a bright afternoon blossomed over the lodge after a morning's driving rain. chakliux brought
@Raiyuk out of doors and set him onto the ground, just outside the lodgemouth. he grunted toward the boy, lowering his haunches and tossing a piece of deer-hide onto the earth before his son.
but nothing more was said. the seal hunter returned to his carving, sliding down onto his belly with paws outstretched.
petrichor filled the vibrant air. birds danced beneath the sun. moonspear was lovely, and chakliux was at last beginning to feel settled.
Once outside, the boy marveled! He was particularly interested in a clump of grass growing near to the lodge (there were many, but this one was taller than him by at least a head); he stomped at it, and tried to grab some of the pieces with an uncoordinated lunge, and got pieces up the nose.
His father tossed a piece of hide nearby and Raiyuk promptly stopped his antics to look in the direction of the noise, and then high-stepped to the thing, and burrowed his nose at the dirt beneath it, sniffing. He made little growls and chirrups of discovery as he lifted his face and flipped the object, and then tried to pounce on it! The tips of his ears wiggled with all the exertion as he pawed the hide.
more and more, chakliux found himself looking up from the wood to watch his son. the boy played with great focus, eliciting a tiny smile from his scarred father. "soon you will come with kannoyak and quennell and i on the hunt," the man said, softly sing-song.
he grunted, motioning raiyuk back to him, and set the half-whittled piece of spruce before the child. "we make. we trade." the berrybright eyes sought those of his son.
Chakliux spoke. The boy was so focused he did not look away from the toy until, successful with his game of hunting, he hoisted the hide up in his teeth and looked awkwardly over it, to the man. His needle-teeth were plentiful, and the corners of his mouth curled in a grin. Behind him his tail was tall and waving.
He presented his catch to his father with a rrrr~! And a shake!
Look at me, I'm a hunter! Every fibre of his being said, although Raiyuk did not yet understand.
chakliux grinned. "he is a man who hunts already!"
privately, he felt that he should take raiyuk very soon to the ocean, to see the ice before it melted. they lived farther inland now than he had in his own life. but his son should still see the forces which shaped his father and all those before him.
chakliux grabbed for the edge of the hide, growling as he gave a gentle tug, testing raiyuk.
The praise of his father was everything! His tail stood straight-up and waved with triumph.
When he moved to grab the hide and tug, Raiyuk did not understand. He gave his little rrrr of play, but when he felt the pressure of the hide being pulled at, he released and gawped at his father, tongue lolling. The boy stomped and did a play-dance, but did not try again for the hide.
"try again," chakliux urged, voice muffled by the hide. he dropped it to the ground and dragged it before his son, hoping to draw back the sharp little teeth.
try and try and try, until something tore. until blood was drawn. to never give up, that was their way to be.
The hide was being moved to-and-fro. The movement didn't register at first, as the boy was watching his father more aptly than the toy, until finally something sparked in him. Urged by Chakliux and having the impatience, and impermanence, of childhood — he launched himself after the object.
First he fell short, and slapped the ground, which had him chuffing a sound close to a laugh. Then he tried again and again and again, sometimes grabbing for it, sometimes missing, and enjoying the movement of his body more than the success of his grapples.
the boy played. chakliux dragged the hide back and forth until his neck ached, until he was forced to drop it into a heap and roll his shoulders.
"good hunting!" he praised his son. some moons, perhaps two or three, and he might be ready for short hunts. who knew! perhaps before that.
"come. we will see what your mother chooses for meal-meat," he grunted, rising and moving toward the lodgemouth.