Moonsong Glacier monachus

@Hototo

today sulukinak had ventured to the river; she did not know if that was the right word for this place, but among the frozen ice sheets of the everdark she had only heard her mother use this word sparingly, and usually for the patches of ice thinned enough to see the ocean beneath, weaving cracks between the places that wolves could run. this was different because it was not a winding shape, but more of a lake.

she had come here to watch a small family of seals. they had been making so much noise each night and kept her from a good sleep, and now as they basked in the sun the young woman hoped to repay the favor; except as she climbed to be within sight of them, they saw her dark shape first and slid effortlessly in to the water, then when she saw them again they were bobbing in the center of the expanse, so far that she could barely see their faces.

with an annoyed chuff, she turned to stalk the frozen embankment as if her plans had not been readily spoiled.

---

Hototo was looking for a good meal. His family pack has taught him how to hunt seals when he was just a little pup, and he wanted to relive those memories. It would help distract him from feeling the loss and betrayal he now felt about them.

As he followed the scent of the seals, he stumbled upon the wolf Dutch had called Sulukinak. She had dark midnight black fur and stunning copper eyes. He could hear her chuff as the seals jumped up and swam away.

With a big toothy grin, Hototo strode up to Sulukinak and introduced himself. “Howdy Ms. Sulukinak! The names Hototo! You trying to catch those rascal seals? They are slipperier than a frog’s backside!”. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself at his joke. “You need some help rounding up those buggers?”

the moment she felt the shadow of the man pass over her, she was turning to watch him; and in that same moment he was erupting with a slew of words that flowed from him so swiftly that she was stunned, and overwhelmed, and her fur puffed up briefly.

she moved back a pace or two, hurried and fluid, and frowned at him; but one ear did turn towards the seals that were so far away now, listening to the way their grunts echoed across the surface of the water as they themselves watched in their guarded manner.

i'm not hunting, she admitted, which might have been a lie but she didn't know how to do that really, and besides that sulukinak did not want to swim in the water or be made a fool of more than she already had been. she might've been a strong swimmer and a silent hunter, but the seals had already seen through all of that and found safety — hunting them now would be foolish.

a more pressing concern focused the young woman upon the stranger.

what's a frog?

---

He could see the trepidation that Sulukinak showed when he came over to her. He tried to show submission by looking down, avoiding eye contact.“Pardon me, I’m still getting used to all the customs around here.” He apologized. 

Hototo was surprised by the fact that she had never encountered a frog. “You’ve never seen a frog before? They’re these cute little things that bounce higher and farther than any rabbit ever could! They have slimy backs.” He said.

He could tell that she was still frustrated with the seals.”Well if you aren’t hunting them, you should! Their meat is nice and fatty and I hate the sounds that they make. My mother taught me how to get them if you want me to teach you!”.

---

she was not interested in the seals any longer; but he was, and kept on prattling about them, implying that sulukinak was incompetent first for not knowing this word or this creature, and next by speaking of seals as if they were somehow an oddity she had never seen before. he was not a northman, she learned; he did not know that her name was focused around the hunting of seals, and she was immediately put-off by the feeling of superiority that oozed from him.

sulukinak began to stalk away from the water, following the ice with a stiff gait. she gave a small derisive snort and said, if i wanted a seal, i would have one. despite the fact she'd never successfully hunted one before and only eaten from their carrion, in those rare instances her family had stumbled upon their bodies frozen to the ice; but he did not need to know that.

her path brought her climbing slowly away from the frigid lake, and those bobbing faces.

---

This new wolf seemed to be annoyed at him for some reason. She had looked at him as if he had peed on her bed! He was going to confront her when she started walking up a trail, not even saying a word. Stunned, he quickly ran over to her side and started to follow her.

Confused about the whole situation, he asked her “So you weren’t just now trying to hunt a seal? Well it sure did look like you were!”. He stopped for a second, trying to comprehend the mistake he did. He yelled over to her “I’m sorry did I do something to offend you? I’ve only talked to you for 5 seconds, and it now it seems you got your tanned fox hides in a twist!”. 

He went ahead, turned around and started to walk backwards. He looked at her muzzle, trying to understand what he did wrong.

---

he followed!

his voice was loud and stinging; she could see no reason why he would follow her, since she had already refused the hunt he proposed, and suddenly he was in front of her and blocking her path. he said something about fox hides and she didn't understand the idiom (if it was one), and saw no sign of foxes.

her ears batted forward and back, and she glared at him at first with that same annoyance, then her october eyes widened with confusion. you talk a lot but you don't say anything.

at least nothing that makes sense. she grumbled, and puffed up again, her fur spiking along her nape and down her narrow spine.

---

He had noticed that she was now surprised that he was following her. Her remarks about what he said were confusing, making him frown in frustration. He wanted to better understand what he did wrong, so he first apologized, then tried to better understand what was happening with her. "Please forgive me. I have been completely disrespectful to you." He said.

His tail, once wagging, had stopped, showing the seriousness that he was now showing. "Is there anything that I can do to gain your trust?" He asked.

---

trust? what did this have to do with trust? they were one village and sulukinak accepted that much; she did not know what else there was.

in response to the question though, sulukinak coldly responds with, you're in my way. she is unreadable for a moment, and the irritation visibly slackens across her body.

you think i can't hunt? i am quiet. i am quick. you are loud with your riddles. now you chase me instead of food - what good is that? what good are you. although her words were harsh and seemed to seethe, sulukinak was level in tone, remaining cold as she lobbed these things at him.

perhaps he would know better than to assault someone with that voice in the future.

step aside.

---

"Fine." Hototo said, stepping to the side. "Just don't think that I am lesser than you just because I wanted to help." 

He turned away for a second, ready to start heading back, then abruptly turned back around to face her. "You know what? No. I have treated you with respect, dignity and poise even my father would be proud of, and you spat in my face. I'm going to call your bluff. I haven't seen you catch a single thing while you are here! I have caught multiple deer, rabbits and other game. You think you can denounce me and call me silly names? Sure, whatever. I don't care. But at least give me the decent kindness of listening to what I have to say before you judge me okay?" He said almost barking the words out of his mouth.

Muttering under his breath he said "I could kick your butt in a hunt any day of the week.".

---

this man blustered. he became like a gale, with a wagging tongue from his gaping mouth. he reminded her strongly of one of her brothers and that should have softened her; it had been so long since she had seen either of them!

he stepped aside and at once sulukinak felt a swelling of her ego, only to have the man volley more words at her.

more words, a challenge. insults. sulukinak knew better than to rise to the bait, and remained silent as she sought a path away from him and his wagging tongue.

distantly the seals croaked at one-another, amused by the unfolding show.

---

A low growl could be heard from Hototo as Sulukinak ignored him. He wanted to know more about this wolf, but without being able to talk to her it would be incredibly difficult. Instead of going along with his time and true plan of having manners and being nice, he instead went with a different plan.

Without another word, Hototo slinked off into the shadows. He decided that if he can't talk to her, he could maybe wait and see what she really is about. Crouching down near the snow, he started to follow her, waiting to see what she would do next.

---

sulukinak knew what it felt like to be watched, to be followed. the people here were not as skilled as they imagined when it came to stealth; perhaps he was not trying to be quiet as he followed her, but the fact he followed at all only further disturbed her.

she knew this glacier well enough by now that she flew across the paths when necessary, and she knew herself even better: her ability to slide upon ice or sickle her body, to shift her weight and take dangerous chances with the angle of the earth.

the woman picked up speed and when she found a dark hole to slip in to, she feigned towards it and then slid another way, taking off over a ridge she knew, and quickly racing to a narrow strip of stone so that she could escape his eye entirely.

her shape dissolved among the shadows of the trees and tunnels.