Bramblepoint qakuqtaq ◯

for @Ruenna!

upon departing the fen, kukutux gave such land a wide berth and retreated toward the tangled weald.

here she rested, made confident despite the cold snows. from moonspear she had brought a doeskin wrap, aged but no less soft, and it was what she wore around her pale shoulders as she searched for a place to rest for a few hours. her jadestone gaze shifting toward the spire of her village, the duck breathed into the frigid air.

Rue watched the alabaster lady move through the brambles, wondering why she seemed so familiar. Surely Rue would remember if she had met this woman before? A wolf in a shawl was a sight not easily forgotten. 

Then again, you wouldn't have thought she could have forgotten the events in the wake of the earthquakes a year ago, either. There was an entire piece of Rue's life that was just... missing. What if this uncannily familiar woman had answers? 

"'Lo," Rue called out from her nest, attracting the woman's attention with a wag of her tail. She lay curled at the base of a snow-laden blackberry bush.

a little sound escaped kukutux as she drew up sharply at the sound, ivory hackles prickling beneath her covering. a woman who wore the suntouched ivory hue of walrus tusk caught her eye. she near blended with the snow where she had made a sleeping place, and kukutux subconsciously noted the locale and look of the berry-shrub as well.

"hello," the duck breathed on a shy approach, too startled to make a formal word, though it was soon replaced with sheepishness. "i do not mean to give offense. you are like sister to the snow."

Rue had startled the woman, poor thing. 

It took Rue half a beat to understand what the stranger meant. A sister to the snow? Rue?  She blinked in surprise. Perhaps... perhaps she had grown in more white hairs than she cared to admit. She would be five years old this summer, after all.

"As are you," Rue noted. "And the sister of my sister, is also my sister." She smiled warmly.

"So come sit with me, sister." She extended the invitation with another friendly wag of her tail, scooting to make room beneath the blackberry bush.

sister. kukutux flushed with surprise but did as she was invited, stepping forward to slip beneath the bush alongside the woman. closer, the stranger's small stature and the silkfluff look of her fur suggested her age was younger than what kukutux had realized.

and yet the eyes told a new story altogether; a tale spun by the inner amberbrown bark of a tree where bees kept their honey-stores. kukutux wondered what sort of stories this woman might have to trade. "i am kukutux, of moonspear village."

Ah, Moonspear. Ruenna's gaze flicked in the direction of the mountain, which would be easily seen towering over them if not for the trees. 

"A proud, longstanding pack," Rue remarked. She'd been hearing of them since she first set foot in the Teekons. "Were you born there?" Moonspear must have produced several generations, at least. 

"I'm Ruenna Redfern, of the Redhawks-- if they'll take me." Wry humor tugged at the corners of her expression. As soon as this weather cleared, she planned to ascend the Caldera and request to rejoin the family. 

"It's been some time since I've been home," Rue explained, "And I'm no longer the scout I used to be." A note of pain edged into her voice.

kukutux shook her head. "the place of my birth is far away. on the sea ice." she was not certain what words might be chosen for her elaboration, but would seek them if the gentle woman chose. "it is good to have met you, ruenna" the duck asked shyly, trying out the airy syllables of the new name upon her tongue.

once more she attempted to ascertain the woman's age, then left off it. "redhawks." ears flicked. "i believe moonspear also has friendship with your pack," she grinned. "i do not see why they would not accept back one who has been family."

Kukutux was born on the sea ice; the thought of it made Rue shiver. The younger woman certainly looked it, with a pelt of glacial hues and bright, lively ocean-eyes. 

"And you as well, Kukutux." Rue returned the pleasantry with a smile. 

Rue listened with interest as their conversation briefly touched upon pack relations. In her old life as a scout, this knowledge would have been of great import to Rue, and she filed the information away out of habit. 

Kukutux was being kind, and Rue appreciated the gesture. 

"You're right," Rue agreed, trying to sound a little more upbeat. "You're never too old to learn a new trade," she added, "..and four years isn't all that old." Rue still had many years of service to offer the Redhawks. Surely they would see that, even if they no longer thought of Rue as family. 

"What is it that you do for Moonspear, Kukutux?" Rue asked, turning the topic of conversation back to her companion.

"it is not old at all," kukutux assured. "my father's wife gave him three sons in her fourth year." the village had mocked him for taking a widow with more years for his second mate. why not choose a young woman? you have enough in trade to build a second ulaq. and the status of being even second wife to a man with her father's position would have elevated any companion in his name.

but he had chosen wisely. and his sensible nature was something kukutux wished to instill in her son. "i hope to be mother a second time in moonspear," she told ruenna, for it was never something assured until the sickness came with its blessing. "and before that time comes, i have decided to travel and see who has a want for a matchmaker."

Three sons in her fourth year! What a blessing. Rue smiled again, despite the jealousy that prickled her heart for just an instance. Rue feared that it was already too late this season to find a match, and even if she did, her position in (not to mention acceptance into) the Redhawk Caldera was unknown as of yet. If there was no place for her to have her own family in her pack, what then?

Kukutux served Moonspear as a mother. Rue had been racking her brain, trying to figure out what she could offer the Redhawks now that scouting was off the table. If only... 

Rue's ears lifted in interest. A matchmaker? 

"Really?" Rue swallowed heavily. "Do you think you could.. that anyone would want.. someone like me?" Her tail twitched back and forth in anticipation. Would anyone want a woman so broken as her, wincing from pain with every step?

There was a time when nothing could peel Rue away from her chosen leader's side. In fact, her intense loyalty was probably the reason she had gotten to this point without ever becoming a mother herself. Her pack had always come first. Rue had helped raise three generations of children now. If there was anything in this world that could part her from Towhee-- now that Rue had found her once more-- it would be the promise that the next litter she raised would be her own. 

Rue would go anywhere, back pain be damned, if it meant that could happen. If it meant she had a place, a purpose in this world once more. If she could be not only a mother, but a wife to someone.. that would mean that she would always and forever have a special place where she belonged, despite what her body could or couldn't do.

kukutux looked very solemnly upon her companion. "men who are rooted want wives who will be the same. this does not always mean youth is first in someone's mind." she did not know exactly what ruenna meant with her commentary, but perhaps there was more to the kind she-wolf than met the eye.

"if you have worry for ah, ability," the healer stumbled shyly, hoping the other would take her meaning, "i am also healer in moonspear. i know many plants, and many that men do not know." more times than she could recall a woman had come to her mother's ulaq, searching for some root or leaf that might open her womb in sedna's honor.

Kukutux spoke hesitantly of youth, and Rue nodded along. She also spoke of "ability," which Rue took to mean the ability to conceive. While Rue agreed that a woman healer would be best for such matters, that wasn't really her main concern. In past years, Rue's heat had always been reliable, even if it was somewhat subdued (likely because of her proximity to strong, alpha females). The act of conception wouldn't be fun, Rue imagined, considering her significant amount of lower back pain. But she had every reason to believe that her inner plumbing was in working order. 

A bit belatedly, Rue realized that Kukutux was unaware of her physical limitations, as Rue had been lying down for the entirely of their conversation. 

"It's not really any of that, it's-- watch--" She pulled herself to her feet and then limped in a small circle in demonstration. "I was in an accident," she added, "..and  with the pain, I can't manage much of anything anymore. No more scouting, no hunting.." She shook her head. 

"Would Moonspear have an herb that could help with this..?" If she could kill two birds with one stone-- treat her pain, and meet some of Moonspear's most eligible bachelors-- she would most definitely make plans to drop in on Kukutux in the near future.

kukutux observed as ruenna rose, and noted the open pain of the older woman's step. a croon of sympathy clucked her tongue. an injury brought more hope to her healer's heart. age would bond this as incurable. but an injury could be mended.

"i ask what happened," kukutux murmured as she too rose to set her gaze upon the other's body. "i have a herb that is dried and has a bad smell. it is stronger than bark of willow trees, but does not make the eyes dead like the little black seeds." unsure of how else she might describe this, the woman gave a nod toward her companion. "stay in moonspear as my guest for a time." of course kukutux would inquire as to hydra's welcome, but she was assured of her place.

"I was caught up in a landslide. It was over a year ago, now..." Rue's expression darkened, recalling the event that had destroyed her former home, Asterism Grove. "I was actually a lot worse right after. I healed pretty quickly for a few moons, but then... then not so much. This pain has been stubborn." 

Rue listened with interest as Kukutux described her course of treatment. She didn't have enough information to discern if the healer's dried, smelly herb was something that the Vitales had already tried, but it did pique her interest. No dead-eyes was certainly a plus. 

"I will," Rue found herself agreeing immediately. "I could meet you there on the Snow Moon?" she offered. The Wolf Moon was nearly upon them, so that would allow Rue about a month to get settled in the Caldera. It would also give Kukutux time to return from her matchmaker's walkabout.

a landslide. a rockfall. bodies crushed. had ruenna's been the same? kukutux could not imagine the pain, and yet she had seen it claim her grandfather. a thought for another day. or not at all. "in moonspear there are uhum, pools that are hot?" she attempted with a half-hearted chuckle. "but it is heat that soothes. we must drive the bad spirit from your bones."

a different sort of challenge than the one posed by matchmaking. "the snow moon," the duck repeated with a muted glow of delight upon her face. "i shall wait for your call." in the interim, she wondered if she should offer herself as assistance to accompany ruenna to the redhawks, but was not sure if it would harm the other's pride.

Recognition sparked in Ruenna's eyes. She had spent some time at the hot springs near Blacktail Deer Plateau, although it was so long ago that it felt like another lifetime. She hadn't any idea that there were hot pools at Moonspear too, and this was definitely the first time she had heard anything about the heat driving off, ah, bad spirits. Rue wasn't really the spiritual sort, but she was willing to try anything at this point.   

"That sounds perfect," Rue replied, her smile lighting up her expression. "..I already feel better." Rue chuckled. Having a plan, having hope again made her feel almost buoyant; like a burden had lifted from her shoulders. Thanks to Kukutux, she would soon ascend the Caldera with a newfound lightness in her steps and brightness upon her countenance.

a smile flirted its way to kukutux' features. "i am glad to hear it. i have good things in my ulaq. i will welcome you to share them," the duck said softly, thinking of the carefully stored duck fat with the very last berries that had grown during the cold months.

a nod; she stepped back. "go well, ruenna redfern of village redhawk," kukutux murmured softly, before turning and beginning her winding trek back toward moonspear.