Ouroboros Spine woza vumani bo

sobeille’s sojourn through the lower arms of the teekon were not without hardship. she arrived at moonglow’s promontory with a few missing pounds; from both herself and her satchel.

setting the worn hide down, sobeille threw back her head in a howl for moonwoman @Kukutux — the woman’s scent here was thicker than the fringes, leaving sobeille with the conclusion this was the moon-mother’s camp.

kukutux knew this face, and offered a smile to see the sea-woman upon the path of the spine.

not so girlish now, but still with youthful light, she had been called.

"it is good to see your face," the duck crooned. "do you have much weariness from your journey?"

it is good to see your face. this greeting, while strange to a girl raised in a apphique, was most pleasing. sobeille liked learning the different expressions and expectations of each culture — for it rounded out her perspective of the world.

‘ello. she did her best to curtsy, pushing the satchel forward. no, not tired. i am here to learn more of your village, if you will ‘ave me.

bones inside i believe? lmk! <3

a bundle of sorts was given, and kukutux took it gently. "will you come and see firemother now? or do i open this first?" she said, her face alight with pleasure to see sobeille, and kukutux felt quite respected in this moment that one had traveled to see her.

yes! <3

sobeille did her best to stand in a way that was polite, but she realized being in another woman's camp, she had no perspective of how respect was perceived in any culture but her own.

she thought of the feral child athalia -- and what respect must have meant to a wolf that lived by the teeth of the world.

whichever you want to do first, moonwoman. sobeille's tone was quiet, but she spoke up again. dere are bones in dere i found, on de way. some maybe 'ave use. some may not. moonwoman sialuk told me to pay attention to de bones, and some dat 'ave power will speak to me. did any of them speak to kukutux?

a glimpse given, an approving murmur. "i will put these on my cold altar."

a gesture to sobeille brought the girl up the bustling, paw-tamped path to the equally active ulaq. she tucked the sachet of bones there and took up a trot.

their gait brought the pair to firemother, and she stood back to let sobeille commune with the splendid, lone tree standing against the stone.

sobeille dutifully took up pace behind the long-limbed strides of the moonwoman. first they traversed a hard packed trail, then passed an encampment sobeille would come to learn was called ulaq.

the trail continued, serpentine as it cut through the moonfolk territory. eventually the ground gave way to stone, and then, a great tree nestled at its hearth.

sobeille grew up in sapphique, where sequoias dominated the landscape. yet, even immersed in their majesty, she could see the power this tree commanded over the landscape. it grew like a flaming forked tongue between bitter roots of stone. its many boughs cut against a cerulean sky.

for a long pause, sobeille tried to rope in that power. it was an aura — a deep feeling — what did it feel like, taste like, smell like? it was but tendrils on the cusp of her cognizance.

where dis tree get her power from? she asked at length, turning to Kukutux with the solemn gaze of a hungry pupil.