V Thus within this Grove of the Dead within this hypnotically Enlightened Union the White One and the Sacred Plant would exchange Intelligence and Wisdom the White One becoming the Eyes of the Sacred Plant the Sacred Plant becoming the Heart yet more than this --- each Gave to the Other of its very Essence the White One submitting to the Plant as her Teacher the Sacred Plant submitting to the White One as her Voice and thus the Two would become One in this Dance which was called the Dance of the Ancients ( so named as the ritual , although infrequent, had a long history between the White Ones and the Sacred Plant going back many thousands of Years even tens of thousands of Years, as well as the fact that this incredible Display was viewed only by the Nine Ancients ( who were incidentally the second of the four subspecies of this Octopus, the White One being the First ) . . . The Nine Ancients ( so named due to their exceedingly long lifespan for an octopus, some living as long as 243 earth Years ) were a Sumptuously skinned ( royal Burgandy in colour , if one can Imagine the merging of pageant yellow with the plum reds found within some Chilean wines ) muscularly lean panther of an octopus --- catlike in the elegant Stealth with which they seemed to Ripple thru the waterways, as well as their remarkable Bravery and Ingenuity when confronted with Predators . . . Unusual about them was a single, humanlike breast which protruded from the side of their Head, with a large , salmon coloured nipple ; above and to the side of this Breast was a small, cylindrical breathing Tube, pearloid on the inside, unique also to the Ancients . . . the exact Purpose of both this Breast and the cylindrical breathing Tube were unknown to the other subspecies save the White One ( as octopuses are not mammals and thus do not need breasts to feed their young , nor is a breathing Tube of this size and shape a normal part of an octopus's anatomy ) . . . |