the next sunrise would mark five since the great light had come to bathe moonspear in destruction. kukutux had grown stronger upon the meat brought by sialuk, by norah. and by raimo, though she was too wary of him to think gratefully at every time. it felt he meant to take something from them when the time had ripened as if it were rich berries.

she looked upon moonspear. how long had her own anaa said someone must be gone before they were lost? but it had not even been a hand of days. her husband gathered more of moonspear. hydra was dead, she knew somehow. jarilo would come for she and for sialuk when he had found where they resided.

then why does he not answer?

she limped a short ways from the ulaq. her own smell had become too rancid, her pale fur too filthy to allow any longer. affected as her movements were, the duck rolled in an untouched mound of white, seeking desperately to clean some of the tragedy from her pelt.

movement. how close had she come to the borders set by sialuk? the woman looked up, jade eyes searching as snow tumbled from her shoulders. her daughter's willow frame was in the distance. she watched silently.