Moonspear welcome to the hellmouth

For those allowed in the den. <3

Only an hour had passed since Sialuk came into this world, peaceful and calm. She awoke hungry and a little chilly. Instinct drove her immediately to find her mother, scrambling as fast as her four tiny legs would carry her. Four legs were accounted for. Two ears. One tail. One nose. Two eyes (though still closed to the world). Fifteen toes, not counting her dew claws.

Her right front foot was devoid of one of its toes. Only three little toe beans were present with three tiny blunted nails. It was the smallest of differences, and no one could fault her parents for not noticing right away.

kuktutux slept. such was the reward of mothers; for the first time in all her life, the snow-spirit devoted all of her time to recovering from the great ordeal of birth. 

when she awoke an hour later, it was to fret briefly over jarilo and her absence from his mealtimes. yet kukutux knew he would be understanding, and so she drew sialuk close and began to kiss upon the tiny limbs, still muzzy and unaware of the curious sacrifice her daughter had made in the womb.

Her tiny heart beat. Her lungs pressed air in and out. Her tail wiggled. All fifteen toes wiggled just as well. She protested when her mother began to touch her feet, drawing them inward to her body as close as she could. Sia made disgruntled noises at this new sensation of her mother's tongue on her limbs, deciding this was not want she wanted right now.

who will you be? the thought rose unbidden; it had been but an hour, but the babe already determined the course of their interaction.

kukutux smiled, wishing only that jarilo could see with her maternal love, if only for a moment. "uumaan." she pulled away, blowing breath along sialuk's spine instead.

Sialuk continued to squirm, as she always would. Always discontent with her lot in life, always seeking better for herself. And yet, when she felt her mother's breath on her back, the babe calmed, enjoying the warm air. She settled then, her limbs and muscles relaxing as she sprawled out on the den floor. Sialuk needed nothing more than her mother's comfort to calm her nerves.

sialuk relaxed, and kukutux tried to focus her mind toward the taboos for girls, that must be taught by mothers from the earliest moment. but she was tired, so tired; she smiled drowsily at her babe instead. "atiqtalik will be the name of your spirit," the girl whispered. "when you are able to hear, i will say it again: atiqtalik. you must tell no one for as long as you live."

but just this once, kukutux pulled her babe close and murmured her own. "ulloriaq."

It would be some time before Sialuk could learn the name of her spirit, and yet she pressed against her mother as it was spoken. Whatever her mother and father had in store for her in the future was a mystery to her, but she did not worry about such things now. She worried only for food and the occasional disgruntled stomach that needed emptying. Sialuk began to drift to sleep, as puppies often do at this stage.

Feel free to wrap up here if you'd like, since Siabab is going to sleep. <3

<3

sialuk slipped to slumber and her young mother followed, lulled by the contented breathing of her children as she lay curled around their small bodies.