Moonspear Looking me up when they all get home

Whenever Bridget felt aimless, she always seemed to end up back here.

She still owed @Amalia a hunt and intended to check in on Brecheliant purely to deliver on that. But outside of the other woman, she doubted many in the pack would regret her leaving. She was finally realizing how small her world had been while she was there, consisting primarily of Teya at this point, but thinking about it she didn’t consider it her own fault. The pack was a family one and she did not intend to have a family. Of course she hadn’t quite fit in.

Moonspear could be more of the same, but it hadn’t felt that way when she’d visited before. @Sialuk was a friend she would like to know better and the mountain, though it still felt a bit like tempting fate, would challenge her in the best ways.

Bridget had visited @Teya for a brief time before returning but only to check on how she was settling in. They’d seemed to be doing well and Bridget could hold onto this, smiling as she recalled her friend pointing out the best fishing locations. Maybe it had been silly to worry. Teya was a far cry from the woman she used to be, the one who had vaguely alluded to a family that couldn’t appreciate how wonderful she was.

And now it was time for Bridget to find a place to lay foundations. She announced herself, then sat down to wait, watching a few lone birds wing their way overhead.

made a couple assumptions for her absence, hope they are okay! Let me know if not and I can adjust. Bringing her back too since, like redd, she’s an easier one for me to write <3

!!!

Time marched on, and Pauk still did not return to the spear. Every day, Sialuk said silent prayers for him at her altar, bidding him home. Every day, Sialuk felt his absence.

A familiar voice called—Bridget—which pulled Sialuk from the conversation she was having with @Treepie and @Kaujimaq about the island of the dancing lights. She did not know if Pauk had gone there, and she would not believe it was so until she had found his body. Still, Bridget's call was a welcome distraction from the worrying of her wayward child, and Sialuk invited both children along if they wished to join her. They could always use more practice when it came to greeting visitors at the border.

Sixsix flew overhead and kept an eye out for anything that might harm the children (or Sialuk), though even he had not been able to catch a glimpse of Pauk over these past few weeks. "Had it been longer?" Sialuk wondered as she finally caught sight of the three-legged woman.

Bridget, Sialuk greeted warmly when she drew close enough to do so. It is good to see your face. The Ostrega noted that she did not smell strongly of Brecheliant any longer.

It was always easy, seeing her again. Sialuk!! You too. I hope the village is doing well! Bridget smiled as she greeted her, glad to see Sialuk at least looked physically well. She’d been a mother again, yes? Or so she assumed.

There was no use drawing it out, really. She only paused a moment before adding the reason behind her visit. I actually wondered if you could use a little extra help around here? I still may travel a bit, see what’s needed in the area, but I’ve gotten a little tired of my own company. She laughed a bit, good-naturedly, under the last statement. It was a joke but it also wasn’t a lie; she was definitely aching for conversation after the last few weeks.

"Well" was not how Sialuk would describe the past several months, although the spear still stood, she was alive, and she had two young children here to care for. And there was Killdeer, who had interrupted her thoughts more frequently these past few weeks. Bridget offered her help and requested residency in village Moonspear in a single sentence.

The spear would be lucky to have you, Sialuk beamed, delighted to have another friend spending time here. Perhaps Bridget's presence would help soften the blow of so many departures and disappearances over the past months. Killdeer was beginning to; Pie and Kaujimaq had always been there to shower their mother with love.

Come, I'll make a path to the healing ulaq, Sialuk said. She did not remember if Bridget had been there before, but it would not hurt to refresh her memory. Besides, it would give them more time to talk along the way.

Bridget hadn’t expected to be rejected but still have a relieved smile on being accepted easily into their number. It would be nice to have a pack when the cold came, and especially nice to have one where she had already made a friend or two. The proximity would also allow her to keep an eye on Brecheliant. Despite choosing to settle elsewhere she still felt she owed it, both for her and Teya’s sakes.

Thanks. I was not looking forward to a lonely winter. Bridget fell into step alongside her, allowing Sialuk to lead the way. She recalled the layout of the mountain vaguely, but it had been a long time since she’d entered the territory proper. Most of her more recent visits had been border calls.

Are there many using it now? She asked, purely curious. If she remembered correctly, Moonspear intended to be somewhat of a healer’s haven. She did not at all mind sharing the space, but had wondered a few times in the decision-making process it her skills might be redundant here.

In the end, she’d decided it was a potential positive. It would give her a chance to break out and focus on other things for a while. Maybe she’d even enjoy filling whatever roles popped up along the way.

To think of Bridget alone in the cold was an unkind thought. It also brought to the forefront of her mind little Pauk, still young and vulnerable to the elements. His winter coat would grow in, but—Sialuk stopped herself from thinking darker things.

She returned her attention to the three-legged woman when she asked of the healing ulaq. The Ostrega shook her head. None have needed our care since Acrux, she said. Spring and summer have been free of injury, though not free of other sorrows. Argent has gone of his own will, Maggak and Acrux not long after. A younger babe of mine, Pauk, went missing many weeks ago and has not been found. The Moonspear leader knew that his chances of survival were slim at best, but she had to keep hope that he was still alive and well somewhere out there.

That was a relief to hear, though the thankfulness was short-lived. Bridget did not recognize any of the names that Sialuk gave her, but she remembered a number of faces from her previous visits. It had to be hard to lose any of them, much less a child as well.

That has to be tough. She remembered how much it had hurt Teya when Sorana left and she’d been nearly an adult at the time. Sialuk’s had to be what… at most a few months? Spring was not that long ago.

Do you want to talk about it? I know sometimes it helps. Bridget asked, her voice understanding. It was a pretty quick to be asking the leader to trust her with her problems, but maybe that was for the best. She had no former ties to those who had left or to the children Sialuk had. If there was anyone Sialuk could speak freely with it was her - but she would not push beyond offering.

If it had been Meerkat asking that question, Sialuk knew she would have gone into great detail about each of them. The same could be said of her mother, who the Ostrega confided in the most. She did adore Bridget as a friend, but she was not quite ready to delve into her more depressing topics immediately upon her first day here as a villager.

Another time, Sialuk replied with a gentle smile. Alaric leads with me, and he is a lover to Elentari. They have two children this year: Kinusi and Tarkik. Moonshadow is mother also. Killdeer is father to Moonshadow's babes: Tikaani, Nayati, Nashua, and Nicte. And to my own: Tiuttuk and Kaujimaq. Arrluk and Ajei are here from Moonglow. Sialuk paused, making sure that she had not forgotten anyone.

Anytime you want. I mean that, she said, giving the words a more serious honesty, before her smile returned and the moment was broken.

It was a lot to keep track of. I’m sure I’ll have to ask names again before I learn everyone, but I can’t wait to meet them. With so many children I can’t imagine it’s peaceful! Which makes it all the more perfect. She’d had her fill of peace and quiet already!

She had been right, however, in thinking that it was a pack made primarily of families. Even if it sounded like they did not do mateships in the traditional sense, Bridget silently accepted the fact that her way of life was as an outlier. Maybe there was a way she could find kinship here regardless.

Sialuk laughed, knowing it would take time before Bridget learned the names of all who lived here. The Ostrega had found that it was easier once you had a face to remember. Even for Sialuk, it had taken time to learn the names of her villagers... but she'd had plenty of time to do so between the more senior residents and those who were newer faces among them.

They arrived at the healing ulaq after not too much longer, and Sialuk was glad that it was not in too much disarray. She still came here on occasion to tidy things and made sure to clear the cobwebs from the corners. There were small stacks of herbs in one corner, some older pelts in another, and the hollow log made a cool retreat from the warmth of the afternoon. She had come to believe that the tree had not fully died when it had fallen over, for the walls were still thick and strong.

When they arrived at the healing y’all, Bridget’s question was answered for her. It did not look to have been used in recent days which meant it was likely few, if any, held the role. She wondered if they had moved on to other packs... villages… or simply dispersed. It did not seem right to ask. Sialuk gave the sense of having enough on her mind.

The den was well kept and even held stores. I don’t remember the last time I didn’t need to start from scratch, gathering these. Bridget said, taking in the herbs appreciatively. Thank you, Sialuk. You have a beautiful village, and I really am honored to have a place in it. She’d never had a healing space so suited, nor one created by others and not chosen out of necessity on her own. It reminded her immediately of home, and of returning to her mentor with supplies. She hadn’t expected finding a new home would make her homesick, but the feeling was nice. It made her even more sure that she’d chosen correctly.

Sialuk smiled, glad that she had kept things nice and tidy, even though she was normally the only one to see them. Bridget appeared to appreciate it, and that brought joy to the Ostrega.

There are several unoccupied ulax you may claim as your own, Sialuk said, thinking of the various spots that dotted the mountain, once homes to others who had come and gone. I can show you a few, if you would like, Sialuk offered. Of course, Bridget may want to familiarize herself with the land on her own, or perhaps she was due for a time of rest.

Oh! I assumed they were one and the same. Bridget tilted her head, glancing around again before focusing her attention on Sialuk. It made sense, on a number of levels, that a living space might be separate. She’d just never bothered to make herself more than a single spot.

Lead the way? As long as I’m not keeping you from anything important. I doubt I need a few, though, whichever one is closest to here is fine by me. She waved her tail, hoping to dismiss any worry that she might be picky on that. A den was a den! And she was too used to sleeping where she worked, or honestly, wherever she could curl up that seemed convenient in the moment. Ulax. She’d try to remember that.

Sialuk made a "tsk" at the notion of living and working in the same space. Bridget would receive better treatment than that. This way, she instructed, beginning to lead the woman toward the closest ulaq. It would be nice to have another healer among them, even if there had been few patients these past several months.