Learning About Oneself

[Anastasia Rade]

The past few month had been packed full of changes and new experiences. She was seeing the galaxy for the first time in her life and it was quite overwhelming at times. There was so much to learn, see and do she didn't even know where to begin. Anastasia had a lot of catching up to do if she had any hope of fitting in with those her own age. The young oracle sometimes just wanted to run away and be a hermit. She would be able to live out life peaceful and not be expected to be an adult. It would be nice but when those thoughts crossed her mind she literally would take a step back to refocus herself.

She had been lucky to have been found by Azrael whom had not only rescued her but took her in. During the time she had spent with him she had grown close to him. Anastasia saw him as she would her elder brother whom took care of her and showed her how the galaxy worked. When he couldn't he brought her to the witches whom could assist her with her gifts.

Being without him was another change but she was learning a lot about herself and what she was capable of. She worked hard not only for herself but because she wanted to make her brother proud of her. She wanted to be able to use her gift to help those whom had done so much for her.

When she wasn't training Anastasia enjoyed exploring the planet which was what she was doing today. The young woman could be found sitting under one of the trees studying. She wanted to better understand her visions and to assist with that she did a lot of reading.

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

As Clan Ma'tra, Satara had many responsibilities. One of them, of course, included training young Witches. Of them stood though. She was new and somewhat unique compared to the young ones. Satara Hawk was different, much like her second daughter, [member="Kytarra Hawk"]. The two shared the talent of seeing into the future. While their talents manifested in different ways, the Witch understood how important the particular gift was.

But Satara already knew all of the Singing Mountain territory, she didn't need to specially get to know it. Instead, the mist of all her duties, she went to seek out her new apprentice [member="Anastasia Rade"]. The young Initiate was new to all their traditions but Satara had little fear with the young Mandalorian. When she caught up with the new Seer under a tree, Satara merely said: "Anastasia!" It was all that she needed to say the girl's attention, she hoped.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

War was what as of late haunted her visions. It was all around the galaxy on many planets from what she could see. None of it was a pretty sight and wasn't exactly useful as it seemed most of the galaxy was already what was going on. Those she cared for where involved and as such the young seer couldn't help but be worried about her elder brother. She knew he could take care of himself but still she couldn't help it.

Reading she found kept her mind off of such things plus it helped her further enhance her skills. Her visions were already becoming clearer to her and she was seeing a lot more now than she ever had before. It was a wonder what just being free had on her gifts. As she was able to relax things would just come to her.

As she heard her name Anastasia looked up from her reading. The young seer hadn't been expecting company however she always welcomed it. There was so much that she could learn from other and was more than willing to listen. What she didn't expect was to see Satara so soon. It made her think that perhaps she had missed training or was late to something. She was still learning all of the traditions so it was possible that something slipped her mind.

Setting the book down she jumped up. "I didn't miss a gathering did I?"

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

She offered a tiny smile at the girl's question and shook her head. "No, it's quite alright. I didn't mean to startle you." Moving her hands slightly, Satara shifted the couple of scrolls she had in her hands between them as she waited for Anastasia.

"I thought perhaps you'd like to begin your Trial," she suggested. There was still quite a bit [member="Anastasia Rade"] had to learn but the Trial itself was an important beginning. They would only perhaps have to take a bit of time with the language before actually beginning but Satara still wasn't worried.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Trials. She might not yet know all of the traditions and customs however she did know what starting her trials mean. It was the next step in becoming a witch in had to prove themselves and show everything that they had learned. Anastasia could feel her stomach turn into knots just thinking about it. She had come so far and learned much from the witches. There was still much for the young Seer to learn and when she did pass her trials she would continue down that path.

Taking a deep breath she nodded. If Satara believed her ready than she believed it herself. Satara had trained many young witches so she knew when it was time. As nervous as she was Anastasia believed in herself. She could do anything that she put her mind to despite her past. She would make those she cared for proud and pass with flying colors. "Yes, I'm ready." She had read about the trials but each witches were different so she wondered what was in store for her.

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

Once [member="Anastasia Rade"] had announced she was ready, Satara took one of the two scrolls in her right hand and extended it towards her. "Then we shall begin with the Weather Sense. It's an easy one. It will merely allow you to sense the upcoming patterns in the skies." Once the small introduction was given, she waited for Anastasia to take the scroll.

Then, she could continue. "The words mean: Nature's nurture, nature's affection. Before me, all of earth and skies. My magic dig deep, find the patterns that shift, show me what the weather will bring," she pointed out. "But I need you to speak them in our language. If you need me to pronounce the words for you, do tell me. After that. You have an hour to memorize them. Be sure of them before you try to pronounce them. You have to be confidant and sure. Any hesitation gets registered and can backfire on you." This was extremely important. It was why they had the Trial in the first place and why it was written in the way that it was, to bring a new witch into her first spell safely.

"You need to do it five times in order for you to be ready to cast it. If the first few times don't work, don't worry about it. That is the way it always is as you build your strength. Just concentrate on the words and what you wish to accomplish and you will see and feel the next weather pattern as if it is actually happening to you. It's an illusion and it will end soon. Then tell me what you've seen."

It was... that simple? Was it actually simple? Compared to some other spells, it actually was quite simple.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Taking the scroll she nodded in understanding. She had been working to learn Dathomiri language but that of the Mandalorian as well. It was a slow work in progress but one day she hoped to successful communicate in both. The language of the clan of course took priority as it was the one in which spells would be cast in. Glancing down to the scroll she read along as the clan mother translated the words for her.

The spell seemed simple enough to cast but she was a little worried when it came to her pronunciation of the words. Anastasia could understand them well enough but she could be saying them all wrong. The last thing she wished for was the spell to back fire on her and create a demon or something. "Could you pronounce the words for me first? I want to ensure that I have that right." She would have no issue memorizing the spell just she wanted to ensure what she was memorizing was correct Anastasia had confidence in herself that she could do this with all of the tools given to her.

Illusions were nothing new to her as she often had them when she had a vision. They as of late had not been pleasant and she assumed that this would be more. Having a vision of a thunderstorm couldn't be that bad not when war was mostly what she saw now.

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

At the request, Satara nodded and carefully spoke the words as her mind remained blank: "Natura nutriendo, naturae affectio. Ante me omne caelum et terram. Magiae fodit in altum, amoveo inveniam exemplaria ostende quid tempestas adducam." Each word was pronounced slowly but merely as words memorized long ago, with no intent to cast the spell.

Once she had done, she glanced at [member="Anastasia Rade"]. Satara remained silent, waiting to hear whether a second time would be necessary. If not Anastasia was free to begin learning, she would wait here until she was ready.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

She listened intently and mouthed the words along with her. If she had any hopes of casting the spell correctly she needed to learn the basics first. The spell itself seemed simple enough for her and now she just needed to memorize it and than cast it in front of her teacher. It seemed simple enough and it was. Anastasia had been though worse, this was a piece of cake.

"Thank you, I think I got it." Anastasia wanted to have it down before going back to perform it for Satara. She knew that it would take a bit to get down but she had never been one to give up.

"Natura nutriendo, naturae affectio. Ante me omne caelum et terram. Magiae fodit in altum, amoveo inveniam exemplaria ostende quid tempestas adducam." She stated five times making sure to enunciate each word but nothing occurred. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself before starting again this time focusing on what it was she wished to happen. Yet again nothing happened but that didn't discourage the young seer from trying again tweaking how she was saying the words. This all was good practice of course as she needed to memorize the words.

The fourth time she spoke the spell she felt a wave of warmth come across her and she could see as clear as her visions were becoming sunshine in the future no clouds. It was to be the perfect day which she was glad for as she was sure this wasn't the only trial she would have to go through.

"I saw something," she exclaimed excitedly. "I'm ready!"


[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

Satara leaned against the tree once [member="Anastasia Rade"] declared she was ready. Now, she had nothing else to do but wait. An hour of waiting for a student to finish their trial used to feel like years that would simply never end but in time, Satara had learned to pass that feeling and simply patiently wait for the process to end, while being alert to the girl's actions.

When it came to spells, anything could go wrong. Lack of concentration, even for a second was enough to ruin everything and even harm the caster. A single wrong word could do as much, sending off the spell a completely different path. The young often didn't think of it, their minds set on spells being only what their Elders gave them but that was what their teachers were there for, ready to teach them such things. And while Satara was all Anastasia could see, she was not the only mature Witch present. Trials were sacred events, not just training but also rights of passage. No doubt even right now, scouts had turned their focus on the young one, waiting to see how she did. They bared witness and also watched over her.

Sometimes though, it was far more formal and the students knew about those presences. But that was when the student was a member of large families. It was usually those members that bare witness to such events, to see another one of their own blood pass or fail.

When Anastasia had finally spoke up again, Satara nodded. She almost hadn't even noticed an hour pass in the time she had kept her busy watching over the girl. "Very good," she said. "Tell me what you saw."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

[member="Satara Hawk"]

"I saw the sun shinning brightly with no clouds. I also felt warmth. This leads me to believe that the weather will continue to be as beautiful as it is now."

She was proud of herself for being able to successfully cast her first spell. It wouldn't help her fight any big bad but she was on her way. This was only the beginning of what she could do and it was exciting. She was beginning to understand after all these years why the Sith wanted her and had kept her.

 

[Satara Hawk]

Satara listened carefully as Anastasia described what she had seen and the conclusion the girl gained from it and nodded. "Good," the Witch responded.

The next spell would be handled a little differently so Satara took a moment to look at Anastasia to see if she was ready for this. She believed she was. "Alright, now, repeat after me: "Dai poteri delle streghe prima di me, mi viene il potere sugli oggetti, mi il potere di muoversi come vedo in forma!" The spell of telekinesis. A useful short spell. Not that Weather Sense wasn't but it was a far more active spell than the original one.

"It means: By the powers of the Witches before me, will me the power over objects, will me the power to move them as I see fit!" Giving away the Galactic Basic version of the spell wasn't common but Satara figured it would be easier for Anastasia to understand while she was still learning Paecean. Now, try it again: "Dai poteri delle streghe prima di me, mi viene il potere sugli oggetti, mi il potere di muoversi come vedo in forma!" It was no longer important for Anastasia to do it five times so the Witch repeating it was only to help the blonde get a grip on the words so she could cast it. "It's a telekinesis spell, level one. You won't be able to do much with it for now. But it works well on smaller objects." It was an old spell, passed down to her from other Witches. Satara didn't know its origins but she found it to be useful and thus left the wording as it was.

[member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Anastasia had experience when it came to using her gift to move objects. It wasn't good experience however it was experience nonetheless. She was confident in herself to be able to do it the correct way. It was a basic spell in which she could build on with practice and time. She was willing to put in the effort to do such. The next time she saw Azrael she wanted to proudly show him all she had learned.

As Satara spoke the words Anastasia repeated after her trying to get the punctuation correct before beginning. "Dai poteri delle streghe prima di me, mi viene il potere sugli oggetti, mi il potere di muoversi come vedo in forma!"

Nodding she spoke the phrase again but this time on her own to ensure everything was correct. Once that was confirmed she gazed around looking for something small that she could practice on.

It wasn't long till she found a little rock sitting in the grass that would do just fine. Before saying the actual spell she thought of what she wished for the rock to do. "Dai poteri delle streghe prima di me, mi viene il potere sugli oggetti, mi il potere di muoversi come vedo in forma!" She stated picturing the rock lifting up from the ground.

Anastasia watched as the rock lifted a few inches off the ground before plopping back down. The young witch's nose wrinkled slightly as she had hoped for a bigger display but for now that would do. It had moved at least. "I'm sure with practice I'll become better."

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

Satara watched and waited once [member="Anastasia Rade"] had learned the spell. Soon she could see progress in the other female, one fo the smaller rocks rising inches off the ground. She nodded to the suggestion. "Yes, you will. And in time, you will learn the advancing spells to it a well. But for now, we shall move on."

They could return to the subject of telekinesis, not just the spell but for now, Satara wanted to introduce Anastasia to a more advanced set of spells. "Now that you've covered the basics, we'll move on to two spells other spells, one is more advanced that you can handle now and the other one is Spell of Focus that will allow you to be able to cast it safely."

Raising her hands, Satara inspected the other two scrolls she had then handed the one with the Spell of Focus first. "This is the Spell of Focus one. It's easy and quick. You'll feel the extra energy quickly." Then, she reached out the other one. "Learn them both. Once you've cast Spell of Focus, give it a bit and once you feel it working, cast the second spell."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

The key was to master the basics and build upon that which she had already learned. She knew with practice she could do many things with what she already learned. She just had to get inventive which was easy enough for her to do. Anastasia had spent enough time around Azrael to have ideas already floating around in her head.

Nodding she took the two scrolls from Satara. Unrolling them she read over the simple focus spell a few times before unrolling the more advanced of the two spells to learn it. In the short term she could commit both spells to memory but she would of course need to reference them again in the future. It would be good to keep a spell book with her.
After reading through both spells one last time she rerolled both the scrolls before beginning the first spell. -"Io comando le madri vecchie di darmi la forza, la spirita, la potenza necessaria per vincere la battaglia che sto per affrontare. Supererò tutte con il vero potere dei modi antichi." Directly after chanting this she could feel a little boast of energy. It made her feel more powerful than she ever had before and dare she say she rather liked it.

She paused for a brief moment before reciting the second spell. -"Grandi Spiriti di Dathomir, più puro delle anime che è venuto prima di noi, che io chiamo fuori la nebbia, io suscitare la foschia. Nascondermi dallo sguardo di un mortale, mi nasconda ora!" As the young witch finished she could see a faint light mist began to form around them. It wasn't too thick but thick enough she needed to actual focus to tell what something was.

[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Satara Hawk]

With both scrolls handed off, both of Satara's hands were free again. She clasped them behind her back then, waiting. They'd done this whole thing before, the scroll learning and casting. Anastasia most likely wouldn't need pointers right now.

And she was right. One blue, one green eyes observed as [member="Anastasia Rade"] chanted the Spell of Focus first and then quickly moved on to the next. All the while, the Witch kept her Sense active to be aware of what was happening. She could feel the spell working, the strength vibrating off of Anastasia now intensifying. Good. That was exactly what she needed.

The mist began to form. Satara smiled now, unseen by her student, watching it spread. Watching it hide the blonde, the Witch realized another spell was in order now. The mist had its way of protecting, but it was not really protection but merely a way to hide a Witch. "Good."

Concentrating though for a moment, Satara's mind reached ahead, searching for her daughter [member="Kytarra Hawk"]. Once she was sure the message would go through, she thought what she needed: 'Hi'ja, it is time. Come find me. The new seer will need some guidance from you.' Kytarra was a far better option at talking to Anastasia about the visions. While Satara had experienced, they were never hers. She could never talk about the visions the way Kytarra were.

"While you still have the strength beyond your own, repeat after me: Allya, ascoltami. Proteggermi da quello che viene a modo mio!" It wasn't a logn spell but it was a highly important spell that would shield her from danger.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Spell casting she was finding was came easier to her than some of the weapons that she learned to use. It made sense though, this was her tapping into something she had been itching to understand.

As the fog slowly began to lift she spoke the next spell along with Satara "Allya, ascoltami. Proteggermi da quello che viene a modo mio!"

After she finishing she didn't notice a difference in her surroundings which made her wonder if it had worked. "What does this spell do?" She questioned as she continued to glance around still looking for an indicator of some kind that it worked. "Can the Spell of Focus be used before most spells that are more difficult? Within reason of course as I understand I wouldn't be able to jump multiple levels and raise the dead or something."


[member="Satara Hawk"]

 

[Kytarra Hawk]

A single arrow shot to plunge betwixt the spread feet of the young woman. It's shaft slightly shook, the plumed feathers lightly fluttering in the wake of it's send off. Off in the distance, a single woman stood upon the shoulders of an old matriarch rancor. Twin billows of steam shot from it's flat nostrils, it's claws raking the earth as it took slow sure steps forward.

She wore no helm, but her distinctive white blond hair interwoven with bleached bones, grass, and white clay would identify her as Kytarra Hawk, shaman of Singing Mountain Clan. Milky-white eyes, almost as if taken over by cataracts, bore their cloudy appraisal upon the young witch standing by her mother.

Her face was grimy, her feet sharing the same fate and bare. For all intents and purposes, it was as if the woman were wild, primal, savage. As if she'd given into the very same savagery and primitive roots as the wilderness around her.

"Hmmhaahaha...." came the rather low amused hum, acknowledging her mother, having heard the call long before summoned. "Trials to come. Much sorrow. Fear. Courage. Da Fanged God and the Winged Goddess keep you." clawed fingers drew down her bow, her ring and pinky finger twitching as she spoke.

"Are ya ready?." her voice was thick, almost scratchy yet decadent as a thousand whispers in the wind. "...Daughter of da sky."

 

[Satara Hawk]

Satara watched quietly as [member="Anastasia Rade"] cast the shield spell. From where she stood to the side, she could see small vibrations to the air in front of Anastasia to know it worked though her student seemed to have missed it.

The Witch was just about to comment when the arrow flew and hit into the shield, bounding back. Her heard turned, to see her daughter on her rancor. "Anastasia, that is Kytarra Hawk, my daughter," Satara explained before her daughter came up to them. "Like you, she can see the future. But now, she will be testing all you have learned."

But Anastasia also had a question about her Spell of Focus. "The spell is designed so it can help you cast any spell higher than yours. But only a single step higher than what you are now. Attempting to use it on a more advanced spell would harm you."

That was all there was to it. Now [member="Kytarra Hawk"] could test her on her lessons learn so the Trial by Fire could concluded.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

She took a few steps back as the arrow that was shot bounced off her energy wall. This was a very cool spell indeed and she could see it being useful not only to help herself but to help others. As much as she wished to be able to help herself she also wanted to help those whom had helped her. She felt that one day she would be fighting by their side and she needed to be prepared.

The witch whom stood on top of the rancor seemed so different than her mother. She wondered if a little of that was in part to the visions. She knew they could even drive her batty from time to time or maybe this was her way of communing with nature. Sometime she would have to talk to her about these vision things but first thing was first trials.

"Yes, I am ready." She slightly nodded looking up to Kytarra. The woman spoke almost in rhymes which were a little hard to understand but she got the basics. The trials would be tough but she expected that and it wasn't as if she had never been though hard times in her life. She could handle this and pass her trials. She was confident of herself in this.


[member="Kytarra Hawk"] [member="Satara Hawk"]