when his talk with nasamik had ended, chakliux went to seek the hearth of
@Meerkat and
@Njord.
"my wife nasamik feels that the mountain has grown too large. she wishes to make our lodge another place." the seal hunter set down a rabbit upon the threshold.
he did not yet know of the situation in which moontide found itself.
"however, i am bound here by debt to sialuk, and i will not go until it is paid. my wife may wish to take raiyuk and go elsewhere for a time until i join them again."
What about Moontide? Have you heard?
came Meerkat’s immediate reply to Chakliux’s news. They need more able bodies to maintain their claim. I would be sorry to see them go, though it would be a noble task for them.
It would not be easy to lose family and friends to the seaside pack, especially her own son. But Meerkat would offer nothing but support to anyone who chose to go. Their sister pack needed them and Moonspear could spare them. It was that simple, if not easy.
chakliux mused on this. "she has said she wishes for us to make our own village, but i do not want to leave moonspear yet. perhaps this is a good ... between place," the seal hunter grinned, not knowing the word compromise.
"nasamik is strong. raiyuk is growing. moontide will do well with them there."
Meerkat nodded as he mused aloud, glad to be a soundboard if he wanted to hash it out a bit. It wasn’t an easy decision, especially considering it would divide man and wife, father and son.
Yes, it sounds like it could be a good transition. They’ll be sorely missed here,
she said, thinking of how much her daughters would miss their playmate. There’s no reason we can’t all visit one another, though.
She wasn’t entirely sure she could bring herself to go to the coast. With Ray headed there, Meerkat supposed she would have to get over it. She refused to let anything keep her from her son, though she knew it would still be difficult. The same seaside she had once loved was now painted in bitterest loathing.
"he will visit me," chakliux decided. "then he can play with orca and seal." he was still amused by that last name, hoping that raiyuk and seal would keep up a bond of sorts, in honor of the seal hunter's own people.
"kannoyak will stay here." and if he married, the lodge could also be his. likewise, if chakliux took a second wife, she might choose to stay in moonspear with her own home, rather than share it with another woman.
Of course. I’m sure as long as we frame it as an adventure, they’ll adjust to the distance,
Meerkat replied with a smile.
Kannoyak would stay, he said. The councilor nodded in acknowledgement. She didn’t know the man as well as some, though she regarded him as a friend. This meant Chakliux would not be left all alone in his lodge.
Ray is going to Moontide too,
she shared after a beat of silence. He decided this before we knew of their need. I’m going to miss him terribly but I always told myself to raise my children to be independent and lead their own lives. I’m hoping he will find happiness and purpose in Moontide.
"i will keep my eyes on him, meerkat. not as if he were a boy, but a new man starting his way." chakliux spoke this solemnly. seal hunter men were mentors from the day they received their scars, and he saw no reason to treat stingray differently.
"is there anything you need for your ulaq?" he asked politely next, using the word of the sunshine people for meerkat's home.
She could only smile at his offer, head bowing in acknowledgement. Soon after that, the hunter changed the subject. Meerkat turned to glance over her shoulder at the doorway to her family’s ulaq. Especially with Ray still on her mind, a bittersweet feeling swelled in her chest.
No, thank you. We won’t be using it nearly as much now that the girls have been moved to the rendezvous site,
Meerkat said. If you ever have any particularly tough bones to spare, you could always bring them by there. And I know it won’t be the same as having Raiyuk close by, though those two have never met a stranger and would love to play with you, if you’re ever inclined.
Meerkat thought about mentioning her mom’s kids. They spent their time there as well, though she would be remiss to say they were as gregarious as her own offspring. She supposed that losing their father and uprooting didn’t lend itself to upbeat attitudes.
My mom’s kids are a bit more aloof but they’re there too. And they have Phox, though I think they could always use more male role models and companionship, especially Sable. He’ll be quite outnumbered now.
chakliux was not suited to playing, he did not feel. but he did not say this out loud, of course. perhaps he should go all the same. after all, he could bring much hunting knowledge.
chakliux had not known all these names. mother and daughter, each with children living together. he enjoyed this for it reminded him of the closely-knit seal hunters.
"i will see them," he decided, though he did not give a timeframe for this. "they may also, all of them, come to my lodge when raiyuk visits. and soon, maybe we go on a hunt," chakliux suggested, "all of moonspear. and moonglow. and moontide." his teeth sparkled.
Another nod was given at his latest resolution. He spoke of a great hunt involving not just Moonspear but its sister packs as well. It made her think of Duskfire Glacier and its great hunt with Moonglow for the first time in a very long time. How could one ever forget an
event such as that? It seemed many lifetimes ago, yet the recollection brought a light into her eyes.
I think that will be exciting for everyone, adults as well as pups,
Meerkat said.
I like being part of what feels like an extended family, with all the Moon packs. Hunting and feasting together will be a great way to deepen those connections. It’ll be a bad time to be an ungulate, though,
she finished on a laugh, her own teeth gleaming in a smile.
her smile was swiftly returned. chakliux found meerkat very striking, attractive for her pretty face as well as the fact she was a mother. it meant she contributed the most vital resource to a village. njord had been favoured indeed.
"we are a very large family," he agreed, speaking nothing of his issues in moonglow. "this part of the land, it belongs to the wolves of the moon."
This wasn’t the first time Meerkat had been pulled into this particular family by extension. For a moment, she ruminated on her days in the original Moonspear pack, then Firefly Glen. All of that had come to a tragic end, of course, and she only hoped history would not repeat itself. She had a feeling it wouldn’t, that this iteration of Moonspear was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. It would burn bright for a long time to come.
I’m going to make my way to the rendezvous site to check on the girls. Would you like to walk with me, or did you need to be somewhere else?
Perhaps, she thought, Chakliux would want to gather his wife and son to him, maximize their time together before those two set off for the distant shore. Meerkat certainly wouldn’t fault him for that. She would spend as much time with Ray as he would allow before he, too, made his way to the place where the moon pulled on the tides.
meerkat and chakliux crossed thoughts, for he considered raiyuk in that moment. "i will return to my lodge. but i thank you," the seal hunter said gently. "call me if i am needed."
with that, a short bow, and then he would take his leave, making his way back to the home he shared for now with kannoyak and nasamik.