Moonspear Dark into the heat

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Just as she had promised @Chakliux, Nasamik would go to see @Kannoyak as he worked on the final bits of their new lodge.

@Sialuk had been tending to her husband well, so she had no fear leaving his side again for a time.

Brother hunter, She crooned to him in their tongue, approaching with warmth amidst her expression.

The seal hunter’s wife approached with warmth in her voice. The white hunter turned and set his plum gaze upon her. She had done well. She had given her heart to Chakliux and had proven herself to be a good wife. Their children would be strong and the seal hunter would teach them to have pride in themselves.

Greetings, Nasamik, he offered to her in his deep voice.

This one has nearly finished the lodge.

Kannoyak lifted his snout to it. His eyes glittered with his pleasure. The home was fit for family. When it came time for her to give birth to the seal hunter’s children, it would be a good place to do it.

Will Nasamik inspect it? he offered, gesturing to his work.

The lodge, she looked towards. From here, it certainly looked decent. But she had not come to judge his work.

With a polite shake of her head, the invitation was declined. Another time, perhaps. When it is finished.

Then, with a small chuff, she began to walk and beckoned him to join her. I do not know much about you, Kannoyak. But my husband has great trust in you. Nasamik would need to find the same if this man was to be so close during the time following her birth.

Tell me more of yourself.

The woman did not want to inspect his work. She seemed to be intent on another mission.

Nasamik said that she did not know him. She spoke of Chakliux and his trust. The white hunter watched her quietly. He wondered what she wished to know. He wasn’t a complex man. He worked hard to build a good future for himself and for those around him.

What do you wish to learn? Kannoyak is simple. Pathmaker and hunter. This one also hopes to have a family, a wife, many children. The pale wolf wished to bring other Sura children into the world. He would like to show them the mountain and teach them its paths. He was eager to teach them how to hunt, even though they had not been created.

Just a man. A small smile was offered.

He spoke humbly of himself. Simple, he was considered to be by his own words.

There is no such thing as a simple man, Kannoyak. All are unique with their own certain talents, beliefs, and desires. For none were the same in this world. But you have want to be husband and have family? This is good. She could only say this was so, as she thought the same for herself. What do you look for in a wife? Nasamik turned her head, watching him with great interest.

How would he answer? Would it make the snowshoe woman think different of him? Better? Worse?

The seal hunter’s wife said that there were no simple men. Kannoyak tilted his head curiously at such a statement.

Some of the white hunter’s thoughts had been difficult. Some of his feelings had been challenging to carry. It did not mean that he wasn’t a simple man. The white hunter had been raised by a simple man, a man who had followed his duty and tended to his family. It had been a life of hard work. That did not make him complex, he felt.

Nasamik thought it good that he sought a wife and children. She asked what he would look for in his love.

Hm. This thoughtful pause hung on the air for a long time. Kannoyak wants a wife that is good. A wife who will heal and help. A wife who has a strong spirit. When it is time for children, they will carry these things, too.

Perhaps she shouldn't have pried so much, but on this day, Nasamik was hungry with curiosity. 

And have you yet found a woman like this? Kannoyak's desired qualities were all fair and respectable. She wondered now how long it would be before he too would have a lodge with wife and children to accompany him.

The seal hunter’s wife was curious. Kannoyak liked this about her.

A smile played along his dark lips. She wished to know if he had prospectives. The white hunter felt that he had met many beautiful women in the new lands. Each of them had a quality that was special. There were two who stuck out in his mind, more prominent than any of the others.

The raindrop woman, Sialuk, he said with a light nod. His tone was rough but his eyes showed his interest. There is another. A dark-haired girl from another village. Her name is Amalia. She has brother in one of the wolves here – a storyteller man with green eyes.

The difference was that Sialuk was in Moonspear. Brecheliant was a hunter’s journey away. Kannoyak did not know if the girl from the far village even sought a husband. Still, the two of them had captured his gaze.

Tell me, brother hunter of my husband. Do you have the intentions to pursue either of these women? Surely he might, should he truly hold interest.

Yes.

Kannoyak merely did not know which woman would take interest in him, would fulfill his wishes for a wife. The raindrop woman of the mountain had been poignant in his mind. He had thought often of the flower she had shared with him. He had also thought of the flower that Chakliux had received from her. A stirring of jealousy had turned his attentions to other prospects.

If they will have a hunter man like Kannoyak.

In the end, it was not entirely his decision.