Totoka River uuliktuk ☙

grandfather tusk. he moved across the edge of the island, and kukutux watched breathlessly. 'he is in the lights!' she called, and turned to tell her mother. grandfather tusk's bellow rang out across the isle; the duck watched in horror as large rocks began to fall again, crushing the ulax, marring the earth, breaking —

kukutux came awake with a cry, but the movement did not pound away with the dream. no, no, the earth was shaking, and she screamed, the echoes of her voice lasting longer than the tremours themselves. she buried her face in the furs of her sleeping place; the girl's tears etched trails upon her pale cheeks, and there she remained, shivering, thinking of the isle, of her mother, of @tokha, of cry — how lonely she had woken to be.

He could almost smell the sea.  He had paused by the bank in a moment of thoughtful speculation, to plan his next moves since soon he would be out of room to walk in this direction.  

He heard the noise before he felt it, a distant rumble that quickly was on top of him, a stampede of the invisible.  But it did nothing -- there were no clues and he felt more like he was walking through a rushing river than walking on the flat ground.  Birds took off elsewhere, but somewhere another wolf shrieked as the tumult continued.  If he was on a mountain he'd call it an avalanche, but here he was out in the open, frozen in his spot by the unfamiliar.

Then the earth calmed, and shakily he took a few steps as if expecting the world beneath him to betray its normal stillness again.  He had heard her, but hadn't seen her, and called out in return, Hello?  Do you need help?  The man stood alert, ears forward, a show of confidence, even though his words had slightly wavered.

a man's voice shook kukutux from her fear; she furtively glanced outside the entrance of her shelter. a tall man, and from here she could see the sheen of his golden eyes. not cry, then. as much as the duck wished to deny such things, she feared the keep's leader more than the trembling of the earth.

"this woman greets you," kukutux whispered breathlessly, emerging to dip her head before the stranger. beneath her paws, the stirring again; the girl shut her eyes tightly. "i do not ... know what is happening," came her soft admission before she could keep it from departing her lips.

He took a few steps towards her, but didn't seem keen to rush her.  It wouldn't be surprising if everyone in the region was nervous right now.  Still, he bowed his head in greeting in return as she spoke.  His weight shifted forward as he looked her over (or tried to) without moving closer, but it was only a few seconds before he decided she seemed to be fine and returned to normal.  Still, he asked, You are well, miss?

I am not sure either.  It is like an avalanche, yet nothing falls.  He turned partially in place as he looked across the horizon, and had he been human would have gesticulated to the world at large, but instead his paws stayed close to the ground.  I hope it is gone.  I do not think I will be going to the mountains for a while like I had planned.  He tried to put a positive spin on it, an uncertain smile, but given what had happened, how could that be possible?

he spoke kindly to her, and kukutux felt some part of her tension ebbing. a more gentle creature then. the duck glanced toward the mountains. "too many stones to fall," she murmured quietly. again the far-too-close lurching, and kukutux' lips trembled but she laid iron along her spirit.

"i have food," her voice sounded again, wan, childlike against the cacaphony within her soul. was he merely passing through? why had he stopped, if not to be shown hospitality? trembling or not, kukutux had been well-trained; she disappeared within her ulaq and departed its soft darkness with a stick of dried salmon, caught and stripped on this very riverbank.

Vidocq flinched as the earth  trembled again, a slight grimace across his features.  As long as it didn't drop away entirely under their feet, he would continue to stand firm.  Though I would like it to stop now, please.  As if that would help.

At her offer, he brightened and spoke again, Ah!  You are kind--! and he would have said more had she not turned and headed off to the area where she had initially appeared from.  His tail that had wagged froze, and though he took a couple of steps forward, again he did not follow. 

He bowed his head in thanks as she returned.  You are doing well here then?  By yourself?  I could not do you harm, miss.  His brows raised and he did seem concerned about this.  His nostrils flared but he made no move to take it quite yet.

the man asked if she was alone, and kukutux parted her jaws to offer a weak lie before the stranger promised no harm to her. how could he know such fears lay upon her spirit? the duck was at once suspicious of him, but the feeling waned quickly. he was a man, after all — he would know what of what she was afraid.

"i am well, but not ... now," kukutux sighed, nudging the stick of salmon toward her polite new companion. "where are you going?" the duck blurted in the next breath, unable to stop herself. so badly did she not wish to be alone! not while the world breathed and snarled beneath her.

Her reply earned a slight quirk of a brow.  Well but not now?   But then she insisted with the salmon and inquired of him.  I do not know.  I have wandered, I will wander more.  I always think I will know my destination, that it will sing to me.  But right now all the world does is growl.  This was when he finally took the salmon, picking it up and moving it closer to his paws.  But here he had to speak again, Though I cannot make the world stop, is there something I can help with?  You have been kind, I would return the favor.  His gaze was somewhat imploring, though as a whole Vidocq seemed reserved. Whether it be control or just naturally quiet was unclear, but he seemed to defer to her.

she was not certain what to do with his kindness. it was upon the tip of the girl’s tongue to ask that he escort her wherever it was he sought next, but it would have been unseemly.

isolated as kukutux had been these months, the duck had not forgotten her sense of propriety. after all, the last time she had not heeded convention, cry had entered her life.

”stay awhile with me,” she smiled gently. ”it will make it easier for me to grow accustomed to the new world.”

She replied with her request and there was a slight flicker across his face, perhaps surprise?  It was there for only a second, but his eyes were briefly more alive.  Vidocq looked away briefly, then back to her and again he was reserved has he had been before.

He bowed his head again, but with a slight smile.  That is something I can do, I am at your service.  Is it this, ah... The quaking, that troubles you? Or are you as new to this land as I?  That was when he took a moment to lean down to nibble a moment on the salmon she'd provided. He watched her keenly, ready to pause and finish the bite whenever she replied.

"both," kukutux whispered, satisfied that she had been able to feed the man. "one reminds me of things i do not want to remember. and i am new." not so new, the spirit whispered, but alone.

look at this man, the little voice went on, urging. he is kind. perhaps he needs a wife.

coloring beneath her pale fur, the slight girl rolled her shoulders and smiled at the other. "i am kukutux. if you are tired, you may stay here, in my ulaq." it was unseemly for an unmarried woman to give succor to a strange man, but the duck reminded herself she was a widow, and as such retained rights to her shelter in the absence of a husband. freedom, then, ironically enough.

He finished the bite then mouthed, 'Ah.' As a lone wolf he didn't have too much to offer.  There was no security in his world, comfort was provided or taken by luck, but at least it was something that he was familiar with by now.  I cannot change the past, but at least so far in my travels the people I have come across have been kind.  Which included her, said a dip of his head.  And yet, he seemed reasonably optimistic about it all, no matter how strange the world was.  When the earth calms, I would think there should be plenty of opportunities out there.  I just do not know how long to expect this, it has never been familiar to me.

Oh, it was his err that he had managed to neglect introductions thus far!  Note to himself to make sure that wasn't the case in the future.  Miss Kukutux, Vidocq bowed his head, you may call me Vin.  He offered a smile before continuing.  I would not mind getting off my paws for a while. I would offer to regale you with the tales I have heard in my travels, but I did not stay long enough to hear the endings of the good ones, unfortunately.  Perhaps I will find their conclusions out here as well.  For being a man that seemed of subdued emotions, he certainly was willing to joke around at least a little.  Perhaps it was just to lighten the mood in such a strange time.

a true smile finally graced the duck's features; her small white teeth blossomed briefly against the cream of her muzzle. "let us make up new endings, then," she suggested. perhaps she should be ashamed for how readily she accepted vin's company, but the girl knew it was first because of her own empty ulaq.

secondly for his looks, the inner spirit suggested, but kukutux shook it away. "who was the kindest person you met? and what is the meaning of 'miss'?" she added, settling herself before him. an honorific, from the sound of it, but such was foolish; women did not receive that sort of title.

I've had the dialog written for like a week and a half and I just can't get this to feel finished... :/ Sorry for the delay!

Having to think about what 'miss' really meant made him mildly confused, 'Miss' is... I suppose I had not thought much of it's definition.  It was just what I was taught to say to be polite to women who were my peers?  I do not know why that word over others, as it is not like I walked right past as to 'miss' you that way.  Cheeky, again.  But it was one of those things he hadn't thought much about.  It just was.

Hmm.  Thinking about it, the other group I was adding to the list might not be considered in these wilds, just near.  But they had offered me a home; that is hard to compete against.  It was a place I would be fine, but perhaps not truly happy. He did seem to feel bad about turning down their generosity.  It might turn out to be a mistake, and certainly with the current unpredictability, he very well could come to regret it.  There was no point to speculating about it now.

No, that was not a note to end on, so he continued a bit brighter, There was also a young girl I met from one of the packs here, she was going adventuring and was keen to tell me about the sights she had seen.  I had been following a creek to a lake that was near her home -- that lake eventually turns into the river here.  She told me that if I had gone the other way along the creek shore, I would have come across some waterfalls that were not to be missed!  The next time I pass by I will go see them, but there is much more to explore first. I will always take the knowledge of what to visit.  Closest thing to a story he had right now, at least.

There he paused before he continued with a mildly devilish grin, But then there is you.  The latest competitor.

sorry for mine! and no worries!

kukutux listened raptly, lips parted as she took in all that vin said to her. he spun a narrative of choices; she found herself just as fascinated by the story of the young girl as she supposed the man had been to meet her. miss, then, went unaddressed, for she was satisfied by his explanation.

the duck thought of the ghost she had met in this place; would he like to hear of that story? or the fierce woman who had suggested she do more than be a wife? perhaps — perhaps he might be bored by such things. his own travels seemed much more detailed than hers had ever been.

caught off guard by the smile that lit his handsome features, kukutux lowered her gaze at once, burning, burning, even as images of waterfalls and creek-banks danced to life in her imagination. "and ... what would you say about this place?" she asked softly, shyly, seeking his face once more.

about me?