The moon would be full tonight. Yepa had been keeping track. She'd been marking the cycles of the moon for a while now, ever since she and her mate had started talking about having cubs. It was part of the whole arranged marriage for the unity of two prides deal that they'd agreed to but, now that she'd been able to live side by side with Sayrip, she knew it wouldn't be a burden. The younger lion had grown into a gentle and kind lion, still a little shy as he had been upon his arrival, but far more confident in himself than she'd ever known. He'd be a good father, she had no doubt, which was why she'd started tracking the phases of the moon.

Though Yepa had been born and grown up in the Suzat, her mother had arrived as a cub. It was on her father's side that her Hobbit heritage stretched back for generations, her mother's side of the family had been rogues as long as any of them could remember. It was out of desperation that her grandmother had joined, weak from hunger and thirsty from drought. Along with her cubs, her grandmother had brough along traditions, beliefs that she passed on to her children and in turn had been passed on to Yepa and her siblings. She wasn't sure how much she believed in some of the things her mother had done almost daily, but with cubs on the horizon she figured it couldn't hurt to do this particular ritual.

As the sun set and the moon shone in all its glory in the twilight sky, Yepa left her shared den to go for a walk. She made her way down to the river, humming a song that her mother had taught her for these longer, more important traditions. It would turn the god's ear to her, she'd told her. Bring their blessing. Yepa had never met a god before and she wasn't so sure she wanted to draw the ire of some of the less than savory ones, but nothing bad had ever happened in the stories she'd been told. Hopefully whoever she was summoning was kind.

The goddess that was being summoned wasn't particularly kind, but she wasn't particularly cruel, either. Especially when someone called to her specifically, to her domain. Meishin watched from across the river, hidden from sight thanks to the semi-darkness of the night, her black coat melding almost perfectly with the shadows of the trees. The lioness she was watching was almost as hard to see with her deep blue pelt, though the sparkling marking and white tail tuft made her at least mildly visible. The goddess observed as the blue lioness dipped her muzzle to the river for a drink before beginning the motions of the ritual, murmuring words that wouldn't have been audible to a mortal on the other side of the river. To Meishin, though, it was as if she was right next to the lioness.

"Give me strength." A claw extended from the right paw of the lioness as Meishin watched. She had no say in what the mortals did for their summoning or prayer, each having their own ticks and traditions to appease her. She accepted them all without judgement, even those involving sacrifice of some kind.

"Give me health." The claw that had been extended cut into the opposite paw, just below the wrist, drawing a light wound that bled freely. The injured paw was dipped into the running water, letting the blood and water mingle.

"Give me patience. Take my pain, ease my suffering, and ward all ill from those unborn."

Meishin let out a slow breath, one she'd been holding during the whole ordeal, and blinked over to the other side of the river.

Yepa withdrew her paw from the river and bowed her head to lick the wound, the cut shallow enough that the river had mostly stemmed the flow of blood. She felt good despite the burning on her paw, the tradition complete and done as well as she could remember. The last part had been tricky because she'd had to recite it over and over back in the den before she'd felt confident that it was right. Hopefully she hadn't angered anyone by slipping up.

It was then that she realized she wasn't alone. The fur along her spine stood on end as she surveyed the other side of the river, only to find the trees that lined its banks. She turned slowly, realizing the presence was behind her, and when her eyes caught sight of the massive lion behind her she nearly fell to the ground in fear.

Meishin was used to this sort of reaction from mortals who had never seen a god before, but she didn't flinch or offer any sort of visual sympathy. She kept her position, head high, fur blowing lightly in the gentle breeze of the evening. When she spoke her voice was deep but soft, a bit monotone, and strangely hypnotic.

"Your prayer has been heard, mortal," she said, the tone vibrating deep within Yepa's bones. "Your sacrifice has been accepted. I will see to it that your cubs are born healthy and whole, and that you are safe through carrying them." She couldn't promise no pain or suffering - that was part of the birthing process, unfortunately - but she could keep this future mother healthy and strong at the very least so her cubs were born the same.

Yepa's terrified mind had latched on to the words the goddess spoke and as the somehow reassuring tone washed over her, her fear left. Her injured paw was an afterthought as she stood in the presence of the goddess, the golden horns flashing in the moonlight and drawing her eyes to her head, then her body, then back to her glowing eyes.

"Th-thank you," she stammered, completely caught off guard by the actual presence of a goddess. Her mother and grandmother had never been visited as far as she was aware. "I...I'm eternally grateful for your protection."

Meishin said nothing, though she did close her eyes and incline her head to let her know she'd heard and acknowledged the thanks. Once she opened her eyes again she surveyed the mortal before gazing up at the moon.

"Be sure to present them to me once their eyes have opened. Come back to this place. Bring your mate if need be to bring them all here. Repeat the ritual and I will return." She didn't explain why she wanted them brought back, but Yepa nodded all the same, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd have to tell Sayrip now so he wasn't surprised about it later.

"Yes, of course! Thank you!"

Even as she spoke, the goddess disappeared before her eyes. Yepa's body finally relaxed, all the muscles tense from her fight or flight response the goddess had instilled in her. She took a moment to collect herself before getting to her paws to start the journey back across the farmland to the center of the pride where she and Sayrip had their den, her limbs a little shaky from the loss of adrenaline.

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