Backdated to April 13th. Open to anyone but special mention for
@Kukutux in particular.
The Tundrian had decided she had taken enough time to settle back in at Moonglow. Those days she spent retracing the familiar terrain, following the lines of the mountain peaks that encased her home. Visited favorite old lookout posts or spots where she had lain in ambush to catch prey. The old memories were still there, and they warmed her spirit. But those paled in comparison to the new ones she was yet to make.
Many new scents belonging to wolves not present during her time at the Spine now littered the heart of the village. A handful, she instinctually knew by scent, were young pups. Children of the Moonwoman and even First Hunter Shikoba. She did not draw near the ulaqs yet. When she did pass by, it was from a safe distance, more so to assure the children that her presence was non hostile.
Her mind was busy recently, with many a thought. She was feeling more emotional (and not necessarily in a negative sense) than usual. It was with a quiet thoughtfulness about her, but with no less liveliness in her jade eyes, that she carried all that was left of her lunch; a beaver's tail, on her daily walk by. She would offer it up to the mothers, if their paths crossed this day.
keyni had returned.
kukutux separated stratos and ariadne with a chuff and stood. "take this," she told them, and gave each a piece of soft leather. in time it would be torn and bits scattered, but for the present she knew that they would be occupied. under the watchful eye of a moonglow wolf she left them, and traveled slowly toward the lake.
there she bathed, and when she turned to look over one washed shoulder it was to see keyni. moonwoman swung her tail through the air and grinned at her friend. "i think you must have many stories to share, sister."
As she had found her many times before, it was by the lakeside, bathing peacefully, that Keyni found her sister. Crisp jade eyes came alive, her tail held loftily to reflect her high spirits. Padding down the gently pebble strewn shore, she deposited the beaver tail nearby. Kukutux was welcome to it. It had a tough, almost rubbery texture. Perfect for sharp little puppy teeth and growing jaw muscles.
"Many indeed, dear sister..." She breathed pleasantly. Though the water was a touch cold as it engulfed her legs, she slipped in waist deep. Being of northern blood, the bite of the cold hardly bothered her. "I am sure you have many as well. Especially of three certain ones, with budding tales of their own." She grinned, hinting at her newest children, of course. Settling down beside the white dove, she began to groom the line of her neck gently to rekindle their bond. She had missed Moonglow more than she knew.
the duck grinned, closing her eyes as keyni began to preen her fur. "i did not expect to have three children. and there is a son this year, stratos. ariadne and callyope are the daughters of sun man."
"kausiut has gone to live with the walrus hunters in their village." her heart ached. "sialuk and lótë mean to make new villages. there will be more children born this year, i think."
this was good. she had offered meat and bones to the spirits, asking for the success of both the forest and the mountain.
Keyni leaned close, delighting in the warmth of the duck's body and pure ivory fur. She exhaled in a content way, pausing in her grooming. Kukutux gifted her with details of her newest children. Three! Two daughters and a son. The water splashed gently, courtesy of her whipping tail. "Such beautiful names. I cannot wait to meet them. See what they are like. Children are such individuals." She laughed.
Her daughter, Kausiut was on a journey of her own. The Northern woman nodded, wishing the child well in this chapter of her life. The news of Sialuk and Lote starting villages of their own intrigued her. It would be good for both wolves to carve out their own home in the wilds. "Have they decided where?" Keyni did not yet know that Lote was expecting. Or that Adrastus never to be welcomed at Moonglow again. She had missed all that drama. The thought of more children made her happy but also pining. Reminded her of what she thought she had wanted. The look was there in those jade eyes.
"lótë will claim the forest that is very close to moonglow. and sialuk, she has the want to return to the mountain where she was born."
moonspear.
it did not hurt to think the name now.
her eyes were bright. "what path have you chosen, keyni?"
Keyni fell silent, contemplating while digesting the information. Lote would claim Neverwinter Forest as her own, and Sialuk, Moonspear. They were both ideal locations. Both had once been home to flourishing packs. And now, the abandoned land could be revitalized.
"I have not yet decided." Was her honest answer. She would meet with Lote, curious of the details and plans she had for her own pack. Moonglow was well established. Lote may need assistance and numbers in stabilizing her group. "Once I speak with Lote and get some more details, I am sure the choice will come easily."
she did not expect a true answer.
keyni was a wanderer. she searched for her own way and her own mate.
she was like
@Kigipigak in this way. her heart ached for a moment. she would go to seek the winterhawk in the time of summer.
"no matter what your choice is, you will always be sister to me and to moonglow, keyni."
"Of course I will. And you, to me, Kukutux." She felt little more needed to be said. The notes in her voice and the look in her eyes said it all. She shared a bond with the Moonwoman and Lote that ran deeper than any blood ties. She leaned close, resting her chin comfortably over the rise of her snow furred nape. Her form rose and fell with a sigh.
Eyes cast forward, out across the great expanse of the water, she spoke openly. "I yearn for more than what I already have this year. A family...a husband. There's this gap in my life that I feel like needs to be filled." She closed her eyes, hiding the emotions that swirled within. "I want to experience the joys that you and Lote are so familiar with..."
keyni wished a husband.
kukutux this time did not have any names. her mind was filled with sialuk.
but the spirits would provide if keyni's want was great.
"when do you think that your fire-time will come, my sister?"
She chewed her lip a little, thinking. Going back to her memory, of last year. "Last year my season did not arrive until late." Not quite this early, though. "So, soon, I would think." Keyni would not go actively in pursuit of a man for husband. If they found each other, so be it. But it pained her to think she might be undesirable.
"But I still wonder...perhaps children of my own might add some light in my life if I am not to find a husband this year?" She asked aloud. Seeking the Moonwoman's personal opinion. She and Lote had been married when they had their pups. Lote still technically was, even if the sire of her litter was not Aiolos.
kukutux nodded. her eyes were smooth upon keyni. "i think that you will have children if this is your want. and you will find a husband to love them, even if it is not now. your sisters are close. aiolos is close." she reached to touch her companion with a silken brush.
"we will help you. and your daughters and sons will be as brothers and sisters to our own." that was the way of moonglow, and she could not see that the secondwife nor the star would take a path away from that in their own villages.
She leaned in to the touch offered to her, appreciative. Appreciative of Moonwoman's support, of that of the village. Her heart swelled. She had been destined to return to their fold. "The time will come...even if not now. Think of me, if you may, should any men cross your path." She knew of her matchmaking talent. But the matter was not urgent. Kukutux had her children and her village to think of, first. "I thank you...all of you. You have been nothing but kind to me, and should I be blessed with children, I look forward to sharing selflessly with you all."
"i will do this. i will look for a man who deserves my sister."
kukutux grinned. keyni was beautiful, kind, and skilled. a man would need to offer a good bride-price indeed.
"let us walk together. when your time comes, if a husband is not here, then we will talk of you choosing a man for his spirit only."
she straightened, inviting the woman to her side.
moonglow was stronger for the presence of keyni's devotion to them all.