Exhale (41 page)

shade
verb
—To be overshadowed or eclipsed by an Element. Earth shades Water, Water shades Fire, Fire shades Air, and Air shades Earth. Prolonged exposure to an eclipsing Element results in death and ascension to the shaded Elemental’s god.

Shadows
noun
—Short-lived but powerful remains of nightmares left behind in the Dreaming when a human wakes suddenly from a bad dream. Shadows can pack physical force and harm other dreamers if left unattended. When the collective unconscious is disturbed or unbalanced, Shadows become common.

Shifter
noun
—An Elemental with the ability to change his/her shape. Very few possess the gift of shifting.

Songline
noun
—An invisible filament found in the Dreaming that contains information about every human from the past, present, and future. Songlines can be followed through time, but the process is extremely daunting. Depending on the complexity of the relationships involved, it can take years or even decades to decipher information gathered from a single Songline.

Terra
noun
—Goddess of Earth and the eldest of the four Elemental gods who rule the planet. She is made of pure Earth and represents physical strength, stability, order, discipline, and inflexibility.

tithe
noun
—Payment of an Element due to the gods. Archelementals collect tithes from all Elementals at the equinoxes. This massive influx of Elemental energy is then sacrificed to the gods, and the one who has the most controls the Balance of the world. Therefore, it is important that all Elementals tithe to their gods.

Wæter or Wæter Elemental
noun
—An Elemental whose body is composed of at least 50% Elemental Water. Wæters tend to be intuitive and emotional. Their auras are mostly blue.

Water
noun
—The Element that keeps humans emotionally stable, content, and adaptable. A shortage of Water in humans can cause emotional problems. A severe deficit can lead to depression or sometimes even suicide. Water manifests as blue in auras.
Note:
When referring to the Element itself,
Water
is capitalized, not to be confused with
water
in general.

whale song
noun
—A pattern of repeated vocalizations produced inside a male humpback’s body that may include clicks, whistles, upsweeps, grunts, drags, and chirps. Humpback songs vary by geography, but all the males in one location sing the same song. Evolution of the song occurs over a season, so the song changes from year to year. Scientists used to believe the songs played a role in mating, but they seem to attract other males rather than females. The purpose of the songs remains a mystery.

Wyldling
noun
—A human being. Wyldlings are amalgamations of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Their bodies contain the Elements that Elementals crave. These hybrid Elements replenish naturally within the Wyldling over time, but sudden, drastic shifts can cause illness or even death.

Zodiac
noun
—A rigid-hulled inflatable boat often used by marine biologists to get close to whales. Its small size makes for easy maneuverability and fairly fast speeds.

About the Author

Kendall Grey, word diddler and whale warrior, was born without an off-switch between her brain and mouth. She’s been called the “Flux Capacitor of Twitter” and “A little package of love all wrapped up in F-word paper,” but she’s really just a maniacal writer relaying eyewitness accounts of the rave inside her head.

Kendall lives off a dirt road near Atlanta, Georgia, but don’t hold that against her.

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