Naomha
Legacy Name: Naomha

Between Peka Glade and Veta Lake there is a clearing set in the deep forests there, with a small hill in the centre. This in itself it nothing unusual; clearings and hills are common sights throughout Subeta. The unusual thing is that rows and rows of great standing stones dominate the space; man-high, shoulder to shoulder they stand in neatly arranged lines. The top of the mound, too, is covered by a set of these megaliths, although these are aligned in a circle and each set of two standing stones carries another one lying horizontally on top of them. Or at least most of them do; a few standing stones seem to have fallen over, worn down by centuries of wind and weather.

There is something eerie about this place. Maybe it is how the trees of the surrounding forest seem to draw back from this place, as if in respect, or the way the top of the mound seem to catch the last rays of sunshine in a direct angle to the stones; or perhaps it is just that you picked the wrong moment to come here, sunset always has a bit of an eerie glow about it. It is not really fear creeping up on you, but rather anticipation. The birds that were still singing and twittering a short while ago seem to have become silent, settling in the branches of trees on the edge of the clearing. Do birds always do that in the evening, or are they expecting something?

You strain your ears to see if you can hear as much as a single bird, but you can't detect anything remotely bird-like in the faint rustling of the forest surrounding you. In the faint light you notice footprints in a few patches of mud. They seem to belong to a fox or a cat of some sort. Perfectly normal creatures to be prowling around the outskirts of a forest, but why do they seem to be following the direction of the line of stones?

As you walk up the mound a light wind seems to have picked up, whistling faintly around the corners of the tall rocks and gently tugging at the summer leaves of the forest. Amidst this babbling sea of soft noises, there seems to be a sound that does not belong here. You can't tell whether it is a child laughing, a cat meowing or a woman singing, which is odd, as they are normally quite distinct sounds. The source of the sound is a cat-like creature, bouncing out from the trees, prowling the circle of megaliths. Although the stones are tall and with their hard surface surely not suitable for climbing, the creature has no problem climbing to the top of the standing stones, and, bushy tail brushing the top of the stones, she leaps from stone to stone as she follows the circle, going round and round and round.

Her song, if that is what it can be called, is both peaceful and enthralling. Captivated by the melody you have no choice but to sit yourself on the flat stone in the middle of the circle, trying to follow the creature with your eyes in the fading light. Soon nothing but vague dark shapes can be distinguished now, and as the last weak rays of sunshine disappear from the sky, you fall in a deep, calm darkness.

Next morning, one more standing stone has appeared at the foot of the mound, standing guard over this strange place.

Analostan

Celt