Ouroboros Spine phases

Tarot draw: VIII Cups, Page of Wands, The Hermit
No need to match length!

Seven days.

Today was day six.

Sialuk looked upon the spear longer now that she had in the six days since it had fallen. No black blood kin of hers returned from the mountain. No Jarilo. No Saviguk. Tomorrow would be the last day Sialuk would speak their names if they did not return. The last day before she and anaa sang the death songs. She tried not to think of it, but the thoughts bore into her mind.

The raindrop returned to the spot where she had buried the chips of wood in the snow. Digging until she found them, she pulled them out and piled them nearby. They were not as delicate as the bones, but she also did not feel as close to them. Sialuk rested her eyes on the chips, trying to bring the same meditative mindset as she had with the bones.

She closed her eyes and brought the images of her father and brother to her mind. Anaa likely would not have approved. Speaking to spirits that may or may not have gone to the dancing lights felt taboo, but Sialuk craved answers. With a paw, she swept at the chips, sending them skittering across the top sheet of hardened snow.

There, she read them. It took longer than it would have with the bones, and it required a great deal more concentration and detangling of what they meant to say.

The first meaning she found was strength. The second meaning was that of change and the future, specifically her part to take in this. The last meaning was an echo of the second, changing the course of ones destiny.

As usual, the cards did not give her the answer she wished, but they did give her the answer she needed. If taataa and brataa did not return tomorrow, she and anaa would make a new life for themselves. Their strength would pull them through, and with these changes, they would create their own destiny.

Despite her desire to seek the peace and safety she knew she would find with the Redhawks, Meerkat found herself unable to just leave @Kukutux and @Sialuk here largely by themselves. She howled to let @Bronco know her location, then went to seek the mother and daughter to let them know she wished to make herself available to them, at least for the time-being.

She found the younger of the two first and greeted her with a soft, "Sialuk." Especially after the past week, it didn't feel right calling her by the cutesy nickname any longer. She was a grown woman, taking care of business, still fierce but hardly childish. "How's she doing?" Meerkat asked.

Sialuk collected the wood chips, returned them to their spot buried in the snow, and found herself more at ease. Uncertainty had woven itself firmly into her life since the strange storm had struck, and this was the first time she had felt some sense of peace. A path to follow.

She had just finished packing in the snow when she heard Meerkat's footsteps approach. The glen sister asked of her mother, and Sialuk smiled to know that she cared. Little has changed, but she is fed and comfortable. There is not more to do for her.

Her mind wandered to the workings she had done moments before. Of what must come if taataa and brataa did not greet them on this ring of mountains by tomorrow's dusk. She knew that Meerkat had family elsewhere, but she had once lived among Sialuk and her mother.

If the others do not come tomorrow, mother and I will sing songs of death for them, she said with downcast eyes.

I have hope that they will find us, but if they do not, the spirits tell me I must stay here and make a village with anaa, my mother. A village is made of more than a few, and we have only that many. If you would stay, you could help this, too.

Sialuk paused, then added, This choice is yours, but I do think of you as sister. It would be an honor to have you aid us if this path is the one we must walk.

She nodded mutely, recalling Sialuk's words from yesterday: "Her foot needs a full turn of the moon to heal." Meerkat wasn't a healer or a hunter, yet she still wanted to help however she could. Perhaps she should still make the trip to Redhawk Caldera soon, delivering news and any wolves who wished to stay there, then fetching @Fennec back here to help...

Before her thoughts could go much further, Sialuk's tone grew sorrowful. Meerkat's lips parted as she listened, a little surprised by what she heard. A week seemed like so little and so much time, all at once. Her stomach clenched as she realized that anyone who had survived the initial impact had either been gathered up by the search parties or perished somewhere beneath all the rubble by now.

The invitation gave her pause too. She already intended to stick around for a little bit to help the two women. But she hadn't imagined they would want to start a pack here formally. And Meerkat wasn't sure she wanted to stay on a permanent basis. She still craved to be with her family. More importantly than anything else, she wanted to keep her promise to her brother to stay together.

"I appreciate that. I'll definitely consider it but I'll have to speak with Bronco first," she replied truthfully. "But I plan to stick around for a few days, for sure. If you plan to establish a pack here, you'll need help staking a claim." She nibbled at her lip. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to the caldera?" Founding a pack was a lot of work, she knew from firsthand experience, the horrible circumstances notwithstanding.

Sialuk nodded, understanding the need for Meerkat to speak with her closest kin. Bronco, the raindrop had met once, though it had been long ago. He was a kind spirit, and she understood why Meerkat would want to consult him. He was important to her, just as Saviguk was important to Sialuk. She dampened her heart thinking of brataa, wishing him to come to the spine and greet them.

Meerkat invited her to the caldera, but it was too much to ask. With anaa injured, we cannot travel for some time, and circumstances may be different then. Redhawk will be a sister to us, as it was to Moonspear.

At dusk tomorrow, if the others do not come, anaa and I will know for certain our fate.

Surely there was a way they could carry or at least support Kukutux back to the caldera. Meerkat thought of the time she'd found Fennec in the canyon and helped her home, broken ribs and all. It had been quite an arduous trek but they'd managed it. She wanted to mention this to Sialuk as an option to explore.

But she spoke with such conviction and Meerkat saw no reason to argue. If they had accepted the hand fate had dealt them, then power to them. It would be an enormous lift, especially with Kukutux injured, but she reminded herself: this was why she was here. Maybe she couldn't make any promises but she could help them build their new home.

"Okay," she said eventually. "How can I help?"

Meerkat offered her help, and in her heart, Sialuk knew she would be grateful. Because she was sister to the spear, there would be no debt owed. They were support for one another, not wolves to be bought like Raimo was. And that, of course, was Sialuk's main concern. She did not know the exact count, but many men had come to them, and that was what she feared most if they were to sing the songs of death. Sialuk's trust in them was little.

The black fur, Raimo, has been hunting, but he is only one. I make two, but I do not hunt well. We need—Sialuk searched for the right words—to gather more hunters for our village. Women of age and skill who might please the men without wives and bring children when spring comes. They needed wolves.

When Sialuk mentioned him, Meerkat pictured Raimo in her mind's eye. He reminded her so much of Atlas, it made her a little heartsick. She took a breath and refocused on her friend's words. There was something oddly comforting about the sophisticated way Sialuk spoke, like she was wise beyond her years.

It sounded like they needed recruiters. That might play to her strengths as an ambassador, not that Meerkat would describe herself as strong about anything lately. She silently considered Sialuk's parameters. It sounded like they hoped to strengthen their ranks the natural way, via breeding. But that was a long-term solution when they needed something a little more immediate.

As she stood there, contemplating it all, Meerkat wasn't entirely sure she had the heart to go out and make sales pitches in these circumstances. For now, she didn't think she could bring herself to do it, though she thought she could put her skills as a delegate to another use as she recollected her previous plans.

"I'll stay here a few days, then head to Redhawk Caldera to tell them what's happened. Maybe they could spare some wolves to come here and help you establish your pack." The sister packs had exchanged members before—notably, Moonspear had given up half its ranks to found Firefly Glen—though never under such duress. "We could even pass word down south, to Brecheliant, Frosthawks and Triquetra."

The glen sister laid out her plan, explaining that her extended kin may be able to help them in claiming this ring of mountains. That is, if taataa and brataa did not appear tomorrow. Sialuk held hope in her heart, knowing she must. She did not know the other villages that of which Meerkat spoke, but if they came with her recommendation, Sialuk would treat them as kin of her own.

If they send help, anaa and I may send them back with knowledge of healing. It was the least they could do for Meerkat's gracious offer. Those who wished to stay, could, but Sialuk thought it nice to be able to repay them with knowledge.

It felt good to have a plan, though that still left several days wide open before Meerkat set off for the caldera. How could she make herself useful in the meantime? She could definitely pay Kukutux a visit, though Sialuk had said she was already fed. Of course, there would be other mouths to feed soon, so she supposed they could work on caches or perhaps marking the borders.

She was no expert at either of these tasks, though they were manageable. "For now, I can help you mark the borders if you want," Meerkat offered, warm brown eyes resting on Sialuk's face.

Tag for reference, or we can relocate to the ulaq. I'll leave it up to you, Kat. ^__^

This will help us, she agreed. You are a very good glen sister, Meerkat. Sialuk felt something there, something she did not feel with any of her blood kin. It was an unfamiliar softness, and she touched Meerkat's cheek with her nose. Sialuk pulled away, her eyes glimmering with sorrow that her father and brother might not return to them. With stronger scents to guide them, they may come back quicker.

Come, I will take you to greet @Kukutux so she may see that you are alive and know your plans. It was there that needed the strongest scents. Sialuk had been slowly working her way outward from the den made of snow and ice, and it seemed right for Meerkat to begin her work there, too. This way, strangers would know they were kin.

I think this may segue nicely into my thread with her. :)

Sialuk agreed, though first she invited Meerkat to go see Kukutux. They had exchanged howls, though the yearling saw absolutely no reason to decline the invitation. It would be good to see her in the flesh. There were so few of them now, Meerkat wouldn't take any of the tragedy's survivors for granted. Even if they hadn't been particularly close before, this horror had forged a bond, knitting them tightly together.

"I'm right behind you," she answered quietly, falling into step with her pale, svelte companion.