Ouroboros Spine Little lynx

It happened again. Where the stars felt a little different. Nutuyikruk had noticed it. When she snuck out from their ulaq, when her siblings rested at ease, and aaka had a chance to be away from her many changes. When aapa looked less frozen.

Now, as night had fallen, and the stars whisked themselves into the bright of her eyes, she was amazed. Colors strewn about across the deep black of the sky, and tiny bright lights so far away that she could never touch. Cultivated in the bed of the universe when the safety of a bed was not enough, peaceful now only when the grass tickled between each pad and the underside of a rose-dipped belly. Even now, aapa was not far, nor aaka, nor fire-kin, nor owl-kin.

Lynx child was enthralled, and as she stood upon the top of a hill by her lonesome, her mouth was open in a trance that was unending. What a beautiful thing: to be a alive.

kukutux had seen the young ones move to and fro between their ulaq and the rest of moonglow.

stars filled the heavens. kukutux stood in the repose and called softly overhead to the spirit of shikoba, who surely still listened.

and perhaps not far, little lynx girl might hear the voice of her grandmother.

perhaps she might hear the sunshine songs which had lived an ancient life.

Breathless was she, bounding through an ocean of married starlights and fire skies. A journey then unfolded, and one she would never have dared before.

Taken beyond the three sisters, and tucked through the dance of lavender fields that engulfed her pelt. She could breathe wildly, and the kiss of moonlight upon her back was something she knew to be inescapable. How when she turned, even should she frighten, it was behind her, illuminating her in blankets that only left when the sun awoke. She was filled with quiet laughter and excitable kicks. Hiding just below the bundles of thick lavender grass, and soon a dark that was darker than any night sky she'd been alive for was before her. 

Trees, lifeless upon the ground, and a beautiful song aired through them. Gasping, she backed her legs and cowered into the brush as moths fluttered in her ears. Crickets stilled at her feet. She then did not believe she could do anything without mother and father, because she never had. Even her last time out had been with Tautuk.

Now it was only her, and a song that taunted her closer with a beauty that shook her skin. Warily, she would come. Nutuyikruk had to know.

the song lifted and swayed, twisted, danced.

leapt, twirled, ran and dove between the winds.

kukutux wove the words of a story between the throat-sung notes.

the duck waited for lynx child to come near.

sunshine girl, tartok heart

from sedna you should not be apart

There was a clash of souls when Nutuyikruk climbed. She would force herself over shattered bark, over steep hills. Reaching for the sky with emerald green eyes, until soon there was no distance between star-hearts.

She sat beside moonwoman, an open mouth and wondrous eyes as she sang songs that mesmerized her beyond any heartbeat.

Listen closely, and so Nutuyikruk listened closely. 

A symphony clawing at her mouth, and soon through quiet hums, a child's voice would intertwine with spirit song. 

Quiet, soft, looking to no stars, but to the eyes of moonmother.

Entirely entranced. Washed into celestial awe.

their eyes met; their eyes held.

kukutux shifted the melody to harmonize with that of the child, her lower notes drawing up the higher ones.

firemother wavered in a long breeze.

the lake sang.

grandmother and grandmother serenaded the spirits of moonglow.

How could she sound like her? And so, with every movement of moonmothers face, Nutuyik's chin followed in baby steps to make her great leaps.

A shaky, yet open tune from the child's mouth as wide eyes crossed over the ethereal glow of her grandma's features. She looked like a spirit.

Were her feet rumbling from the mighty notes of her song? Song formed in gradual confidence, in a soft melody, sheltered.

Gasping, her paws shifted towards the moon spirit of her aana.

In an awe struck whisper, she wondered what it would be like to be her.

"You soun' beautiful."

"you can sound the same," kukutux murmured. her eyes took in this bright-faced little granddaughter and her arms opened a grandmother's hug.

"do you want to learn how to sing down the stars?" she asked, glancing toward nutuyikruk. had she not heard singing before? perhaps not like this; she had been born far from here, and not around so many.

her mind thought of little fox.

"Oh, yes, please." Wondrous and enthralled, she was sure she saw the stars in a deeper world that day.

"I wan' learn all 'bout the stars." 

From since she was born, nothing but the night sky and the glowing lights would put her to sleep. Today, she lived in it breathlessly and wished to learn in every way how to sing them awake, and sing them to sleep. "One day, I wanna soun' jus' like you." 

For the first time, Nutuyikruk sang, and she would remember always the voice of her grandmother aiding in the journey. There was nothing more beautiful than the night.