the girl made the time to visit again, bringing as much venison as she could carry. sad news in the mountain packs; a woman named samani had died, an older daughter to kukutux.
the musing on mortality as she approached brecheliant did little for her mood; chickadee set down her offerings and called out, inviting anyone to come along and help her carry it in.
Ponyboy's bravado had been shaken when his father had returned on death's doorstep, and had remained in poor condition in the days following. He didn't need to be told to behave, not when he saw that his father didn't have the energy or strength to move from the den. He sensed worry hanging about the pack, and it ruffled him. Wary of something bad that he couldn't even completely comprehend, Ponyboy minded his manners, spent a lot of time fishing in the lake, and had begun to follow the paths along the borders.
Responsibility suited him.
A call came from a friendly voice, and he trotted off to meet whoever it was that had come calling. He could smell meat, and hastened his pace, to find himself approaching someone who looked a great deal like a younger Maia. She smelled of the pack that Ajei had come from, which made him curious. His eyes fell to the meat and he licked his lips. "That fer us?" He asked, tail waving hopefully.
"yeah, it's all for you," chickadee told the boy. "well, some of it needs to go to the little kids, but help me carry it in." kukutux had devised clever pouches for the venison, of skin-side-in deerhide also meant to be left behind as tools. chickadee had managed to bring three along.
"here," she said, holding out the smallest of the medium-sized bags. "put it over your shoulders, like this. might drag a bit. walk carefully." her eyes were curious. "you're one of bronco and teya's, huh? i'm chickadee. maia and eljay are my parents."
to the little kids he liked her already- it meant she wasn't lumping him in with his cousins, who were definitely much, much younger than him. Maybe she even thought he was a yearling, like Ceridwen! Easily charmed, he stepped forward to sniff at the soft pouches that smelled of meat, squaring up his feet and holding himself steady as she offered to drape one across his shoulders. It wasn't often that Ponyboy just wordlessly obeyed what he was being told, but the little bit of him that was task-oriented was chuffed that he was being put to work.
"Uhuh," He answered as the weight settled upon his withers. He craned his head around curiously, like a colt eyeing up a saddle for the first time. "I'm Ponyboy," He said, "I'm pretty strong, so, I think I can handle this," He said, standing a bit taller so that it might drag a bit less. It was going to be a tough task, going up the slope but he'd give it a try! "Where do you live?" He asked, noting that she smelled of another pack.
"you are absolutely very very strong," she praised, happy to do so. she helped him arrange it just so over his shoulders, then stepped back to examine her handiwork. "it'll keep. i'll walk next to you," chickadee assured.
"i'm from moonglow. we're closer to the mountains, and i guess the sea too," she explained. "kukutux, aiolos, and shikoba are the leaders. but," she added in a conspiratorial tone, "i was born right here in this caldera."
His withers flinched a bit under the weight, more from the unfamiliarity of having something weigh down upon him without being expected to shake it off. It felt like when his siblings used to fall asleep draped across him though perhaps this was his comeuppance for always trying to fight to the top of the pile so he could sleep across them as well.
He stayed still while she adjusted the gift across his shoulders, and he began to move slowly at first, reassured within moments of its weight displacement that made it relatively stable so long as he didn't hitch to one side or another. He did his best to walk on arched feet so that it did not drag.
"Oh yeah, I've heard of Kukutux," He said with a nod. It was a unique name; and while his father had told him many stories that had been kind of boring, that wasn't a name he'd easily forget. "Why did you leave here?" He asked.
"oh — my sister, ani. she disappeared. i left to look for her and went a long way." chickadee sighed. it was a long story and a hard one to tell. she would keep it brief for his sake. "anyway, she just up and was gone one day. i went far to find her, ended up losing the buddy i was with. got lost in a storm. a guy from moonglow found me. and once i was okay, i was too embarassed to come back."
oh gosh. oh geez. a little heavy for a kid. chickadee laughed weakly and then was utterly silent as she and ponyboy moved along.