Silver Creek nutaaq

Set for the 26th!

She'd left the wilderness as Ariadne Nuiruk and returned as Asivaq Anneriwok.

She'd married @Kigipigak in the north, upon a mountainside with snow and wind whipping every which way. Their ceremony had been intimate with whispered words of love and commitment; they'd wrapped themselves in furs and painted their faces in blood in decoration.

She'd returned with more knowledge of Tartok; they'd discovered a branch that'd taken them in briefly, which helped her further understand the culture and mantle she was taking. Although their ways were brutal, as they had to assess her ability to be an issumatar, she was barely able to pass their tests after they'd broken off her cast. Even though she still felt the pain from the trials, she was happy. She also gained more appreciation for her uiga and his ways; she fell more in love with him.

Their children continued to grow, and she carried on despite her constant sickness. She couldn't stomach most foods and often regurgitated whatever she tried to eat.

When deciding where to go when returning to the wilderness, they opted to head southeast, circling wide around the general vicinity of where the moonpacks resided. Soon enough, after taking it slow for her benefit, they found themselves in Silver Creek.

The sun was setting, and Asivaq stepped into the creek's shallows to rest her tired feet and drink. The day had consisted of non-stop travel with a few breaks. This had been her choice since Moonspear's looming peak could be seen in the distance.

The hunters they had encountered were quick to welcome them. When Kigipigak spoke of his wife to them, it was Sugnasiuq who was first to wish them well and that put aside all doubts. The days and nights became one long moment spent in the company of people he might not have known personally, but were of his people; and when the time came for the pair to wed, it was Sugnasiuq and her husband Ilikpaluk that opened their hearth to them. It was these hunters of Kinniq that helped his new wife to shed her name and become Asivaq.

As they came to the Wilds again, Kigipigak felt refreshed. He saw the way the travel had changed Asivaq: more than becoming his wife, she was becoming an issumatar, and a round one! She rested by the water's edge and Kigipigak silently came up beside her, humming a tune that Sugnasiuq had been singing days ago. He stopped when he saw Asivaq's gaze lingering on the horizon in the direction of her sister's village.

I will make camp? He offered. In these days without any support, and having left both the claim of the Tartok hunters behind and the hearth of Moonsong, Kigipigak was singularly focused on Asivaq's happiness. He would often do the work without question; but he wanted now to know his wife's inner thoughts.

I see that Sugnasiuq made quite the impression on you, Asivaq teased, referring to the song Kigipigak was humming. Though to be fair, it is a good song. It'd been stuck in her head earlier, and it'd taken everything in her not to give in and sing it; at the time, she hadn't wanted to draw any unwanted attention while they were relatively close to the moonpacks.

She smiled and briefly pressed her muzzle against his when he offered to make their camp. That would be great, she answered. While you do that, I will go and get dinner. She didn't have an appetite but knew she needed to eat. Is there anything you are craving?

I have never known a Tartok woman to sing so much. He said with a smile, but held his usually booming voice to himself. If they were to make camp here then he did not want to startle potential prey from their position. Whether it was something from the creek (which was partially frozen) or the landscape, being loud in this moment would not be useful.

It was impressive, thinking of Asivaq hunting for their meal. To imagine all the ways that her body had adapted even in that short time among his people — their people — and the way in which she would change further, as she would begin to fatten up in preparation for their children. They would be ready, and they would welcome these embodiments of their love for one-another in to the living world, together.

Kigipigak went quiet, focusing on finding a place that would be a suitable hideaway for them, while Asivaq did her hunting. Whenever she returned from this, she would find very little of the landscape had changed: those of Tartok rarely slept within shelter, and as it had been with the hunters of Kinniq they would survive beneath their own stars.

The hunters had gifted them much in the way of knowledge and attention. Kigipigak owed them deeply for the way they accepted Asivaq, and began her path among the Anneriwok.

It was strange to hear that a singing wolf was an oddity; her Sunshine upbringing had been full of songs. I do not blame her for singing so much, she said, remembering her voice. She has such a lovely voice! I wish mine was like hers! She matched her husband's volume, not wanting to scare any nearby prey.

Asivaq stalked away from the river and deeper into the forest when their divided labor was agreed upon. She climbed ravines, followed a rabbit trail, and wove through the foilage until she reached her first victim. Although it gave chase, she was victorious in the end. With one down and one to go, she took a break; she was still sore and somewhat injured from her initiation into Tartok, and she wanted to be careful not to push herself too hard. Still, it felt so good to be free of the cast her anaa had made her, and she was still adjusting to how cold that leg felt.

The second rabbit came soon after the first and was much plumper. Satisfied and exhausted, Asivaq returned to where she'd parted ways from Kigipigak and found him as the sun set. She tossed the larger meal in his direction and promptly fell back onto her haunches with an oof.

This area is good. Lots of prey, Asivaq remarked; truthfully, she was too tired to eat despite her growling stomach, and she wanted to catch up with her husband instead.

They separated for a time. Kigipigak sought out a place where the snow was deep and began the process of stamping it down or moving it and dragging it, so it would become a circle with high walls.

It was enough space for the two of them to nest together comfortably but it wasn't the covered ulaq that Asivaq had grown up with. The snow still fell; when she returned from her hunting there wasn't much to look at except snow, and it would appear as if he had only stood waiting for her.

Asivaq brought rabbit, and Kigipigak moved to first kiss her cheek and then offer wordlessly to carry things. He laid the meal in the circle and welcomed his wife close, eager to eat with her.

Asivaq was accustomed to sleeping in ulax with several furs, and getting used to this new sleeping arrangement would take time. Still, despite this, she was happy with what Kigipigak had built while she was gone. The walls would shelter them, and they could cuddle close; she surveyed it with appreciation as soon as she spotted it.

He quickly offered to take the kills, and she obliged as she hoisted herself to a stand and followed him to their sleeping place. She felt so heavy with tiredness and was ready to sleep, but she knew they both needed to eat. When she entered the circle, she sat close, leaning against him, closing her eyes, and sighing deeply as she took a moment to relax and rest her paws.

When the time came for her to whelp, then he would help to find her a place, or to dig one. She would be warm and protected and in time, their children would grow and emerge from the earth to see what they had built. He was certain that this time, his village would thrive. He had found himself an issumatar within Asivaq and trusted that all would be well.

As she lay beside him, Kigipigak thought these things and even reached forward in time, to ponder the future when the children were older still, as Anneriwok, the way his sons should have been. He imagined their white coats, or reds like autumn; he saw the green-eyed stare of Kukutux briefly and corrected that, because his children would be golden-eyed for sure. Strapping boys that would grow to be proper warriors; daughters who would go on to form their own villages and be matriarchs to their own broods.

He saw a future with Asivaq. Without a word, he began to groom her face and take small moments to comb the fur of her neck and shoulder, and to hold her close.

Asiviq closed her eyes as Kigipigak began to groom her face, smiling as she appreciated how it felt. Mmm—that feels nice, nakuaqqutiga, she remarked. You know how to make a woman feel loved. She sighed happily; it'd all been worth it for him.

Tell me—what are you looking for when we look for land for our new village? She'd been thinking of her own criteria but was curious to know what he considered suitable for their claim.

What did he look for? He smiled in to her furs, and with a long breath began to think aloud.

A place with good hunting. Somewhere rough, so our children are tested by the wilderness and can learn to trust themselves. It was a vague idea of something, and it could have been anywhere. That was the beauty of Tartok, thought Kigipigak — they could choose anywhere, from the steepest mountain to the most glorious forest, so long as they were strong enough.

I will go anywhere you want. Whatever place calls to you, it will be ours. He kissed her cheek then, and when he went quiet, he wondered what sort of place she would choose. As the issumatar it would be entirely her call — and if she wanted what was already controlled by others, then Kigipigak would just have to man up and take it in her name.

Somehow he doubted Asivaq would be so aggressive; there was time, she would learn.

She nodded, committing his criteria to memory. I am sure we will find something that we will both love and fill with many children for years to come, she said, drawing her head back briefly so she could kiss his cheek.

This territory is nice, but I do not think this is it—I would like somewhere with more trees and be a napatuqvik, still, they could use the unclaimed land to their advantage. There is something else I wanted to bring up, though, she said next as she felt her face twitching with concern. I think I need a day or two to rest here—does that make me a bad issumatar? Did showing her weakness make her unworthy in Tartok's eyes?

This place was not her choice. Kigipigak said nothing, only accepted this decree; he warmed to the kiss of his wife, and then she broached the subject of her doubt.

It was met with a laugh!

Of course not! You worry for nothing. He did not mean to dismiss her worries but that was the tone he held, dismissive, amused. You will see a place that you will want, and it will be home. That is all. If this is not it, this is not it.

She would learn not to doubt her choices; she was learning, as Asivaq had chosen Kigipigak over her own mother and people. He only knew of issumatar women who were forceful and determined, and thought that Asivaq would grow in to these traits over time.

Her question was met with ... a laugh? That was not the reaction she'd expected, which caught her off guard, but relief replaced the feeling. She exhaled slowly, forcing the doubt out of her mind, and nodded slowly. He made it all sound so simple—but it was that simple. All she needed to do was find somewhere she liked, and they would make it theirs. I will find our perfect home after we take a break, she decided.

She tucked herself deeper into his embrace, eyeing the rabbits. Although she still wasn't hungry, she knew that he should eat. Go ahead and eat without me, nakuaqqutiga. I am not hungry.

She eventually ate with some persuasion, and then, once they’d both completed their meals, they curled up together and fell asleep.