Porcupine Ridge x ilukutak

Ravens, a pair, moved overhead in silent arcs towards the vale and that was where Kigipigak lost them. They descended through the mist as if knowing there was something to be found far below, leading the wolf through the spires of stone that littered this ridge. He would not make it down to the vale for some hours; it was a trick by the birds which would have been infuriating had Kigipigak not been in such high spirits.

Kigipigak thought he heard them call to one another distantly and stopped striding a moment. The way the light played across the fog that clung to the trees, he thought there might be a shape there, one of the birds coming back to check on his progress—alas, it was merely a trick of the light. He would find his way. In the meantime Kigipigak would keep himself warm and entertained by thinking of Valmua.

If their plan was to work Kigipigak would need to range far and talk to many. It was not a task for menfolk of any village, he thought; without an elder woman who knew the cubs born in a season how was a pairing to be made? Kigipigak would have to learn. He was learning so much already.

✹☾❂

Since her last trek to climb these steep spires, Eleuthera had put herself to task — practicing her climbing, as her mother was known to do to glimpse the heaven ever closer — and found she was far more familiar with such terrain than she had been, all those moons ago. The lilac woman was a creature of the mountains. As for the road itself, she had always considered the more indirect to be the more interesting. The mountains had sheltered her amongst the willows time and time again, but at times they would call to her. To catch-up, and have a nice time together. To simply challenge her, if anything at all.

Atop the rigid spine of the earth, Eleuthera also watched the birds as they pirouetted out of sight. She released the breath that she didn’t know she had held, let her gaze fall and land upon a man who had been watching the same spectacle, and smiled within herself. She paced closer a dancing step or two, interested in any company she might find these strange, remote places of the world. “Oh, if only we too had wings, and could descend just as easily,” she commented laughingly, once she was within earshot.

@Kigipigak

Oh, if only we too had wings, a foreign voice sweetly called,
...and could descend just as easily.

Kigipigak wanted to keep watching the birds but they were gone now; instead there came a petite creature with a blushing coat of warm browns, dancing close to where he stood. She was stunning—and looked to be a suitable age for his purposes—but all at once Kigipigak was overwhelmed by her; the laughter in her voice, the fine taper of her body, so unlike Valmua...

Where is the fun? Kigipigak managed a moment later. He offered a crooked smile and began to tread after her, wondering who she was and how she got here of all places. The travel itself is like a test. If I could fly down I would miss the important parts of the journey, I would not see the sights up-close or... Find much needed company.

If wolves were meant to fly then they would not be wolves at all.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera, too, was struck by this man but for nearly the opposite reasons — the man was large, burly, and with a thick alabaster coat that was well suited for the upcoming season. Eleuthera knew a northern wolf when she saw one, and not only because the stranger’s distance pelage was an outright giveaway, but she had been to the north, she and Séamus, and though they didn’t spend a long time there, it has been wondrous. Eleuthera herself was ill-suited for the snows of the north, but she often wondered what would compel a wolf like that to head south, and seek warmer climes.

If Eleuthera had been in a state where she felt ownership over (or at least a resident within) the willows, she might have passed a thought about what he was doing so close to the willows, but as it stood, Eleuthera knew that the Court’s place amongst the willows was waning. What was worse, is that there was little she could do about it. She was a Faerie, but not a natural-born fae, and it seemed that it was time those who were trueborn moved on. But Eleuthera was a seraph, with a soul-tie to the willows, and even if she could not protect it alone, she could never truly leave it. 

“We might find that flying has its own sense of fun,” the lilac shewolf blinked, her eyes kind and sincere. “with its own sights.” She was entirely certain that the birds likely said the same thing about wolves, stuck upon the earth and subject to gravity’s forces. “The truth of that, though, I suppose we’ll never know.” She shrugged halfheartedly, seemingly content with this. 

“Who are you?”

Despite the murder and mayhem in his life Kigipigak was an optimist, which presented itself in the way he spoke in such a cavalier manner; one might think he would enjoy flight or the concept of being winged like the namesake birds of the Watch, but he was content with his life and where it had led — he enjoyed the rough-and-tumble terrestrial existence that he had, as it was all he had ever known. He was not an exceptionally bright boy nor all that imaginative; the thought of flying sounded like a fancy little dream held by children.

The girl sounded more interested in the concept. He liked hearing her voice so he did not interrupt her with his various thoughts on the subject; his ears turning, one to listen to her and the other alert to their surroundings.

When she asked him for a name, he answered happily enough: I am Kigipigak, of the Watch. Who are you? It seemed like his mission to find willing broods for the brothers was off to a good start.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera couldn’t help but smile as the man spilled several mouthy syllabi as his name, an epithet which she knew to be reflective of the cultures that lay north, living almost entirely amongst snow. At least, the willow wolf mused to herself, she wasn’t the only one with a name that proved to be a mouthful — a jumble of consonants and vowels that somehow, over the course of a lifetime, came to represent them as individuals. She was Eleuthera, and he was Kigipigak. There was little they could do about it, if they had wanted to.

The question was turned back unto her, and she bit her lip demurely, waiting a beat before answering. Identifying herself, and her vague allegiances, was not as secure of a thing as it was before. Eleuthera no longer had the strength of her pack behind her... and did not have the confidence of a wolf who did.  “I am Eleuthera, of…” she tasted the words upon her lips before they were uttered. “of the willows, far below.” If he was so deep amongst the mountains here, she saw that it was unlikely he did not know the willows — and the scent of the pack which faded as every sun went to set. “I am well acquainted with the packs of the area,” Eleuthera pondered, toeing a small patch of dirt beneath her toes. “The watch, you say?” The name was new to her, and the tides of packs and power, it seemed, were always ever turning.

She had a tribe of her own? Kigipigak drew closer to where she stood, taking care to telegraph his movements and showcase a friendliness in case she was nervous of him, as he wanted to gather the scents she carried and not startle or harm her in any way; as he got closer he found the grassy scent of the willow forest hanging across her shoulders. He drew back immediately after seeking those scents from around her.

Yes, he answers softly, My brothers hope to claim it. Kigipigak does not know how much information he should share, especially with a woman from a rival tribe, but the way she speaks of her home makes him curious. She sounds almost... sad. Detached, at the vey least. He had not found any evidence to support her assertion that there was a tribe in the willows; any of the wolf scent she carried before had waned considerably.

Kigipigak ventures a guess as to why. You are far from your home. Is it not where you want to be?

✹☾❂

The man walked closer. By this, Eleuthera was not spooked, or given cause for concern — it was always quite a drag whenever she was the only party making the advancements. Though the dove craved connection and conversation above almost all else, she never liked to force her company upon another. Ever perceptive of those around her, Eleuthera appreciated the nearness, even if it was only to ascertain the scent that lingered upon her pelt. 

There was also the fact that Eleuthera, though she had experienced the demise of now two familial packs amongst the willow, rarely had to personally suffer at the hands of others. She really did not have a fearful bone in her body, having traveled the world and not seeing anything that was worthy of being fearful of. The lilac faerie found that, as she flitted through life, the powers-that-be had a tendency to watch over her and bless her every decision (or indecision). Certainly, most of her family had perished (but not all) and she was without a pack (but not forever), so how bad did she reaaaally have it?

Everything was negotiable, she found. Everything was figure out-able. 

“The packs come and they go,” she responded, after a moment’s thought on how much she wanted to reveal to this man, Kigipigak. However, scent told her story more quickly than her voice could ever hope to do. “yet those with Shakti blood remain.” There had been no earthquake that caused the Faeries of the Court to disperse, nor massacre that left many shallow graves within the earth. Certainly, those who truly loved the willows as she, must still stalk about nearby. Even still… “The willows are a crypt,” she noted, with something coloring her voice that could be mistaken for sadness. “a beautiful crypt.”

The time for sadness was over, though. The woman passed her mountaintop acquaintance a soft smile. “I don’t live there anymore. I can’t hold them alone,” it was just a simple truth, nor did she desire to bar others from such a sacred place. “but I find that I no longer desire to stray far.” Eleuthera had once been a traveler, as she assumed Kigipigak to be, but now her place was here, amongst these mountains.

Kigipigak did not know what she meant when referring to shakti blood and presumed it was some foreign concept, rather than a name, and remained silent as he listened. 
The manner in which Eleuthera referred to her home was also strange, as if she were a ghost haunting some patch of land, afraid to move on from it. Kigipigak was not sure how he felt in that moment; worried, sad, a little put-off, but somehow it all felt familiar to him.

You could.. head north. Just to the mountain nearby. It is where I live; my brothers keep watch over the valley and could use more help in sustaining their claim. Plus... You would be close enough to visit, or to stay with your willows. Kigipigak wondered if this small, sad woman would be suitable for the Watch; he would let Stjornuati decide that. Maybe she would refuse the offer, but Kigipigak chose to look on the bright side and assume she would take it at face value: somewhere safe and protected that would allow her to haunt the thicket she loved at the same time.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera was no stranger to being a working part of a pack, or living amongst others. In fact, some might say that’s what she did best. Her life was a winding road of travel, deeply punctuated by long stays with families or packs along the way. In her more spritely years prior, Eleuthera knew her times with these groups had an expiration date — a date that both she and Séamus could look forward to, and rely on. Only in change did they find their consistency.

But her priorities had changed consistently, since then. She had thought her forever-place was amongst Lumiya’s faeries. Seelie Court, as it turned out to be, was nothing more than a dream — a dream from which she had woken, all too soon. It was only after the dissolution of Seelie Court that Eleuthera realized that it was the willows (more prolifically, the mountain range itself) to which she was bound, not the packs that inhabited it — whether it be the Faeries of the Court, or the Seraphs of Elysium.

But still, Eleuthera could not deny that the watchman’s offer did tickle her fancy. This group of brothers who sought to settle the raven’s cliffs, surely they would succeed in their claim, as many before them had. Certainly, after however many months or years, they too would fall. The fact that all things were cyclical, and mortal, made The Watch no less significant; no less worthy of happening. In fact, the idea of being witness to greatness being brought up from nothing, yet again, greatly excited the lilac faerie. Plus, it was becoming winter. The willows were currently contested ground. She wanted to surround herself with the warmth of others, all of whom worked toward a common goal.

The choice was easily obvious, yes the woman feigned humble thought. “Hmm,” she murmured, nodding along with herself.“I do appreciate your offer.” the woman lifted an eyebrow, letting her somber, silken veil slide from her shoulders. Her tail swayed idyllically behind her. “We might have been neighbors,” she commented with unintentional irony, as if there had been any chance the territory-hungry brothers would have allowed her to remain amongst the willows. “but I much prefer to have friends and family to neighbors, anyways.” Eleuthera intuited that, as for as what they both stood to benefit from this arrangement, her and Kigipigak were on the same page.

“Tell me, what kind of leaders are you, and your brothers?” she wasn’t sure if this was the place for her to conduct a small evaluation, but it was a question worthy of asking. A wry smile now danced upon her lavender-blush lips. “Are you a brutal sort?” It was a question asked in jest, as she did not assume this to be Kigipigak’s truth. Nor would it dissuade her, anyway.

As a wolf of Unnuakvik he held no understanding of god or gods, so he did not praise them when the girl's interest became clearly linked to his offer, despite feeling a great sense of pride for how easily the offer came to him. Had he known of Tartok's full origins—of how the First Woman broke away from her sister's burdensome faith in the twin bears Sos and Atka, of how she sought to find creatures of great physical strength over spiritual fortitude—he might have known of the duality that his people ran from; he might have even praised the dualistic spirits. Kigipigak was as mortal as they come but he refused to be humbled by his limitations, often pushing against them, rising to the occasion as his mother taught him. It was a better lesson than any fanciful notion of spirituality. 

Kigipigak liked things he could sink his teeth in to. It was why he persisted in forming the Watch with his bond-brother, why he was drawn to Valmua, why he sought to continue her work and try to place her at the helm of their still-forming tribe; the temptations of the flesh would always win, for Kigipigak. He hoped that it was the same for the wolves of Stormhaven; that Stjornuati would find some woman to sink his teeth in to and not let go, so overwhelmed by the physicality of their connection that he would not see Valmua step above him.

With Eleuthera that might be possible. She became thoughtful; as observations became questions, Kigipigak did his best to answer them truthfully.

I am no leader, but... Those that are set to lead are Stjornuati and his brother Sol. They are both quiet, one more so than the other. So far I have gotten to know Stjor the most, and he is like a true brother to me, but all things were cyclical, and like the father he had once admired, Stjornuati would fall. We are people descended from great warriors, but I do not think that makes us brutal. I think that makes us strong, as we can defend our tribe and land very well.

A pause. Kigipigak does not think he can win her over with tales of great strength or wartime bravado, not that he has any he can share of his own—just the old tales of Siku the First which have passed down the generations. He does think about it, only adding: In the north it is common to take prosperous lands from smaller tribes. I have not seen the same attitude here in the south, and do not think Stjor holds it. Our home will be well cared for—so you would be safe among its reaches.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera was an intuitive sort, but she completely failed to intuit that there was any sort of plot behind the man’s offer, or anything beyond true philanthropy. Though, why would she? Eleuthera, in terms of the wide breadth of possible life experiences, was relatively naïve. Not inexperienced per se, as there were many things she had seen in her young life, but she had a tendency to gravitate towards beings of light, who operated from their heart. Her first run-in with true badness was with the Saints, and even that wasn’t so bad. Even still, the death of her birth family had been so random act of god, not any violence or innate badness.

A small part of Eleuthera had begun to think that she might even be impervious to evil. Alas, she was not impervious — just easily trusting, and in need of the things that Kigipigak spoke of. He continued to speak sweetly, about his brothers and the culture from which their family hailed. He spoke of true brotherhood and strength; topics from which, Eleuthera could not derive any concern at all. In fact, she ate it up. “Being a warrior does not make you brutal,” she noted, not sure if there was any truth to what she had said. But after being confronted with two willows packs meeting an unceremonious end, of this next statement she was certain: “It makes you capable of defending and keeping your lands,” the woman eyed Kigipigak approvingly. It was a quality that she found gentler comrades to lack.

Eleuthera nodded, agreeing to some anonymous thought in her own mind. “Stability is what I seek,” Eleuthera stated, her gaze meeting his. “If you say your brothers can provide it, then I eagerly support their claim.” She still had to meet these brothers, but from Kigipigak’s description of their mercy, she already knew they would likely get along. Eleuthera took a step forward, anticipating what usually came next in the recruitment/acceptance process.

“My mother was a master midwife — I’m not formally trained in the arts, but she did pass down some knowledge to me.” She mentioned, without him having asked. “I am also an experienced scout, with a knowledge of these lands forged over many moons.” Backpedaling the same step she had just advanced, Eleuthera couldn’t help the self-aware smile that simmered upon her lips. “Perhaps you are not the one I must convince,” she jested.

This was going well. If his luck continued then Kigipigak presumed he would shepherd a collection of women from the western valley over to the watch, from which Stjor could take his pick. This woman was a strong candidate—and as she outlined her skills, Kigipigak knew he had done a good job in speaking to her. Valmua would now what to do in the spring if any children were born to her brother, but having a dedicated midwife at the ready would strengthen their chances of survival; this was a great turn of fortune.

I suppose not, he said with a bit of laughter to his own voice, answering her jest. But you have skills that my brothers lack, and we would be indebted to you for your services... Provided the Watch has such a future. I believe it does. What really caught Kigipigak's attention was the scouting. Do you know of the valley? I have yet to investigate it, so maybe I am on a fool's errand in to an empty land. Any knowledge you could spare about the residents would be useful - if you have any.

Then again, he would be off soon on his adventure - he would find the resident tribes and learn of them himself, in time.

✹☾❂

Eleuthera smiled to herself, letting the relief of simply knowing her next step wash away any lingering anxieties of spending a winter alone. It would have been her first, and she wasn’t much made for being by her lonesome. Kigipigak did not offer a firm promise — that power seemed to lie with his brothers alone — but he offered an opportunity. He was a passing of the proverbial baton, which Eleuthera was eager to receive. She glanced in the direction of the watch, and the forest that lay just below it. She knew exactly where it was. Their domain was, quite literally, right next door.

The large, pale brute drew her attention with a question. “The valley to the south?” she clarified idly. Then, Eleuthera remembered abruptly — in her recent survey of the mountain range, she had ascertained from afar that the empire had too moved on, or moved apart. “There use to be an entire empire there,” she said, letting the twist of her lips be the only semblance of sadness she had about that. It seemed that her sister, Ibis, has slipped right between her paws again. “but I haven’t smelt them on the wind in quite some time.”

These things happened, and Eleuthera had easily come to terms with it. What was meant for her, would find her. What wasn't, would simply fall away. Case and point: the path that was currently unfolding. The lilac woman rolled her shoulders, passing Kigipigak a knowing, somewhat sardonic, grin. “In the wake of so many fallen,” she said, “It is fortunate to come across those breathing life back into these mountains.”

An empire? The young man did not know that word; had she spoken of a coalition of tribes he would be just as perplexed, for where he lived before was isolated to the extreme. Rarely did his tribe interact with other families. To hear her speak of it, there was a potential in the valley that Kigipigak could not afford to ignore. He would find many there, perhaps enough to satiate the brother's tastes and win the day alongside Valmua.

I would take you there myself, to the mountain—but I have business abroad. You will find your way? Kigipigak assumed this woman knew the mountain range far better than himself regardless, so if she chose to venture to the cliffside where Stjornuati lay his claim, it would not take her long at all. This had been a good start to Kigipigak's tasks; he knew he had to depart soon while at the same time he was loath to do it, fascinated by the woman.

✹☾❂

Business abroad? Eleuthera’s curiosity was piqued, and her mind immediately began playing images of distant lands and exotic, warm cultures. More than likely, this was not the truth of Kigipigak’s business, but Eleuthera easily found herself in a reverie of it — of a place she had never even seen, which hadn’t even been hinted at. But she could picture this burly northerner there just as easily as she could picture him upon the scaly heights of the raven’s watch. It made her smile, at the same time she replied “of that, you can be certain.”

Sensing that they must soon be off, and that their encounter was coming to a natural close, Eleuthera swished her tail in the bitter air and paced a step closer; then, two steps. “I am grateful to you for making my path a little clearer,” the shewolf confessed. If only he knew how he had rerouted her life at that moment! Perhaps it wasn’t the biggest physical distance, but what might have been now certainly would never be. For this, she was grateful. What might have been, alone and cold in her willows, likely wasn’t pleasant.

“Will I see you again, at the watch?” she inquired, wondering just how far this business was truly taking him.

Kigipigak was glad to have found someone so agreeable so quickly. She was nice to look at as a bonus, which gave him a boost in confidence. If he could find more like her then Valmua's plan would surely work; it was hard not to be distracted by such a sweet young thing himself. He wanted to linger, to get to know her better — maybe give up on his quest right now and take her to the watch himself — but Kigipigak knew he had miles to go in the other direction. He needed to stay the course.

Will I see you again, at the watch? She asked of him, and he smiled, nodding.

Of course. I will only be a few days. He did not know for sure how long it would take him, and only hoped Eleuthera would keep his quest to herself, or at least not mention him to anyone—but he did not want to warn her away from that either, lest she find his request strange and change her mind. He hoped that Valmua would intercept her before the brothers, at any rate.

May your journey be swift and safe. Kigipigak gave a final little bow as a farewell as he slipped off, striding in to the beyond.