The year had been exceptionally long, longer it seemed thanit should have been. The Gods themselves seemed to have selected Gaelwin for
special attention. First with the death of her mate, and then to lose her
parents as they faded and went on to the next life. It was too much, and yet,
there was peace now. Now, as the moon rose over the hot springs, filtering green
on this particular spot, folding her clothes and folding them to rest on the edge of her favourite pool, the ritual seeming to bring an unexpected calm. Gaelwin disliked the hot sun, preferring moon bathing,
as the night simply felt calmer. The hot springs were quiet, the waterthe only sound at this late hour, as Gaelwin stepped into a large pool of warm
water, moaning as she leaned her head back.
This was the bliss she had needed for some time. 
As her eyes slipped closed, Gaelwin felt the tension meltingfrom her limbs and dissolving under the magic of nature. This was a time to
start anew, time to look to life and the hunt. The water flowed through her
hair, leaving white trails like ancient fishtails trailing beneath the surface,
taking with it the pain and uncertainty that had settled in her heart. Sirona,
the goddess of light, of storm, had sent tempests for weeks over her home. This
night, this night, she had shone her light over the young elf. The light that
would guide her forward.
“Now,” she mused, “Where to continue this life, I wonder.”It would be a hard decision to stay here or find a new land, with new
possibilities that would bring about a change of winds for her. Meditation and
reverie had been elusive on the matter, making the future uncertain and the
gods less than helpful. Then again, had there ever been a time when the gods themselves
had actually answered a question directly? Surely not that she had heard,
either in her lifetime or the lifetime of the elders. Did the Gods answer
prayers, did they hear the cries of the children of Revaliir? Surely this was
what it meant to have faith, to question your heart but see the divine in every
small moment that passed, to see the divine in the moons and their phases and
to know that there was more?
She shook her head, laughing at her foolishness and settingher mind to rest. Slowly washing each limb, wistfully going through a ceremony
of self-indulgence with each movement, humming as she sank beneath the surface
of the water to soak her hair through, only to lay back and float. Lost in
thought, and relaxation.