Silvertip Mountain kapiruk ¥

Rolled some dice. 19/20, so... ouch. For @Kukutux

Kigipigak had tracked a small family of deer through the thickets of Blacktail, down in to the valley, and through the shadow of a mountain. His trial had begun before dawn; now, with the summer heat baking in to his layered coat, he realized his mistake.

He did not want to lose the trail. Having found a fresh start with Sakhmet upon her plateau, Kigipigak was determined to make it work - where Greymoor had failed, where Rivenwood was not enough, this was his chance.

Kigipigak would bring down a mighty stag! That would surely impress the dark girl; all he wanted was to make her smile, to earn from her a laugh. To banish the sorrow that clung to her like moss to stone.

With mind fixed on this, sun-baked and dizzy, Kigipigak did not notice the way his path listed westward among the foothills. He was not mindful of the fading deer scent or the prowling danger that followed him until it was too late.

A shriek; a searing pain as something first collided with his back, sinking knives in to his shoulders. Something dragged hot and quick against his haunch as he fell - stunned, then fighting; adrenaline and desperation, clawing kicking biting — !!!!

Enough to escape the beast.

Although the cat would lurk for hours and seek the bloodied trail, it was all a wasted effort. Kigipigak crawled deep among the shadestone and felt the cool relief of mud as he sank away from consciousness.

As safe as a dying animal can be.

kukutux had meant to take adrastus with her, last she went. but today she could not stay away; today she would talk to the grey brother herself. dawnlight capering to nightfall and then a sun again; she came to the place where revui had been buried and breathed a low sigh.

his grave was not so seen now, covered with the debris of long months. kukutux gently moved the fallen leaves and cracked stones from the site and bent her forehead to the earth.

when she left the trader's burial place, kuktuux did not immediately return home. wanderlust and the touch of warmth beneath her skin sent her on, steps singing lightly against the stone of a curved mountain. here she found kigipigak's scent as she climbed, and, eager to see her kinsman, climbed the rock face as quickly as she was able.

the spoor of deer was heavy here — and then not at all. the acrid reeling of catgut against the stones. kukutux held still, lightly exploring the air, and crept forward on quiet paws. the man's trail was still here, and grew stronger as she slunk along the lines left in the earth. she found the round print of a cat and almost turned toward moonglow at once.

but moment and moment came together, and kukutux soon discovered, in a pool of feline musk, her companion, bleeding. she gasped and went to kigipigak quickly, lowering herself nearby and speaking into his face, his name, their tongue, trying to rouse him, and then pressing tongue to his wounds, cleaning the deep furrows and tasting the poison the cat had left in him.

Kigipigak had deterred a quick death. Now he sat locked inside his body. The mud beneath was cooling for an hour or so; hot blood stained his shoulders, back and hips - his flesh scored by the cat's reach.

There was no telling if he saw Kukutux or if he heard his own name being called. If he could grasp at consciousness, if he did dream; he sat and he bled while she reacted to the sight of him.

Lucky that she had found him - that she knew what to do for someone in such a state. Kigipigak was not as far gone as one might think because of Kukutux' intervention; in time he did wake to the pain and the blood.

For a moment. He sensed a presence and heard her speaking their shared language, but lacked the focus to respond. A flash of copper as his eyes slivered; then sleep, as he warred with life and death.

kukutux worked.

in her throat, the healing songs taught by her mother and aunts.

she would not let him die. she would keep the creeping monster from his doorstep. no shadow would darken kigipigak while she remained here.

in time, the duck would call for help and bring him home.

you will live, brother.