First Prayers (Otherwise Untitled)
#2 of Short Stories
Gloria Vineheart, having survived the abandonment of her homeworld is underway on her first tour of duty aboard a transport ship. Having resumed the family business of traversing the stars, she settles in for her first prayers to the family deity.
~ With the first duty cycle of her first tour complete, Gloria rummaged through the top drawer in her modest living quarters. The notebook carefully wrapped in a prayer rug was tucked away right where she'd safely stowed it. She knew of the teachings of her father on the matters of the family faith by recollection, but preferred to abide by his carefully compiled notes for the particulars at the moment. The sounds of the ship shifted subtly as the engines lulled into interstellar cruising.
~ Once the ship was finally out of port and the distant hum of engines and stabilators had worked their way into the background, Ms. Vineheart set aside the notebook and crouched to the floor in order to carefully touch the tip of her meager owl beak to the rug she'd laid out. She recounted the start of the prayers aloud, settling into comfort and confidence with her tone.
~ "As I find the path ahead, across the ways of stars beyond...", the words following the preamble settling down into the lull of ship sounds. It wasn't until she paused to recall the particulars of what to say after the uniform preamble that she realized she could just see the feet of a raccoon standing infront of her. To some amount of startlement, Gloria glanced up into the face of a rather angry racoon standing over her.
~ "That thing you did planetside was worse that you yet know. Wars end.", the raccoon explained as her expression adjusted to include determination, "What you did, won't. You are going to help me fix things." Gloria's feathers pinned down with a bit of terror, meagerly nodding along as the deity continued. "I've called in a favor."
~ The horned owl let out a soft squeak as a gryphon stood upright behind the raccoon, looming over Gloria from taller than the room was high. Where the raccoon's expression was a mixture of tone, the gryphon stood only with an angry scowl. Without saying a word, she turned and walked away further than the room was long, vanishing out of sight over the horizon. Ms. Vineheart's focus settled back down to the raccoon scribbling on a piece of mundane paper.
~ "You'll meet these people, and otherwise need to acquire these things.", indicating the two lists on the page. Gloria didn't know any of the people, though she recognized the name of the young Captain Sligh. The list of items was dominated by the materials she recognized as necessary to construct a temporary shrine to the phoenix her family used to worship.
~ With a distracted wave, the raccoon gestured for Gloria to resume her prayers. "I'll return when I'm done with my part."