Kigipigak carried a belly full of fresh meat with him as well as a ream of hide, still wet, through the forest and to the river. He found that the cleaning of the deer had been a strenuous task and quite fulfilling for him. The river had run red and sat spoiled for the night. He had tried to clean more from the fawnskin further upstream after that.
Eventually his efforts drew him west. The hill he had been standing on overlooked a small ravine that led on to thick sequoias. Even in the dark these were impressive; the moonlight barely penetrated their great reach.
As he moved on to investigate a weathered tree which reminded him of a few elders of his old home he noticed how the ground gave way to softened soil, and in following the deer trails he found his way to the edge of a lake. The water was calm and, more importantly, clean.
He drank in the sight of its glass-like surface and the stars winking across the expanse. After some time he retreated to where he had left the fawnskin at the bottom of the deer path, and set about spreading it in the shallows to soak.
The longer Norah spent out in the wilds, learning the terrain and drawing a mental map of, where what was located and which packs lived in the vicinity of her chosen home for winter, the clearer it was that it hosted just as many interesting individuals as Moonspear. Take this guy, for example, and his ordeal with a deer pelt. She would not have found him in the first place, were it not for the river water sullied by blood, fat and distinct tinge of innards. She had refused to drink from the polluted source, but had become intrigued, when she came across footprints and a soggy trail left by the wet deerskin.
Had the fellow taken a nightly swim? Curiosity kicked in and she hastened her speed. The rogue in her, however, reminded her to be careful, therefore rather than tracking him step after step, she memorized the particular scent and followed its corridor at a distance. Wind blew in her direction, which was ideal for stalking, while remaining unseen. Finally, she caught sight of the silver-white brute by the river. She circled around him to have a better view and observed his doings for a while, before coming forward and asking: "Does it improve the taste?" She stood, where she could still flee easily, but just close enough for them to talk without raising their voices.
Does it improve the taste?
Called a voice he did not know; at first he thought he had imagined it, that perhaps the work of skinning the deer and fishing its skin from the river had tired him out more than he knew; perhaps he had fallen asleep and as being visited by his mother in his dreams again.
But no, he stood there blinking down at the hide where he had placed it, watching how the water glittered beneath starlight, dimmed by blood as it was washed clean. Kigipigak turned his attention to where the voice had come from and saw a dark face equipped with mossy green eyes.
It is a trick for hiding the remains,
Kigipigak called to the stranger, his tone neutral, I was taught this by my tribe. You take the skin and clean it well, then use it to bundle what is left of the meal. It keeps everything together where it is buried.
Most importantly it was used by the elder women to dry and maintain the meat for longer periods; keeping the water in the soil from destroying things too quickly. He did not know this particular tidbit, so he did not add it.
"Is that so?" Norah remarked, feeling genuinely curious and took a few steps closer to see the hide this man was soaking in the lake. It smelled somewhat stale already and she could not imagine, how a soggy piece of fur was going to keep meat hidden for a long time or any at all. The scent of it could only grow worse as more time passed and she could not imagine a single predator, who would not be drawn to it immediately.
But this she did not say to the man, nor did her doubts reflect in her carefully composed expression. "That's an interesting way of preserving food," she complimented instead. "Any other practical life tricks your tribe taught you?"
He had not explained well, and she did not understand. That was his own fault; but then it wasn't usually a man's job to prepare skins and wrap the excess meat and bones. Kigipigak shrugged in response, focused on his work to the point of not being very attentive to the conversation. Enough time had lapsed for him to take a stronger interest in the skin and he ducked to the water's edge, gripping the skin with his teeth to pull it out on to the grass.
Once there he would make an effort to invert it so that the coarse exterior hairs were upon the grass, and the softer interior was raised up. Kigipigak did not know how to soften the hide to the perfect pliable state, that was something taught to women, but he was doing his best with what he knew. He paused there to think of the next step and noticed that the dark wolf was still with him.
Not every secret of my tribe was taught to me. I only know so much of the woman's arts.
He explained, sounding a bit exasperated as he was growing frustrated with himself. Kigipigak wished he had known more; or at the very least he wished he had a woman here who was well versed in the tanning of hides to make his life easier. What did your tribe teach you?
He asked of the woman. Maybe she came from a traditional tribe and coudl help him.
After their brief exchange, the man paid Norah no mind, focussed at the work at hand. The lady in grey did not mind, she positioned herself so that she had a good view of, what he was doing, and all the while he washed and meddled with the pelt, she followed his every action with a cool gaze and a slightly amused smirk spread across her muzzle. The lengths of people went to complicate simple matters. Her mother would have a good laugh about this one, except... at this thought she tilted her head to the side and her expression became thoughtful... yeah, maybe she would not challenge this beast outright. Judging by his attitude up until now, he was not knightly kind, when it came to women. Say something wrong, he may get rough.
"My tribe?" Norah repeated, pressed her lips together and lifted her gaze upwards, while she thought, what should she reply him. Her tribe consisted of her mom. She had taught great many things to her favourite daughter, one of the first - you do not play with food. But that kind of observation said out loud would sound mocking and demeaning. She was not above intentionally insulting the fellow, but there was her safety to take in account. There is a fine line between a good joke and slander and, unfortunately it is one, which the other person draws not you. You have no way of knowing, unless you take that first leap. She did not wish to try her chances just yet.
"Mine were pragmatic and hungry. They ate everything and did not leave anything behind. What's in your belly already, cannot be stolen later," she finally said. "Are you here on your own or have you and your tribe settled nearby?"
He paused, sinking back on his haunches while the hide sat in the grass, listening.
That is wise,
he remarks, understanding the concept of filling one's belly to the fullest point and carrying the meat back home, leaving the carcass behind. It is a common practice and until this point, Kigipigak thought the burying of the hide was common too; this was not so true here in the southlands.
He began to work at the hide again when she asked after his family, his ties. At this point in his journey Kigipigak had nothing of the sort. I am alone. I left home not long ago, with my mother's blessing.
He smiles at the memory of her.
Norah was amused - such a brute and still sentimental for his dear mother and the blessing she had given him. People, who appeared to be tough and invincible failed at the simplest things. She should not have felt surprise, except knowing more about the nature of the relationship the son had had with his dam. Her own mother had liked all her children well enough, but did not particularly hide that she had very little use of boys in general. They were father's responsibility right from the moment, when she had weaned them.
"An adventurer - and where to now? Surely a man with your background would be expected to leave his mark in this world, wouldn't he?" she asked.
Had he known the truth of his mother then, such sentimentality would be lost to bitterness. Kigipigak was young and not exceptionally bright, being from a small and well secluded tribe, so his understanding of the world - and the merits of morality within that world - were vague; in time he would come to see his mother for the monster that she truly was.
For now, equipped with an adventurer's zeal and the perception that he traveled with blessings and good fortune, Kigipigak was unafraid when faced with a long and lonely road. It wasn't so lonely once he had migrated in to prominent wolf territory, such as in this moment.
I am! I will.
He comments as his smile grows. My name will become so wide spread that my mother will hear it spoken, and she will fill with great pride! I will do her proud.
Norah almost laughed, but stiffled it to a point, where only her muzzle twitched slightly and a shadow of great amusement drifted across her silver gray gaze. She was very tempted to point out that rather than making one's name heard across lands, it would be far more practical to bring the said mother to the pack that was being built, so that she did not have to strain her ears to listen.
Vain men were her favourite treat - it already felt like Christmas to her. "Well, it is a very honourable quest," she remarked in a solemn ton and a nod, though inwardly she was rolling around in hysterics of laughter. "I wish you all the best of luck and, whichever gods there are that look over your good fortune - to be there for your success," she smiled, maybe a little too sweetly. "I will be on my way now," she got to her feet, cast one final glance at that pelt by his paws, then back at him. And if she was not detained any longer, she would leave to entertain herself with the character she had just met and learned about in private.
The woman spoke of gods and good fortune. Kigipigak was not spiritual in any sense but he could appreciate the sentiment and held his tongue from blaspheming any of her own beliefs. He shared with her a smile and nodded as she dismissed herself; as she left him to his own devices Kigipigak wondered if each wolf of this southern place would be as friendly. He would think on it for an hour or so before life's distractions pivoted him in other directions.