Ouroboros Spine itsumunga ≙

nuak had been marked. moonglow had been strengthened. they prepared for the winter hunt and the darkening days to come.

winter had thickened her pelt. today she did not wear a cloak of skin; this dawn she went only as herself, seeking the consistent guardian where she must be upon the borders.

"@Shikoba."

her voice was gentle. "sun and moon and my kin, you have been seen to our eyes as deserving. as worthy. you will be sivullik, here in moonglow. you will choose our hunting path and when the sun comes again, you will be anaa if this is your wish."

a smile now. kuktutux waited for the woman to answer.

it was surprising for shikoba to see moonwoman away from her ulaq where her children gently rest in the mouth of her home. though, the guardian does not feel the need to question the motifs of kukutux, for the pale woman is always generous enough to explain what crawls on her mind when she comes to visit and speak. today is no different it seems, though the news that she brings causes shikoba to lose track of what she is doing.

an offer, perhaps a knighting in some form. shikoba has proven her worth to the duck, as promised when she first found herself along these borders as a hollow shell of her former self. a sense of pride runs through her fiery blood, it feels as if the pheasant tail clan stands within her soul. a great honor indeed, the native drops her head to her toes in a form of respect and thanks.

"shikoba honored," she starts off before raising her eyes to barely meet the jadeite stare of kukutux, "what anaa?"

kukutux, too, was filled with joy. "it has the meaning of 'mother.'"

sivullik was a respect that came with many rights. moonwoman had only seen this honor given to men. inside herself, the warning voice of broken taboo and the first ways. it quickened her heart.

she covered this with a wave of her plume. her cloudberry sister and herself would be this again, if moonglow was given another blessing.

and sialuk. to think of this brought a undefinable emotion to kukutux.

mother.

shikoba has not thought about her own for quite some time now, nor has she really ever given herself the thought of becoming one. she has always believed it was for the more gentle-spoken women who had a more nurturing nature than her own. never did the warrior even think that she would be considered good enough to breathe life into her own children.

honored, yet nervous at the same time. she looks at kukutux for a moment. "shikoba worry... about being mother." what kind of mother could she even be? the woman has been in more scuffles than she has individual hairs on her back, not to mention she is not even sure who would accept her as a wife and mother. so many pieces move in synch within the older woman's head. "not sure if... shikoba make good one."

it is unusual that the woman doubts her abilities, but this falls into a category that is unknown to shikoba. "does kukutux like being anaa?" perhaps the moonwoman could offer shikoba a word of advice, or perhaps a bit of encouragement towards making a decision not based on just fear.

shikoba spoke of unsurety. kukutux nodded. she was warrior and hunting-woman. could she be tied to an ulaq for a long while, as the others might be?

the woman's question brought a smile to her face. "to be anaa is to be blessed. moonglow goes forward. our bloodline walks on."

she thought hard upon sialuk then, unable to keep herself from contemplating the potential of the following year. "but it is not required to be mother. your place here is for sivullik."

kukutux provides good reasoning behind the choice of having a litter; as long as there are young, there are more wolves to serve moonglow. and as shikoba understands, that is all she cares about, making sure that this home survives longer than her original one in the desert. shikoba offers a thankful nod to the woman, though hears the final part. the duck is not wrong, for shikoba's first place in moonglow is to serve as sivullik. she intends to serve as this position until she is no longer able to.

now, shikoba thinks for a moment. "shikoba has no... husband." ah yes, the first barrier to what keeps the native children-free. perhaps this could change with recent conversations kukutux has had with the recent recruit, morte. she has yet to share more words with him, but perhaps her future may become entangled in his path to rebuild a new life.

another roadblock encountered in the native's head, and now she bashfully looks towards her paws for a moment, sulfur eyes look for jadeite. "not pretty like kukutux or löté." shikoba has been touched by near-death experiences far too many times, the gashes over her face and body say so. her fur is not well-kept at most times, and more often than not, her autumn coat is due to the dirt that has yet to be cleaned from her skin. she worries about her attractiveness to the males that make up moonglow.

kukutux shook her head and tilted her muzzle to show more fully the scars. "our sister has much beauty. mine was taken by the tupilak. there are only short years to be lovely. after this, you must know in your heart the face of the one you desire."

many a man had married a beautiful girl, and many a man had lost her when in an anger she had taken her things and returned to the ulaq of her mother. it was not the sum of a lasting marriage.

"you do not think you are beautiful? i see in my eyes a woman with a fine face who has seen many things. she is strong. she is like fire. one can feel her warmth. or know that she will burn those who are not loyal."

kukutux has a way with words, something shikoba may never have despite her practice to better her tongue of the common language spoken across the wilds. she is bashful as the moon woman speaks so highly of her, casting her eyes to her paws for a moment as her ears airplane out.

in her heart, shikoba does know what she wants in a husband. someone who provides, someone who is strong, and someone who can keep up. despite her older age, she is by no means an elderly citizen. there's plenty of gas in the tank for the woman, her body will be the one that breaks down before her mind does. trying to find a man to meet the caliber shikoba has secretly known for quite some time could be difficult.

"moonwoman always know what to say... many thanks." she aims to return her gaze in search for the gentle jadeite. "how did kukutux love sunman?" in reference to aiolos, the man that shikoba has spoken to little, yet both hold a mutual respect for one another. perhaps, hearing a little story and experience may encourage the older woman to seek out more instead of just waiting for something to fall into her lap.

how did she love the sun man?

"i have known aiolos for many hands of time. when i first made my path to this world, i came to a place that had the name of courtfall. he lived there first. when i was anaa in moonspear" — the woman's gaze tightened for only a moment "— he was chieftain on island yuelong."

"when moonglow became a village, he made his path here. yuelong did not have an empress and the island became empty. aiolos stayed with me."

she smiled shyly at shikoba, overcome and warmed by the retelling.

the way kukutux speaks so highly of aiolos, the way she reminisces of the past and their time together, it almost makes a bubble of loneliness float from her heart. while shikoba could rarely see herself as a mother, she wonders if she could see herself as a mate. in her youth, the native was meant to be betrothed to a neighboring group to bring the two tribes together. 

but with the slaughtering of her home, the marriage could never happen. the young wolf was kind, the bravest of his siblings. he would have been something special, someone, her father would be proud to call his son.

though, the woman removes her head from thoughts of her past. "perhaps... shikoba find her own sun man. if able." softly spoken, almost afraid that she may curse her search by stating these words out loud. someone to lean on when she needs help [which is more often than not, though she may never admit this]. if kukutux, the woman she values so highly, is able to find time to balance her role and her life with aiolos, then why couldn't the native?

kukutux nodded. "in my heart i know that you have a place for a hunter beside you, shikoba." she spoke openly and with love. 

"what are the wants that you have for a husband?" what are the qualities you desire? moonwoman waited. she was willing to be atsak once more. but her matches had faltered before.

she would choose a new approach to it.

her wants?

shikoba has provided little thought to the subject. she always knew what her father would have wanted, a man brave enough to handle the fiery spirit of his daughter. but shikoba would never have the right to choose, in the end, it was a decision made by the chiefs, and she was no more than an offering of piece.

being given a chance to choose, shikoba would ensure to pick something worthy of herself and of moonglow. "a hunter, yes," she agrees with moonwoman, "but someone brave, someone kukutux or sunman respect. a wolf who gives." shikoba has given everything she has left to moonglow, it only makes sense that someone beside her should be able to do the same.

a wolf who gives.

"you will choose well when the time comes. you are shikoba. you are sivullik. you have status. and you will not settle for a man who only has the words you wish to hear."

she nudged the woman softly.

"will you help me bring the hides from the water?" they had been curing, and were now weighted in the current.

words of wisdom and encouragement fills her heart with pride. while shikoba often shields herself away from the idea of love and being worthy of something sacred like what kukutux and the sun man have, kukutux is perhaps the only wolf who can make the native believe she deserves something more. this is something that she always remembers, always relives, and perhaps this only strengthens her loyalty more to the duck.

upon the question, shikoba nods her head with a soft smile, brushing her nose against the soft cream fur of the woman's neck. perhaps this would be another lesson she could learn from the woman.

"what kinds?" she asks curiously, ready to fall into stride with kukutux.

up to u if we fade or keep going! <3

"two deer. and part of a moose-skin. we took it from a dead one." she had been blessed to find a partial part of the hide that was substantial and free of rot.

she would ask sivullik then to help her bring heavy stones, and set to the work of scraping them a second time. 

as they walked, she began a song, a low and playful chant as she grinned toward shikoba.