Ouroboros Spine pitâk ◺

staying vague abt nuak thread! also made the assumption foxfur would have been in/around mg for this time, please lmk if not <33

there was a man in moonglow, and he wore the scent of their star.

kukutux went to where the three sisters stood in a field of indigo flowers. she knew its name was lavender, but somehow the word did not fit the fragrant blooms quite so well.

having sheared a swathe to take back, to dry, kukutux turned back to look at kausiut and samani. cradling the first between her forepaws, she allowed her second to drag a stick of the flowers if she wished. "we will go back and set them beneath the face of the sun. and then all winter our ulaq will have a good smell. we will put the petals under the many skins that taataa has brought us."

there was a man in moonglow. she blinked, wondering where @Foxfur might have gone in these past days.

Out to wander and then back again to the stony bowl that was Moonglow, the warrior had worn himself thin, beyond the normal weariness that he wore on his frame. The search for the dark princeling had returned almost nothing for information and Foxfur had become restless with the waiting of it.

It serves you right, the wolf berated himself internally, to have underestimated a fear-ridden child. Foxfur wondered if he had simply gone without it for so long that he no longer recalled the kind of motivation terror could offer. Duty had overtaken such things long before his time in the foreign clan.

A pale woman stood ahead of him in a field of vibrant lavender. The herb was a common one for medicine wolves and their trade, though Foxfur did not know why. The warrior approached tentatively and lowered his head with respect to the woman.

a man approached. kukutux had not at first liked the look of his red fur, for he reminded her too deeply of the demon-girl. and yet the favor of her daughter had been given at the borders, for he had become one of them. kukutux clicked her tongue for her daughters to remain at the base of the third sister-oak, and drew closer to the man.

"you have grown slender as a young willow." her tones were observant, seeking. "you have the name of foxfur, is this true?"

behind her, the little ones rolled in the purple flowers.

The dust brown of the warrior’s eyes did not meet Kukutux’s. He felt as though he was being examined beneath a watchful mother’s gaze, and beyond that the shrewd eye of a leader. Even for a wolf of the Starsea, Foxfur did not wish to disrespect the clan he had taken a rank in. More than this, with the scent of pups that lingered in the lavender, the tired wolf did not want to make Kukutux feel threatened.

Yes. To my clan, I am Red Fur of the Fox.

It felt silly to speak to her of his home. The Starsea was far away, as were their customs and traditions.

You may call me what you wish, Moonstar.

Foxfur was a warrior before all else. Kukutux may have been a woman made from a different culture, but to be regarded as a star of anything was the utmost honor to the wolves of the Starsea. His worn gaze darted to the bridge of her muzzle.

moonstar.

"i am moonwoman," kukutux changed softly. "my daughter sialuk is star in moonglow." she watched him carefully, to see if the wearied face shifted in recognition.

"you have much respect, red fox of fur," she went on, saying his formal title. it tasted good upon her tongue, and deepened her first estimation of the man. "this is good. but it was she who brought you. sialuk would not have done this if she did not see good things in your spirit."

the woman glanced over her shoulder toward the twins, then returned her attention to foxfur. "have you chosen your sleeping-place?"

The taste of Moonwoman’s true title felt foreign on his tongue, too casual to be spoken to a clan leader. If it weren’t for the pale wolf’s mention of Sialuk, Foxfur might have attempted to offer her insight to the title he had gifted. Instead, his mind shifted to the familiarity of the girl and their conversation.

Your daughter, the warrior repeated with a bow of his head. Sialuk is a good wolf. She is proud of the clan you have made and her role within it. It was difficult to ask for much more, especially from children. They had ways of pushing the boundaries of their cultural history, testing the nature of what it meant to be grown.

The kind words that Kukutux shared with him were made without his response. The worn figure did not believe it suitable to boast, nor to acknowledge praise of that kind. When Moonwoman asked him if he had selected his sleeping place, Foxfur frowned thoughtfully and shook his head.

I have slept somewhere new upon the borders since I arrived. The warrior had found where the clan’s markings had been the faintest and made that his station each night. It was the only way he could sleep.

he was a quiet man. it seemed that each of foxfur's words were chosen with care.

he praised sialuk, but said nothing back in offering to what kukutux had said. 

it was modesty. and it brought to mind that moonwoman did not yet know this man.

"it is my want that you find a suitable ulaq, like the others here have done. sialuk will help you. i will send her to the lake when the sun has come down in the sky." late afternoon, she supposed, for her eldest daughter loved very much to aid her with the little ones.

"if you are in moonglow, you also have a role that is best, foxfur."

It was her want that he find a suitable ulaq – a word he knew nothing of. The warrior bowed deeper and did not say anything while the pale woman spoke to him.

Perhaps it was because of his familiarity with the daughter that Kukutux assigned Sialuk to him, to assist in his search. Foxfur did not feel it was necessary to pull the girl away from her normal duties to assist him. Deeper down, Foxfur did not wish to have Sialuk believe that he was incompetent. She had spoken highly of him and he did not want to diminish such belief.

Of course, Moonsta- he cut his words.

Yes, wolf of the moon. It was a compromise. He would not address her with the formalities of his home, only with the respect that she deserved from a simple warrior of the Starsea.

I am at my best when I am serving my clan.

wolf of the moon. kukutux liked the way of his talking, and moreso at the word of clan. "we say inuit in the words of this clan. it has the meaning, ah, 'people.' 'the people.'"

she felt almost as though her mother sat beside her, listening, guiding with her eyes.

"in moonglow there are two circles. that of women. and that of hunters. there is sivullik, who leads your circle. and there is aiolos, who is sun man, and your leader with me."

he revealed nothing of himself. and so kukutux would teach.

The pale woman was a teacher, as well.

Foxfur did not dishonor her. His russet ears were drawn tall to gather each word that the wolf of the moon spoke. She was kind with her teachings in a way that allowed the warrior to understand why her daughter had grown into the woman that she had. Sialuk’s dutiful behavior was less of a surprise to him after speaking with Kukutux.

What of your warriors? Do they belong in the circle of hunters as well? the worn way of his words was spoken with a careful amount of curiosity. In the Starsea, most wolves were warriors. They were dutiful to the clan and to its members. They had very few specialties and the ones that did exist were merely because the stars made it so.

In my clan, we have a similar set of circles. The warriors in one. They hunt, they fight, they train the young to grow into fine warriors. The other circle is for those closest with the stars. Our leader, our medicine wolf, our seer. There are few in this circle.

kukutux nodded. "'hunter' has the meaning only of man. any wolf may hunt, but only hunters come to the men's circle." it seemed that the way of warriors was the purpose of foxfur's clan, and so she saw that the notion was the same, the word different.

"to bring meat to the village is how our young men prove themselves. it is not so changed from the ways of your people. they must also learn to do battle, to protect their land."

she felt a kinship with foxfur. their ways were very alike, despite the fact that he did not wear a name in her tongue. in his world, there was a place for women beneath the stars as well. her jadeite eyes shone with curiosity. "the leader is also in a circle with the spirit-talker? are they all men?"

his turn to teach. kukutux would listen.

Foxfur did not feel quite so far from home in Moonglow. It seemed that they were just another clan, much like the Starsea.

The differences that he noted were curious ones. It seemed that the women of Moonglow were not intended to behave in the same way as the hunters, the men. They played different roles, but Foxfur could not tell what they were yet. When he had spoken to Sialuk, it had seemed that the girl would flow to meet the mold that was asked of her. That could not be all they allowed the women to do.

Men and women are not divided in my clan. We are not so different to the stars, you see.

The dusty color of his eyes drifted upward, as though he would see the speckling lights gazing back down at him.

The leader, seer, and medicine wolf are all decided by the stars. The leader then spends their life conversing with the stars, making decisions for the clan, working with the seer who dreams visions granted by the stars, and the medicine wolf who uses their knowledge of herbs and spirits to help guide the leader in dire times.

Speaking it aloud, it seemed complicated. Foxfur felt he was speaking far too much. Yet, he did not wish for Kukutux to share her culture with him, not without offering something in return.

It is said that those stars above are the everglowing spirits of the warriors and leaders before us.

not divided. 

and not complicated, not to her. there was a process among the stars in his clan. it was not so complicated in her own, and yet it was similar. "there are the leaders, and there is the spirit-talker. it is to this wolf that your stars speak. the gods. the voices of animals. it is the spirit-talker who guides the dead through the throat of sedna, and it is they who know the deep power of leaves and roots."

one and the same.

"we seek balance in all things."

that the dead watched from above chilled kukutux, and yet she knew that those who spoke with spirits might also call back to those who had come before. "such things are often only magick that men may know."

a blink. she returned to herself and her original purpose. "soon the long snow and the ice will come. after that, the ice breaks and water flows once more. when this time arrives, where do you mean for yourself to be?" a wolf could come to a village for a winter season. such hunters left just before the new green came back to the world.

she did not think foxfur meant to be that. or so she hoped.

Balance, the warrior repeated as a reminder of his conversation with the younger Sialuk. She too had requested that there be balance in the exchange of things. The daughter had not accepted his gift of prey and had instead showed him a better way of using it. Since that time, Foxfur had met a wolf who had crossed paths with Crowfeather and had offered him instruction for where to search.

When the woman of the moon inquired what his plan would be when the spring began to clear away the harsh cold of winter. The warrior did not meet her features but cast his gaze to the distance with a pensive stare.

I do not know yet. It was not a lie. Foxfur still had few answers to his questions. There were still two members of the Starsea who were missing in the wilds. I have been tasked with finding our leader’s son, a boy named Crowfeather. He is a seer who has run from his duty, from his clan. His father is not pleased.

When the warrior returned his tired stare to the moon, he offered her an apologetic bow of his muzzle.

I would not be a very good warrior if I did not do everything in my power to find the boy and return him home, would I?

foxfur had honesty in him. moonwoman listened him to speak of the questing that had carried him after this one who had the name of crowfeather. "you will see that one task is complete before you start another." her voice was acceptant. 

"while you are here, if you bring to me pelts from the animals that you kill, i will make them into fine skins for your ulaq." the trading of one thing for another. it was established now in moonglow. 

she wished to ask more of this place and his people, but sensed that the man was tired. "how is your sleeping, foxfur?"

You are a wolf of many talents.

Foxfur had only ever seen pelts and skins used to create bedding for children. He had never thought to use the remains of prey animals for himself. It seemed to him to be something that only the most important should have, something that the leaders would be blessed with. The warrior did not feel as though it was appropriate for him to bring pelts to the woman so that she might gift him with lavish things.

When Kukutux inquired about his sleeping, Foxfur drew his dusty gaze to her features with a small sigh. It was not a question he had been asked since he had been granted his first apprentice.

I believe I have been sleeping just as I have for the last few years. Not well, but just enough. A hint of a smile toyed at the edges of his lips.

"it is my wish that in moonglow, you let me find better sleep for you."

moonwoman's eyes softened. she must turn back to her daughters now. "i will send herbs for cold-water saiyu with @Sialuk, when i tell her to make a path to the lake before the sun comes down."

"drink them before you sleep. they will bring a softness to your body."

foxfur was able to leave the place of the three sisters now, if he chose. kukutux hoped that he would find solace in his dreams.

The pale woman was kind.

Perhaps it was that he was so far from the Starsea, or perhaps it was that the warrior had forgotten what it meant to work beneath a good leader, but Foxfur felt a pang in his chest when he imagined leaving Moonglow and returning to his clan. Kukutux had struck him with a sense of nostalgia, for a leader who had made her way to the stars long when Foxfur had only been a boy.

Thank you, wolf of the moon. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

The warrior bowed his head deeply to the pale wolf and slipped from the light of her green eyes. Foxfur thought of Sialuk and smiled faintly. It would be good to see the girl again.

tag for ref!

when foxfur had gone, kukutux gathered her little daughters and walked in the direction of their ulaq.

@Sialuk was there to receive them. "daughter. when the sun has lowered, go to the lake and seek foxfur."

she did not yet look at her daughter. kukutux pulled the last of dried meat and some mushrooms from her summer cache, preparing a meal for aiolos. 

setting this aside upon a strip of bark, she reached now for a rich carry-skin cut from the skin of the siksrikpak, and gave the pouched pelt to the raindrop. "foxfur does not have good sleep. i have told to him that you will help to find ulax which might bring him peace. this is for saiyuu."

"go to the healing dens before you make your path to the water. igrunnak. tulukkam asriak. ivruiyak." kukutux paused, moving to rummage through the cache once more.

"aya, here is deer fat." moonwoman placed a smooth white chunk beside the skin. "grind these medicines with your teeth when the hunter is ready to sleep. say it is your duty as healer." the unassuming man would not speak against this, kukutux felt. "make a mixture with water that is cold. it will cause him to dream softer things when he slumbers."

only then did kukutux look up toward her daughter. "do not wait many hours until the sun has come down." a cluck of her tongue. sialuk was able to remember these things. she had learned much since the time that she was able to walk on her own legs.

kukutux turned back to the twin children.