Duskfire Glacier There's coke in the Midas touch

anyone from IkKanattuk is welcome :)

Once, when she was still a child, she'd travelled north. Everyone knew what lay to the north: beyond the ice fields where the great nanuk roamed, farther north than the sun could even reach, this was where the world ended. It was here that the tundras and ice and the great arctic sea disappeared into an empty wasteland of cold so harsh, it burned where it touched your skin. Uki, a slight but spirited six-month-old at the time, had heard tales of lights that danced in the sky - the northerner's version of a rainbow. After seeing them, the saying hadn't compared; no rainbow could be so beautiful. 

The memory had lingered somewhere in her subconscious, on the fringes of her worries. For at the top of her list of concerns was obviously making it to the glacier - alongside making sure nanuk's family reached it one piece - rather than whether or not the place would feel like home. 

It was cooler here, as was to be expected when living on a glacier, and Uki still felt immensely relieved at dusk when she woke - for the lack of heat was the first thing she noticed every time she stirred. The tundrian had settled easily into the glacier, for it wasn't so different from the wild. Some nights she disappeared to hunt or explore, others she stuck around to patrol or dig caches. Founding a pack meant the waif wasn't usually short on work to do and it was this particular evening that she could be found on the Polaris Icefield.

She'd heard it mentioned in passing once or twice, by some wolf or another. As dusk fell, the slender shape of her could be seen winding its way from the den she'd dug(far enough from the others to feel comfortable, but not so far they couldn't find her), coat flashing silver in the moonlight like a beacon. The waif disappeared into the darkness, pale gaze flicking to and fro in search of the landmarks that would lead her to the field.

The plane was unmistakable once she'd found it, a ghostly expanse of snow against the black of the night sky - the only light that of the stars and moon. Tapeesa stopped, placing a single paw delicately into the snow and lifting out with care. A perfect imprint of her paw was left behind and a smile graced her fine features. The girl, who'd not seen snow since heading south, exhaled shakily - the closest she'd gotten to a laugh - and rolled herself destructively in the blanket of snow. She squirmed furiously, not unlike an excited puppy, until her pale pelt was powdered with the cold snow. When she came up it was in her ears, her eyes, it clung to her lashes, it was everywhere. She nearly missed the lights trying to scrub it from her face.

Uki turned suddenly, snow forgotten, her eyes caught by the sudden fluorescent colors. She froze in her stirred up snow pit, mouth falling open as the auroras danced across the sky. Pink, purple, green, blue, they danced on as the wild girl found her feet slowly, inching forward as if afraid they would disappear. They silhouetted her, a long shadow falling behind her on the snow and her pale fur lit with the same colors that fell on the snow.

And then, though it didn't quite make sense, the girl tipped back her head and let out a soft howl - one no one was likely to hear unless near the field. The lights died with the end of her lonely call; only the wind remained, howling back to her from far away. A strange ache settled under her breastbone and Uki found herself still turned to the sky, staring into the darkness as if she wished it could swallow her.

Taki had remembered the icefield well from her first time at the glacier. It was snow covered and at night, green and purple lights danced in the sky. Taki wasn't one to stop and enjoy nature, but how could anyone not appreciate that particular beauty. 

She had finished her patrol and was just passing into the icefield to take in the view before she turned in for the night when she heard the howl. Moving closer to the sound, she soon picked up the scent of Uki. Their first meeting had not gone well at all. Taki was not the most patient wolf, and the stress of their travels had turned her natural guarded state with strangers into something a little more hostile. She had lightened up maybe a fraction since arriving here, though, which was why she continued to move towards Uki instead of turning to go back the way she came. Plus, she didn't avoid confrontation. Ever. That was cowardly. 

When she was close enough, she chuffed to announce her presence before taking a seat next to Uki, making sure to leave a comfortable distance between them. They weren't close, and she wasn't going to assume any level of comfort just because they were packmates. Looking up at the lights, she said, This is my favorite thing about this place.

The empath can sense another nearby before the night offers up the pale form of Takiyok, her ragged ears flattening briefly with disquiet at the feeling of another presence in the dark. When it becomes clear that it's merely nanuk's youngest sister, her foolish heart calms. Tapeesa chuffs softly, licking crystals of snow from her muzzle nervously.

Tupilaq watches with indifference as the girl takes a spot by her side, silver eyes flicking about discreetly without ever truly meeting Takiyok's own citrus gaze. A protective hunch settles in her shoulders - a comfortable position for the waif - as a lingering memory of Takiyok's bristling aggression enters her mind. She's met others who could conceal their vicious streak with a sweet face - striking when she got comfortable enough to trust that she wouldn't be harmed, when it hurt all the more. 

"I nearly died trying to see them the first time. Angakkuq said it was lucky I didn't freeze. I'd have died happy if I had," she confides softly, forgetting for a moment the animosity Takiyok had shown her. 

Part of Uki wishes she could explain that Takiyok doesn't have to worry about her 'fucking with Siarut.' Part of her wishes to confide in someone the ill roll of her stomach, even if it is his sister. Maybe another could make sense of the pain under her breastbone - not a pain of rejection but of being gullible - and feeling so utterly stupid as to follow after a man she didn't know. 

But she is nanuk's sister and Uki had followed him here, thinking perhaps the strange draw she felt to him was mutual. The waif is young and stupid; she again keeps her hurts to herself and turns her eyes back to the sky.

So it appeared she would get actual speech from the female this time. That was a start. Taki looked at Uki curiously. Who is Angakkuq? she asked, her eyebrows drawing together. The female had said the name like Taki should know it, but she had never heard of it before. She also wondered how she had almost died. Was she a pup or injured or something? Because, she couldn't imagine any other situation where a wolf would freeze to death, especially one that appeared to be from the north like Taki and her family were. 

Her gaze never left the other wolf once her question had been asked; she just silently studied the female as she waited for her answer. She was genuinely trying to make an effort to get to know the new recruits now that they had somewhat settled, especially since being promoted to Malguk, but being amiable was so against her nature, particularly with wolves she didn't know very well. Yes, she was aware she had to talk to these wolves in order to get to know them, but it was still rough. She frequently just said whatever was on her mind, and some wolves didn't like that very much; it only made matters worse that Taki didn't really care whether or not others liked her frankness. Plus, it wasn't that she really disliked any of the new wolves. It was just that to Taki, affection and friendliness were only things she gave with trust, and trust had to be earned; it was never something she would give very easily, especially with what had happened with their father.

She can feel the girl's confusion without even looking at her and is reminded again that just because the Ateneqs came from the north, it doesn't necessarily mean they kept the old ways as the people of her tribe had. 

"She was a witch. She was kind. When one finishes training, they give up their personal name. They simply become Angakkuq to the people. She had no children but that was not to say that she was not a mother," Uki smiles softly, thinking of the woman who found her - not yet a yearling with her throat ripped open and patched as best a child could do. The witch had taken care of her, named her, reminded her to live.

Uki can feel Takiyok's citrine eyes on her but the waif is unsure why she studies her so intently. Is it her story? What she's said about Angakkuq? The spearwife couldn't be sure, and after an awkward shuffle - she fell silent, glancing up at the moon.

Taki listened to Uki's story, but still didn't recognize this Angakkuq. They were never told stories as children; their father only viewed them as future soldiers, especially in Taki's case. She didn't think often about having children--because that meant having a mate, and who had time for that--but if she did, she would make sure they had a different upbringing. 

And this witch, she saved you from freezing to death? Taki asked. She wasn't sure if she would get an answer from the quiet female given that the last time she had asked questions, the other wolf had refused to answer, but she asked anyway. She was curious enough about the story to push for more of an explanation.

"She saved me from more than that but yes, she saved me from freezing," Uki replied honestly. The woman who had originally found her had cared for her with more love than any mother would have. She'd named Uki, cared for her wounds, taught her the old ways of their people. She was the closest thing the girl had to a mother.

The answer was somewhat vague, but an answer nonetheless. Taki wasn't going to keep probing, though. If she wanted to say more, she could, otherwise Taki was going to change the subject. Her eyes fell on the strange female, studying her for a minute before asking, Are you settling in okay? That's what a leader should ask, right? They were supposed to care about their packmembers' well-being. It's not that she didn't care, because she really did. The new wolves they picked up along the way deserved her respect; they had stuck with them through their difficult journey, offering their help and support, and Taki was grateful. She just valued actions more than flowery words, and so it was hard for her to express herself in the latter. If she didn't care about the members of the pack, then she wouldn't be seeking them out to talk in spite of her reticent nature. Some would see that about her the more they got to know her, but some would be pushed away by it; it was not anything new to her.

She doesn't want to lie but reminds herself that she doesn't necessarily owe Takiyok her truths. They are not friends, not acquaintances even or anything of the sort. They are pack mates but there's little familiarity between them and Uki can't bring herself to admit the darkest horrors that plague her nights and haunt her days. 

So she smiles and nods, reminding herself not to feel guilty about the lie. They have her loyalty. She will hunt and patrol, dig caches, mark boarders, care for the young if they need her to, dig dens, and lend them her claws if they need them. That's enough for her, or so she thinks.

Uki smiled and nodded at her question. Good, Taki replied with a nod of her head. She was happy at the glacier and had plenty to keep her busy. Her hope was that all her other packmates felt the same way here. 

Well, I'd better get going, she added a minute later. Their conversation had been kind of uncomfortable, and Taki was pretty sure the feeling went both ways. She really did have shit to do, though. Let me know if you need anything, Taki said, giving the female a polite bow before turning to leave. Whether or not Uki would actually let her know if she needed anything, Taki didn't know, but she offered anyway.

She watched Takiyok go, offering a soft 'thank you' to her offer and knowing that she would not act on it. Confusion clouds in her mind and she has no idea why she's here, on this glacier, or what she's doing with her life. The girl turns to the night sky with a sigh, searching the abyss above for nothing in particular - except maybe answers.

The wind caught in her coat, which was damp with the snow, and she shivered as the chill scraped down her spine. Lost, but with nothing left in the field for her but the cold and dark - Uki could be seen running down the snow-blanketed plain, as if chased by a demon, before vanishing into the dark forest.