Mojag had found his way to
@Kukutux in a place that was new to him, and not the familiar
ulax.
His intention was to find his
anaa and to follow
@Shikoba as she hunted, because he had grown big enough for such an adventure and had decided by himself he would do it.
It was the moonwoman he discovered first.
Kukutux!
He bellowed cheerfully, making sure to enunciate every pop of her name. Whatever she was doing paled in comparison to what Mojag was after.
Guess what!
Cue the smallest pause. The boy was too excited to wait through the proper amount of time so she could guess.
Anaa is taking me hunting today!
We'll call that decree
positive thinking rather than truth.
"your mother is a very good hunter, sister's son," kukutux answered mojag in the village's words. her jadestone eyes were filled with affection and pride as she looked at him. slyly she pulled a strip of drying venison from the stone roof of the ulaq.
"do not taste. smell only. see how it fills your mouth with water," the duck said when she had held it just above him for a moment.
She sounded pleased. His tail was a blur; then when Kukutux brought the meat to his nose he was still, and staring, and then smacking his lips.
It smells good!!
She was right, his mouth made water immediately. His eyes were hopeful as they slipped between the venison and the woman, like a puppy hoping for a treat.
One day I be a good hunter too! I be, fast and s'rong and -- like my anaa!
He stomped around a little bit to elucidate his point, striking poses as if Mojag were ducked in a prowl or standing tall and proud as a warrior might.
kukutux shook her head. she returned the piece of meat. "if you eat brother deer's body before you hunt his siblings, he will know. he will escape your teeth and you will have bad luck in the rest of your hunting."
"it is aglignaktuk. as hunter, there are many you must observe." she gave him a piece of trout instead.
she laughed aloud. she nodded. "you will be both, mojag. you are a good son, to honor them with much strength."
She told him of taboo and he thought the word was a silly one, so he giggled at it. Then there was fish, and a complicated word he could not pronounce, but by the time Mojag thought to try he was nibbling at the fish meat.
Through a mouthful he said, Do you know my tataa?
As with any thought to his mother would bring up conflicted comparisons between her and father.
Mojag swallowed a lump of fish. Was he a good hunter too?
Speaking as if he were gone to the lights; but to be fair, Mojag didn't know him well and Inutsuk was gone often.
kukutux nodded. "i know his face."
but he was not here. and he had gone before.
the duck mourned that inutsuk's spirit was so restless he could not settle as a hunter and a husband and a father.
"yes. but it is your anaa who gave you that in your chest. she is fierce. she knows the way of many brothers who run in the forest."
she was not sure if she should begin singing him to the lights. shikoba must decide.
Mojag listened but his mind was elsewhere for a moment.
He wanted to say he knew his father's face too, and thought about it, and focused with all its might on what he remembered of Inutsuk.
The only memory that surfaced was of the stars; it had been late the very last time Mojag had seen his father, and try as he might to envision that face, he could only muster the silhouette of him from memory.
I'll be a good hunter,
he spoke suddenly, as if to vow something serious. An' I'll be so good I'll hunt tataa!
her smile was true, though it faltered for a moment.
had only the blackfox been taken to sedna, would her young moon-hunter have searched for him also?
his name came to her. she did not speak it.
"this is a good thing," she agreed with the boy. "where will you search first?"
He did not know what to say at first. Mojag did not know many places.
Up!
He said suddenly, and cast his eyes in to the sky. But the sky was only blue today, it did not have the same bright dots as before, and so his face soured and he looked down again.
Maybe anaa sees him when she walks.
He mused, thinking of Shikoba's constant patrols; sometimes she would tell him of things that she'd found, creatures that she'd scented.
Maybe... I could go walk with her, and we hunt him.
"maybe." her heart was suddenly filled with pain for shikoba. the woman should not suffer so much. perhaps she might offer to make both sivullik and mojag a part of her hearth and the name nuiruk.
a question for another time.
"i have the thinking that your anaa would have much joy to walk and hunt with you," the duck smiled.
I'm gonna go fine her!!
Mojag announced abruptly.
A fish spine tumbled from his mouth.
He was so enthusiastic about hunting for his mother that he was enlisting her help to find his wayward father; the fish no longer interested him either, leaving Kukutux to the clean-up.
He didn't think, but turned to bolt back to his home ulaq where he thought Shikoba might be. Calling as he went, DANK YOU KUKUuuoo!.
kukutux smiled, pulling the fishbone closer. "goodbye, mojag!"
she sent a crooning howl after the boy, then bent with a smile to take the offal to the midden. the duck was pleased that inutsuk's absence did not seem to affect him so greatly. it was for shikoba she worried.