra had a temper as hot as the sun and Elli was as anxious and tightly wound as ivy growing towards Elune.

Elli’s mind locked onto the word ‘Elune’. How long had it been since she’d properly thanked and worshiped her god and goddess? She couldn’t remember. That was something that she needed to change! With a peaceful sigh, she gave Sky a few chin scratches and went to her closet. She pulled your ceremonial robes from the hanger and draped them over her arm. Then she strode to her jewelry box and pulled out several moonstones. Then she went to the bathroom to bathe and change.

Sky, though very fond of their family, was not fond of baths. The little one chittered and squeaked with betrayal as Elli took a warm, damp rag scented with lavender and gently wiped the Berili clean. Elli cooed and hummed as calmly as she could while signing a lullaby to her baby. The lullaby was something that she often gave to her dreamer. She’d read that it was something Elune would often sing to her own son, Cenarius. Her dreamer had heard it from one of the priestesses at the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus. It had been a relief to Elli to learn that the lullaby she’d read and given her dreamer was accurate. The lullaby, in addition to the scented bath, calmed Sky down and put the little Berili in a sleepy state. Elli giggled gently before carrying the tiny Berili like a baby back to her room. She tucked Sky into the thick, down covers of her own bed. She kissed Sky on the brow and whispered ‘May the grace of Zana and the beauty of the goddess ignite your dreams little one.”

After saying goodnight to Sky Elli continued to get ready for her long awaited time with her deities. She bathed to clean the sweat and grime she’d accumulated in Aditone and mentally cleanse herself of all the thoughts of anger and violence. The mother moon was peaceful, so much so that it was widely believed that her coming to Azeroth would bring about an era of prosperous peace. Elli strived to be similar and calmly sang hymns from her goddess aimed at reaching closer to the peace of the moon. After her bath, Elli covered herself in scented oils and painted her nails with a clear, glittery polish. Her hair she brushed through and added oil with a hint of shimmer to it. She was always fond of glitter and shimmer, it caught the light of the moon just right and seemed to exaggerate the eloquence of it. Then she dressed in her ceremonial robes.

The robes were something she had ordered from Aditone. It was one of the few times she allowed her status as a Kyanarr wielding both Light and Darkness shine through. After all she wanted nothing but the best when communing with her deities, even if they never responded. The robes were comfortable, so much so Elli accidentally slept in them many times, but spoke of the beauty of the night. The silver mask she wore over her blind eyes was topped with a shimmering crescent moon. The symbol of her god, Zana, and her goddess, Elune. When she finished tying the knots to keep the robes, mask, and feathered cloak in place she picked up the moonstones and made her way outside. She felt unstoppable and at peace. The perfect mindset to show her love for her deities.

With an arm full of moonstones Elli confidently walked out of their small cabin and into the forest of Kithiria. Elli looked up at the night sky, hoping to get a view of the moon. Thankfully, it was a cloudless night, the waxing crescent moon shone brightly. Elli could feel herself beaming, all the anxiety that she felt when she’d first entered the cabin had been extinguished. All that existed was her and her deities. After about 10 minutes Elli found herself by a nearby pond. She often made sacrifices here to Zana, she even constructed her own altar out of moonstones in honor of him. Elli made her way to that very alter, bowed her head low, and went about cleaning it. After two months of neglect weeds and vines had begun reclaiming it to nature. Elli said her apologies to Varynn as she pulled the protesting plants out from the roots. Once all the plant growth had been trimmed she went to the pond to grab a bowl of water and clean cloth. She then spent a considerable amount of time dusting and polishing the moonstone until it glimmered and simmered in the moonlight. Elli huffed happily seeing her elbow grease paying off, then dumped the bowl of dirt and pond water back from where it came.

When she returned to the altar she grabbed another bowl. This one was housed inside the alter and made entirely of moonstone. She’d carved it herself, spending months tirelessly polishing and sanding the bowl smooth. She placed two of the moonstones in the bowl and pulled out a small vial from within her robes. Humming she uncorked the bottle of Mer Arkaisk water, a special purchase she’d gotten before leaving Aditone, and poured it overtop the moonstones in the bowl. Silently she clapped her hands together and said a prayer to Zanna.

O Luminous Deity of the Moon, Whose silver glow bathes the world in gentle light, I sit beneath Your celestial gaze, Humbled by Your timeless phases and ethereal might. In Your crescent embrace and full-mooned grace, Help me find clarity, serenity, and harmony.

Grant me the wisdom to understand life's ebbs and flows, As the oceans dance to Your silent tunes. Illuminate our path in the darkest of times, With Your tender glow, my beloved Moon.

In gratitude, I honor Your radiant energy, The gentle balance You bring to night and day. Bless us, O Divine Zana, with Your love and protection, As I journey forth, under Your guiding ray.

When Elli finished her prayer she felt elated and happy. She bowed her head once again before quietly rising from the altar. After making her sacrifice to Zana it was time to praise the mother of Azeroth. She headed down the familiar path to a grove in the forest. There she’d set up several small braziers that were shaped in the likeness of the goddess. She began a dance, one that she learned from the priestesses of Elune, while singing one of many songs of worship. As she went about the dance she threw her light powers into a brazier until they were all lit and gently glowing in the moonlight. The song she sang was one of thanks and peace and love. Everything the mother goddess was to all.

She remembered faintly when she first learned of Elune. It was shortly after she came of age and was assigned her dreamer from the Kyome council. The first dream Elli had given Elylbroong was about the moon. She’d done it on a childish whim, after all everyone knew of Zana she’d thought. But when Elylbroong had looked at the moon, after turning into a feral cat, she’d spoken the name of the mother goddess. “Elune be praised! The goddess has blessed me in this hunt!” The young night elf had chanted.

After that dream Elli had spent countless hours collecting any information she could on the goddess and, through the teachings, quickly became a follower as loyal as her own dreamer.

As the final melodies of the song wound to a close Elli ended her dance in a deep, prostrating pose in the center of the grove. “Bless me, oh goddess, let me follow in your light.” Elli added as a final conclusion.

Her heart was racing from the activity but she felt alive, happy, and renewed. No longer was she imprisoned and forced to hide herself to be treated as everyone else. In the eyes of her deities she was who she was, nothing more and nothing less.