Silver Moraine Aiokatti

Maybe um... @Njord?

Kilgitsuk chose to journey further north for a second time, given that his first attempt to track any dangers to Swiftcurrent had amounted to nothing; he did not think he would find anything this time either, however scouting for villains was a good excuse to get away and stretch his legs a bit.

The man failed to see any reason why he might want to roam far, not taking the season in to account or the occasional howls he could hear from different directions each night; to Kilgitsuk, it was natural to trust in the wandering nature of menfolk, and as this was a common practice to the more nomadic Tartok wolves, he would not think deeply about it.

The pine forest spanned a massive distance, with an abundance of exposed stone irregularly parting the center of it, as if a giant bird had cut the earth with its talons and come away with a fistful of stone. This corridor - this wound - ran in to the north and to the edge of the Qeya, but Kilgitsuk did not think he had the emotional fortitude to see the place again. Not so soon, not when his own wound was so fresh.

This thread title TT___TT You give me all the feels. Tags for ref.

Aftershocks rippled through Njord’s heart which, at this point, felt more like a pile of loose shale rather than the solid foundation that it was supposed to be. Meerkat had made the final call to leave Sapphique. Mostly, he didn’t know how to process this. The Sveijarn-Corten family was deeply woven into the pack’s fabric, for better or worse. The terrific change felt like a forest fire. Uncontrollable. Destructive.

Necessary.

Njord and @Meerkat had been ostracized from the pack’s meeting. While the others gathered, they kept careful watch over @Swordfish and @Quennell. He hugged his wife closely, senses vigilant for any sign of the looming bear.

The whale carcass had turned into a pile of inedible compost. His son needed fresh meat to recover. While his wife stayed behind, Njord went out to harvest a deer from the Broken Antler herd. He had been able to successfully maim a young buck… but not enough to bring it down completely. It had bolted away and Njord followed its trail at an endurance trot.

It managed to wander even farther than anticipated. Before he knew it, he was on the plains – the Morraine within his sight. He would have turned back if it weren’t for the movement of a white-furred wolf against the dark-colored slate.

He knew that silhouette!

“Kigipigak!” he called, needing the familiar comfort of a long-time friend.

Work was what kept the depth of his hurt at bay. Kilgitsuk could travel the width and breadth of the Wilds to escape feelings of inadequacy; if he were younger he would have thrown himself in to spar after spar and made up the difference there, but he was not, and he had since matured out of that behavior. There was an ache within him that would be remedied with time - or with his family - and yet he could not abide the festering he felt, and he could not fathom returning in this state to Sakhmet when his trust in himself had become so weakened.

He would prowl the pines for anything to keep his mind off of his troubles: scat, hare scent, the graze lines of a herd; but what he encountered next was none of those things. He did not see Njord, but he heard him call out — and with a raise of head and hackles, the man turned to greet the moment with a defensive posture; he could not be certain for that split-second if this was friend or foe, as it might've been one of the wayward gang members that recently plagued Swiftcurrent.

He saw the burly man, the flash of red, and calmed immediately.

Njord! Brother! The last Kigipigak had seen of this man, he had been eager to talk of his pregnant wife - or was it to boast about his sons? Either way, he had been in better spirits. The posturing melted away as he advanced to where Njord lingered among the trees, sharing breaths, greeting him in the rough way a man would, with a friendly shoulder-check and a chuff of laughter.

The feeling behind the laughter did not quite register for Kigipigak, but the sentiment was there.

You are far from your salt-water, my friend!

Njord! Brother!

There were no words strong enough to describe the relief Njord felt in that moment. To be looked upon by someone who he had not damaged. By someone who did not judge him. Njord had suffered in silent limbo for longer than he cared to admit and to be welcomed with such a sunny greeting was like a ray in a raincloud.

If he had hands, they would have clapped the back of Kigipigak with great strikes. Maybe he held on a little longer than he meant to… it telegraphed that Njord’s lifeboat was a leaky one.

“Aye!” he crowed with a laugh. “A’for all this time, ye’d think I’d be able to catch a damn deer!” Then, the seafather leveled out. “It’s good to see you, Kigipigak.” The weight in his tone was heavy with sincerity.

He tried to mask his troubles by focusing the conversation on his friend, unaware of his equally turbulent path through life. “I see a few new scars on yer hide,” he jeered. “How have ye been? Tha river? Sakhmet?”

They had both been through much, judging by their looks. Njord sported a few changes — or Kigipigak had not seen in him so long, they looked new! Either way, it was clear that life had not been kind to either of them. He failed to notice how his question registered upon Njord until a returned flurry of banter hit his own ears, and he thought of his wife, his children, his home that once was.

Natigvik is no more, he had to admit this to himself, he had to accept it. Admitting it aloud was one way. Sakhmet and my son Kivaluk are in Moonglow now, but — he did not want to show weakness before this man, yet, he could not help the truth from spilling forth. A heavy sigh wracked his body. He looked crestfallen, heartbroken. Weighted. She took Akkuma to ease his spirit, and he did not return with her. He is safe and happy on his own now, from what I understand, but he had not spoken to Sakhmet; what he’d learned he’d done through his own silence and observation, with little details gleaned from Kivaluk or others in passing, never in a direct way.

It became too hard for me to be there. I took a trader’s name — Kilgitsuk — and have… Found another path. He did not know how long he would travel this path, or where it might lead. It felt like his world had ended somehow.

My friend, surely you have fared better than I! He laughed in a disparaging way.

Njord’s demeanor cooled and became somber as Kigipigak shared his challenging year. Natigvik had been full of so much life and promise. The redtail often looked back on his time spent there with Loko fondly. It had all the elements of a fairytale: an industrious husband, a beautiful wife, a piece of land to build a life for their sons…

He understood the lonely path a father and husband sometimes walked. How difficult emotions could drive a loyal man away from his hearth. And if he chose to return? Well, Njord was all too familiar with the punishment of societal purgatory. The guilt and the shame. The scrutiny and broken relationships.

“Ah’m sorry this happened tae ye, mo bhràthair,” Njord said, and he meant it. Kigipigak was a good, honorable man.

The spotlight found its way back to Njord. “I cannae say my things ‘av been much prettier.” The roll of his roughhewn brogue was drawn out in an exasperated way.

“My wife, Meerkat, ‘ad three bairns in tha spring,” a smile fluttered on his lips as Njord remembered baby Stingray, Swordfish, and Vixen. “But ‘ard times fell between us. Ah was waylaid on my home island… There was a coup. Ah left her alone for some time…” Even now, it was difficult to admit. Njord shook his head. “Mendin’ tha bonds between my wife an’ children… s’been tha hardest thing I’ve ever done.” And that was the truth.

“Things were goin’ well until my son, Swordfish, an’ his friend were attacked by a brown bear. They’re lucky they made it home alive…” Njord’s face darkened at the thought of it. “Another woman was attacked, too. A stranger. She dragged herself to our borders.” A pause. “I had a fallin’ out with my leaders over it. We dinnae trust one another anymore." There was hurt there. A flicker of frustration. "Meerkat an’ our family will be leavin’ Sapphique soon as our boy is healed up. We dinnae ken where, yet.” He sighed. "Perhaps tha willows. Or farther," he speculated.

Kilgitsuk listened to the story of the man's life, and found kinship where they shared turmoil. He felt a great pride in knowing Njord as he spoke of his children and his wife, and a spike of jealousy that was quickly cut down and swallowed deep; his tale had similarities to Kigipigak's own, as they were both pulled away at the worst of times and returned to face the full breadth of that decision. The fallout was bad for them both - with Njord losing Sapphique's trust, and in effect his village, of which Kigipigak could relate.

The talk of bear made Kilgitsuk focus. His nostrils flared, his face contorted with something akin to indignation, and he squared up besides Njord as if the bear was there with them in that instant, ready to fight it. A bear is no laughing matter, he remarked, although it likely went without saying. And to think someone had survived it! That was commendable. Kigipigak had no opinion over what the village should have done about the survivor. It sounded as though Njord had one thought and Sapphique another; but he would not ask for specifics.

Well I wish you good luck in your travel. He meant that sincerely. There is not much out this way. To the north is only my failings, and to the south -- that is where I am living for now, at the creek. It is home to some men and... I admit, not a place suitable for children. In his estimation, so far as that counted.

Perhaps I will go with you! He jested, at least in part. I have nothing real to tie me down here. You are my brother! My people -- in Tartok, there is a bond like brotherhood, bound by blood, called aiokatti; we have not always seen eye-to-eye on things but... I do think of you this way. It was a little forthright, and a little too emotional for Kigipigak, so the man roughly shoved his friend shoulder-to-shoulder.

What say you? Our hardships are so similar. We have hunted together, and I believe we could fight together; let us hunt your bear! He laughed at this, but he knew he could not go without a word to Akavir first, out of respect. If he went at all!

Sorry for the delay! This thread gave me so many feels that it also gave me writer's block lol!

Njord could see the dark shadow that cast over his friend’s expression at the mention of bear. Kigipigak appeared to understand the violence and destruction that predator could bring to a pack. 

His friend provided some insight into the Westward facing terrain. Njord took the advice to heart, for he had turned into a domestic man who scarcely traveled beyond Dragoncrest’s borders. It had afforded the man intimate knowledge of the seaside and its bounty… but now, the absence of intel was certainly a setback.

Kigipigak’s – Kilgitusk’s – next statement made the anchor in Njord’s heart detach. For so long there had been an absence of kinship, of brotherhood, in Njord’s life. He had witnessed a glimpse of it when he hunted with Rodyn and his son… Life had Njord constantly looking back. Perhaps, it was time to be open to all the good that could come from a massive life change like the one he, and his family, were about to undertake.

“Aiokatti,“ the word sounded different from the rolling lilt on Njord’s tongue. ”Remember how we fought!“ Laughter boomed from his chest at the memories. The rough shove made Njord lose his footing, which only made him even jollier. And… were those tears of happiness – relief – beading in the corners of his eye? A manly sniff blinked them away. ”Aye, ye are my brother, no matter what name ye take. My blood!“ he proclaimed. 

If he had a hand, he would have clasped Kilgitusk’s shoulder. “Yes! Ye should travel with us. Let us both find our way again.” The jovial cadence of Njord’s voice sobered. “But I cannae risk a fight, Meerkat is pregnant." His expression softened at this. "If I cannae hunt the bear, then I will shepherd her far from these lands tae keep her safe.”

If only he had known how soon the bear would set siege upon Sapphique... Njord might have stolen Kigipigak from Swiftcurrent right then and there.