Ouroboros Spine a gnawing feeling

for @Kukutux if you have time <3

inutsuk has been gone.

shikoba is not sure what has driven him away. and while the sivullik has done her best to remain as a strong firsthunter and an even stronger mother, she cannot deny the feelings of guilt that ripple in her heart. why did he leave, and without a word to her or his son? had he done something wrong, did he reap bad memories of his past?

even if that were the case, it would be unfair to do that to a child who has no knowledge of this. shikoba is not sure what to think. the more mojag grows, the more she worries about him lacking a father figure in his life.

it is with this concern that she seeks out the wise woman who has given her so much, in hopes of receiving some help. within her maw is a white-bellied fish, dripping with water and blood that she had caught from the lake. an offering, a payment. 

she would move towards the ulaq of the woman in hopes of finding her and her brood.

the husband of firsthunter had gone.

the duck welcomed her sister with a worried thrum in her throat. the jade eyes searched and saw the strain upon shikoba. her own children played not far off. kukutux motioned for the other to sit close and accept a piece of dried fish.

"you tell to me, did inutsuk share any words before he did not return home?" perhaps he had said something without thinking. perhaps he had not meant to ever tell that he was going away.

skippable, just taking the opportunity of that 'limit two' — feel free to 'shoo' her off too <3

Callyope was never far from moonwoman.

Perhaps she should be gifted the title of eclipse for how often she shadowed her.

Callyope saw the arrival of the other woman and departed from her siblings, eager to sit near the wise women. Sivullik. The child regarded her with wide eyes of wonder.

Then sought to flop on her side, attentive to them but not truly understanding the topic at hand. Gnawing away at a strip of leather.

she was welcomed, as she always was when in the presence of moon woman. the woman is sure to show her thanks with a brush of her nose against the cheek of kukutux.

her eyes wander to little callyope as a small smile sprawls on her face. a beautiful little girl who would learn the colorful traditions of Moonglow. what pride sun man and moon woman must feel to have welcomed such a wonderful litter into the world.

her focus breaks as she hears a voice bring her back. a solemn shake of her head. no words had been given to her, only silence. "shikoba not sure why inutsuk left." perhaps he was ashamed of having only a single child, but even then, mojag carries part of inutsuk within himself, the same way the child carries spirit of shikoba.

"shikoba worried if, if, if I did something wrong." something to celebrate as she finally has learned a new way to refer to herself, yet it must be said while she ponders the absence of her husband. "mojag need father." her little warrior could only grow so much with his mother's influence.

the duck shook her head. "inutsuk holds many sorrows inside himself. men often go to wander when they hurt." it was no fault of shikoba's own, and she would insist that the firsthunter did not hold that blame to in her spirit.

her small paw covered that of the other woman. she offered a brief, humorless curve of her mouth and an encouraging look. "he has aiolos. and my kinsman, kigipigak, soon i will go to call him here." she did not yet know that natigvik stood tall and would visit in the weeks to come.

kukutux studied shikoba. "do you have the want for another husband?" callyope was close, warm and existent.

the nature of men can often be strange, shikoba worries that this type of occurrence with inutsuk's absence may grow to be a frequent part of mojag's life. he would need consistency, as a schedule often can let a child bloom into the best version of themselves. constant change creates no sense of permanence or importance, at least, this is what the sivullik thinks based on her own upbringing.

a solemn nod of the head, she knew kukutux was always right about these things. shikoba has always placed her entire trust in the woman, there was no reason not to believe her now up to this point. the simple gesture brings a small, grateful smile to the woman's lips, though the following question causes it to falter.

with a monogamous family and lifestyle, shikoba could not see herself abandoning inutsuk, despite how frustrated she felt with him for being gone. if mojag has the chance to be known and loved by his true father, that is all that shikoba wants for him. she would shake her head lightly.

"shiko-- I, love inutsuk. but just... worried about mojag. worried mojag knows his father gone." what would he think in his little mind? that his father doesn't love him and walked out on him and his mother? hopefully, such a complex idea would not come across quite yet, but nonetheless, shikoba worried. "what would kukutux do?" perhaps this would help push the woman onto the right path of correcting this little wobble in her marriage.

"there are two paths. if i believed my husband had gone to sedna, i would sing him to those lights. and then i would not say his name again. but i would tell my son of the things he did while he lived."

she paused, searching for any hurt or denial in shikoba.

"the second path is this: say his name and teach mojag of him. the village will be his father and will teach him the things that inutsuk cannot. but the second path also says if he is gone for three moons, you are no longer his wife unless you wish to wait."

the two paths both seemed to end in a sorrowful story, but shikoba understood the meaning behind both. the world does not stop because a tragedy strikes; she cannot stop mothering her son because grief has stricken her once again. though she may hold onto a weaker heart, she will not allow sadness to consume her entirely as before. life has breathed itself into mojag, and she must continue to allow him to grow.

her eyes fall upon her paws for a moment, praying that the first path is something she will not have to partake in. but if it was, she would sing until her lungs shriveled up and her voice came no more. as for the second path, she is given more freedom to choose how to go about this tragedy, whether it is to allow her husband to return or to turn her back upon his name. 

either way, shikoba knows that mojag has the entire family of Moonglow behind him. even if he does lack a fatherly figure, he will know that his family loves him and that in itself should be enough. the woman remains silent for a moment before returning her gaze to kukutux as she parts her lips to speak softly.

"then shikoba wait. but... if too long, inutsuk will have to prove himself again." it was no lie that shikoba wanted to test to see if the man was suitable material to be the father of her littler, thus with her fishing trip with him and such. normally, small things would go unnoticed and shikoba wouldn't think of the absence if it lasted only a day. but with the length of this one, she was not certain who her husband would be when he would return if he did at all.

"prove that he will not leave mojag, moonglow, and shikoba. what, what does kukutux think?" she values her opinions and is curious about the other's thoughts.

she nodded.

and she thought of rodyn.

sialuk had taken the mountain. it was now where she lived, though her scent remained in moonglow. but she sought a husband to make the place which was once moonspear into a new village.

rodyn was a good man. shikoba was sivullik.

she considered.

"yes. we will give him tests. trials. first he will hunt. then he will bring you a thing that you ask. he will pay a bride-price to you, shikoba, to say that he is sorry for the time that he took a new path to find his head."

he was a man. men did such things, and women must accept this. but they were not below their husbands. inutsuk must make this right.

"sister," and her voice was somber. "how much time will you ask before we begin the nine death songs?" what if he did not come back, not even to attempt this proving? what if moonglow did not see him again?

assuming that we would have already reached this point considering when this thread was first started, are you okay if i start a later thread for the death songs. assuming no posts have been made for shikoiba by inutsuk?

shikoba could not deny that moonwoman's question demanded an answer from her. Although she would wait forever, she knew that mojag couldn't. the sivulllik held her position for Moonglow, not for herself. and she held the title of a mother for her son, not for her own heart. she would have to decide when enough was enough and severe the tie between her husband and herself if he did not return soon.

while she would hope he would return, shikoba knew she could not focus and count on it. her love for mojag and Moonglow itself would have to outweigh. for now, the woman silently pondered for an answer. 

"1 moon cycle. if inutsuk does not come home, shikoba will sing death songs on the night of no moon." a month, more or less. shikoba would pray heavily for the return of her husband. and later at night, she would find herself weeping his name in silence.

"will kukutux be there to help shikoba?" she wouldn't be able to do this alone and hoped her sister would be there in heart and spirit and in kindness.

yes absolutely! sorry to be so slow! tag me & feel free to PP kuku <33

kukutux nodded fervently. "i will tell you the words."

her jadestone eyes filled with tears. she pulled shikoba first. it was becoming clear to her that to be sivullik was to be alone.

she did not wish this for shikoba. she had not expected it of adrastus. but the next one to become firsthunter must be alone.

"one moon cycle," the duck said softly.