Duskfire Glacier Ommak

While Wintersbane was unable to tend to his village, Issorartuyok had taken it upon himself to frequent their borders.

The northerner had not been a member of their group for long, but he knew better than to leave their claim unattended when they were weakened. The large male was not certain what had happened to the man called Wintersbane, only that the blue-eyed figure was unable to hold his place at the head of their village, that he had been injured. It left Issorartuyok with curiosity. As he prowled the outer reaches of the glacier, he found himself mulling over the absence.

Issorartuyok paused on the edge of the territory, his eyes scanning the distant terrain. The young girl Heda had said that she came from an allied group called Rivenwood. The northerner wondered if it would have been advantageous for them to meet, to divulge their hour of need.

The large wolf remained there, gazing out across the land, for some time.

Veteran struggled to come to terms with what was happening with his father. It was really the prolonged, lingering period of uncertainty that took a toll on him; he was a reasonably adaptable child, but adapting was especially difficult when he wasn't given any hint of the reality to which he was expected to adjust. No one was saying anything-- Mom, Rye, Eldritch-- all of them were drifting around with grave expressions, exchanging sighs and meaningful looks that the youthful Veteran couldn't hope to interpret. 

Although he wasn't nearly the cold, calculating opportunist that was his half-sister Makatza, he was able to see the upside of most of the adults being occupied and take advantage accordingly. Today he was bound for the northernmost territories, keenly aware that no one was around to stop him from leaving the safety of the Glacier. Those woods across the Sunset Valley called to him, begging to be explored. 

His intentions were immediately diverted when he came across Isso.. Isserar.. ..that guy from the pumpkin day. Meerkat's friend. 

"Are you patrolling, too?" he questioned, equal parts seeking information and attempting to cover for his own presence at the border. He definitely wasn't trying leave the territory. Nope, not him, never ever. He was a good boy. 

"Have you ever been out here at night?" Veteran questioned the man again, turning his gaze reflexively to the daytime sky. The colors that danced over the Polaris Icefield at night were a wonderous sight, as any northerner would already know.

A voice pulled the northerner from his thoughts, drawing his dark face toward the figure of a young boy – not unfamiliar, once Issorartuyok had let his eyes fall on the ghastly scar that stretched along the child’s forehead. It was not an injury that should mark such a young spirit.

After he had witnessed how rough Makatza had been at the pumpkin party, it had not surprised him quite as much to hear that the boy had been hurt by one of his peers. Some children were wilder than others, carried the spirit of a vicious beast in their hearts. Time could temper aggression of that sort, if given the right hand to grow into something productive. Even Issorartuyok’s brother had learned that the sharpness of his fangs was best used for the benefit of his people.

I am patrolling, yes, the northerner answered the child’s question gently, a soft smile formed on his dark mouth.

You will join me? It is good for wolves to protect together.

The young man wished to know if Issorartuyok had been there when night had fallen. The northerner nodded his head softly. The nights when the northern lights danced overhead were special to him. They reminded him of home.

"Yes, please," Veteran agreed readily. He had told Issorartuyok that he wanted to be taught to defend the pack, and he needed to make sure his new mentor knew how serious he was about his commitment. If evil like Makatza could exist within the borders of his happy little home, he could only imagine the dangers posed by the outside world. He needed to get good at guardian stuff, and he needed to do it quickly. 

Veteran joined Issorartuyok, his previous plans to sneak away from the Glacier entirely forgotten. His ice-blue gaze drifted upward, and he recalled how lights and colors danced across the sky at night. After walking in silence for a few moments, Veteran spoke again. 

"I've never liked this part of the border," he imparted, sweeping his gaze across the northernmost section of the Polaris Icefield. Confusion drew his brow together, which triggered a twinge of pain along the scabs on his forehead. Veteran couldn't say why he didn't like this section, exactly-- there was just something that made him instinctively uneasy about the openness and flatness of it. He looked to Issorartuyok for an explanation.

The young wolf was eager, readily stepping in beside the large northerner so that they could patrol the glacier edge, as brothers beneath the sun. Issorartuyok did not mind the company. He was pleased to see that one of the children was already stepping forward, embracing his passions. If the protector was to continue that path, he would surely face many obstacles in the future. It was good to see that he did not seem dampened by the damage he had suffered.

The two wolves walked, prowling together until they had reached a larger stretch of flatland. It was cold there. Wind was carried from the ground and bit through the pelt of the wolf, nipping sharply at his flesh and reminding him of his home, far away. Veteran spoke and mentioned that he had never been fond of that end of the border.

It is open and you are exposed here, Issorartuyok acknowledged with a solemn nod. When you are strong, it will not matter how open the ground is. You will have faith in your fangs, faith in the spirit inside of you. The large northerner smiled down to Veteran. He hoped that he could encourage the young man to follow his passion. Makatza had seemed to be a daring young wolf, too. They were only daring in different ways, he realized.

Veteran nodded, shifting his gaze back to the northern Taiga. What Issorartuyok had explained felt true to him. The man spoke about Veteran's future strength with certainty, and Veteran wondered if he still meant to have a hand in that. 

"Did you mean what you said before, about training me? Will you be my mentor?" Veteran wanted more than anything to be trained by a true warrior, but a tiny piece of his heart did squeeze as he realized that he might have to give up his training sessions with Coach Meekah. ..Maybe there was something else she could teach him? 

Veteran understood the part about having faith in his fangs. He was pretty good at that already. The faith in the spirit inside of him was the confusing part. "What's the spirit inside of me?" he asked, lowering his voice a bit conspiratorially. He knew his mother disapproved of all the spiritual and religious stuff, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't outright object to Veteran and Issorartuyok having a teeny-tiny, innocent little conversation on the subject.

Yes, he answered with a nod.

It was an honor to be able to mentor those younger than him. Issorartuyok could think of nothing else that would please him more. Veteran had already proven that he had strength within him. He bore his scars with an air of pride, a display that showed he would not allow the next one to take him off guard. The young man had learned lessons that most took years to discover.

It is… like the voice inside of you. It is the voice of your feelings and your thoughts. A guiding voice that will show you to your path, the northerner offered to the young Veteran. It was difficult to explain the spirit to anyone. Issorartuyok had always just known of it, had been raised to listen to its whispers. He was no shaman, but he wanted Veteran to have an answer.

Issorartuyok did not hesitate to agree, and Veteran was delighted. It was official now, and he greatly appreciated when things were official. 

He and Issorartuyok rounded the eastern rim of the glacier, and the treetops of the permafrost hollows were now visible brushing at the edge of the glacier. Veteran enjoyed this part of the border patrol much more; he loved peering down through the branches into the hollow and watching the wildlife far below.

"I have a path..?" he asked curiously, wondering why no one had told him about it before. If there was a path somewhere out there for him, shouldn't he be walking it? Was this "guiding voice" really the only person who knew where it was?

All of us have a path to walk, Veteran, he informed the young wolf with a nod.

Some of our paths are clear, as though many paws have traveled it before. Others are not so easy to discover or to follow. This is when we allow our spirit to guide us, and we listen to it closely. The spirit within us is powerful. The spirits around us, too, are powerful. All life shares this.

Issorartuyok wondered if the boy’s mother had taught him anything like that before. Veteran seemed as though he was filled with questions, wanting to discover more and to fulfill more of himself. It was a righteous cause. The northerner was pleased to see that a wolf so young was filled with such passion. It would do him well in the years to come, or so the large man believed.

You will learn more, as you live.

At this, the northerner smiled to Veteran fondly.

Veteran listened with a thoughtful expression. 

"My mom says to always listen to my instincts," he noted. Although instincts and spirits seemed like entirely different concepts on the surface, it was funny that adults seemed to talk about them in exactly the same way. 

"You will learn more, as you live." 

Veteran sighed. This sounded very much like his mother's frequent remark of, "you'll understand when you're older." Even though Lane and Issorartuyok used different words, they both seemed to be saying the same thing. 

"Can we go down to the ridge?" Veteran asked when the path forked. The path to the right would keep trailing along the edge of the glacier, but the path to the left would lead them down to the Frostfire Ridge. "I wanna show you my lizards." He lifted one forepaw and then the other rapidly, prancing hopefully in place.

Fade and archive whenever you like!

The boy’s mother was right, of course. Issorartuyok nodded his head in agreement. The boy’s instinct would be vital to his abilities. As he aged, he would find that such self-awareness would give him a cool head in difficult times. It would become a strength for the boy. It needed only to have the right care before it could blossom into something reliable, something valuable.

Veteran asked if they could journey down to the ridge. He wished to show the northerner his lizards. Issorartuyok smiled to the boy and nodded his head, pleased to know that he had interests outside of the village. Though the man did not have a large interest in lizards, he knew the eagerness that was shown in the young wolf’s eyes. He could not deny such a thing.

Lead the way and I will follow. What kind of lizards have you found? the large man prompted as he journeyed with Veteran down the path and away from the glacier. He would listen to the young wolf talk about his prized lizards, about the wishes he had, and anything left in young Veteran’s mind. When they returned, it would be upon tired paws.