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In Tribute (12) : In the days leading up to the Star Festival, small stone shrines began to appear randomly throughout Destiny City–on rooftops, in alleyways, hidden down long forest paths. They’re small, altar-like platforms with a little bowl in the center and a single glowing stone inside. There’s something peaceful, refreshing, about the shrine, even if no one seems to know who is setting them. However, if the stone is removed, the glow vanishes–along with your sense of peace. This was not your offering to take. Immediately, you feel something breathing on the back of your neck but there’s nothing to be seen. Returning the stone returns the area to an uneasy stillness, but if you attempt to leave without returning the stone, a mounting pressure and anxiety will grow within you. You never make it far from the shrine before some unseen force overtakes you. It feels like a great force collides into your back, and unconsciousness is quick to follow. When you awaken, the shrine is gone. All that remains is pain and fear. If you are tempted to leave an offering of your own, however small, you will find yourself feeling as though you have received the protection of something greater than you can understand. This strange blanket of security will last for the remainder of the day. A shrine never stays in the same place for long but no one ever sees who is setting them up or taking them down.
With the man who fed him now gone, Feronia had listened well to his advice and kept away from the other humans. For now, he wanted to look into the forest, or at least the trees, since he had a feeling that the buildings and clear spaces were more common than the trees were. It wasn't something that he liked exactly, but it also wasn't his place to say much about it without seeming like an ungrateful guest on this planet.
As the number of trees picked up, and he found it getting darker and darker as he went, Feronia kept his ears on a swivel to listen for anyone trying to sneak up on him. The night air was still, aside from the occasional gust of wind when he entered a less densely covered section of the forest. Every small noise had his ears twitching and swivelling to try and listen if someone else was nearby. With the warning of keeping hidden on his mind, he focused on the noises more than on where each step led him.
Distraction and quiet nervousness were what led Feronia further into the trees, into what he hoped would be a moment of pause where he could figure out what steps to take next. What seemed like the usual forest sounds started to quiet down, and with a few more minutes of wandering, Feronia noticed something ahead that felt off. Even if he was a guest here, he recognized an altar when he saw one. It was simple, not that it had any need to not be as long as the intention was there.
Looking around, he knelt down onto the grass and looked it over for a moment, eyes wandering around to see if he could tell what sort of person or thing had set this up. It felt good, though, to be able to be around something that was in a way familiar to his own world. Pulling something from subspace, he placed one of the dried flowers and bundled stone currency on the altar. Bowing his head, he sat in silence and thought of what he wished for in the future, the guidance he needed to go forward, and the hope that he might find someone who would understand his dilemma.
Looking up, he felt something drape over him, and the nagging worries he had of what to do next started to ease. Ahead of the altar, he saw a path that had seemed to appear out of nowhere through the trees. Offering thanks, he stood once more and proceeded towards this new path. While he may not understand humans, he could understand this feeling that seemed to linger around him. An offering and intention, a properly done ritual, those were things he could work with and believe in. Whether or not others on this planet understood, he had to continue to do his duty and find a way to fix the ritual and heal whatever damage had occurred on Feronia.
Word Count: 501 words
