Roybi was the youngest daughter of Chendry, a Tear Gatherer. Today Roybi was set to follow in her father's hoof steps and learn the traditions of gathering the Goddesses Tears. She woke early that morning and wrapped herself in the bright white robes, She had never been in anything so white before. High in the mountain the dust covers everything. All her clothes had long since faded to brown. She struggled with her belt and could only hope she looked the part. She'd watched her father prepare for the hike many times. Now, she did her best to imitate his movements in dressing.
The flap to her tent pulled away and her Father stepped in. The sounds of his hooves on the rock below announced his presence.
"You look beautiful young fawn. Are you ready to pray", he said to her.
Roybi still fiddled with her belt but smiled anyway and nodded her head. Chendry lead her from her small tent to the large gathering tent in the center of the village. Inside sat twenty or so of her clan, all dressed in the same white robes. They were kneeling in a circle speaking silent prayers to the goddess. Roybi knelt beside her father. She'd been studying the prayers since she was 10 now at the age of 13 she knew them by heart. She thanked the goddess for her sadness. She thanked her for her tears. Then, the leader of their expedition began praying out loud.
He told the story of the Goddess torn between to loves. Her heartbreak as she had to choose. This was the first heartbreak the world had ever known. It carried such sadness that it drove the moon to the the ground where she wept for an eternity. As Roybi listened she started to cry herself. She looked to her father for guidance and saw the trails of tears on his face as well. When their leader had finished speaking the congregation dried their eyes on their sleeves. Roybi stood up next to her father and began following the line of others as they made their way around the tent. As she reached the far wall Chendry pulled down a water skin and strapped it to his back. Roybi took the next in line but it was just a little big for her. Her father took it from her and passed it along with a smile on his face.
"Here, this one is more your size", he said handing her a smaller skin.
Roybi took the skin and slipped her arms into the loops. Then, she tied the belt across her chest. Before long they were on their way. The village was nestled into a valley but was still very far up the mountain range. The journey would take them 3 days, during which they would not eat in fast for their Goddesses pain. Roybi found the first day easy and by the end of it hey had reached the Sorrow Caves. The troupe sat down to make camp for the night. Roybi found it difficult to sleep. The wind blew through the caves and was followed by a mournful cry. Roybi knew this was just the wind, but it sounded so sad. Before long though Chendry was tapping her shoulder, waking her for the new day.
Roybi was hungry. But she imagined everyone was. This was the sacrifice they made. They walked on till the sun was high in the sky. All Roybi's life she'd only seen the brown dust and grey rocks of her village. Only the Tear Gatherers were allowed to venture to this sacred land. Roybi's eyes grew wide as she saw, for the first time, green moss covered stones. She marveled at the flowers that grew out of cracks. Often her father would bring her one from his trips. But to see it alive and rooted was something she could only imagine.
Chendry called out to her not to fall behind and she darted to keep up. As they made there way through another pass Roybu saw the Face of the Goddess, a towering mountain that looked like a woman's face on it's side. From the one visible eye high on the cliff a water fall flowed. The Gatherer's began unhooking their water skins and stepping into the stream. Roybi was so memorized by the awesomeness of what she was seeing that she had completely forgotten why she came.
"Come Roybi, we don't want to miss the feast", her father said.
The thought of food jolted her back from her trance. She pulled the water sack from her back and began filling it in the thin stream. One after another, each Gatherer took turns and with full water skins would sit in the moss to make their small camps. Roybi followed their lead and made her small camp next to her father. Tomorrow they begin their trip back.
Roybi knew the feast well. It was the grand celebration her tribe had once every three moons to celebrate the refiling of their water. There wasn't a lot of food, but enough to go around. The Gatherers always got first choice. Roybi slipped easily into sleep that night dreaming of food and listening to the sound of falling water. The track back would not be as easy as the walk here.
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