"Alright, the burning of the incense is pretty straight forward. The only complicated matter is which spot to place the incense along the flower of life. Each point has its own meaning, and the sticks need to be placed in the right spots," Ahnah explained, setting her holder down, "These holders have many uses. I hope to teach them to you in time."

Goldenscale listened to Ahnah as she spoke, absorbing every word.  She was confused by what her lover meant by the flower of life and where to burn the incense, but she knew it would be a while before she would understand everything and be able to recall the information for future use.  "How many uses do the holders have?  And what do you mean by the flower of life?" she asked her.

"The number os uses a holder has is dependant on the material it is mad eout of. Those made of wood tend to only get one or two uses due to damage to the carvings. Those made of metals tend to last much longer due to their resistance to damage. As for the flower of life, it is the pattern that is carved into the face of the holder, mapping out the flow of energies through existence, and the connections between all living beings," Ahnah explained, tracing the circles on the holder with a claw, "Burning incents in specific spots can give any number of aeefects, ranging from carrying messages to the deat to empowering one's body."

It was quite interesting to learn of how many uses a holder had, the number generally having to do with the material used to make it.  It facinated Goldenscale, nodding her head ocasionally as she listened.  Learning about the flower of life, the girl curiously looked at the inside of the holder, finding the circles Ahnah spoke about.  "Generically, how many circles are there in a holder and what do they mean?" she asked her.  She then shook her head.  "We should probably start the process.  My question can wait until later.  Once I start it becomes difficult to stop them..." she sighed.

"Don't worry about questions, they wont intterupt anything. As for your questions each one typically, there are nineteen complete circles and thirtysix incomplete. The center represents the creation of exitence, and each point leading out represents a different piece of that existence. The center itself is known as the egg or seed of life. Depending on one's religion, the points could mean any number of things. For us, those closest to the center represent the planes of existence one can access in theh afterlife. The points leading out from there represent the living plane, and every living thing. The points fartherst form the center represent the forces of nature and the sky above," Ahnah explained, tracing out each point as she spoke of hem, "Outside of faith, the flower can also be found within any being or object if you look close enough. Humans have even found it in the very cells that make up our bodies, be it in full or part."

Goldenscale widened her eyes in surprise when she learned of how many total circles were on the holder.  Fifty-five circles total!  It must have been difficult to memorize all of them.  She then listened to Ahnah's answers, nodding eagerly.  "That's so cool..." she said with amazement.  "At what age did you start learning what everything on a holder means?  It sounds like there's a lot of information." she said.  For the moment, her personality and demeanor suggested she was acting much like a child would.

"This is usually the firs tthing we're taught as shamans. It completely fills the first few years of our training. Once we've shown we fully understand its meanings and uses, we are taken to have a rib removed tobecome our focus. The Flower is carved into the base where it was cut from the body as a reminder of what we have learned up till then. Out of all the runes to be palced on the bone, it is by far the most powerful, but also the most difficult to tap into when there's a need," Ahnah said, taking a few sticks of incentse and placing them in the points marking the arftlife, "It normally doesn't take us more than a total of four years to learn each point's meaning and use, and how to properly respect it when placed on a holder such as these we're using. Everyone in the village is expected to learn how to at least identify the points though. It plays a huge role in our traditions here, most of which are meant to be practiced in private or in small groups."

(Currently rereading the first roleplay, and I can't help but cringe at how bad and contradictory my writing was...  I feel bad for putting you and issaicfrost through that.  I know you've said I wasn't a bad roleplayer, but I can't help it...)

Goldenscale lookd at Ahnah with awe, surprised at how long it took to learn about the holder.  It took years to learn, so she could imply that everything must be specific.  There was no way she would learn all of it until she went back to the cave, and even then it would probably take even longer seeing as she had her duties.  She then gave a sound of realization when Ahnah explained why her rib was removed.  "So that was one of the main reasons why your rib was removed then?  But why is that rune so hard to tap into if it is the first there?  Wouldn't it be easier instead since it has been connected to the bone, and thus you, longer?" she asked.  As Ahnah finished, Goldenscale gave a single nod.  It was a nice tradition to be a part of, thogh it took a ll9ng time to completely understand.

"The reason it is the first rune engraved upon the bone is because it passively connects the owner to nature. It is the first direct link into nature's abilities we get. So long as the rune remains intact, we will have a connection to the nature spirits around us. When we call upon a spirit like I did with Moonlight, the point representing the spirit's place of origin is marked to focus that link to nature. If I were to show mine right now, you'd be able to tell the marked point from the rest with ease," Ahnah explained, lighting the incents sticks with  small spark of magic. When the sticks caught, she waved for Goldenscale to come over. "As for the Flower's use here, this holder is set up and ready. You need only to pray for those who you wish to pray for," she said, moving asideso Goldenscale could have room, "Corzaon and I will be using the holder she brought."

Goldenscale gave a quiet gasp as Ahnah's explanation made sense.  The magic from all the other runes was made possible by the very first one, which made sense seeing as her flower is what allows her to use the energy given to her from the forests and nature.  As Ahnah finished her explanation and lit the incense sticks, Goldenscale moved to join Ahnah next to the holder.  With a nod Goldenscale gave a sigh and closed her eyes, interlocking the tips of her fingers and holding her hands over her crystals and heart.  From there, she began to pray, though it was through her mind.  She prayed for Frost, that he was well and happy wherever he was, and for those she had known through her short life that she had known, including Frost's first wife.  

While Goldenscale prayed, Ahnah and Corazonwent about setting up their holder. With theirs ready, Ahnah lit the incents and began to pray herself.Focusing, she prayed for her mother, Frost, and many others. When the incents began to burn out, she stood once more. Carefully removing the stubs, she brushed the ashes away.

"Would you have any other quesitons," she asked, starting to fix the second set of incents sticks into the holder.

Goldenscale had been deep in thought until she began to notice the smell of incense was becoming faint.  She soon finished her prayer and opened her eyes again, sitting up straight and looking like a weight had been lifted from her.  Looking to Ahnah, she shook her head.  "No, I have no others." she stated simply, a look of peace on her face.

"I can see you've experienced why we do this each year. It allows us to shed some of the sorrow we take on. While the pain will always be with us, we can at least real easily knowing that the spirits of those lost get safe passage," Ahnah said, giving a smile while she worked, "For most, it serves as a way to remember those they lost. For others, it's a way to honor the deeds of those passed. Others still, use it as a day to get with others to remember those without families to pray for them."

"While the mornings are usually quiet with those praying, the afternoon is much more lively with families celebrating new additions. For the elders, the afternoon is a time to celebrate another year survived, in addition to that of the newly hatched," Corazon added, working on setting up the holder she and Ahnah were using, "It's usually a time for families to get close though. I have no doubt that father is with Deniigi doing as we are with a holder."

Goldenscale gave a nod and gave a wide smile.  "It is indeed a blessing to have such an amazing way to greive, remember, and honor those that have passed.  While I do not mind carrying the burden of remembering deaths and unsaid words, but it does relieve the soul, mind and heart to know the dead will know what couldn't be said before." she said.  She then looked over to Corazon as she spoke and gave a soft snort.  "Well, now is a better chance to get close to family than never.  Sometimes, it is through losses that some people are brought together, and that can be a strong unifier." she purred.

"Right now, this is probably the first time Deniigi and father have agreed on something . For as long as I can remember, they would always be arguing over one thing or another. This first thing I remember them arguing about was fatehr's decision to seal my emotions," Corazon said, taking a deeo breath before blowing the ashes from the last burning aside, "For them to come together on something without a single insult being said is something new. Personally, I hope this is a sign of days to come. I would like to see a little more peace between them, not just for remembering Mother."