Ravensblood Forest kigutaiksuk √

Kilgitsuk saw that @Chakliux had returned and was resting, and so he did not ask the man to travel again, and gave him words of encouragement and praise for his hunt; but he knew how it felt to fail, and knew also how it wounded a man. He left the village intent on doing a hunt of his own.

Whether he found traces of the stranger (@Andras) or tracked down signs of elk for the tooth which @Ariadne had requested, or to find any sign of his sons (@Akkuma, @Kivaluk) remained up to fate. His trail brought him far enough from the village that he would end up spending two nights sleeping in wilderness, with a fine view of the mountains.

tamar considered the plateau.

long had epoch been in the mountains.

long had their time been peaceful.

long how the beautiful land had slowly silenced until it was too quiet.

a newfound sense of journeying took her these days, now that tamar felt safe enough to travel near raventhorpe's claim. there was nothing for which she searched, only perhaps herbs, leaves languidly plucked here and there and piled beneath a tree.

the sun was warm upon her. tamar shut her eyes.

Now did not seem to be the time of elk or caribou, and so Kilgitsuk did not hold out much hope to find signs of either. He knew that at least one of those could be sighted in the north — which might entail a visit to his old village, a prospect he did not look forward to. He felt glad, then, that Ariadne had requested an elk tooth rather than the crown of the northern tuktu.

He caught a glimpse of gold rising over the ridge. He smelled the freshly cut herbs that the woman gathered before he connected the two; and then as he approached, he was slow and careful — and then friendly, calling out: Hail, medicine woman.

A small nod to her, when her eyes opened. He thought to warn her against solitary travel, but did not want to come off as strange or threatening, so he held his tongue on that.

a man.

tamar slowly turned, wary for his strangeness but not that he was masculine. his voice held respect. her eyes squinted against the sun and she stepped sideways to view him.

he was scarred and pale. she found him handsome and the etch of guilt was quick. "hello. do you look for late lavender also?" the morphe inquired, lifting a paw to where she had gathered several browning stalks of it.

She motioned to her collection and he turned his head, sniffing the air. That was what he'd scented then - he had not known the name. Herbs and things were a woman's domain and Kilgitsuk did not see a need to know such things. He shook his head.

I hunt for elk. The man licks his lips, drawing his tongue up across his nose to clear it of the scent for a moment. Although I've not had much luck so far.

A smile, looking to the trees so to avoid making the woman uncomfortable.

tamar felt alone in her feeling.

the responsiveness of her frame was rote, the awareness of a young woman who leads not in a pair but alone.

her pale eyes softened. "maybe i can help you." had she not already hunted once? tamar had found some small confidence in herself.

She offered, and he looked between her and the flowers.

That would be kind of you, Kilgitsuk answered—but he could not take from her without some sort of exchange, it did not seem right. Perhaps... I could help with your gathering first? It seemed an easier task, and besides that, Kilgitsuk wasn't sure if this woman was capable; she did not look like a hunter.

her heartbeat galloped.

"i am from a place called epoch. we reside in the mountains."

tamar followed his glance toward her gathered greenery, then her light eyes were upon the man once more. "i cannot reach the pine cones. i need their seeds for the hulls." 

would he assist with something so mundane?

Epoch. He did not know of it.

She mentioned the work that needed doing, and so he nodded and set about finding his way among the trees, seeking, gathering. Grasping some between his teeth while the rest of him was angled against the spire of a tree, his size a blessing for the task.

I am from Moonsong. He comments while reaching for one thing or another. A newly formed village on the south side of the mountain, that way. As he stands firmly again, he motions towards Silvertip, then continues quietly seeking.

One by one, he tossed these together for her.

cones fell to the earth.

tamar examined the pull of muscles across the man's back and flushed in shame and interest.

she bowed her head to hide this and begin to gather the pinefruits, piling them with her other greeneries. "it has a beautiful name. what is it like?"

It is a busy place, he explained. He thought of the many men filling caches, making patrols, and carousing together. He thought of Ariadne working the pelts they brought her. And it is a beginning. I am sure we will fare well through winter - ah, another few cones pulled free, tossed down.

Kilgitsuk righted himself and inspected the pile. Is that enough? He could collect more, if not. His eye slipped along Tamar now, inquisitive.

"it is, thank you."

tamar did not know this man. she hated how responsive she was to his voice, his scent, the sound of his tones.

"would you like to take some of these with you? they keep a long while in a cache," tamar explained, glancing once more back at the other.

The man smiles and looks upon the cones that are left. He doesn't understand what they're for, or how to properly return them to the village, so he shrugs. I could. Would you tell me what you use them for?

He cannot imagine eating them! Perhaps when emptied the cones could be toys for children; but that was as far as he could fathom it. I could help transport them for you, too. If that helps.

"for eating."

was she only teasing? did she flirt? she dropped her eyes.

"you can crush them underfoot and mix them with water. it is food, but it can also be paint. it can also be dried and the powder used to keep away the biting insects of the fur."

his offer was accepted after a moment. "we may have to come back twice. perhaps. if you do not mind."

They could be eaten? He bowed over the pile to inspect them again; he licked his lips and cleared his nose of their smell with a swipe, trying to remember their flavor when he had been reaching to grab them initially, but could not think of them as food. Still, he believed the woman. He gave a small shrug; everyone was different, with their tastes.

But she went on to say they could be made in to a paste, as a medicine, or so he took the information. I do not mind, he answered. It would be good to get to know the lay of the land and have a break from the ice. He set about gathering what he could carry, then looked to Tamar for guidance.

she led him.

not so close to epoch, but enough so that their traveling would not be long.

she placed a paw atop what they had gathered. "thank you. will you take a meal in trade?"

the pale eyes waited.

Once they reached a place that she was comfortable, she stopped him and Kigipigak put the bundle down. He did not know how much farther she would need to carry these things, but he did not want to make her uncomfortable; besides, she offered a trade and that caught his attention.

He did not want to take from her, but he did not want to be rude either. Kigipigak smiled to her and nodded. Only if it is no trouble for you. He arranged some of the pine cones which had tumbled away, keeping his attention away from the woman so that she would feel more at-ease.

his offering would be light.

two squirrels wrapped in basil-leaves, given once tamar and the stranger had taken her bundles back to the vale.

"thank you," she said, realizing not once had they exchanged names.

He took the gift with a nod, and a thanks, and then went away.

It might've occurred to him to speak his name at some point, but he had not. They had spent so much time gathering and transporting these things that it slipped his mind—so they would go without names, passing from one another's life.