From The Wyldrenwoode series

Iseo

Twelve fires burned low, reflecting as small glowing wreaths in her amber eyes. Eyes that marked her as different. Again she was seeing the twelve women, standing with arms outstretched, encircling a lake. Their eyes much like hers but gold where hers were amber. Their hair, much like hers, though true pure gold where hers was the pale pinkish gold of autumn leaves. The twelve lifted their arms......

"Iseo! Wake lass, you are wandering again in your waking dreams. Tis time for you to be off to your rest." Iseo shook off the vision, her smile for old Ayrdryn was warm and full of respect. Ayrdryn was the oldest of the old. He could remember times before times. He remembered when there was only three. His parents and himself. They were the first to come to Wyldrenwoodes. The first Sentinels. Some said his parents came out of the Mists of Nowhere.

Ayr's eyes always made her think of the pledra fern leaves, that pale green that glows at night of its own accord. She remembered the first time she had seen the rare fern. She had been lost after dark, Mystae had warned her not to stray too far from the foraging hut deep within Wyldrenwood. It had been during the Women's Rest ceremony. Iseo had been allowed to travel with the women to attend to Mystae's birthing. It was a landmark in any female sentinels life. It marked the beginning of their training into the ways of The Mother. Iseo was nearing her 7th closing, she was younger then any other that had ever been brought forth to learn The Ways.

Standing with the women, her small harte fur sack filled with small bits of nothing really felt heavy resting on her left hip for the first time. Yet another milestone but all leading to the same purpose. Before now she hadn't been allowed to forage her own herbs or yet combine stones and potions for the visions. The other women had lifetimes of totems and magical items within their pouches or small sacks all riding on their left hip secured to their embossed belts. Last night at the binding she had been given her own belt, it was wide and smooth, in time she would emboss her belt with symbols whose meanings would ever only be known by her. The symbols would be given to her by her spirit guide her link to the old ones. With the start of this journey so would start her lessons. Now she would be allowed to carry more in her sack than small personal items Iseo had merely taken her mothers veil of choosing with her. It held

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