Geilie nervously stepped out of the inky darkness and into the warm radiant glow of the bonfire burning in the middle of clearing. She took her place in front of a tall boulder which was adorned with a circular deific rune that had four spokes protruding from its flanks. The symbol was surrounded by stars mirroring the thousands of stars visible in the moonless sky above. Meanwhile the flickering of the flame on the boulder mimicked the twinkling of the thousands of little points of light that made up her ceiling.

Geilie had a sinking feeling she was late because she had taken her time to cautiously navigate the darkness. Even with her strong arpine vision, which was usually well-adept for seeing in the dark, the lack of any sort of moonlight still meant she could only just barely see the world in front of her. She relied mostly on her sharp arpine senses of hearing and scent to carefully and slowly navigate the dark realm, using the occasional stars through breaks in the shadowy canopy as her only real visual aid. But eventually she found her destination marked by the glistening beacon that was the fire shining in the night.

Now with the runic pillar to her back she stood before the bonfire within a circle of similar pillars along with a few dozen other arpines. She was directly flanked by two males whom she recognized. “Sorry I’m late” she apologized to them in a guilty tone, “Without the moons I had to take my time to navigate.”

“You know, you are allowed to bring a flashlight for the hike, right?” the skinnier tannish male to her right said with a chuckle.

“Sorry, Sal”, Geilie again apologized, looking down in shame. She anxiously stared at her amulet that was decorated with a swirling deific rune, watching the reflection of the flame flicker off the polished gemstone at its core.

Upon seeing Geilie’s reaction Sal changed his tone slightly, “No I didn’t mean to be critical!” he spoke reassuringly, “It’s just so you know for next time! But don’t worry, the night is still fresh and we let the shaman know to wait for you!”

Geilie nodded. “It’s just that I never have actually been to one of these things before…” she spoke nervously.

It was true, throughout the 32 years of her life so far Geilie had never attended a darksky ritual, or any other group or pack ceremony before for that matter. This avoidance was not a matter of belief, for Geilie still believed in and felt connected to the gods as much as most arpines. She even wore a traditional arpine amulet engraved with the symbol of Aeria, the goddess she felt a deep connection to.

In fact, she felt this connection with Aeria every time she ran across the fields and climbed up the slopes. She felt Aeria’s power whenever she stood in the full might of a squall or watched waves crash into the coast from the sea. She even sought the goddess’ connection in her usual work as a field meteorologist and meteorological equipment technician, a fitting job for a free spirit such as herself. She saw the beauty of the other gods in everything else too, and always gave her offerings and thanks.

Geilie’s aversion to group rituals was never about faith. The truth was Geilie had social anxiety, and she would get cold feet at the idea of attending community rituals and she only had a tiny circle of friends. But lately her friend, Sal, had started inviting her to darksky rituals. He explained to her it might be a new experience to break her usual routine and help her get out of her shell. “Maybe next time,” she would always politely decline. After all there was a darksky ritual around every new cycle of the far moon when the near moon was also starting its new cycle. There would be plenty of opportunities this year even.

But then one day she suddenly said “Alright, next one I’ll be there.” She didn’t know why she finally said yes, perhaps it was for her friend, or it was because she wanted to say she did it at least once, or perhaps she was just curious. But regardless of the reason there was no backing out. She was here now.

“Well look who it is!” said another, more playful, male voice next to her shocking her out of her trance of thoughts. She turned to look at a chubbier yellowish male on her left. “Nice surprise to see you here!” the yellow male further stated in a cheerful tone.

Geilie was just as surprised to see the slightly chubby yellow male present. She smirked. “The real surprise is seeing you out of your home”, she quipped.

“Hey, come’on man, that’s not fair”, the yellow male replied, “Gotta honor Denn for good hunts, after all!”

“Oh please, Heyme, the only thing you hunt is noobs,” Geilie teased. “But I will admit you’re not gonna be ending up with the Crave anytime soon,” Geilie added as she poked and prodded Heyme’s soft belly with her pointer digit.

“Hey man, I may be a homebody but I am a man of many skills and trades”, Heyme stated with confidence. “Ever wondered where the vulmer infestation our village was dealing with a while back went?” he asked before slapping his belly causing his outer fat layer to ripple slightly, “you’re looking at it! Just know how to make and where to set the traps and you’re AFKing it IRL, baby.”

Geilie took a step back and took in realization of what she had just heard. She realized all the time she was Heyme’s friend she never cared to ask what he did for a living or how he fed himself. She always knew him as the friend who was deep into online games and didn’t get out much. But the more she thought about it the more it made sense, Heyme was still able to afford his own home and the latest computer rigs, after all. What other creative and interesting odd gigs has he taken for money? She looked down again, feeling guilty about how little she truly knew about those she considered her close friends.

Heyme gently put his hand on Geilie’s shoulder giving an encouraging touch. “Hey, it’s alright, I am just happy to see you here.”

Geilie tilted her head back up as she held her amulet and stroked the gemstone in it’s center. She looked over at Heyme with a small smirk and gave him a quick nod.

After a brief serene pause the silence was broken by a voice calling out from the ring of arpines. “Alright, is everyone here?” asked an older male arpine stepping out from the crowd and into the light emitted by the bonfire. Geilie looked toward the arpine who was now near the bonfire, who she could easily tell was the shaman, and nodded.

“Shall we begin?” asked the shaman.

“Let’s get this overwith,” said Sal, “I gotta get home so I can be up for my dawn shift”.

“Alright, we shall begin,” the shaman stated. He cleared his throat.

“Greetings!” the shaman declared loudly, “Thank you everyone who came here for this darksky ceremony. I hope you and your loved ones have been receiving good fortune, and that you’ve had good hunts and happiness.”

Geilie stood silent and looked at the flame as the shaman continued.

“We stand bare before the gods and under the lights of our ancestors tonight to honor the cycle of the far moon. We gather here in the wilderness, away from our material things, where the gods made us. We stand here bare, as the gods made us. And we have adorned our centers with what best represents who we are: what we made of us.”

Geilie looked down at the storm cloud she painted on the core of her body for the ceremony. She looked back ahead, smiling.

“We are each wonderful individuals in our own way, we come from many different walks of life, some of are more fortunate, and so me of us less so.”

The shaman breathed before continuing.

“We take pride in our individuality, and we also take pride in being one with those around us and the world we live in. And despite our differences, here before the gods we are all equals. Each of our life journeys follow countless unique paths, but they shall all end the same.”

The shaman then walked around the circle giving quick updates on the news of the past few asts. Of course, everyone was already aware of the news via digital news so no one was surprised, but this part was merely the spirit of tradition even after it’s practicality has long passed.

The shaman then took his spot at the center again and asked if anyone had a prayer for the next twiln. Geilie just continued to stand silent, not having anything to say at the moment. However, Sal spoke up, “Well, I would like a change of scenery, hoping to get a new job soon so I can be outside”. This was met with some amused chuckles.

The shaman took a scrap of meat that was wrapped in wet grass and bundled with sinew and placed it into the fire as an offering. The wet grass caused the fire to smoke which was taken as a sign of sending Sal’s request. “Your offering has been sent. The gods will lend you some of their power, but it is up to you to act to make it be,” he stated. He looked around at the gathered arpines. “Anyone else?”

The process was repeated with a few other arpines in the gathering. Once everyone who had something to say had spoken the shaman then continued on with the formal rites.

“And so we shall continue to show our gratitude to Kra: the master of the day’s light and he who warms the world and makes the trees and grass grow. To Aeria: the mistress of the seas and the skies, she who brings rains and the change in our world and lives. To Astir: the claimer of souls, protector of those who’ve passed, master of the near moon, he who brings us knowledge and wisdom and sees us as who we are. To Juna: the giver and taker of life, for in her realm we live and on her creatures we feed. To Twil: the mover of the far moon, he who guides us in the unknown, the relay of our ancestors’ guidance, the light to our future. To Denn: the huntress who’s energy empowers us with the thrill of the hunt, she who brings us comfort in our homes and love between each other. And also to any other figure not listed you may show your gratitude”.

Geilie continued to stare into the flames, mesmerized by the sparks feeling an energy radiate throughout her body she hadn’t felt before. She stared in a euphoric hypnotic state as the shaman reached his close.

“Guided by the wisdom of the gods, by the lights of our ancestors, by the wills of the gods, and by the whispers of our ancestors in the world around us. From now, until the day your essence returns to Krathal and your spirit heads to the stars and the place of our ancestors, may you and those around you be blessed with good fortune. May your hunts be successful and may you never feel the Crave. Until the next twiln, cycle of the far moon”.

Silence fell over the clearing once more. The gathering gradually disbanded as the bonfire continued to gently burn. Geilie, Sal, and Heyme stood there together for some time. Sal eventually broke the silence among the three, “well I shouldn’t hang around, I am a day kulpter after all and third shift starts when Kra rises. Was nice of you to come, Geilie.”

Sal disappeared into the dark.

Heyme smirked a little, “And I got some super duper important business to do that I need to get to that I can’t explain right now...” Heyme then broke his smirk, “Okay, maybe I’m actually planning a raid with my guild.” Heyme’s smirk came back nervously. “Well it was fun to see you here, uh, hope to catch ya later Geilie.”

Heyme also disappeared into the darkness. Now it was only Geilie left at the pillars along with the shaman who was sitting on a rock watching the slowly dying fire. The only noise they could hear was the crackling embers that still shone like red stars in the night.

Geilie slowly walked up to the fire and hesitantly grabbed one of the bundles. The shaman looked up intrigued as Geilie cast it into the coals as it erupted into a burst of flame and smoke.

“Have a silent one there, missy?” the shaman asked, “well I won’t be nosy”.

Geilie exhaled. “I hope I will be able to break out of my little hole more, to be able to talk to new people” she said, “And I want to be able to get to know Heyme more, like actually know him.”

“Well good things come with time, miss” the shaman said, “At one time I was afraid of people and hated being put on the spot myself, if you could believe it. You’ve already shown the will, which is already half of what you need to manifest the powers in this world, and at this rate you’ll even soon get that lad of yours”.

Geilie blushed slightly. She then took a seat at the fire across from the shaman. Neither of them spoke another word. In silence Geilie listened to the simmering flames crackle as she watched the embers fly up to the stars.