for any packmates! :)
shikoba finds the spine to be a spacious new home so far. after creating her new ulaq and spending the night with the lovely duck, she takes it upon herself to become familiar with the lay of the land. every night, before she turns in, she finds herself trotting along the edge of the border, spiraling in and out to deem what is hers and what isn't. during the warm parts of the days, shikoba focuses on the thrill of the hunt. she remembers kukutux having someone in a position to deem what can be killed and what can't. but she can't remember the name. perhaps, that is something she needs to clear up more with the higher-up. today, the fish survive.
until then, shikoba finds herself wading into the lake at the base of the territory. the day is warm and the water feels cool. with her shorter stature, the ground beneath her leaves quickly -- soon she is swimming freely as fish scatter away from her. the underwater plants move away from her feet, some tickling her toes as she glides through the water with ease.
today the duck was performing a true cleansing of her ulaq and the clearing. she had pulled all furs from their makeshift drying spaces and discarded the oldest ones among them in a heap far from the living areas. the duck plucked tufts of her own fur from the branches and buried every existent skeleton in the opposite direction, some minutes from the ulaq.
she replaced them with soft rabbit-skins, tucking raimo's red foxfur where it could not be easily seen. this caused her some hesitation, and eventually she pulled it from its shelter, staring upon it for a long moment.
she would carry it to her altar.
for now, kukutux tasked herself with finding jawfuls of bright blooms to carry back, and when this was finished, she retreated to the cools of the lake, intent upon bathing the dirt and crushed leaf litter from her stained coat. shikoba was here, and she smiled, watching as other the woman cut effortlessly through the surface of the water. she herself waded into its shallows, sighing pleasantly to her own ears.
it should bear no surprise that the waterfowl finds peace in the lake guarded by the vertebrae of the spine that surrounds the land. though, shikoba is surprised to see the duck again. but perhaps, this is not a bad thing. there were still more things she needed to learn from kukutux before she is truly a woman who holds moonglow on her shoulders. she finds the ground beneath her again as she swims towards the duck, a few bubbles escape to the surface as a minor wave laps against her face.
belly fur drags against the surface of the water, drips and drops fall and reenter the void from where they came. shikoba remembers to return the smile once offered to her.
"warm today, good for swim." a certain smell surrounds the duck, and shikoba only inhales deeply for just a moment. it is sweet, a little different than the first time the two exchanged words. shikoba simply assumes kukutux has a green thumb and nothing more. "kukutux smells sweet. like pretty flowers." she wonders what flowers or herbs or plants the scent comes from. either way, shikoba would have to go back and search for it herself.
the duck's ears splayed in surprise and pleasure at shikoba's words. "it is flowers," she revealed. "they are like the way the sun's light is upon rock." wondering if her description of their color would be understood, she pressed ahead. "you are learning moonglow?" came her hopeful question.
shikoba had not been in their village for even a handful of days, but kukutux was determined to bring her as much welcome as she would do for any other.
"i will join you, farther. you are better in water than me. like seal," moonwoman grinned, through she was happy to move deeper into the lake, small paws leaving the rocks below. she let the surface close over her ears, surfacing to blow water from her nostrils and chuckle aloud with delight.
she is told of the blossoms that once graced the coat of moonglow's leader. perhaps shikoba may find them later to decorate her home with. upon her question of learning the land, shikoba nods her head. "beautiful land, different but good." shikoba is an aimless wandered at times, and while she has seen many places in the world, the spine is certainly one of the most beautiful.
it is funny when shikoba thinks about being seal-like. her home is originally red rock and sand, where swimming is not a necessary skill to learn. yet, on her travels with her father past their homeland, she had learned skills she didn't think she would need. yet, look at her now. she swims now, with the duck in tow.
as the ducks swims out farther with shikoba, the small warrior tosses her head back for a moment and aims to circle back. "rhythm to swimming, legs flow in pattern like ocean tide, push and pull." she may not have the best explanation, but at least she knows what she speaks about. she soon reaches for the ground beneath her again she she grows out of breath from her strokes.
"shikoba want to help moonglow, but... not sure how. kukutux know?" she sees it as her duty to provide in any way she can. it is important that she can at least prove her worth to kukutux in the flesh rather than just her words.
different but good.
not for the first time did kukutux wonder what sordid climes might have given shikoba her scars, or if she had only been a fighter before. what sort of memories walked in the kind woman's shadow?
ocean tide. this the duck knew, and tried to fit herself to the instruction, letting her legs beneath the water take the described form, until she felt as if she were gliding near shikoba's muscular form. the waves lapped against the scars the tupilak had left, and she looked quietly for a moment.
"moonglow has a prisoner. nuak. he is kept high," and here she gestured to a naked place, high along the spine and only somewhat visible from their place in the lake. "i think he is — he is like someone i once knew. we guard him. but he cannot stay forever."
a look, passing to the woman; something to solve; something she herself had not decided.
shikoba often feels like she struggles with the common tongue of the land and often sees the faces contorted with confusion and sneer expressions when she cannot find her bearings in the form of words. yet kukutux is gentle, understanding -- shikoba feels as if there is little space between the two of them understanding one another.
the duck takes the water with ease as the two swim peacefully for their short moment. though, shikoba takes notice to the moonwoman's expression as she explains the situation with the man held captive in the spine.
"he cannot stay forever."
kukutux seems gentle with her wording, she does not jump to claiming his head as a bounty as she did with the tupilak that had marked her. shikoba is curious about this sudden change, but thinks first of a way to ask politely.
"if moonglow does not keep man, does kukutux let him go?" to be held prisoner means that a crime was committed, and oftentimes crimes do not go unpunished. shikoba has already made the mistake to assume the duck is only a merciful creature. the blood ready to be spilled on red fur says so. "or does kukutux fight him with shikoba?"
she forgets to mention that this fight is meant to be to the death, until the man no longer plagues moonglow and their leader.
lightly against the grain of the lake did she shrug. "it is a decision for sivullik. firsthunter. adrastus." a sigh, gently rippling the water's surface. "he once was one of us. he ran away with the evil spirit who returned, to fight."
the idea of conflict with nuak sundered kukutux for a moment. shikoba, surely, knew the fighting; she would not be without merit to go up into the stones and end the grey bear.
and yet, she did not want him harmed, nor killed.
"i do not know. if i allow him to leave, what if he comes back to hurt us? if i — if he is killed here, will the tupilak return?"
kukutux shows reasonable concern and must make a difficult choice. shikoba often sees war as the only option, she has brought back heads and has ripped open throats in her younger years. however, diplomacy and reason must be used besides violence and bloodshed. she knows this now.
she swims closer to kukutux and touches her nose against the duck's shoulder gently. "if tupilak not come now, shikoba think tupilak will not come ever."
if the boy and the tupilak were together, perhaps the tupilak would come to rescue him from his prison; but she hasn't has she? perhaps he is not important enough to her. hopefully, the pound of flesh ripped from the red parka is enough to keep her away from the spine, unless she wishes to meet fury of another set of white knives.
"kukutux, moonglow must act before nuak can hurt us," a pause, to make sure she can really hit her idea on the head, "shikoba know kukutux see nuak as someone familiar. but if nuak hurt moonglow, nuak cannot be free."
she has not met the boy, though she can understand that there is trouble brewing in the area that he is kept. and unless she intends on starving him and letting him die, then he will act on trying to escape.
shikoba was wise. kukutux listened, nodding here and there, and sighing when the other's thoughts seemed to align with her own. "he knows very much." too much. of what had he and the demon wolf spoken? already she knew he had given to the evil one a totemic object from the duck's own ulaq.
a curse.
she swallowed.
"i cannot — i will make the word, to say his life will not be long. but. to kill. someone else." for now, without cubs, nuak showed no true danger to new blood, but they could not wait for it. she could not wait for it. "have you seen him?" she inquired, wondering if the new warrior among them had been to look upon their captive.
she seemingly comes to terms with the decision that must be made. nuak's life would soon be over, and the wolves of moonglow would rejoice in the destruction of his soul and the power of the tupilak. red would no longer stain their holy grounds.
"if kukutux won't, shikoba will end nuak."
a brave offer made blindly, but shikoba does not fear. fear oppresses her often, but not from a challenge and from a task. especially with one that is serious and needs quick action. whether it is with a whisper of mercy or the blunt force of cruelty, shikoba will aim to end nuak by her own teeth, unless someone else joins her.
when asked about whether or not she has seen the beast, the warrior shakes her head. it will be vital to know what she is up against. "shikoba need to see nuak, kukutux show?" hopefully, she will never feel intimidated by his face or his size.
the duck nodded, chilled. ending. the promise to send the boy to the spirits. kukutux did not know how she might say all the words suddenly in her soul.
she pulled herself at once with unsure steps to the shoreline, streaming from the waters as she sent a solemn look back upon shikoba.
"we will go now."
with that, moonwoman set a silent path for she and the warrior, winding far up and upward to the lone cliff whereby she had once looked up to see the brightblood leaves of a single tall tree.
stones and shale; it lay heavy upon the path, but the duck moved upward, determined, and at last kukutux sent a harsh and summoning bark for
@Kiliutak.
When the witch came to call on him, Kiliutak wanted nothing to do with her. He refused to budge from the back of the crevasse where he had been stationed; but from there, his dark eyes glimmered. Set in to his black-capped face, bundled tightly to the furthest wall so as to make himself immovable there, only a dull snort gave away his position and lingering awareness.
The woman was not alone. Was judgement finally ready to be meted out?
she is surprised to have to travel far up to visit nuak. however, shikoba remains shoulder to shoulder with the duck and does not say a word. though, as she hears kukutux's call be ignored. she cannot help but lay her ears back a bit, signaling annoyance with his lack of obedience to kukutux. though, shikoba must remind herself that this boy is no special character in their ring but instead their prisoner, and soon enough, a marker around the edges of the spine. she peers in to see something quite large in the chamber where the boy is held and notes his large size compared to her own.
she turns her head towards the duck. "this is nuak?" she asks for confirmation. perhaps this task will not be as easy as she had hoped.
a nod.
she could not force the word yes to the surface.
her eyes fell to shikoba, then the boy, helplessly, but resolute.
she could not shed his blood, but the spirit of warriors lived in this woman's chest.
In his own time Kiliutak became a shifting pool, condensing in to a recognizable shape as he probed the light with his nose, catching it in the depths of his darkly sunken eyes. He gave them one look and then withdrew; there was no point in coming out from the small crevasse only to be lectured, ridiculed, or whatever it was that Kukutux wanted. He was equally disinterested in the mottled wolf beside the moon-woman, who had sharp eyes and most likely, sharper teeth.
the disinterest from the boy causes shikoba to cast her eyes back towards kukutux. her solemn nod to answer the native's question causes shikoba to cast him a last glare before she thinks she has seen enough. perhaps he will end up being no trouble, perhaps he will put up a fight that shikoba does not expect. either way, shikoba has introduced herself to him, the executioner under the righteous kukutux.
content with seeing the boy, shikoba pushes her nose against the duck's shoulder, signifying that she is ready to leave if that is desired. she still has questions about the boy, but would prefer to not be in earshot of him. a whisper is cast into her pale ear.
"let nuak rest, shikoba and kukutux talk more without him." a sense of respect for the boy to not disturb him more than they have. perhaps this moment is what harbors the reasoning behind her future actions.
kuktuux allowed herself to be ushered away. once they were far from the ears of nuak, the duck drew a shaking breath and looked down upon the stone between her paws.
"he is angry. but he is a boy."
kukutux would make no argument against shikoba's defense of their village.
and yet, if he truly did share blood with her kin, then he would be yet another dead ostrega wolf.
a boy, angry and spat on the world that raised him. if shikoba were to know of the hard upbringing nuak had in ursus, she would feel a sense of remorse for burying her teeth into him and not letting him go to run off. however, that does not wipe away the crimes he committed against moonglow and against kukutux. for stealing an artifact from her altar and bringing about the tupilak, there is more the boy needs to pay for than just flesh.
but thankfully, the duck has her knd ways of dealing with a hurt spirit, especially the one she believes holds ostrega blood. shikoba will not act unless told. "has nuak try to escape?" a question that would be answered in the future, but for now, shikoba is blind to what the boy is capable of when he realizes his size and weight. "anger does not settle." she would know after all, the woman has a fiery temper that can be hard to douse.
the duck began to shake her head, then stopped. "once he made a path down the mountain, but not again." she looked at shikoba, wanting to ask suddenly where the warrior-woman had gotten the marks upon her face.
they were alike in more ways than that. moonwoman found herself grateful that shikoba did not press again for nuak's death. "it does not settle," kukutux agreed. "but maybe i must only find a good thing to put inside him. a better feeling."
she wondered if her words would hold meaning, or only confuse.