Azura bound back her long blond hair with a thong and set aside her swan feather cloak before she stirred her fire. Her hearth was set back in an alcove in the cave, well away from bitter winds but situated in such as way as to absorb the afternoon sunshine. As the oldest among the Nomi-Coth and the only survivor of the big earthquake, the older woman was also the link to the spirit world for the people.<br/><br/>When the fire was just right, with small tongues of fire licking the twigs, Azura pulled out her work of making nesting baskets with a esoteric design, one she had seen in her dreams. Something seemed to be missing from this setting, she thought with a frown but nodded, realizing that this fire needed some sage to cleanse the air. From the pouch made from the body of a badger, the woman took out a small bundle of dried sage. This she tossed on the fire. An aromatic smoke circled lazily in the air around her. With a sigh she fell to work.<br/><br/>The shaman, for this is what she was, could meditate while she worked and this she did. Her thoughts went to the cave before the earthquake, with all the men and woman working together as hunters and gathers, creating children, telling tales around the central hearth in the winter, making beads, drinking fermented honey and grain mixtures. Her fingers moved swiftly now as she saw this cave populated by the young, led by the young.  She smiled as Lyall as she came in from a successful hunt. This woman was a leader through and through. She had been born to the hearth of the leader and her mother had been a woman the other women would seek out for advice. Yes, she was a good choice for this group.<br/><br/>Azura's fingers were getting sore and her joints stiff so she paused to put the hot cooking stones in her watertight basket. The making of hot tea would bring relief as would the willow bark would soothe the aching joints. While the water was heating, she found her precious bone bowl of cave bear fat mixed with ground rose hips. This would soothe the skin. She smiled to herself, her brown eyes twinkling at the thought of her and her creature comforts. She took care of others' spiritual needs and she deserved to take care of herself a little.