Ceit had managed to hit her horns on just about anything at head level, and each time she died a little inside. The week after her surgery she had gone to the hospital with Leuna, who was still not convinced she should be driving on her own. She had follow up appointments with several different departments, it took a full day for her to convince her physicians that she was healing properly. She had thought that her head felt heavy right after the surgery, but that was nothing compared to once she finally put the horns in. Her neck was sore from the extra weight for several days after, and she had taken to sleeping with an extra pillow. Eistra had enthusiastically quilted her a new one when she had asked.
She had been having a great deal more dreams than usual. Not all of them were good dreams, though they weren’t bad either, just very vivid. She saw many different futures laid out in front of her. Futures where she stayed. Futures where she left. Fantastical lands she might see, the family moments she would miss. She was unsure if they were dreams from Oongx or just amplifications of her own fears. Maybe the trephination was letting in god’s messages. Or maybe it was psychosomatic.
She had taken to writing her dreams down in the journal Ovu had given her in anticipation of her journey. He probably thought she would use it to record her travels, but she found writing her dreams down to help her work through her fears. And if someone read it in the future, if they too were thinking of becoming an acolyte, it might be nice for them to see that not everyone came into it with as much resolve as Ovu. Everyone had doubts sometimes, no matter what Ovu said.
Xia had given her a surprisingly thoughtful and practical gift, a fitted helmet that curved around her horns. She had been riding her hoverbike without a helmet, something that had been giving Leuna no small amount of anxiety. He had patted Xia on the back heartily when he had presented her with her gift.
Eistra had given her a gift as well, a palm sized bag stitched shut with cow sinew decorated with a roughly embroidered white eye. She wouldn’t tell Ceit what was in it, but made her promise to keep it on her at all times. It smelled of musky leather, but underneath Ceit could smell a sweet floral scent.
Luth had taken to sleeping in their shared bedroom again, her girlfriend reluctantly joining her in her too small childhood bed. They had planned for a spring wedding, and Ceit was rather distraught at the thought of missing it. She had rather hoped that she wouldn’t have to experience the impact of her sacrifice for a while yet, she had rather anticipated having several years of travel under her belt first. She made Luth promise to take plenty of pictures for her to see when she came back around to see them the next summer. They stayed up too late each night going over the details, Ceit wanting to be a part of it as much as she could before heading out, until Luth’s girlfriend would grumpily tell them to go to bed. Ceit sighed, pulling up the covers and rolling onto her back in her bed, careful not to put pressure on her horns, Luth was going to be such a beautiful bride.
Thunder rolled in the distance, the air heavy and humid as she stepped out of her family home for what would be the last time for a very long while. The stormy weather was fitting for her first day serving Oognx, as if her goddess was hurrying along into her new life. The constellation was almost rotated out of the night sky so there was no time to waste unless she wanted to wait another year to start her journey serving the great cow deity. As she sat straddling her hoverbike, she heard a small voice in the back of her mind, that she could wait, she could stay another year and see Luth’s wedding. She brushed that thought away as she lowered Xia's gifted helmet down over her horned head. There would always be something to keep her here, she thought. Some life event or important moment, but now she has to focus on her life and this moment. It was time, she thought as she kick started the engine and her new life, submitting to follow Oongx’s call, wherever it may lead her.
