At sunset, Rona returned to the meadow on top of the hill where she and Hine had made love the
night before. The blond goddess was sitting down a couple of feet in front of a large rock watching
Arohi finish her dance for the day. It had been the first full day of the world. Hine's arms wrapped
around one knee and a smile graced her face. The light from the Sun goddess burnished her
mother's skin with the same reds and golds that colored the sky.
Rona gazed at the vision of her wife, and her heart filled with love. She could tell Hine was awed
by the display before her. The dark goddess longed to spend eternity learning what intrigued and
moved the small woman. A soft smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she stole up behind her
love.
Hine felt a tall form settle on the grass behind her, its booted feet straddling her legs. Strong arms
wrapped around her, pulling her close. The sky far in the east darkened slightly as locks of black
hair fell over her shoulder. She shivered slightly as warm breath and soft lips caressed her neck.
Hine sighed as she leaned back into Rona's arms, "Mmmmm...I missed you today." Turning her
head, she looked deeply into the sparkling blue eyes before leaning in for a kiss.
Moments later, Rona pulled back slightly, "I missed you, too. What did you do today?" She leaned
back against the rock as Hine settled herself against Rona's chest. At the nod of a small chin, Rona
looked up at the setting sun.
"Our daughter gave me a riddle to work through, and I need your help. Arohi believes she will be
the only one in the world without anyone to love like you and I love each other. I've been wrapping
my mind around this all day, trying to come up with a solution."
Rona had been running her fingers through the golden hair against her chest while Hine spoke.
Now they came to a stop as her brow furrowed deeply. "Och, finding a mate for the blazing sun.
Arohi doesn't come up with simple questions, does she?"
"Tell me about it," the Earth goddess agreed.
They thought on the riddle for many hours. Each time one of them came up with a suggestion, they
both soon discarded it. There seemed to be nothing in existence that could withstand Arohi's fires
without destroying the sun herself.
Finally Hine began yawning, and begged to let the problem rest for the night. Rona agreed and
hesitantly cleared her throat, "Umm...there's something I need to tell you before we go to sleep."
She looked sadly into Hine's eyes. "I need to leave in the morning...for three days. I wish I could
stay, but I can't. I'll spend my time trying to find an answer to Arohi's question. I'm sorry...."
Rona's words stopped when small fingers pressed against her lips. Hine wiped away a tear that fell
from the sad blue eyes. She reassured the other woman, "I know, love. I knew when I first saw
you in my mind that you would have to leave for three days out of each turning. And I know that
there will be a similar three days when we will be closer than at any other time. It's just the way
the world is."
Rona stroked Hine's cheek with her fingertips. She smiled slightly, "Thank you. I just feel like I'm
abandoning you to this riddle."
Green eyes twinkled in mischief, "No, I just expect you to come back with an answer." Her
expression became seductive as she straddled Rona's waist and purred, "Since I'm going to be
getting plenty of sleep these next three nights, I'm going to make sure we're both sated by the time
you leave."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hine shook herself out of the state of half sleep she had gone into while thinking of the previous night. She
glanced down as the doe nuzzled her hand and then levered herself to her hooves. The goddess got up
and hugged the doe carefully. "You'll have those little ones out of you by tonight. Now, I need to go think
on my daughter's riddle rather than my lover's body."
Hine watched the doe move off with the rest of the herd. After getting a drink from the pool of water, she
headed towards the grasslands. A shadow moved through the trees, quietly chuckling as it followed the
goddess.
The forest gradually thinned until it opened out onto a plain of tall grass. Stepping out of the dimness, Hine
blinked and shaded her eyes while they adjusted to the light. After a few moments, she lowered her hand
and started walking again.
A gasp left Hine's mouth when she looked up and saw a large hyena step into her path. As the first hyena
created, he was twice the size of his brethren and had the ability to speak. Hine leveled her shoulders and
greeted him calmly, "Gji, what brings you here on this fine day?"
"Not a fine day; this is the best day," he said as he took a step closer and shifted shape into a half man.
His skin was spotted just as when he was in full hyena form, and his short red hair stuck out in all
directions. Gji had a thick neck and a powerful upper body, but his legs looked under-developed. He
wore a spotted piece of leather wrapped around his waist.
"What brings you here?" Hine asked again.
"You," Gji chuckled.
"What can I do for you?"
Gji raked his eyes over the small goddess. His lips pulled back in a toothy grimace, "You can make me a
god."
Hine's next words sounded more confident than she felt with the hyena steadily advancing on her, "I can
not make you into something you aren't. Leave now or Rona...."
Her words were cut off by Gji's loud cackle, "Or Rona what? What will she do now that she has left you
for three days?"
