The Hatchling—1999
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XXXIX—Jewel's Crisis
It had been a tiring Sabbat cycle. Jewel sat in Arnica and Holly's greenhouse, sipping a cup of herbal tea. Dark Star was sleeping at her feet. Arnica had made the infusion for her using herbs selected to bolster her emotional system and provide herbal support for the chemotherapy. Jewel was still feeling quite low but taking an occasional 'day off' was important. Trillium School, the first Earthkin school to receive a charter, was quickly growing into a community center for the Renaissance folk, followers of the old, earth-centered religious ways. The school principal, Deodar (until recently Dolly was a Kristos minister!) was also a coven mate of Jewel and Lotus. At Dolly's insistence, Dagon was spending the day at school, providing the older girls with an opportunity to learn about child care and education. Jewel and Lotus' young one, almost four and a half years old, was unusually precocious in matters magickal. Dagon's first adventure with Dark Star when he was little more than a year old took him into the Realm of the Faerie. At first uncomfortable with leaving her son at the school, Jewel had come to value these days.
It was just after Autumn that Jewel discovered the lump. Holly suspected something was wrong. He sensed it as they closed the Autumn Eve circle, but had been unable to figure out just what it was. It took Jewel a couple of weeks before she could bring herself to go to the doctor, in part because she, like many Renaissance people, preferred herbal medicine, imagery and natural healing and in part, she now recognized, because she had difficulty believing it could be true.
It was the beginning of October when Jewel went to Merrydale's medical clinic for a mammogram. Her russet colored hair, often tied back, was flowing freely. Some of the oaks hinted that their leaves would soon be similar in color, glowing in the sunny days of autumn. And yet, at Hallows Eve most of the region's deciduous trees would have shed their leaves, leaving the look of death about the forests. The sun, warm upon Jewel's shoulders, helped her draw upon the Mother Earth's strength as she walked toward the clinic.
Merrydale Clinic was a friendly environment and she knew the nurses and the few doctors who worked there. Merrydale was not a large town but the District of Merrydale brought many people from the region for shopping and other services, such as medical care. People felt fortunate to have an excellent clinic. Jewel's intuition led her to ask if she could wait for the results. The doctor, not unaccustomed to the ways of the Earthkin, agreed to Jewel's request. She took the reading well, although she felt emotionally devastated. A biopsy was done that same day by needle aspiration. Jewel told Lotus that night. Although her husband expressed some concern that she'd not said anything before, both of them worked with visualization and he suspected that she wanted to believe it was nothing in the hopes that it would be nothing, and he understood.
Arnica stood at the door to the greenhouse. He said nothing but watched Jewel in silence. She looked well enough, but tired, probably just from the stress and anxiety. The malignancy was strong and Arnica knew that a mastectomy was the best option, although a frightening choice for a young woman barely 30. The older herbalist's hand petted the grey in his beard but his mind was working Magick, surrounding the young mother with healing, protective energies. Just then Dark Star raised her head, nudging Jewel's hand with her horn. Dark Star was very attuned to the humans who were part of Holly and Arnica's coven. Jewel began to pet Dark Star. Arnica sensed that Dark Star was taking her turn with providing healing magick and he quietly slipped away to leave them, sitting among the tropical plants with the statue of Eir, goddess of healing gazing at the woman and the young unicorn.
They sat on small pillows in a large circle. The basement room was large and dark, cool at this time of year. The coven was meeting at the home of Jewel and Lotus. Jewel had protested, insisting that she and Lotus would come to the cabin out in Merrywood but Arnica and Holly would have none of it.
"What, and deprive Dark Star of the opportunity to prance through Merrydale 'disguised' as a unicorn?" teased Holly. That did it. Jewel knew she could not counter that argument.
Lotus was excited, this being the first ritual in their home. The large room had been mostly unused, catching a few boxes and items here and there, providing unintentional storage. With only a week remaining, Lotus insisted on painting the walls and buying a large area rug. The others tried to convince him otherwise, reminding him of the Hallows Eve ritual some years back out in the garden when the temperature began to drop as quick as the sun in his descent beyond the western horizon, or the time working ritual in the stone Circle during an unexpected yet gentle rain.
But they did not press too much, knowing that this preparation was part of Lotus' healing. They loved the wood-carving gentleman and recognized that this was part of his healing. Lotus was devoted to his wife. Being young, it had never occurred to him to face their mortality. Even when Dagon disappeared through the Midsummer veil into the Realm of the Faerie, his training with the Rhymer helped him accept the strange will of the Universe.
Arnica brought forth the cauldron and set it in the Circle's center. Holly uncorked the bottle and carefully poured the alcohol into its depths. Gino reached into a pocket in his robe, brought forth a prized lighter (one given him by his father, Carlos) and lit a wax taper the size of a fireplace match. As it was lowered into the cauldron the flames burst into dance.
"Gone to the Summerland:
Distant shores grown past;
Winter draws upon us now,
Summer didn't last…"
Arnica and Holly were leading the Circle. As was the custom, each covener held a crystal ball, used as a focal point to open the portal through the cauldron. Dark Star was not with them this evening, which was unusual. The hatchling was up above them, listening carefully but giving her attention to Dagon who was amusing himself in the playroom, drawing his own version of tarot cards with, wouldn't you know, lots of unicorns! Dark Star felt quite grown up in the role of babysitter. She and Dagon held a special bond ever since their Midsummer adventure!
Gino sat at Arnica's left, between his mentor and his teacher Pearl. The new art and music teacher at Trillium School, Pearl was momentarily distracted, looking at the altar where Arnica's herbal elixir awaited their journeying. The glass flask was concealed beneath the corn dolly Pearl had fashioned for this year's altar. It was just three years ago she broke through the veil to tell the coven that Phoenix had passed over. She and Phoenix had gone to live in Cloverville with her grandmother, hoping that the change in climate would help, but it was destined that Phoenix pass through the Gates of Death and not return.
Shadow Tail sat at Pearl's left. Shadow was still learning the ritual ways of the Renaissance religions. There were similarities but also many differences from those of his people, the Loon Tribe. Ancestral worship on this date was a common theme among nearly all people, and Shadow looked forward to communing with his forebears. At Shadow's left sat Flying Raven. It had been years since she'd sat in Circle with her friends. She sometimes missed her gardens back in the Mothervalley, but more and more was enjoying her new life in Merrydale.
Next sat Iris and Deodar. Iris looked quite radiant, even in the cool, dark basement. The four walls painted in deep, earth-toned shades of the cardinal colors, Iris fairly glowed. The postmarm was leaning against the shoulder of her husband, the school's principal and proud father-to-be.
"Though the Maid has gone away,
She'll be back again;
She has gone to grow to full,
The God-child is within…"
Although Iris felt a deep level of care for Jewel, the knowledge that she was due to give birth at Beltane, directly across the Wheel from this very Sabbat Eve was a profound knowledge. How her life had changed in just a few years. She would never have imagined that the Kristos minister would convert to Renaissance ways and that she would be Handfasted to the principal of the new Trillium School. Having been a student of religion for so many years, Dolly was learning and growing in ways he'd never imagined.
"Sleeps She now within His arms,
The Child is in the womb;
The Magick that is loose this night
Has opened up the tomb."
Jewel looked intent. Lotus knew he was having difficulty setting aside his ego. His arm provided warmth around his wife's waist.
The coven chanted the remaining stanzas of the Hallows Chant and the flask was brought around. Jewel drank deeply, knowing that she needed to seek advice from the other side. Lotus declined, believing that his strength was needed. He sat there, quietly, providing support for Jewel as she placed herself into a trance and moved her will into the cauldron's fire.
"T'will be the blade when the Moon is in the breast…" Jewel's eyes opened and the remnants of the advice from her spirit guide were at her lips. She no longer felt frightened. The others were returning from their passages beyond the veil of death. Jewel turned to Lotus. "Dearest, I want the surgery to be the first morning following the Full Cancer Moon as it begins the waning. I'm ready."
XL—Presents for All
The winter rains splashed onto the greenhouse windows and then slid down, washing their way across the panes of glass. It was only another week until Yule, but the climate was more like wet autumn weather. Holly sat upon a small, wicker stool next to a huge aloe, several feet tall. Dark Star was sitting back upon her hind quarters, which placed the young unicorn at eye level with the man. Between then, on a pedestal, sat Holly's crystal ball.
"Snow…" Holly was translating the image he received. "You want snow, Dark Star?"
The hatchling nodded her head, her horn bobbing brightly. She loved to play in the snow. She could run and romp and play hard without becoming overheated. The young unicorn lowered her head and focused her gaze into the clear orb.
Holly tried to relax. He remembered a saying he saw in his first year as a magickal student: "the art of trying is the art of not succeeding." He took a deep breath, feeling the flagstones beneath his feet and drawing upon the calm of the earth's energy.
"I want you to come and play with me in the woods. I want Gino to take me to the mountain to play in the snow." Holly looked up from the globe, startled. "Dark Star, you poor, neglected hatchling…" Holly quickly stood up, leaned over and gave her a big kiss on the tip of her horn. "You wait here."
Holly, gentle-featured and sprightly, picked up his orb and ran into the cabin to tell Arnica that he was taking Dark Star out to play.
Dark Star loved Trillium School but she missed having Holly and Arnica around. The children were wonderful and she loved playing in the courtyard of the schoolhouse, but she was ready for the winter break when her beloved men would both be home every day and Gino would be out of school and able to come and play with her. After all, the hatchling was not even five years old and she could be coltish now and then.
Arnica was sitting at the kitchen table, gazing out the window. He didn't turn his head when he heard Holly come through the door. Holly kissed Arnica upon his balding head. He could tell that his partner was distracted with thoughts.
Arnica's fingers mused in his graying beard as he spoke. "They got it all. The chemotherapy and herbal combination worked. The tumor had shrunk and the surgery was successful."
A deep sigh seemed to arise from Holly's toes, relaxing his entire body. Everyone in the coven had been a bit on edge since Jewel's diagnosis. Jewel and Lotus had been part of the coven since before their young Dagon was born, just four and a half years ago. "And Lotus?" Holly asked.
"Crying," Arnica's voice was soft. "Tears of relief. I think he'll begin carving a healing wand for Jewel from that cherry branch he took home a few weeks ago."
"I came in to tell you that I'm heading out with Dark Star."
Arnica looked at Holly quizzically. "Heading out?"
"She's feeling neglected. Since school started this fall we've all been so much busier. She's still just a unifilly and we've forgotten that she needs to romp and run and play."
Arnica's face crinkled up around his eyes. He realized that the hatchling was speaking for them all. "Snowshoes?"
That one word conveyed many images of memories from earlier years. Holly's eyes opened wide. Dark Star had never even seen her men with their snowshoes! "You bet," he said.
"I'll meet you in the greenhouse in ten minutes," Arnica said. "I've got to put on some thermals before we trek up into the mountains." Sensing the hatchling's youthful impatience, both men hurried off to collect their gear. Dark Star would have a great time in the snow!
The Yule log was burning bright in the fireplace. Added to their annual mantle decor were some beautiful pine cones brought back from last week's trek to the mountains. Arnica discovered that his knees were a bit older than the last time he and Holly went snowshoeing but they had a terrific time.
The altar put away, coven friends lounged about the cozy room. Holly was serving the last mugs of spiced cider which Arnica ladled in the kitchen. Dark Star was near the fireplace, enjoying the attention of her human friends. One of her favorite human customs was only minutes away.
Soon Arnica settled into his chair. Holly snuggled down on a floor pillow near Arnica's feet so he could play with Dark Star's ears.
Arnica slipped a hand behind his chair and held a brightly-wrapped small package toward Holly.
The room burst into cheering at the signal and the cabin was filled with the music of human laughter and words as suddenly everyone was bringing forth Yule gifts. Colorful packages were handed about, names called out and soon each person was surrounded by a small pile of festive parcels.
Arnica looked to his left. Iris, seated in a large, upholstered chair, was nearly five months pregnant. Merrydale's postmarm was much loved in the village. Even the more conservative Kristos seemed more than willing to plant a tree. At first shocked when Pastor Dolorum resigned from the Church of the Martyr, it was a good-natured scandal when it became known that he and Iris, an environmental activist had become an 'item.' But both were well-loved and much of Merrydale turned out for their Handfasting, held in the courtyard of the building being restored as Trillium School.
Merrydale was a small village and Iris, as postmarm, saw almost everyone nearly every day as they came to pick up their mail. People were constantly asking what they might do to be of help. "Plant a tree," Iris answered. "We must have trees for our children's future. We lost so many trees three years ago when they began clearing Fern Hollow…" A painful memory for all the locals, for not only was Fern Hollow seriously damaged as trees were cut, but those events were connected with the curious death of Bishop Miter, struck dead during one of his brimstone sermons as he was ranting that 'God will punish evil.' In this midst of the chaos the union of Iris and Deodar and the creation of Trillium School was a blessing of stability and joy.
Deodar, a strikingly handsome man with his dark features ('Dolly,' to his friends), was helping Iris open their gift from Pearl, known for her skill as a seamstress.
"Look, everyone!" Iris said as Dolly set aside the wrappings. "Pearl made us a Wiccaning gown." Iris held up a beautiful crocheted and embroidered baby gown of an iridescent blue, actually quite reminiscent of the color of Andrius, Dark Star's father.
"Pearl," Deodar quizzed, "How do you know blue is the right color?"
Amused yet prepared for the question, the slightly-built Pictish woman looked about the room, catching everyone's attention. "Why," she said knowingly and looking at Dark Star, "a very kindly, older unicorn told me." Dark Star blushed just a bit at the mention of her father.
Pearl turned toward Jewel. Lounging on floor pillows and leaning against her husband, Lotus, Jewel was holding a large square, flat parcel.
Her mobility somewhat constricted, Jewel was unaccustomed to being held back. Not completely comfortable at needing to leave Dagon with a sitter (although Gino's parents were more than happy to have a young one about their house), Jewel could not move her arm freely without pain. She asked Lotus to open her gift for her.
His fingers, adept at transforming a piece of wood into the most extraordinary carving, quickly removed the paper. Gino, the coven's young teen, reached over and helped Lotus hold the matted design up for Jewel to examine. It was a striking pattern, a mandala created with a stylized drawing of Jewel's totem animal.
"Do you know what it's for?" asked Pearl.
Jewel's laughter, like little holiday bells, danced into the room. What magick! Learning just after Autumn Eve that she had breast cancer, Jewel had gone through a dark period before embracing Saturn and electing for a mastectomy just a week ago, eight days into the waning Moon. "Well, since you ask, now I'm not sure."
Everyone looking at Pearl, she raised her hands and everyone said at once, "It's a tattoo!"
Flying Raven, Trillium School's science teacher, offered an explanation. "When I was visiting Amber not long ago, she was telling me what one of her Loon Tribe sisters did."
Amber, her raven-colored hair held back with a red bow, had brought each a small pouch of crystals she'd brought back from a dream quest taken in a secret cave in the River Mountains. She leaned over, caressing Jewel's knee with her finger tips.
"Lynx Daughter, my mother's cousin, had a breast removed two years ago," Amber related. "The following summer she went to visit her son who lives near the Highlands and, when she came back, she proudly showed us a tattoo she had done right upon her chest where the breast had been. It was of the lynx spirit. Lynx Daughter has been transformed into a skilled medicine woman."
Jewel's hand reached up to gently cradle her missing breast. "A tattoo," she wondered aloud. "Yes, it can be a work of beauty…"
The room fell silent for a few moments.
"How long must I wait?" It was apparent that Jewel was very taken with the idea.
"Autumn would be ideal. Midsummer if the healing is quick. Hallows at the longest." Iris had discovered that she had a very strong desire to acquire some tattoos of her own.
Just then, Shadow Tail, the newest coven member, brought in a tray of borage cookies, Dark Star's favorite, and began singing the Yule round. The cabin was filled with much love and joy and voices singing together:
"Bring the sun king, bring the sun king, watch him grow…"
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