Blackfeather Woods the brewing storm

Around the child, Kove allowed for his emotions to be seen. He found no reason to take from her the experience of something positive, and so he allowed her to see his joy when he felt it, as well as everything else. Yet, what furrowed his brow was neither positive nor negative, but confusion birthed from neutrality, which easily morphed into anger; it was nothing greater than a brief flicker, a fire in his eyes that was smothered by reason. Of course Potema hated her, and of course, she would put that same declaration of hatred in Meldresi’s mouth—these things, however appalling they were, were not surprising. But he did not want for the child to believe them, he wanted to ensure that she never let go of hope.

Picking up his pace, he drew himself several steps ahead of her, where he stopped and fixed her with a stern gaze. “Do not let her words alter your views. No matter how anyone feels towards you, you cannot let their words define you. You have to stick to what you feel inside your heart,” he stated, tone absent of warmth. But she was not left to face his hardened expression for very long, as his eyes gradually soften whilst looking at her. “Besides,” he began again. “If no mortal mother will take you, then shouldn’t that make you favour the Night Mother even more? She does not turn away any that serve her.” Because their taboos meant nothing to the gods.

The ghost’s ears swiveled forward as a smile tugged at the corners of his maw, her parroting of the word and the question that followed sparking a memory of Nanook’s interest in the language so long ago. “It isn’t,” he answered. “It’s Inuttut, a language of the north that belongs to my people.” To his family, to his home—he adored the language, often longing for the days when he could speak it freely and still be understood. “Nukadlik doesn’t have an exact translation into the common tongue,” he explained further, assuming she might be curious as to what he’d called her. “It is… well, you are younger than me, so that is what I would refer to you as.” Perhaps there was a word to associate with it that she might recognise but, at the moment, he could think of none.