Ouroboros Spine kinaalda

Day 1 @Kukutux figured i do a post a day work for you?
the 4 days to represent the seasons. ajei will run to the east each day, twice or thrice if she must, to ensure she grows to be as strong as her anaa. kukutux would be tasked with symbolically molding her each day of the 4, ajei would only eat the simplest of foods, no seasonings of any sorts, just the flesh of the animals and the harvest of the land. on the 3rd day, ajei will have to hunt on her own, to bring something back for the village to eat, she must bury and store the kill. she would then have to bring it to her village on the 4th night,

For 4 days Ajei is tasked to run. To do as her mother asked. To be what her mother wants. To grow. And soe today she started. The songs were being sung and Ajei would not shirk this duty. Nay.

So with the first rays of Dawn. Ajei readied herself. To the end of the territory three times Eastward.

Tears in her eyes and painful throb in her chest. And anger so much anger that her father had not been here for her mother. Mojag had at least called out. Chiteo had not come.

So with a howl. She began. Delicate paws unused to such work. She knew they would cut and bleed. But she didn't care. She would make her mother proud.

Each step choking sobs, hard breath but she pressed on. Running as fast as her tiny red body could go.

Once twice three times she ran. On shaky limbs she stood from daybreak to nightfall. The moon dancing along fur of red. Paws aching and bruised. Small cuts and slashes. But she held herself tall.

i figure it would take all day to run from one end to the other three times. But that can be changed if you think it is unrealistic. Im not sire of the length of the territory

all good with me! <3

the day after shikoba was given to the embrace of earth, ajei began the rite which bound her to the spirits of her mother's people.

she embraced ajei tightly before she began her run, watching over the crimson figure of the girl until she disappeared from view.

and she would be there the next morning, ready to say the sacred words shikoba had taught to her, to rub the girl's limbs, with feathers and sacred earth, to sing her into the second day of the kinaalda.

2nd day

Ajei used her voice to lift in her mother's grace the night of her run. A simple meal as her mother bade. She had her paws wrapped. And watched over her mother's last resting place.

As the morning of her second rite lifted up. Her body ached in places she hadn't known could ache. But she readied herself. Hugged Kukutux tightly and then raced away
 The trek taking longer. As her body grew tired from muscle use and the cuts on her paws grew deeper. But she continued. Her anger disipating and a soft sense of deep lost.

Three times she ran.  Her mothers spirit she felt

the second day.

mother's love molded arms, and legs, spine, shoulders.

kukutux sang shikoba's songs in her accented voice.

her hug, gentle, tight for ajei, and greenstone eyes watched as the girl dashed away once more.

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third day rolled for 1 otter, 1 rabbit, 2 squirrel, 1 weasel, 1 frog, 1 fish, 1 bird, 8 crayfish. So long!

On the third day, Ajei must hunt alone. She knew she would never be able to hunt anything large on her own. But she wondered if with determination, luck and her mothers good spirit. She could hunt many small things. She had to feed whole village after all.

1.Otter
She had run as fast as she could. Only two times today. She remembered heart brother Rodyn speaking of brother otter. And she loved Otters had told herself she would never hunt one. And yet here she was. Green eyes locked on the otters at play.

A pained feeling in her heart. So she seeked and searched for one that was old and infirm. One that had lived long. And she found him. Greying whiskers along sharp teeth, claws blunted from years of work. And she gave chase. Red body sluicing through the river foliage. Surprise was key and not to let them in the water.

Loud chattering and suddenly she was set upon by the old man otter. Teeth gnashing. She struck and then he struck bloodying her shoulder. A soft cry, but she countered. Another claw sliced into her shoulder until finally she was able to find his throat. He lay limp beside her. A soft gasping sob, but she had done it. She had won.

2. Rabbit

Ajei found a place to store the soft body of father otter. She clapped cobwebs and mud on her bitten and clawed shoulder. Wincing at the pain she wasn't used too. Her muscles screaming from the torment she had put them through. She whimpered but lifted downy head. Remembering her mothers face. The pride. She would make her mother proud.

She limped towards the wide meadow. Pert nose twitching at the scent of rabbit. She saw  rabbits, nibbling at greens and she gave chase. Pain radiating up into her shoulder and causing her to stumble. Where there had been 5 or 7 suddenly they were gone, but one who wasn't quite fast enough. She caught it quickly.

The scream that it let loose made her ears fold to her head. A hard quick kick to her nose and mouth, but she bit down hard on paw, breaking bone. Blood sliding into mouth. The creature handicapped and trying to crawl away. She struck again, behind downy ears of brown fur. And sighed when the tortured screams grew quiet.

She frowned wondering if she was truly cut out for this. She had a torn shoulder. She licked along seam of her mouth a bitter taste of metal and salt on her taste buds. Torn edges of frayed lip. Would she get through this day whole? Could she even be counted a hunter. Or was she worthless at her mother's legacy. And she still had more to catch this would barely feed the children.

3. 2 squirrels

Ajei lay the rabbit near the otter. And sat down. Head hung low. For a minute. The midday sun was coming up fast and she only had caught two things. She needed more.

Suddenly the chattering in the nearby grove caught her attention. She lifted head and spied 2 squirrels screeching at each other. So close together if she snuck? Maybe.

Ajei went long around the grove keeping the two quarreling tree rats in her line of vision. She broke cover and struck. But they struck too. Tearing at her ear as she bent head to grasp them. A sharp pain and blood sprayed across her eye momentarily obscuring her vision as her ear bled. But she managed to get both heads into her maw amd crunch down.

The feel of broken bones made her stomach roll, and her mouth momentarily felt numb, but two more prizes to be added to her cache.

4. Weasel

Ajei also settled the squirrels near her other prizes. She looked over them and felt a little disgusted. Her mother could have done so much better. And she mentally reprimanded herself for not paying better attention to hunting and only relying on fishing.

Feeling nostalgic she traced a path down the trail she and Arrluk had passed upon. Where they had gotten a weasel for her mother. She was so lost in her daydreams and memories.  The scent of weasel even surfaced. She smiled at how strong that day lived in her memories until a breaking twig caught her attention and she froze. Turning gaze towards it.

A weasel in his summer colors moved quietly through the underbrush. She had been so quiet he hadn't determined her a threat.

She jumped forward to grasp at it when the creature reared up. Slashing a long line of cerise across downy cheek. A softly uttered oh before her teeth closed around it. And she shook her head hard. The snap of spine and neck surprising her so suddenly she dropped it. She stared at the limp creature. Shame curdling in her stomwch. She had killed it so violently after it hurt her. It felt a little bit wrong.

5. Fish, frog, 8 crayfish, bird

As Ajei placed the newest kill near the others. She decided to head towards the river. Her body ached, she was bloody. Perhaps the water would do her well and besides. She held more confidence in fishing than hunting anyway and water beasts didn't hurt her as bad.

The frogs sang as evening began to descend. The fish jumped. The loud plunks as they hit the water filled her heart. If she looked close she could almost see her mother patiently showing her how to fish.  The gentle smile that had lit up her face, the ways her eyes looked down at Ajei with pride and warmth and love.

Ajei quickly dispatched one of the frogs before the others raced away. Sometimes frogs were faster than fish. Only one large fish was caught the rest not even enough to make a meal.

Though she laughed in delight at the turnover of stone and finding 8 large, jucy crayfish. Now that they all knew how to eat them. They weren't as bad. This time she was mindful of any pinchers.

She gathered her bounty to herself. Feeling rejuvenated. she settled them at the edge. A bird landed, beady eyes locked on her kills. She raced forwards as its talons wound around her prize fish. Its beak moving lighting fast to score a divet above her right eye. She snapped back her teeth hitting long neck and the bird lay dead with her fish in its claws. A soft snort. As blood pooled down her eye. She'd fix it later.

Ajei buried her kills. Her body giving out right by the cache. For three days she had pushed her body farther than she ever had before. Her muscles ached. Her joints ached. The wounds she had gotten in pursuit of meat ached. She whined siftly and closed her eyes. Too tired to even seek out @Arrluk or @Kukutux . Her last thought of her mother. A softly murmured. I love you, I'll make you proud. Before sleep took her

Wounds i figured Ajei is not a hunter. So she is going to get hurt more than once. So far:
1. Cut/bitten right shoulder this one will scar.
2. Busted open lip
3. Split ear left
4. Cut open cheek (line of a scar)
5. A divet above her right eye from bird beak(will scar)

1 otter, 1 rabbit, 2 squirrel, 1 weasel, 1 frog, 1 fish, 1 bird, 8 crayfish

Day 4

Ajei had awoken sore and bloody. Most of her wounds had scabbed. And she moved they cracked and rebled. She got to her feet with a wince. A few steps and she felt burning up into the pads and the muscles. She had never truly been a physical wolf. She had pushed herself far in 4 days.

First she dipped her toes in the river letting the cold and the water soothe. Then she had ran to the east for the last time. Once, twice, three times. This one felt different harder, heavier and then softer lighter as she released her mamas memory to the stars.

She would miss her mother to her dying day. Knew every milestone would be tinged with a bittersweet sadness that Shikoba wasn't here on the physical plain to see them.

She limped to the cache had dug and one by one took the items to the pack members. She felt a small sense of shame tinged with satisfaction which was a really strange feeling. She had done more than she ever had before, but was it enough.

She called for @Kukutux to help her take items to where. She would deliver them but she needed to know who needed more than others.

She stood on broken footpaws, but her head was a little higher. Her body a little scarred. Bloody and scabbed and pained. But she stood.

Arrluk did not see much of Ajei in the four days following her mother's death. She was preforming the rights of her mother's people, ones which Arrluk was unaware of. He had sought out his mother, to know of them and waited patiently each time Ajei returned from her runs. Little words spoken between them. @Kukutux always had been far more comforting. Arrluk lacked any that might ease Ajei's pain and her pain became his own, knotting up in his chest and making his stomach feel like an empty pit. He did not eat. 

Then Ajei began her hunts. She was gone for quite some time and Arrluk felt grave worry for the girl, who was both studying to be a counselor and medic- not a swift scout, not a hunter (though fisher). Arrluk began to pace by the lake in the same fashion his father would pace when with worry. 

When Ajei returned, she was battered, bloodied and bruised. Arrluk had searched until he found her and sought out the attention of his mother when he did. He did not leave her side that night. 

On the fourth day when she called for Kukutux, Arrluk came, though remained at a distance respectfully so, as he knew his farher did during births and during the womens circle. Having not eaten for these four days, he examined the food laid out, his mouth watering at the sight of the fish and weasel, both which were both as nostalgic to him as to Ajei. She now would wear scars on her face the same as his mother, as @Galana, as @Vaire. It only seemed right. As he had become man in his spirit-walk, she had now become woman.

ajei was a woman now, and it was not lost on kukutux how arrluk watched the bruised girl return in quiet triumph from the kinaalda ordained by her mother.

the young woman had flown fast and fiercely in the ways of the star hunter's people. the words had come more easily to kukutux each day that she had sung them aloud.

otter. rabbit. squirrel. weasel. frog. fish. bird. crayfish.

she was wounded.

she would scar.

"welcome home, daughter of shikoba, ajei of moonglow and star hunter blood."

"welcome home, ajei, woman of moon and of star, of sand, of sage."

"the spirits see you have run to take your place beneath their light."

tears of pride flowed as moonmother sang.

A soft sense of pride lit up the red girls innards. But also such deep loss. Though she was glad to have Kukutux and Arrluk. It hurt that her mother didn't get to see this.

A soft rosy feeling at Arrluk's kindness and care. She made sure to nudge his shoulder and give him a wolfish hug. Soft whispers of thank yous and deep gratitude. Another shift in her heart of hearts for this boy now man she had grown with.

Though she tried not to break open any scabs. They broke anyway.

She was tired and Achy, but she had done it. She had done it.