It was a great surprise to have Keyni return to the village, but a welcome one. The wren was sure to be more surprised than Lótë, for much had changed in the turn of the seasons since her friend had departed; they had a great deal of catching up to do. The cloudberry grinned upon hearing the other Naturalist call out to her, quickly abandoning the pelt she was curing to dart out into the sunshine and embrace her long lost village-sister. 

"Keyni!" the doe practically crowed her elation as she engulfed the other woman in a happy hug, drawing back with a warm smile and wagging tail. "It is good to see your face again." 

"How have you been? What have you been up to?" There was much to be shared between them both and second wife was eager to hear of what travels Keyni had taken. Her own news could wait, for it would surely cast a somber mood to reveal what had happened between the Nuiruk and the spirit-bear and the circumstances that had led her to join Aiolos' and Kukutux's hearth. 

Even so, there was good news to remind her of the spirit's blessings. Her stomach had grown heavy with Kjalarr's children and even now, the dove felt the fluttering of the cubs -- as if they too shared in their mother's excitement. 

Lótë -- a similarly reserved individual -- allowed herself a moment to squeeze Keyni close in return, tail practically whipping against her hocks as she beamed up at her long-lost sister. A happy hum left her throat, touching her muzzle to Keyni's earthen cheek in return before falling into step with the wren so that they could enjoy the sunshine as they spoke. 

The dove nodded, recalling their allies though she hadn't seen much of them due to being direly injured during the village's trip to the Taiga. Her brow furrowed briefly, recalling a hazy memory of Kukutux mentioning a male leading the pack -- an old village-brother to moonwoman. But she brushed this off, leadership often changed hands and such was the way of communal life. "Is everything alright with them?" the herd-stalker asked, concern evident in the way her mouth tugged into a worried frown. She might not know them well but they were kin of a sorts and they had played a part in helping her heal from the bear's attack.

Lótë smiled in return, "I'm very glad you're back. I had worried you'd become lost with the winter but it's a relief to hear that you were safe with the Glacier wolves."

"Oh, dear," Lótë sighed fretfully, gaze flickering to Keyni as they strolled through the village. What a dreadful thing, to lose both leaders so close together -- and for any relatives to lose two family members. Lótë remained quiet for the most part, not wishing to interrupt the tale, but her heart went out to their allies and to Kukutux too, knowing she must have felt the loss of an old friend. 

"I'm glad things are beginning to pick up for them, in spite of everything that has happened." Another pack might have disbanded, scattering to the wind, but it was a testament of the group's strength that they had managed to relocate and even rebuild in spite of the famine and death plaguing them in the past winter. It was a relief to hear that their allies had found solid footing again. 

Lótë smiled, a bit sheepishly, and bumped against her friend in return. "I suppose I hadn't considered that." Keyni could likely handle herself. But many wolves simply vanished and were never seen again due to various circumstances -- becoming lost, the elements, predators, hostile members of their own kind. "I'm glad to hear it. It feels similar to have you home again -- it feels right to be here with you in this moment." A warm smile was beamed towards the wren. 

Lótë laughed, a gentle burst of noise like wind chimes tinkling under the rays of a summer sun. "As if I would want to chase you away," she quipped lightly in return, shaking her head in amusement. At the mentions of Winterglade, the cloudberry nodded her head eagerly in excitement. "Aya, she confirmed, "it is my hopes to build a new ulax to accommodate all the growing children and the new generations to come. Through my marriage to sunman, Kukutux and I will remain sisters in spite of my relocation. And our villages will be married in spirit -- they too will be sisters, family."

Lótë smiled, a bit bashfully, for it wasn't a question anyone had asked thus far. "We had a visit from a distant relative of Kukutux, another clan of family from far off. The Walrus Women, she called them," the cloudberry began, launching into the recollection of the visit that had opened her eyes to other paths. 

"Her name was Murre. Kausiut went with her when she left." Here, the dove's expression paled a bit, not quite as joyful as before. "She taught us of their customs. Of how women hunted there and how many of them had taken several husbands."

"I must admit, I had never considered this. I was content to stay as second wife to Aiolos and spend the rest of my days helping moonwoman and sunman with the village and children."

"But Murre's words introduced to me the idea that I could someday find what Kukutux and Aiolos shared, without breaking our family of Nuiruk apart. If the Walrus Women could have more than one husband and not anger the spirits, then why could I not someday build something new? Take a second husband that I loved and still remain within my marriage as second wife to Aiolos for the sake of our children and our love for one another as family?"

"Winterglade is simply about the expansion of family and the village, of building new things and finding new paths to walk. Two families linked together by love, always." Lótë wasn't sure she'd done a thorough job of explaining but it was hard to put such a personal feeling into words. Some small part of her desired to be more than second wife but she did not wish to break the hearth she had found. Winterglade was a chance to spread her wings and build upon the legacy of the name she had built with Kukutux and Aiolos. 

"Perhaps, whose to say that Murre and Kausiut won't return someday?" Lótë mused aloud, her gaze distantly tracing the pines as her thoughts turned inwards to the clan of walrus hunters. Someday, when things were settled and her years of motherhood had gone by, perhaps Lótë might even make a journey to their allies outside of Teekon to experience their culture for herself. 

Her focus was drawn back to Keyni and answering her queries. "The hunt is a sacred thing for all wolves so there will be an emphasis upon it within Winterglade. But for the most part, I'm hoping that the new village will act as a counterpart to Moonglow."

[b]"Moonwoman is a skilled healer, she is also wisewoman and Sialuk reads the bones. But I am herd-stalker. My place has never been in speaking with spirits. Winterglade will specialize in the training of earthly trades. We will hunt with Moonglow and those with a aptitude for healing and spirits may cross the border for their purposes. But for those within Moonglow who would like to learn to track game, map stars, and maintain the land, they need only come to the Forest to study with us."

Lótë smiled, not one of the usual docile and beguiling grins but a full blown expression of genuine kinship. "Aya, she laughed, a glittering sound like the burble of a stream. "We even look alike," the cloudberry tea woman jested lightly. Warmth glowed to life beneath her breast bone. The painter had never known what it was like to be raised amongst littermates and kin, which only made her appreciate the bonds she had formed with her village sisters and brothers even more. 

"Theirs is a great gift -- and burden too, I am sure," Lótë agreed, slightly subdued. It often seemed that Kukutux saw a great many things others did not but then, such things also seemed to weigh heavily upon her pale shoulders. Both the moondrop and raindrop carried a faint air of melancholy about them, the weight of knowledge and the price paid for it. 

For a moment, a touch of apprehension skittered along the length of the dove's spine -- not entirely certain that Keyni had as little command over the spirits as she claimed when the wind seemed to respond to her words. When the breeze had died away and Lótë had shaken the unnerving sensation away, she gathered her thoughts and turned them back to the direction their conversation had taken. 

"I would love for you to join us!" she beamed, paws tapping as she gave a happy little bounce. "It sounds like Winterglade would be the perfect fit for you. And it would give us a chance to reconnect." The two already seemed to be rekindling their former friendship but Lótë thought this the perfect opportunity for the two to grow even closer in time.