Ocean's Breath Plateau dentalium

he smiled into her pretty eyes, unknowing that red leaf thought he spoke of cen and not the fact akiak was an only son. but before chakliux could respond, she was weeping. for a moment he was only still, watching her in trepidation as he tried to think how he might comfort tullik or marina.
but he could not put his arms around another man's wife, let alone the woman of an enemy; he was flustered, but at last descended to his belly again. chakliux did not crowd her threshold, but lay near it, glancing between her tearstained face and the path that cen would use to return.
"my own mother told me stories of the caribou people," he at last said in a gently kind tone. "my great-great grandmother kiin was one of you."
for a time the seal hunter was silent, wanting to comfort red leaf but unsure how he might, and knowing it was not the right moment to speak of cen.