Sticks and Stones [Fae]

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The wether was turning cold, and the Druids were just days away from Samhain. Fiona was looking for ward to the festival. The weather wasn't going to deter the young girl from spending time out in the wild. With her basket in hand, full of leaves, seasonal flowers, stones, twigs, twin, and anything else that cough the girls eye, she was ready to get started. There were many Druids that had asked for some nature crows for the celebration. She also was going to make a few for her and her sister to sell. Due to the lack of tourists lately, she was technically over stalked when it came to her other trinkets. Things were still slow, so she didn't have to make anything new, as of now.

The girl made her way to a spot in the Wild wood where she knew that she would have a good view of the Forest shrines. Many of their sacred rituals were performed there, so she made sure to keep a respectful distance. While she did enjoy having fun, and seeing what loopholes they could jump through, she really did want to show that she appreciated her culture. She sat on a large stone, and placed the basket down. This was the perfect spot. She could use the shrine as inspiration for the creations that she was making for her fellow Druids. She also didn't think there would be many people coming this way, because many were working on preparations of their own. Fiona sat peacefully, letting the sound of the woods reach her soul. She sat in silent meditation, until the time was perfectly right. When that time came, she started weaving bendable sticks together into a traditional loop.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Easily the most pleasurable part of Samhain preparation came during the days leading up to it. While there was a lot of planning and preparation to do on her end, as well as the Council’s, a number of smaller rituals were also required. Fae was allowed to conduct those alone, and most revolved around contacting forest spirits at the various shrines in the Wildwood. If she had to narrow down her favorite part about being High Druid, performing rituals like these were the highlights of it. While she enjoyed leading the people, there were still parts of that which could become cumbersome and exhausting quickly, especially lately. When it came to visiting the forest shrines, she was able to really become one with the forest. This year it ached, which wasn’t a feeling that was unusual to her over the past month, but it really stuck out when she stepped into the vicinity of each shrine. She still wasn’t sure what the correct course was to rectify the disappearance of the creatures. In a way, she was hoping for the ancestors to reach out to her during the next couple of days leading up to Samhain. So far, there hadn’t been anything but more pain.

Finishing up for the day at one of the shrines, Fae brushed off a few dried leaves that had found themselves stuck in her dress as she stood up. A brief flash of red hair, complimentary to the turning leaves and bushes of the forest, caught her attention, and Fae craned her neck so that she could watch the figure move up to a rock that overlooked another grouping of shrines. It wasn’t uncommon for other druids to visit the area, but she was pretty sure she recognized who it was. Or rather, who it had the potential to be. She was positive it was one of the Silentflower twins, who, despite their racket in town, were good enough girls. Fae wished that the two of them would take the events as of late more seriously, but that didn’t exactly stop them from preying on the Ministry officials that had been coming and going over the last few weeks.

Interested to see whether the girl was privately meditating or mixing up mischief, Fae glided through the trees to where she could eventually see the back of the younger druid. From the basket at her side, it looked like she was doing something constructive by putting together flower crowns. “Are you preparing for Samhain?” Fae asked as she idled a few feet behind the Silentflower girl. She still wasn’t sure which twin it was.

@fiona ● 438 ● Honey, Honey by ABBA

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Fiona lived to always be one with her surroundings. She celebrated the peace that surrounded her. Listening to the silence and natural music of the forest brought inspiration to her mind. She worked swiftly, but calmly on her creations, careful to make every one special and as well crafted as she could. When creating something to sell to tourists, yes Fiona still took great care, but she often spent more time on something that she wished to keep, or even trade away to another Druid. She had a reputation to uphold, as far as that went. While she worked, she knew that things were different this year. The sounds weren't as full or whole as they used to be. There were still creatures missing form their island, and Fiona wondered where they had gone to. She also hoped that they were all alright, and would return home soon. She valued each creature on the island.

Fiona heard rustling around her, it could have been the wind, or a creature doing it's own little thing. “Are you preparing for Samhain?” But it wasn't. Fiona looked up and turned around to see Fae, the young High Druid, that she and her sister had, on occasion, had the opportunity to discuss logistics and rules. Fiona was the one that made sure that no rule was broken. She had become very good at finding loopholes, mostly because she had started at such a young age. She nodded "You'll be happy to know that these are for residence who have requested them." she made sure to note. She wasn't, at present, working on anything to sell. She did not, in fact, mention the baskets full that she had previously created, and had ready to sell whenever they were able to. "I can add you to my list, if you'd like to trade something for it." Making flower, or nature crowns was fairly new to Fiona, but she had taken too it so well. She had done a good job in making and wearing them around others over the past few months, and since then, many had wanted to trade for them. Sadhbh herself had offered to trade a bottle of wine, twice now. Once for Mabon, and now for Samhain.

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Fae still wasn’t sure which of the Silentflower twins gave her more of a headache, as they tended to push and pull on different agitations of hers. As she spoke, the girl spun her head around and it turned out to be Fiona. Seeing as she was putting together flower crowns, that probably meant that she was preparing more stock for their little ‘store’ in town. Fae hesitated to call it a real store, but they treated their knick-knack stand like a legitimate business. Even though they really pushed her at times, she found it difficult to outright tell them to stop. Were they taking advantage of visitors? Absolutely. But they were making money for themselves and by creating their wares they were staying out of other sorts of trouble. Knowing the two of them, she always thought they would have been better off going to school at Hogwarts. Their personalities, at least to her, felt like they would mesh well with the magical children outside of the island. Instead, they stayed in Hy-Brasil, and that was fine as well.

Fae was about to add to her question about who the crowns were being made for, but Fiona beat her to it and explained they were for druids in the community. The High Druid was caught off guard by that, and her mouth formed a small o-shape as her brain started telling her that this was a good thing. Maybe Fiona had a bit of a change of heart after all. Doing all of this for the community was much better than trying to pawn off flower crowns to visitors all day. “They are quite well made,” Fae pointed out as she stepped closer to the girl and knelt down to pick one up. The sticks that formed the crown were taut, exactly how they needed to be in order to sit on the head properly. Fae had dabbled in making them at one point in her life. Nowadays, there were ones made specifically by Council members and other elders that she was required to wear during festivals and other religious events. Sometimes she just had to wear one on a random Wednesday, because an elder had a vision. Not that she took everything seriously, one-hundred percent of the time, but there were often occurrences within the community where she was positive that she knew better as High Druid than some of her people did. This was her life-long job now. They needed to believe in her ability to do that.

“Do I get to decide on what to trade, or is that up to your discretion?” she asked the younger girl as she placed the flower crown back on the ground. Realistically, there wasn’t much that Fae had to trade. She used to receive small items and money from the mainland for her role as a visitor guide, though she would never give any of those over to Fiona. Everything else in her possession now was of importance, whether to herself or culturally. The only other thing she could think of was that she had an abundance of griffin feathers…but who didn’t by this point in time? The herd was always flying overhead and dropping feathers everywhere. They weren’t exactly a novelty anymore.

@fiona ● 544 ● Love Brought Weight by Old Sea Brigade

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In the sight of many of the Druids, Fiona was seen to be the calmer of the twins. She thought things through, and tended to mostly go along with her sisters ideas. Though, she did know the rules, and was more than willing to explain exactly how their actions weren't technically against the rules. Their greatest example was them selling the wears that Fiona created. There was no rule that druids couldn't sell to tourists. So, the girls had created the perfect selling area. There were no rules against it. They had started when they were young, and there had been no rules created against it either. There were also no rules against weaving stories in order to sell to tourists, again, she had checked. It didn't matter what the others thought of it past then. True, many disagreed with it. But Freya was good at telling stories, and she liked the money. While on the other hand, Fiona had found a true passion for creating things, and the money was good to get what she wanted, if she decided she wanted something. Currently, she was planning on saving up for when they went to Hogsmeade in the spring.

Fiona knew that Fae was less enthusiastic about the twins endeavors. While the twins weren't partial to the High Druid, Fiona felt like they lived civilly enough. The woman disagreed with many of the Gemini Twins actions, but they were just having fun. Fiona watched Fae's expectantly disappointed face - probably expecting the worse - to one of some surprise. Did the High Druid not know that Fiona made things for Druids, as well as to make money from tourists? True, it wasn't something the girl advertised. But trade was there way, it only made since to the young crafter to trade with her fellow people. “They are quite well made,” This made the girl beam. She was proud of her work, and loved to hear others say so. "Thank you. I would normally start off with flowers, but there aren't many, given the season." Man she was excited for spring again. She could sit in a flowered field all day, and make the most beautiful, elaborate flower crowns that she could imagine. The idea of nature crowns wasn't new, but since she had figured out the basic mechanics, she just couldn't seem to stop. They were good selling points for tourists, but they were also just fun to make and wear.

She offered, as she did to anyone who inquired about her creations, to make the woman something. “Do I get to decide on what to trade, or is that up to your discretion?” Fiona thought about it. The High Druid was not above their trade economy. "If there's something that you want to trade, as long as it's equal in value to a hand made, personalized nature crown. Made just for you" She gave a cunning but nice smile to the woman. It wasn't unreasonable. Though she did have a few ideas if the woman was unsure.

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Fiona made an interesting point about the flower crowns not having as many flowers in them. There was a solution to this, though Fae was well aware that not all of her constituents were as welcoming of it as she could be. It consisted of charming or conjuring flowers to give them more vibrancy or multiplying them. It became useful at times like this, where certain flowers were out of season or difficult to find. Obviously a lot of the more official garb she was required to wear for seasonal festivals and activities was based around whatever was currently in season as well. But there was a solution to the problem, and it all depended on how much one wanted to tweak the natural order of things. Fae didn’t necessarily see anything wrong with it, considering now harm nor foul was done on the flower. At the point of harvesting, the flower was effectively dead. It was one thing to keep its natural beauty present, but sometimes more was required, and re-hydrating it with a charm to make it pop more wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world. It didn’t defy the natural order at all.

“I think that would make these that much more special,” she commented as she noted the lack of flowers and the replacements that were being made for them. Fiona seemed to have a pretty good eye for what worked and what wouldn’t, going all the way down to the branches and twine. She was a druid after all, and this sort of adaptability and understanding of the forest only made sense.

As for the trade, it seemed like Fiona was leaving it up to her. Fae wasn’t exactly good at these sorts of things, since most of her stuff was sort of given to her now. Before? Sure. She could probably go out hunting for an item Fiona would find equally valuable to one of her flower crowns. Nowadays, Fae didn’t really have the time for that. It would almost be easier for her to dig into her mainland money and pay the base cost that the girl would have charged visitors. That wasn’t very druidic of her, but it would solve her problem quickly. “I have a lot of things of sentimental value, but are not trade worthy…is there anything you have in mind that would be easier for me to get than it would be for you?” It seemed like a fair enough question to her, and she was sure there had to be something. Everyone valued objects differently, and where Fae found importance in her griffin feathers or shells picked up on the beach, Fiona may find the same gratification from a funnily shaped stick in the forest. That was just how things worked here.

@fiona ● 465 ● The Original by Roo Panes

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Fiona knew that she could magically create, or even make better the natural materials that were around her. Especially flowers. But that just felt like cheating. Fiona loved to use her hands, and create something from the materials that she found. The girl rarely used magic, which was part of the allured - in her opinion. Creating things by hand was how Fiona connected herself to nature. If someone asked, the girl would be willing, and able to magically enhance, or even cojure the materials. But that was only if the person specified....and the price was worth it. Other than that, you got what she gave you, and she made what inspiration lead her to make. Though, when she did use flowers, Fiona would often enchant them, so that they remain fresh and beautiful for longer periods of time.

“I think that would make these that much more special,” Fiona looked at her work so far. Many were just in the starting phases of their creation. "Perhaps so." She was proud of her work, and it wasn't often where people gave suggestions, or tried to help. Freya usually just let her do whatever she wanted to do. "As the crafter, I'll keep that in mind." It was her crows, and she would make them how she saw fit. The girl made her items much like how she lived her life, she followed inspiration and her feeling. She would go where the wind took her. It was important for her to be close to nature and to have that connection.

Fiona was glad for more "orders." She loved to make things, and it felt great to make them for her community. She looked forward to the celebration, where she would, hopefully, see those around her proudly wearing her creations. Fiona waited for the woman's answer in regards for the trade. As she did, she contemplated what things she could ask for, if Fae's offer wasn't to her liking. Fiona had already thought of something, but she let the woman sit as she pretended to ponder the question. "How about three medium size baskets of griffin feathers, including the full range of sizes." She didn't know what she would be able to do with them yet, but there were a few idea's she'd like to try. "Preferably from their wings" Feathers came off regularly, she was sure that there would be plenty. "I wont ask you to find a specific quality of them, hence why so many." She gave a smile, feeling like her request was reasonable. She anticipated roughly a third of the feathers that would be collected would be broken or in unusable, so realistically, it would only be one basket.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Obtaining griffin feathers wasn’t inherently difficult; Fae usually just entered the ‘paddock’ area behind her house where a majority of the herd lived, alongside the one that stuck closest to her, Storm. While she didn’t consider any animal on the island her pet, that particular griffin tended to stick around her more often than the rest, and had no problem bonding with Fae when they were both small. She enjoyed their relationship, and having the herd so close made her feel more connected to her surroundings. When she had first become High Druid, visiting them was her getaway, even if it was only a mile from home and her parents’ farm.

But three baskets worth of feathers? That would be…difficult. Fae knew she had a small stash at home that she had no problem giving away. A large portion of those were from younger griffins molting, and these feathers were typically smaller and contained baby fuzz, both of which were then replaced by larger, adult feathers. When it came to an amount though, she maybe had a basket worth. Fiona then explained her reasoning behind wanting so many, and it came down to allowing her to choose the quality ones from the bunch. That sort of made sense, though Fae liked to think all of the feathers had their own unique an individuality. The patterns for one, but some had rips or nicks in them, showing the scuffles the griffins had with each other and the other creatures on the island.

“That can be done,” Fae stated, though she really wasn’t confident if she could collect that many before Samhain. Especially now that the herd had thinned out and scattered over the last month. There was one possibility though…“Are you free now? I might not have the amount you need at home, but if you come with me to their clearing, I am sure there will be plenty on the ground.” Even with the herd dispersed, their feathers stayed right where they were. Among other, more unsavory leftovers, she had always seen plenty of feathers in the griffin clearing.

@fiona ● 349 ● Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers

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Fiona was a smart girl. She would easily be able to find her own materials. But, with crafting being one of her true loves, she figured that if she could use the High Druid to collect some materials for her, all the better. It wouldn't have been hard for the girl to do it her self, trade some time of labor on their farm for some good quality feathers. But why do the work, when you can make someone else do it for you. Perhaps this was one of her most subtle traps. All of which was apart of the natural order, and law of their culture. In fact, their rules encouraged the crafty.

“That can be done,” The girl beamed. She was glad to be getting what she asked for. Though it did seem like her plan wasn't perfect. It sounded like she would be helping to find the feathers. While she didn't mind the mud or dirt, there were some things that would make bad crafting materials. It was true, that feathers, along with flowers, and other organic material were essentially all unique to themselves. No two flowers looked exactly the same, the same could be said about feathers. But if a beautiful big feather was broken down the middle, it was no longer big. Something could be done with it, but it was far worse than any nick or simple imperfection.

“Are you free now? I might not have the amount you need at home, but if you come with me to their clearing, I am sure there will be plenty on the ground.” Fiona thought "I have some time" There she wasn't in a huge rush to complete the requests she had already taken. "I am also willing to give you the time to collect them. I also know that now isn't the prime time to get feathers." She knew most birds and feathered creatures tended shed their old feathers in the spring, along with getting new ones in their place. "I'll still make you the nature crown, just as long as the promised amount is paid. The time limit could be discussed." It would be good to see what they currently had, but the girl wasn't completely unreasonable.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Collecting the feathers now fit Fae’s schedule the best. She knew she had the free time for this exact moment, but that could change at any moment, considering the current state of the island. The Council couldn’t exactly stop her from going to her home, in which she could give Fiona some of the feathers already there. Leaving only the ones in the griffin clearing, where it would only take some time to get what she needed. At the girl’s insistence that it currently wasn’t the season to get feathers, Fae nodded her head. “That is true,” she breathed, but it wasn’t always true for griffins, “But the griffins here tend to drop them all year. With the ones that fled…there are a lot more on the ground than usual.” Their fear of what had happened had caused a lot of them to go into shock when fleeing, and thus they dropped feathers. Fae didn’t like harvesting this kind from them, but it was better than nothing at this point.

Fiona added that she was still going to be making a crown, regardless of when the payment was made, and the high druid nodded her head. As many things around here worked, this was no different. But she liked to get things done and paid for immediately. She was the high druid after all, and she had to set and maintain good examples now. Prior to all of this, she may have been more relaxed about the whole thing and taken a little longer. If the feathers ended up being integral for Fiona’s work, why not get them to her immediately? Fae thought that made the most sense.

“I think this might be the best time to get them from their nesting area. With less around, the remaining ones will not be as apprehensive of you like they have been with anyone but me lately,” she added as she stood up, taking Merlin’s staff in her hands again. Even with how the animals and druids bonded, that didn’t mean the creatures couldn’t become skittish at times. In a similar vein, Fae would never approach the dragon colony on the island without having a druid that knew them better alongside her. She liked to think that the griffins were her charge, as they had been living around her home her entire life. Protecting them was her job, after all.

@fiona ● 398 ● Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers

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Crafting and creating things was what Fiona was most passionate about. She had her regulars, and now her newest favorite, nature crowns. Everyone seemed to love them. Making something new was always exhilarating. These feathers would give her a material that she had never worked with before. And, if she could get her hands on some sort of thin bereded rope, she could have fun idea. Feathers would bring it all together. She did understand that the seasons brought about different things. Molting didn't happen when things were cold. It started when things started to get warmer. Also animals with fur and hair tended to start to shed as well. Perhaps, if she played her cards right, she would be able to get some unicorn hair before going to Hogwarts.

“But the griffins here tend to drop them all year. With the ones that fled…there are a lot more on the ground than usual.” That was interesting. She wondered if there was a difference in quality. Fear was defiantly something that could help produce more feathers on the ground. It made sense. Perhaps there would be a number of good ones. But there was also a possibility that there would be a number of broken, or trampled ones. Those wouldn't have been the best for her idea. She did tell Fae that quality didn't matter, that was why she ask for such a large amount. She would take great care to create an exceptional nature crown for the woman. After that work, she would have deserved it.

She liked the idea of getting the feathers sooner, would give her more time to sort through and work with the new material. She thought about the room that she and her sister shared back at home. Working out where she would fit the baskets of feathers while she worked through them. Her side of the room was, as expected, filled with material and half made objects. They both shared a space for the finished product, but she couldn't help but pick something up if it sparked something in her.

“I think this might be the best time to get them from their nesting area. With less around, the remaining ones will not be as apprehensive of you like they have been with anyone but me lately,” That was good news. Fiona always felt as though she had a close bond with most animals. But she interacted more with those in the forest, than those that helped on a farm. She hadn't had many interactions with the griffins at the Cloudbreaker farm. And at that, the girl gathered up her materials and placed them in their container to carry them with her. She only left things in her room, or in hiding places around that she knew that they would be safe. There were many curious and sneaky little creatures that were prone to snatching some of the prettier objects that she had worked hard to find. "Let's be on our way then." She finally stood and motioned for the older woman to lead the way.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Fae was glad to hear the younger girl agree to collect the griffin feathers now, rather than later. In reality, this was really the only time that the High Druid had to spare at the moment, and while she was sure Fiona would have no problem waiting on the donations, there was no telling on Fae’s end when that would be. With everything already going on and then the addition of their yearly festivals and rituals coming up, she barely had enough time to rest. The Council had made sure to extend their worries about her overexertion the last few weeks, but Fae wouldn’t hear any of it. While they shared the problem at hand collectively, she was still the one that harbored it personally. Council members weren’t always committed for life. She was. Everything and anything that happened under her watch was hers to bare. Some of them didn’t seem to understand that part, despite it being fairly well known.

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She led Fiona along the quickest path to the grove where the griffins nested, stopping briefly on the edge of it to go into her home and grab a large strapped basket, so that they could use it for collection. There weren’t many that visited her home. It felt strange to even have someone else in there. Her parents were the exception, though she typically went to theirs when it came to visiting. The small hut was barely visible from the path that led to the grove behind it, but she liked the proximity despite that. “If you see anything else in here that you can use, you are welcome to help yourself,” Fae stated as she dug through a corner of her cramped space for the basket she had in mind. She didn’t recall it being this messy in here, but now that she had a pair of eyes watching her every move, she realized it wasn’t orderly either. “Or if you see a basket. I seem to have misplaced it.”

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