FoD Extra 3: Skulls for the Goddess

The next day came and Roswell would not stop bothering Jacqueline until she begrudgingly woke up to get ready for the day. Wick and Valentina glared at Roswell again from their two stalls but emperor-feathered prairie didn’t care at all. He wanted to go out gathering the perfect skulls to offer Death in order to bring about her return. She deserved the finest of skulls in Roswell’s mind and he knew that Jackie knew the best way to clean and cure the skulls so that they looked nice for an offering. Adorning them with paint or plants was another thing that Roswell wanted to do. He wanted the prettiest and most noble looking skulls to gift to Death. Valentina was annoyed by this but she knew it was his turn to gift the Goddess his idea for the offerings so they might as well. Jackie stretched and groaned before getting her pack on and then saddling up Wick. It was clear she wasn’t about to go walking when the prairie kukuris could move so much faster than she.

Once Wick was saddled up and Jackie was up in the saddle, Roswell assertively took the lead, his head held high and his feathers pushed back in order for him to better hear his surroundings. Valentina took up the rear this time, less enthused to go gathering skulls to offer to Death while Wick and Jackie took their place just behind Roswell. Jackie trusted the emperor-feathered prairie to show them the way to the best place to collect skulls. And he seemed to be going in the right direction; he was heading to an area that was more arid and covered in shadow. For many animals this was a likely place to crawl off to die away from their herds or packs.

Roswell wrinkled his nose as they approached the area, the smell of rotting flesh nearly overpowering. Jackie wrinkled her nose as well; extra sensitive to smells with her feline senses. Valentina and Wick snorted a few times but were more tolerant of the smell. There were a few rotting carcasses exposed to the sun, but there were also skeletal remains around the area as well of long dead elk and moose. The spectacular skulls with intact horns were quite regal looking and even Valentina found some charm in them. Roswell puffed up with pride as he headed over to a sun-bleached skull of particularly regal male stag. It had a nine-pointed rack still attached to the skull; which meant it probably died in its prime before the time they would be shed naturally. Valentina made her way to a particularly pretty looking moose skull with just as pretty horns attached to its head. Wick however gathered more small skulls of the does and ewes, choosing ones without horns.

While the kukuris were gathering their skulls for their next offerings to Death, Jackie was setting up to clean the skulls as best they could given the time limit of wishing them to be ready before nightfall. Roswell came by first, finding another antlered skull to go with his first impressive one. Jackie took the skull and began to clean the surface of any lingering flesh before setting them down on a rock beside her to dry. Roswell paced impatiently as he waited for his skulls to dry. If there was one thing that Roswell was not, it was that he was not patient at all. Meanwhile Wick and Valentina brought over their skulls for their handler to clean up for them. Roswell snorted, judging their finds critically but Valentina and Wick pointedly ignored Roswell’s attitude towards their choices of offerings. As long as Death would be happy with them, so were they. Besides, Jackie seemed to think they were quite nice finds.

Once they were all cleaned up, Jackie took out some of the handpaints she kept in her pack for various reasons and opened them up for the three prairie kukuri to use in order to decorate their skulls. Roswell, Valentina and Wick all chirped excitedly to use the handpaints - considering it was something that they were not often allowed to use. Roswell quickly went for the black and red paints, making streak-like markings on his two skulls that were akin to war paint. Meanwhile Valentina and Wick both chose lighter colors for their skulls. Valentina tried her best to make flower-like shapes with her fingerprints while wick made marks that looked something like his own wisp markings on his own pelt. They were all turning out really lovely and Jackie smiled as her kukuris worked hard on their offering skulls.

Roswell finished painting his skulls and began to wander off - seemingly looking for something else to go with his skulls. Jackie looked over at the emperor-feathered prairie curiously before turning her attention back to Valentina and Wick. She still had some ribbon left over, so she offered some to the two kukuris who eagerly took the ribbon and began to sloppily adorn their skulls with them. Roswell came back and snorted at them again before walking toward Jackie and showing her what he had gathered. Curious, the amber-hued anthro looked at his hands to see what he had. She was mildly surprised to see he’d gathered an assortment of feathers to adorn his skulls with. But he seemed to want Jackie to tie them on, considering his hands had less dexterity than the amber-hued anthro.

Smiling, Jackie obliged by taking the feathers and digging through her bag for some string to tie the feathers to the skulls with. Roswell watched her intensely, pointing with a clawed finger where he wanted the feathers and how they should look if she was arranging them differently than the emperor-feathered prairie was imagining. Jackie was still working when Wick and Valentina came over with their finished skulls to watch their handler work alongside Roswell. They seemed very interested in what the other prairie was planning and soon the two skulls were well adorned with feathers along the antlers. Roswell nodded with approval and Valentina gave a chirr of appreciation as well. It seemed as though the pink-colored prairie dove approved of Roswell’s work and he fluffed up with pride.

With all the skulls cleaned and decorated, Roswell, Wick and Valentina picked up their offerings and waited for Jackie to lead the way back. Wick had given one of his skulls to Jackie for her to offer to Death’s statue when they made it there which she was appreciative of. At least Wick of her three prairie kukuris was thinking of her during this whole ordeal to find Death and bring her back to the world below. Jackie held the skull carefully in her hands as Roswell led the way back to the statue of Death. He seemed to hold his head high and confident - certain that his offerings to Death were going to be the items that would bring the Goddess back to the world below. Valentina and Wick were also hopeful but not quite as confident. They seemed to both think that the flowers had been a better offering but they were taking turns with offerings. Roswell had wanted to try the skulls so they might as well. Death was a peaceful Goddess; they should be cooperative and peaceful as well with one another in regards to their offerings.

Soon they were at the foot of the statue of Death again. It seemed as though more offerings had gathered at the foot of Death’s image since the last time they were there. More gems and jewelry as well as many flowers and skulls were arranged carefully at the base of the statue. Roswell headed to the place they had laid their flower bouquets from the day before and began to arrange his skulls around the same area, using the flowers as an accent to his decorated skulls. Seeing what Roswell was doing and chirping happily, Valentina did the same thing - laying her skull down between her flowers and arranging them to best accent her decorated skull. Wick also followed through and Jackie followed. Soon all of their skulls were well placed among the flowers with the flowers accentuating the second offerings. Roswell chuffed with satisfaction as he drew back to admire their work. The amber-hued anthro now understood what the emperor-feathered prairie had been thinking all along. He wanted to combine the two offerings together to make a spectacular final offering to Death. Jackie had to admit that Roswell certainly had an eye for aesthetics and Valentina even chirred with admiration.

Once everything was arranged just right in their little corner of the offerings, Roswell drew back to silently bow his head in prayer. Wick and Valentina followed suit, also bowing their heads in silent reverence for the Goddess Death. Jackie joined them though she was not sure how to really pray to Death. Instead she let her mind empty and left a moment of respectful silence for Death. It was the least she could do for her kukuris. Finally Roswell opened his golden eyes and nudged Jackie to let her know they were done. Valentina and Wick were stretching their bodies, looking expectantly at Roswell and Jackie.

Smiling, Jackie stroked Roswell’s muzzle before beckoning to Wick and Valentina to come over and join them. Once Wick was beside her, Jackie mounted up into the saddle before directing Roswell and Valentina to their next destination. Today’s preparations of the offerings had taken all day and already the sun was setting on the horizon. Giving a nod to the kukuri she indicated their direction to head back to the inn. “Let’s head back to the inn and get something to eat, then we can go to bed.” They all seemed to like the idea of food and rest, especially Wick. Wick led Roswell and Valentina back to the inn while Jackie sighed with some positive hope for the future. If anything Jackie was sure their offerings would be welcome to Death and they could all relax happily with hope that Death would return.

However food and rest was in their future. So Jackie kept her focus on the here and now instead of wondering what might happen in the future.