Duskfire Glacier itkaktuk ⨢

for @Issorartuyok, set whenever <3

so. the moon-dog leader had found his glacier.

and he had found the skilled side of wise and careful lane.

kukutux chuckled aloud, so the spirits might hear her mirth. with moonglow camped all through the taiga, she climbed the slopes of duskfire once more. this time her voice and her eyes were for the northern man she had met but had not forgotten.

Issorartuyok heard her voice and journeyed to it.

The large wolf prowled along the slopes of the glacier in search of the moon woman. His dark eyes hung on the edge of the terrain, where he could not see the details of the world beyond. The pace that he set was swift enough to rise his heartbeat and fill the air with plumes of breath.

When Issorartuyok found Kukutux, he barked a greeting to her. The northerner approached with a smile upon his features. It was good to see someone familiar in the glacier. He had not thought that he would find the moon woman away from her home, but she was – she had journeyed to the glacier with her village.

Moon woman, it is good to see you.

"moon chieftain. it is good to see your face." kukutux spoke in the words of the north.

she did not mention wintersbane. it looked as though issoratuyok and lane led as one, though she saw no evidence that they were husband and wife. of course the duck was curious, but it was not her place to ask.

"the boy veteran has asked to stay at the ulax of snow with us," kukutux murmured. "i said to him yes. it will be good that the children of moonglow see new faces."

it was to his that she looked carefully now. "duskfire glacier is strong."

At once, Issorartuyok was eased by her words. The familiarity of the tongue was enough. He was pleased to find that she had not changed from his memory. She was still a woman like moonlight with eyes unlike any he’d seen before. The large man smiled to her, bowing his head in a show of respect. She did not lead him, but she had offered him strength in their first meeting.

Young Veteran is good. He is diligent and devoted. If the boy wished it, he would make a good leader of his own village one day.

Issorartuyok nodded his head. He was pleased to have found a young one like Veteran. The boy had even endured a difficult spat – judging by the scar – and had learned to hold himself like a young man despite it. This was a good sign and a promising trait. The northern wolf would explore that with the boy as he grew into a man.

I worry, Moonwoman. Before my journey with the scout Meerkat, we discovered a sickness in the deer. I am unsure if it has been removed from them, he confided in her. I must investigate the herds to see if it has taken all of them. What they would do if the herds had been infected, he did not know. Winter was almost upon them, and he had spent all his time creating storage for prey that was ill. Issorartuyok breathed a sigh filled with concern.

kukutux nodded at issoratuyok's words of veteran. "my daughter samani has been looking at him," she said gently. in this world they were far too young to know more than friendship. in her own, ones of this age were paired early, even if children would not come for some time.

the ways of this land were more free.

kukutux heard meerkat's name in the moon-leader's voice. she remembered lane's words, and saw that in the months that had been between that moment this, more had grown. but for now she did not focus upon this. the northern man had worry in his eyes.

"lane told this to me when we came. moonglow has given its hunters. we have been killing the ones sickened by evil spirits. come to the ulax of snow. i will show you our work."

The man smiled, pleased to know that the young wolf had found another. One who was closer in age than the wolves of the glacier. It would do Veteran well to meet the children of Moonglow and to learn from them. The northerner itched to speak to his mentee. After his journey, he had planned to call to Heda and to pull Veteran from the glacier to hunt in the wild. It would be good to catch up with the boy.

Kukutux spoke and explained that Lane had provided her with details about the illness in the herds. The man bowed his head, grateful that he had trusted Lane to lead the village while he journeyed away. He was right to believe in her ability and it felt good to know it. The moon woman explained that she would lead him to where they worked to cull the herds of their sick. Issorartuyok nodded his head and moved to follow her.

None of your own have been infected by this illness? he asked her softly.

she shook her head. "kigipigak, my kinsman. he has killed and bled many. he is stained with blood each day. and yet it seems he is only stronger." kukutux smiled softly, turning her eyes downcast in the old deference to issoratuyok's status as man.

man. hunter. leader. but before this, a man deserved respect for he might be these things. moonwoman's breath hitched audibly as the face of her lost son entered her mind. did the blackfox teach him in sedna's hunting grounds? surely they were together. surely her moon-hunter boy did not run alone beyond the dancing lights.

kukutux realized she was in direct danger of weeping. she was glad her face was still turned away. her throat bobbed with a swallow and then the duck turned back to the duskfire leader, composed once more. 

why does this place make me think of my son?

granddaughter. this is the place and the time when he would have become a man.

tooteega's voice was calm. 

this journey takes the young and eager boys and turns them into men with skill.

it was so different in that circle.

kukutux had been silent far too long.

"i ask for you to forgive," she murmured sheepishly. "it is my first winter hunting since i made a path away from the village and the land where i was given breath."

Kigipigak, the northerner thought with a small frown. Spine was the meaning behind it. He nodded his head and hummed a thoughtful sound to her. It was good to know that the illness did not spread to the wolves. This would mean that he could take Veteran to hunt the sick herds, the other boy too. They had both been the ones to stumble upon the ill-ridden creatures. It would be enjoyable for them to cull the bad portions so their people could thrive.

The moonwoman grew quiet and thoughtful. Issorartuyok did not know the thoughts that filled her head, or the losses that she had suffered. The air felt chillier, though. He brushed his shoulder against her own as a sign of support. The northerner was pleased that she was there. He wished for her to know it.

When she spoke again, it was with words of apologies. Issorartuyok looked to her and shook his head, dismissing such nonsense.

I am not bothered by silence, Moonwoman. I need only your body to walk with mine, and I will find contentedness. The man smiled to her, a warm expression of reassurance. He could not express just how pleased he was to have her and her villagers outside of the glacier. It was a cause for celebration. The wolves of Duskfire had lost their glacier man and it would do them well to eat and drink with friends.

I would like us to have a feast of meats and a night of stories. Would your village participate? We would meet in the glacier, eat and speak as ilannâk.

1600 for uuu

he was a good man.

kukutux thought of what a marriage between he and sialuk might bring.

there was still time for him to look upon the stargirl.

but she would not seek to steal the happiness that meerkat might have. lane had spoken greatly of her. she was skilled. and if the moon-leader was pleased to take her as wife, he would have moonwoman's blessing.

"i would like this very much," and her grin was almost girlish. "it has been a long time since two villages came together for such things."

The man was pleased to see her smile. He nodded his head in agreement. It would be a time to honor friends and to be close when closeness was necessary. The loss of the glacier’s founder would be met with a dinner in his honor and a celebration of bonds with the wolves of Moonglow. Issorartuyok could not think of a better way to send the man off.

I should like to say the feast is to honor the glacier man. His death should be acknowledged by his people and we should send his spirit away with good food and the company of good spirits, his voice was reverent, serious. He hoped that Kukutux would be fine with this. He did not imagine that she would object to honoring Wintersbane.

His sons will be hurt by this loss. I am unsure how to make it better for them, Moonwoman. They will be sure to resent me, as I stand where he stood.

Issorartuyok had not wanted to overwhelm her with his worries, but the thoughts weighed heavily on his mind since he had been given the news of the deaths. The glacier needed to come together. Winter would be difficult if there were any hostilities between people. He was still very much a stranger to them.

kukutux nodded, her greenstone eyes filling with pain. "i made a meeting with one of his sons. he wore the face of wintersbane and said that his brother had the name of arius."

four children wintersbane had left behind. she did not know of the others.

"moonglow will sing death songs for him, to guide his path through the mouth of sedna. he must go in peace to the dancing lights." to the rest she shook her head, reaching to touch his shoulder. "you must be strong. you are chieftain here. they must have respect for you. sons who have lost their fathers bear much anger inside them. understand this. duskfire can only give healing if it is what they wish."

The moonwoman spoke of the child she had spoken with. She explained that he carried the same hardness as his father. Issorartuyok wondered how much of his own father existed inside of him. He allowed this thought to fill his mind for only a short while before he was brought back to their conversation by Kukutux and her words.

The pale woman said that the boys would carry anger with them, that they could not heal unless they desired to heal. Issorartuyok could not help but wonder what that would look like. If the children of Wintersbane did not agree with the way their father’s village had been left, their inner rage could carry them to do dishonorable things. Issorartuyok could not help but speculate in his mind. He did not know the boys as well as he did Veteran. They were capable of anything, to him.

And what if healing is not what they wish for? he asked her in a grave voice.

"then they must leave."

her jadestone eyes were somber.

"in the place of my birth, a young man lost his father. they lived alone in one ulaq. he had already lost his mother." she sighed, white steam pouring from her mouth into the cold air. "all the villagers gave him offerings of meat and soft words. they wished to give him healing. but he did not take it."

"a bad spirit came into him. he did not speak of his father or his mother. he chose to fight with the other young men. he demanded things that could not be offered from his village."

"one day his teeth were hard. they cut another hunter badly." she gestured to her face with a paw to say that an eye had been lost. "the village put him outside the borders. they said he should not come back. he was told to live as man now. he had become this when he struck another in that way."

kukutux looked to the moon-dog leader. "you made a journey with meerkat." her tones were knowing. but she would not mention what lane had told her. "i do not know what you will choose. but if children are born to your hearth, they cannot have anger close."

The Moonwoman spoke, but Issorartuyok could not have predicted her words. She stated that if the boys were to carry anger in their heart, there would not be a place for them in the glacier. She said they would need to leave their home. The way she spoke of another, being filled with a terrible spirit and lashing out against his own people, rattled the northerner. The earthy brown of his eyes drifted away from the pale woman and out across the stretch of land that was Duskfire.

I would rather seek claim elsewhere, I think, the man admitted to her.

What good would it do? If the boys had lost their mother and father, they were entitled to their rage and their hurt. Issorartuyok only did not want that to last within them. So, he could not see how banishing them from their home would settle the violent needs of the spirits inside them. It bothered him to think that this had been spoken as a reasonable solution.

Issorartuyok was grateful when the conversation shifted to Meerkat. She offered warning, that children could not be born with anger close to them. The man nodded his head in understanding.

She has admitted feelings, but I am afraid that she is young… and that she will want things that I cannot give her. I am an honest man who will share my plans, my spirit’s path, without shyness. I believe she does not know what she wants, that if she were to be a wife to me…

Issorartuyok trailed his words and frowned.

Perhaps we are too unalike.

as issoratuyok spoke of meerkat, kukutux wondered why he would surrender his terrain. it was not her way. he mentioned children. and though it did not seem that there was yet a clear path forward, moonwoman asked herself what it was that the man could not give. 

a new wife would want a steady home.

she wanted to caution him not to show weakness and surrender to boys.

it was not her place. they had moved on.

"meerkat is young," she agreed. but her eyes were filled with a wisdom she could not convey to a man. not in words that could be spoken. "upinngak," she said softly. "it does not only bring green plants."

she moved closer to offer issoratuyok her presence. "my husband, who is gone to the dancing lights: he did not choose me until that time came. he learned to know me first. and he was not of the snow." they had made such work well, the blackfox and herself.

"meerkat, i think, must understand what it means to speak directly. she does not understand what it is to be wife because it is not taught to women of this land. so they remain girls for a long while." it was easy to talk so openly with the moon-man.

she looked at issoratuyok. "you are chieftain. you are healthy. you will give strong children. duskfire has safeness in you. your heart is kind. what do you believe meerkat desires if it is not these things?"

A girl is precisely what Meerkat was. She was capable and sweet, but she was young. Issorartuyok nodded his head in understanding of the woman. Kukutux was wise and the words that she shared with the northern man did help to ease his troubled thoughts. He could not help but to wonder what spring might look like, what changes might arrive for the freckled young scout. Beyond this, he could not help but wonder if her tastes would change with the season, too.

When Kukutux asked of him, what it was that Meerkat could desire beyond the goodness that he would offer to her, the man paused.

The earthy brown of his eyes drifted away from the pale woman. He thought back to their first meeting, to the point when he realized that he had found familiarity in her. That initial talk had been a catalyst. The Moonwoman did not realize how her presence had impacted him and his position there. Issorartuyok also did not know how to convey this to her.

What could Meerkat want beyond the security of a home and a husband who would care for her?

Perhaps… someone who understands her.

The man felt his chest tighten.

issoratuyok remained hesitant.

kukutux said nothing for the present. she turned her greenstone eyes out over the herds of caribou. closer to the ulax, the snow was packed into red trails that spread like fading veins into the taiga. she watched ravens wheel down upon the good fat peeled from the back of hides. a gift for sedna's watchers.

"when a woman chooses a man, she is determined. no matter how young. ask yourself if you want her as wife. go out into the snow, away from her. and think in your head and in your spirit. perhaps it is you who does not find a suitable woman in her. perhaps you are the one who has much to give, but she is not ready."

she tsked her tongue, gave the man a sidelong look of affection. "i think there is time yet to understand meerkat. and for her to understand you. but you must wish to do this. and if you do not, then it will be so."

moonwoman's tail swayed once behind her.

Issorartuyok offered her a smile upon hearing the gentle tsk that she made. It was a noise that reminded him of his mother and the lessons she had taught to him when he had been no more than a boy, eager to prove himself and to demonstrate his worth in the world.

The truth was that he believed he had many things to offer. He was a good man. Issorartuyok did not need another to tell him as much. He was faithful and kind. He erred on the side of caution in his adult years. The northerner was not a wolf who was easily moved by the troubles around him. Issorartuyok knew that he could make a good life for Meerkat. He would treat her well. He would give her children who would love her, treasure her, and would grow with her in their hearts. Was this enough for the young scout?

Moonwoman, let us walk. I have missed your company, he offered gently to her. It would do him well to walk beside her and share her company for a short time. To have Moonglow as guests of the glacier was a treat for all, but especially the northern man.

You once said you were a matchmaker, hm? What is done to match two souls together?

kukutux was grateful to turn their words. they were heavy, and she wanted to spend an easier time with the man. 

"the work of atsak is difficult. i make a meeting with a man and one with a woman. i ask what they want in a wife or in a husband. sometimes i speak more than once with each. and then i make a place for them to come together and speak. that is all."

her mouth turned bemused and wry. "i made a meeting with a moon-leader. i made a meeting with a woman who knew the medicine of the earth. he pursued a glacier. she wished a steady place in a man's regard." 

it had become like a song;

"now i see the moon-man has his glacier;"
"now i see the leaf-woman has found her safety."

and it had required no romance.

Issorartuyok listened to the Moonwoman speak. He understood little of what she said. Many questions filled his mind, but he did not ask them. The man could not quite understand how it was that a person could describe what they desired in their mate. What would he have said? The thoughts were challenging to overcome, so he remained rather quiet as Kukutux talked.

When the Moonwoman had finished speaking, the northerner smiled at her warmly.

You are a good woman. A good leader to your village. Your spirit is strong and knowing.

These were the highest of compliments. Issorartuyok dipped his dark muzzle toward his paws.

Worry clouded the back of his mind, shrouding his thoughts. It felt dreary to imagine that he would be without his family for another year, perhaps longer. The northerner had hoped for children, to establish his roots in his new home, to show that he was ready for these duties. Issorartuyok had lost his hopefulness somewhere in his talks with Meerkat. He did not know how to restore it.

I understand if you'd like to fade this out. I'm sorry I didn't give a whole lot in this reply x_x; I kept hmming and hawing over it.

we can fade it! but not because of the post's quality; it was literally perfect & so are you <3

he spoke. she saw beyond the words to a man weighed by responsibility.

if meerkat and sialuk were not close at heart, then perhaps she would have chosen this time to introduce her daughter. the raindrop was dutiful. talented. her status was high. 

but the friendship between the daughter of towhee and her own was important. she felt also that issorartuyok would not wish this.

"come. let us go and count all the caribou that are white this year." she grinned and fell into step beside him, content to while away the next hand of time.

The suggestion she made was a welcome one.

The man followed her to find the caribou, to see if they could find many of them with white upon their fur. It would allow him to get a better look at the spread of the illness, as well. The northerner would be pleased to distract himself with her pleasant company and then be able to report to Lane what he had found.

As they spent their time, Issorartuyok found his mind cleared of many things. It was good for him to know friendship of that kind. When he bid the Moonwoman farewell, he would leave knowing that she had his highest respect. The man was honored to know her.